Panther Prints | Issue 2 | December 2019
16 • Opinion PESHPRINTS.COMChristmas fever leaves America sickDiversification of winter holidays possible through pop cultureby Juliette Robertshe question, “What’s your favoriteTChristmas movie?” prompts a varietyof answers. “The Grinch” (no, not the JimCarrey version), “It’s a Wonderful Life,”“Die Hard” or dozens more might cometo mind. The question, “What’s your favoriteHanukkah movie?” could leavemost students stumped. Or,worse, yet, “Can you name oneKwanzaa movie?”This problem is reminiscentof the anger surrounding thepolitically correct enforcementof “Happy holidays” to replace“Merry Christmas.” Supportersof this change believe dismantlingthe Christmas hegemonywill make room for other winterholidays, but this isn’t necessary.Other holidays can coexist alongsideChristmas when they have a presence inpopular culture.Holidays other than Christmas havebeen recognized by politicians such asTexas Sen. Ted Cruz who wished Hanukkahcelebrants a warm greeting via socialmedia in 2017. Although this is progress towarddiversification, politics doesn’t set thestandard for day-to-day life — pop cultureHANUKKAHDec. 22-Dec. 30OTHER WINTER HOLIDAYSWINTERSOLSTICEDec. 21does. Every day, school hallways are clamoringwith discussions of the latest showsand musical artists. If a holiday is invisible inpop culture, its participants remain alienatedfrom society.This necessity for a variety of winterholidays is especially applicable to students.According to Pew Research Center,Gen Z is the most ethnically diverse generationyet, but looking at the wintertimeChristmas craze, nobody would know it. Itis crucial for students who will soon inheritbusinesses and institutions currently run byadults to let their diversity shine in the holidaysrepresented in pop culture. Anythingless would be untrue to their identity.Some Americans disagree with the in-KWANZAADec. 26-Jan. 1clusion of other holidays because the majorityof people celebrate Christmas. Whilethis is true, minorities should still hold apresence in the public conscious. For example,Kwanzaa originated in the civilrights movement of the 60s as a culturalcelebration of African American communityand heritage. Meanwhile,the majority of Americans aretrading meaning for material.Households spent an averageof $1,536 during the Christmasseason in 2018 according toFortunly, while only 46% seeChristmas as a primarily religiousholiday. So-called “minor”holidays could provide the callbackto sincere religious andcultural roots the country desperatelyneeds.Making room for other holidays doesn’tmean shaming anyone for loving Christmas.The solution is not to ban “MerryChristmas,” but to make it just as acceptableto say “Happy Hanukkah” or “HappyKwanzaa.” Supporting creative projectsdesigned to assimilate other holidays intopopular culture is the path to properly representingthe country’s diversity.Policy predicamentby Fatima Malikhe current early release policies allowTseniors to take fewer than six classesif their schedule consists of at least fourAdvanced Placement (AP) courses or acareer prep class, which requires a joboutside of school. These students shouldnot be the only ones allowed to have aminimum of five classes. PISD campusadministrators should take this policyinto reconsideration to allow all seniorsto take a minimum of five classes.Having to stay in school for a longerperiod of the day can mean lower attendancerates from seniors who realizethey don’t care for extra classes. Accordingto a Panther Prints poll, 53% of448 students feel they’re unnecessarilyrequired to take extra classes despitehaving completed their required credits.However, Spending 49 minutes longer atschool to take an additional class mightmean an opportunity to gain knowledgeon subjects a student might realizethey enjoy.Senior year itself can be exhaustingwith the stress of schoolwork and theimpending pressure of life beyond highschool. An extra four hours per weekwould allot for time to work on collegeapplications during this final year. Instead,however, this time is placed intoan additional class that may not necessarilybe a benefit for all students.The financial stress that comes withcollege — or working to support family— can be daunting, and having moretime to work can make the cost of collegeless distressing. Furthermore, havingwork experience as a high schoolstudent can bolster a student’s collegeapplications and work resumes. Whilecareer prep is an option for all studentsto gain additional time to work, the classis limited in availability since there areonly five classes with 25 seats per class.AP level classes are not the onlystressors that should be considered forallowing shorter schedules. Some classes— such as dual credit or fine artscredits — can be just as rigorous as APclasses. Other factors that may play intostress are familial problems or extracurricularactivities.Seniors should have the choice totake a minimum of five classes no matterthe type of classes they take as longas they are on track to completing theircredits by the end of the school year.Any additional classes should be optional,because some seniors may needmore time to focus on applications andwork as they transition to college.56%48%53%11%of studentshave no earlyrelease from schoolof studentstake seven classesthis semesterof studentsfeel they areunnecessarilyrequired to takeextra classesof studentshave double seniorrelease withAP classesout of 448 students polled
@PESHPRINTS Opinion • 17Political participationProposed bill should pass to expand voting populationStaff Editorialexas state lawmakers filed HouseTBill 512 that, if passed, will allow17-year-olds turning 18 before generalelections to vote in state primaryelections. A division lies between lawmakerswho supportthe passage of thisbill — four Democraticand two Republicanrepresentatives —and lawmakers whobelieve the bill wouldcause confusion. Thebill should be passed,as it is beneficial inmany ways to citizenswho will soon beadults with full votingrights.Lowering the votingage expands thevoting populationand encourages participationin politics.Twenty other statesalready allow someform of voting at17-years-old — forinstance, New Mexicoallows 17-year-olds tovote in primary electionsgiven they willbe 18 by the time ofthe general election.If 40% of the UnitedStates already allowsvoter participationof 17-year-olds, thenother states shouldfollow. In the midtermelections forNovember 2018, earlyvoter turnout for votersunder 30 in Texaswas up by 375%from 2014 according to the analyticsfirm TargetSmart. If young Texans areparticipating more in elections, thenopening up state primaries to 17-yearoldswill likelyincrease politicalinvolvement ofvoters under 30.The primaryelection determinesthe57% candidate whorepresents thepolitical partiesin the generalelection. Many17-year-oldswill be 18 by the time of general elections,so it follows that they shouldhave the right to vote for their stateoptions. If the proposed bill doesn’tpass, then 18-year-olds who choose tovote in the state general election willbe choosing between candidates whowere decided for them by other votersin the state primary election.In some ways, state policy is arguablymore influential for teenagers thanfederal policy. The federal and stategovernments share some powers andreserve others; for example, decisionson public health and safety are left tothe states. These include decisionsof studentsthink 17 year oldsshould be able to votein primary electionsout of 448 students polled82%about the drug industry, food industryand cases of domestic abuse. Since17-year-olds on the verge of adulthoodwill be affected by such policies,the ability to vote for candidates whorepresent their viewpoints gives themthe power to shape the state they livein.A concern about the passage ofthese bills is that many younger U.S.citizens aren’t aware of the importanceof their civic duty. As a result, HarrisCounty clerk DianeTrautman proposedthat 17-year-old votersbe required tocomplete civics andgovernment classes,as it ensures theyunderstand their responsibilityas U.S.citizens. Another argumentagainst theproposed bill is that17-year-olds wouldfeel confused ratherthan empowered ifthe bill passes, sinceit allows participationin local and state electionsbut not federalCartoon by Sevval Erenkolelections. However,due to widespreadinternet access — asof 2019, 90% of U.S.adults use the internetaccording to thePew Research Center— information aboutstate-level electionsis quick and easyto look up. Doubtsover most 17-yearolds’lack of politicalknowledge areunfounded since, ifgiven a reason to beinformed about stateand local politics,teenagers can easilyeducate themselvesby using the internet.The passage of a bill to open upprimary elections for state and countyoffices to 17-year-olds would increasevoter participation, ensure theyhave the abilityto vote for thecandidates theywill choose betweenin theof studentsthink it’s veryimportant to votegeneral election,and givethem the abilityto contribute tothe type of statethey want to livein as adults. Forthese reasons,the proposed bill for 17-year-olds tovote in state primaries should pass.17 staff members in favor1 staff member against
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16 • Opinion PESHPRINTS.COM
Christmas fever leaves America sick
Diversification of winter holidays possible through pop culture
by Juliette Roberts
he question, “What’s your favorite
TChristmas movie?” prompts a variety
of answers. “The Grinch” (no, not the Jim
Carrey version), “It’s a Wonderful Life,”
“Die Hard” or dozens more might come
to mind. The question, “What’s your favorite
Hanukkah movie?” could leave
most students stumped. Or,
worse, yet, “Can you name one
Kwanzaa movie?”
This problem is reminiscent
of the anger surrounding the
politically correct enforcement
of “Happy holidays” to replace
“Merry Christmas.” Supporters
of this change believe dismantling
the Christmas hegemony
will make room for other winter
holidays, but this isn’t necessary.
Other holidays can coexist alongside
Christmas when they have a presence in
popular culture.
Holidays other than Christmas have
been recognized by politicians such as
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz who wished Hanukkah
celebrants a warm greeting via social
media in 2017. Although this is progress toward
diversification, politics doesn’t set the
standard for day-to-day life — pop culture
HANUKKAH
Dec. 22-Dec. 30
OTHER WINTER HOLIDAYS
WINTER
SOLSTICE
Dec. 21
does. Every day, school hallways are clamoring
with discussions of the latest shows
and musical artists. If a holiday is invisible in
pop culture, its participants remain alienated
from society.
This necessity for a variety of winter
holidays is especially applicable to students.
According to Pew Research Center,
Gen Z is the most ethnically diverse generation
yet, but looking at the wintertime
Christmas craze, nobody would know it. It
is crucial for students who will soon inherit
businesses and institutions currently run by
adults to let their diversity shine in the holidays
represented in pop culture. Anything
less would be untrue to their identity.
Some Americans disagree with the in-
KWANZAA
Dec. 26-Jan. 1
clusion of other holidays because the majority
of people celebrate Christmas. While
this is true, minorities should still hold a
presence in the public conscious. For example,
Kwanzaa originated in the civil
rights movement of the 60s as a cultural
celebration of African American community
and heritage. Meanwhile,
the majority of Americans are
trading meaning for material.
Households spent an average
of $1,536 during the Christmas
season in 2018 according to
Fortunly, while only 46% see
Christmas as a primarily religious
holiday. So-called “minor”
holidays could provide the callback
to sincere religious and
cultural roots the country desperately
needs.
Making room for other holidays doesn’t
mean shaming anyone for loving Christmas.
The solution is not to ban “Merry
Christmas,” but to make it just as acceptable
to say “Happy Hanukkah” or “Happy
Kwanzaa.” Supporting creative projects
designed to assimilate other holidays into
popular culture is the path to properly representing
the country’s diversity.
Policy predicament
by Fatima Malik
he current early release policies allow
Tseniors to take fewer than six classes
if their schedule consists of at least four
Advanced Placement (AP) courses or a
career prep class, which requires a job
outside of school. These students should
not be the only ones allowed to have a
minimum of five classes. PISD campus
administrators should take this policy
into reconsideration to allow all seniors
to take a minimum of five classes.
Having to stay in school for a longer
period of the day can mean lower attendance
rates from seniors who realize
they don’t care for extra classes. According
to a Panther Prints poll, 53% of
448 students feel they’re unnecessarily
required to take extra classes despite
having completed their required credits.
However, Spending 49 minutes longer at
school to take an additional class might
mean an opportunity to gain knowledge
on subjects a student might realize
they enjoy.
Senior year itself can be exhausting
with the stress of schoolwork and the
impending pressure of life beyond high
school. An extra four hours per week
would allot for time to work on college
applications during this final year. Instead,
however, this time is placed into
an additional class that may not necessarily
be a benefit for all students.
The financial stress that comes with
college — or working to support family
— can be daunting, and having more
time to work can make the cost of college
less distressing. Furthermore, having
work experience as a high school
student can bolster a student’s college
applications and work resumes. While
career prep is an option for all students
to gain additional time to work, the class
is limited in availability since there are
only five classes with 25 seats per class.
AP level classes are not the only
stressors that should be considered for
allowing shorter schedules. Some classes
— such as dual credit or fine arts
credits — can be just as rigorous as AP
classes. Other factors that may play into
stress are familial problems or extracurricular
activities.
Seniors should have the choice to
take a minimum of five classes no matter
the type of classes they take as long
as they are on track to completing their
credits by the end of the school year.
Any additional classes should be optional,
because some seniors may need
more time to focus on applications and
work as they transition to college.
56%
48%
53%
11%
of students
have no early
release from school
of students
take seven classes
this semester
of students
feel they are
unnecessarily
required to take
extra classes
of students
have double senior
release with
AP classes
out of 448 students polled
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