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Black History Month profile: Dr.Solomon Carter
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Written by Dezarae Parker, the Eagle Staff Writer
Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller, born inNigeria, was the grandson of an American slave who had purchased his freedom and went toAfrica. He was one of the assistant doctors who were a part of a group that helped others understand the brain illness of Alzheimer’s disease.
He was a foreign doctor who acted as a graduate research assistant at the Royal Psychiatric Hospital. Fuller was a graduated fromBostonUniversityMedicalSchooland later worked as a pathologist.
He also became the nation’s first African American psychiatrist. He went to Germany seeking medical training that he felt he couldn’t gain the U.S. He studied a man’s brain that was devoured with an undetermined disease that was later known as Alzheimer’s. Fuller noticed that the brain had plaques called amyloids in it.
Later on in his life after he became a successful researcher, he was overcome by blindness. This condition was caused by his diabetes and forced him to retire. Although he was blind, he didn’t let this stand in his way. He continued to practice privately in his home in Boston until 1953.
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February HS Student Focus: Scott Moore
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Written by Aziaha Robinson, The Eagle Senior Writer
Scott Moore isn’t your average 11th grade student.
I mean really, how many juniors do you know that have spent an entire year in Germany, participates in more than 3 extracurricular activities, and still maintains a 4.0 GPA? Not too many, right?
Well for Scott, overachievement might as well be his middle name. He is an editor here at The Eagle; he is also on the soccer team, a member of the math league and quiz teams, a member of student council, and an active member in the drama department.
Which means on top of all of that, he has participated in Cabaret, One Acts, and is currently doing musical. You have probably seen Scott at one time or another and thought to yourself, “There’s someone in a hurry…a man on a mission.” Well, that’s actually pretty accurate.
“Commitment is very important to me. Once I commit to something, I commit whole heartedly and give 110% at all times,” Scott states after he was asked how he manages to stay on track. You’d think with a schedule such as his that free time, if any, would pretty much consist of sleeping.
However, he doesn’t stop there. Scott also enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with his family. When asked what his favorite subjects were, Scott comments that he is neither a math and science person, nor a English and history person, but a person who finds something he likes in each of his subjects. That’s not a bad way to move forward.
And come tomorrow, you’ll probably see Scott moving forward, and quickly. He’s got places to go and people to see…and there are only 24 hours in a day.
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Chloe Mobley: PSSA/Standardized tests—there’s got to be a better way
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Written by Chloe Mobley, The Eagle Staff Reporter
Editor’s note: When one of our best reporters tells us that they want to do a column, we jump at the chance. So of course when Chloe told us that she wanted to do a column about standardized tests, we were excited. We, uh, just forgot to tell her that as a freshman, she won’t have to take PSSA’s for a couple of years. This column still addresses the stress many Obama students have over PSSA’s, and standardized tests, in general.
Everyone seems relieved now that midterms are finally over. It’s now February and we’re halfway done with the school year. In my mind though, I know that soon we will have to worry about the PSSA tests.
It has become more and more stressful to take these standardized tests each year. When I was in elementary school it was a one day thing where you were just handed the test and the next day you would be back to regular class. Now it seems as though our entire second half of the year is consumed by this one test. I have no problem with having a standardized test once a year, the problem is the enormous push to succeed on the test.
English is one of my favorite classes (or used to be anyway) and soon we will have a unit about standardized tests. They made a whole unit about eating protein on the test day and how to fill in the bubbles! Does this sound right to you? Each year they show us the same PowerPoint about tips and advice like coming to school ontime and going to bed early. It’s not like they cared any of the other days we had tests! If they have to tell us these things every year they should just give us a hand out with advice for test day.
Last year our school made AYP, the annual yearly progress percentage, but each time we achieve the goal percentage out gets higher. I know we are a really good school, but what happens when that percent gets up to 100? I have a lot of faith in our school, but we would be living in dream land to think we could achieve total perfection. I don’t want to be a pessimist but its hard for an individual to get an A on a test, I don’t think every single person in the school can get an A on the same test. If we do not make AYP though, it means more annoying teacher observations and could lead to the end of the school itself. Overall it seems like a lose-lose situation.
These standardized tests have become increasingly stressful for the teachers and students. There is too much at stake on one test that you take once a year. It has gotten to the point where the tests are a disruption to learning.
There has to be a better way to test a students learning progress, because the system they use now its corrupt. If out its any consolation, I feel that our generation is blessed to get out of the system before it totally crumbles.
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Rosa Vitti, Tarika Embar: Participation in sports is great, but be careful
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Written by Rosa Vitti, The Eagle Staff Reporter
Many students participate in school sports and the opinions of the effect on their grades from joining a sport vary from person to person. Some students handle their situations and get pretty good grades but others find it hard to balance their work with their sport.
The experiences from each person and sport range from good to bad but as ninth grader Olivia Perfetti explains she’s gotten into good shape from her sport; soccer. Emma Somers thinks it’s a great way to meet new people plus they’re a lot of fun. Even though they are really fun, everything has its down side, including sports.
Ivy Ryan says “They lower my average length of sleep.” She also says that they lead into late homework, lower test scores, and a more complicated scale to balance the work, sport, and social life. Merce Lemon says “They force me into not having enough time to do my homework.”
School provides you with a lot of work and sports are just one more thing to pile on, but if you really want play your favorite sport then Why not? Besides, you can get SACK hours!
by Rosa Vitti
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Are there serious long term effects on the body from high school sports? Malcolm Mitchell, who recent got hurt playingsoccer, says “It still hurts.” You see it on the news all the time – teenagers getting seriously hurt or killed from the sports they play. As a hockey player, I’ve seen students get cornered, or even dragged off the ice with sprained necks or broken collar bones.
Being physically active has its benefits, though. If you’re doing something you love, and being active, what can be the downside of it? Well, kids that don’t properly take care of themselves can end up hurt for life. Something like a concussion can just get worse and wrose each time you’re hurt, to the point of brain damage.
That’s why it’s advised that if you’re hurt, even a little, you inform your coach immediately and get the proper attention so that you can heal and get back to doing what you love. There are long term effects if you get hurt and don’t do anything about it. There aren’t if you take care of yourself.
by Tarika Embar
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Black History Month Week 1 Feature: Susie King Taylor
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Written by Dezarae Parker, The Eagle Staff Reporter
Susie King Taylor was born on August 6, 1848 and she was the first African American to publish a memoir of her wartime experiences. Taylor was the daughter of two slaves, and when she was seven her master let her go to Savannah to live with her grandmother.
In April of 1862, she and many others left and went to St. Simmons Island. At that time, the island was occupied by the Union forces. Susie caught the attention of one of the army officers and they offered her books to enrich her education as long as she taught for them. Later on Taylor became the first teacher for freed African American students.
In the 1870s, she traveled to Boston as a domestic servant and remained there for the rest of her life. After she took a journey to Louisiana to take care of a dying friend, she wrote her book titled Reminiscences. Ten years after her book was published in 1902, Taylor passed away.
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Hannah Williams, Emma Embar: School issues
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Written by Hannah Williams and Emma Embar, The Eagle Staff Reporters
Current events
Obama civics students are given an important assignment in their freshman year: to keep up with the news and become more politically aware citizens. To most freshmen, this is a useless task that hinders social activity. I’m sure if all teenagers had to do this, they would feel the same way. Most youth inAmericadon’t care about politics at all.
Teenagers don’t want to hear about what bills are being passed or who’s running for president, because they don’t think that it affects them. They can’t vote until they’re 18; they probably won’t care until then. Overall, politics aren’t very interesting to students. I know that you might meet the occasional kid who cares, but I speak for most teenagers when I say we don’t care about politics.
Emma Embar
Everyone knows how it feels to be dead tired on a Monday morning. You’d rather be home sleeping and yet you end up falling asleep in school. The problem is that students aren’t getting enough sleep day after day. Once they’re behind in school, they will also be too tired to catch up and then that’s that. Exhaustion can make you angry which can hurt your concentration when taking an important test. The failing grades and miserable attitude aren’t worth staying up late or hanging with friends longer than usual.
Even worse, there are those who have to stay up late because of demanding sports and increasing homework. But if they are truly committed to both their homework and sports, then they should be able to manage their time so that they don’t suffer. High school can already be stressful enough but if you don’t get the right amount of sleep, then you might have a problem.
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English/Journalism switches get favorable comments so far
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Written by La'Nia Latimer, The Eagle Staff Reporter
When the holiday vacation was over many Obama 9-11th grade students returned to school and found a real surprise in their schedule. 11th grade English classes now had Mrs. Wilson, and some of the 10th grade students were switched into CAS classes which are generally much harder than PSP classes. And for those whose classes did not change Mrs. Wilson’s 10th grade English class got mixed with Mr. Kocur’s English class. Mr. Kocur was no longer teaching journalism which many kids did not like at all. So now there’s a new journalism teacher.
I went to several students and asked how they felt about the switch and found there were both negative and positive things to say.
11th grade English responses:
Student: “I like it but then, I didn’t like Mrs. Eutsler. I felt that she was getting too old to teach. The difference between her and Mrs. Wilson is that Mrs. Wilson teaches.”
Student: “The switch was more of a better choice. It’s more challenging now and more work. Mrs. Eutsler didn’t teach I.B work, everyone was being taught mainstream level.”
10th grade English responses:
Student: “I don’t like it because some PSP English kids came to CAS English class and they’re always talking about us and saying how we’re weird and talk different.”
“I like the switch. Mr. Kocur gives us a lot of work and Ms. Wilson didn’t give us a lot of work,” said a CAS student.
Of course, the teachers are going to do what is best for their students and prepare them for what they need by the time they get to the next level of education.
Ms. Wilson said “from a teachers perspective no teachers wants to have changes in the middle of the school year. From a personal perspective I loved my 10th grade classes.” At first it was devastating and I did not want to do it but to professional to adult change happens over time and there’s no point of wasting time and energy. So things are going to change and happen overtime. It’s emotionally tough but it was the transition that was just tough. I love teaching 11th grade as much as I taught 10th grade. I taught 11th grade many times and always wondered if I’ll ever go back to teaching but I never expected it to happen in the middle of the year. Now that I’m teaching 11th grade I asked if I can have my 10th grade back so now I’ll be teaching 11th grade next year.
Meanwhile, Mr.Kocur felt basically the same way, saying, “ Ideally, I would have loved to keep the same schedule all year long. Journalism really was a hit among our students. But the stakes are just too high where English is concerned. We can’t afford to lose a day let alone a half a year with a steady, revolving door of substitute teachers coming in. With PSSA’s around the corner, the changes had to be made.”
So far, it seems like students are making the adjustment, even though it does seem to be more work across the board.
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Black history month profile: Maggie Walker
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Written by Dezarae Parker, The Eagle Staff Reporter
Maggie Walker was the daughter of ex-slaves. She was born in 1867 and raised in poverty. Walker was the first African American woman to become head of a savings organization. She finished high school at age 16.
Later on in her life she took it upon herself to establish her own bank that would allow African Americans to save their money and receive loans. Her bank was named St Luke Penny Savings Bank. It was named after an organization that she was a part of ever since she was a child. Her bank specialized in giving loans to the less fortunate so that they would be able to buy homes to live in.
Maggie Walker had once said “We need a savings bank, Chartered, offered and run by the men and women of this order. Let us have a bank that will take nickels and turn them into dollars.”
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