Opinion – The Southerner

A safer alternative? A closer look into vaping

March 11, 2020

While it may not be scientific, astrology still helps students navigate life

There are 12 Zodiac signs and each sign has specific traits to them. By looking at your birth month and date, you are able to figure out what your sign is and furthermore explore what things your sign says about you. “Since the Earth has wobbled and changed in the last 2,000 years, whatever your sign is isn't your sign today,” said astronomy teacher Kate Rosok.

March 9, 2020

From Instagram pages to people posting on their Snapchat story, to newspapers, websites, and even apps available for people to download on their phones, astrology has been around for a long time. Now it’s becoming an obsession. For example, The DailyHoroscope is popular and one of the best apps for ch...

Tags: astrology, horoscopes, Kai Alquicira, Kate Rosok, Sandra Leal-Munoz

Despite immense global impact, BTS doesn’t receive the recognition they deserve

The 62nd Grammys took place on January 26th, 2020. The show featured an opening act performed by Lizzo, many tributes to the recently passed Kobe and Gianna Bryant, and Billie Eilish taking home many awards, including Record of the Year. While the show may have seemed complete and normal, something felt like it was missing, and that was international sensation BTS.

Caleb Stipkovits, News Editor

February 24, 2020

International sensation BTS just dropped a new album, Map of the Soul: 7. The album, according to Forbes, sold over 4 million copies in preorders, and the total sales number has been increasing since itNadias release on February 21st, 2020. The success of BTS is undeniable, but something feels li...

Tags: Betsy Warren, BTS, Grammys, Kpop, Map of the Soul: 7, Nadia Gul

There’s a culture of hating teenage girls and no one’s talking about it

I spent hours over winter break scrolling meaninglessly through my For You page on TikTok when I noticed a new trend evolved on the app that was well needed. A trend calling out mostly high school and college age boys who duetted girls videos trolling them for doing normal things or just expressing themselves.

Rayna Acha, Staff Writer

January 21, 2020

I spent hours over winter break scrolling meaninglessly through my For You page on TikTok when I noticed a new trend evolved on the app that was well needed. A trend calling out mostly high school and college age boys who duetted girls videos trolling them for doing normal things or just expressing thems...

Tags: Ellie McDonald, Jordan Dotson, Sequoiah Thunder, TikTok

Insider trading; South’s neglect of technical careers

Pictured above is sophomore Jonathan Auckenthaler working on his ball peen hammer, the final project for machine shop. Machine shop is the only technical class South offers, despite just being one out of the hundreds of trades available.

Tannen Holt, Staff Writer

January 21, 2020

There is a wide variety of viable post secondary options. Whether you want to further your education or head right into the workforce, no productive option is necessarily a bad option. Among these options are pursuing trades, whether by learning through vocational school or apprenticeships, there is mo...

Tags: College and Career Center, Joe Hyser, Leon Wong, Project Success, Skyler Kronin, Trade schools

It’s about time to change school start times

Junior Mya Lynch and Senior Ian Mackimm enter South in the morning after the morning bell. “Once you look at highschool and you look at adolescence, I think there’s plenty of data that says that starting later is best for the brain,

Nick Auckenthaler, Staff Writer

December 19, 2019

New laws have been passed in California pushing back start times to no later than 8:30. Schools in Australia and New Zealand have even pushed it back to 10 am, according to The New York Times. With this new change going on, students are wondering if maybe it's time for a similar change to come to Sou...

Tight security in the lunchroom increases South’s prison like atmosphere

South is known for its ability to protest over matters they care about. On November 22, students gathered on the balcony to protest against increasingly strict security at South, specifically a cutdown on student passes.

Graham Doyle, Staff Writer

December 18, 2019

Lunch is the only free time for many students at South High. Most students like to spend their lunch relaxing and catching up with friends. However, due to the administration's attempts to tighten security at South, students are no longer allowed access to the second and third floor during lunch. This ...

Tags: Brett Stringer, Lunchroom policy, mice, rat, Shehnaz Nurein

South’s phone policy is in need of an update

South is in need of a standardized phone policy which would include students having more control over their phone usage in their free time at school. Students Olivia Teske, Cora Rubey, and Leo Barnhill pictured above are just some of the many students tired of the differing phone policies between classes. “The phone policy should be that you can be on your phone during free time or independent work time and while the teacher is talking you have to listen and put your phone away...you can be on your phone, you can be listening to music, if you’re done with your work and you show that you’re done with your work, then you can use it.” says freshman Mackenzie Doyle.

Hayley Morgan, Staff Writer

December 17, 2019

Teachers need to standardize their phone policies as it has become strenuous for students to switch between drastically different phone policies every hour. The South community suffers from the consequences of these differing policies, including increased stress among students when switching between...

Tags: Jeffery Buszta, Mackenzie Doyle, Mick Hamilton, phone policies

Litter and needles and bodies, oh my! The neglect of the Minneapolis Greenway

On the side of The Greenway’s path under the Cedar Avenue bridge and two hypodermic needles. While these are still inclosed in their sterile packaging and removed from the trail, many bikers have had bad interactions with used or open needles lying on the path. “[The City] actually put up a box to put the needles in, but it’s not getting used. I popped my front and rear tires on needles,” said junior Ryder Nye.

Tannen Holt, Staff Writer

December 17, 2019

The Greenway is a 5.5 mile long bike/walking trail stretching from Bde Maka Ska all the way to Dinkytown. You can get almost anywhere in the city using The Greenway, which is important because it offers bikers and walkers refuge from cars and traffic, one of the largest causes of fatalities and injuries...

Tags: Jay Manolis, Julian Brandon, Ryder Nye

Asian Americans challenge underrepresentation in television and comedy

Asian American actors and comedians are often underrepresented and not portrayed accurately in television. This has a negative effect in the real world, and it reinforces stereotypes. This graphic shows the faces of different Asian American comedians and actors. Nadia Gul, a student who identifies as Afghan American said, “People like me who are brown and Asian can finally be represented in the light that we want to.”

Khayaal Desai-Hunt, Staff Writer

November 26, 2019

In January 2019, Sandra Oh made history. She became the first Asian American (Canadian) to ever host the Golden Globes. She was also the first woman of Asian descent to ever win more than one Golden Globe. Although she has been nominated for an Emmy award eight times, she has never won. The fact tha...

Shipping of waste to Southeast Asia: what REALLY happens to your recycling

The US and other western countries have been shipping their recycling to countries in Southeast Asia for years. Much of the waste sent is unrecyclable plastic waste which has caused environmental damage to the Southeast Asian region.

Caleb Stipkovits, News Editor

November 23, 2019

The environmental justice movement used to be centered around electric cars, vegan diets, and universally reducing our carbon footprint. Over the past few years that focus has changed to become more inclusive, and now additionally focuses on taking down systems of power that create most of the damage ...

Kiss my pass: an open letter to administration about their bathroom policy.

This quarter administration chose to change the passes used in school. “We have employees here that were once students, and they remember the pink passes. We just wanted to change it up a little bit,” said Principal Brett Stringer. The new green passes have a return section, and even a place to put the persons school. Because someone from Washburn might need to get a drink.

Tannen Holt, Staff Writer

November 19, 2019

I object to your doctrine that you hold such authority over me and my life as to control my bodily functions. I object to the fact that despite being old enough to be drafted, you believe that I should need permission to use the restroom. I object to the assertion that you can stop me. You cannot. ...

News

MPS votes to terminate contract with Minneapolis Police Department

Erika Peterson, Features Editor

June 2, 2020 • No Comments

During the Board of Education meeting at 5pm on Tuesday, June 2nd, the Minneapolis school board voted unanimously to terminate their contract with the Minneapolis Police Department....