The Southerner

South students have to go to the attendance office if they miss school, and if they miss more than three days because of illness they are required to have a note from the doctor. This policy is unfair for students who do not have healthcare because they often can’t get the support they need to catch up from missed work and avoid the consequences that can come from unexcused absences.

Doctor’s note requirement is excessively burdensome for today’s South students

Ida Pountney, Staff Writer February 27, 2019

Have you ever missed school for an extended period of time and wanted to get excused, but you couldn’t get a note from a healthcare professional? Well, you aren’t alone. Many students at South have...

A smokestack releases smoke from a building. According to the non-profit CDP and the Climate Accountability Institute, 71% of global carbon emissions come from just 100 corporations. “(blaming average people for global warming) a really good way for people in power to not take responsibility.” Said Guille Bastian.

We need to hold corporations accountable for the climate crisis

Charlie Chinander-McFaul, Staff Writer February 17, 2019

Recently a United Nations report stated that the world has 12 years to drastically lower carbon emissions or else we will face irreversible damage. Rising sea levels will result in the destruction of coastal...

South High’s tiger pride gear is sold during lunch every other Wednesday. The main brand used is Gildan which is notorious for using factories with sweatshop conditions. Merriam Webster defines a sweatshop as “a shop or factory in which employees work for long hours at low wages and under unhealthy conditions.” However, 37.2% percent of South students surveyed have never heard the term sweatshop before and 78.9% percent don’t clearly remember learning about it in school. South students could play a part in creating change on the issue but not if they don’t have access to the information about what’s actually going on.

What’s a sweatshop again? The issue that’s fallen out of view

Talula Cedar James, Staff Writer December 22, 2018

As I walk through a busy H&M, Mariah Carey blasting through the speakers, searching for something I can buy with the ten dollars cash I have in my pocket, a thought flashes through my mind for just...

This graphic portrays a common feeling students might have in regards to standardized tests.  Standardized tests disregard the different mental health, cultural and language backgrounds that could affect the outcome of a students test. Students that take standardized tests are all treated as the same and are all expected to have one standardized test measure their intelligence which in so many cases is not true.

No consideration for diversity in standardized testing

Maya Edmonds, Staff Writer December 6, 2018

Am I failing… or is it the test? Many students have been taking standardized tests since 3rd grade. Standardized tests have no value for diversity whether you have a different learning style, background,...

When comparing the grades received in the same courses under both a weighted grading system and an unweighted grading system, the positive effect on one’s GPA using the weighted system is extremely obvious. “I believe that weighted grading more accurately represents a student’s performance because it takes into account the difficulty of classes,” said senior Miguel Brandao.

Weighted grades would encourage students to seek greater challenge

Norah Austin, Staff Writer November 30, 2018

In high school there is a tremendous emphasis on grading and grades, including focus on the grade value of assignments, and evaluation of knowledge and skills through testing and summative projects. Currently,...

This graphic shows the true statistics behind the proportion of millennials (ages 19-31) and Gen Xers (ages 31-50) that are eligible to vote and that actually voted in the 2016 election. Voting is extremely important, especially for younger generations, because many of the issues our votes depend on have significant effects on our futures.

Voting: an important way to have a voice in the political process

Kinsley Wilcox-McBride, Staff Writer November 6, 2018

With midterm election season in the process, the media is swarming with political messages and people advocating for U.S. citizens to vote. But many people still wonder how important their vote really...

The South High paradox: diverse, yet divided

The South High paradox: diverse, yet divided

B Fei, Staff Writer November 5, 2018

As a freshman, I gawked at the diversity of our school. The colorful faces of the open house immediately reeled me in; I had classmates that looked like me and didn’t look like me. As someone who grew...

In 2009, drug related crimes accounted for the highest percentage of prison admissions. Criminalizing drugs is responsible for giving the United States the highest incarceration rate in the world. This largely began with the war on drugs, which was designed not to help those dependant on drugs, but to punish them.

Criminalizing drug offenses perpetuates systemic oppression

Elliott Askari-Rabe, Staff Writer October 23, 2018

Most, if not all of us, have encountered drugs in one setting or another. Especially as high school students, we all probably have used or know drug users. And along with that, many South students hold...

An excerpt from the mural created by last year’s VOICES cohort. For queer individuals at South High School, we still lack the respect that we are entitled to have regardless of our sexual or gender orientations.

South isn’t woke; it’s queerphobic

B Fei, Staff Writer October 16, 2018

Faggot. Trap. Bitch. Tranny. Freak. Dyke. Shemale. Twink. These are the words that continue to reverberate around the white brick walls of South High School. Somehow, they always find their way back...

Nikes ad released in early September shows support for Kaepernick acknowledging his perspective and sacrifices in protesting for social justice. Although this is a great step forward for progressive movements, it has shed a light on Nikes own discrimination issues.

Nike’s stand for social justice, although hypocritical, further advances progressive movements across the country

Eamonn Briem, Staff Writer October 16, 2018

With a quarterly income of 3.4 billion US dollars and universal popularity across the majority of demographics, Nike holds a status every brand works for, appealing to everyone on the political spectrum....

Many students at South decide to follow different opportunities after high school 
The infographic above shows the pros and cons of going to college since college is societally seen as the norm for students right after high school.

We need to stop supporting sexist music

Katherine Lundquist, Staff writer June 6, 2018

Modern-day popular music can convey powerful messages about social justice, but many artists still refer to women as “Bitches,” “Hoes,” and “Whores,” while including many other sexist comments....

Celina Barnett-Cashman, class of 2017, went on a gap year this year before attending college. Pictured here at The Monkey Farm in Playa del Coco, in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica, Barnett Cashman enjoyed her year because it was break from the common high to college pathway. “It’s definitely given me the perspective that I dont have to lay out my life the way that society makes me think I have to lay it out.”

Be happier; take a gap year

Livia Lund, Editor-in-chief June 6, 2018

I never really thought of myself as someone who would take a gap year. I was familiar with the idea but never thought, ‘That’s me! I need to do that!’ However, when senior year hit and the stress...

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