Category: Opinion

Junior Prom was Saturday, April 29, and it took place at the Masonic Temple from 8-11 p.m. The theme for this year’s prom was “Enchanted Garden.”

Getting into the venue was not complicated at all unlike other dances where the lines feel endless. This time is was quick as our bags were checked at the entrance where they collected our tickets. To ensure safety students were scanned with a metal detector before going up the stairs. The venue was decorated very nicely and they had a table with a lot of different desserts and cute decorations. 

Up multiple flights of stairs, you entered the dance floor through an arc filled with flowers. The venue was pretty big and it had two rooms: a room with tables to sit down at that connected to the main room where the dance floor was. 

Halfway through the dance, they crowned the winners of Junior Prom Royalty on the balcony. CJ Romero won King, and Cynthia Romo won Queen. 

The only negative thing I would say about prom was that it was extremely humid, even though they had the air conditioning on. Because there were a lot of people, it was difficult to feel the cool air. The DJ could have been better because they played some good songs, but they also played some songs that a lot of people just didn’t know or couldn’t really dance to. 

Overall, I would say that junior prom was a good time and would say it was worth it. The venue portrayed the theme of “Enchanted Garden” and was super spacious. The dance coordinators set up a photo booth, snacks, sold drinks and giving water for free. The turn out in attendance was a good. Something cool that they did was give out LED foam sticks, so when people were dancing the flashing lights created a cool effect.

I believe that students should not be getting assigned homework during their breaks, whether that is thanksgiving break, winter break or even spring break. Students who do homework for the entire rest of the school year, should be able to have that time to do whatever we enjoy doing. 

These breaks are the only time off that we get during the school year, and students shouldn’t have to stress out about having work to do. Many teachers will say “only one week more until break, you can do this,” but then give us homework on friday and say it’s due the monday we get back. How are we supposed to be able to enjoy what we call “break,” when we still get assigned work. 

I went around asking a few classmates if they got homework for their spring break and what their opinion on that was. 

Lena Flores did get spring break homework and  was not able to enjoy her break because she knew that she had work to do. She does not agree that students should be getting homework during their break. 

Francisco Mendoza also received spring break homework and thinks that students shouldn’t be getting those assignments. He also mentioned that he had homework during winter break and that it really ruined his time. 

Santiago Flores ,however, did not get assigned homework during spring break and he was able to enjoy that week he had off. 

Not only does break homework subtract from our personal quality time, but it also takes time away from outstanding work that we might have to catch up on. It takes away the relaxing part of our break because all we can think about is that we have to finish our work. 

Teachers would not like having to do work during their break because that is the only time they are given to go on trips with their family and to relax, so why are they giving us work?

A way to solve this problem would be for teachers to understand that a lot of students need this time to catch up on sleep or spend quality time with their family and friends. Others need this time for mental health breaks because they are overly stressed out. We should be getting real breaks from school, not just homework without class.

Sacramento is not a huge city. We who live here tend to frequent the same places–the same stores, parks, and restaurants. This is not necessarily a problem, but it’s always nice to try new things, because without doing so, people may be missing out on what could be their new favorite thing. There are many restaurants in Sacramento that have amazing food but aren’t super well known because everyone is used to going to the same old places. Here are some local Sacramento restaurants that I would highly recommend. 

Azul | Mexican Food and Tequila Bar: Azul serves great authentic Mexican food. They sell amazing enchiladas and allow customers to choose between green, red, or mole sauce. You can also choose to add either chicken or cheese. The street tacos are one of the most popular items. On weekends only, they serve delicious Tacos De Birria. Azul also provides numerous vegetarian friendly menu options. 

Cafe Bernardo: Cafe Bernardo serves American style food. They are loved for their amazing breakfast options. To those who have a sweet tooth, Cafe Bernardo makes a great french toast dish and their waffles are to die for. The Bernardo benedicts are another popular item. A safer but still very solid option to check out would be the avocado toast. Along with their killer breakfast and brunch foods, Bernardo also has an impressive selection of lunch and dinner options including fish, burgers, sweet potato fries, and salads. 

Paesanos: Paesanos offers delicious Italian food. Their menu includes primarily classics such as pizzas, salads, and different types of pasta. One of my favorite plates to eat at Paesanos would be the Tortellini Formaggio. They are also known for the Fettuccine Arrostiti pasta dish, so I would recommend either of those. For an appetizer, one of my favorites is the fried calamari. 

Sushi Cafe: Sushi Cafe is a yummy, cozy restaurant for Japanese cuisine. The food is high quality and even better, it is affordable. Sushi Cafe isn’t crazy expensive like many other sushi restaurants, so it is a great place to go when you have a big family or are going with a lot of people. On top of that, the service is fast, efficient, and friendly. There are a variety of interesting sushi rolls to pick from, all of which are delicious. Sushi Cafe is especially acclaimed for their “bento box,” which is a generous serving of your choice of entree with traditional items like edamame, shrimp tempura, and California rolls, on the side. For appetizers, the gyoza are yummy, and customers are always provided complimentary bowls of Miso soup. 

Sellands: Sellands is a classic healthy American food spot. The most popular burger-type item is the All American Cheeseburger, which I think is always a solid choice. Sellands’ wood-fired pizzas have almost ten different options, and they’re so good that the Sellands venue in the Golden 1 Center sells strictly their pizza. They also have really good pizza. My personal preference would be the Margarita pizza, but they have ones with more elaborate toppings as well, such as the chicken, bacon, jalapeno, and goat cheese pizza, for example. For a lighter meal, there are many delicious salads offered as appetizers or main dishes. 

I would rate every one of the restaurants mentioned above five stars. Not only do they serve quality food, but they all have nice ambience and top notch service. The best thing about checking these eateries out is that as we buy meals from them we are supporting small and local businesses and that’s something incredibly important. 

In the last two months, transgender and queer rights have been under attack by the republican government in Tennessee. After banning gender-affirming care for minors and putting restrictions on drag shows, people in the queer community are both concerned and outraged.

On March 2, 2023, Governor Lee signed a bill that bans gender-affirming medical care for minors, beginning in July. In addition, on March 2, Tennessee announced that they will begin heavily regulating drag performances that take place in public spaces where children may see. 

The LGBTQ+ community is devastated after finding out that Tennessee is trying to ban all gender-affirming treatment for people under 18. This includes surgeries, hormones, and even hormone blockers. Hormone blockers allow transgender youth to prevent or postpone any changes that occur in the body during puberty, letting them explore their identity and possibly get on the hormones they want.

According to the National Institutes of Health, 82% of transgender youth have considered ending their lives and 40% have attempted suicide. The leading cause for this affliction among the community is the general stigma around the idea of transitioning.

Gender dysphoria is a term defined by the National Health Service as “a sense of unease that a person may have because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity.” The treatments being banned in Tennessee are what help transgender people alleviate their dysphoria and make them feel comfortable in their own skin. When you restrict struggling transgender youths’ use of these treatments, like hormones and hormone blockers, you’re making it harder for them to transition in the future.

Many say that the state is out of line and that this ban is unconstitutional, arguing that parents should make medical decisions for their children, not the government. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, a mother of a gender-nonconforming child, said in a speech given at the house of Representatives: “My child is free to be who they are. And in that freedom comes a responsibility for us as legislators to protect that freedom to be who they are.”

Though many argue that the state is only enforcing these restrictions to protect kids from making changes to their bodies that they can’t reverse, an overwhelming majority of those saying these things are doing so because of prejudice. For example, political commentator, Michael Knowles, said during the Conservative Political Action Conference, “Transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely, the whole preposterous ideology.”

Another threat the LGBTQ+ community is facing at the moment is the regulation of drag in Tennessee. Drag is a form of performing art that commonly involves exaggerated displays of femininity and sometimes masculinity. Performers, often called either drag queens or drag kings, wear flamboyant makeup and clothes and often pair it with either dancing, singing, or comedy sets.

The art form will be banned from taking place on public property because of the possibility that a child might see. Specifically, the bill states that it will not allow “cabaret” performances to be put on in public near schools, parks, or churches. If violated, the performers may be charged with a misdemeanor or felony. The state says that children should not be exposed to adult entertainment, insinuating that all drag is inherently sexual.

Again, many argue that this is unconstitutional and goes against the first amendment as it infringes on free speech.

Famous drag queen, RuPaul Andre Charles, spoke out against the bill in an Instagram post wherein he states, “Drag queens are the marines of the queer movement.” And this is true. For example, During the stonewall riots of 1969, a famous drag queen who went by Marsha P. Johnson (born Malcolm Michaels Jr.) rose up as one of the leading activists of the queer movement and one of the first drag performers to have a public platform.

When asked how these bills will affect the LGBTQ+ community, Mx. Herold, a teacher here at McClatchy said, “I think this is a threat to the safety of the LGBTQ+ community. One of the things that worries me is fighting within the community.”

In response to what the queer community can do to push back, they said, “A lot of what we can do is protest. I’m afraid that this country will respond with violence. It’s terrible for people in those states because they shouldn’t have to leave their homes, but they’re being driven out.”

The LGBTQ+ community has forever been demonized by the uneducated, the conservatives, the republicans, Christians, etc. But it’s come a step too far with these bills that are being passed that explicitly infringe on their rights, whether it be to health care or to free speech. 

As many people know, the more talk there is about KSI and Jake Paul, the more likely arguments are to break out over who would beat who in a fight. KSI vs. Paul is one of the biggest youtuber beef’s out there and definitely takes the cake when it comes to YouTube boxing.

KSI has had two fights with Logan Paul (Jake Paul’s older brother) one being a tie and the other a split decision favoring KSI. During their first bout, fellow YouTuber Deji was involved alongside KSI and fought Jake Paul on the same card. With Deji losing, Paul secured his first win and would move on to win by TKO (technical knockout) against yet another YouTuber, Gib. KSI would gain his first win against Joe Weller, and his second against Logan Paul. 

Ever since the last fight, Jake Paul and KSI have been trash-talking each other. KSI bringing up the fact that he beat Jake Paul’s brother Logan and how Jake is next. Jake Paul has been bragging about beating Gib and Deji.

As time and the boxing community moved on, KSI and Jake did not. They argued over social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and their own individual YouTube channels. This has gone on for over four years, with no respite from either side. This angered Jake at times and would tell KSI he’s ducking because he is too scared to find a date to set a pro boxing match and face him in the ring. KSI either just ignored these threats or told his fans that at some point he would fight Jake Paul. However he is too busy with music and is thus unavailable.

More recently, however, Logan Paul and KSI have settled their differences and gone on to make the brand name “Prime.” Jake Paul has been supportive of his brother and has expressed admiration at his success,  but he has never shown any respect or gratitude towards KSI, no matter what.

Currently, KSI and Logan Paul are doing fantastic finance wise, and will hopefully continue to do great things in the future. However, KSI and Jake Paul know they need to end the feud once and for all, and put an end to the years long delay. They have decided that in 2023, the scores will be settled. Both men will be in their prime, one will win and the other will take defeat. There will be no draw.