By Adelisa Badzic
 
During the past month, our courtyard has had new murals added to it. This project "The Legacy Project: The Eyes of Our Ancestors” was painted by local muralist Shawn Dunwoody.  His paintings include life-sized portraits of historical leaders and individuals, such as Martin Luther King Jr, Katherine Johnson, and Barack Obama, among others. 
 
This project was in the process since last year and finally this year, we got to see it. Dunwoody had help from one of our very own students, junior Jaenid Ayala. She volunteered to help paint some of these panels, and picked out three of the people who were represented in the paintings. She stated, “I think it was a really cool project. The people who were chosen to be put up were really remarkable. It's also super cool to see the Rochester natives up there.” The courtyard was a good place for it according to Jaenid because “you don't have to be in the courtyard to see it, you can see it anywhere you are in the building.”
 
The unveiling event took place January 9th, 2020 where Mayor Lovely Warren and Shawn Dunwoody were both present. Dunwoody stated, “You are the future, and this is the message we want to send to the young people on this campus.” More people will be added to this art installation as time goes on; there are currently 28 people represented.

By Lora Thomas
 
East High School is holding a shoe drive, encouraging students and staff who have old shoes in good condition to donate them to people who actually need them and can’t afford shoes or just people globally. 
 
I spoke to Ms. Wise about the reasoning for the shoe drive and she said that the shoe drive is to help raise money for the seniors and give people shoes all around the world that need them. The shoes go globally to natural disasters like the people in Australia and climate changes to helping them in the time of need.
 
Ms. Wise said that it is important because “everyone has at least one pair of shoes that they don’t wear or no longer fit.” Also it’s important because it's a good opportunity for the school and people all around the world. Ms. Wise has donated 125 pairs of shoes. It wouldn't hurt donating a few pairs of shoes instead of throwing them away causing more environmental problems. It would really help if the seniors would get more involved in the shoe drive to help support the senior fundraiser for prom, senior BBQ, and other senior events.  

By Amina Hassan
 
Student led conferences (SLC) will be here before you know it. Students have time in family group to prepare and gather their work. SLCs will be held on February 13th at 5:30-7:00pm during the parent teacher conferences, according to Ms. Blocker and Ms. Collins. Even if a parent is not able to show up, every student is still required to prepare for the SLC. Accommodations can be made if a parent can't show up that day. Accommodations include parents coming in during family group or students presenting to their family group carent.
 
Student Tahaara Gazali says, “Preparing for student led conferences during this month to me is a waste of time when exams are coming up, and semester and marking periods are ending in the same month. I have other things to prepare for and worry about. Also, I tell my mom what's going on in school. So then I have to present in family group when the teacher I present to is the one who helped me prepare for it.” 
 
Dr. Bak says, “In the past SLCs were beneficial but hard to get a large number of students gather their own work.” About 20 parents attended out of the expected 50, but if parents didn't show up it didn't give students a purpose to do them.  However, this year there's a purpose since it can be presented in family group to carents.

By Keren Montero
 
Three Kings Day is a day celebrated on January 6th to honor the three wise men who gave gifts to Jesus Christ when he was born. This day is sometimes also called the Epiphany. In places like Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico and Spain this is a very special holiday. Dia de los Reyes is a day where the Christmas holiday officially ends for most Christians in Spain and Latin America, known as the 12th day of Christmas. It is called the 12th day of Christmas because it is believed that the three wise men walked the desert for twelve days, following a star to get to baby Jesus. In places like Madrid, it is celebrated with a huge parade and in Spain Three Kings Day is even considered more important than Christmas and kids sometimes wait until this day to open their presents. 
 
When my mother was younger she participated in this holiday. Her siblings and she would leave grass in a box and a glass of water under their beds for “the camels” that traveled with the Three Kings, similar to leaving cookies and milk out for Santa Claus. When they would wake up, everything was gone and a gift was left for them as an exchange. She said, “Y nosotros contentos porque dejaban la caja vacía y creíamos que los camellos se lo llevaron de verdad,” (“we were happy because they left the boxes empty so we thought the camels really took it”). She was excited to wake up on January 6th like if it was Christmas day. This tradition still exists and many Latinos participate to represent the Three Kings and their journey to baby Jesus.
 

By Anna Burton
 
The third Monday in January of every year is a day we come to know as a day off. This day is Martin Luther King Day (MLK Day). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist for African Americans’ economic rights and to end racism. He himself was an African American male, who was more into non-violent protests and sit-ins.
He was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. One of the biggest things he did was give a speech on August 28, 1963 which is now known as the “I Have a Dream” speech. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave this speech to a big group of people around the Lincoln Memorial. This speech was for him to share that he wishes for a better future where the color of your skin doesn't separate you and everyone could come together and live in harmony.
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Unfortunately Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. So in his honor of his work we have a holiday to celebrate his life. President Regan signed a bill that made every third Monday of January a holiday, on the third of November in the year 1983. This holiday didn't start until 1986. So that means that Martin Luther King Day (MLK Day) started only 34 years ago. 

By Ashley Kerwin
 
We all know that the blue light in electronics have long term effects on eyesight but it could have an impact on the user’s mood. First, what is the blue light? Blue light is a color in the visible light spectrum that can be seen by human eyes. Blue light is a short wavelength, which means it produces higher amounts of energy. Studies show that exposure to blue light can cause eyestrain, fatigue, headaches, and sleeplessness. Harvard researchers have linked exposure to blue light to several types of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and an increased risk for depression. According to blutechlenses.com, “93% of teens have access to or have a computer” which produces blue light on their screens.
 
But that isn't the only factor that has effects on teens. A 2017 study of over half a million eighth through 12th graders found that the number exhibiting high levels of depressive symptoms increased by 33 percent between 2010 and 2015. In the same period, the suicide rate for girls in that age group increased by 65 percent. According to child mind institute, “Some experts see the rise in depression as evidence that the connections social media users form electronically are less emotionally satisfying, leaving them feeling socially isolated.” Not only is it physically damaging but also emotionally damaging.  So to improve your physical and emotional health, studies recommend limiting your screen time.

By Ho Mach
 
Foreign movies have been a sensitive subject for film critics in today’s times though not for their confusing scenes or poor translation, but having complex meanings that are difficult to describe. Many times we tend to have preconceived notions about foreign films because of their lack of mainstream appeal. We worry about subtitles because they can become tedious and tiring.  We fret about not understanding the context, setting, the message or film itself. Yet the genre has been an essential part of the movie industry and has made a spot for itself. 

One movie that made its mark on the ever evolving industry was a South Korean film called Parasite. Directed and screen written by Bong Joon Ho, it was praised for intriguing, complex scenes and the relationship between two different socioeconomic classes. The story follows a poverty stricken family who are expert con-artists that takes advantage of a gullible, wealthy family. It’s true that the impoverished family are leeching on the wealthy family, hence the movie’s name Parasite but the film is more than a brutal satire. The movie shows how difficult reality can be, but portrayed in a dark and honest way. It is meant to show the real world and the truth of class-war violence.
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In an interview with Entertainment Weekly Bong Joon Ho said, “I think this is what really differentiates this film from other films that deal with rich and poor: You rarely see the poor fighting one another. It’s something that sad, but also something funny and foolish at the same time.” What Bong wanted his audience to see was that there is a gap between the rich and the poor, and how there are many factors in each family lives, rich or poor. Overall, it is a very well developed and thought-out film. 

By Ja’vona Thomas-Sanks
 
East High has been off to a great start since winter sports started. During a recent interview I asked our athletics director Eric Robinson what students could look forward to as the winter sports slowly comes to an end. Robinson says, “We can look forward to the championships and hopefully states.” In other words, if our sports teams wins their final games they will make it to play in the championship.
 
In addition, the East basketball team is doing great with a record of 11 to 1. I sat down with coach Barley and his two star players Zach Scott, and Kaori Barley. I asked them a few questions on how their season is going and what their plans are to win championships. Zach Scott and Kaori Barley both said that they work well with their team and they plan on winning their games and the championships with hard work and dedication. Coach Barley says, “The team’s goal is to win finals and move on to states.” They will do this by staying focused and working hard every game.
 
Also Girls basketball is doing pretty good as well. Makayla McCorker scored 17 points in the first half of the girls’ last game. The wrestling team is having a good year with only a few loses. East indoor track team has gotten 15% more kids then it did from the previous years. Overall winter sport seems to be having a great year.
 

By Jacai Sanders
 
The NFL playoffs has been as interesting as ever thus far. 12 teams came into the Playoffs with hopes of making it to the Super Bowl but in the end there will only be two teams left standing. In the wildcard round (first round) we’ve seen the Buffalo Bills lose to the Houston Texans, the New England Patriots lose to the Tennessee Titans, the Minnesota Vikings defeat the New Orleans Saints and the Seattle Seahawks defeat the Philadelphia Eagles. They were all good entertaining games that drew a lot of views. In fact, they drew the highest average of viewers since 2016 with 30.5 million views per game.
 
Which takes us to the following week with the Divisional round (second round). The Divisional round average viewership also was the highest it’s been in the past 3 years with 33 million views per game. Last week we saw the San Francisco 49ers defeat the Minnesota Vikings, the Tennessee Titans defeat the Baltimore Ravens, the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Houston Texans and lastly the Green Bay Packers defeating the Seattle Seahawks. This takes us to this weekend where we will see the Tennessee Titans take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship and the Green Bay Packers taking on the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship for the right to go to the Super Bowl. 

By Alisa Pirko
 
It’s hard and frustrating when applying to colleges and wondering if it’s the right fit for you. The most important part of the admissions process is submitting the college application on time.
There are four different types of college deadlines. One is regular decision. If you apply through regular decision there is no limit to the number of schools you can apply to, especially since you have not committed to a school. The second type of college deadline is early decision. This deadline is for students who have their mind set on one school. When applying to a college through early decision and a college accepts you, you cannot break the contract or you will be charged a fee. The third type of deadline is early action which is you are not obligated to attend any college that you had applied to. You can continue to apply to other colleges and choose from any one that has accepted you. Finally, the last deadline is rolling admissions, which is when they start evaluating applications as soon as they came in and send out letters as soon as they make a decision.
It’s most important to meet application deadlines for financial aid packages and scholarships that you don’t want to miss out on. So seniors keep applying and be on the lookout for those upcoming deadlines.  See your guidance counselor with any questions.