By Aaliyah Bell
 
During this drastic change from in-person learning to a new virtual reality that people all over the world are experiencing, I'd like to take a moment to focus on how students are dealing with a work-school balance. Aside from the obvious seniors, I also hear of plenty of other grade level students working hard for their future by working at various jobs, internship programs, or graduating early. These are factors that are often overlooked when people talk about online school. Although there are many cons, being at home gave people the opportunity to be able to work more hours than usual. This also means added stress that some students are able to handle while others not so much. 
Working during the pandemic is a great opportunity for students to earn money and chase their future careers but this means they need to find extra time for schooling. While talking with some of my peers that I've interviewed, many said that most of the teachers they have are understanding and helping them with what they need, but they still feel that there are other teachers that aren’t so sympathetic nor helping. I think the problem with online learning is that some teachers give more work online than they did in school, which for some students make the process of switching to online school harder. If we’re being completely honest the only way we can deal with this is by staying on top of classwork and putting school first even though everyone wants so badly to just earn as much money possible. Advice I have for students is to take at least an hour or two after work for your education, not to overwork yourself at a young age, and to take time for your own mental and physical health. 

By Elaisa Burke
 
In the year 2020, we have suffered worldwide with all that has happened this year, starting off with this big covid-19 outbreak and with the racism, police brutality, rioting, protests, and presidential election. So much has happened and I know most people are thinking, what is there really to be thankful for? Well there are still things to be thankful for, even though a lot of crazy and disgusting things happened and we’re all hoping for better and for change. 
 
If you are one of those people who are NOT in the hospital today trying to fight for your life from covid-19, that is the biggest thing right now that you should be thankful for because many people out there are suffering and you are doing ok.  Maybe you have a family member or loved one who is suffering pretty bad with this virus but don’t doubt yourself too much.  Have hope that they can fight through this. Keeping positive thoughts and energy can really help along the way even if someone is really in a bad situation.
 
Students are doing virtual learning and some of us really miss it school, but be thankful for even still getting education while staying healthy from putting ourselves at risks from coming into contact with others like that. You can make the best of this maybe by going and doing school with a couple of friends and making the online learning more fun.  
 
Parents I know it may be hard for some of you because for your younger children you may need a babysitter and don’t have one and you need to get to work. Still be thankful that your kids are in a healthy situation there are still things you can look into for your kids. Stay positive and help will come.
 
With all the protests and rioting that have happened with black Americans and others, while I really don’t agree with people destroying their city, I can understand the anger that some people actually have. Racism plays such a big part in society and shouldn't be happening but it does. As a black American you still just be thankful and stand up tall and just use this as way of saying you’re better than those people that think like that and can make it through with a great education and a good career. 

If you’ve made it through this year, even if losing a loved one, you may be hurt and grieving but still just be thankful that you made it through this year healthy and strong. Even be thankful that you are breathing, able to wake up every day.  These are major things to be thankful for. You don’t ever just want to sit and think there's nothing to be thankful for because there are still many things to be thankful for.

By Jamel Brown
 
There may be some problems in today’s technology that most people may not understand. Due to these problems caused by confusion or inaccessibility to information on these subjects, here are some of the things you can do to make navigating through Google Classroom a little easier.
 
Now you may be wondering why it would be necessary to learn tips and tricks if it isn't guaranteed that we will be using online learning methods for much longer. But I can assure you that using these methods will benefit you a lot more than hurting you. These tips and tricks could help out with other websites that might be similar, and that are used regularly by students or teachers.
 
Not signing into your Google Classroom account through ROConnect is the first mistake that many students make. Going in through ROConnect makes sure the scholar is logged in correctly and won’t require a password. Ms. Zurlo, our Instructional Technology Resource Teacher, said, “I think the main issue scholars have with navigating Google Classroom is with not being signed in to their 890 the correct way.”
 
The second tip is when you click on Classwork, you should click on “View Your Work.” This shows you all the work that has been assigned in that class, but if you want to see all missing work for all classes, you can go to the main Google Classroom page and hit the “To Do” link. This will show you all the work that you are missing in every class. This is a good way to organize your work and see how much you have to do.

By Davyon Johnson
 
Joe Biden, former vice president for Barack Obama, has been elected the 46th president in the 2020 election. Having the most votes cast for one candidate in all of America's history, Biden received over 75 million votes. The election truly demonstrated the power of the people in 2020’s election. 
 
Now that we have some background of the election, a question that comes up in social media, and many news outlets is, “How will Joe Biden’s history and life experiences affect his presidency?”  So starting off with the most common look on Biden’s public figure, he was brought about mainly through his work with President Barack Obama, being his vice president at the time. He has been in the political sphere for a while now, having firsthand view of the works that go into a presidency; he is not a novice in this field. 
 
Joe Biden is also an American citizen, knowing the struggles, the ups and the downs of the country he is very familiar with the struggles Americans face. Also being very aware of the country's history and understanding that though we have progressed we are far from what this country promised to be. 
 
We also have some past events in Biden’s life that show us his struggles, losing his daughter Naomi Christina Biden, and his son Joseph Biden. This I believe gives us some sense of trust in our president and a sense of understanding about how we are no different from one another, as far as our feelings, our experiences, our pain, and our joy. So I can confidently say with a president so similar to the people struggling every day, we can almost guarantee that he'll put his best effort in making America a safer, and better country for us all.

By Dyanna Garcia
 
Every 4 years the United States holds a presidential election between the Republican and Democratic parties. This year has been one of the most life changing events because of Joe Biden's successful win, Kamala Harris as the first female vice president, and the reaction of the presidential election. 
 
Democrat Joe Biden ran against Republican Donald Trump. Debates have shown prior to the election that this was going to be a close one. Many people cast their ballots early.  The New York Times News states, “With a week left until Election Day, the flood of people moved to cast their ballots early has grown so strong that the early vote has already exceeded half of the number of votes that were counted during the entire 2016 presidential election.” This shows that many people have involved themselves in the election this year and that this was going to be a big one. 
 
As ballots began to be counted the numbers began to increase rapidly. Little by little states have started to reveal their votes. States with the most electoral votes are California with 55, Texas with 38, New York and Florida with 29, Illinois and Pennsylvania with 20, and lastly Ohio with 18. This is relevant because the electoral votes are what matter. For example winning California with the most electoral votes would be a big accomplishment. 
 
Nov. 3rd, 2020 - Election Day - News channels have begun stating what states have all their votes in and the result of this is that Joe Biden has successfully won the presidential election against Donald Trump. Biden won by 58 votes with a result of 290 (Biden) to 232 (Trump).  He has successful wins in many states such as Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado New Mexico, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, and many more. 
 
Kamala Harris gets brought into office as vice president. This news is huge and considered a historic event because she is the first black woman to become vice president. This woman not only makes history but has plans and experience on working with her new team to get the United States back on track. 
 
The U.S. celebrates a successful Democratic win. Rallies all round the world have reacted to this win and have come out to show their appreciation. Many posters were made along with car decorations. People hope this event will start us out on a new path to a stronger and better nation as a whole. Wbur News states, “Some people seemed unfazed, resolute that the work toward justice wouldn't end with an administration that seemed to squash that endeavor. And other folks were at peace, hoping for less chaotic times ahead.”.
 
Wbur News also interviews civilian Prema Bangera who states, “He's not Trump, and Kamala Harris is his running mate and that's a history-maker right there," she said. "I'm glad we have a result. I'm slightly fearful of the civil unrest that may take place. Other than that, I just hope we stick together and realize that we need to be a country moving forward."  The impact the 2020 presidential election has on Americans is that people are very optimistic about the future. Americans are ready for a change and ready to be involved. 

By Deziree Garrick
 
Hey seniors, the new year is right around the corner, which means college applications will also be due soon. Through conversations with counselors at East, and brief research that has been gathered some tips and developed a timeline regarding the college process. 
Tips from the Counselors

• Don’t wait to do your FAFSA and TAP
• Both the FAFSA and TAP applications opened on October 1st, 2020. (The sooner you apply the more likely you are to get your estimated aid) 
• Pay attention to deadlines 
• Speaking from my personal experience, I almost missed the deadline for the University of Florida. Typically their deadline is November 1st, but I got lucky because of COVID-19. The deadline was pushed back to November 16th, which is still relatively early for a regular decision deadline. ** Create a list either on paper or in a Google Doc with the colleges you plan on applying to, and make sure you include your deadlines 
• Take a look at the Launch Guide on the East Upper School Counseling Page
• https://sites.google.com/rcsd121.org/eastupperschoolcounseling/home 
• Note that local scholarships are released closer to the spring. (You can find these scholarships on Naviance or the Senior Google Classroom)

 
Okay, so here is a timeline that I created for myself by looking at a bunch of timelines from various sources: 
In the Fall:

• You should be adding or narrowing down your list of colleges
• (Between 5-10 colleges)
• Create a master list or a calendar that includes things like the; 
• Test you will take (fees, dates, and registration deadlines)
• College applications due dates
• Required Financial aid application forms (2019 tax info, SSN, College FAFSA codes, etc.) 
• Request letters of recommendations ( at least 2-4 weeks in advance)
• Ask your counselor about fee waivers
• Take the SAT or ACT for the first time or one more time
• Complete the FAFSA, TAP, and the CSS Profile if you plan on attending a private school
• Write first drafts of your supplemental essays- and ask teachers and others to read them

 
If you need more information feel free to reach out to your counselors:
Mrs. Burnell (Last Names O-Z)         Ms. Gilbert (Last Names Gi-N)      Mr. Vann (Last Names A-Ge)
christine.burnell@rcsdk12.org        mary.gilbert@rcsdk12.org             james.vann@rcsdk12.org 
 
Or you can reach out to me if you aren’t comfortable talking to your counselor yet. 
Deziree Garrick – 890159959@rcsd121.org – Facebook: Dezirée Garrick – Instagram: d.garrick.15