Buffalo
Bulletin
Forsan ISD Student Press
DARE TO BE GREAT
Editorial Writing
*NOTICE*
All opinion based articles are student written classroom assignments and the opinions reflected in these articles are not those of Forsan ISD.
As educators we feel it is important for all students to be able to form a well thought out, logical argument and we encourage students to show compassion for all viewpoints.
PRO
Join the Club
By: Katie Averette
August 28, 2018
There are not many extracurricular activities available for students at Forsan ISD other than sports, band, and academic UIL events. Many students feel out of place if they are not interested in participating in one of these activities. Adding clubs and organizations will help reach out to these students.
Extracurricular events will help students make better grades in their academic classes.
“Extracurricular activities provide a channel for reinforcing the lessons learned in the classroom, offering students the opportunity to apply academic skills in a real-world context, and are thus part of a well-rounded education.” said The National Center for Education Statistics. Some students *will/may* not get better grades, but if they are in a club they will want to work harder so they can stay in that club.
After school activities will give the students better “soft skills”. If a student has more clubs to put themselves in that support something they are interested in, they become more comfortable being around people.
“Non-academic activities demonstrate a young person’s level of commitment to personal growth that goes beyond the norm and should be very attractive to future employers as a predictor of well-developed soft skills.” Adding more things to a student’s plate could cause them to not do anything else other than that event. If a student is in something with other people, we should be celebrating on the fact that they have found a way to be themselves without being in a UIL event. Even if that is the only thing that student ever does, they will be interacting with people within the group.
Many colleges like to see that students are in more than just a sport or just in band. Students headed to college will have a better chance at getting scholarships if they have multiple extracurricular activities or out of school events.
“Many communities offer local scholarships through clubs, organizations, small businesses, and benefactors.The odds of winning these scholarships are greater because they’re open to a smaller group of students.” Not every student is college bound, so them joining a club won’t do anything for them. Students that may not be college bound can learn leadership skills and will even be able to on their resume that they were in extracurricular events.
All students could benefit from adding more clubs to Forsan ISD. Adding a Spanish Club, FCCLA, Book Club, and even an Art Club could help our students feel better about coming to school everyday.
Sources:
The Link Between Extracurricular Activities and Soft Skills. (2017, October 12). Retrieved from https://www.td.org/newsletters/the-buzz/the-link-between-extracurricular-activities-and-soft-skills
How Extracurricular Activities Impact Students' Success. (2016, October 20). Retrieved from https://www.highlandsschool.org/page/news-detail?pk=830914
U. (2016, March 28). 13 Best Tips for Winning College Scholarships. Retrieved from http://time.com/money/collection-post/4270593/tips-winning-college-scholarships/
CON
Encourage Inclusion, Not Seperation
August 28, 2018
Forsan ISD has enough extracurricular activities, and does not need any additional clubs.
By: William Cole
Forsan ISD offers a plethora of choices for student participation. Students can choose anything from band, athletics, and even join an academic team. The addition of more clubs and activities would only create a larger division between students, and could possibly even create a funding issue.
Forsan students are busier than ever, being a small school, students are often asked to participate in multiple events, and are often stretched very thin. Even the Forsan faculty are struggling to keep up with their hectic schedule. With the addition of more extracurricular activities students would be forced to pick and choose from what they are already participating in now, leaving some of our current activities shorthanded. Also, clubs require sponsorship, and a large portion of the staff at Forsan ISD already have large workloads, asking them to stretch their hours at work even longer would not allow them enough time to successfully perform in the classroom.
It is also important to note that school funding is required for new activities. Most if not all activates will require equipment, a meeting space, and again money for the sponsor or coach. Instead of draining the school money on these unnecessary clubs, it is important to spend it on things we absolutely need, like athletic equipment, bus repairs, and textbooks.
Another issue with the addition of new school clubs is having to decide what clubs are worth the addition into the school. For example, while some clubs focus on teaching important life skills, most of the suggested additions do not. While a Spanish club is great for encouraging traveling abroad, communication, cultural education; Video Game club does not.
As you can see, Forsan ISD wants to encourage students to participate in all of the current activities it has to offer. The addition of more clubs will only separate us further apart, and cause unnecessary stress. Forsan will be much better off with the clubs and U.I.L we have now.
PRO
Fall in Love With Fall
September 28, 2018
By: Kyndel Lawdermilk
Fall is finally here! Pumpkin spice and spooky nights make fall the perfect time of year. There are so many activities to enjoy, from cozying up on the couch to watch Netflix, getting comfy next to the fire telling spooky stories, or even getting bundled up and cheering on your favorite football team. Fall truly is the most wonderful time of all.
With fall, comes the Thanksgiving holiday. Which is another one of the many things to enjoy about this time of year. What is better than getting together with your friends and family to eat some great food and express just how thankful and blessed we are?
It’s also time for football and Black Friday shopping. Thanksgiving has been american tradition since 1863 when president Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday. The traditional meal consists of a turkey, stuffing and dessert along with your favorite sides.
Then in 1869 Black Friday became a Thanksgiving trademark, thousands of people stand outside in a line for hours to get those Christmas gift must haves for a fraction of the cost.
Another perk to the season that cannot be forgotten is Starbucks signature pumpkin spice latte! (only sold from September to November). Since 2003, Starbucks has sold around 345 million pumpkin lattes and has made around 1.5 billion dollars.
“It tastes like all the best things from fall put in a cup” said Rylee Evans. Everything from the orange color to to the yummy pumpkin flavor and the cinnamon on top of the whip cream is the true taste of fall!
Finally, Halloween, the night all spook lovers crave! It has everything from adrenaline rushes to sugar rushes. Haunted houses are one of the main attractions for teens on the spook filed night. Kids even get to dress up like their favorite characters and get a years worth of candy to stash in a secret place!
How could you resist loving this wonderful, and color full season? Full of sweet treats and flavors that can’t be beat! Don't forget to slow down, get cozy and enjoy the most beautiful season.
CON
Fall in Love With Fall
September 28, 2018
By: Razyl Yanez
There are many benefits of the autumn season. The colors are vibrant, football is in full swing, and the alleged “Spooky Season” is back. While there are many perks to this much loved season, it also has disadvantages.
For students in both high school and college, fall means going back to school. Many students dislike school because of rules and having to wake up early. When the leaves start to fall and the weather begins to chill, students associate that with school, stress, and homework.
With the changing of seasons, the weather begins to get cold. People who prefer the heat of summer over the cold of fall are miserable. When getting up in the morning, the last thing a person would want to do is leave the warmth of their bed for the cold of the outside world.
Along with the cold that the fall season brings, people’s allergies begin to attack. With the not - so - subtle transition of hot weather to cold weather, many people experience a spike in allergies. People that are allergic to ragweed, pet dander, and dust mites can’t enjoy autumn as much as they would like to due to their allergies.
The fall season comes with the end of daylight savings time (DST). While the first day without DST gives us an extra hour of sleep, it also means that it will get darker earlier in the day. For some people, this might not be a problem, but for others with mental health problems, the darkness could make their anxiety, depression, or other mental illness worse. The darkness could also cause Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) for certain people. The dark and gloomy days towards the end of fall can definitely take a toll on someone’s mood making them feel unmotivated and depressed. According to AAFP.org, around 4 - 6% of adults suffer from SAD. Along with people who suffer from SAD, people who suffer from vision problems have a hard time driving at night. They are unable to run errands during the day due to work, so that could create problems with driving at night.
There are holidays celebrated in the fall such as Halloween and Thanksgiving, but the thought of Christmas is always in the back of everyone’s mind during this season. While most people have nothing against Christmas, they wish that holiday shopping during the fall would be less intense. Black Friday is crazy every year, and even with the good deals, most people will opt out of it or end up getting hurt.
Disadvantages such as school, cold, allergies, and the darkness makes autumn not worth the hype. Fall is a time of revelry and pleasure for many people, but there are numerous cases in which this season is a painful reminder of the absence of joy in some individuals’ lives.
P. (2010, October 26). 5 Things I Love About Autumn & 5 Things I Hate. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from http://www.homorazzi.com/article/autumn-pros-cons-favorite-things-worst-fall-list-time-change/
Pfeiffer, L. (2017, August 30). The Pros and Cons of Fall! Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://www.theodysseyonline.com/pros-cons-fall
Central ENT Consultants. (2016, November 07). Central ENT Consultants, P.C. Retrieved September 27, 2018, from http://www.centralentconsultants.com/blog/post/why-am-i-getting-an-allergy-flare-up-in-the-fall.html