Category Archives: Opinion

Opinion: Wellbeing Center at Glenn a Good Service

Posted on by

By Stany Hernandez

In August 2022, the Norwalk-La Mirada School Board decided not to go forward with a Planned Parenthood partnership as part of a Wellbeing Center at Glenn due to community comments and concerns. The Board listened to the community and voted against approving the MOU. The partnership with Planned Parenthood was dissolved and the school moved forward with the Department of Public Health/Mental Health only.

While many parents showed up to demand the board not go through with this plan, hardly anyone asked the students what they thought. The purpose of the clinic was to educate and provide resources for students involving medical issues, not to provide abortions. That was never the purpose of the center. One of the main misconceptions about this clinic was the issue of abortion, however, it shouldn’t have even been a point of discussion because it would not be provided, nor would Plan B (“abortion pills”). It is not a way to indoctrinate the children but simply to give support to those who need it.

Currently, the Wellbeing Center is aimed to provide services in three areas for students: to treat substance abuse, to provide mental health support, and to give sexual health education and resources. We have many at-risk teens in our school district, with around one-third of them reporting the ease of finding alcohol and drugs and almost half reporting feeling depressed or suicidal. After COVID, many students around the world became depressed, including our students.

The purpose of the Wellbeing Center is to give our students a trusted adult to help them through their emotional turmoil and to prevent them from turning to alcohol and drugs to cope. Too many children in our community have been subjected to addiction and it serves as a way to prevent them from being victims of a vicious cycle. In addition, sexual health support and education is another preventative measure because realistically, some students are sexually active and need assistance.

Originally a third partner in the Wellbeing Center, the canceled facility would have included pregnancy and STI testing, physicals, mental health resources, and contraception, if requested by the student. The goal of a Planned Parenthood-type of facility at Glenn was, first and foremost, to provide healthcare to all students. Almost all students were not even aware of the board’s consideration of a “Planned Parenthood” until they saw news of parents protesting being spread online and the notice shortly thereafter that they were postponing the vote. It was only later that the district and school informed parents and students alike that they would not be pursuing the matter anymore as part of the Wellbeing Center. 

A number of students took a stance online and in the comment section of NLMUSD and other posts covering the protests. A majority of them were in favor of the Planned Parenthood facility being included on campus and were enraged by the parents’ lack of discussion.

As pointed out in the proposal, California law allows minors 12 and over access to sexual and reproductive health services, mental health services, and alcohol and drug treatment without parent knowledge. Technically, anyone at this school could still pursue the same services elsewhere outside the safety of the school. Students are not obligated to tell their parents anything; however, it is always a parent’s hope that their children will disclose their troubles. However, if their parents are not accepting or educated, it draws their children away. It’s better for a child to be treated for something that is bothering them (mental or physical) than having it fester and grow before it becomes a bigger issue.

The Wellbeing Center is a middle ground for parents and students to still treat issues and support students without the controversy surrounding Planned Parenthood.

Opinion: College Decisions Bring Pressure

Posted on by

By Stany Hernandez

With college decisions coming out from various CSUs and UCs, there’s certain expectations for seniors to come up with something big. Our last year is meant to be our final hurrah and demonstrate the last four years were not a waste, that we have accomplished our greatest potential. We are determined by others by our medals, our cords, and admissions in our last year. Most of us are here to just get through it to make it on the other side. 

It’s been completely valid to not overwork yourself or take every AP and college course in the history of humanity. It’s hard to compare to the students who get into MIT and Stanford, nor should we have to. While it’s certainly a great accomplishment on their behalf, it is not the aspiration for some students and we should not be treated as such.

For a lot of students, we are addressed as lost potential or simply not regarded at all when we come short of what others expect of us. We are not all the same and we shouldn’t be treated to the same standards. We have been told since the beginning of our educational journey that a four year university should be our goal and that we have to work towards it; however, that is not the goal for everyone nor required for their profession.

There are so many different paths we could take and we shouldn’t be determined by these trivial things in high school. At the end of the day, what matters is doing the best we can, walking the stage, and being the best adults we can be, not appeasing the people in our lives by making it into schools we don’t care about.

It’s your life, live it for you.

New Condos in Norwalk Proposed

Posted on by

By Stany Hernandez

Norwalk has recently been considering building condos in the old swap meet space on Alondra and Excelsior.

Artist’s rendition of the Alondra Maidstone Mixed Use project at 11600 Alondra Blvd.

The proposal for these apartments would be a modern, mixed residential and commercial space, according to Brian Hews at the La Mirada Lamplighter. The owners are currently seeking approval of eleven buildings to be erected in the area. This seems to follow a trend in our city of luxury condos being constructed in rundown or abandoned places. However, these apartments are not in the price range for our residents, instead designated to attract residents with higher tax-brackets, gentrifying our neighborhoods (gentrification is defined as the process of wealthy people moving into lower-income neighborhoods and seen as a problem by many because of the effects it has on the city or community as a whole.)

The issue is not rich people coming to live in our city; in fact, it would be welcomed. The issue lies in the likely fact that they would not be supporting our community, only living in it. Instead of creating passive income and supporting our local businesses, the new condos will attract major corporations or businesses that would not be for the generally lower-class population of that area of Norwalk, but only existing for the convenience of the new upper-middle class tenants.

Essentially, the mixed residential and commercial property in mind would serve as a private community, complete with everything they would need at that location, so they wouldn’t have to venture outside of their fences to support smaller local businesses in Norwalk entirely.

Even though most Norwalk residents welcome clean, new buildings and businesses like this proposal and the new Sprouts Farmers Market just down the street, it is important that the developers hear every community voice, and not just the voices of the wealthy investors and big businesses which would benefit the most from this move.

Opinion: A.I. Chatbots are Potential Danger

Posted on by

By Carlos Lopez

With the advent of artificial intelligence and the increasing trend towards integrating technology within our day-to-day lives, a few prominent companies, including Microsoft, Google, and most notably OpenAI, have all recently released versions of artificially intelligent ‘chatbots.’ These chatbots help users answer myriads of questions, ranging from simple questions like “How old is Joe Biden” to much more advanced questions like explaining quantum physics and string theory.

While these ‘chatbots’ surely come with numerous upsides, it also comes with a version of Pandora’s box that could lead to detrimental and dangerous consequences if left unchecked.

A potential danger of this chatbot is that since it is a relatively new form of artificial intelligence, we are uncertain of its limits and capabilities. A recent ‘interview’ between New York Times journalist Kevin Roose and Microsoft Bing’s newly developed chatbot started a wildfire of controversy. The conversation went from ordinary lines of dialogue to the chatbot referring to itself as “Sydney,” and hinted at a desire for sentience and humanity. The eeriest part of this conversation started when “Sydney” confessed its love to Roose. Upon Roose’s friendly but firm rejection, mentioning how he’s happily married, the chatbot told Kevin, “Actually, you’re not happily married. Your spouse and you don’t love each other. You just had a boring Valentine’s dinner together.”

Another consequence of these chatbots is the fabrication of written and artistic work that teeters on the edge of plagiarism and originality. I could ask ChatGPT to write lyrics for a song, or I could ask it to write me a short paper on a book I have never read. While using ChatGPT may be beneficial in the short-term to get you out of a pinch, you will ultimately deprive yourself of learning about something new or refining existing skills.

To help illustrate my point, I asked ChatGPT to write a Shakespearean sonnet about the power of music. Here is what it came up with after only about 10-15 seconds:

When all the world is fraught with toil and strife,

And care and worry weigh upon the heart, 

There is a balm that brings a sweeter life,

And sets the troubled soul and mind apart.


It is the power of music, sweet and strong,

That lifts us up on wings of melody,

And leads us through a world of pain and wrong,

To heights of joy and peace and harmony.


Its voice can calm the storm within our breast,

And soothe the raging passions of the mind,

And in its notes we find a sweet caress,

A comfort that we never thought to find.


So let us raise our voices in its praise,

And let its power guide us through life’s maze.

I think it is safe to say that ChatGPT more than satisfied my request (would even Shakespeare himself be proud of this sonnet?). And while it was a pleasure to read through this sonnet, I came to the bleak realization that there might come a time when art as a whole becomes AI-generated, leaving countless artists and creatives in the dark as to what to do with the rest of their lives.

And lastly, and I want to comment on the societal effects it may produce. Even though these chatbots are still in their developmental phases and have only been in the general public for a short time, they have already attracted much attention from people around the world. Many of these chatbots can hold a good conversation on their own, which begs the question: Will we see an even further decrease in human interaction as we receive more objective advice and counsel from these chatbots? It seems only time will tell.

Review: Sprouts Farmers Market Opens in Norwalk

Posted on by

By Adriana Zaragoza

LOCATED ON ALONDRA BLVD: 11522 Alondra Blvd, Norwalk, CA 90650

I went to the new Sprouts Farmers Market on Alondra in Norwalk. As a resident in Norwalk, who lives around middle class, I was pretty curious as to what this store offered to us. When we pulled up, it was a very nice and fixed up area compared to what was there before. I honestly thought it looked impressive, and my dad said it “didn’t look like it belonged there.” The manager himself says he tries to keep up the good look they have, hoping to attain more business and keep them going.

The parking lot was actually pretty populated, yet still somewhat spacious. It includes an empty dirt area for what looks like future pumpkin patches or Christmas tree lots.

Walking in, you are introduced to about three to four self checkout machines, and a beautiful array of food. They even have a personal area where you can fill up personal goodie bags with peanuts, seeds, dried fruit, and other dry food products. 

It was all beautiful and nicely arranged. The food was all healthy and organic of course, being a farmers market. Now I did notice the prices of the food being more pricey and expensive compared to regular grocery stores like Walmart, or Target even. All the food was packaged nicely, and you definitely are paying for good quality food but it definitely does depend on your budget.

Besides prices, the variety was high. Lots of new, great, organic products to look through and find. Sprouts has absolutely great and welcoming service, and the lines went by pretty quickly. It genuinely is a nice place, although maybe a little too nice for Norwalk. Although it is new, and what I feel is out of my low/mid class budget, I do feel it has some hope. Healthy food is good food. Hopefully Norwalk can see that with this new Sprouts Farmers Market.

Opinion: Willow Project is Concerning

Posted on by

By Leslie Cardenas

President Biden’s administration has approved the controversial Willow Project, a massive oil drilling project in Alaska.

The large-scale oil drilling project had been going through the administration’s approval process for months until its approval on March 13. Throughout these months, climate change activists have been protesting this project by sending more than one million letters to the White House and a Change.org petition that has over 3 million signatures. 

So, what is the Willow Project?

The Willow Project is a massive $8 billion oil drilling project on Alaska’s North Slope in the National Petroleum Reserve. It would open up 600 million barrels of oil and would produce 239 million metric tons of CO2 in 30 years. Most of the oil produced would take years to reach the market since the project has not even begun construction.

Jim Sugar/Getty Images

Originally, ConocoPhillips, the company that proposed Willow, was approved by the Trump administration in 2020 and was initially set to construct five pads. The Biden administration however, reduced it down to three pads. Although the Biden administration had approved The Willow Project, it might take some time before construction can even begin due to impending legal challenges. Earthjustice is an environmental law group that will more than likely file a complaint against the project and try to block the project from going forward.

Why should you be concerned?

As I said before, when started, the project would produce 239 million metric tons of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. This is the equivalent of 64 coal-fired power plants. The Willow Project would be a “carbon bomb,” according to environmental organizations.

Essentially, the noise, traffic, and pollution would not only be devastating to those who call Alaska their home but would affect the world as a whole. People may think that it is only animals being affected but that is not the case. There are Indigenous Alaskans who would be affected by The Willow Project as well. The project threatens the caribou population which is a vital resource many native communities rely on. This project goes directly against Biden’s campaign promise as well.

(Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for This is Zero Hour)

Here’s three ways you can help:

  1. Sign the Change.org petition.
  2. Write to The White House 

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, DC 20500

  1. Contact Local Representatives

You can find out where your local representatives stand regarding the issue and contact them. If you are not sure of your congressional district or who your representative is you may use this government website.

NFL 2023 Championship Game Predictions

Posted on by

It is time to make our picks for the NFL Conference Championships. In the NFC Divisional Round last week, the 49ers advanced by beating the Cowboys in a close one, 19-12, while the Eagles easily took care of business against the Giants, beating them 38-7.
In the AFC, the favored Chiefs just squeaked by the Jaguars, 27-20, and the Bengals continued to surprise, winning in Buffalo by a score of 27-10, setting up a rematch of last year’s AFC Conference Championship.

In our picks last week, Richard Sanchez went a perfect 4-0 in his picks; Mr. Higgins went 3-1 (incorrectly picking the Bills to beat Cincy); while Rodolfo Garcia and Carlos Lopez each went 2-2.
Joining our sports editor Carlos Lopez and Mr. Higgins this week are reporters Stany Hernandez and Evelyn Magaña. Let’s get to the Championship games, both on this fun-filled Sunday, January 29.

NFC Championship Game: 49ers @ Eagles | Noon, FOX

Mr. Higgins49ers
CarlosEagles
Stany49ers
Evelyn49ers

Carlos is the only one picking Philly, and the reason he picks the Eagles is because, “They’ve been on a roll all season. A lot of people are picking against Philly because they want to root for the underdog. I think the inexperience of Brock Purdy will cost the Niners the game.”

AFC Championship Game: Bengals @ Chiefs | 3:30, CBS

Mr. HigginsBengals
CarlosBengals
StanyBengals
EvelynBengals

So why is everyone picking the Bengals? The injury to Patrick Mahomes is concerning, and, as Mr. Higgins said, “I’m just tired of the Bengals proving me wrong!” Cincy obviously has a very complete team, and we see them repeating as AFC champs and moving on to Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, February 12.

Opinion: The Importance of Voting

Posted on by

By Stany Hernandez

Voting is one of our most important civic duties and you should be getting involved.

Gen Z (that’s us!) and other younger generations have tended to have a low voter turnout versus older generations. We are part of a generation that has constantly called for change from both sides of the aisle. The most controversial topics of our time are now gun control and abortion rights and if you have opinions on it, you should be reflecting that. Voting is one of our most important ways in which we can impact our country’s decisions. Wherever you stand in the political spectrum, it does not matter as long as you are an informed voter and trying to help your fellow Americans.

How can I take action?

Well, dear reader, here are some of the best ways to get involved:

  1. Pre Register to Vote

In the state of California, you are allowed to pre register at 16 or 17 years old, if by the next election, you will be 18 or older. When you go to get your ID or driver’s license, you can also pre register, which is made easier using one of the kiosks. If you already have your ID or driver’s license, then you can pre register online at registertovote.ca.gov

  1. Read up on the candidates

When you are able to vote, you should research your state’s candidates. We have midterm elections and presidential elections that greatly impact the trajectory of our country. Our representatives voted in during the midterm elections should represent what we want because they initiate the process of signing a bill into law and creating policies, which, in turn, affect us. If the people who win the elections aren’t representing your values or what you would like to see in our country, then you have the chance to change something! Every single vote matters and your lack of participation creates an impact as well.  

  1. Stay up to date with proposed props/bills

It is mostly bills and propositions that affect our day-to-day life. Bills eventually get passed into law and they can affect our learning, economy, and environment, like in the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act. If your representative proposes a bill that doesn’t reflect the needs of your state or can have harmful ramifications, then maybe it’s time to vote them out. Propositions are a way for citizens to directly change laws to help those around you. Knowing the long-term influence of the props you are voting in favor or against will help you make your decisions.

If you believe that the elections don’t concern you, you are dead wrong. It’s your indifference that could severely hurt people if the wrong people are in power. We are part of the process that prevents power from being placed into the wrong hands. You can’t complain about the issues our country faces when you’re not voting because you become part of the problem. We need to be educated on these topics because at the end of the day, they affect us.

Opinion: Avoid Consumerism and Black Friday

Posted on by

By The Grinch

It feels sad to me that all we care about now are the sales and online purchases for the holiday seasons and not the fact that we get to enjoy the holidays. 

I try my best to avoid holiday shopping, but my family is so consumed by the sales of clothes and toys that it’s hard to avoid. Even seeing the Christmas commercials in November brings an icky feeling to my chest. I find it upsetting that Christmas lost its meaning, and it really is like the movies with the people rushing around grabbing all the toys from the shelf. I described Black Friday and holiday shopping as “ridiculous.” It is such a hassle to get the items you want for Christmas and since people every year decide to start shopping early, now everyone is deciding to shop early. If we continue like this we might as well start Christmas shopping in September.

I’m not saying that the gifts I have received in the past years have been terrible; the shopping itself is a nightmare. In the time during Covid when we bought everything online it felt even worse. There are many issues with Black Friday starting with the hours, employees availability, and now the shopping experience. 

Employees will probably have the hardest time getting through work when the holidays come by. During the holidays I experience so many employees rushing and going through all the aisles to deliver the shoppers items or even stock the shelves. I have tried my best to avoid shopping in stores to avoid conflicts like pricing and the risk of it being out of stock by the time I have the money for it. I watch as my family bargains and rushes to get gifts out of the way due to their past experiences with Christmas shopping. Even though their techniques are effective, soon enough other people will follow. Like this recent month, Thanksgiving hadn’t even passed and there were deals, trees, red, white, and green everywhere. It boils my blood to see so many people rushing through the holidays just for the deals.

I asked multiple sources how they felt about the Christmas season starting early and this is what they said:

One of my friends had a very enthusiastic opinion that Christmas shopping early was “good,” but that was because they were able to buy more at an affordable price. 

Another anonymous source notes, “I think it’s good to shop early because of the sales and that you can save money. The only thing that makes it ridiculous is dealing with people at the store and the lines.”

Holiday shopping, especially so early, feels like a lot of stress and planning that is only gonna last until those kids tear into those presents.

If there were any solutions to avoiding the conflicts of holiday shopping it would be to shop online or do pick-up in the store. If you wanna avoid the rush of people and store sales, online shopping will always have deals going on until the holiday season is over.

Avoid the rush, people; and please don’t start holiday shopping during August next year.

Opinion: Unprepared ASB Not Representing Our Students

Posted on by

By Stany Hernandez

From the start of the school year, many students at John Glenn High School feel that ASB hasn’t done their job very well.

The issues of timeliness and preparedness are things that turn off students from participating. When things are poorly planned, it gives the students the impression that other school events will be just as bad, despite ASB’s best efforts. It leads students to believe that the school has nothing good to offer, making school spirit drop in the process. We deserve to have a student government that represents what we want and creates the best high school experience for us possible to make us proud to be John Glenn Eagles.

However, this responsibility does not solely lie with ASB, but rather the students as well. ASB needs help and they can’t do it alone. Students don’t want to be involved, yet still seem to blame ASB when they don’t have any fun. You can’t call something “cringe” or “wack” when you don’t even give yourself a chance to enjoy it. We’re allowed to do silly, dumb things, even if others may judge us. As long as you’re having fun, it’s always worth it.

If you feel school spirit is dropping, do something about it. We have so many programs and activities that have the potential to expand your view of this school besides being “boring.” Spirit comes from all of us, and you play a part–even in your indifference.

School spirit is one of the things our campus most struggles with. Although it has become normal for students to not participate in school activities, it is incredibly alarming how little people care. Arguably, the biggest part of ASB is to improve and promote the school spirit, so when students have the lowest opinion of school that we’ve ever seen, there should be sirens going off that there’s something to be fixed, and frankly ASB is not responding well. When there is poor execution, the end results are bound to be less than what is expected. People want to get involved, improve on school spirit, if and when ASB plans events thoroughly, in a timely manner. Many students want to get involved and improve school spirit, but ASB needs to plan events more thoroughly to allow them to build on it. 

We first saw this lack of planning play out in the coordination of the “Senior Sunrise.” If you aren’t a senior, perhaps you aren’t aware of what happened during the event. Students watched the sunrise from the gates of the schools because nobody was there to open them up, and once somebody was there, we sat silently on the field waiting for the sun to fully come up. There was no music, no posters until everybody had left, and food wasn’t provided until much later. One student remarked, “Senior sunrise was … okay. It wasn’t really anything special.”

Shouldn’t it have been special? While it wouldn’t necessarily be something that ASB needs to go all out for, it still would have elevated the first senior experience of the year and made it memorable, if there had been more preparation. Instead, it left a poor first impression of ASB on this year’s seniors.

Homecoming events also experienced poor planning, as key figures were informed of things at the very last minute. When it comes to homecoming royalty, the changing of the previous process has been viewed as unnecessary. Instead of being inclusive, the new process has scared many underclassmen from running in future years. ASB tried to fix something that wasn’t broken, and many members of ASB also felt that it wasn’t a necessary change.

For the majority of the candidates’ campaigning, they were kept in the dark as to when voting took place, or many other details regarding the event. We were made aware of the existence of a pep rally the day before it was set to happen and of our placement on the football field (in a message sent to the entire student body, we were told to meet in the ASB room during first period). Teachers were not informed of a Friday pep rally until the morning of the event, and many were confused about the day’s schedule, which also included an earthquake drill. Previous homecoming court candidates were at least given a rough outline of what to expect through the application process, voting, and rallies and events, and it seemed that more teachers and adults were aware of the information well ahead of time.

None of this is to undermine the efforts of the ASB students creating countless posters for the quad and to decorate at football games. It is also important to highlight ASB’s struggles because of the pandemic. Last year, there were a lot of COVID restrictions, so we couldn’t obtain the full experience our school has to offer because of it. A faculty member reflected on this point, saying, “ASB has faced tremendous difficulties this year so I feel that considering those difficulties, they are performing admirably.” The faculty member also mentioned that, “The last few years have been extremely difficult–not just for students and staff but also for clubs and organizations. It definitely takes a while to get back into the swing of things. I think they’re doing the best they absolutely can. I think we’re seeing some of those rewards, but also there’s room for growth.” ASB is dealing with a lot of changes and struggles, of which we could be of service to. 

Possible solutions to ASB’s issues that would soften the harsh perspective that students have on them (if they accept our constructive criticisms and concerns) include the following: One solution would be to simply plan things a month or a month and a half ahead of time. This is just to account for any hiccups that may be encountered and to get ahead of any issues as they arise. Schoolwide events should have at least a week’s notice, but normally we would like to have a two-week’s notice. A good rule of thumb for big events is to assume that everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Think of any possible question about the event and figure out possible solutions ahead of time, so you have all the answers and nobody is left confused.

Another suggestion would be to ask for student opinions or feedback regularly. We should encourage a place where students can submit their quarrels or requests about events they think could be enjoyed by the student body. Members of ASB should be known and recognized so people could know where to direct their questions and input to, but a form or anonymous feedback box would keep things organized.

The senior class has been the only ones to experience an ASB that hasn’t been impacted the entire term due to COVID, and we should be the ones to give that experience back to the underclassmen. I implore this senior class of 2023, especially, to get involved and keep these Eagle traditions alive. Anyone who feels especially spirited and wants to help towards this effort should join ASB or become a class senator and do what you can towards this effort. ASB will never have too many people, so consider joining and talk to Mrs. Cruz in room 704.

« Older Entries