Category: Campus Life

Campus Life, Opinion

The Complex Nature of the IB Diploma Program

If you’re a McCaskey student, teacher, or community member, chances are that you have heard of the IB diploma. The internationally recognized program allows students to take college courses while in high school and “aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help create a better and more peaceful world.”  Students who decide to pursue this path will graduate with an additional diploma, … Continue reading The Complex Nature of the IB Diploma Program

Unknown's avatarSophia Kessler
Campus Life

TikTok Trend Plagues Campus with Chaos and Confusion

The 2021-22 school year at McCaskey High School has gotten off to a chaotic start, to say the least. We’ve had bathrooms closed off with spiderwebs of masking tape, broken pipes, sewage problems, and hallways smelling like poop. We’ve had haphazard announcements from the administration explaining new policies. Why? Because of “devious licks.” The “devious licks” trend began on September 1st, 2021, when a student … Continue reading TikTok Trend Plagues Campus with Chaos and Confusion

Unknown's avatarFrances Brogan
Campus Life

September 2021: McCaskey Perseveres

On Tuesday, August 24, 2021, the entire McCaskey student body came back to school. The conditions were far from ideal: the Coronavirus pandemic, once thought by administrators, teachers and students alike to be a two-week stint, was far from gone. Cases of the virus had been steadily increasing amidst the new and more dangerous Delta variant, and a world that had been mostly maskless just … Continue reading September 2021: McCaskey Perseveres

Unknown's avatarRose Carlson
Campus Life, Opinion

What I’ve Learned as a Student during a Global Pandemic

For me, and many others, this school year has been excruciatingly difficult. Between having a constant flood of assignments and a severe lack of motivation, my junior year has been a rollercoaster. Until now,  I’ve always been an A-B student, and it was one of the most frustrating things to experience.  Seeing my grade drop but having no motivation to fix it was hard, but … Continue reading What I’ve Learned as a Student during a Global Pandemic

Unknown's avatarJanette Blain
Campus Life, Opinion

2020-21: a Real Learning Opportunity

While this school year has been different and nothing close to “normal”, I learned things about myself that may not have come up in any other situation. This school year has brought challenges, learning curves, new opportunities, amazing friends and many other positive things.. I learned things about myself that may not have come up in any other situation. Being on your own the majority … Continue reading 2020-21: a Real Learning Opportunity

Unknown's avatarMarlo HouserLeave a comment
Campus Life, Opinion

2021: a Reflection

This year I learned how to cornrow, distinguish how my laundry should be done correctly, and face my horrendous sleep schedule. But what did this year teach me about myself personally? Well, if you haven’t been able to tell, I’ve been focused on the external things rather than the internal. After acknowledging that this has been going on during this pandemic and possibly before it … Continue reading 2021: a Reflection

Unknown's avatarDarlin Paulino
Arts & Culture, Campus Life

The Unifying Power of the McCaskey Spring Children’s Play

The concepts of empathy, understanding, and learning from mistakes were key elements of the 2021 McCaskey East Spring Children’s Play – both inside the magical world created by the show’s actors and production team, and the occasionally more frightening one outside of it.  Ms. Nolt, the show’s director and a media studies teacher at East, came up with the idea of having four different set … Continue reading The Unifying Power of the McCaskey Spring Children’s Play

Unknown's avatarRose CarlsonLeave a comment
Campus Life

Guest Editorial: My Life as a Junior Firefighter

My name is Brandon Balbuena Rincon, and I’m a ninth grader at McCaskey and a Junior Firefighter for the Lafayette Fire Company. When I first started firefighting the Monday after Thanksgiving in 2020, I had a huge misconception about the job and tasks I would be performing. But as time progressed, I gained perspective and knowledge.  Currently in the United States, the need for firefighters … Continue reading Guest Editorial: My Life as a Junior Firefighter

Unknown's avatarEditorial Staff
Campus Life, News

What Happened to “Hairspray”?

On Friday, February 19th, district superintendent Dr. Damaris Rau cancelled the production of Hairspray, the scheduled McCaskey spring musical. But while this ostensibly came out of the blue, it was the culmination of a whirlwind student campaign to raise concerns about the racial dynamics of the work.  Auditions for the musical took place on Tuesday, February 16th. The following day, the callbacks list was posted, … Continue reading What Happened to “Hairspray”?

Unknown's avatarFrances BroganLeave a comment
Campus Life

Dr. Rau: All About Equity

School district superintendent Dr. Damaris Rau is a self-proclaimed advocate for equity. A child of the foster care system and a graduate of St. John’s University,  Rau went from working as a teacher and administrator in the Bronx public school system during the Crack epidemic to working at a school in Greenwich, Connecticut, a town which is widely recognized as one of the richest places … Continue reading Dr. Rau: All About Equity

Unknown's avatarRose CarlsonLeave a comment
Campus Life, Opinion

My Life as a Teenage Forex Trader

What is Forex?       When some people hear the term Forex Trading, they usually think of stock. But that’s not what Forex is. Forex is a foreign exchange market where you can buy, sell, and exchange the prices of currencies. In other words, Forex (FX) is the trading of currencies from one country to another, which compete against each other to make a bigger profit from … Continue reading My Life as a Teenage Forex Trader

Unknown's avatarEssence WintersLeave a comment
Campus Life, Opinion

Swimming for McCaskey as a Freshman during COVID-19

On Tuesday January 12, the McCaskey swim team had our first meet of the season. As a freshman and a beginner in the sport, I was nervous. The idea of being on a swim team never crossed my mind until I was convinced to join, but it has been a truly great experience. Because this is my first year on the swim team, I have … Continue reading Swimming for McCaskey as a Freshman during COVID-19

Unknown's avatarMarlo HouserLeave a comment
Campus Life

It’s Official: We’re Going Back

The School district of Lancaster board meeting on Tuesday, January 12, lasted for nearly five hours.  The overwhelming majority of public comments, from teachers, parents, and administrators, and students alike, voiced the opinion that kids need to be back in school for academic, social, and economic reasons. Many invoked the theme of equity: if other schools are in-person, what does it say about us if … Continue reading It’s Official: We’re Going Back

Unknown's avatarRose Carlson1 Comment