Should senior skip day be acceptable?
February 11, 2016
Filed under Opinion, Web exclusive
Last Monday, a tremendous amount of seniors were missing from Oakton High School. Yes, maybe some seniors were actually sick, but lets be realistic. The first day of second semester is a classic pre-arranged date for seniors to skip school. Many teachers were upset at the actions of the seniors; however,...
Voluntourism: an act of nobility or narcissism?
Kathryn Tatum, Editor-in-chief
January 20, 2016
Filed under InDepth, Opinion, Web exclusive
Have you ever stopped to question whether people who volunteer abroad are doing more harm than good? Many people point to “voluntourism” as an example of privileged people using volunteering to address their own needs and not those of the group in need. Voluntourism is a booming business charging...
A song of delay and disappointment
January 12, 2016
Filed under A&E, Opinion, Web exclusive
Earlier this month the worst news of the entire year hit me. 'The Winds of Winter' would not be coming this Spring. Worse, it may not even come this year. What will come is the next season of HBO's hit show 'Game of Thrones,' which will officially surpass the show's plot and forge ahead into new story...
Senior Superlative skepticism
January 4, 2016
Filed under Opinion, Web exclusive
On December 2, through Twitter Oakton's Yearbook released the results to their day long poll for the Senior Superlative nominations. Each category was supposed to have one male and one female winner and the poll was supposed to be done entirely by the Yearbook staff. However, the poll was distributed...
Is being grateful unappreciated?
Jennifer Coon, Copy Editor
November 25, 2015
Filed under Opinion, Web exclusive
Thanksgiving, one of the best times of the year, is one of the most underrated holidays. On the last Thursday of November, the family gathers around the table, says a few a words, and feasts on turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and even more Thanksgiving delicacies. Thanksgiving is also one of the...
When is it too early to celebrate?
Ashley Shepard, Staff Writer
November 24, 2015
Filed under Opinion, Web exclusive
From the beginning of October to the end of January, many religions and cultures celebrate holidays. Whether it's Halloween, Eid Al-Adha, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, or more; basically everyone has a holiday to celebrate. But when is it too early to start getting in the spirit of things? Obvio...
Leadership: The students who create the fun
November 11, 2015
Filed under Opinion, Web exclusive
As you may know, Oakton’s Leadership class works extremely hard to appeal to all audiences in the student body. When crisis occurs, such as Hurricane Joaquin postponing homecoming, the students gather together in “committees” to resolve the problem. Each committee is a collection of four to five...
Thoughts on driving at a young age
Jessica Marshall, Editor-in-Chief
November 9, 2015
Filed under Opinion, Web exclusive
Many students at Oakton High School can drive, and many are just beginning to get their permits and start driving. But isn’t 15 pretty young to be driving on the real road? Driving can be very scary, and teens/new drivers especially need to be paying attention to being a safe driver. There have been...
Time to turn back the clock? New start times don’t work as well as expected
October 28, 2015
Filed under Opinion
Before their adoption by the School Board last October, later start times were hailed as a panacea for practically all of high-school students’ problems. Fatigued teenagers would get a desperately needed hour of sleep; students would be more focused in class and would earn better grades. Unfortunately,...
What is the proper role of technology in the classroom?
October 28, 2015
Filed under Opinion
Oakton has always been at the forefront of technological innovation, wholeheartedly adopting new techniques for properly educating students. Blackboard is a necessity, and in ever more classes, teachers are having students use their phones and computers. The old attendance system was phased out, being...
Cell Phones: A Valuable Learning Resource or a Distraction to the Learning Environment?
Jessica Marshall, Editor-in-Chief
October 28, 2015
Filed under Opinion
Cell phones can be seen as a distraction to students’ learning, but they can also be seen as a valuable learning resource. Whether teachers allow use of technology in the classroom or not, most students continue to go on their phones. In a poll asking 30 teachers whether they allow cell phones or not,...
Failing the Test of Time: Is It Time to Move All Standardized Exams Online?
Ethan Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief
June 14, 2015
Filed under Opinion, Web exclusive
In today’s digital age, seemingly everything we do has gone online. From reading books, to playing games, to checking what the homework was, activities that had traditionally been in the real world are increasingly moving to an online platform. In many of these instances, the move online has proven...
