Latest Articles

BY: AMARAH DIN

Every year on March 8th, people from across the globe come together to discuss the issues that women face and how society can progress in caring for women. This day is known as International Women’s Day. In order to further commemorate and honor the contributions of women in history and society, beginning in the 1980s, March was declared as Women’s History Month. Instead of waiting for others to make change, there are women who spark movements themselves. These women have crossed boundaries and broken glass ceilings to help their communities and the world. In the spirit of Women’s History Month, here are some extraordinary women you should get to know.

Malala Yousafzai

Yousafzai is an activist for girls’ education. She’s been advocating for a girl’s right to education ever since the terrorist group, the Taliban, banned women from attending school. After speaking out against the injustices in 2012, she was shot by a member of the Taliban; fortunately, she survived. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of seventeen. She now attends Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. Get to know about her current activism:

https://malala.org/

@Malala on Instagram and Twitter

Nadya Okamoto

At sixteen-years-old, Okamoto co-founded the organization, PERIOD, to provide menstrual aid to girls in need after experiencing homelessness in herst years of high school. The organization distributes pads, tampons, and menstrual cups to people experiencing period poverty. PERIOD has served over 850,000 periods globally and hopes to destigmatize the topic of menstruation. In 2018, Okamoto wrote the book, Period Power: A Manifesto for the Menstrual Movement. She has sparked dire conversations about the reality of menstruation and has helped so many girls with their struggles. Take a look at the organization’s goals and find a chapter near you:

https://www.period.org/

@NadyaOkamoto on Instagram and Twitter

Greta Thunberg

Thunberg is widely known for her environmental concerns and protests. The seventeen-year-old from Sweden started the movement, #FridaysForFuture, to promote the creation of climate policies regarding the crisis affecting the earth right now. She has faced much backlash from climate change-deniers, but persists in raising awareness and rightfully demanding climate action. Get to know about her movement:

https://www.fridaysforfuture.org/

@GretaThunberg on Instagram and Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Ocasio-Cortez is the U.S. House Representative for New York’s District 14. Majoring in International Relations and Economics, AOC graduated from Boston University in 2011. She has proposed legislation like the Green New Deal to combat climate change. Her goal as a congresswoman is to provide justice for people of all races, genders, economic backgrounds, etc. Get to know about her goals for America:

https://ocasio-cortez.house.gov/

@AOC on Instagram and Twitter

Helena Gualinga

Gualinga lives in Sarayaku, Ecuador, a part of the Amazon Rainforest. The indigenous people that make up her community have faced oil companies taking over their land and destroying everything in sight. At the 25th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, Gualinga called out world leaders for not doing enough to combat the lasting effects of environmental injustice against native people. She speaks for indigenous groups all over the world. Learn about activism within the indigenous community:

https://www.wecaninternational.org/post/people-power-rises-for-climate-justice-at-cop25

@HelenaGualinga on Instagram / @SumakHelena on Twitter

Yara Shahidi

Shahidi is a model, actress, and activist. She inspires black girls through her role in the shows, Black-ish and Grown-ish, and many others; she has shown continuous support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Shahidi co-founded an organization called, Eighteen x 18, which encourages the youth to vote and also started Yara’s Club through the Young Women’s Leadership Network of New York to tackle poverty through education. She currently attends Harvard University where she is double majoring in sociology and African-American studies. Get to know about her organization:

https://www.eighteenx18.com/

@YaraShahidi on Instagram and Twitter

Roxane Gay

Gay is the author of best-selling books, such as, Bad Feminist, Hunger, and Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture. She often discusses the importance of girls breaking societal standards. She mainly writes fiction, but a lot of her work is about the struggles of being a queer black woman and dealing with eating disorders. Her work is eye-opening and inspirational to many readers. Learn more about Gay’s past and her literature:

http://www.roxanegay.com/

@roxanegay74 on Instagram / @rgay on Twitter

Meghan Markle

The Duchess of Sussex is known for her acting career and relation to the Royal Family, but Markle has been an activist since her youth. Early on, she protested against the Gulf War and sexist television ads, and she volunteered at soup kitchens in her teenage years. As a growing actress, she began speaking out against sexism within the industry and in foreign countries. She regularly visits and donates to struggling communities. She is an inspiration to young girls around the world. Take a look at the organizations and charities Meghan Markle supports:

https://www.royal.uk/wedding-charity-donations

Emma Gonzalez

After surviving the 2018 Parkland school shooting, Emma and her classmates have continuously fought for gun control in Florida. They started the March For Our Lives movement, which sparked a nation-wide school walkout. Students all over the United States have hosted protests, marches, and walkouts since then. Emma has called out the National Rifle Association for their blatant disregard of the death by gun violence statistics in America. Her outspokenness inspires students to demand change. Learn more about the movement:

https://marchforourlives.com/

@emmawise18 on Instagram / @Emma4Change on Twitter

By Amarah Din

Bored? A List of Things to Do

By Amarah Din

Wake County has cancelled school at least until May 15th, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which means students get to stay home and de-stress, while also navigating the new waters of online instruction. But what do you do when you’re bored out of your mind after the first couple days of break? Here are a few fun activities you can do while practicing safe social-distancing:

1. Draw or paint the view from your window
2. Learn a magic trick and perfect it
3. Reorganize your room
4. Write and send a letter to a family member
5. Sort through your clothes and make a donation pile
6. Read a book series
7. Listen to a new genre of music
8. Find a recipe with the ingredients you already have at home
9. Deep clean a room in your house
10. Knit a scarf
11. Write a short story
12. Learn a new language
13. Treat yourself to a day of self-care and relaxation
14. Complete a 15-minute stretch every day
15. Dye your hair!
16. Watch a documentary on Netflix
17. Clean your white shoes
18. Do some research on an unsolved mystery
19. Learn how to play a song on an instrument
20. Organize your binders and bookbag
21. Reach out to an old friend
22. Play an Olympics-style competition on iMessage games with your friends

These next few weeks are going to feel like an eternity, but we’ll get through it!

by Sarah Govert

March Madness isn’t just for basketball. If you’re in The Addams Family, March Madness is just now halfway done. One of the busiest weeks of the second semester just ended for most drama kids at Cary High: Tech Week! For those of you that don’t do musicals, Tech Week is the week before the show where technical elements such as lighting and microphones are added gradually, and the cast stays every day after school until around 6:00 pm. This year, tech elements were added day by day, and I, a statue in The Addams Family, am going to take you through this crazy week.

MONDAY: On Monday, we added full lighting. When we were rehearsing previously, we just had full lights on in the auditorium so we could see our wonderful drama teacher, Mrs. McCormick, teaching us choreography and helping us the (many) times we got the choreo wrong. Monday was one of our first full run-throughs of the show with no stops, and we definitely struggled a bit to remember what places to go to after specific songs and what came next in the show. The cast also had the opportunity to run the show in our costumes, which proved to be very helpful to me, considering I tripped on my dress multiple times and ripped the underskirt. Overall, Monday wasn’t too tiring, and it got me excited to run the show for the rest of the week.

TUESDAY: On Tuesday, we added microphones. I can easily say that microphones are one of the most annoying aspects of a show. In what we lovingly refer to as “microphone hell,” our incredible sound people add microphones to all of the leads and featured couples, and we hope and pray that nothing goes wrong. As it turns out, things love to go wrong! We had issues with feedback and microphones going in and out, but our wonderful sound people (shoutout Gabe Crochet and Mr. Cleveland) immediately got to work fixing the issues, and the show was able to run smoothly. Overall, not that tiring of a day—I was even able to get some homework done backstage!

WEDNESDAY: On Wednesday, we added the pit orchestra. The pit consists of band and orchestra members that play the music from the show. I would say that running the show on Wednesday was the most difficult, as we had never run the full show with the pit before. However, they sounded incredible, and the talent and hard work of everyone in the pit was easily seen and shown. Wednesday also brought with it even more microphone problems than the day prior. Microphones continued to go in and out, but the problems were fixed just as fast as they came. Wednesday was also the day that we got one of the fastest transitions of the show fully down (yay!), which leads into what I would consider the funniest and most chaotic 10 minutes in the entire show. Overall, a very tiring day that made me want to collapse but incredibly worth it.

THURSDAY: On Thursday, we added full costumes. This honestly didn’t make that much of an impact since most of the cast had run the show in their costumes already, but it was definitely fun to see the costumes that I hadn’t seen before. Thursday’s run-through was spot on with transitions and hilarious moments that were previously unseen by us, and I had a hard time keeping it together on stage at some points. Overall, it was a quality run-through that made me incredibly excited to add the last technical element on Saturday: hair and makeup.

FRIDAY: Before we can get to the craziness of Tech Saturday, however, Friday must be mentioned. Friday was the day that most of the cast, in my opinion, was drop-dead tired. I found myself exhausted to begin with and exhausted at the end, leading to a long sleep that night. However, Friday’s run-through served to be one of the best that we have had so far! Nothing was added in on Friday, and the energy and desire to run the show well was palpable. Overall, it was another quality run-through that left me ready to drop on my bed and sleep for hours.

SATURDAY: Finally, the most chaotic day of the entire week: Tech Saturday. Tech Saturday is where all elements intertwine, and we are finally able to do a complete run-through. Basically, it’s our first dress rehearsal. Hair and makeup was added on Saturday, leaving the hair of many feeling crunchy with hairspray and baby powder. Makeup was definitely an adventure as well, especially having to cover my arm with white face paint with my non-dominant hand. Running the show was definitely an experience, as the pit, lights, sound, hair, makeup, and costumes all came together for the first time. Saturday was a day filled with little quips from leads in their scenes and people slipping on tiny piles of baby powder left on stage. Many photos were taken on Tech Saturday, and the trailer for the musical, edited by Michael Shorb and filmed by Ms. Glenn, was able to be filmed. Overall, Saturday was a good run-through and left me excited for show week.

Leaving Saturday’s rehearsal, I was struck with the realization that we only have two more rehearsals before we open. Show week is bittersweet, but I can’t wait to showcase all of the hard work that’s gone into The Addams Family. Show dates are March 12th-14th at 7:00pm, and the link to the tickets is down below. We hope that you’ll come see it! 
Ticket Link: https://www.showtix4u.com/events/caryhigh

BY: ALEXIS COPE

After five months of investigations and three weeks of hearings, the Senate officially acquitted President Trump of charges of abuse of power and obstructing a Congressional investigation of his actions. This makes Trump the third president in American history to have been impeached but not removed from office. Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were the only others on this short list.

Neither article of impeachment collected the required 67 votes necessary to remove the President, or even gather a simple majority. The first article, abuse of power, for threatening to withhold military aid to Ukraine if they refused to investigate the Bidens, fell through 48 to 52, and the second, deterring a Congressional investigation, lost 47 to 53. 

Had either of these notions won by the two-thirds majority, Trump would have been removed from office.

Members of the Senate voted very much along party lines, with all Democrats voting “guilty” and the Republicans backing Trump with their “not guilty” votes. Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah was the only member of the House to vote with the opposite party saying Trump’s actions were, “the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine.” Three moderate Democrats who were expected to flip stayed with their party; these were the Senators for Alabama, Arizona, and West Virginia.

Democrats insisted the result of the vote was illegitimate and fabricated by the Republicans.

President Trump’s re-election campaign released an official statement following the verdict:  “President Trump has been totally vindicated and it’s now time to get back to the business of the American people….This impeachment hoax will go down as the worst miscalculation in American political history.”

The impeachment process has put significant strain on Trump’s re-election campaign, however. While not the Democrat’s desired outcome, it’s the stain on him, and his presidency, that they have been hoping for, and it could tarnish him in the eyes of many a voter. However, the acquittal has given the campaign possible ammunition to rally Trump’s supporters behind them by using the ordeal as an example of a Washington facility that has been out to get him, and by extension, his supporters.

Trump is the first President to run for a second term after being impeached.

BY: AMARAH DIN

I am seventeen-years-old. I’ll turn eighteen two weeks before the General Election, and according to North Carolina law, I’m allowed to vote in the Primaries as well. I’ve dreamed about voting ever since the 2016 election. I saw things I didn’t agree with and felt it was my duty to make those wrongs turn right through voting.

I come from a very political family. My parents are on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Being the eldest child, I didn’t want to disappoint either of my parents by picking a side; though, as I grew older, I found myself on the left end of the political spectrum. I felt comfort in the morals and values of the Democratic Party, and that’s where I find myself today.

I’ve experienced a lot of hate throughout my years of speaking out against injustices against women, Muslims, and people-of-color. I’ve received rude messages and tweets, and I’m made fun of every time I talk about what’s wrong with our country. Nevertheless, I will continue speaking out because I know that my beliefs help others. My only purpose in life is to help those in need, and I work towards that every day. I plan to leave a mark on this world. 

Voting is a way to make one’s voice be heard. I want to be able to say that I voted for progression, not regression. Voting is an American civic duty, and I want to take part in the systematic change of our country. On February 24th, 2020, I participated in Early Voting and voted for Democratic Primary Presidential Candidate, Bernie Sanders. 

Even if you can’t vote, take part in local protests, organizations, or raise awareness about certain issues on social media. Doing something is better than doing nothing. Because if we all take small steps together, the distance we travel will be far greater than if we were divided. 

BY: EBENEZER NKUNDA

Article II of the US Constitution requires that the President of the United States deliver a State of the Union from time to time, including a budget report and legislative proposals. Every president uses the State of the Union as a way to update the people on what has been done and what there is to do in the country, but The State of the Union is nothing without some form of rebellion. 

Memorable moments include Democratic Congresswomen wearing white in honor of the women’s suffrage movement; during Trump’s talk on gun laws, father of a killed Parkland student started to scream his disagreements and was escorted out by security shortly after. Also, something that stole the show and gained a lot of attention online was Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi who immediately ripped up her copy of President Trump’s State of the Union speech after he finished speaking.

One of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s guests for the event, Fred Guttenberg, a gun violence activist who lost his daughter in the Parkland school shooting in 2018, was escorted out of the House chamber by police after loudly shouting something at the president during his address.

Here is a quick recap of what President Trump mentioned in the Speech. 

Economy

• Monthly unemployment reached a 50-year low of 3.5% in 2019. 
• The economy added 2.1 million jobs in 2019, a 1.4% increase from the total number of jobs at the end of 2018. 
• Median wages increased 0.1% from 2017 to 2018. 
• From November 2018 to November 2019, we imported $624 billion more in goods and services than we exported, a 1.1% increase from the previous 12 months. 

Population growth

• As of  2019, 328 million people lived in the United States. 
• The US  population grew by 1.6 million from 2018 to 2019, with 38% of growth coming from immigration. 
• Our population is getting older. 
• A greater proportion of people are living alone than at any point since 1980.
• The absolute number of non-Hispanic white people has been falling since 2017. 

Government Expenses

• The federal government collected $3.5 trillion in revenue in 2019.. 
• The federal government spent $4.4 trillion in 2019. 
• Federal revenue grew 2% in 2019. 
• Federal spending grew 6% in 2019. 
• We spent 28% more than we collected in revenue, creating a $984 billion deficit. 

Standard of living for the American People 

• Middle-class families (the middle 20% of income earners) average $49,000 in market income from sources including wages, investments, and retirement. 
• Middle-class families receive an average $19,000 in government assistance from programs like Medicare, Social Security, and food stamps. 
• On average, middle-class families pay $15,000 in combined federal, state, and local taxes. 
• Middle-class families collectively own 7% of all wealth. 
• The poverty rate decreased from 15% in 2010 to 11.8% in 2018. 

Education

• Since 2000, spending per public school student increased 22% to $12,000, adjusting for inflation. 
• College tuition averaged $23,835 in 2016, which is doubled the cost it average in 1996
• People with a bachelor’s degree earn 64% more than those with just a high school diploma. 
• More than a third of the adult population has a bachelor’s degree or higher. 

Healthcare

• Personal healthcare spending in 2018 reached $3.1 trillion 
• Average insurance spending is unequal across programs. 
• The percent of Americans who are uninsured increased to 8.5% in 2018, up from the 2017 low of 7.9%. 
• Life expectancy increased for the first time since 2014, from 78.6 in 2017 to 78.7 in 2018. 
• Nearly half of deaths are caused by heart disease and cancer. 

Criminal Justice System​

• Reported property and violent crime rates are falling, and are down more than 50% since their 1991 peaks. 
• Arrests are decreasing. 
• The number of prisoners is falling, and is down 8% from a peak in 2009. 
• Firearm deaths increased 18% from 2014 to 2017, accounting for 1.5% of all deaths. 
• Active shooter events are increasing but make up a small proportion of gun deaths. 

Military/Veterans relations

• Defense spending increased in 2019 but is 14% lower than its 2010 peak. 
• The military is larger today than in 2016 but smaller than in 1980. 
• We have fewer troops abroad, particularly in the Middle East and Afghanistan. 
• Adjusting for inflation, foreign aid has declined slightly since 2008, and makes up less than 1% of the federal budget 
• Veterans have higher levels of employment, lower rates of poverty, and higher rates of disability than the overall population. 

Immmigration

• We are again increasingly a nation of immigrants. 
• Most people who come to the US on visas or green cards are temporary workers, students, or coming to be with their families. 
• The number of non-tourist visas and green cards granted as well as the number of refugees and asylees admitted fell from 2017 to 2018 
• Border apprehensions more than doubled from 2018 to 2019. 
• In 2018, immigration officials removed 337,000 people from the US. 

Infrastructure

• In 2019, the federal government spent $29 billion on infrastructure and transferred an additional $67 billion in infrastructure spending to states. 
• Half of federal transportation spending goes to highways, with air and rail the next biggest categories. 
• The condition of urban interstates and minor roads is improving. 
• Train infrastructure is degrading. 
• traffic congestion delayed vehicle commuters by an average of 54 hours a year. 

Environment

• We are producing more energy than ever. 
• Energy consumption per person in 2018 was 11% lower than in 2000. 
• The share of our energy consumption from nuclear and renewable sources has nearly doubled since 1980. 
• We are emitting less greenhouse gases per person than in 1990. 
• We import 17% more energy than we export. 
• Last decade averaged twelve $1 billion natural disasters per year. 
• Wildfires burned an average of 7 million acres of land per year last decade. 

BY: Ebenezer Nkunda

Over 50 years ago, Cary High was an all-white high school, like many schools during that time. However, that all changed when 6 black students came to the school. In 1962, the Wake County assistant superintendent and the board decided that the county needed a “Negro High School” to accommodate the growing black student population. In 1963, the Wake County board of education approved a transfer of six students from an all-black school to the all-white Cary High School. These students were the first in the county to be authorized under the “freedom of choice” policy that had been adopted by the Wake County Board, following the Supreme Court’s decision on segregation in Public Schools. 

On August 30, 1963, integration officially began in the Wake County System; as predicted– it wasn’t easy. Gwen Matthews, one of the first black students entering Cary High, recalls her first day with white students, the racist shouts and chants against integration engraved in her memory. The black students did not want to return the next day, but they say they were influenced and encouraged by their parents that it would get better. In an interview with the News and Observer, Gwen Matthews said the demonstrations lasted for ten days and county school officials had to be brought in to make sure no organized community demonstration happens. 

Even though the anti-integration demonstrations stopped, the lives of the six black girls didn’t get easier. Gwen Matthews recalls that in the days prior to her integration, her father tried to prepare her for the name-calling that she would experience; however, she says she wasn’t “prepared for the intensity.” Her father told her not to retaliate after the name-calling, which makes sense, retaliating allows the white students to pinpoint you as “dangerous.” These six students were not accepted into Cary High life with open arms. Teachers and students both ignored them. One student recants the events of when white students would physically move their desks and seclude her, making it seem she was in her own world. 

Many things have changed since Cary High was integrated; for example, the mascot was originally the “White Imps,” but was later turned to simply “Imps” after black students voiced their concern on the racist connotation it could portray. The integration of Cary High led to the integration of the entire Wake County system. It is those brave six girls who set the pace for all other black students in the county. Lucille Evans, Frances Louise White, Gwendolyn Matthews, Brenda Lee Hill, Esther Lee Mayo, and Phyllis Rose are why we have black students Cary High today; these six girls are why Cary High is the Cary High it is today.