VSCO, E-Boys, and E-Girls
By: Gabrielle Flores
At the beginning of this school year the new fun and different trend wasVSCO! The way Urban Dictionary describes a VSCO girl is, “a girl that wears oversized t-shirts or sweatshirts with Nike shorts. Has Vans, Crocs, Birkenstocks, wears shell necklaces, and she can't leave home without a scrunchie and her hydro flask. Viaunna Brachle a 7th grade student at James Monroe said that The new trend started the beginning of the summer of 2019.The trend was inspired by an app also called VSCO which is used to edit and share photos with friends .Some students at JMMS classify themselves as VSCO girls, those students include 6th grader Sophia Gonzales, 7th grader Viaunna Brachle, and 8th grader Maya Gatewood.
The debate at James Monroe is whether VSCO girls are cute, cool, and trendy or being annoying and that the trend died down over time. Bear Nichols says, “ I think the trend got annoying over time and is not as cool anymore.”
However, students including Vanessa Martinez said “ I think VSCO girls are cute and trendy!” The students both like and dislike VSCO girls and even though some students think they are outdated most students were very excited and interested when the trend first started. What is your student’s opinion?
A new trend and style, not similar to a VSCO girl at all, started at James Monroe later in the school year. The new trend is E-girls and E-boys. Urban Dictionary identifies E-girls and E-boys as boys and girls that wear black clothing, chains, beanies, and shop at Hot Topic, Thrasher, Spencers, Vans, and Zumiez. As well as VSCO girls students still have mixed feelings about this new style. One of those students includes Malyenna Pino. She said, “ I think E-girls and E-boys have a really cool and cute style but sometimes it could be scary.” The 2019-2020 school year gave students a new opportunity to find their own unique style and express themselves.
The debate at James Monroe is whether VSCO girls are cute, cool, and trendy or being annoying and that the trend died down over time. Bear Nichols says, “ I think the trend got annoying over time and is not as cool anymore.”
However, students including Vanessa Martinez said “ I think VSCO girls are cute and trendy!” The students both like and dislike VSCO girls and even though some students think they are outdated most students were very excited and interested when the trend first started. What is your student’s opinion?
A new trend and style, not similar to a VSCO girl at all, started at James Monroe later in the school year. The new trend is E-girls and E-boys. Urban Dictionary identifies E-girls and E-boys as boys and girls that wear black clothing, chains, beanies, and shop at Hot Topic, Thrasher, Spencers, Vans, and Zumiez. As well as VSCO girls students still have mixed feelings about this new style. One of those students includes Malyenna Pino. She said, “ I think E-girls and E-boys have a really cool and cute style but sometimes it could be scary.” The 2019-2020 school year gave students a new opportunity to find their own unique style and express themselves.
A New Generation Of Socializing?
By: Gabby Guerrero
In today’s society, a company based in Los Angeles, CA called SnapChat is the most popular social media platform in 2019, according to Statista.com. SnapChat was first introduced to the public in July of 2011, created by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown. It was then introduced to Android users in October of 2013. In late August, 2014, 40% of adults in the United States were using SnapChat by the day, says buycustomgeofilters.com. SnapChat is especially popular amongst teens in middle school. After surveying teens at James Monroe Middle School in Albuquerque NM ,the majority, regardless of gender, have said that SnapChat is their favorite social media platform to use. Eighth grader Scarlett Stratton says,”I love SnapChat because of how many cool features they have.”
SnapChat allows users to share their “stories” and send messages to friends with an assortment of filters. Even though SnapChat is loved by most, a big debate around the use of social media has been discussed among school and parents. The amount of negativity and bullying has been reported just by being present on social media. This debate has hurt SnapChat’s and other platform’s reputations as a way of others to misuse it for bullying and mistreatment of others. Even though SnapChat has had some ups and downs since the release, it currently has over 181 million users, according to CNBC.com. It is one of the most popular social media platforms amongst teens in middle schools such as James Monroe Middle School. |
Scarlett Stratton checking her Snapchat
|
A New Era Of Music?
By: Gabby Guerrero
As of 2019, new trends have yet to come. A genre of music originating in Korea called Kpop is becoming one of the most popular music genres worldwide, said Sutori.com. Being around since the late 1900s, Kpop began growing in popularity around the 2000s, again said by Sutori.com. Kpop was first inspired by 50’s western pop stars such as Marilyn Monroe, The Ronettes, and The Andrew Sisters. In 1992, the first 20th century Kpop group was created by Seo Taiji. Using a mix of western pop, rap, and Korean lyrics, this was the start of Kpop’s journey to the top. As more and more Kpop groups developed, the majority of groups were made up of guys. As time passed, girl groups became just as popular. As of 2018, BTS is the most popular boy group, which is widely known amongst the younger generations.
Kpop is also very popular amongst middle schoolers, especially the girls. After interviewing a portion of kids at James Monroe Middle School located in Albuquerque NM, most of the boys had absolutely no interest in Kpop whatsoever. On the other hand, most of the girls had positive opinions towards Kpop. Some even being hardcore fans of the popular genre. One student by the name of Sadie Couffer, grade 6th, said “You should love BTS not for their music but for their personalities.” Another student Thomas Mcdowell, grade 8th, says “I do not like Kpop because they try too hard to sound like western music.” In conclusion, Kpop has surpassed tons and tons of other music genres through sales and views. Quickly becoming popular worldwide. Some may call Kpop overrated, but others would argue otherwise. |
Sadie Couffer listening to Idol by BTS
|
A Trend That Never Dies?
By: Gabby Guerrero
Throughout the years, shoe trends come and go. Without doubt, they end up dying out in a few months. One shoe brand in particular, Converse All Star, has been a brand that hasn’t gone out of style. According to Wikipedia, Converse has been around since 1908, the company was first called “Converse Rubber Shoe Company” created by Marquis Mills.The company makes its home in Boston, Massachusetts and has more than 100 U.S. retail stores as of 2018. As of the past decade, the company has made it clear that it’s shoes are among the most popular in the U.S and other countries worldwide.
Converse isn’t only popular in stores and in public, it has also made its name known in the schools of the younger generation. In particular, James Monroe Middle School located in Albuquerque, NM. The school’s students have made it clear that Converse is one of their favorite shoe brands. 8th grade student, Mckenzie Clarkson said,”Converse is one of my favorite shoe brands because they allow me to easily choose my outfits since they match with pretty much everything in my wardrobe.”
A 6th grader by the name of Elijah Montgomery said.”I like Converse shoes because they are easy to wear and last longer than other shoes.” Knowing that this company is more than 100 years old, it is a shocker that even with hundreds upon hundreds of other shoe brands in the market, Converse has surpassed most of them and has made it in the top ten of Best Shoe Brands (according to SuccessStory). Overall, Converse All Star is among the most popular shoe brand of today’s younger generation.
Fortnite, The New Video Game Sensation
By: Gabby Guerrero
“Did you know, 65% of American households have at least one person who plays video games for at least three hours a week?” said by Theesa.com’s article “Two thirds of american households regularly play video games”. Even if you aren’t part of the 65% you probably have heard about the battle-royale based game called Fortnite. Voted #1 in the Golden Joystick Awards for being the best game of 2018 and having been played by over 150 million people worldwide. Released on July 25th, 2017 on PC and console the game creators ”Epic Games” were soon to release Fortnite on ios devices. Releasing the mobile game to sponsors on the 15th of March in 2018, and soon after, releasing the mobile app to the public on the 2nd of April.
The summer of 2018 was the beginning of Fortnite’s popularity. Being known as the #1 game watched on Twitch, streamers played a big part in Fortnite’s path to popularity. Some top streamers are Ninja, TSM Myth, Summit1g, Shrod, Dr.Disrespect, and CDNthe3rd. Stated by SVG on Apple News,”Hollywood figures such as Drake, Finn Wolfhard from “Stranger Things”, and Chance The Rapper enjoy playing the game as much as the other 150 million people”. But with tons of other similar games out there, what make Fortnite so special? As said in the article “why is Fortnite so widely popular?” by Polygon,”Unlike other games such as “PUBG”, Fortnite is free to play, has combined elements such as Minecraft-like building and 100-player versus player, fun and cartoon-like graphics, active on social platforms, friendly creators that care about the experience of players, and unique ways of eliminating players such as bush sniping and rocket riding”.
When it comes to society and the impact Fortnite has made to the younger generation, it is neither good nor bad. Especially in school’s worldwide, Fortnite has been “popular among students but not so much among staff and teachers” as said by USA Today, Christopher Maag. One example of this is students at our school, most of the boys and some of the girls are huge fans of the game itself. As said by 7th grader, Jason Clifford,”I like Fortnite because of how social it is and how I can play it on my phone.” When it comes to the female population at school, one student called it “a waste of time”, said by 8th grader Tiffany Chen. Most of the staff and teachers dislike it because of many students not focusing in class and not completing work on time because of their attachment to this popular video game sensation. Now that “Epic Games” has added Battle Royale Mode, Fortnite has been the first game since Minecraft that has really made a huge impact in today’s schools and society.
The summer of 2018 was the beginning of Fortnite’s popularity. Being known as the #1 game watched on Twitch, streamers played a big part in Fortnite’s path to popularity. Some top streamers are Ninja, TSM Myth, Summit1g, Shrod, Dr.Disrespect, and CDNthe3rd. Stated by SVG on Apple News,”Hollywood figures such as Drake, Finn Wolfhard from “Stranger Things”, and Chance The Rapper enjoy playing the game as much as the other 150 million people”. But with tons of other similar games out there, what make Fortnite so special? As said in the article “why is Fortnite so widely popular?” by Polygon,”Unlike other games such as “PUBG”, Fortnite is free to play, has combined elements such as Minecraft-like building and 100-player versus player, fun and cartoon-like graphics, active on social platforms, friendly creators that care about the experience of players, and unique ways of eliminating players such as bush sniping and rocket riding”.
When it comes to society and the impact Fortnite has made to the younger generation, it is neither good nor bad. Especially in school’s worldwide, Fortnite has been “popular among students but not so much among staff and teachers” as said by USA Today, Christopher Maag. One example of this is students at our school, most of the boys and some of the girls are huge fans of the game itself. As said by 7th grader, Jason Clifford,”I like Fortnite because of how social it is and how I can play it on my phone.” When it comes to the female population at school, one student called it “a waste of time”, said by 8th grader Tiffany Chen. Most of the staff and teachers dislike it because of many students not focusing in class and not completing work on time because of their attachment to this popular video game sensation. Now that “Epic Games” has added Battle Royale Mode, Fortnite has been the first game since Minecraft that has really made a huge impact in today’s schools and society.
National Bully Day
By: Sienna Endlich
National Bullying Prevention Month is celebrated every year in the month of October. People around the entire country wear the same colored shirt to symbolize unity against bullying and to bring awareness to this growing problem. Nationally, more than thirty percent of all students report being bullied at least once by the time they graduate high school. Astoundingly, 160.000 kids stay home from school everyday for fear of being bullied.
The National Bullying Prevention campaign was first introduced in 2006 by PACER center, which is an organization founded by parents that have children with disabilities. Pacer wanted to bring national awareness to the bullying problem that many students experience. Even though the entire month of October is designated to bring attention to bullying, PACER picks one day in October as Unity Day, which is the day that everyone wears the same color in order to show their support against bullying.
Bullying is experienced by students of all ages, from kindergarten through college. Bullying comes in many forms. It can be physical bullying, such as someone being pushed around, verbal bullying when a person is being threatened or called names, or social bullying, such as when a person is being talked about to other students or when they’re being bullied on social media.
Every year, James Monroe Middle School participates in National Bullying Prevention Month. When I interviewed my counselor, Sheila Barbour, at James Monroe, she had some very important information to share with me. She said, “It’s important for students to participate in this day because we want to bring awareness to the problem and to stand up against bullying. When students and teachers wear the same color on Unity Day, it shows the solidarity that we share in bringing awareness to bullying”. On a local level, thirty one percent of middle school students and twenty percent of high school students have experienced bullying on school property.
With more and more students getting cellphones and having access to social media, bullying has become easier to do. Bullying can have effects on students, causing stomach aches, headaches, and severe anxiety. For some bullied students, it can lead to suicide. National Bullying Prevention Month is very important because it brings awareness to this problem and is a reminder for us to be kind to one another. This is a great campaign to bring awareness to bullying and hopefully will make an impact on this national problem.
The National Bullying Prevention campaign was first introduced in 2006 by PACER center, which is an organization founded by parents that have children with disabilities. Pacer wanted to bring national awareness to the bullying problem that many students experience. Even though the entire month of October is designated to bring attention to bullying, PACER picks one day in October as Unity Day, which is the day that everyone wears the same color in order to show their support against bullying.
Bullying is experienced by students of all ages, from kindergarten through college. Bullying comes in many forms. It can be physical bullying, such as someone being pushed around, verbal bullying when a person is being threatened or called names, or social bullying, such as when a person is being talked about to other students or when they’re being bullied on social media.
Every year, James Monroe Middle School participates in National Bullying Prevention Month. When I interviewed my counselor, Sheila Barbour, at James Monroe, she had some very important information to share with me. She said, “It’s important for students to participate in this day because we want to bring awareness to the problem and to stand up against bullying. When students and teachers wear the same color on Unity Day, it shows the solidarity that we share in bringing awareness to bullying”. On a local level, thirty one percent of middle school students and twenty percent of high school students have experienced bullying on school property.
With more and more students getting cellphones and having access to social media, bullying has become easier to do. Bullying can have effects on students, causing stomach aches, headaches, and severe anxiety. For some bullied students, it can lead to suicide. National Bullying Prevention Month is very important because it brings awareness to this problem and is a reminder for us to be kind to one another. This is a great campaign to bring awareness to bullying and hopefully will make an impact on this national problem.
Students wore blue shirts on National Bully Day to raise prevention for James Monroe Middle School.
Do It For The Vine
|
The Influence of Teenagers
|
The app Vine was created by Dom Hofmann, Rus Yusuov, and Colin Kroll on January 24, 2013. It became a big hit when people discover they can express themselves and do something funny in a matter of seconds!
There are approximately 13-million Vine users? One of those 13 million people has people watching his Vine all around the world. For instance, right now arguably the most popular Vine is, "Damn Daniel".The person that created this Vine like "Damnnn Daniel" and everyone started to love it",said Joshua. Another really famous/popular Vine is "What are Those?. The creator of this Vine is Brandon Moore. This Vine has over 20 million views and has been redone by people all over the world. Some people may ask why Vines are so popular and there is not a 100% correct answer to that question. Salma Sena said " I think vines are popular because they are catchy and kids say them repeatedly so therefore they catch on. Another student James Monroe Middle School said " Vines are super popular because they are funny and make people laugh and people like to laugh".- Zach Harrison |
Right now, people from all around the world are receiving different forms of entertainment. With the advancement of technology, people are able to enjoy what they like on many various platforms. From movies, to video games, to books, the entertainment business is able to thrive. But how do teens influence the media distributed throughout the world? Some students from James Monroe Middle School (JMMS) share what they enjoy, and how they can affect the world of entertainment.
“One of my favorite TV shows is called It’s Okay, That’s Love. It’s a Korean romance drama that features a psychiatrist and a writer suffering from schizophrenia. It was originally targeted towards young adults, but became popular enough to have English subtitles for English speakers to enjoy,” says Kiera King, an 8th grader at JMMS, “I think that I would never have been able to watch the show if Korean teenagers didn’t like it. The same probably goes for all entertainment around the world. If something isn’t popular with teenagers or young adults, it’s less likely to be translated into other languages.” “My favorite movie is Bolt because I really like white dogs and animals. I think teens influence entertainment because they’re so active on social media. Teens create memes, trends, and constantly share things they find cool or funny. Since many people, including me, like Bolt, movies similar to it are more likely to be produced,” says Taylor Hervol, a 6th grader. According to these students, teenagers can influence the world’s entertainment because of what they share on social media. Their likes and dislikes are projected onto the Internet for everyone to see, including the people in the entertainment business. At JMMS, a survey was given to a group of students to find out what genres were the most popular at the school. The most popular genre for the category of movies/TV shows was action, with a total vote count of seventeen. The action genre was also the most popular in the category for video games, with a vote count of fifteen. Lastly, the action/adventure/fantasy was the most popular in the category for books because of its total vote count of twenty-three. Ultimately, action movies, action (fighter/shooter) video games, and action/adventure/fantasy books are the most popular at JMMS. Teenagers have been shown to play a major role in the world of entertainment. Businesses all around the world can flourish by scouting out information about what the younger generation enjoys. Teens have more impact on the world than they think as proven by what mediums and products are being created every day. |
Upcoming Movies that People Want to See By: Zach Harrison
In 2016 many new movies and sequels of franchise are being released. When a hundred students at James Monroe Middle School, were asked to choose a single movie between: The Jungle Book (2016) The Divergent Series Allegiant, Finding Dory, and Ghostbusters (2016). The results showed that seventy-six people wanted to see Finding Dory, directed by Andrew Stanton. Following that, twelve people wanted to see Ghostbutsters (2016) directed by Paul Feig. Then, nine people wanted to see The Divergent Series: Allegiant. Finally, three people wanted to see The Jungle Book (2016) directed by Jon Favreau.
Eighth grader Ashlyn Vargas said, "I want to see Finding Dory because I loved Disney movies since I was little. And because I have wanted to see it since it was announced."
Eighth grader Ashlyn Vargas said, "I want to see Finding Dory because I loved Disney movies since I was little. And because I have wanted to see it since it was announced."
Pi Day! By: Ashlyn Vargas
Pi, the 16th letter in the greek alphabet, is celebrated yearly on the !4th of March. Pi is a mathematical term, which is the ratio of a circles circumference to its diameter. This March the whole math department at James Monroe was in charge of Family Fun Night on March 15th. There were many activates going on that night such as; a Pi reciting contest, Pi jewelry, and Pi art! The winners of the Pi reciting contest were given prizes up to $50 in gift cards, and free pie for those who came to support the department! The top winners were Channi Cordero (6th), Bryson Baker (7th), and Jasmine Chambers (8th).
The event was a success! Mrs Jeppesen a 6th grade math teacher, who helped organize the whole event said "Our Pi day Family Fun night was a super fun event. i was impressed with our students who participated in the Memorization Contest! Pi is such an important concept in Mathematics, I'm so glad we got to celebrate Pi Day as a school!"
The event was a success! Mrs Jeppesen a 6th grade math teacher, who helped organize the whole event said "Our Pi day Family Fun night was a super fun event. i was impressed with our students who participated in the Memorization Contest! Pi is such an important concept in Mathematics, I'm so glad we got to celebrate Pi Day as a school!"
Fashion and Music at JMMS By: Kylie Tafoya
Fashion and music are very important in middle school. At James Monroe everyone has their own preferences. Many students at our school like rap artists. One some students like is Drake.
"I think people like Drake because his music has a lot of meaning. A lot of people at JMMS like him." Said Jasmine Atencio. Janet Reeder, a teacher at JMMS said "My music seems to change all the time, but lately I have been listening to pop and country." "I dislike rap, because I do not understand what they are saying." But she thinks "Well some rap is okay like that song by flo rida, my house because I understand what he is saying." Fashion has always been important. JMMS follows some fashion trends. Ashley Lucero says " Girls wear PINK jackets and guys wear khaki joggers." Some students wear joggers, Hollister jeans, Vans, Nike, and PINK. A lot of students follow the same trends. Salma Sena says "I have 12 pairs of Vans. My favorite pair is my black low tops. JMMS will have different fashion trends, and music preferences. At the moment, these are some of them. Sarah Romero wearing Hollister jeans |
Where Do You Tune In? By: Mekenzie Jenkins
Phones have become more and more popular through the years, smartphones have really made it big! Social media apps are the best way to stay in touch with friends. Most students at James Monroe are wanting the newest phones and apps, but what’s the most popular app that most JMMS students are talking about? Forty students were surveyed on which app they liked the best. The options the students were given to choose from were the following; Twitter, Instagram , Snapchat, and Spinny Circle ( which is like Color Switch). Most of these apps are social media apps except for Spinny Circle. Spinny circle is a game! A lot can be heard around the halls at JMMS about all of these apps, but the one that seems to beat the rest is Snapchat!
Each grade favored one app, and the most voted app was Snapchat! Snapchat is an app where the Snappers can take pictures and/or videos and post them to their story for all of their friends and followers to see, or they can, send them individually to the people of their choosing. The snappers story will stay up for twenty-four hours unless they delete it! Snapchat recently got a new update where it allows the Snapper to call or video call their friends! Another update was where it will allow the Snapper to scan their face to put a filter on it and then they can send it to whoever!
Mia Aguilar, one of JMMS’ sixth grade students said “ Snapchat is my favorite because you can take pictures and videos and send them to your friends! My favorite part about Snapchat is that you can scan your face and have cool effects. I would recommend this app to everyone because it is a great way to communicate with your friends and see what they are up to everyday!”
Each grade favored one app, and the most voted app was Snapchat! Snapchat is an app where the Snappers can take pictures and/or videos and post them to their story for all of their friends and followers to see, or they can, send them individually to the people of their choosing. The snappers story will stay up for twenty-four hours unless they delete it! Snapchat recently got a new update where it allows the Snapper to call or video call their friends! Another update was where it will allow the Snapper to scan their face to put a filter on it and then they can send it to whoever!
Mia Aguilar, one of JMMS’ sixth grade students said “ Snapchat is my favorite because you can take pictures and videos and send them to your friends! My favorite part about Snapchat is that you can scan your face and have cool effects. I would recommend this app to everyone because it is a great way to communicate with your friends and see what they are up to everyday!”
Mia Aguilar posing on her favorite snapchat filter.