The Student News Site of Foothill Technology High School

The Foothill Dragon Press
The Student News Site of Foothill Technology High School

The Foothill Dragon Press
The Student News Site of Foothill Technology High School

The Foothill Dragon Press
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Cartoon of the Week 21

Rachel Chang
September 9, 2016
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Freshmen are treated unfairly by upperclassmen at Foothill. Credit: Rachel Chang / The Foothill Dragon Press
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Celebrated officially on the last Monday of May each year, the origins of Memorial Day trace back to May 5, 1868. Three years after the end of the Civil War, an organization of veterans from the Union side gathered to lay flowers on the graves of the war-fallen. The first declaration of the day of decoration was made by Maj. Gen. John A. Logan, who announced that it should be May 30. In the same year, 1868, the first large gathering of this event was held at Arlington National Cemetery, where flowers were left on both Union and Confederate graves in the cemetery. However, there were still small, local observances before this event. Such as on April 26, 1866, when a group of women decorated the graves of Confederate soldiers lost in the battle at Shiloh. Union graves were also present, however, ignored due to them being the enemy of the time. Disturbed by the bare graves, the women set flowers on their graves as well. However, this was not the only instance of claiming to be the first to have a decoration day ceremony, as 25 other instances tie for the title of the original Memorial Day celebration. By 1900, states had adopted proclamations recognizing Memorial Day as an official day, with the Army and Navy taking on regulations to observe this day properly at their facilities. After World War I, the day began to encompass all deaths in American wars and then was officially declared a national holiday by Congress in 1971. While the national date remains on the last Monday of May each year, many southern states also have separate dates to honor the Confederate soldiers who died. Mississippi has its Confederate Memorial Day on the last Monday of April, Georgia on April 26, Alabama on the fourth Monday of April, and North and South Carolina observe the day on May 10, while on June 3 Tennessee and Louisiana recognize the date as Confederate Decoration Day. Virginia claims the last Monday in May as Confederate Memorial Day, while Texas celebrates Confederate Heroes Day on Jan. 19. A small tradition emerged from Memorial Day, and that is to place small American flags on each grave. As well, in Dec. 2000 the U.S. Congress passed an act named “The National Moment of Remembrance Act” that encourages all Americans to pause at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day and have a minute of silence as they honor and remember those who have passed in service of their country.
Cartoon 116: Memorial Day
Lunar New Years is a time for celebration recognized in various places throughout the world. Following the setting of the second new moon after the winter solstice, Lunar New Year in 2024 begins on Feb. 10. After the initial day, the new year period lasts until 15 days later when the next full moon rises and a lantern festival is held on the final day. With celebrations recorded back as early as the 14th-century Shang Dynasty, it's said that the celebration originated from a battle against a Nian, a dragon that would prey on villages and livestock. The Nian would come down to the village once a year, until an old man had advised the village that the Nian was afraid of bright lights and loud noises, along with the color red. The village had hung red banners, lanterns, and decorations of all kinds on their houses as well as lighting firecrackers, then performing a very loud lion dance accompanied by a long dragon dance. When the Nian arrived to attack the village, it was scared off and retreated to where it had arrived from. Now to keep the Nian at bay, every year the Lunar New Year is celebrated. Associated with the lunar new year are the 12 Chinese zodiacs, which work in a 12-year cycle. The order of the zodiacs was decided in an old folk tale of a great race between the 12 animals to get to the Jade Emperor, the order decided by their place in the race. The rat is the first zodiac, as it finished first place in the race by riding along the ox’s back and jumping off at the last second. In last place was the pig, marking the end before a new rotation is started. Lunar new year in 2024 is the year of the dragon, the fifth animal to finish the race. With the dragon as Foothill Technology High School’s mascot, this year is sure to bring good luck and prosperity to the students.
Cartoon 115: Happy Lunar New Year!
As the students of Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) leave the festivities of winter break behind, finals approach, a looming presence over the return to classes. Foothill Tech will soon be filled with anxious students cramming to remember coursework from before winter break.
Cartoon 114: Finals looming
With college applications coming to a close, so does this wave of stress and pressure. Some students get ahead of the deadlines, writing their applications early. Though mixed with school work college applications often leave quite a few students scrambling to meet the deadline with well-done work. It can feel overwhelming, application upon application to get done. It emphasizes the hurried pace of college applications, resulting in a thankful wave when they are finally done and over with.
Cartoon 113: The season of college applications
Now that the season for Halloween is over, it’s time to decorate for… Christmas? There is no doubt that Christmas is one of the most popular holidays of the year, with millions of people choosing to celebrate the holiday, and it’s easy to see why. Along with its religious context as the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas has also become a holiday where you can come together and gift presents to the ones you love. With the increasing excitement each year towards preparing and decorating for the oncoming Christmas season, companies and businesses aren’t afraid to jump in on the wagon. You might have seen Christmas decorations being sold as early as October, and maybe even the rare house or two decked out with icicles and Christmas lights way before Halloween even started. And of course, who could forget about poor Thanksgiving? Sandwiched between two very heavily decor emphasizing events, it’s easy to forget about decorating for Thanksgiving, as it’s decorations lean more on simple fall decor and color palettes than anything extreme, but Thanksgiving still remains a very big event, even if it may be a bit off putting to see a Christmas snowman on the counter top. In all, it seems that the Christmas spirit is arriving earlier and earlier each year. With Christmas cementing its place as one of the most popular holidays in the world, this trend doesn’t seem like it will stop anytime soon.
Cartoon 112: It's time to decorate for... Christmas?
Lasting from Oct. 2, 2023, through Oct. 5, 2023, signups for the annual blood drive were available to students 16 and up on Foothill Technology High School’s stage in the Quad. It will be taking place on Oct. 11, 2023 and those participating will donating around a pint of blood each. Vitalant, a blood donation company, will have large trucks set up in the front of Foothill Tech, with all those donating cycling in throughout the school day. Thank you to all who are donating and have donated in the past!
Cartoon 111: Thank you Dragons!
More in Opinion
Join journalists, Sofia Patiño '25 and Fiona Aulenta '26 in the newest season of the podcast "The Talk of the Lair." In this episode, starring writing section editors, Amber Duhs '25, Julia Brossia '25 and Ruby Jenkins '25, they'll do a deep dive into the process of creating an article, along with discussing different writing styles and their future goals as editors.
The Talk of the Lair: Meet the writing section
Colton Salles ‘27 and Sawyer Donaldson ‘27 are on their phones while standing by the closed E-pod bathrooms during class time. The access to the E-pod bathrooms is closed due to the lack of administration available to make sure that students going to the restrooms do not use devices.
Opinion: New policies with bathroom breaks and phone confiscation are troublesome
Drivers education is just one part of the process in learning how to drive on the road properly. Available in person and through online classes certified by the state's DMV, there's a variety of methods to attaining the necessary prerequisite for a teenage license. Covering everything regarding the law of the road, the importance of this class for high school students seeking to hit the road hasn't faded.
Opinion: The issue with Drivers Education
“Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion” is a documentary that came out in April, 2024. This documentary touched on many things, including the racism and bodyism that is a foundation in the Brandy Melville company, as well as their problematic sizing and questionable ethical choices. The Brandy Melville company uses “one size fits all/most” which is, for the most part, not true. This harmful sizing makes it seem like if you don't fit, you are the problem and that it makes you different from the people who can fit into this unrealistic standard. This is even more harmful when you take into consideration the targeted age demographic: middle and high school girls. This documentary also shows a day in one of the biggest second hand markets in Ghana, highlighting the over consumption of clothes and how fast fashion is impacting people all over the world.
Opinion: “Brandy Hellville, & the Cult of Fast Fashion”
The diminishing focus in the day to day life is affecting everyone, especially Generation Z (Gen Z) and Generation Alpha (Gen Alpha). People have started noticing that they are not able to pay attention for long periods of time, making daily tasks and school much harder. Even sitting down to watch a movie or show can be a struggle. The big question is, why? Amber Duhs will explore this question in her article.
Opinion: The death of a generation's attention span
With the continuous rise of online news and readily available information, it is getting easier and easier to find anything you want about a given subject. Along with this instant information, the online newscape has found its hold in politics. Consistently social media is a talking point in modern debates, as the online platforms tend to divide the general public on large issues. Due to these constant debates and intense disagreements, a greater divide is being placed between groups such as Republicans and Democrats. With this growing divide between a variety of groups, it's important to consider social media’s role in fostering the growing issues.
Opinion: The media is polarizing us
About the Contributor
Rachel Chang
Rachel Chang, Communications and Science Editor
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Cartoon of the Week 21