Dear Justice Ginsburg,
October 16, 2020
Given the fact that I was already enamored with government and politics by the age of five, it might seem unlikely that our paths did not cross sooner; but of course, my knowledge was much more limited then. My study of government mainly consisted of Presidents and First Ladies. The intricacies,...
City Budget Shortfall: An Argument for the Defunding of the PPD and the Taxation of UPMC
October 13, 2020
The devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has made a massive budget shortfall in the city of Pittsburgh of around $100 million. In my opinion, there is only one way that the city can make up this deficit without hurting the working-class people within it any more than they are already being hur...
Why being a White American Jew is not the same as being a Black American
June 12, 2020
As I returned home from the Black Student Union’s powerful sit-in at Allderdice yesterday, I was thinking of the inspiring, courageous students who organized and spoke at the event. Their words will stick with me as I unlearn the prejudice within me and aim to practice antiracism. In addition, I was ...
The “L” In LGBT, And Why Order Matters
November 19, 2019
The LGBTQ+ acronym is the most common term used to refer to the community based around sexuality and gender minorities. The acronym has also changed and evolved through the years, adding various letters (such as the Q for queer and the A for asexuality) as new identities started being acknowledged. The...
Students Should Be Demanding Later Start Times
November 19, 2019
Adults love to give teenagers a bad reputation for not getting enough sleep due to the fact they are spending to much time on their phones or watching Netflix late into the night. Teachers use this as reasoning to why students have trouble focusing or staying awake during class. But despite these accusations,...
Circles Are Not As Dumb As They Seem
November 19, 2019
Circles have gotten a lot of shade thrown their way at Allderdice since they were first instituted in the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year. Circles, as most readers know, are discussions amongst classmates usually with a teacher’s input which allow students to communicate with each other. St...
ALICE Drills Do More Bad Than Good. Here’s Why.
November 19, 2019
On Friday, November 8, more than 1,600 students, teachers, and faculty participated in an ALICE drill, a program adopted by Pittsburgh Public Schools in March of 2018 following a high-profile shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. At 8:50 AM, principal Dr. McCoy spoke over t...
How The School Is Failing to Enforce Title IX
Members of the Allderdice Feminist Student Union
October 9, 2019
Title IX is a federal law which states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Public schools, such as ...
The Problems With the Allderdice Late Policy
October 9, 2019
The 2019-2020 school year has officially started, and most students entering the building on the first day were surprised to find out that Allderdice has installed a new late policy. Last year, tardies were counted by homeroom teachers. After ten tardies, the student would receive an after school d...
Health ‘Doesn’t Do the Gays Justice’
October 9, 2019
In many ways, the students of Taylor Allderdice are fortunate to have the Sex Education that we get. Especially when compared to other parts of the United States that teach abstinence-only Sex Ed and the many states who don’t require schools to teach medically accurate information. But that doesn’t...
Are Politics in the Classroom Appropriate?
October 9, 2019
Imagine this: You groggily make your way to your last period math class, dreading the results of that last test you are absolutely positive will drop your grade like the beat in one of those 2014 bops from your best friend’s Bat Mitzvah. You lost your pencil, and the kid next to you has a cold and ...
National Disability Employment Awareness Month: Does It Matter To You?
October 2, 2019
With Halloween fast approaching, people often tend to associate fall with pumpkins, apple cider, and scary movies. But October is also National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Admittedly, most people, including myself, don’t even seem to bat an eye for what that means. It is not made...