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Health care out of reach for many in the U.S.

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By Dayanna Herrera-Mateo

 Healthcare prices have been a big problem in the United States for years. It is said that the prices are getting more expensive because of new health-related technologies.

From a global perspective, it has been reported that the United States has the worst healthcare prices and they continue to be more expensive than other high-income countries, and still, the U.S. is the only wealthy country that doesn’t have universal health coverage. Universal health coverage is when all people have access to all of the quality health services they need without financial problems.

Spending money per person on healthcare is almost two times higher than in Germany and four times higher than in South Korea. In the United States, people are more likely to die at a young age, the highest death rates are from avoiding conditions that can be treated, and we also have the highest suicide rate, which may stem from mental health problems which can also be expensive. About a total of 79 million Americans have medical bills and/or debt.

Immigrants have also been protesting in front of the Maryland State House in support of a healthcare bill which stated that healthcare is a human right. The bill would have allowed undocumented immigrants to access state health care assistance, but the bill failed to pass. The CARE Act, which was passed in 2016 and is still in force today, prevents many immigrants from receiving benefits from Maryland’s health care assistance program.

Immigrants try to avoid hospitals even when they’re very sick and have a sickness that could even be deadly because they’re scared about the high bill that they could have, so they’re demanding healthcare insurance. There was also a video trending in which a lady was seen trapped in a subway train in Boston and you could see she was struggling but she kept shouting and begging others who were on the scene not to call the ambulance. That might be because ambulance rides can cost about $1,300. It is understandable that she didn’t want the ambulance to be called. 

Healthcare is too expensive for some citizens to even afford, and it has been a problem for a long time now. The U.S. also doesn’t guarantee government or public health coverage to all their citizens. People are getting stressed to the point where they go so far as to unalive themselves because of hospital bills or any type of healthcare bills. 

High School Choice: Why you should care about it as a student and why I think it should be gone 

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By Jayzanay Blessett, Junior at Patterson High School and Diversity Chair of the Associated Student Congress of Baltimore City

Baltimore’s School Choice was established as a program in 2002. It determines whether or not you get accepted into the school you chose by considering your composite score and your academic performance during your Middle School years. If you do not get into the school you would like to go to, then you are typically placed in your zoned school or your other choices. Certain schools require special application requirements, such as Polytechnic Institute, Baltimore City College, etc. In this article, I will express my opinion on why I believe we should put an end to this and why, as a student, you should care.

My Story

As a middle school student you constantly hear your teachers drill thoughts into your brain like, “Go to Poly”, “Go to City”, or “Make sure you do the best you can so you can get accepted into Poly and/or City”. Hearing teachers consistently say that makes students feel pressured that they have to go to those said schools and if they don’t it’s bad or is not “acceptable”. Putting this kind of stress on 12-14 year old children is not healthy whatsoever. 

The idea that only those two schools you will give you the best education is a terrible idea. From a personal standpoint, my School Choice year was during the pandemic. My virtual school year was bad and I was struggling with many mental health problems just like every other student. I was so scared to miss the deadline for my School Choice and I was nervous that I was not going to get into the school that I wanted to, which was Baltimore City College. Once I got my results, I cried, because I got into one of the supposedly “worse’’ schools in the city, Patterson High. 

For the majority of my 7th grade year, I heard so many stories about why Patterson, Mervo, and honestly any school that was not Poly, City, Western, and or BSA was bad, so getting into a school that was not on my list was embarrassing for me because every time I would tell anyone about the school I went to/was going to, I was told I would be “too smart for that school’’ and that I need to transfer to get the education I deserve. 

The Issue

Understanding High School Choice from a student’s point of view, I will now give some reasons why I believe School Choice is an ineffective program and why the District needs to stop doing it. Baltimore’s School Choice creates equity issues, a hierarchy among schools and students, and transportation struggles.      

The Baltimore City school system has long had an equity issue. I feel as though School Choice will hinder us from solving this problem. When I took a look at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute’s website I noticed that they state, “Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (“Poly”) is a citywide magnet high school for Baltimore City Public Schools that emphasizes a rigorous college preparatory curriculum in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. With a student body of more than 1,600 students and 85 teachers, Poly is committed to ensuring that all students have access to college and post-secondary opportunities.”

Viewing the part where is says “Poly is committed to ensuring that all students have access to college and post-secondary opportunities’’ threw me off because all schools in the city do this. You should not have to go all the way across the city because you only have maybe 2 schools that have a “rigorous college program”. Every school in Baltimore City should have equal robust classes dedicated to help them get into college. Being a Patterson student, we are not offered many of the classes that schools like City have, which makes it difficult to receive the education I need to compete with other students for college.

Having a program like High School Choice also creates a hierarchy between the students because you will get shamed for going to a school that’s not highly liked. It also creates an issue with transportation. If we focused on giving each school the same resources and opportunities, students would not need to transport themselves all the way across other parts of town to go to school. 

We could have school busses that take kids to school because no school would be better or worse than the others and students could just go to their zone school, but in the system that we currently have, we push all “high achieving’’ kids into one school and kind of just push out the other students. If you take a look at Baltimore County’s public school system, they are outperforming us because they don’t have something called “School Choice”. They have zoned schools with each school properly allocated equal resources and robust class courses. 

Taking Action

If students speak up on this issue a lot more, we could possibly make a change in some way. Imagine going to a school that has everything you need to be successful and pursue higher education without having to pick a school and maybe get rejected. Every single school in Baltimore need to have robust science, math, and English courses. If one school offers AP in Freshman year, then all schools need to that.

Yes, I understand that School Choice is an important tradition for Baltimore City, but the System is setting us up for failure and as a student, you should care about this too. As the student Chair of the Diversity Committee for Baltimore City Public Schools, I plan to advocate on the issue to the best of my ability.

Patterson provides services to meet student needs beyond education

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By Deontay Blackwell

Ms. Lia Reid, Community School Director
(Photo by Deontay Blackwell, Patterson Press)

Like most schools in Baltimore, Patterson High School offers services or help to students who may need it. For our school, we have a plethora of services that need to be better known by the general student population.

Ms. Reid, the community school director, runs the community center at Patterson, better known as the pantry. She helps to bring partnerships into the schools based on students’ needs. For example, she brought the B.A.T.S Automotive Club to our school last year and an interpreter program this year. 

“I have a lot of families come in just to get food to take home for the weekend or holiday break, we get frozen meats which is new this year, we also get a lot non perishable items all the time in the pantry.”, Ms. Reid said.

Ms. Reid also runs the Clipper Closet where people can find any clothes they need. Ms. Reid explained how the community center can provide clothes for people like button-downs, ties, and dresses for job interviews or any other reason. Even if there’s none on hand students can request a specific article of clothing that they might need if asked. They also have a lot of shoes and jackets not just for students but for anyone in their family who might need some clothes or request sizes for people who might have younger siblings by working with other schools that have clothes as well.  

Ms. Reid also has a comfort closet within the community center where she keeps toiletries and feminine hygiene items for students who might not have some, in addition to that she sometimes even has household items like laundry detergent, sheets, pots, and pans.  

While Ms. Reid operating the community center here at Patterson brings in much support for students, the nurse’s office/health suite next door also provides medical services for students here. Katie, the nurse practitioner here, helps provide medical care to students while other nurses are giving vaccines to students, doing physicals for upcoming student-athletes, helping kids with chronic illnesses like diabetes, and giving medication to those who are sick. They can even help with allergens and other minor chronic illnesses. The health suite is run by the Baltimore Medical System which also supplies them with the things they need on a day-to-day basis. Students can also receive STD testing, condoms, birth control, and sign themselves into a confidentiality consent law that doesn’t require their parents’ permission to receive these services. 

Although there are many services at our school that are unknown to most students, you can always ask the Main Office or a teacher for help and they will direct you to someone who can help with your needs. There are many more services besides the ones mentioned in this article. 

Bentley Law holds drunk drivers accountable for child support

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By Dayana Herrera-Mateo

About 43% of car accidents involve drunk drivers in the United States. About 10,850 people have passed away every year because of drunk driving crashes. In Austin, Texas, a new law was made in which drunk drivers who have killed a parent or parents have to pay child support until the kids turn 18.

The law took effect on September 1, 2023. This law was made after a fiery car crash that killed Cordel, Lacy, and their four-month-old son, leaving behind Bentley and Mason under their grandparent’s care. Cecilia Williams, the grandmother of Bentley and Mason, and the mother of Cordell, said that kids of this circumstance no longer have parents and she wants people who cause that sort of pain to be held accountable. She believes they should pay child support for the consequences of their actions.

At the moment, four states have passed the law. Tennessee was the first to pass the law, along with Kentucky, Maine, and Texas. Cecilia Williams is hoping that by December of this year, all 50 states will have passed this law. She also hopes this law prevents people from driving drunk and helps the victims who are struggling. 

Teenage gun violence at its highest rate

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By Jennifer Iraheta-Delcid

Incidents of gun violence involving teenagers is rising in Baltimore. Teenagers are being injured and even killed in 2023 at a pace never seen before in at least a decade. On average, one victim is shot every two days and one is killed every week. The cause of the highly elevated rise in teenage brutality may be because of disagreements and rivalries.

This year, Baltimore City made a significant advancement in reducing overall violence by seizing 398 guns while seeing a 25% reduction in homicides and 27% in non-fatal shootings. Yet many Baltimore residents still have easy access to these guns, which is also a reason for this increase in gun violence among teens. High school-age teens continue to be shot in record numbers, with the year 2023 ending with 16 juvenile homicides and 94 non-fatal juvenile shooting victims. This generation of young people can’t resolve problems peacefully like talking it out. Most situations like this are victims younger than 19 years old. These conflicts can affect the well-being and mental health of many students, teachers, and parents by inducing fear and worry, and it’s devastating to the community.

“This makes me feel sad and worried at the same time because there is no security anymore… This affects me because I have a daughter in high school”, stated Joselyn Delcid. She added, “ I believe they should have more security like metal detectors and the state should remove the easy access to guns. I would feel more at peace with the security and well-being of my daughter and everyone in the school.”

Mayor Brandon Scott associates gun violence with the lack of responsibility and care of parents or even the way they raise their children. He is looking for ways to hold parents accountable. Scott is partnering with a program called “We Our Us“  in hopes of making progress through numerous small efforts that can add up to have a big impact. Scott also said he will be placing more mentors and specialists in Baltimore City schools to see if it makes an impact. The Mayor said the state and the country need stricter laws and a more efficient justice system to hold criminals accountable. Whether or not we will see a decrease in violence in the future is unclear, as teenage gun violence continues to be an unsolved problem.

Students prepare for new semester

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By Kimberly Aguila-Torres

Patterson High School’s first two quarters are coming to an end already. Final exams are soon to start right when we students come back from Winter Break. Right now, teachers are wrapping up their final lesson for students before they head off for their Winter Break.

I asked several students if they were ready to start a new year with new classes.

”It’s whatever”, said one student. “I had gotten used to in my classes so it’s going to feel weird when we have our new classes.”

“It is gonna be a change for students.”, another student replied. “This is the first year that Patterson High School does this [semester schedule], but students will adapt to their new classes. Some will have the same lunch and some will change.”

I followed up my first question by asking these students if they like the classes they will be taking next semester.

One student responded, ”Nah, really I will be having geometry–and I am not great at math–and chemistry, which I think I properly will do not good.”

So far, there are students that like this new semester-based schedule and some that don’t and wished that they could just stay in the same classes throughout the whole school year. It’s going to be difficult for students once they come back from their break and have to take a lot of final exams for each class.

“I am feeling really sad because I wont be with the same people I was in class with.”, one student lamented when asked how they felt about the semester ending.

Hopefully students will enjoy their new classes and get used to their new schedules for next semester.

Patterson students still in mourning

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By Kimberly Burgos

Today, Patterson High continues to mourn the loss of Ivan Carlos Funez. Ivan was a 17 year old boy who was originally from Honduras, a country in Central America. He was educated at Patterson High School in Baltimore, Maryland. He had a passion for wanting to join the military when he was older and even decided to join the JROTC program at Patterson.

During his free time Carlos would make music and experiment with his friends because he loved music. He was also a big fan of cars. He would collect a bunch of hot wheel cars and put them up on his wall. He was really proud of his background. He would always rep his country, no matter what. He would always mention his country and even post his flag. He was into trap music. He would often experiment in his room and rap about his love. His lyrics were always really deep, talking about having it hard and his romantic life.

His friends at Patterson always referred to him as the chillest dude they’ve ever met. He was always helpful, always thankful for everyone and everything he had in his life. They referred to him as being one of the best people to have a friendship with because he was always putting others before himself.

He went missing in the Month of December, then was reported to be dead. There were a lot of rumors telling multiple stories such as he was shot and then others said he was stabbed but later on people found out it was due to gun violence. it was confirmed he was dead on December 1, 2023 at 9:09 AM.

People were devastated. His family prayed that their son would be found alive. They had spread awareness on social platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.  His friends helped set up a GoFundMe and hoped they would make enough in just 3 days to send Carlos back to his home country to get buried. His death made a lot of people and students tear up. Several people broke down in school crying.

Thankfully, Patterson is a very supportive high school that cares about their students. They offered support and comfort to students who were heartbroken and affected by the death of their loved one. They would check up every day on their students and go around the hallways asking every student they saw if they needed comfort or anything or wanted to talk about Carlos. This all lasted until the day it was finally time to bury Carlos.

Several of his friends and relatives went ahead to post a black ribbon bow and their profile to honor him. They made a shirt of the year he was born and the year he passed with his name and a lot of signatures of his loved ones. On the day of his funeral, everyone wore little badges of his face on their shirts and wore black. It was a really depressing death and affected a lot of people, especially his parents.

Rest In peace and fly high, Ivan Carlos Funez.

Remembering those we lost this holiday

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By Jennifer Iraheta-Delcid

On Thanksgiving in Baltimore, many have lost their loved ones and Thanksgiving doesn’t feel the same to them. Additionally, many Baltimore residents don’t have the resources to celebrate this holiday. Fortunately, there are many generous people who want to help out and give to those in the community.

Firstly, In West Baltimore there is an event called ‘The Giveback’ celebrated on Thanksgiving. The reason for this event is to help out the community and give back to them, especially to those who are not financially able to celebrate this day. Secondly, There is another group of people who provide meals to the families of homicide victims in order to share their kindness to someone who is grieving the loss of their loved ones. These simple but thoughtful events are able to unify everyone, provide for those in need, and bring joy, cheer, and reassurance to the community. 

Jade Harper started the Overcame Foundation and also teamed up with the City of God apparel shop where she provides hot meals, dancing and music, and even warm clothes. It has almost been a decade since this celebration first occurred. This event is able to bring joy and hope to many. Many children and adults benefit from this since they are able to walk away with free warm new clothes. There were 40 volunteers from the city ready to give back. Being able to give back and see the glow in people’s eyes is “monumental” to them. Jade’s main goal is to show people in the community that there are still people who care and are there to support them. 

Peggy and Kevin Callahan, organists of the Sacred Heart Glyndon Catholic Church teamed up with the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Grief Ministry Program to provide meals to 30 families who have lost family members to homicide. The Archdiocese was focused on bringing joy to the families on this holiday. Additionally, parishioners donated enough to be able to provide meals and gift cards to families on Thanksgiving. The grief ministry program has helped 365 families in the past two years who have gone through traumatic losses by providing many things such as groceries, care packages, relocation costs and funeral expenses. Peggy and Kevin, as well as the everyone else involved in the program, feel blessed to be able to help these families and bring some joy and hope to their homes.

Also, in Belair, the R.I.C.H. Foundation (Reaching Innocent Children’s Hearts) is having a holiday giveback for Christmas on December 22.

Many take for granted what they have and don’t cherish it, while some people suffer the loss of their loved ones during the holidays where most families are united. Then there are others who don’t have the resources to celebrate this holiday. Fortunately, there are many who care and have kindness in their hearts who are able to volunteer and help these families and the community and give back to them and also provide them with a joyful holiday.

Clipper Productions brings Poe’s “Shuddersome” tales to life with dramatic performance

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By Jamira Ellison

Students perform in “Shuddersome: Tales of Poe” (Photo by Patterson Press)

Patterson High School Clipper Productions hosted its annual fall play on November 15 and 16 at 7:00 PM. The play was called Shuddersome: Tales of Poe. Tickets were $2 for students and $5 for general admission.

The play was inspired by the works of the famous writer and Baltimore native, Edgar Allen Poe. At first some of the students were unfamiliar with Poe but they quickly gained interest when they learned more about Poe and his spooky stories.

“Production of the play was long, hard and rigorous.”, recounted lights operator, Kayla Cain. “At the start of the play everyone was like, ‘Edgar Allen Poe, who?’. And now the crew were definitely more interested in the play.” 

On opening night, the student performers were excited and a little bit nervous.

“I am just praying that I remember my lines and hoping that everyone else remembers their part.”, said actor Caleb. “I hope it goes well and I’ll do the best I can.” 

The first story was a very creepy story. The main character started greeting a girl every morning and being nice to her, but then quickly her thoughts shifted and she started to get thoughts of killing her. Eventually she actually did it. One night she killed the girl in her sleep. The next day the police showed up and arrested her and took her away.

The second story was a beautiful one but a creepy and nerve-racking one. It started off as a painter wanting to paint a girl because she was beautiful. But the artist was taking her soul and putting it into the portrait. Actors would dance around, grab little parts of her soul and return it to another painting with another girl being given life while the first girl was losing her life.

In another story, there was a village and nobody who lived there had a nose but one. He was praised for having a nose that no one else had and one day they took him to see the prince and the prince called him ugly and funny looking. When people found out what the prince had said, they stopped praising him. Everyone hated his nose after that. His own father was disappointed and turned him away.

In yet another story, there was a prince who locked his gates to escape from a very dangerous plague, but one day he decided to throw a masquerade ball. Each room in his house was decorated with a single color. He showed his guests around. The first room was blue, the second was purple, then green, orange, white, violet, and finally the last room was black with red windows and an ebony clock. When the clock struck midnight a new guest appeared with the face of a corpse. The guests were afraid but the prince was angry. They went into the other rooms but the strange guest found them. When they tried to get the prince to help, they realized he was dead and they all died a gruesome death.

In the post play interview the cast and crew said the play went about as well as they expected, with a few more mistakes that they would clean up for the next day’s show.

“[The] progression of the play was positive and attendance definitely improved as the play went on.”, floater Salem Garrett reflected. “I don’t know how the play will go [on the second night], but I know I’ll laugh a lot.”

Audience member and Patterson Press Editor Kylayah Davis said, “It was very funny, I didn’t really know what was going on but it seemed like they were having fun and I’m glad I came to support my friends.” 

All in all, the show was great, filled with laughs, occasional mistakes, and lots of fun. The cast and crew are already looking forward to the next Clipper Production, which is scheduled to take place in the Spring of 2024.

(Photos by Patterson Press)

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