Immigration enforcement has become a global issue that often violates the rights of immigrants, especially Hispanics. Many are forcibly taken and sent back to their home countries. This has led to protests, as immigrants feel their rights are being stripped away, resulting in violence.
A tragic incident occurred on January 7, 2026, in Minneapolis, when a 37-year-old woman named Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE enforcement officer. This incident quickly garnered widespread attention, revealing the harsh realities of immigration enforcement.
In my opinion, the enforcement actions by ICE are horrific. It’s distressing to witness Hispanic individuals live in fear as agents break down their doors, taking away their rights and essentially kidnapping them, which violates the 14th Amendment. The situation is even more alarming when ICE enforcers target schools, taking Hispanic children in the same way they do adults. The methods employed by these officers are truly frightening. They are typically armed and show no restraint in apprehending Hispanic individuals.
I believe that we need a different approach to immigration policy in this country, one that respects the human rights of immigrants and is guided by compassion and understanding, not fear and hate.
Patterson High school hosted a Black History Night show on Wednesday February 28th. The event was organized by Mr. Fowler with performances from Patterson’s newly established Performing Arts Academy.
In total, the Performing Arts Academy put on three shows in honor of Black History Month: two during the day on Tuesday, February 27th during 2nd and 4th period for students who made Honor Roll and Principal’s List, and then another event on Wednesday evening for families at 6:00 PM. The hosts would like to extend a thank you to all those who came out to support our young creatives and their hard work during the stormy weather on Wednesday night.
The show opened with the Black national anthem (“Lift Every Voice and Sing”), followed by introductions and a welcome message by the man who produced this great show, choir director Mr. Fowler.
After this opening, a song called Siyahamba was performed by the choir called while student performers danced to the music. This dance was the debut of Patterson’s newly established dance program under the direction of Mr. Kwame and our modeling troupe under Coach Z. After this, the band went on to play “Wade in The Water”, a negro spiritual code song with solos by Korey Spruill and Christian Yates. The Show was split into four sections representing four key elements of Black culture: style, movement, gestures of dismissal, and music.
The style portion hosted by 10th grade student Araya Brinkley featured Patterson’s newly formed modeling troupe. The troupe performed a dance to the song “They Don’t Really Care About Us” by Michael Jackson and showcased African American fashions from multiple decades.
The show also featured the poems, “I too am America” By Langston Hughes, performed by Micah Mcdonald and Caleb Johnson, and “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou performed by Dinea Griffin, Octavia Caldwell, Tynazia Burgess, Tammie Gordon, Syniah Rawlings, and Demi Hines.
Christina Johnson showed her art which featured representations of Black girls. Cristina created four works of art for this collection:
Buttons for hair – Uses actual buttons to represent the kinky coils of Black hair
Perm at home – Shows a Black girl getting a perm at home to fit Western beauty standards
Solitude – Showcases the loneliness of Black girls in ballet
Damage – a representation of the words Black girls have heard or experienced because of their natural hair
The musical portion of the show was a fan favorite and was hosted by Mr. Fowler. This section showcased quick lip sync performances by students representing different genres of music, including R & B, HipHop, and Rap, with songs by The Temptations, Mary J. Blige, New Edition, Tupac, and Biggie.
“I’m Goin’ Down” was performed by Tynazia Burgess, “Hit ’Em Up” was performed by Sincere Bartfield, “Juicy” was performed by Charles Goodman, “Billie Jean” was performed by Caleb Williams, and “My Girl” was performed by Zion Woods, Devon Brown, Tyshawn, Aaron Washington and La’ron Howard.
To conclude the night, the choir sang the song “Glory”, featuring the band, with instrumental solos by Kylayah Davis and Winner Mbenga and vocal solos by Jeanette Giles, Octavia Caldwell and Sincere Bartfield. “Glory” was made for the movie Selma which depicted the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, where African Americans and their allies marched for voting rights and an end to discrimination.
The show was so well received that students wished for another one. Many students hope that we can make this an annual tradition with even better performances in the years to come. Once again, the organizers of this event would like to extend a thank you to all who helped with the production of the show. Finally, a special “thank you” to everyone who came out to support the show, and please come out to support more events from our Performing Arts Academy.
February 12th to 15th was Patterson High School’s winter Spirit Week hosted by Patterson’s Student Government Association (SGA) to raise money for the organization.
SGA raised money by asking students to pay for the opportunity to nominate a staff member to get pied in the face at a pep rally that was held on Thursday in the gym. The fortunate victim to receive this pie to the face was Mr. Ober, an English teacher.
For this spirit week, each day had a specific theme: Monday was a cozy day where people wore their pajamas like onesies and pledge pants. Tuesday was twin day where students tried to match with their friends to look like twins. Wednesday was flip-flop day where teachers dressed like students and students dressed like teachers. Finally, on Thursday, students and staff showed their Patterson pride during the day by wearing our school colors which are blue, white, and black, and then ending the celebration with a pep rally. The different cohorts participated in fun games against each other or against the staff members. These games included musical chairs with basketballs and real-life Hungry Hungry Hippos.
All of these events were planned by the SGA, a small group currently in need of more members as they have an important role helping to run fun events within the school for everyone to participate.
“The money raised is for future events for the school”, explained Jayzanay “Jazzy” Blessett, one of the members of SGA.
SGA can help to benefit students with more fun activities if more students join. Also, if you have problems with the way that the school is run and and you want to address those issues, SGA can be a great way to make your voice heard.
We learn in school that voting is one of the most important rights of citizenship. Yet most high school students are not allowed to vote because they are under 18. I believe that 16 and 17-year-olds should have the right to vote. As a teenager we have fresh perspectives with new thoughts and ideas that can add to what our government already has in mind for the country.
Our current government is run primarily by older people. When the two main candidates for President are the oldest to ever run in history, it feels like we’re lowering our standards. There needs to be a better mind at our highest office of government, especially when we’re making enemies out of other countries and military forces. I think if teenagers could vote, we would vote for a president with an open mind and someone who can relate to our ideas for the country. Our country needs a leader who has an open mind about things and isn’t quick to make enemies. We as teenagers could support our government with ideas and feel better about our government if we knew we had a president who could relate to us.
There are claims that young people don’t care or even think about our government power and that is false. A lot of young people care about our government, as studies show. According to the website youthrights.org, people of the age of 17-18 vote more than people ages 20-40. In 2014, Chicago allowed their youth to vote and 75% of eligible people ages 16-17 voted compared to 54% of people ages 20-50, showing us that our youth care at least as much as older people do. In Baltimore, we let our youth vote for our mayor in one election and people of the age of 17 voted 35% compared to 36% of people 18 and older, showing us that teens will vote at more or less the same level as older people. This proves that our youth care as much as older people do. The same website also shows data that shows that contrary to popular belief, high school students actually know more on average about the government that older people. This makes sense when you consider that we are learning about government in school and the information is fresh in our minds. Despite some people’s claims that teenagers are too ignorant to vote, the truth is that youth have open minds, are as well-informed as other age groups, and should have the same rights as other Americans. We also care about our country and who our leaders are.
There are many organizations fighting for youth rights and they’ve proven the facts that teenagers have the right ideas for our country. We should support and fight for teenage voting rights. Voting rights for teenagers would create many new opportunities for us to become active citizens and make our country better. I hope these specific facts will convince you that teenagers above the age of 16 do care about our country and should be given the right to vote.
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 wouldhave 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 fromreceiving 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.
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.
Whether you want to become a teacher or a doctor, both require a degree and education. Students all over the U.S have been experiencing overwhelming stress with the fact that they owe so much money from their loans. Student loan debt has grown a huge amount over time. Those debts determine which dreams students can achieve and which ones will simply stay a dream.
Student loans have increased tremendously over the past few decades. For example, as of March 2023, around 44 million U.S borrowers owed more than $1.6 trillion in Federal student loans. The average total student debt continues to be about $30,000 dollars. In the 1980s and ’90s, many high school students did not attend colleges and universities and those who did less than half borrowed money. On the other hand, in 2022, almost two-thirds of high school graduates attended college and took out loans. Student debt surpasses auto and credit card debt which shows how tremendously it has grown.
Student debt affects more than your ability to independently cover your living expenses and enjoy a decent standard of living. It also affects your dreams and your mental health. While you worry about your academic performance and finding a well paying job, you also have to worry about paying back your student debt. Having to pay back your loans can take many years, which can force you to sacrifice your dream job for one that financially supports you better. Student loan debt can cause high levels of stress and worrying thoughts. This takes a big toll on your mental health and well being.
Student loan debt is a major problem in the U.S that I hope gets fixed. It affects many students’ ability to accomplish their dreams due to the large amount they have to pay back. It impacts their levels of stress and worry as many other expenses need to be paid. Paying the students’ debts through loan forgiveness or reducing the cost of higher education would boost the nation’s economy by a huge amount while also benefiting everyone.
SGA members have a discussion at a citywide meeting (Photo: Mr. Frederick)
Student Government Association (SGA) helps students speak up on issues that go on in their schools. They also help plan events and make decisions regarding how the money is spent on the events. Currently, Patterson only has a few students who are interested in participating. I would highly encourage students to join or even check out some of the meetings because if you aren’t satisfied with some of the things that are going on, you can promote change and possibly even fix the issue.“SGA (Student Government Association) offers a forum for students to have a voice in their school and to also offer a as vehicle how they can voice their concerns to the school administration and look for ways to change the school to make it better for everybody–Students and staff–so that everybody can have an enjoyable time while they are in high school.”, explains Mr. Frederick, Patterson’s SGA faculty advisor.The elected positions in SGA are President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The president oversees the whole association and focuses on their primary responsibilities. The treasurer focuses on how money is spent on events and the budget we have. The secretary records documents of the SGA and helps with planning and meetings. Lastly, the vice president works with the president, helping with primary issues and solutions. We are currently collaborating with another student group called Catalyst for Change during advisory since we have a small group.
I would also like to mention that students are eligible to run for a city-wide position for the Associated Student Congress of Baltimore City (ASCBC). ASCBC is a city-wide SGA that focuses on bigger issues that impact every student in Baltimore City Public Schools. On October 3rd, Patterson SGA members attended the ASCBC General Assembly, which focused on things that could make our experience as BCPSS students better. We talked about how we could improve high school choice, school lunches, how we could add more robust class courses in our schools, and more.
I am currently running for the Diversity Committee Chair, which targets issues that minority and LGBTQ+ identifying students face in BCPSS. My goal is to ensure equity in every city school and get rid of the stereotypes Patterson and many other city schools have, while also implementing policies to make sure our schools are as inclusive as possible. As a participant, I’d highly encourage students to take this opportunity because it will help you grow as an individual, build your communication skills, give you a sense of accomplishment, and will help you make a change for you and students. If you feel as though you have no voice to speak on issues at Patterson High, think again and join our SGA!
Patterson High School celebrated Culture Day on On Thursday, April 27, from 4:00 to 6:30 PM. There were many cultural expressions, with food and music from many cultures around the world. They had Latin American, African, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern food. Musicians were playing Latin and West African music. During the playing of the West African music, there was dancing, where people would be in a circle and would go and dance in the circle.
After the music, they gave out food with a lot of delicious food items, like Jamaican rice and beans, Syrian shawarmas and Tandoori food, Libyan kebabs, and many other tasty foods from a variety of cultures. They also had a thick, sweet drink and lemon tea.
Near the end of the culture event they had a Kahoot game about the flags of the world, with many students and teachers and Principal Myrick playing. The Kahoot game went from 6:15 until around 6:30. After the Kahoot game and the end of the event, many students helped with the clean up or went to wait for the start of the play that was also taking place that night.
Culture Day was organized by a new student organization called Catalyst for Change. This was the group’s first big event and it was a huge success.
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