School starting times: Why they should change

By: Meadow Borlik
Staff Writer

School starting times have always been a problem for middle and high school students. Most schools start at 7am, leaving students with about one hour at least to be prepared and ready for school. With this starting time, many kids are limited to certain activities that must be done in the morning in order to have a good, healthy day. In order for students to have a successful day at school, there must be a change in school start times.

With the school starting times, kids are left with very little time to be ready and out the door  being rushed unless the have gotten eight hours of sleep the night before, which most without students don’t achieve. According to the National Sleep Foundation, only 15% of students say they’ve gotten a full eight hours of sleep, leaving 85% of students with less. Some may argue that students should go to bed earlier if this is such a problem, but with the trouble of getting enough sleep, comes the trouble of being able to finish the homework and classwork students get from there multiple teachers. Not only does the excessive school work guarantee students to miss a good time to go to bed, but it also keeps many students up late at night and leaves them going to bed in the am. Continue reading →

All About Facial Recognition

By: Amina Jamil
Managing Editor
We all have heard of the new iPhone X, and its’ most prominent feature: facial recognition. Users are able to use facial recognition to unlock their phones and even to use Apple pay. But, how exactly does facial recognition work? What even is facial recognition? It is a relatively new technology, so there are still some unknown aspects to it, but the overall software is simple. Continue reading →

Meet Hammond’s New Principal, Dr. DiPaula

By: Kylie Potter
Editor-In-Chief

The Bear Press was recently able to sit down with Hammond High School’s new principal, Dr. DiPaula. In addition to discussing how great it is to be back at Hammond, Dr. DiPaula also talked about his thoughts for the future and shared a bit about himself. Keep reading to learn more about our new principal! Continue reading →

Gun Control & Mental Health Public Forum with Superintendent Dr. Martirano at River Hill High School

By: Tigerlily Johnson
Staff Writer

All across the country, students have participated in several walkouts due to the mass school shooting in Florida on Wednesday, February 14th. On Tuesday, February 20th, the Florida state House declined to pass a ban on semiautomatic guns and large capacity magazines. Florida students planned a walkout on Wednesday, February 21st at noon to combat this decision and put pressure on Congress to pass more gun reform, but their determination has spread across the country and pushed other students to do the same. On February 21st at Hammond, many students participated in the walkout and contributed to the protests against gun violence sweeping the nation. There have been several walkouts that have taken place since then, including one on April 20th to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting. Continue reading →

Superman’s Grandfather Rescues Me From the Danger of Boredom – Once “Apana” Time – Krypton Review

By: Kenneth Apana-Korley
Online Editor

Oh. Mah. Gawd. I literally can’t even with this show! It’s so great!!! The show starts with the death of Val-El, the great-great grandfather of Superman; but this story isn’t about Clark Kent, it’s about Seg-El, the grandfather of Superman. The House of El has lost all rank and they have been disgraced due to Val’s refusal to submit to the voice of Rao. After years of living among the Rankless, Seg gets an opportunity to walk among the Ranked, the catch is that he would leave the rest of his family to walk among the Rankless and he would be given the surname Vex, the same surname of the man who sentenced his grandfather to death. Seg has no love in his heart for the man that ruined his life, so he wanted to refuse the opportunity just out of spite. This isn’t where the craziness stops, however, Adam Strange comes out of nowhere to tell Seg that the fate of another planet years in the future rested on his shoulders. Continue reading →

Reflecting on a Trip of a Lifetime

By: Caitlin Pettengill
Staff Writer

A  dedicated group of Hammond High School teachers organized a trip to England, Ireland, Wales, and France for HCPSS students for the Spring of 2017. I was disappointed when I first saw the itinerary and noticed that we were spending the most time in Ireland.
 It’s not that I wasn’t expecting to enjoy Ireland, I’d just heard so many amazing things from people who had been to London and Paris and would have rather maximized my time at those European landmarks. Regardless, I was quick to sign up the day Educational
 Foundation opened our trip. Continue reading →

2018 XXL Freshman Predictions

By: Kyree Purcell
Staff Writer

     As we get more into the year we approach the time when XXL releases this year’s freshman. This list has become a major part of the music industry and has become a lot of young artists (new) goal. With previous freshman such as. Shy Glizzy, 21 Savage, Future, Chance the rapper, Lil’ Uzi Vert, Kodak Black, A boogie, Lil’ Durk, Kevin Gates, Rich Homie Quan, G Herbo and many others. This will be my prediction for the 2018 list and who I feel  deserves it based on popularity and some personal opinion.

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Continue reading →