About the editor:
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Hello! My name is Melody Hanks and I am a senior at Corner Canyon this year. I am an artist of all mediums and I am currently a designer for websites! This is my first time writing for the corner canyon chronicle and am so excited to be an editor!
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Experience being LGBT+ at Corner canyon
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Melody Hanks
I realize my experience is different from most people at Corner Canyon and I have dealt with the consequences of not being the “normal” student. As someone who is LGBTQ at corner canyon I have faced intolerance and harassment more than I have had anywhere else. The teachers are amazing and all of them have been very accepting of the fact that I am LGBT; but the students? I have not had that same luck. Last year 2022 I went to the prom at Thanksgiving point with my girlfriend. When we finally got inside we were starting to dance when a random person came up to the both of us and called us a slur targeted toward lesbians. I was taken aback but before we could say anything he ran away to yell at another lesbian couple. At prom, an experience people say sticks with them forever, a homophobe decided to go around yelling at any lesbian couple and make them uncomfortable. For what? Because of his inherent bias he decided to harass any same sex couple from having a fun time at prom? |
“ Schools are difficult environments for many youth, but for LGBT youth, isolation and exclusion are exacerbated by a lack of role models, resources, and support that other students enjoy.” |
High schools around the country have reported having problems with homophobia. “LGBT youth are still more than twice as likely as non-LGBT youth to be physically attacked at school, twice as likely to be verbally harassed at school, and twice as likely to be excluded by their peers.” Sadly the US is not a good place for LGBT people: for the safest countries for queer people America is not even in the top ten.
It is still scary to go to school sometimes and be around some people where you know they are avidly homophobic. I hope for change in the future for the next generation of LGBT to be in a more accepting environment than what it is now.
Published 3/27/23
It is still scary to go to school sometimes and be around some people where you know they are avidly homophobic. I hope for change in the future for the next generation of LGBT to be in a more accepting environment than what it is now.
Published 3/27/23
Should athletes take lifetime fitness?
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Tank Mitchell
Lifetime fitness is a required class by Corner Canyon in order to graduate high school. But, this isn’t your normal healthy lifestyle credit like team sports, lifting, and other classes. This class is more difficult, and physically demanding. While normally, this is a good thing, for many student athletes, this can be a huge problem. Many student athletes are already exerting themselves for their sports that running a mile in lifetime fitness doesn’t help them with anything. Instead it puts a bigger toll on their body that is already getting pushed. “I have lifting at 6am before school, football class that we run and workout in, practices for either football, wrestling, and track after school. So I already workout at least twice a day pretty much every day of the week. I don’t know how I'm supposed to do much more when I already know how to take care of my body.” Bryton Brady states. Student athletes are already pushing their bodies to the limits to represent the school and follow their dreams. So why should these people be forced to take a class that strains them even more? If it is not possible to get rid of the class, why not give the student athletes an option to opt out of the class? “This class didn’t help me with anything. I already workout so much for my sports that it realistically did nothing but stress me even more. Both physically and mentally.” Brayden Eyre says. Brayden and Bryton aren’t the only two people who have this problem, though there are hundreds more athletes who have gone through this same problem. Almost everyone can agree that lifetime fitness didn’t help them with anything in their lives and shouldn’t be a required class. Published 3/27/23 |
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"Normal" With a Disabled Sibling
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Lily Hersh:
“Normal”. According to Oxford Languages, it is defined as “conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.” Being so straightforward, the actual meaning of the word “normal” has a lot of ambiguity. It varies based on location, race, gender, sexuality, and much more. When I think of what makes my “normal” not so normal, one of the first things that comes to my mind is Eli: my brother who has Down syndrome. I'm often asked how my life differs with him. He has been in my life from day one; I don’t really know HOW it differs. Besides face-value aspects (literally) I often forget he’s even disabled because I’m so used to his presence in my world. My attention isn’t spiked when I see his almond-shaped eyes, thickly callused fingers, or his need to stick to his strict routines, like color-coding his shirts for each day of the week (ex. “Yellow Wednesday”). But, without him, I can assuredly say I wouldn’t be who I am as a person. People treating him like a child, staring, etcetera, are all things many people do when they meet Eli. I have to remind myself frequently that people rarely ever mean ill when they do these things, even if it annoys me. A lot of the time, people just don’t know what else to do.Not treating Eli as different as most people do is usually a good thing, but there are times when it’s not so good. I care about him more than I care about a lot of things, and I want him to be able to handle himself in the world. |
How People Are Impacted by Those With Special Needs: 
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That said, I can easily forget there are some things he simply cannot do, no matter how much I wish he could. A clear example of this is when I took him on a walk, and when he kept frequently asking for breaks, I kept pushing him despite his requests. He was later found to be suffering from pulmonary edema, an abnormal buildup of fluid in the lungs that he had to be hospitalized for. This was a big learning experience for me, and continues to be a stagnant guilt of mine.
I love Eli, and I’m glad he’s my brother. But people often forget that disabilities are a lot more than Special Olympics or friendly Special-Ed classes; they’re complicated and difficult, for the one disabled and their surrounding circle. Yet, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
him to be able to handle himself in the world.
Published 3/21/23
I love Eli, and I’m glad he’s my brother. But people often forget that disabilities are a lot more than Special Olympics or friendly Special-Ed classes; they’re complicated and difficult, for the one disabled and their surrounding circle. Yet, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
him to be able to handle himself in the world.
Published 3/21/23
The Willow Project: A Paradoxical Proposal
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Lily Hersch
With social media’s popularity only growing by the day, we all are familiar with the ups and downs of it. One aspect that can fit in either category is the constant outpour of information: ranging from limited edition drops of some new Hot Cheeto blueberry blast flavored vape, mass genocide, how tall Jesus was, etc, you can learn about anything in a matter of seconds. Including the newest environmental issue: the Willow Project. The Willow Project is a proposal from the petroleum company Conocophillips, and is to be affirmed or negated by the Biden Administration by March 6th, 2023. According to CNN, the plan is a decades-long oil drilling venture within Alaska to create jobs and boost domestic energy production. Where the controversy comes is from the detrimental environmental impact this plan would have. For example, an extra 9.2 million metric tons of planet-warming carbon pollution a year (equivalent to an extra 2 million gas-powered cars to the roads!) If you have been on any social media in the past week, you’ve likely seen several petitions and urges to help #stopthewillowproject. Yet, this issue can’t help beg this question: will this fight to stop the Willow Project mean anything, approved or not? Stopping the Willow Project would be an undoubtable win for the climate, but I can’t help but wonder if it will matter long-term. Sure, stopping this project and other social media-blasted proposals is a step in the right direction, but turns away from the REAL problem: ourselves. Excessive fashion waste, agricultural waste, fossil fuel consumption, and much more, are really what’s leading to mass species extinction; including humans. It would be nice to think stopping a few big man corporation projects are what will save the environment, but in reality, until WE change, climate proposals are only one piece of the puzzle. |
Student Thoughts on the Willow Project:
Deanna Atyun, CCHS freshman: “It should die. It’s bad. People agree with it because of the economy, but if the world dies, there won’t BE an economy. This will push global warming to become irreversible.”
Cat Giraldo Ruiz, CCHS senior: “I feel that young people today have found a voice through social media and a space where their dissent can be seen. I’m glad that people are voicing their concerns online, and I wish that those in power would begin prioritizing people over profits.” 
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There is no denying that mass corporations are a reason the environment is in peril, but we cannot sit back and pretend we are helpless. When you pick up a piece of trash, bring a reusable water bottle, skip out on meat every once in a while, etc., you set an example for everyone around you. If we can work together to protest against mass corporations, we surely can do the little things every day to show a bit of love to the planet.
ACT, should we still take it?
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Whitney Riddle
This week our CCHS juniors, including myself, took the ACT here at Corner Canyon. However there is uncertainty between students asking if it's even worth taking the ACT anymore since many colleges don’t require it anymore. The past few years schools have reconsidered standardized testing, and wonder if they are an accurate way of measuring students progress and understanding. Many believe that standardized testing is pointless. Since many students know that these tests are important and could affect their future, they often do anything they can to cheat, which doesn’t give accurate results. Most Standardized tests also don’t provide any feedback to students on how they can improve, they only show where they currently stand. These tests also don’t allow students to show their creativity, since these tests are graded by a computer, we aren’t able to actually talk to the student and accurating measure their understanding, we only get the circles they filled in the multiple choice. What about students who get good grades but don't test well? It seems unfair to them. For most colleges and universities throughout the country, they no longer require ACT scores in applications. When applying to most colleges it's completely optional. Schools that don’t require ACT or SAT scores are known as “test optional schools.” According to PrepScholar, there are many different varieties of “test optional’ schools. For example, some don’t require any test at all, while others may require you to submit a different test instead of the ACT. In some cases schools allow you to provide your GPA instead of any tests. |
Tips for the ACT: 
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I spoke with Isabelle Kim, a fellow CCHS Junior, about her opinions on the ACT. “The ACT is overhyped and not actually that important. I don’t think it accurately represents our understanding in school, but it's still worth taking.”
The official ACT website lists reasons why the ACT is still worth taking. Taking the ACT can boost our chances of receiving scholarships and grants for college. These are incredibly helpful for paying for college education. The ACT can also help students find what classes they should take in college, it can help find the right level placement. Submitting your scores even when they aren’t required in applications can also help boost your chances of getting accepted into the university.
Published 3/13/23
The official ACT website lists reasons why the ACT is still worth taking. Taking the ACT can boost our chances of receiving scholarships and grants for college. These are incredibly helpful for paying for college education. The ACT can also help students find what classes they should take in college, it can help find the right level placement. Submitting your scores even when they aren’t required in applications can also help boost your chances of getting accepted into the university.
Published 3/13/23
E-books vs paper books
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Jakob Anderson
With new technologies constantly coming out many believed that with the rise of the Kindle and other forms of E-Books, paper books would be a thing of the past. Digital books overtaking paper books has not happened interestingly. Instead it has created a divide between E-Book users and paper book users. Well, which is it? E-Books or paper books? Does one have more intellectual benefits than the other? Is one easier to read? While going digital and using E-Books is the more practical option , you do not get the same feeling as picking up an old dusty book and feeling the wear and tear of the pages or picking up a brand new book and feeling the crisp paper and the new book smell. These experiences alone help many have a desire to read. Dr. Matthew H. Schneps, director of the Laboratory for Visual Learning, a collaboration between the University of Massachusetts Boston and MIT stated,“Some people absolutely love the look, smell, and feel of the classical book held in the hand, and such people may not want to give up the sensory experience of reading from a paper book.” This nostalgia factor is one that keeps many reading on paper. Some studies have noted that reading on paper helps you retain more information from what you read. Anne Mangen, of Norway's Stavanger University stated, “You have the tactile sense of progress ... Perhaps this somehow aids the reader, providing more fixity and solidity to the reader's sense of unfolding and progress of the text, and hence the story." When you have a sense of where you are in the story it is easier to predict what may happen or how many more pages you have left. A student at Corner Canyon High School, who wished to remain anonymous stated, “I think that reading on paper makes it so much easier to follow the story and when I get to physically turn the pages I feel like I am accomplishing something.” Published 3/13/23 |
Top 10 Leading Countries in E-Book Sales |
Collections
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Melody Hanks
We all have our collection, the mass of large action figures or tiny trinkets; everyone has their unique touch and personal motivations for collecting. The intellect collector, James Halperin, wrote “The most common reasons people collect: knowledge, stress relief, personal pleasure, social interaction, competition, recognition, altruism, the desire of control, nostalgia, and addition of wealth.” Some collections may be grander than others, and some may be small and purely self-indulgent. I grew up around a large collection that has influenced my hobbies, and loves and has become a great conversation starter for anyone that enters our home. Hanging in the office of my Dad’s house is a large wooden shadow box filled with butterflies and moths.My dad for over 30 years has been collecting butterflies, moths, and all other types of insects. He stated, “I started because I saw the earth was full of beautiful insects and I was fascinated by the variety of them. I wanted to collect and study to see how beautiful they were all the time.” Preserving nature's gorgeous creatures gives us a good look at the things we cannot see up close. |
Finally, the power of happiness should not be underestimated, and most collectors choose to collect simply because it makes them happy! Happier people are healthier people. They’re more productive, have higher energy levels, and are much more likely to feel good about themselves and about their achievements. Researchers at Harvard University have even found that individuals who have a happier and more positive outlook on life are less likely to develop life-threatening illnesses. 
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I started my butterfly collection and aim to grow it to have moths, butterflies, and dragonflies of all sorts. I would say my reason for collecting insects would be to preserve the animals we may lose in the future and to keep a time capsule of nature. Insects are susceptible to extinction and coexist with plants. If we kill the plants we kill the insects of Earth.
Collecting in my life has gotten me closer to the natural world and gave me and my dad something to bond over. Your collection can be extremely good for you whether it be bonding over your funko pop obsession or learning all about the stars.
Published 3/13/23
Collecting in my life has gotten me closer to the natural world and gave me and my dad something to bond over. Your collection can be extremely good for you whether it be bonding over your funko pop obsession or learning all about the stars.
Published 3/13/23
