Valentine’s Day

Manasi Sugath

When I think of Valentine’s Day, I think of chocolate, flowers, pink and red hearts, and Valentine’s cards. It makes sense that all of those are the most notable parts of Valentine’s Day, because we’ve been handing out cards and receiving candy on February 14th since we were children. But what is the backstory behind Valentine’s Day? Has it always been a day about love and relationships? Or are its roots deeper and more complicated than meets the eye?

Culinray Arts: A Rising Opportunity

Natalie Bachman

It goes without saying that the pandemic impacted the Leigh Community in a multitude of ways. Although the school community is still recovering, the past two years have allowed for new growth – including the introduction of the Culinary Arts program. Taught by Mr. Tony Palma, culinary students investigate a range of topics, ranging from food science to culinary careers. For students interested in culinary professions, or even those simply interested in developing their kitchen skills, the revitalization of the program has proved to be a valuable opportunity.

The Exploitation of Child Actors

Dhruthi Mahesh

“You’re a child who is working. You have a job. That job is a hard job. Everybody thinks being a child star is glamorous. But when you’re on a show, you are often carrying a whole show and you know that,” says Tia Mowry, co-star of the television show “Sister, Sister.” 

AP Classes: What To Know

Hayoon Song

AP courses, short for Advanced Placement courses, provide students in high school with the opportunity to take college-level courses. Each AP course has an exam every year in May, and they are scored on a scale of 1 to 5. Students scoring three or higher on an AP Exam get course credit in colleges and universities. It is possible to retake an AP Exam, but students must request a replacement or removal of a score if they only want to keep one result. 

Interview With The Vice President of Leigh Banned Books Club

Kristen Lee

An interview with Sofia Angileri, vice president of the Leigh Banned Books club, who’s also one of Eleight’s staff writers. 

Q: What is the Banned Books Club about?

A: It’s about reading books that some schools don’t allow their students to read.

Q: Why did you want to create the Banned Books Club?

A: Because I enjoy reading and since we’re able to read these books at our school, we should, since other people can’t read these at their school.

Q: What are some possible books that the club members might read?

A: Looking for Alaska, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, 1984, The Handmaid’s Tale, The Alchemist, The Catcher in the Rye, and more.

Q: What is your goal for this club?

A: To raise awareness about the alarming amount of books banned in the country, and inform people about the reasons behind the ban. Also for leisure.

Q: Any other details that you would like others to know about this club?

A: It’s a very casual club, it’s not expected that you finish whole books in between every meeting. If you are behind on reading, you can read the spark notes summary or just be an active listener in the discussions. 

Similarly, Stephen Chbosky, the author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, stated that “Banning books give us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight.” 

The Leigh Banned Books club holds meetings on Tuesday B-days in room 35 and is currently reading Looking for Alaska. 

Dual Enrollment: A Fantastic Opportunity

Anne Kearns

Thinking about doing Dual Enrollment? Well, here’s what I can tell you from my experience.

I am currently enrolled in Child, Family, Community – a class about taking care of and understanding the psychology of children in the context of family and community. Currently, we are discussing Erikson’s eight stages of man and the importance of autonomy. Last semester, I took Sociology and absolutely loved it. My teachers have both been really kind and flexible, always putting the student’s needs first. While sociology was mostly lecture-based and you could watch the stream whenever you wanted, the class I am currently taking is big on participation and there is a roll call grade. Ultimately, it just depends on the teacher.

One of the best things about dual enrollment is that it offers options. Here at Leigh, you can take a very limited number of classes, so it is nice to have options with college courses. You can choose whether you would like to take the class online asynchronously or in person. I personally have only done online since that works best with my schedule, but classes are also offered at local high schools within CUHSD. Also, it’s entirely free – you just pick up the textbook from the school library! 

Overall, I highly recommend doing Dual Enrollment; it is a great opportunity, manageable even with a busy schedule, and it offers more choices!

The Interminable Christmas Debate

Manasi Sugath

The Christmas season is upon us whether you believe it or not. From what I can tell, the divide between the ideas on when the Christmas/holiday season starts is either November 1st or after Black Friday. Typically the people (like me) who believe that the holiday season starts on November 1st, right after Halloween, are the ones who are most excited about the season and have been waiting for it for many months. Those who believe that the season doesn’t start till late November, might believe that it starts with Cyber Monday and the purchasing of discounted gifts for family and friends.

I ran a poll with 15 of my friends on when they think that the Christmas season starts; I found that 40% of them think that the Christmas season starts right after Halloween, and 60% think it starts after Black Friday. When asked why they voted the way they did, those who voted “after Black Friday” said that they didn’t want to disrespect the short but still important Thanksgiving season, that it couldn’t be Christmas yet because it wouldn’t technically be winter at that time, and also that one singular holiday can’t have two months to itself, every holiday only gets a maximum of one month of celebration. Those who voted that Christmas starts on November 1st said that Christmas is a season, much like spring and summer. There is a vibe associated with it, it’s an experience. They also said how Thanksgiving isn’t a season but rather a day within the Christmas season, there aren’t Thanksgiving movies or much decor   associated with the day, and that it’s also a holiday with a very bad origin.

Nonetheless, we can all agree that the Christmas/holiday season is overall a very enjoyable time, with pretty lights hung outside houses on every street, and so many different holidays from different cultures that highlight familial bonds and the love shared between family and friends. 

The Problem With The “Lady” Longhorns: Feminism In Sports

Sanika Madan

“Why are men’s sports more valued than female sports?” is a question that most female athletes have been asking themselves for a long time. Last year, our class kept making jokes about how people announce the teams during games. How the women teams were always introduced as the “Lady Longhorns” while the men were just the “Longhorns.” We would laugh at how we thought they should be called the “Manly Longhorns” to make it more fair. Behind the laughter there is a lot of truth to it and it raises the question, “How much more valued are men’s sports over women’s sports?” 

Interview with Mr. Ianora

Nikitha Srinivasan

Mr.I anora has extensive experience in education, counseling, and administration. He has a plethora of innovative ideas to contribute to Leigh. The interview began with him describing a pivotal moment in his career. Mr.Ianora described how he obtained an opportunity to teach summer school in New York before his last term of college. He was assigned to tutor high school students who had failed their math class and had difficulties understanding certain concepts. 

Post Pandemic Procedure: Better or Worse?

Aashvee Vij

In March of 2020, a fearful declaration shook our society and changed our lives in more ways that we would have begun to imagine. Two and a half years later, we have fallen into a routine that closely resembles the way we lived before this pandemic began. But has society been able to recover completely or can we still feel the lasting effects?