Human trafficking
Most people think of human trafficking as a distant and international issue.
What many people don’t know is that it happens in the U.S., and even in Chicago.
I recently did research on sex trafficking in the Chicago area and learned that there have been many sex-trafficking incidents in Chicago, especially in the areas near O’Hare and Midway International Airports.
They often happen at airports or nearby airport hotels, and it is becoming a serious issue.
I have written numerous letters to politicians, but I think that simply raising awareness of this issue will help a lot as well.
Now, in Chicago, it is not extremely prominent, but internationally, it is one of the largest growing businesses and is a very serious problem.
Although many hotlines and relief programs are available, many people don’t even know about the issue and, therefore, these relief programs are of no use.
I encourage everyone to research this topic and find out how you can help by donating or simply raising awareness about it.
— Sasha Carney, student, Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart, Lake Forest
Healthier cafeterias
A lot of kids today are not eating as healthy as they should be.
Even though junk food and soda are large contributors to the issue, another cause is the lack of organic and locally grown food in schools.
Through research, I found out that most of the food served in schools is either canned or shipped from other states, far across the country.
If a school gets apples from Washington, the apples may sit inside a truck for hundreds of miles just to be delivered to the school.
But if the apples came from a closer state or even from the state or city that the school is in, those apples would be in much better condition and, most likely, safer to eat.
In a survey of a group of sixth graders in Buffalo Grove, I discovered that 100 percent of the students surveyed did not care for their school’s cafeteria food and they did not think that it was organic or locally grown.
In fact they thought that their school should serve more organic and locally grown food, such as strawberries, cantaloupe and bananas. They were also asked to give their cafeteria’s food a grade.
The average grade for the school’s food was about 60 percent, which is a D.
Having organic food in schools may even encourage kids to eat healthier and solve part of the issue of children eating unhealthy food.
— Tanya Khazin, student, Cooper Middle School, Buffalo Grove
Gum chewing
I previously went to a school that allowed gum chewing.
Currently I am a student at a school that prohibits gum chewing outside of the cafeteria. I chew gum frequently.
In a few years, high school students will be allowed to enlist in the Army and vote, yet they are not allowed to chew gum in school.
Most students already have many responsibilities, but supposedly they are not responsible enough to chew gum at school.
Hungry students cannot concentrate on their class work, and chewing gum can mask the feelings of hunger.
In addition, there are many statistics that show the benefits of chewing gum; one states that those “who chewed gum three times hourly after lunch, ate fewer high-calorie snacks. The chewers also reported decreased feelings of hunger and cravings for sweet foods.”
The American Dental Association states that “chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes following meals can help prevent tooth decay.”
Unfortunately, some people oppose gum chewing in school.
The opposition states that gum can be put on furniture, but students might put gum on the furniture because they might be afraid to walk to the garbage can to spit their gum out because they might get caught chewing gum.
Furthermore, people state that gum chewing can be distracting, which is why teachers should be allowed to tell students who chew gum obnoxiously to spit their gum out.
— Marc Mason, Barrington Hills
Preventing trafficking
In my “Social Justice” class, my group of students focused on the topic of sex trafficking. After thoroughly researching the topic, I was astonished to find that it is a problem happening in communities in and around large cities such as Chicago. The traffickers target victims not only by approaching them on the street but through social-networking sites as well.
These sites seem safe to the potential victims, but countless vulnerable teens fall prey to their tactics. A tactic can include caring for the vulnerable victim by complimenting and buying gifts, eventually inviting many of the victims to live together and then exploiting them into sexual acts for money. It is a slow process that is not often detected until an innocent child becomes a victim.
People are often blind to this underground activity, but raising awareness is crucial in combating this fast-growing crime.
Taking action and supporting vulnerable children who are likely to be caught in this life-threatening web is our best response to preventing trafficking in our own backyard.
— Brooke Hoekstra, student, Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart, Lake Forest
Closing schools
Chicago Public Schools should not be closing schools; it isn’t only dangerous but also will increase the number of dropouts, attendance will drop and more schools will be underutilized.
Closing schools is dangerous because many students will have to travel farther and through new neighborhoods where gangs may be.
The number of dropouts will increase because when schools close, students will have to make class sizes bigger and teachers won’t have time to stop and explain something to students when they have a class of more students. Children will feel as if the teacher doesn’t care about them and may want to stop coming to school.
The attendance will decrease because some students live by their current school, so it’s in walking distance. Many children don’t have money or transportation to get back and forth to a school that is far away. If a child can’t make it to school, attendance will go down. As the attendance goes down, that will lead to more schools being underutilized.
— Craig Jackson, Team Englewood, Chicago
Consequences of not voting
As a member of the Mundelein High School Marching Band, it was required for us to perform at the Memorial Day parade as well as play “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the ceremony. Although many veterans had spoken during the ceremony, there was one who had me listen closely to what he had to say. The veteran spoke of a scenario where if those who have fought, and even died, for our country were to walk the streets of America today, how would they react?
I believe they would look at our government with distaste, and who would they blame? If they were to blame us, many in the population would choose to go the route of those who confess to not voting because “everything is corrupt; why should I vote when there is all corruption?”
That is the problem with our society today: We choose to blame the government that a majority of us don’t even elect when we fail to realize we have the power to change our society if we just banded together.
— Kaelyn Cobos, student, Mundelein High School
