Category: Staff Editorials

Wealth should not be a factor in scoring well on standardized tests. The SAT and ACT are standardized tests created to assess students’ proficiency in math, reading, and writing, but since testing has become a significant factor in college admission decisions as supposed indicators of college success, income inequality has become extremely prevalent. Although many colleges have been cutting back […]

Sports bring people together. The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup, held every four years, brings together the best national soccer teams from around the globe to biggest competition in sports outside of the Olympics. For most casual fans in America, this tournament contains the only soccer games they will watch over the four year span. After failing […]

Thousands of journalists fight to spread awareness and reliable news to average citizens across the world. A noble effort, but one that is often futile, as there is rarely easy access to truly “reliable” news. National news publications such as The Washington Post and The New York Times have award-winning content, countless op-eds and educational news, but only for a […]

At Mason High School, we often get too competitive in both our academics and athletics. Frequently in the media, students are told that to succeed, we have to make certain sacrifices. We are told that breaks are equivalent to laziness and that pain is the key to success. But that’s not the case.  We are kids, not adults. And we […]

Don’t Say Gay.  It’s a commonly used tagline to describe House Bill 616 which was originally introduced in Florida. If enacted, the bill would ban any discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in grades Kindergarten through 3rd and would restrict any discussion centered around these topics for all grade levels. Any topics deemed “inappropriate” would additionally be considered off […]

After a unanimous decision made by the Senate, the bill to make Daylight Savings Time permanent has been passed to the House of Representatives for further approval. The practice of setting our clocks an hour ahead on the second Sunday of every March is not a new one. Originally proposed in 1784 by Benjamin Franklin, its purpose was to give […]

Sensationalism is a fickle thing. In celebrity culture, it is used to cultivate gossip, giving people everywhere clickbait headlines to like and retweet. In politics, it is used to spread propaganda against a particular candidate or party, mislabeling scandals and spurring tensions among both sides. But more often than not, sensationalism is used to transform a dystopic and inane aspect […]

After nearly two years of living through a pandemic, fearing news of quarantines and ill relatives, and reading about vaccines and precautions everywhere we go, it is still so incredibly clear that we have quite some time before we can stop caring. Yet, looking at the number of students and faculty unmasked throughout the halls of Mason High School for […]

It’s easy to say Oxford High School’s school shooting could’ve been prevented.  It’s easy to point fingers at the administration, the teachers, or even the student culture. But, it’s impossible to blame a single source. Many have accused the administration of “not doing enough.” However, how can a single group of people be entrusted with the accountability of hundreds or […]

Dear Mason voters, we’re proud of you.  Despite this being a non-presidential election year, you showed up. Despite your views on the city, you showed up. Despite your obligations, you still showed up. This year, Mason had some of the highest voter turnouts in the area.  Our city has indeed been through a lot lately. Aside from our local elections, […]

October 2 was National Custodian’s day. October 2 was a Saturday. Nothing sounds more perfect than thanking our custodians on a day in which we aren’t even in school. Right? The custodial staff has persevered through downsizing, school shutdowns, bottle flipping, extraordinary safety measures during the pandemic, and now devious licks. There has to be some greater way to show […]

We doubt there are many students at Mason who haven’t complained about Mason’s competitive culture. A culture that strives to carve out the perfect “cookie-cutter” student. A model student with straight-As, perfect scores, leadership, awards, etc. Seems like some sort of package deal. Now, this pressure is present for almost all high-school students. But in a school of 3600+ kids, […]

 This new normal has started to feel, well, just normal. And a lot of that is thanks to an environment that was invariably supportive and adaptive despite the difficult decisions and endless opportunity cost that are bound to come with a devastating pandemic.  Because all things considered, things could have gone much much much worse. They could’ve gone slightly better […]

Remember when Cleveland Browns Quarterback Baker Mayfield tweeted at Mason High School calling us soft?  Yeah, so do we.  One of the more tumultuous moments here at Mason High School began as a way to reduce stress and ease the cutthroat academic culture here at Mason. Somehow it ended in a viral tweet by Cleveland Browns Quarterback Baker Mayfield on […]

 It was only recently the Duchess of Sussex opened up about her mental health struggles in an interview with Oprah.  This interview was the first the Sussexes had given since officially breaking away from their royal duties last year.  Meghan Markle opened up to contemplating thoughts of suicide and self-harm – a comment which continued to introduce further concern and […]

 While the days of sensationalized celebrity gossip coming from tabloid magazines circa 2006 are pretty much gone, a sleeker, faster information machine has taken its place.  But the accessibility and speed of the internet are not upgrades in this case — they are unethical and dangerous and promote a toxic culture of idolizing celebrities, wanting to know every detail of […]