The CAVA Voice

student newspaper of California Virtual Academies High School

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“Keys to the Kingdom”: What Bob Iger’s Return means for the Disney Company

by Bella O.

Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant, the castle in Disneyland Paris  (Pixabay)

Picture this: the year is 2004, and after almost losing Euro Disneyland (now known as Disneyland Paris Resort) to the French government, building three cheaply made “half-day” parks, and a failing film studio, the Disney Company was at a rough spot.

Sounds too crazy to be true, right? In late 2004, after holding their annual company meeting, 43% of Disney shareholders voted CEO at the time Michael Eisner out of his position. While anyone would have found such a harsh way to end their career and even embarrassing, Michael Eisner accepted and retired in September of 2004 after a long and stressful career. Now there was the question of who would fill in his shoes. The Disney Company was losing money, Pixar was looking for a new film distributor since their deal with Disney had ended, and had made three theme parks in a row that some believed were made to make money, not spread joy and happiness as all of their previous past parks had. So, who would they choose for the next Disney CEO? On March 13th, 2005, the Disney Company announced that former chairman and president of Walt Disney International Robert Allen Iger would be the new Disney CEO, though Michael Eisner was still considered to be the CEO until September of 2005. Over the next few years, Bob Iger would help to rebuild their half-day parks, buy Pixar, and help the company get back to where it had been before going overboard with Eisner. For a while, things looked good for the Disney company. Then, in 2020, Iger announced his retirement, and the board of directors made Bob Chapek, a chairman for Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, the new CEO. How would Chapek change the Disney Company: for the better, or for the worse?

In June of 2022, Bob Chapek signed a contract that gave him a three-year extension as CEO of the Walt Disney Company. However, in November of 2022, Chapek was “kicked out” of the Walt Disney Company. He had done very little with the theme parks, but had messed with the movie studio. Over his two and a half years as CEO, Disney had released the live action version of the 1998 hit Mulan, the highly anticipated but overall disappointing Lightyear, and Encanto, just to name a few. Overall, these movies were discouraging, boring, or too odd to be taken seriously. While, yes, the CEO has a part in creating movies and working on the theme parks, it is important to note that Bob Chapek took over just as the Covid-19 pandemic had begun, and that he wasn’t the only person working on the movies. Most of the Disney Company's money comes from the parks, and at that time all of them were closed due to the pandemic. It could be possible that they released these movies because they were worried about the pandemic, or how much money they’d lose because of the closed theme parks, though we don’t know for sure. What we do know, though, is that on November 20th, 2022, Bob Chapek was replaced by his previous boss, Bob Iger, who took back his place as CEO of the Disney Company. But even though Chapek was gone, Iger was in the same place he’d been in before. The company, mainly the film studio, needed fixing. Will Iger fix it again?

Iger is known to some as a “buyer”, others as a money hungry CEO, and to others as the savior of the company. Honestly, all of these are true. As I said before, Iger purchased Pixar, but he didn’t stop there. Throughout the years he’s also bought Lucasfilm, Marvel, 20th Century Studios, and the rights to the movie Avatar. Essentially, he’s bought the competition. Bob Iger also built two theme parks, Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disney Resort, Disney’s newest theme park, and added new themed lands into already existing theme parks including Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland and Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios (previously known as Disney’s MGM Studios). As for Bob Iger being money hungry, he apparently only raises the prices of tickets and souvenirs when he absolutely needs to. In a recent interview, he said that he wanted to make Disneyland an experience for all guests, locals or tourists, though some think otherwise. Some programs, such as Genie+ and Lightning Lane, seem more for tourists than anyone else, and the prices of tickets are slowly rising, too. Even if he is money hungry, like Chapek apparently was, it can be debated that it’s evened out by the fact that he did most likely save the company in the early 2000’s. 

So, what steps are Iger taking to rebuild the company again? Well, the main thing to fix is the film studio. With the parks reopened now, money’s not much of an issue at the moment, however, less and less people are subscribing to Disney+, Disney’s streaming service. Iger is looking to raise popularity and stop people from subscribing to watch the latest season of a show or watch a new Disney movie. Instead, he hopes to make long time subscribers by advertising the newest shows and movies, as well as some older movies that were popular. Recently, they aired the first episode of season three of The Mandalorian on a few different channels available on cable. By doing this, Iger hopes that more people will subscribe to watch the rest of the show, and continue keeping the streaming service to watch older movies and shows, as well as new releases.

The Disney+ Logo

It seems that just having Iger as CEO is getting the filmmaker's creative gears turning. Recently, Iger announced the sequels to three blockbuster movies, Zootopia, Frozen, and the ever popular Toy Story. There’s not much information on these three sequels so far since they were just announced a little while ago, though we should be able to expect more information as their release dates get closer. 

While Iger did reluctantly agree to return to his position as CEO of the company, we shouldn’t be expecting him to stay with the company much longer. At the age of seventy-two, it’s not hard to see why he retired in the first place. Being the CEO of any company would be stressful. Now think about how big the Disney Company is, and how large their legacy is. Disney is popular worldwide, with twelve theme parks around the globe, including Paris, Florida, and Tokyo, as well as more than sixty animated films with Disney Animation Studios alone. Iger announced soon after his return as CEO that he’s only here to get the company back on its feet and then he’ll retire for good. We can expect Bob Iger to be around for another two years, at least, with very minimal changes to the parks and a few new movies. 

In the words of Walt Disney “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” The same appears to be true for the rest of the Disney Company, too. 

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The Biggest Moments, Wins, and Comebacks of the 2023 Oscars Ceremony

by Peyton C.

Image of Michelle Yeoh after her historic Oscar win on Sunday (Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

The Academy Awards ceremony is a pivotal moment in both cinema and popular culture. Not only does it showcase the hard work and dedication that goes into filmmaking, but it honors those who are considered the best at what they do. From awards ranging from Best Animated Feature Film to Best Picture, the Oscars honor all who achieve greatness in their work. This year’s ceremony was no different, with many talented people nominated for their devotion to the arts. The 2023 Oscars ceremony featured many iconic moments, historic wins, and massive comebacks. 

To start the ceremony, the Academy of Motion Pictures played a montage full of nominated films like “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” & “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” to name a few. After that, the host, comedian Jimmy Kimmel, entered the stage via parachute to parody the nominated movie “Top Gun: Maverick.” During Kimmel’s introduction monologue, he poked fun at some of the ceremony’s attendees. He joked about the vast number of Irish nominees by saying, “It was some year for diversity and inclusion. We have nominees from every corner of Dublin.” But he also referenced the incident between Will Smith and Chris Rock that occurred on-stage at last year’s show. He said, “We have strict policies in place. If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point in the show, you will be awarded the Oscar for Best Actor and permitted to give a 19-minute-long speech.”

But besides Kimmel’s hilarious jokes, there were other iconic moments throughout the show, such as the incredible performances from singers nominated for the Best Original Song category. For her performance of “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” Lady Gaga changed out of her stunning black Versace dress into regular clothes and took off all of her makeup to create a vulnerable performance. Gaga spoke of what the song means to her, “It’s deeply personal for me, and I think that we all need each other. We need a lot of love to walk through this life. And we all need a hero sometimes.” Other performers included Rihanna for “Lift Me Up” (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”), David Byrne and Stephanie Hsu for “This Is A Life” (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”), Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava for “Naatu Naatu” (“RRR”), and Sofia Carson and Diane Warren for “Applause” (“Tell It Like a Woman”).

This year’s awards ceremony was also full of historic wins for some nominees. Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win the Best Actress category for her role in the hit movie, “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” During her acceptance speech, Yeoh said, “For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities.” The film “RRR” also received a historic win for the first song in an Indian movie to earn the Best Original Song award for “Naatu Naatu” by M.M. Keeravani and Chandrabose. Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” also earned a historic win for its costume department. Ruth E. Carter, the costume designer for the film, became the first Black woman to ever win two Oscars. Carter previously won for her amazing work in the first “Black Panther” movie back in 2018. Carter thanked the Academy in her speech by saying, “Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the superhero that is a Black woman.”

But many have called the 2023 Oscars a year for comebacks, especially for two beloved actors. Brendan Fraser and Ke Huy Quan have resurfaced in Hollywood after staying away from the mainstream media for years. Fraser recently starred in “The Whale,” which earned him a nomination for Best Actor. During the ceremony, Fraser won the award for his respective category and received a standing ovation from the audience. Meanwhile, Quan starred alongside Michelle Yeoh in the critically acclaimed movie, “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” Quan’s performance earned him the nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Quan also won the award in his respective category, giving an emotional acceptance speech on stage. Quan said, “My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp, and somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage.” Later in the night, Quan was able to reconnect with his former “Indiana Jones” co-star Harrison Ford, in an emotional reunion as he presented the award for Best Picture to Quan’s movie. After both of their wins, many look forward to the continued appearance of Fraser and Quan in other big projects.

As one of the longest traditions in Hollywood, the Oscars are a time when the movie industry and its contributors can come together and celebrate cinema. Whether you win or not, the Oscars acknowledge those who are some of the most creative and talented people. They are also a time when we as an audience can laugh, cry, and rejoice for our favorite actors and creative visionaries. The Oscars are also a time diversity in cinema can be celebrated. Films like “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “RRR,” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” are just some of the diverse and extraordinary films from 2022. After the 95th Oscars ceremony, many look forward to seeing what films will gain recognition and become a part of this prestigious institution next year.

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Train Crash Kills And Injures Many

by Amber K.

Image of the wreckage caused by the crash (Getty Images)

Late Tuesday night on the 28th of February, in the town of Tempi Valley, Greece, a head-on collision between a passenger train and a freight train occurred. As the trains went off the tracks, chaos ensued. Many who were in the train cars stated that the windows exploded, and suddenly they were flying through the air. As the trains derailed, many cars caught on fire, leaving destruction and devastation across the tracks.

Of the total number of 352 people in the trains, over 50 people were reported dead as rescue teams searched through the remnants of the train cars. With the help of 150 special rescue firefighters, 17 vehicles, and over 30 ambulances involved in the search and rescue mission, over 60 people were sent to hospitals for minor care, while 6 people were taken into intensive care before passing away later. 20-25 are reported as missing at this time, but many are suspecting that they slipped away in the chaos or were taken to other hospitals by friends or family. It has been declared that a majority of the victims and injured are young adults and children who were returning from the nearby university. While the many others who were killed in the front cars, which caught fire, are in the process of DNA process analysis for identification due to the state of damage and injuries in which occurred.

As many wondered if the situation occurred due to faulty safety systems in place, the country’s transport minister, Kostas Karamanlis, declared that they were not in fact up to 21st century safety regulations and went on to honorably resign from his position in the wake of the disaster, in honor of those unjustly killed in the accident. Following his visit to the crash site, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has concluded that the circumstances behind the accident fall to human error based on the faulty infrastructure of the railroads. Greek police officials later arrested the station manager during the ongoing investigation in order to figure out why both trains were on the same rails line for several kilometers. As the death tolls rose many senior officials operators in OSE and its subsidiary ERGOSE resigned in the following days.

Over 1,000 people protested in places near the crash site, as well as the Hellenic Train Offices, another branch of the railroad where the crash occurred. Many were throwing rocks, yelling, and starting dumpster fires as their anger rose due to the unjust deaths caused by the unlawful safety conditions that had been exhibited for years, and that the government never took action to fix. Many workers went on strike to protest the lack of permanent staff, training, and the implementation of modern security technology which has been ignored.

The local station manager has been charged with causing mass deaths through negligence and causing grievous bodily harm negligence. As investigations continued he denied the accusations stating that the automatic signals had technical failures. An audio recording was uncovered during the investigation with the station manager clearly telling the train driver to “Proceed through red traffic light exit until traffic light entry of Neon Poron”. The driver asks if he is supposed to turn yet, but is told to stay on the track. Meanwhile, in the background, you can hear him tell someone else to direct the other train on to the same track.

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Firearm Law Deemed Unconstitutional

This article includes topics that may distressing to some readers.

by Amber K.

A gun is drawn in the midst of a domestic dispute. (Shutterstock)

At the beginning of February a jury ruled that the Second Amendment was being violated due to an unconstitutional law barring someone who has a restraining order against them, in order to protect a partner or child of domestic abuse, to own a gun. For many it seems unconstitutional for children and the partners of domestic abuse to have their safety and well-being risked by the government.

During several court cases in the past couple of years those who have unlawfully possessed weapons because of domestic abuse charges, have stated that the federal law stating this is unconstitutional and against the second amendment. Due to the section of the constitution stating that men have the right to bear arms, one's ability to own a gun can not be taken away without risking the freedoms in which our founding fathers have laid out. This act is certain to have fatal consequences for many women and children who fall victim to domestic abuse as well as other gun related laws across the United States.

Many officials including Chuck Michael, president of the California Rifle and Pistol Association, agree that while these laws shouldn’t be deemed unconstitutional, they are too broad in retrospect. Laws such as this should have fine details and information stating in what cases they should be used as well as the exceptions to using it given the circumstances many state.

The overturning of this federal law has allowed for a new gun law to make its way into the public. This newer law states that concealed weapons, even with a permit, can not be brought into any buildings including, church, the supermarket, or restaurants unless there is a sign in the window permitting them to do so.

With more and more gun laws being overturned and creating some fear of the results and outcomes. Domestic abuse homicides with the use of guns claim more than 2,000 lives a year with a majority of them being women who are killed by their ex or current partner. Not only is this dangerous for women but also for children and other family members in the area that may be shot for interfering or due to the abusers aggression. Not to mention first responders who may be there to help save the person who is being shot or about to be shot who may be caught in the line of fire and killed. Many statistics show that 70% percent of gun related deaths caused by domestic issues are the collateral deaths. The more laws that are overturned relating to the barring of gun and weapon ownership the less able the police are to charge suspects who own them when they shouldn’t due to pass charges.

Many wonder why the things that are broken in our society haven't been fixed, but it’s not hard to tell that the government has an unjust way of thinking. “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”, but so many people feel that although it may not have been broken when these laws may have been created in the first place, that it hasn’t started to disintegrate and fall to pieces with our new way of life and a new thought process. Some people in our congress forget how different times were when these laws were first put on paper and that when written they weren’t set in concrete but instead made of rubber, they were made to hold onto an idea but to be flexible and change its shape in a way that will work for our modern society.

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Circle of Life: Remarkable Rainforests

by Eric V.

A waterfall in Multnomah Falls, OR. (Saatvik B./The CAVA Voice)

Biodiversity is defined as the variety of life in the world, or in a particular habitat or ecosystem. This series of environmental articles will focus on the planet’s major biomes and the biodiversity that is threatened. Recent studies show that more than 50% of the planet’s biodiversity is threatened by many socio-environmental conflicts, such as climate change, pollution, and many anthropogenic affairs.

Why is biodiversity important? Having a variety in plant and animal species is a completely different ordeal than variety in our species. Every animal has its own unique abilities and purpose whether it be a marine species, avian species, mammals, reptiles, or insects. The main reason biodiversity has such an impact is defined in three words: cycle of life. Every species affects another, and with a disbalance in the environment there is dysfunction.

According to the National Park Service, “Around 40% to 75% of all biotic species are indigenous to the rainforests. Rainforests are home to half of all the living animal and plant species on the planet. Two-thirds of all flowering plants can be found in rainforests.” As pressing concerns arise with deforestation affecting major rainforests such as the Amazon and Congo rainforests, we are seeing a steady decline in biodiversity that is impacting the cycle of life within the biome. Rainforests are vast areas, meaning that every species within these ecosystems play a vital role. It’s more than just special abilities that make these species important to the ecosystem. There is always a constant cycle between the organisms, decomposers, prey, predators, and scavengers. With even one species taken out of the equation, the whole ecosystem could collapse, like taking a block out of a Jenga tower’s base.

Some of the endangered wildlife include the jaguar, a variety of monkeys, and different species of birds, just to name a few. But they all play a vital role in the ecosystem of the rainforest. But by far the most important species in the rainforest are the trees that make up the rainforests themselves. For one, they are trees, and produce a good amount of oxygen, although the exact amount is a controversial topic. But there is more to them than that, they offer sanctuary to most of the ecosystem’s species. As they get cut down due to deforestation, the government’s solution is to plant palm trees in their place. According to WorldWildlife.org, “Large-scale conversion of tropical forests to oil palm plantations has a devastating impact on a huge number of plant and animal species. Oil palm production also leads to an increase in human-wildlife conflict as populations of large animals are squeezed into increasingly isolated fragments of natural habitat.“ Their solution is not a solution to deforestation, and in fact it is making things worse.

But just because the odds seem against us does not mean that we cannot improve and make things right. Some ways you can help deforestation in rainforests like the Amazon is plant a tree whenever you can; so long as you can take good care of it, go paperless, use reusable items such as water bottles, reuse whenever possible, and above all continue to spread awareness about the issue. Together we can make a large impact to reverse and improve conditions for our planet.

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“Education. Donation. Adoption.": The Veterinary Science Club Improves Lives

by Mariel S.

The Veterinary Science Club Logo (The Veterinary Science Club/animaledinformation.com)

The Veterinary Science Club is committed to improving the lives of pets and people through education, donation and adoption.

The club began a recent meeting by welcoming a guest speaker from Marin Humane, a small, rural pet rescue shelter. Club members learned about the shelter’s veterinary capabilities, volunteer opportunities and how the staff are working to better the lives of animals. After the Q&A session, club members discussed raising awareness of shelter pets’ needs, and of their efforts to find them homes.

Mrs. Jennifer Young, the Veterinary Science Club’s founder and advisor, deeply identifies with the club’s mission. “I worked in vet clinics for 15 years before I became a teacher,” she said. “I wish a club like this had been offered when I was in high school.”

Mrs. Young says that from the first meeting last year, students took the lead. Their focus soon shifted from veterinary science to animal rights activism. The club runs animaledinformation.com, a website designed to educate the public about a wide variety of pets, from cats and dogs to chickens and chinchillas. They promote animal charities and have partnered with five shelters across California, including Marin Humane.

Maia M, president of the Veterinary Science Club, spoke with The Voice about how the club created its partnerships. “We decided that we wanted to have a direct part in helping animals, so I tried finding shelters in different regions of California. I sent out fifteen emails and five shelters got back to me. We put them on the website with some of their ‘adoptables.’”

The adoptables are mostly cats and dogs, but one shelter listed a retired racing pigeon. Another of the partner shelters, Muttville, specializes in what Maia called “hospice adoptions” for elderly dogs that other shelters consider too old. Helping these more unusual “adoptables” is part of the Veterinary Science Club’s passion. The members say they’re seeing results.

Maia explained, “The shelters told me how to know which animals had been there the longest. Those are the pets we mainly focus on. I haven’t been directly told that our site helped to get an animal adopted, but almost every day, I switch out animals because they were. Actively helping animals is just a great feeling.”

The club also creates social media posts promoting adoptions, which their partner shelters post. But the members don’t spend all of their time working. They play games, like animal-themed pictionary, and watch videos on the care and keeping of various critters.

Club Vice President Phoenix P, described the atmosphere in their meetings as “really awesome,” and cited a love for animals as the core of the club’s camaraderie. “I’ve kinda just always grown up with animals. My aunt’s a vet tech, and my family has horses. There’s pictures of me on a horse before I could walk! So, animals have always been there in my life.”

Raquel C, an aspiring veterinary technician, said that she joined the Veterinary Science Club because she “wanted to learn, and to meet other students who have the same passion for animals.”

Maia added, “Veterinary Science Club is really the only animal club that our school offers. We have so many opportunities if you want to be actively involved in animal activism, as well as learn more from people experienced in the field. It’s really fun; it’s involved, and I feel we’re really making a difference.”

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Help us find our next Club Spotlight! Fill out this google form to tell us what other clubs you’d like to see featured: https://forms.gle/4kQ7eGLvvvNrsucB8

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Eleventh Atmospheric River Since December Hits California

by Mariel S.

“Rainfall totals exceeding six inches are possible across portions of Central and Northern California through this event.” -Haley Brink, CNN (John Clement Photography)

Most of California remains under high wind advisories, winter storm warnings and flood watches as the 11th atmospheric river since late December, buffeted devastated communities yet again.

The latest flood and weather warnings went into effect on Sunday, March 12th. Weeks of severe weather have already flooded many low-lying regions and buried mountain communities in record snowfalls. The highest elevations in Southern California received up to 10 feet of snow in late February. Governor Gaven Newsom declared a state of emergency in 13 counties.

Heavy snow has collapsed roofs and stranded residents and motorists. Repeated rainfall in the same areas has raised concerns of additional flooding due to snow melt. As of March 14th, over half of the state was under high wind warnings, flood watches and weather advisories.

“Rainfall totals exceeding six inches are possible across portions of Central and Northern California through this event,” reported CNN Meteorologist, Haley Brink.

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) began releasing water from the main Oroville Dam spillway on March 10th. According to the agency, “to better manage storm runoff entering Lake Oroville.”

DWR director Karla Nemath released a statement on March 3rd, saying that these weather events have had positive effects as well. “The recent storms combined with the January atmospheric rivers, have contributed to an above-average snowpack. That will help fill some of the state’s reservoirs and maximize groundwater recharge efforts.”

Governor Newsom issued an executive order to “enable local water agencies and other water users to capture water…to recharge state groundwater supplies,” according to the Governor’s Office. The CAVA Voice reached out to learn how the recent storms have affected the student body. Of students surveyed, 30% indicated that the storms have impacted their ability to “do school.”

Senior Max R. told The Voice that the storms “took up my weekend to have to deal with flooding. I wasn't able to take a break and my grades have dropped since.”

Student Peyton C. said that the storms “have left my area very cold and wet. My electricity behaved strangely at nighttime. Lights and appliances kept turning off and on. I hoped that the power wouldn’t go out during the day when live classes are happening.”

Senior Luis G. stated that “The recent snow storms have caused my Wi-Fi to exponentially slow down, [along with] multiple technical difficulties…[including] slow response times by K-12 technical support.”

Junior Breanna T. explained that the cold weather impacted her motivation and mental state. “I found it hard to concentrate in class since the cold weather made my mood and energy low, I just wanted to stay in bed,” she said.

As the latest storms tear through California, authorities are warning residents to keep current with alerts, monitor water levels, and to avoid driving in flood-risk areas.

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Laugh During Difficult Times

by Danielle J.

A digital picture of a drawn black heart with a smiley face emoji in the center, an indication expressing happiness during hard times, Elk Grove, C.A., Sunday, February 19th, 2023 (Danielle J. / The CAVA Voice)

We probably all know the feeling of stress or anxiety. Whether it comes up because of a big test or an assignment, we all feel that tightness in our schedules. What once was about 1 or maybe 2 hours of studying, could gradually feel like 3 or 4 hours. Now, it is important to remember that we all process things differently. Whether we procrastinate on a project that’s due, or we stall for information that we might already know, they belong in the same category. 

Now, the word, “difficult” could have different meanings depending on the person. Difficult could be when you have writer's block on a writing assignment. “Difficult” could be when someone can’t focus on a big test. Or, with some people, “difficult” can mean something from within. We’ve probably all had this dilemma at least once in our lives. That we try to complete a task that our brains won't allow us to. You can think of it as thinking with your heart instead of your mind. Now, it’s not a bad thing to think with your heart instead of with your mind, but it isn’t a positive thing to do either. We all need a balance, we can’t just think with our minds, and we can’t just think with our hearts. Now, to reference today's day in age, we are facing the COVID pandemic. We probably didn’t know what it was beforehand, but I’m pretty sure all of us know it very well now. Schools have shut down, companies have closed, people have passed away, which all creates a sort of deepend depression between all of us. A connection of sorts. We probably have lost friends, family, really anyone we could have cared about. I know it seems like rock bottom or something that we can never heal from, but that’s not true. Sometimes during difficult times, we just have to smile. We have to smile to remember there is still a reason to live, there is still a reason to love, to rely, to connect, to unite. It’s not easy of course, but we all can just try our best. No matter what your difficult time could be, it’s better to share it than just keep it all to yourself, because instead of being alone during struggling times, you are instead facing it all together.

We probably all have heard this fun saying, “laughter is the best medicine,” over and over again. Whether it’s your parents, your grandparents, friends, or even teachers, they all would say the same thing. We probably expect it sometimes when we are feeling down, but what is the true reason for that famous saying? What is the true reason why they say that to us? 

Laughter has huge effects on people, but especially people who are dealing with stress. There are two sides to laughter as well, short-term effects and long-term effects, and all are positive to your health and well-being. According to Mayo Clinic, short term effects can include “Activate and relieve your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response, and it can increase and then decrease your heart rate and blood pressure.” Which basically means laughter makes you feel mentally and physically good. Have you ever noticed that when you laugh, your mood improves? Well, there is a reason for that as well, speak of it as a long-term effect. Not only can laughter improve your immune system and increase personal satisfaction, it could also improve your physical pain as well. If you ever fell down on the floor, either face down or swiftly landed on your backside, you’ve probably laughed it off. Why would someone laugh off pain though? According to the Mayo Clinic, “ Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers.” If you compared the two actions and emotions of laughter and crying, you would find it would result differently in your current state of mind. However the main difference from laughing and crying is just an act of emotion that people use to cope with. Whether you are laughing from a joke, or you are crying from a fall down the stairs, you have the option to improve your mindset from thinking of it as a negative or a positive event that happened. Think of it differently. Think of the world laughing at you, or just classmates in general laughing. You have two choices, you can cry and be angry at people laughing at you, or you can laugh with them. Because, at the end of the day, it’s not what others may think about you, but it’s what you think about yourself. No, I will never say that it is easy to laugh at yourself, but isn’t better than crying? Isn't it better than wallowing alone? Try smiling in a mirror, especially during hard times. Especially when you think the world is against you, because at the end of the day, you only have yourself to blame. You can take what you want from people, from the world, from influences all over, but you can only look deep inside yourself to find what you really need, not what you want.

Have you ever noticed that when someone laughs, everyone else laughs with them? That maybe the laughter is somehow contagious? Well, many people such as doctors or psychiatrists try to explain the phenomenon of this “laugher disease” and how it just spreads around people. But no one really knows, because the fact is, we can all contribute to that one factor. It’s the fact that if someone believes in something so much, they can make others believe it as well. So why can’t we trick ourselves into believing that we can make it through a hard situation? You might notice that when a friend of yours asks you for advice or a solution, you give your information and opinion to that person. You help them through their problem, but when they ask you to do the same for yourself, you probably do not even know the first step into approaching that situation. If people only focused on others, then when will you have time to focus on yourself? Especially in these times, we all have to learn that we are not alone in our struggle. Life is not easy, it will throw curveballs at you, and you sometimes will fall. You sometimes will have a breakdown. But you have to always remember that there is someone always in your corner that feels the exact same way.

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Skipping Too Many Live Classes Now Considered Noncompliance, Says CAVA High School Director

New Attendance Policy Marks Chronically Absent Students Noncompliant

By Mariel S.

Data shows that students who attend more Class Connect sessions are more likely to excel in their math and English courses. (Graphs courtesy of CAVA Admin)

Starting this semester, all students must attend at least one Class Connect per week or be marked noncompliant.

The Voice reached out to CAVA High School Director, Rebecca Mortier, to learn more about this new policy.

“There hasn’t really been a change this school year,” Ms. Mortier explained, “But last school year, we started requiring Class Connect attendance. Just a few years ago our session attendance was only at about 25%. After we started requiring the sessions, attendance went up to just over 65%.”

Admin’s data shows a strong correlation between attending classes live and passing courses. Students who regularly attend Class Connects achieve better grades and score higher on state tests.

Thanks to stricter attendance requirements, CAVA students have continued to thrive and improve throughout the pandemic. “Ever since COVID, we’ve been making incredible gains in math and English that you’re not seeing across the state,” Ms. Mortier told The Voice.

Despite CAVA’s recent successes, our school is still subject to close scrutiny from the state of California. With virtual and hybrid learning models becoming more common, local, state and federal agencies have implemented stronger requirements for online schools. Marking chronically absent students noncompliant is state-mandated.

CAVA High School’s Assistant Director, Sara Laurent, disclosed that, “We are required to make [these academic improvements] happen. If our rates fall, our school will be under review, and we could potentially close.”

This reporter asked the Director and Assistant Director if they think the state is harder on CAVA because we are a fully virtual school. “Yes!” they exclaimed in unison and began to laugh.

“Absolutely!” Ms. Mortier added. “From the beginning of our school, we’ve had a spotlight on us. We’ve been scrutinized because a lot of outside agencies don’t fully understand what we’re doing, and what we’re offering to students. We’re not just setting students free and saying, ‘Go do your work!’”

Administrators send non-compliance notices for chronic absences, missing STAR360 assessments and now missing Class Connects. They describe the noncompliance process as “an intervention.” They teach students the importance of attending class, rather than immediately taking punitive measures, such as withdrawal from CAVA.

According to Ms. Mortier, the volume of noncompliance notices issued has not increased dramatically with the introduction of the new policy. “The vast majority of students are living up to those expectations. Our attendance rates have continued to rise since the beginning of COVID,” she explained.

Admin surveys reveal that most Class Connect absences are due to lack of motivation, rather than class conflicts or illness. Admin says they will help find solutions for those who have legitimate reasons for not attending.

“We work with those students,” said Ms. Mortier. “We have some who unfortunately are in the hospital battling cancer, or have autoimmune diseases.” She asks families to contact the school if they need help, especially before the non-compliance process kicks-in.

[thecavavoice]

Turkey-Syria Earthquakes

by Amber K.

Rubble and destruction from the earthquake (Photo: AFP)

On February 6th a tragic earthquake occurred in both Turkey and Syria causing the death and destruction of thousands of people and their property. Now after almost 2 weeks death rates have been tallied at a total of 46,000 people and counting, with Turkey at more than 40,642 deaths and Syria with over 5,800 deaths. An estimate of over 75,000 people were injured with more than 84,000 buildings in total destruction or needing to be completely demolished.

At approximately 4:17 am on Monday, the first initial shock hit the town of Gaziantep, Turkey about 11 miles under the surface. The strike-slip earthquake hit a fault line, at the junction of the Anatolia, Arabia, and Africa plates, called the East Anatolian fault zone. The pent up energy released an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8, the same energy force as Mt. St. Helens when it erupted. A strike-slip earthquake is caused by the movement of tectonic plates on each other. With the Turkey-Syria earthquake three tectonic plates slipped, collided, and moved over the fault line. The deadly 7.8 earthquake was followed by a 7.5 magnitude aftershock which killed more and destroyed many structurally unsound buildings.

Due to the wet and cold weather rescue teams have had a hard time trying to pull survivors from the rubble. As hours pass many are starting to lose hope in finding survivors while others are just thankful to find those on the verge of death.

Both the United States and the UN have sent aid to Turkey and Syria in hopes of helping victims of the disaster. The UN has sent over 143 trucks into Syria and Turkey with supplies needed to care for those who are wounded or in need of food and water. Many of these supplies include tents, mattresses, blankets, winter clothes, cholera testing kits, essential medicines and food provided by WPF or the World Food Program. The United States has sent in the Red Cross as well as many giving millions in funds towards the NATO relief policies in Turkey and Syria.

Many assessments have been made by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization on what would need to be done in order to fix damaged areas. Many irrigation systems, roads, markets, storage, and housing structures will need to be repaired. Many are estimating a time period of 10 years to fully fix the damages. Due to the damage on livestock and crop holders food shortage will be a major problem in the upcoming years.

Due to the collapse of many buildings during the earthquake infections have spread causing intestinal and upper respiratory disease from the dust and debris in the air. Although the amount infected does not pose any serious threat to public health, getting the sick much needed attention and care is one of their main priorities.

Anger is rising though as more and more survivors sift through the damage of their homes and communities. Many are pointing out the flawed building practices as well as urban development, with many complaining that if these structures had been made properly fewer would have died, and that there would be a lot more to come back to in the end. More than 100 suspects have been arrested including those who developed these structures. An ongoing investigation is still in the works as officials dig deeper into the building practices that cost so many there lives.

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For More Information:

https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2023-turkey-and-syria-earthquake-faqs 

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/warning/earthquake-turkey-syria

https://www.state.gov/turkiye-and-syria-earthquake-response/ 

Please donate to one of the sites down below in order to aid victims of the earthquake:

 International Rescue Committee

UNICEF

Save the Children

[thecavavoice]

Dear Bea

by Amber K.

Dear Amber,

I'm a CAVA teacher whose young-adult son lives with us. He has a job he loves. (Disneyland--who wouldn't love it?) The problem is he spends every penny he makes on trivial stuff, like junk from bargain stores he doesn't need; or Disney merch he finds on sale, even if he doesn't need yet another set of mouse ears. We are running out of space to put it all and the clutter is driving me nuts. How do I get him to stop spending and start saving toward his future?

Sincerely, Bea T.

Dear Bea,

It can be hard to get us children to understand the impact of money and the responsibility that’s connected to it. When I started getting money for birthdays and holidays I was quite irresponsible with it.I used to buy junk food, and stupid toys that I never played with once. But once I realized that I never had that money later when I really wanted something for a hobby, I learned the importance of buying what you need or saving up until you could buy something you really want. And as of right now I use my sparse amount of money to buy things for college.

The first thing that should be done with issues such as this, is to sit your son down and go over his collection of Disney and junk related items. As a young adult he should understand the concept of clutter in a home and that buying these unneeded items. Go through the items together and separate certain limited edition items in a pile that can either be kept out or packed away for when he moves. Then go through clothing and things he has multiples of such as the Mickey Mouse ears you mentioned. Anything that doesn’t fit, is destroyed/stained, or even unworn/unwanted should be given to a shelter or goodwill where those who really need these things can get them.

After this you should sit him down and talk about a money plan where he asks himself five or more questions before buying something and then puts aside a good portion of his paycheck for emergencies, things he really needs, and his future. This checklist can have a multitude of different questions but the major ones should be along the lines of,

Is this a necessity or something that I can live without?

Will this add value to my life?

What do I gain from buying this?

Does the cost of this item negatively or positively affect my savings?

Will I actually use this item?

Am I only buying this because it’s discounted or on sale?

When asking these questions it’s ok to take a couple hours to think it over. By taking a full 24 hours you can answer these questions while also reducing the amount of impulse buying that could occur. When it comes to his future it’s best to talk to him about it. Try not to push too hard otherwise he might pull away and go back to his old habits in retaliation. Ask him, if not already, what future he wants for himself. Explain that by saving his money he’ll be able to buy things for himself that he really wants and needs. It’s been proven that when a child moves out and starts to buy their own things they develop a sense of being an adult, especially when they're on their own.Tell him about the freedom he’ll have when he moves out and how if he saves his money he can find a nice place to live that he can help pay for, how he can buy the necessities he sees around him without having to work for long hours just to get the small things such as plates to eat off or even towels for the bathroom. Set boundaries for his spending habits will definitely rely on communication and lots of patience. It might take awhile for him to get the hang of but I’m sure he’ll catch on and start being more responsible with his money. 

Hope this helps, Amber K.

[thecavavoice]

The Ohio Train Crash and The Toxicity of Construction

by Eric V.

(Photo: CNN)

February 3rd was the start of a tragic event in Salem, Ohio. Its inhabitants were having a typical Friday night, when they heard the common noise of a train making its trip to who-knows-where. But what happened that night changed the lives of everyone living nearby.

Security footage caught the train passing right before the mass event, and the footage sheds light on evidence that the crash started with the wheels on the train sparking against the metal rails. These small sparks reacted to the chemicals the train was transporting, resulting in the train catching fire completely and releasing very toxic chemicals into the environment. 

The chemicals present on the train before the incident included vinyl chloride, 1.1 billion pounds of it, that was released not only into the environment and the atmosphere, but it was released into many residential areas. Scientists have proven that vinyl chloride is a very toxic chemical that can cause all sorts of issues. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, “Exposure to vinyl chloride may increase a person's risk of developing cancer. Human and animal studies show higher rates of liver, lung and several other types of cancer. Being exposed to vinyl chloride can affect a person's liver, kidney, lung, spleen, nervous system and blood.” 

According to Green Matters, “PVC is the most environmentally damaging plastic. The PVC lifecycle -- its production, use, and disposal -- results in the release of toxic, chlorine-based chemicals. These toxins are building up in the water, air and food chain.” Vinyl chloride is found most commonly in PVC pipes, and was undoubtedly the reason why the train in Ohio was transporting such a dangerous chemical. But when the vinyl chloride was released into the atmosphere it was released into the environment. Salem, Ohio had to close access to water because it was contaminated by the chemical. Fish in local lakes were found dead, as a result of the exposure of vinyl chloride. The air was polluted, and many witnesses recall the sky being darkened in a black cloud for days. 

As dangerous as vinyl chloride is, it wasn’t the only chemical present. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “About 20 rail cars were reported to have been carrying hazardous materials. Vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylhexyl acrylate and ethylene glycol monobutyl ethers were released into the air, surface soil and surface waters, it said.”  All of these chemicals have construction purposes, for adhesives, plastics, rubbers, etc. When handled carefully they are not much of a threat, but when released into the atmosphere as a gas cloud, all mixed together, it becomes a toxic cloud. 

This train crash incident has opened our eyes to the danger of these chemicals, which are purely used for construction purposes. The fact that these chemicals have the potential to pollute the air, water, and damage the health of people poses a concern for construction methods.

According to the Law Offices of Harold J. Gerr, “Construction is a highly dangerous industry. According to statistics from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in 2019, one out of every five worker fatalities were in the construction industry. When it comes to work injuries and illnesses, construction is one of the top 10 most dangerous occupations. Working at heights, and around electrical installations, heavy machinery, and moving vehicles, are all part of a normal day on a construction site, but workers must also be aware of the dangers associated with exposure to toxic chemicals.” Everything is built through construction, and it poses a massive threat to not only construction workers, but the environment as well. The metals we use, the rubber, plastics, tools, and solubles are toxic, and get turned into the houses and buildings we live and work in, bridges we walk and drive on, the very existence of any man made structure has a toxic element involved. The house you live in and are breathing in at this second consists of toxic chemicals and materials. According to the University of Michigan, “University of Michigan researchers have identified 55 chemicals of concern found in the walls, floors, ceilings and furniture in homes across the United States, including some that have concentrations that are 1,000 times higher than recommended.” 

According to The Oshan Firm, “10% of all birth defects are the result of exposure to chemicals and industrial products.“ That small percentage has a lot of impact, and is proof that not only are we being affected, but so are our future generations, and the generations that haven’t even been born yet. 

There is always room for improvement, and there’s no time like the present. We can innovate a new way of construction, one that involves less toxins and chemicals, and one that provides a safer, brighter, greener future. It hasn’t been found yet, but it can and will, given the right people know about it and care enough to volunteer a few brain cells. We shouldn’t live in fear and wear gas masks our entire lives, but if we don’t act fast that might be the future we live in. 

[thecavavoice]

The AP Club: CAVA’s Scholars

by Peyton C.

AP Club Logo Created via Canva (Peyton C./The CAVA Voice)

CAVA’s AP Club currently has around forty members, operated and supervised by a yearly-elected council of six students. Each member belongs to or is interested in an Advanced Placement (AP for short) course offered at our school. The club gathers on the second Friday of each month at 12:15 P.M. and is open to any students interested in AP classes. At CAVA, there are around twelve AP classes offered to students so that they can have the opportunity to earn college credit. But while taking an AP class sounds easy to some, you should make sure you are a dedicated and responsible student before enrolling in one because AP classes require more engagement and have higher expectations than other courses.

Every single year in May, AP students who want college credit must take and pass an AP Exam for their specific AP class. A non-profit organization called the “College Board” provides and administers these exams for students. Students must pay a registration fee of $97 per exam, with a late fee of $40 for those who miss the November registration deadline. Although this may seem costly to most students, AP Club President Khadija C. offers advice for students worried about this issue. She says, “If they're taking an exam that they feel they understand the concepts well and it would help them in the future for their career they should take it. However, if the subject of the exam is not their strong suit and it won't really help them if they get the credit for college then they shouldn't take the exam. Also if a student doesn't want to pay the late fee, they can wait till next year, study more and pay the fee on time and possibly get a better score. It all differs on the situation.” While the thought of taking these nearly three-hour exams seems scary to most students, the AP Club is there to provide answers and moral comfort for stressed students. 

As I sat in on the AP Club’s February meeting, I felt a sense of support and fun. Not only does the AP Club schedule virtual meetings every month, but they’re now scheduling in-person outings for club members to have the chance to interact together without being behind a screen. This month’s meeting was no exception, with students and teachers sitting together at a pizza parlor while listening to what was on the AP Club’s agenda for February. One of the first orders of business was going over important study tips that would benefit members taking AP exams in May. 

The club’s elected Webmaster, Dean H., shared that websites like Khan Academy, YouTube, and Marco Learning are all great resources AP students can use for studying. Parliamentarian Juan D. then discussed the times for each upcoming AP exam so students could mark the dates on their calendars. After that, a music video about AP Economics class parodying Disney’s “Let It Go” was played for students. But the most intriguing aspect of this month’s meeting was the club’s guest speaker and one of CAVA’s various AP teachers, Mr. Luna. 

As an 8-year teacher here at CAVA, Mr. Luna has had a lot of experience interacting and working with students virtually. He teaches two AP classes offered at our school, AP U.S. Government and AP Macroeconomics. Throughout the meeting, Mr. Luna discussed why students might want to consider taking these AP classes in the future. According to Mr. Luna, “If you don’t have an understanding of economics, your understanding of government is lacking because politics must always account for economics.” An example he gave of this idea included how taxpayer money funds both government and public programs. For this school year, the AP Club intends to bring more guest speakers like Mr. Luna to discuss the various AP courses offered at CAVA and how they will help students learn and prepare for life after high school.

I’ve been a member of our school’s AP Club since the 2021-2022 school year, and I don’t know what I would do without it. Last year, I enrolled in my first AP class and was extremely nervous about it. But the tips and resources I obtained via the AP Club helped me pass the class and receive an excellent grade on my first-ever AP exam. I encourage every AP student or others wanting to take AP classes to join the AP Club. Not only will they provide you with a ton of support coming straight from fellow students, but you will gain knowledge that will stick with you forever. 

_ Help us find our next Club Spotlight! Fill out this google form if there’s a club you’d like to see featured: https://forms.gle/4kQ7eGLvvvNrsucB8

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"Challenge Accepted!" CAVA Fitness Club

by Mariel S.

Club logo (CAVA Fitness Club)

The CAVA Fitness Club aims to “help students on their way to a healthier lifestyle,” as part of a cheerfully competitive, fun-loving community of students.

The club kicked off the new semester, chatting, joking, laughing and hyping each other up for their next fitness challenge. This month: the Lunge! Club advisors Cara Sundberg and Ashley Lundy shared a video explaining how to do a basic lunge. The exercise includes eleven variations, such as lateral and weighted lunges. But these weren’t enough for club members, who quickly began inventing more extreme versions, including a long-distance, walking lunge.

Ms. Sundberg and Ms. Lundy created the CAVA Fitness Club, to “provide a safe space for students to participate in physical activity, and to set and achieve fitness goals.” They share a passion for helping students stay active and healthy. As PE teachers, they envisioned a place for kids to pursue fitness after the mandatory two years of PE.

“Last school year, Ms. Lundy and I would hold workout sessions as an optional second PE class each week,” Ms. Sundberg remembered. “Students came expecting to follow a workout. We would often use YouTube workouts that didn’t require equipment, which made it a lot easier for all students to follow along.”

To involve even more students, these popular sessions became the CAVA Fitness Club. It meets every Tuesday in NewRow. They decide on each new challenge together, track their progress on a shared online spreadsheet, and keep each other motivated.

Some weeks, they work out live on-camera together. Other times, they try to surpass 10,000 steps-a-day (a club favorite)! They learn about the different muscle groups, and test their knowledge by trying to work as many unique muscles as possible with a single exercise. Friendly competition is at the heart of every challenge, even when the goal is simply beating their personal bests.

“I would [analyze] other people’s steps to see what I need to do to beat them,” Michelle, a club member, typed in the chat box.

Despite the many rivalries and dry running commentary in chat, the members describe the club atmosphere as “supportive and fun.” Some members are “hardcore,” while others work towards a healthy lifestyle with the club’s support.

“We like to pretend to fight, but in reality we’re just helping each other,” club member Maryjessie remarked.

Club members share a passion for staying active, but they each joined the club for different reasons.

“I joined…because exercise and a healthy lifestyle are a big part of my life,” Edward, an aspiring sports doctor said. “Seeing everybody…working on themselves just puts me in a good mood,” he added, giving two cheerful thumbs up.

Competitive fitness enthusiast Khadija remembered, “I was considered one of the fastest girls in my [brick and mortar school] and I would race against the boys constantly. I didn’t have that much competition at home ‘cuz I only had my siblings. And I couldn’t really compare myself much to [them] ‘cuz they’re younger than me. So it’s a little bit unfair, if I say [to them] ‘I’m faster than you.’ I got a little demotivated when it came to fitness, because I thought I didn’t have anyone else to compete against. And then came the fitness club! You can’t do exactly the same as in brick and mortar, but you get to have a little of that challenge back. We get to have friendly competitions with each other, which is really fun.”

Fatima, Khadija’s sister chimed in with her own story, “The reason I joined…Well…I’ll just be honest here—my sister forced me. Just kidding! Just kidding! I joined because it’s just a nice place to be. We’ve got some good jokes here, some nice activities to do in here.”

Khadija playfully cut in with the “real" story. “I had asked her, ‘do you want to join the fitness club?’ And she was like ‘no’ right away. So I said ‘okay,’ and I started listing people who are in the club. As soon as she heard who was in here, she was like ‘Okay, I’ll join!’”

Dean, who the rest of the club refers to as “the most competitive,” shared, “I hadn’t met a lot of people in CAVA who share the same love for fitness that I have. But I joined the fitness club to find like-minded people who love to stay in shape and get strong. Especially in an online school, the opportunity to experience this kind of thing is really awesome.”

As the club spreadsheet fills with this month’s accomplishments, the CAVA Fitness Club is already looking forward to future challenges. Some proposed training together, to improve their mile-run times. Dean suggested 100 push-ups a day, which his club-mates’ dramatically declined. Ms. Sundberg says they are working towards a students vs. teachers challenge in the coming months.

Until then, the CAVA Fitness Club remains determined to push their limits and share laughs every week with anyone willing to accept the challenge!

_ Help us find our next Club Spotlight! Fill out this google form if there’s a club you’d like to see featured: https://forms.gle/4kQ7eGLvvvNrsucB8

[thecavavoice]

A Plea for Peace: Anti-War to Save the Planet, and Humanity

by Eric V.

Coloring page found on Needpix.com, colored in by Eric V. advertising World Peace. (Eric V. The CAVA Voice)

The first war to ever be recorded was in 2700 B.C, between the ancient civilizations of Sumer and Elam. And here we are today in 2023 with yet another war reigning terror on us all. War has not only a negative effect on people and mentality, but it also destroys the environment. When will we ever have peace?

The cause of war has always been competition of some sort, for resources, territory, or to gain freedom and start anew. Many can argue that war was, and still is, necessary for our evolution. According to Bob Holmes from ABC News, “Now a new theory is emerging that challenges the prevailing view that warfare is a product of human culture and thus a relatively recent phenomenon. For the first time, anthropologists, archaeologists, primatologists, psychologists and political scientists are approaching a consensus. Not only is war as ancient as humankind, they say, but it has played an integral role in our evolution.” We advanced our military technology during WWI, but after the war in the Roaring Twenties we advanced ourselves even further with new technology and work methods. After the war we established a strong postwar economy, and the only thing on our minds was recovery and renovation.

While all those innovations and modernizations were great at the time, it’s now that we see the consequences. According to Brown University, “The water supply in the war zones has been contaminated by oil from military vehicles and depleted uranium from ammunition. Along with the degradation of the natural resources in these countries and a radical destruction of forest cover, the animal and bird populations have also been adversely affected.” War is nothing but toxicity, from the weapons, vehicles, and the materials used to create these things. 

The most devastating point in war was the creation of the atomic bomb. According to Science.org, Thousands of others died prematurely over the years because of radiation-induced cancer, a tally that is still growing. Collectively, they have left an important legacy. Most of what is known today about the long-term health effects of radiation has come out of research with those survivors. The work, now run by the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF), is making "major contributions to our understanding of radiation effects," even today, says Richard Wakeford, a radiation epidemiologist at the University of Manchester. RERF studies also underpin the limits that countries have set for occupational and medical exposure to radiation.“” The atomic bomb exposed thousands of people to highly radioactive gamma rays, and left Hiroshima in particles. This is no Marvel story folks; no Hulk was born from these gamma rays. All that was left was destruction.  

The survivors who lived to tell the tale were no better than the deceased, as they were exposed to radiation that caused cancer and many genetic disorders. According to the AtomicArchive.com long Term effects of the bomb include, “Blast, thermal radiation, and prompt ionizing radiation cause significant destruction within seconds or minutes of a nuclear detonation. The delayed effects, such as radioactive fallout and other environmental effects, inflict damage over an extended period ranging from hours to years”. 

Many scientists agree, there is a direct link between climate change and the effect of the atomic bomb. The atomic bomb damaged our atmosphere and destroyed the natural defense against C02 emissions. According to the UN.org, “The Soviet Union's last nuclear test took place on 24 October 1990; the United Kingdom's on 26 November 1991 and the United States' on 23 September 1992. France and China conducted their last tests in January and July 1996 respectively, before signing the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.” The nuclear testing is over, but there is no telling when the atomic bomb might be used again. In the current war between Russia and Ukraine the atomic bomb was brought up and a political leader threatened to use it. Thankfully it hasn’t, yet. But the creation of the atomic bomb in the first place should have never happened. 

As a species who is supposed to be the most intelligent and the most able to evolve, we cannot seem to move past the idea of punching, kicking, and screaming to get our way. The political leaders who encourage war and make the decision to engage are basically the parents telling their children to keep hitting each other to resolve their issues. By the time the war is over, there are too many bruises and cuts to forget the incident. War has continued to decrease our sustainability in the environment, and damaged many people’s lives. 

How many more wars will it take to say no more? How many people must we lose before we mourn our losses? How much of the earth will we destroy before we realize there’s no use in sealing the trenches, when we could have done something when they started as cracks? And lastly, how many battles will we fight before waving the white flag, and calling for the world to have peace?

[thecavavoice]

Beauty of Color

by Danielle J.

A digital drawn piece of art, representing all the colors in their own unique way. A sense of watercolors and an oil brush to create a new perspective. Expressing difference and beauty in reality as many of us see it, Elk Grove, C.A., Monday, February 20th, 2023 (Danielle J. / The CAVA Voice)

An inspiration to all, or an inspiration to none. Many different types of people throughout this world think in many different ways. But what is never changing? What is never ending to the simplicity of the universe that we live in? Nothing, everything is changing, everything is evolving. Most of the time, they evolve beautifully, like butterflies or flowers. But sometimes, things evolve differently, and in a negative way. Foods like apples or milk could turn rotten and spoiled. Which isn’t fun for anyone, for the smell, and  the visual aspects of it. Most negative things attract other negative things in this world. But, that doesn’t mean that negative things can’t attract themselves to positive things as well, because in this world nothing gold stays forever.

People can see differently than others, so how about we dive into a topic that is known to all, but is differently seen? Colors would be the best topic for that. Any type of art such as poems, songs, short stories, paintings, drawings, and even sketches have unique meanings to all people. It affects influences, moods, emotions, your overall perspective of this world and many others that can come after it. The truth to evolution is never really going to be the same. Speaking of colors evolving has two different sides, the common color that never changes, usually referred to as “foundation colors” and the colors that form from the originals or “combined”. According to Rockfon , “Over 40,000 years ago, the unique combination of chalk, soil, animal fat and burnt charcoal was used by artists to form the earliest record of pigments known. This created a base of five colors which would be the foundation of art for years to come: black, white, red, yellow and brown.” So the foundation colors that we have all come used to, were from years ago from materials and tools that held and created that certain color. Now, this is different from contemporary colors, which include red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple, yellow-green and red-purple, red-orange and blue-green. According to Tate.org.uk, “In color theory complementary colors appear opposite each other on color models such as the color wheel. The color complement of each primary color (primaries are red, yellow and blue) can be obtained by mixing the two other primary colors together. So the complementary of red is green (a mix of yellow and blue); the complementary of blue is orange (a mix of red and yellow); and the complementary of yellow is violet (a mix of red and blue).” That’s only the foundation colors and the mix of them to complete a colorful palette, but there are many others still that are being created.

There are also physiological factors in colors as well and how we may see them and what they mean to us. We are all different, which means we all think differently from each other as well. So certain colors that might bring happiness onto you, might bring sadness onto someone else. Life experiences and overall mental well-being contribute to these factors of what colors mean to people. According to Mountain Vista Psychology PLLC, “ Colors close to the red spectrum are warmer colors, including red, orange, and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility. Whereas blue colors like purple and green are known for evoking feelings of calm, sadness, or indifference.” This is all in a general sense though, if we were to do research on everyone in the world, the results would have a drastic difference. For example, one might think of cool colors as blues, whites, purples, and warm colors as yellows, reds, and browns. It wouldn’t be considered weird, it would be considered unique. 

Colors also have a huge effect on moods as well. Moods in the general perspective of being happy, sad, angry, or annoyed can bring out that certain response of some colors in people. According to Mountain Vista Psychology PLLC, “Color plays more of an influential role in our lives than we realize. It can affect our minds, bodies, and overall mood. How color is perceived is subjective for some, but we have colors that are widely recognized for certain things worldwide. Colors close to the red spectrum are warmer colors, including red, orange, and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility. Whereas blue colors like purple and green are known for evoking feelings of calm, sadness, or indifference.” Colors like violet, people may be subject to a feeling of peace and calmness, and if anyone had dared to say no, they would be wrong. However, if anyone had dared to say that the color gray would be subject to a numb or cold feeling, they wouldn't be wrong. But overall, no one can say that our perspective of a color is wrong or right. If people were to have an argument if color had given them a different mood or emotion, we would all have a different result or a similar one. It’s basically comparing a poem or a painting and asking if people felt some way about it or not, there are no wrong answers or right answers. 

To the basics of color, if we hit the simplicity of it, and relish in all its beauty, we might just unlock something new into this world. We might unlock a new color, a new hue of red, or a hue of purple. It’s possible to create another color from an existing color and we still do to this day. When we are painting a house or creating a drawing, we mix colors to create the desired color we want. If we speak of it as makeup terms, some people mix the colors of eyeshadow or lipsticks to get a desired look. If we want to create an image, we mix colors. If we spoke of it as evolution from species to species it would end up being fairly similar as well. Overall, the beauty of colors are all around us and throughout our daily lives. We should just embrace it and be inspired to make something new. What will you make today? How will you change even the simplest aspect of someone’s life in a positive way?

[thecavavoice]

Remember That Time We Pranked the School?

by Jocelyn C.

I've been writing since middle school, and ever since the first story I wrote, it's always been about writing the kinds of stories I've wanted to read. I think that it's important for any artist to enjoy the work and how it relates back to their identity first and foremost. For that reason, a lot of my writing has to do with my identity, even the more fantastical and imaginative lines in my work have to do with how I see myself and the world around me. I would like readers to know that I essentially write about myself, and that if they can see themselves in any hero, villain, neighbor, or friend I write, it means they aren't alone. I'm here too!

“Are you sure about this?” Cody asked as the five of them climbed up the fence and landed in the school yard.

“Totally,” Sai answered. “Put these on now.” He handed her a pair of rollerblades. “Ricky, Esme, check the coast.” They both nodded and each went in a different direction, scouting the empty lot that served as the school's courtyard for anyone else. It was Sunday night, and the only thing the five kids could do with seven buckets of paint was make a really big mess. That’s why they couldn’t be found out. Once the school filled up on Monday, every kid would be in for a surprise, and every adult would be looking for someone to blame. Why wouldn’t they? It was an adults natural response to their outdoor hallways being painted the obnoxious colors of the rainbow.

Ysa, Sai, and Cody set all their gear on a picnic table, popping open paint cans and syncing radios. As Cody laced up her rollerblades, the radios buzzed.

“No one in sight,” Esme messaged. “The two cars in the parking lot are sound asleep, but the lights are on in room eight-o-five.”

Sai held his radio close and said, “Ten four, now get back here, but let’s all keep an eye on the edges of the schoolyard.” The students all called the empty lot the schoolyard, mostly because it sounded nicer, and closer to its intended purpose.

“I wanna paint every bench yellow,” Ysa schemed.

“Go for it,” Cody said, pouring a puddle of red paint onto the ground and rolling her skates in them. “The wilder the better, right?” Sai nodded. “Just remember, no doors, no glass, nothing inside, nothing important.” He shrugged. “This is just a harmless prank.”

Ysa scoffed. “I’d like to hear you say that to Ms. Jules.” She grabbed a big paint brush out of her backpack and dipped it in the yellow paint can, swirling it around. The bright paint glistened and swirled in such a satisfying way.

Sai opened a purple can just as Ricky and Esme joined them. “Be quiet ok? If anything, ditch the junk and run.” He dipped his hand into the paint bucket, then slung paint drips against the nearest brick wall. “Have fun, guys!”

Esme grabbed a paint roller and the green bucket. “C’mon Cody, let’s get the hallways lookin’ like Christmas threw up on the floor.”

“I’m so in!” Cody said, skating out of the red puddle and following her with her own bucket, leaving a red skate trail the whole way.

“I’m gonna stay here, keep tabs on the entrances,” Sai said, “We’ll switch in maybe twenty minutes?” 

Ysa nodded. 

“Sounds good,” Ricky said, taking two buckets as he and Ysa headed for the classroom walls on the other side of the school yard.

“Esme, watch this,” Cody whisper shouted from one end of the outdoor hallway. She rolled one skate in a puddle of green paint, and kept the other where she was standing in the red. Once the wheels were amply coated, she skated as fast as she could down the hallway towards Esme, swerving back and forth.

Once she stopped, they both looked down at her work. An alternating pattern of red and green ribbons of paint decorated the floor.

“Nice work!” Esme said. She dunked her roller into her paint bucket again and slathered it onto the walls and metal posts of the hallway. “Could you paint red ornaments onto the trees I make? The uglier the better.”

“Sure,” Cody agreed as she coasted down the hallway again. “What if we stuck leaves into the paint?”

Esme giggled. “Merry Christmas to all!”

“And to all a good night!” Cody said, skating backwards and giving a bow. She lost her balance and fell backwards, hitting her tail end hard as she landed. “Ow! Dang it!”

Esme rushed to help her up. “Ya better watch out, you don’t wanna get on Santa's naughty list.”

Cody rubbed her lower back. “My shorts look like the Christmas spirit, I think I’m safe.” She winced, but Esme couldn’t help laughing. Cody’s shorts were striped red and green from where she’d landed on the paint trails.

They heard two pairs of footsteps coming their way, and Cody slapped a hand over Esme’s smile to quiet her down. They dropped their things and backed into the wall.

“Guys, over here!” It was Sai. “Someone's coming.” He rushed past them with a finger over his lips. They both followed him as he swerved into the nearest bathroom.

“Wait, you said no paint inside!” Cody said, stopping a few feet from the threshold. “They’ll find us anyway!”

“Handstand!” Esme blurted.

Cody did as she was told, Esme and Sai tugging her into the bathroom as she did. They ended up sprawled on the floor, Cody’s feet in the air and her head by their knees as they all held their breath. “They’re coming in!” Cody said. 

Esme and Sai got up and helped her into the nearest stall. They locked the door and quietly tried to make it seem as if no one was there. Sai and Esme each stood on one side of the toilet, one foot on the side bars on the stall walls.

“Hold me!” Cody whispered. They each grabbed one foot and hoisted it over one shoulder. Cody held her hat to her head so it wouldn’t fall as she hung upside down, supported by her friends.

They heard the door swish open and closed, then the quiet footsteps of someone entering a stall. They crouched there, muscles shaking, as the person did their business, washed their hands, and stood in front of the sink… texting. Each time the phone buzzed, they thought, had to be the last time.

After what seemed like an hour, but was only just a few minutes, the person left for good.

Everyone sighed with relief. Esme and Sai stepped down onto the floor again. “Cool, now put me down,” Cody said.

They didn’t listen. Esme gave Sai Cody’s other foot, so that she hung upside down behind him. 

“Not cool guys,” Cody said, glaring at Esme as Sai led the way back to the bench they’d all started at.

Ysa and Ricky were already there. “You called?” Ricky asked, tossing messy paintbrushes into a plastic bag.

Sai nodded, letting Cody go over the bench (which Ysa hadn’t painted yellow yet). “Close call, everyone done?”

Ysa nodded. “Pretty much.” 

“And I’m glad,” Ricky said, “We ran out of orange paint.”

Cody took off her roller skates and put her flip flops back on. “Wow, sounds like a wild ride, don’t it?”

“Ah!” Ricky feigned surprise, “Sarcasm right?”

Esme patted him on the head. “Good job Einstein.”

“I try,” Ricky retorted as they started to scale the fence.

“Do you ever shut up?” Sai asked as they touched down on the other side and started walking back home.

“No he does not,” Esme answered, “As his sister I would know.” Sai smirked. “Well, he wasn’t the only one I was asking.”

“Ha! You totally got wrecked!” Cody teased.

Sai just stared at her with a grin. 

“You mean me too???” She asked incredulously. “Not fair, dude. Not fair at all…” she crossed her arms and walked on Ysa’s other side, at the very edge of the sidewalk. “Vas a ver…”

“Que dijiste?” Sai asked.

“Nothing,” Cody said, waving it off. “Nothing at all.”