Features – The Shield

The Earth is Dying- But You Can Help

September 20, 2019

(Photo Credit: NRDC) You’ve had a prolonged and lousy day at school or work, mentally exhausted and ready for relaxation, the last thing you want to do is click on the news article that has the headline “Scientists Say Global Warming Threat is Worse than Ever.” I get it, we’ve all been there when a tiring day has left one weary and not in the mood for stressful science articles. But the issue is, if we all find ourselves too busy, or stressed, or too tired to acknowledge the failing state of the planet, there won’t be a planet to acknowledge. Or at least, not at this rate. Global Warming is a tricky topic to tackle. It is both complex and (inexplicably) highly controversial. To simplif...

The New Texas Law That Locks Up Teens

Kelsey Byrd, Staff writer

September 6, 2019

There’s a new law that could land teens in prison. It’s a generation like none before. One full of internet feuds, constant social buzz, outcries on the latest controversy and viral YouTube videos that trend on Twitter to circulate endlessly. Like it or not, social media has become a staple in modern American entertainment and for most teens, a way to connect and inform others on the more trivial aspects of life. But thanks to a new law, a seemingly innocent post could land one behind bars. It’s called the Invasive Visual Recording law and despite its lack of coverage, it has taken down many unsuspecting perpetrators. “The Invasive Visual Recording crime in the state of Texas gives police the right to arrest you if t...

What exactly is Article 13?

Parker.L.Lurye, Writer

May 3, 2019

Article 13, now rebranded as Article 17 is a law that was recently passed by the European Union covering the issue of online copyright. Article 17 will force social media websites to take responsibility for when one of their millions of users upload copyrighted content. What this means is that many social media websites such as YouTube will have no choice, but to use a kind of robot copyright filter and if robots can’t even drive yet then why should they be allowed to censor the net? While it’s quite unlikely that article 17 will have any major effect on any country not in the EU it sets a rather poor standard for international laws on copyright, and it gets worse than article 11 also rebranded as article 15 will...

The Field Is My Second Home

Alyssa Mercado

May 1, 2019

Alyssa Williams, a junior at Memorial High School, has a thriving passion for softball. She has devoted her life to this challenging sport since the age of 5. She considers her team her family, due to all of the sweat and tears they have experienced together. “Softball has a special meaning to me and I don’t ever think I could give it up” Williams states. She began playing softball at such a young age, and has grown to love it. The field is basically her second home, and her teammates are her second family. The amount of hard work and dedication she puts in everyday, expresses how devoted and committed she is to softball. As senior year is on the horizon. Alyssa is preparing for tryouts in order to continue...

Love the Life You Live

Ella Engen, Staff Writer

April 24, 2019

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough” (Mae West). Sometimes we think that life is a puzzle that we have to figure out, but its not. The beautiful thing about life is that we might not understand it, but we don’t have to. The meaning of life isn’t to make the most money, have the biggest house, or buy the most expensive clothes. It is about the love that you give, the friends that you have, and the goodness that you do. When asked what the meaning of life is, 16 year old student at Prosper High school responded, “in my opinion the meaning of life is finding your own meaning, finding who you are and what you’re worth,” then added, “by doing such, you are able to help others do...

Puppy Love Can Cure Your Stress

Roshni M.

April 24, 2019

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself” -(Josh Billings). Dogs are more than just man’s best friend, they are man’s only true and loyal family member. More than rescuing or adopting them, we are the ones being saved when they come into our lives. We know dogs help with certain jobs, such as sniffing out explosives, sensing seizures, helping with therapy and much more. Usually we train them to do these things, but there is one thing that dogs help us with by just being themselves. Stress. Dogs help us relieve stress by just being big, furry goofballs. Whenever you have a long day and you go home to your dog there is no doubt that all your worries will go away....

Era of Podcasts

Kirsten Shin, Staff Writer

April 18, 2019

Podcast refers to a series of digital audio or video files which a user can download and listen to. With celebrities such as Amy Schumer, Ashley Graham, and Jonathan Van Ness hosting their own, podcast has become one of the biggest trends in recent years. There are few factors behind this phenomenon. First, podcasts attract a wide range of audiences as it comes in a variety of genres: educational, gaming, sports, religious and spiritual, music, news, politics, and more. Furthermore, there are so many different ways and places to listen to podcasts, and they don't distract from other important tasks that needs to be completed. “As a content-obsessed millennial, I have made podcasts part of my daily ro...

Danger on the Road

Alyssa Mercado, Staff Writer

April 18, 2019

Adolecents do not understand how dangerous alcohol is to the brain. “In 2008, more than 11,773 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes “according to Livestrong. Teens are not apprehending how much damage it can do to yourself and others on the road. Teen drinking and driving is at a all time high, and not only is it tormenting you, its also traumatizing innocent people around you driving. Teen drinking and driving can take a toll on you, has negative impacts on the adolecent brain development, and has a greater chance of being alcohol dependent. Drinking as a young teenager can affect a major part of your brain, the prefrontal cortex. This can cause your brain to make severe changes that can b...

Sapping Away at Stress

Lexi Thomas, Staff Writer

April 18, 2019

A teen sits at the computer, typing away at a computer. It’s dark outside; the numbers 2:15 sit at the top of the phone screen at their elbow, but they have several paragraphs left and this essay is due tomorrow. This scene is very common in high schoolers today. Whether stressed from homework, studying, or an overload of extracurricular activities, many teens feel overloaded by the workload they develop in their daily life. “I tend to stay up late worrying over schoolwork a lot. It’s really starting to tire me out.” One sophomore said. Keeping this workload under control can take time out of social lives or sleep schedules, which leads to the teen being even more stressed and tired the followin...

Get to Know FFA With Madison Schmidt

April 18, 2019

FFA is a dynamic youth organization that prepares students for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. It’s goal is to help members develop potential and discover their talent through hands-on experiences that are critical for achieving real-world success. Members include aspiring chemists, veterinarians, government officials, entrepreneurs, bankers, international business leaders, teachers and other professionals in many career fields. Th...

Challenges that Come with Fame

Roshni M, Staff Writer

March 29, 2019

Celebrities. When we think of celebrities, we think about how astonishing it would be to meet them in real life, take pictures with them, and maybe even converse a little. Except, we don’t think about how they might feel doing these things. In our minds it doesn’t matter how long or how many people have been taking pictures with them, we just think about ourselves with the celebrity, but little do we know that one person turns into one more person and then another. It’s a never ending cycle. As much as celebrities are very accomplished and unique people, they too deserve the joy of a private life. A life without everything that happens being spilled out into the public. Paparazzi have been known to be strenuous...