What’s on the minds of students at Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy? Lots of stuff, as indicated by the excerpts below from recent stories in RampageWired, the online student publication. To see the full articles, and more content, go to (https://www.rampagewired.com/).
ISRAELI STAR CHOSEN 9TH IN NBA DRAFT
By Anna Clauer
Getting drafted by the National Basketball Association (NBA) is nothing short of a momentous achievement. It takes players years of hard work and even harder training to build a name for themselves in the US as a star player. So, when the NBA draft comes around every November, the top picks are rarely surprising, and oftentimes, these players are already well known. This year, in the 2020 draft, this was still the case with star players such as Obi Toppin or James Weisman, who have been on the map since their freshman years of college. But one player in particular stood out: Deni Avdija, a 19 year old Israeli player from Tel Aviv.
TV SHOWS THAT HBHA STUDENTS ARE
LOVING
By Benji Kohl
As COVID-19 cases in the US and around the world continue to rise, many people are left with an abundance of free time at home on their hands. Now, if you are one of these people and want to watch some good TV shows in your spare time, here are the top 5 TV shows that Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy (HBHA) high school students recommend.
5. The Good Place
4. Parks and Recreation
3. The Queen’s Gambit
2. Stranger Things
1. The Office
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A MAN?
By Abbie Davis
What makes a person ‘manly?’ Is it the deepness of his voice or his height? Could it be how good he is at sports, or if he can hunt? How about what he chooses to wear? Stereotypes and gender roles surround us, and their existence can actually be a fairly controversial subject.
Harry Styles challenges these stereotypes daily. Styles is an English pop musician who rose to fame at an early age. In 2010, at just 16 years old, he was on the show the X-Factor, where he sang alongside his soon to be bandmates...
NO MORE WAR ON DRUGS? OREGON MAKES HARD DRUGS LEGAL
By Ethan Sosland
In 1986, President Ronald Regan was able to acquire 1.7 billion dollars from the legislature in order to fund the war on drugs. This added 29 new mandatory sentences for drug related crimes. Now, 34 years later, Oregon has passed Measure 110, making hard drugs legal.
Measure 110 is known as the Drug Decriminalization and Addiction Treatment Initiative, and it was on the ballot in Oregon this election cycle. According to ballotpedia.org, “[a] yes vote” makes non-commercial possession of a controlled substance no more than a max fine of $100. It also establishes a recovery program, which would be funded by the money the state saves on prison sentences and the money made from marjuana taxes.
THE NEVER-ENDING DEBATE: ECONOMY OR ENVIRONMENT?
By Ilana Fingersh
Before the Trump administration leaves office on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump continues to churn out executive orders. One of these includes the selling of parcels of land in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to various oil drilling companies. This decision could leave the environment struggling and President-elect Joe Biden forced to try to reverse the effects.
Starting Nov. 17, oil companies could begin auctioning and bidding for parts of the land for drilling. Many see this as a last minute attempt to lock in more drilling contracts before Biden is inaugurated. Biden has opposed oil drilling in this refuge throughout his campaign, even writing on his platform that he would permanently protect this wildlife area and all other areas impacted by President Trump.
HOW DOES RAP FIT INTO THE THREE
COMPONENTS OF MUSIC, AND DOES IT
EVEN NEED TO?
By Dennis Krolevich
The Merriam Webster’s definition for music is “the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity.” The second part of their definition is a collection of “vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony.” Ever since the creation of the musical genre rap, there has been a debate as to whether it is actually music. The chief argument is that music across the board must include three elements: rhythm, harmony, and melody, but rap seemingly does not possess all three qualities. Before adopting a definition of music that is universally applicable, we must first understand music’s differences between various cultures and why it just isn’t that simple.
BEAUTY AND BRAINS: HOW HOLLYWOOD STARLETS CHANGED THE WORLD
By Olivia Balanoff
Creole Goddess. Bombshell. Pixie. Glamorous. Classic. These are often the words used to portray the Old Hollywood starlets that grace our screens. But these women are so much more than their looks. Many of these women have impacted the shape of our world, and we can see the fruits of their labor every single day. From Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) charity work to the invention of frequency-hopping, there are many notable achievements born from the minds of women famous for their beauty.