The WAVE The Winter Edition Rolling into 2021 - Democracy’s Fresh Start The End of Weighted Grades? Brady’s 7th Ring Photo Courtesy of Douglas Madden THE WAVE PAGE 2 Democracy’s Fresh Start Detriments of Road Salt Optimism for 2021 School Laptops Schedule Woes Anything But Class The End of Weighted Grade, Class Rank &Valedictorian? Ghost Kitchens The GameStop Rebellion. The Undisputed G.O.A.T. Sports Wrap-Up 3 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 9 - 10 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 WANT TO JOIN THE WAVE? Interested in current events? Writing articles? Taking photos? Have skills in Layout and design? Or just have a story that you feel deserves attention? The Wave is a student-produced newspaper that covers a variety of topics and gives students the opportunity to educate others on a subject of their choice. dmadden21@mpsri.net (Douglas Madden, editor-inchief) Lobrien@mpsri.net (Mrs. O’Brien, teacher advisor) Middletown High School 130 Valley Road Middletown. RI 02842 Staff Writers: Justin Theriault Chloe Christy Madison Tynes Melania McKenzie Michael Flanagan Isabella Huntoon Kieran Jameson Zachary Flood Photographers: Douglas Madden Editor: Douglas Madden Teacher Advisor: Lisa O’Brien Ben Dickinson and Caleb Leys celebrate “celly” after Owen Mulhern scores a goal against Portsmouth.. RMR (2) plays Tolgate (7) in the first round of the playoffs on Friday, 2/26/2021. (Courtesy of Caleb Leys) THE WAVE PAGE 3 Chloe Christy Co-editor Democracy’s Fresh Start On January 20th, 2021, a cold Wednesday morning in Washington D.C., the air was lively with a collective sense of optimism and scattered snowfall as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as the 46th President and 49th Vice President of the United States of America. Just two weeks prior, the very democratic process of our nation was threatened by domestic terrorists who stormed Capitol Hill in a violent attempt to overturn the results of the November election. Thankfully, the inaugural traditions and values of American democracy prevailed. Under heavy security and in front of a masked crowd and a display of nearly 200,000 American flags to represent those that could not attend due to the pandemic, both Biden and Harris took their oaths and were sworn into office by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and Justice Sonya Sotomayor. Biden then delivered his 21-minute inaugural address, facing the nation for the first time as President. In this speech, he acknowledged the issues that currently plague the United States, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, an economic crisis, irreversible climate change, and racial injustice fueled by white supremacy. Biden actually made history with this speech, as the first president to explicitly denounce white supremacy and acknowledge the country’s struggle against racism in an inaugural address. The President stated, “A once-in-a-century virus silently stalks the country...A cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer.” Biden continues, “A cry for survival comes from the planet itself. A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any clearer. And now, a rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront, and we will defeat”. Biden also called for the unification of American citizens, and divisions, whether they be political, or economic, to finally end. Putting in perspective the recent politically-fueled insurrection at the Capitol, along with tensions mounting on either side of the aisle, he pleaded for an end to this “uncivil war”. Vowing to be a president for the interest of all Americans, Biden declared “Together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear. Of unity, not division. Of light, not darkness”. Kamala Harris also makes history as the first female, African American, and South Asian American to be the Vice President, and holds the highest office in US history for any woman. Preceded by a neverending line of elderly white men, Harris leads the country into a new and long overdue chapter, ready to make a change and serve as a role model for the aspiring younger generations. With a background as the District Attorney of San Francisco, California Attorney General, and a US senator, she has experience in the justice system and knows how to fight for change in the government. As a whole, the inauguration was a more hopeful event than others we have seen in the past few years. Rather than anxiously prophesize what would soon follow, as media outlets had done following the 2017 ceremony, stories of the day focused on lighter topics. Live footage from the inauguration showed politicians and their families, both Republicans and Democrats, conversing amicably and applauding for the newly inaugurated Biden and Harris. Fashion was also a media focus, as the Biden family’s monochromatic pastel outfits, Harris’s step-daughter Ella Emenoff’s bedazzled plaid dress, and Michelle Obama’s belted maroon ensemble all made headlines. Even memes emerged from the event, specifically from Vermont Senator, Bernie Sander, sitting unbothered in his winter oat and handmade mittens. THE WAVE This stark, but bright contrast to previous media coverage reflects the sigh of relief exhaled by many Americans, as the country turns a page and this new administration takes the reins. In attendance were both Biden and Harris’s families, including First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Second Gentlemen Doug Emenoff, notable Washington politicians and government officials, former Presidents and First Ladies, and most surprisingly, Vice President Mike Pence. Pence and former Second Lady, Karen Pence, could be seen chatting with Harris and Emenoff, and were even walked out by the new Vice President and Second Gentlemen, seemingly on good terms. Though in former years, Pence's attendance would have been implied, his presence had been speculated as President Donald Trump abstained from attending. Trump instead ignored the transfer of power and threw a going away party for his own administration, before heading home to Mar-a-lago, Florida. Also noted was the national address from Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota senator and former Democratic candidate. In this speech, she acknowledged the urgent need for a more united American democracy. Klobuchar was also the first to introduce Joe Biden as the 46th president. Performances of the day include the singing of the National Anthem, by pop sensation Lady Gaga, and the reading of the inaugural poem, by rising star Amanda Gorman. At just 22 years old, Gorman delivered her empowering original piece, “The Hill We Climb”, and is the youngest ever inaugural poet in American history. Gorman eloquently reminded Americans of our nation’s potential for greatness and unity, stating, “We are striving to forge a union with purpose, to compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man. And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us, but what stands before us. We close the divide because we know, to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside. We lay down our arms so we can PAGE 4 reach out our arms to one another”. “We are striving to forge a union with purpose” Moving forward, as he alluded to in this address, the Biden Administration plans to reverse some of the effects of former President Donald Trump, who under the Trump administration, withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, politicized and utilized military force to combat Black Lives Matter protesters, downplayed the severity of COVID-19 and ignored the advice of the World Health Organization, encouraged prejudices through both his executive orders and rhetoric, and as whole further divided the country on unnecessary political and social lines. After promising to make reforms and setting an ambitious goal for the first 100 days of his presidency, Biden and Harris have made progress so far. During his first two weeks in office, President Biden has signed around 25 executive orders, setting a new record. Some of his notable actions so far have been rejoining the U.S. in Paris Climate Agreement, lifting the Muslim Travel Ban, introducing a new immigration bill, launching an executive order that will prevent discrimination against the LGBTQ community, lifting the transgender military ban, mandating masks on federal property, launching an executive order for advancing racial equity and increasing federal support for underserved communities, and reengaging with the World Health Organization. Though there is obviously much more work to be done, the next four years look as though they will be promising, and full of affirmative action from President Biden and Vice President Harris. (Photo courtesy of the New York Times) THE WAVE Isabelle Huntoon Staff Writer Detriments of Road Salt With colder days approaching, all New Englanders (especially new drivers) should be on the lookout for ice on the roads. Streets become increasingly dangerous as temperatures drop and ice forms. Luckily, we have road salt to combat this. Road salt drops the melting point of ice by nearly 10 degrees, becoming an everyday life-saver during the winter. According to a study performed by Marquette University, road salt decreases accidents by 88%, injuries by 85%, and accident costs by 85%. Road salt is composed of sodium and chloride, meaning that when it meets frozen water, road salt divides into two separate ions that get in between the water molecules, causing the ice to form at a lower freezing point. Though road salt is incredibly effective, problems arise when the salt is carried away from the roads by runoff water. The sodium chloride from road salt ends up in soil, groundwater, lakes, ponds, rivers, and oceans. An increase of sodium ions in soil can cause it to be infertile and unable to strain water properly. Road salt runoff can also impact the quality of water consumed by people when sodium chloride ends up in groundwater, which is then used for tap water. In fact, the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies reports that in a 2008 study conducted in Duchess County, New York, found that the sodium levels in the water in the county were on average 48 mg/L, when the EPA suggests that a safe level of sodium is 20 mg/L. Road salt in ground water becomes an even larger issue if the sodium chloride concentration reaches higher levels, because water will soon have to go through a very expensive and energy intense desalination process. Not only does salt affect water quality, but it is also detrimental to automobiles and the roads that they PAGE 5 drive on. The Golden Eagle writes, “Your brakes, transmission, and other vital pieces are all exposed as you drive through the snow and ice. Long-term exposure means risking not only your car’s looks but its overall safety.” Ask any car repair professional and they’ll tell you how detrimental road salt is for the structural integrity of the undercarriage of cars. Additionally, USA Today estimates that the U.S. spends nearly $5 billion a year on infrastructure damage due to road salt. Road salt not only corrodes any reinforcing metal structures contained in bridges, concrete structures, and highway equipment, but it actually leaches calcium out of blacktop/asphalt, leaving it more prone to cracks and leaving towns to pay for these damages. Unfortunately, it is also estimated that Rhode Island uses the most salt out of any state, at 44.2 tons of salt per mile of road lanes. When it comes to the environment, sodium chloride wreaks havoc on ecosystems and the animals that live within them. Environmentalists argue that road salt pushes the sodium level in ecosystems to a dangerous level. Due to their roadside location, wetlands and the animals that live in these areas often experience the worst effects of road salt. When animals intake excess sodium, their bodies struggle to regulate it. Sodium chloride also cripples the growth of native plant species and encourages the cultivation of invasive species which have adapted to tolerate higher levels of sodium. This leads to a decrease in native species that are critical for the stability of the ecosystems. Unfortunately, road salt is also detrimental for lakes and ponds, as it increases the density of water, which leads to less oxygen circulation. Chloride also sits on the bottom of lakes and ponds, making it difficult for the soil at the bottom of these bodies of water to absorb the nutrients necessary to support the ecosystems. In addition, salt also dehydrates and kills roadside plants and trees. Deer are also attracted to the salt that is dropped on the roads. The deer are drawn to the roadside, which decreases the safety for both drivers and the deer. THE WAVE (cont. from page 10) On the bright side, scientists have been experimenting with solutions to this problem. The Smithsonian’s Joseph Stromberg reports that watering down the roads before salting helps more salt stick to the road surface. This innovation reduces not only the amount of salt needed, but in doing so also reduces the costs to apply it as well as decreases the amount of salt that bounces off into the roadside environment. Similarly, mixing road salt with sand or gravel also keeps more of the salt on the road and improves tire traction. On the more eccentric side, The Conversation coreporters Jamie Summers And Robin Valleau write that beet juice, sugarcane molasses, cheese brine, and pickle juice have all been mixed with road salt to decrease the amount of salt used. Unfortunately, people have complained that these solutions give off a bad odor and make the roads stink. A more extreme idea would be to replace the asphalt that roads are made of with solar panels. This technology has been developed but is not very efficient and needs to be improved before being applied on a large scale. On our own properties, what can we do to reduce the amount of salt we use? By shoveling your driveway before the snow gets the chance to melt, there will be less ice produced; therefore, eliminating the need for salt. According to MPR News, you can put down sand or gravel on top of the ice to increase your traction when you use your driveway and sidewalk. Lastly, trying out home remedies can never hurt. As humans, we often don’t think about the environmental impacts that our actions have. However, we need to begin taking care of the earth that we live on. By protecting our environment, we are protecting our future. This can prove incredibly difficult, but it is crucial. Road salt is an environmental evil, but for now it is a necessary one. By developing better technology, hopefully we can reduce the amount of road salt used and limit the environmental impact. Editor’s note: this report was writing in mid-January in hopes of informing the community about the value of road salt PAGE 6 Michael Flanagan Senior Staff Writer Optimism for 2021 2020 was an unpredictable year with a global pandemic taking the center of attention. We are not out of the woods yet, and many health experts predict it will get worse before it gets better based on the increasing numbers of positive cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from holiday get togethers. Once the virus is defeated globally the world will return to “normal”. However, life may never completely revert to the way it was before the pandemic. The first step in getting back to some sort of normalcy is the majority of the population getting vaccinated. Dr. Fauci, chief medical advisor to the President, believes that by the second half of the year most people will have the ability to get the vaccine and more information will be learned about the virus. There have been many new mutations ,but Fauci has claimed that as more people get vaccinated ,the new strain risk will decrease. As of now there have been problems with vaccine distribution but the Biden administration plans on using FEMA to open more vaccination centers across the United States along with ramping up testing sites with more funding. Once someone has the coronavirus, techniques such as antibiotics used on President Trump can be used to mitigate the affects of the disease. Come summertime, scientists think that large outdoor gatherings will be acceptable as long as some physical distancing is maintained. By the end of summer, herd immunity is likely to be reached