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Rachel Laposka

Rachel Laposka, Op-Ed Editor

Senior Rachel Laposka is a two-year member of The Prowler staff. She is the Op-Ed Editor.

All content by Rachel Laposka
The rights of transgender female student-athletes all across America are under fire with the new Florida bill, “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.” This bill will prohibit transgender females from playing on female sports teams. The bill exposes the dangers and difficulties facing the transgender community. We need to educate ourselves and others in the community to ensure the safety of these children.

Opinion: We need to protect the transgender youth

May 7, 2021
Protestors gather after the death of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old black man murdered at the hands of police on April 11 in Minneapolis. Wright’s death took place only weeks after the death of Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old Latino boy from Chicago. The police are beginning to get all too comfortable when it comes to the death of people of color. Without serious police reform, these BIPOC deaths will only increase.

Opinion: Violence against BIPOC needs to stop

April 21, 2021
Women are taught how to defend themselves against a male attacker. Meanwhile, men are rarely taught about the dangers women face. This creates an unsafe space for women to come forward with their traumatic experiences, leading to a general lack of discussion regarding sexual assault. In order to fight the increasing assault statistics, we need to hold men accountable for their actions and educate them on the dangers women face.

Opinion: Instead of criticizing women, we must educate men

April 13, 2021
The LGBTQ+ community faces immense danger due to the general lack of acceptance from society. Thanks to this lack of acceptance, domestic violence and suicide rates among the community have skyrocketed. If people can begin to educate themselves and others, and public figures begin to use their platform to speak out about the issue, then acceptance will be seen as something more attainable rather than wishful thinking.

Opinion: The importance of acceptance

March 3, 2021
Patty Walters, singer of UK rock band As It Is, brings up the point of artists in the alternative music scene romanticizing mental illness in their music. This harms individuals that suffer from various mental disorders, while desensitizing people to the ugly reality that is mental illness. In order to break down the stigma surrounding mental illness and put an end to the glorification of it in music, artists need to begin normalizing mental illness.

Opinion: Music industry needs to stop romanticizing mental health

February 10, 2021
The United State’s criminal justice system is painfully flawed, resulting in the mass incarcerations of BIPOC across the nation and trials that take ages to be processed. Due to systemic racism in the criminal justice system, countless BIPOC lives have been lost at the hands of police officers over petty crimes and simple allegations. By further educating law officials and reforming the system as a whole, we can dismantle the racial bias decimating this nation.

Opinion: Criminal justice system needs to be reformed

December 10, 2020
Infographics located at the main entrance of Starr’s Mill depict safe and healthy tactics to use to combat the spread of COVID-19. Fayette County has seen an increase in COVID numbers within the school system. In order to protect the students, staff, and faculty from the spread of COVID, Starr’s Mill needs to consider reverting back to “yellow” status.

Opinion: Protect student health, switch to ‘yellow’ now

November 20, 2020
Last Friday, the Starr’s Mill swim team started its quest for a 21st consecutive county championship, defeating McIntosh 307 to 243. “We need to just stay focused, one meet at a time, one week at a time, one practice at a time,” girls’ swim coach Robin Huggins said. “We can’t take anything for granted.”

Swim team dips toes into new season

November 11, 2020
On Nov. 4, punk band Anti-Flag released “A Dying Plea Vol. 1,” a song begging the United States to change their ways before the country’s divide grows any larger. The song features other artists in the punk scene, like DE’WAYNE and Tom Morello, the guitarist from Rage Against the Machine.

A plea to end the violence

November 5, 2020
Students wearing face masks in Adriah Williams’ seventh-period Food, Nutrition, and Wellness class. COVID-19 has been plastered all over the news since mid-March of 2020. The global pandemic’s spread can be limited by wearing masks and social distancing, something posing a challenge to schools reopening for the 2020-2021 school year due to people’s blatant disregard for the health and safety of others.

Opinion: Schools re-opening prematurely despite global pandemic

November 3, 2020
Bring Me The Horizon, a UK-based metalcore band, released “Teardrops” on Oct. 22. “Teardrops” is a painfully realistic song about mental illness, specifically depression, and the mental and physical tolls it can have on one’s body. The lyrics of the song focus on the idea of “solving” issues with substance abuse, leading to an emptiness that is “heavier than you think.”

Shed some ‘teardrops’ with Bring Me The Horizon

October 23, 2020
Planned Parenthood, a non-profit organization that provides millions of people with easy access to birth control, sex education, hormone therapy, abortion services, and other general healthcare services, is under attack by people who claim to be “pro-life.” These self-proclaimed pro-lifers use religion-based arguments in an attempt to dismantle Planned Parenthood. If the United States can clearly distinguish the church from the state, then Planned Parenthood will continue to provide healthcare services.

Opinion: We need to protect Planned Parenthood

October 13, 2020
Bonnie Fraser, lead singer of Australian pop-punk band Stand Atlantic, has redefined the standards for pop-punk with the band’s most recent album, “Pink Elephant.” The new experimental sound displayed throughout the album borrows elements from other genres and blends them together with the standard pop-punk sound to create something phenomenal.

Stand Atlantic

October 11, 2020
Lynn Gunn is the sole member of alt-rock band PVRIS. In late August, PVRIS released their third full-length studio album, “Use Me.” Gunn did all of the writing, vocals, instrumentals, and mixing of the new album on her own.

PVRIS

October 10, 2020
Layla Brooklyn Allman’s vocals are nothing short of powerful. The lead singer of late 2000’s screamo band Picture Me Broken is able to mimic death metal and deathcore screams. Although the band has been on hiatus since 2014, Allman continues to tease new solo music.

Picture Me Broken

October 9, 2020
Paramore’s lead singer, Hayley Williams, has been in the music industry since her early teen years. Williams first started the band when she was only 16. After the release of the band’s 2017 album, Paramore went on a hiatus they have yet to return from. As of 2020, Hayley Williams has released her own solo music -- an EP titled “Petals for Armor.”

Paramore

October 8, 2020
Amanda Lee Duffy--Mandy Lee--is the lead singer and front-woman of MisterWives. The band released their third studio album titled “SUPERBLOOM” in July. “SUPERBLOOM,” tells the story of Mandy Lee and drummer Etienne Bowler’s divorce.

MisterWives

October 7, 2020
Hannah Mee, who simply goes by Han, is one of the two vocalists in the Manchester-based pop-punk band Hot Milk. Other than vocals, Mee also plays guitar for the band. Mee is an incredibly talented vocalist who is able to freely harmonize screaming and yelling in songs.

Hot Milk

October 6, 2020
Ashley Frangipane, who goes by the stage name Halsey, has dominated the music charts for the last few years. Halsey has experimented with various styles, including rock, pop, and even dabbling briefly in rap before settling with the “alternative” label. As of lately, Halsey’s sound is progressing into something angrier as she fuels her lyrics with rage caused by various social issues.

Halsey

October 5, 2020
Lzzy Hale is the lead singer of American rock band Halestorm. Hale manipulates her voice to fit the gritty, harsh sound of rock music. The talented singer is able to let out belting screams in her songs and go up in her register as she screams.

Halestorm

October 4, 2020
Doll Skin is an American rock band based in Phoenix, Arizona. Front-person, Sydney Dolezal, displays high-levels of talent with their wide vocal range. The band is LGBTQ+ friendly -- lead singer Dolezal is non-binary, meaning they are gender-non-conforming.

Doll Skin

October 3, 2020
Chrissy Costanza is the lead singer of the alternative-pop band Against the Current. Costanza tends to switch between her head voice and chest voice frequently in her songs. The band has written songs for the online game “League of Legends” and even a song for the popular anime, “My Hero Academia.”

Against the Current

October 2, 2020
Stand Atlantic, the Australian based pop-punk band, redefined the sound of pop-punk with their new album, “Pink Elephant.” Female-led bands deserve more recognition in the music industry, more specifically in the alternative and rock scene. The work of these talented females is typically drowned out due to the clear sexism that is prevalent in the music industry.

Empowering females in the rock scene

October 1, 2020
The stigma around men’s mental health has been steadily worsening over the years. It is perceived, thanks to toxic masculinity, that men are less susceptible to mental health issues. By normalizing seeking help and dismantling toxic masculinity, the stigma surrounding men’s mental health can be abolished.

Opinion: Men’s mental health overlooked, toxic masculinity huge factor

September 17, 2020
Doll Skin, an LGBTQ+ friendly women-led band, takes a stand against gender inequality in the music scene. From unequal pay to stereotypical sounds, sexism in the music industry has been an ongoing battle for years. Women rarely have a big breakthrough in the music industry, particularly in the rock and alternative genre. Time and time again, people have tried shining a light on the growing issue of sexism only to be met with minimal results that do more harm than good. Fans can do their part to fight sexism in the industry by streaming and supporting the wide variety of female artists trying to make a name for themselves.

Opinion: Female musicians deserve more credit, fans can help

September 10, 2020
Point North, a pop-punk band based in Los Angeles, released “No One’s Listening” on Aug 19. The song describes the never-ending issues revolving around ICE and their inhumane detention centers. “No One’s Listening” goes into detail about the horrors adults and children face in their day to day lives while in the detainment centers.

A call to action

August 28, 2020
Enter Shikari, a post-hardcore band based in Hertfordshire, England, revamped the electronicore genre with their recent album, “Nothing is True & Everything is Possible.” From local politics in the United Kingdom to gun violence in the United States and global warming, this album encourages listeners to question the media and divulge in the sinister idea that “everything is possible.”

Welcome to the “dreamer’s hotel”

April 30, 2020
Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor performs during a concert in May 2009. Concerts are a way of bringing fans together. With the outbreak of COVID-19, however, all concerts and other large social gatherings have come to a halt. On March 27, Nine Inch Nails released two albums back to back titled “Ghosts V: Together” and “Ghosts VI: Locusts.” The ambient albums show the different ways society can react to the current global pandemic.

Banding together

March 30, 2020
On March 6, alternative rap artist Watsky released a new album, “Placement.” The album is shorter compared to Watsky’s previous records, but the topics discussed in the lyrics hold true to the rapper’s legacy. Each song on the album has a different sound, whether it be an upbeat song about his childhood, a misleading song about politics, or a slow song about mental illness.

Finding your ‘Placement’

March 17, 2020
Four Year Strong, a melodic hardcore band based in Massachusetts, recently released their seventh studio album titled “Brain Pain.” The album is composed of 12 songs that discuss the challenges that come along with overcoming insecurities and anxieties that plague people in their day-to-day lives.

Overcoming ‘Brain Pain’

March 14, 2020
“The Last Lecture” is an autobiography about the life of author Randy Pausch, a computer science and human-computer interaction and design professor at Carnegie Mellon University. When Pausch learns he only has months left to live, he takes to lecturing one last time, educating his students on how to make the most out of life with limited time.

Panther Reads

March 7, 2020
On Feb. 14, nu-metal band Hollywood Undead released their sixth studio album titled “New Empire, Vol. 1.” Each of the nine tracks on the album tells a story, detailing the hardships of coming to terms with who you are. Lyrically, “New Empire, Vol. 1” is tamer than the band’s previous records, but the content still lives up to the edgy standard the band has gathered over time.

The revival of nu-metal

February 23, 2020
“The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath is a semi-autobiographical novel that explains the hardships young women face in the real world. The novel draws parallels between the main character, Esther Greenwood, and the author, reflecting the mental lapse Plath experienced while writing the novel.

Panther Reads

February 23, 2020
Punk rock band Green Day released their 13th studio album on Feb. 7. “Father of All…” keeps that classic Green Day sound of rebellious nature while also sprinkling in societal issues such as global warming. This album, while only ten tracks long, upholds the high standard of punk music.

‘Father of all’ Green Day albums

February 13, 2020
“A List of Cages,” a young adult fiction novel by Robin Roe, pushes boundaries in the literary world. The in-depth novel tackles heavy topics such as domestic abuse, mental illness, and the uphill battle of dealing with grief. Not for the faint of heart, this book exposes the harsh realities some people face in their day-to-day lives.

Ten million stars for ‘A List of Cages’

February 9, 2020
Collected Short Stories (Great Author Series)” by Leo Tolstoy features over 120 short stories. Some of the more commonly known short stories included are “Alyosha the Pot” and “Ivan the Fool.

Panther Reads

January 25, 2020
“20/20 Vision” by Anti-Flag released last Friday. The extremely political punk album brings light to varying issues in today’s society, ranging from political figures to racial stereotypes.”20/20 Vision” is an angsty album perfect for spreading social awareness.

Punk’s not dead

January 21, 2020
The poster for the Marvel Cinematic Universes first Avengers movie. In these stories the staff of the Arts and Entertainment department list favorite movies, shows, songs, albums, and books of the 2010s.

Best of the 2010s

January 14, 2020
This segment of “Panther Reads” features Chad Phillips, head coach of Starr’s Mill’s football team. Phillips describes “Killing Patton” by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard as a novel focusing on uncovering the conspiracies surrounding World War II General George S. Patton Jr.’s death.

Panther Reads

December 7, 2019
Guidance counselor Colleen Petty shares the novel “Hope Heals,” a true story about a woman who suffers from an unexpected stroke and has to rebuild her life all over again. This novel shows that with a little bit of faith, you can overcome anything.

Panther Reads

November 15, 2019
As It Is, a British-American pop-punk band, released “The Great Depression: Reimagined” in its entirety on Nov. 8. The album features all of the songs from the original album, “The Great Depression” but with a different sound on every song.

Reimagined standards

November 15, 2019
Synthpop-rock duo Simple Creatures released their second EP, “Everything Opposite”, on Oct. 11. The EP is made up of six tracks that combine together to create an anthem for almost any emotion the audience may feel.

‘Opposite’ of what you might expect

November 7, 2019
Panther Reads

Panther Reads

November 2, 2019
“the underrated youth,” an EP from UK-based artist Yungblud, released on Oct. 18. This EP challenges standards by speaking out about issues that are commonly seen as “taboo” in today’s society.

Breaking stigmas one at a time

October 28, 2019
Waterpark’s third album, “FANDOM” released on Oct. 11. All 15 tracks on the album express various emotions such as anger when a fanbase does not appreciate what the musicians are putting out and resentment after an unsuccessful relationship.

The power of ‘fandom’

October 23, 2019
Victoria Schwab’s young adult dystopian novel “This Savage Song” follows the hardships of two teenagers in an unstable city on the brink of war. By constructing a novel unlike anything she has done before, Schwab issues a novel anyone can enjoy.

Malachai, Corsai, Sunai, oh my!

October 15, 2019
Blink-182’s ninth album, “NINE,” released on Sept 20. The album is composed of fifteen tracks that talk about dealing with depression and other hardships life may throw at you.

Blink-182 returns moodier than ever

October 6, 2019
In this segment of Panther Reads, Starr’s Mill drama teacher Savahna Silvas discusses “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr. This historical fiction novel is set in occupied France during World War II and follows the story of a young girl and boy who will do whatever it takes to keep the other safe.

Panther Reads

October 5, 2019
“Nella Vita,” Grayscale’s sophomore album, was released on Sept. 6. The band blends the classic sound of pop-punk with other elements of alternative-rock to create an album that will get Grayscale the recognition they deserve.

In life with Grayscale

September 29, 2019
In this week’s episode of “Panther Reads,” Starr’s Mill English teacher Dr. Lela Crowder praises “The Book Jumper” by Mechthild Gläser. This young adult fantasy novel fills avid readers with envy as the main character, Amy, adventures through well-known novels.

Panther Reads

September 21, 2019
M.T. Anderson’s young adult dystopian novel “Feed” focuses on two star-crossed lovers trying to stabilize their relationship despite their opposing views and unsupportive friends and family. While the dialogue may come across as immature, it provides insight into the minds of teenagers.

“Feed” your need for teen drama

September 17, 2019
In this segment of “Panther Reads,” Starr’s Mill English teacher Dr. Bonnie Stanford shares the heart-wrenching young adult novel “A List of Cages.” This book covers heavy topics such as mental health and abusive families.

Panther Reads

September 6, 2019
Liz Braswells novel “As Old as Time” takes the classic “Beauty and the Beast” and changes the way the story is told by adding another character. In using this plot twist, Braswell creates a story that is not gruesome but still leaves her audience wanting more.

A twist on a classic tale

August 27, 2019
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