![Holding up T-wolves, the tour group poses for a picture in the Chinese classroom. Sophomore Lydia Ou, junior Phu Trung and senior Yushan Pan gave a tour to Taiwanese diplomat Andrea Yang on Nov. 8. “I was so excited when I heard I would get to give the tour because it’s a big deal,” Ou said. “She’s from the US embassy for Taiwan, so she’s really important. I’m so privileged [to get this opportunity] and I’m so excited.” Photo by Skyler King](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Main-Taiwan.jpg)
![Students drew chalk art in honor of Veterans day. This is just one of many things the school does to show appreciation to veterans, and the art will remain in the courtyard as a reminder of all of the veterans who served their country. “On veteran’s day, I think it’s a great thing we do at school to honor people that served [who are] at our school or family members,” English teacher and cheer coach Nadira King said. “It makes me feel proud, and it makes me remember the [veterans].”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Capture.png)
![Sucking in a breath of air, freshman Lily Pope competes in the 200 yard individual medley. On Oct. 25, the swim team competed in the AISD Swim Invitational. Overall, the girls team took second place and the boys team came in eleventh. “My favorite stroke is butterfly because I do the best in that stroke,” Pope said. “I feel like [butterfly] can test how [your ability] to convince yourself to keep going. The hardest part of swimming is convincing yourself to stay strong and keep pushing during a hard race [when] everything is tired.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/POPE-1200x804.jpg)
![Smiling at the camera, Author Ehigbor Okosun, members of Page Turners, and other students reflect on the author's visit. “I thought the visit was great,” Senior Amia De Leon said. “It was interesting talking to her and [getting to know] her process and her thoughts and books in general. But I think the reason it went well [was that] people got to ask questions. I'm glad that she said so much in response to the questions and it wasn't just one and done. [The author’s responses] felt very articulate.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Sebastian-5-1200x800.jpg)
![Standing in front of the field at a freshman football game, cheerleader freshman Jacob Gaudreau along with teammate freshman Bella Gibson pose for a photo during halftime of game. “[Cheer has] definitely given me a much more outgoing personality,” Gaudreau said. “I used to be very introverted, so it's definitely made me more extroverted towards people.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Ingrid-204-1200x800.jpg)
![Holding a wooden pizza toy, senior Taylor Peterson plays with small children in Bucaramanga, Colombia. During the summer, Peterson traveled to Colombia to help build an elementary school that only had two classrooms but five or six grades with one teacher. “We add[ed] two more classrooms,” Peterson said. “It’s kind of hard when you have two or three grades in one classroom and you only have one teacher. It’s very hard to actually get some beneficial learning. [The extra classrooms will give the students] a better quality of education because they’ll actually have a place specific for their learning.” Photo by Taylor Peterson](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Taylor-P.png)
![Swinging with his arm extended, senior Nolan Park hits the ball smoothly over the net and to the opponent’s side. Park is one of four varsity tennis captains and helped the team win district championships. “Winning district champs was a pretty awesome feeling,” Park said. “We had lost to Liberty Hill a couple of weeks before, but when we played them [again], we came out and really took care of business. We took them out and it was just a really awesome night.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kassidy-419.jpg)
![Standing proud, varsity senior athletes Rafael Escobar, Griffin Jacobs, Jakob Martin, and juniors Jackson Springer and Jack Morris pose with their newly earned medals. The varsity team finished third out of 14 teams on Sept. 25. “The team's primary goal is to win the district championship,” head coach Cody Price said. "We're confident that with our action plan in place, we can accomplish this mission. [For the next tournament], our preparation involves assessing our strengths and weaknesses, celebrating milestones and creating individual development plans." Photo courtesy of Cody Price](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/golf.jpg)
![The cross country team poses for the camera after finishing the district meet. The varsity boys, JV boys and JV girls all placed third and the varsity girls placed fourth. “Coach put in the right training for us for this season, so I think we will be peaking this week and the next couple of weeks,” varsity runner and junior Nathan Kukla said. “The chances of making it to state are very high, but we don’t settle for the lowest and there is always going to be that chance, so [we] race for the best.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Heidi-831-1200x900.jpg)
Biden’s Action Plan
How the New Presidency Affects Students
Photo by Joshua Sukoff on Unsplash
President Joe Biden has only been in office for a few weeks, but he has already made major changes and promises to our country. Only time will tell how his presidency will play out. regardless it’s important for students and youth to stay updated and informed.
February 12, 2021
With Gen Z having more progressive beliefs than previous generations and being most likely to look to the government for solutions, according to the Pew Research Center, the new presidency holds importance. Here are the top four courses of action President Joe Biden plans to take in his upcoming term.
Pass the Equality Act and advance transgender rights
According to NBC Biden plans on passing the equality act which will outlaw discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community. If this bill is passed it will be a milestone achievement since its proposal in 2019. The previous administration was opposed to the bill being passed. Biden has also repealed the former administration’s ban on transgender service members according to the Washington Post. This means that transgender people that were formerly enlisted in the military are now able to continue their service, furthermore, gender identity is no longer used as a standard for service in the military. In addition, Biden has also brought Dr. Rachel Levine onto his cabinet as assistant health secretary, according to Them. This is the first time in history that a member of the LGBTQ community has been allowed a position in the cabinet.
Plan for combating Covid-19
As of 2021, there are 27.2 million confirmed cases in the U.S according to The New York Times. Biden plans to reduce the severity of the pandemic in the U.S with a five-stage plan according to Forbes. This plan includes vaccinating 100 million people in 100 days, addressing supply gaps, putting stricter enforcement’s on masking, reducing racial and ethnic disparities for communities, and eventually reopening schools safely. However this plan is not without setbacks, many teachers have opposed reopening of schools as it may put students and themselves at higher risk according to U.S News. Nevertheless, Biden’s plan has been progressing and is expected to take place albeit slowly.
Eliminate a portion of student debt for future graduates
As a part of COVID relief, Biden also hopes to relieve up to $10,000 of student debt according to Nerdwallet. He wants to provide relief to individuals whether they attended a public or private university. However, the funds won’t be provided to those that used student loans from an undergraduate program or if the individual makes more than $125,000 annually. The average student debt in North America is $32,731 according to ValuePenguin. If Biden’s appeal is approved that would help many new students that enroll as well as those that have already graduated tremendously with any current or future debt.
Increase minimum wage to $15
Lastly, Biden hopes to pass a bill that would increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 according to CNN. This would increase the yearly wages of minimum wage workers by roughly $13,120 before taxes. However, he has also stated that this bill may not be passed due to the wake of COVID-19. Nearly 30% of all high school students participate in the labor force according to BLS. This would mean that high school students that currently work will have more economic freedom to put their saved funds towards university or a car. It could also allow them to work fewer hours to achieve their financial goals which would free up more time for schoolwork or extracurriculars.
![Sucking in a breath of air, freshman Lily Pope competes in the 200 yard individual medley. On Oct. 25, the swim team competed in the AISD Swim Invitational. Overall, the girls team took second place and the boys team came in eleventh. “My favorite stroke is butterfly because I do the best in that stroke,” Pope said. “I feel like [butterfly] can test how [your ability] to convince yourself to keep going. The hardest part of swimming is convincing yourself to stay strong and keep pushing during a hard race [when] everything is tired.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/POPE-300x201.jpg)
