OIDJ Editor - page 2

By Thalia Henry, Lawton MacArthur High School As certain effects of the pandemic start to subside, people around the nation are still facing financial burden and food insecurity. Despite this, local food pantries are continuing to try and aid those in need, including the OU Food Pantry and another called Food and Shelter in Norman.  In Oklahoma, Norman’s poverty rate has been on a constant incline over the past four years, with 43% (55,040) of the population being below the SNAP threshold, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. To combat this, both food pantries in Norman are operating…

By Jensen McKey, Epic Charter Schools Students, educators, and professionals alike are coming to terms with the lasting effects of the pandemic on their studies, work and lives.  Before the pandemic, 62% of college students had never been enrolled in a virtual class. Then, in March 2020, many colleges around the country made the decision to hold the rest of the semester online over Zoom. The University of Oklahoma was no exception, moving all classes online after spring break.  Dr. Cyndi Frisby is a professor of strategic communication at Gaylord College of Journalism at OU. She was a new faculty hire at…

By Kylee Crisswell, Yukon High School Eight years after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled the Ten Commandments could not stand on state property, a new push would propose putting them into public schools. The recurring debate over whether this is constitutional is once again coming back into the public eye.  The state superintendent of education recently received a recommendation to place displays of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. This suggestion was proposed by the Advisory Committee of Foundational Principles. This committee is independent and not tied to the state government. The committee is made up of people from…

Hanna Joo, Norman North High School Many college students struggle to pay for their education, often through minimum wage jobs. These students live in constant dread of not having enough money to make ends meet. And for Alyx Sabina of Midwest City, the past three years have been a series of minimum wage jobs. Alyx has worked as a waitress for $2.25 per hour plus tips while attending Rose State College.  “Just because most of the time, minimum wage jobs are more flexible with their hours. And when you’re a college student, you really need flexibility in the workplace,” she…

By Houston Williams, Walnut Grove High School, Prosper Texas The University of Oklahoma is most known for its football team hitting the field each fall, but that’s one of many groups to make their debuts.  One of those is Welcome Black Weekend. The OU coordinator of African American programs and services, Angelique Price, said, “Welcome black weekend is a three day orientation for incoming or transfer Black students. The Welcome Black Week is a part of African American Programs and Services.” Welcome Black Weekend will be held Aug. 26-28. This organization is all about getting connected with Black students of OU.…

By Lucas Mann, Bartlesville High School  Ashley Winn is a nurse in Oklahoma but she never thought she’d be the one needing help. Winn has is polycystic kidney disease. She is one of several thousand in the nation with chronic kidney disease. Katie Hallum is another Oklahoman with kidney disease. This story illustrates the perspectives of patients with CKD and the organ donation processes. Most organ donors are matched to patients through various organizations, such as Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) but as social media becomes more popular cases have been found where people use TikTok to find donors.

By Joslin Tinline, Plainview High School, Ardmore Though he is only months into his first term in office, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters continues to generate controversy.  So far this year, Walters has called the teachers union terrorists, banned books and demanded a teacher to be removed for advising a certain library to her students.  Walters said he will ensure that indoctrination and (Critical Race Theory)  are eliminated from our state. Last week, Walters made remarks that further divided the state. On July 6, Walters held a forum at the Norman Public Library. Walters spoke and answered questions. A YouTube…