A vape is an electronic device used to diffuse a concentrated liquid solution of some type of recreational drug, typically nicotine or cannabis. For this article’s purposes, we will be focusing on nicotine use, as it is the most prevalent among high schoolers. Vape liquid comes in many different flavors; for example, banana, mint, berry, bubblegum, and cinnamon. There’s also a variety in the strength of each liquid.

Vapes entered the market around 2003 and have become extremely popular over the years, especially with teenagers and young adults. In 2011, there were 7 million vape users. In 2021, that number rose to 82 million. Vape usage has increased exponentially in teens. According to the CDC, one in five American teens have vaped before; 22.5% use daily.

Schools and anti-tobacco campaigns alike have been quick to take notice and action, leading to new policies and campaigns. One of the more well-known of these is the TRUTH campaign, originally known as the Florida Tobacco Pilot Program, a campaign that seeks to end vaping among gen Z.

While there is nothing inherently wrong with trying to prevent drug use among teenagers, the TRUTH campaign tends to err on the side of prohibition of all recreational drug use. Prohibition policies cause hundreds of thousands of deaths a year and are responsible for drug use being as dangerous as it is. For example, TRUTH often makes the claim that vaping is no safer than smoking. This is, firstly, false, and secondly, hurts more than it helps. A teenager who vapes isn’t going to stop vaping because they saw an ad, but they might start smoking if they think it’s no worse.

This harm also comes in the form of legal consequences. While Inland Lakes doesn’t take legal action if a student is caught vaping, many other schools do. The school-to-prison pipeline is something too complex to get into in this article, but it can be summarized as the fact that sending teenagers to prison, among other penal actions, (unsurprisingly) makes the problem worse. Giving someone a criminal record rarely cures their addiction, nor does it address the problems, both personal and structural, that lead to teen drug use.

All of this misinformation and fear obscures the actual truth about vaping, or what it actually is to begin with. Why do people vape, anyways?

To start, the strongest psychoactive (affecting the mind) chemical in both tobacco and e-liquid is nicotine. This is why it’s possible for electronic cigarettes, nicotine gum, etc. to exist- because it isn’t every chemical in tobacco that produces the effect. So, what does nicotine actually do?

Nicotine, classified as a stimulant, is a proven performance enhancer. Multiple studies have shown improvements in motor abilities, alertness, attention, and memory. But as a recreational experience, many users report more negative than positive effects. One user reporting his experience on the website erowid stated, “The feeling is very much like caffeine side effects with none of the mental stimulation. Jittery feeling, mild nausea, but I noticed no mental effects at all.”

Although safer than traditional cigarettes, vaping still carries many health risks and has some of the worst addiction potential of any drug. While cytotoxicity (harmfulness to cells) varies between different liquids, adverse effects include chest pain, nose bleeds, airway inflammation, nausea, coughing, and headaches. There is also evidence to suggest that vaping harms neurons and triggers spasms, but this is not conclusive.

Nicotine is considered one of the most addictive drugs in existence, as addictive as heroin and cocaine. First time nicotine users become dependent 32% of the time. Nicotine is both mentally and physically addictive. Withdrawal symptoms include extreme cravings, irritation, anxiety, lack of focus, insomnia, and depression, and typically last weeks or a month. Less than 1/10th of people who try to quit nicotine succeed.

Another issue is the prevalence of contaminants in e-liquid. Many carbonyl compounds (which are often toxic to humans in high doses) can form when the e-liquid is heated, depending on the composition of the liquid itself and the voltage of the pen. Reduced voltage (3.0 V) has a lower risk of carbonyl formation, while high voltage (5.0 V) can produce as much or more than tobacco.

Even when using a safe voltage, there’s a risk of contaminants. Researchers at John Hopkins University found over 2000 unknown chemicals in vape clouds from a variety of manufacturers. Vape clouds are known to create particles of toxicants, carcinogens, and heavy metals, which are dangerous to human health. The amount and concentration varied across and within manufacturers and liquids.

It is also dangerous to modify the device itself. In 2018, a Florida man was killed when his vape exploded, which sent the pen through his skull. Modifying a vape pen risks putting more stress on the lithium ion battery than it can handle, which is what caused the explosion.

Overall, while response to teen nicotine usage may be excessive, it is important to remember that nicotine is still a drug with a high risk for harm. It is not advisable to use nicotine, especially if underage. But if you do, research the health risks of the individual liquid BEFORE you smoke it, buy from safer liquid vendors, smoke at a low voltage, don’t modify your pen, and take tolerance breaks to prevent addiction.

So, what options are available? For day to day transport, most people use one of the following:

-Private automobiles (Cars, trucks, buggies, snowmobiles)

-Public transportation (Busses, trains, trolleys, subways)

-Other vehicles (Bikes, skates, scooters)

-Walking

The most popular method on this list, by far, is cars. According to a Global Consumer Survey by Statista, 76% of Americans use cars as their primary method of transportation. Indian River is no exception to this. In a survey of 33, 94% of Inland Lakes students said their primary method of transportation was by car. 3% said public transportation, and 3% said biking.

This answer seems obvious at first, but car-centric design is inefficient, hostile towards humans, and incredibly dangerous.

To begin, it’s important to note that while manufacturers champion cars as the ultimate symbol of freedom, they are really quite limited.

They require massive amounts of dedicated infrastructure that costs hundreds of millions to maintain- one study by Transportation for America found that it would cost 231.4 billion dollars nationally to repair and maintain all US roads.

This need for dedicated infrastructure limits the car from the mobility potential of bicycles and walking, but retains none of the speed or safety advantages of rail transit.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there was a car crash every 6 minutes in 2020, with 0.7% of those crashes being fatal. A study conducted by Ian Savage of Northwestern University found that train travel was 16 times safer than using a car per mile traveled.

As for speed, the highest legal speed limit in Michigan is 75mph, less than half the 200mph average speed of Japanese bullet trains.

Trains are also more efficient, carrying far more passengers in a much smaller space than cars.

There are more advantages to building cities around pedestrians and public transportation. Optimizing for foot traffic makes cities denser and businesses more accessible. After rezoning parking spaces for pedestrians, New York city saw a 172% increase in retail sales.

Cars harm the environment as well. Not only do they rely on finite non-renewable resources like oil, they produce vast amounts of co2 in a world inches away from the greenhouse gas tipping point.

So there you have it: cars are inefficient, dangerous, and all around inferior compared to the alternatives. So why is everything built for them? We have no trolleys, subways, or regular buses in Indian River, no bike lanes or islands, there are massive portions of road that don’t even have sidewalks or crosswalks, buildings are sprawl out inefficiently to accommodate cars with parking spaces, and no passenger train to speak of in the entire county.

To learn more about alternatives to car dependency, visit Not Just Bikes.

But what is climate change? Why should we care?

It began when a group of scientists alerted the public to rising sea levels in 1988. Since then, things have gotten much, much worse.

But first, we need to dispel some myths. Climate change is real, and it is caused by human activity. Not a single scientific body on a national or international level disputes this. Consensus in recent literature of this claim is 99%. It is as objective of a fact as the existence of gravity.

There are really many issues that make up what we know as pollution and climate change. Greenhouse gasses that trap heat near the Earth’s surface, harmful chemicals and microplastics getting into air, water, and soil, over hunting/fishing and deforestation that kills off the biosphere, all are caused by humanity and all have deadly consequences.

But how bad is it really? Well, this is the point where I would not advise reading any further if you struggle with depression or suicidal thoughts.

One aspect of climate change that many fail to understand is how dangerous the global temperature changing really is. If you hear about a 1° or 2° change in the global temperature, you might imagine the difference between a 70° day and a 71° day. This is a misunderstanding. Global temperature is not equivalent to average weather temperatures.

For example, at 1.5°C degrees warming, 14% of the population will be exposed to severe heatwaves once every five years. At 2°C the number jumps to 37%.

Another factor to consider is permafrost. Permafrost is ground that consistently stays at 0°C (32°F) all year. Permafrost contains a lot of biomass stored as methane or carbon dioxide deposits, meaning that as permafrost melts due to warmer temperatures, it will release even more greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, creating a feedback cycle that is extremely difficult to stop.

Considering how destructive temperature changes can be, the fact that the global climate has been on an extreme incline since the industrial revolution is disturbing. Most places in the world have seen a 1.8° to 3.6°F increase in average temperatures.

That being said, let’s look at some effects caused by climate change today, and how they might change in the future.

Deserts are becoming increasingly arid as biological matter decreases in drylands, a process known as desertification. Desertification is caused by climate change, over-grazing of farm animals, deforestation and industrial pollutants killing natural vegetation. It’s estimated that one billion people are under threat of further desertification.

Desertification causes massive dust storms that destroy infrastructure and cause respiratory illness. Since the industrial revolution, there has been a 25% increase in global dust emissions. Drylands supply 60% of the world’s food production, meaning that our largest food sources are in imminent ecological danger.

Climate change also increases the frequency of natural disasters, as the text below illustrates.

According to the Intergovernmental Press Conference on Climate Change (IPCC), it is virtually certain that heatwaves have become far more frequent and intense since the 1950s. Once in a decade heatwaves now occur 2.8 times more often. The exposure to extreme wet-bulb globe temperature (a temperature that includes humidity, wind-speed, and radiation) of over 30°c has tripled since 1983.

Wildfires are also projected to become more common by the IPCC. Climate change increases periods of precipitation followed by droughts in extremely warm temperatures, conditions which often cause fires. These conditions also affect not only the frequency, but severity of fires.

Hurricane, typhoon, tornado, and tsunami rates are also affected by climate change.

One of the most urgent problems is the potential melting of the Greenland ice sheet, an irreversible tipping point that would raise global sea levels by 24 feet. This would put Miami and most of the country’s coast underwater. To prevent this, in the international Paris Agreement, nations promised to keep warming under 2°c.

All in all, climate change affects every facet of our lives. The food we eat, the conditions we live in, all of it is affected by the climate, for better or for worse. As of now, we are on the brink of complete ecological collapse.

In the same Paris Agreement, the pledges made would lead to 2.7°c of warming. According to the IPCC, limiting warming to 1.5°c would require halving emissions by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Reading this, the situation feels hopeless. What you as the average individual can do doesn’t even make a dent in the mess we’ve found ourselves in. But there’s another way, solutions to all our problems hiding in plain sight.

The cause of climate change and pollution, at its core, can be attributed to one thing: growth. More factories producing more products using more energy, more people in more cars using more fuel, the endless consumption of products for the sake of consumption. Companies constantly vying for exponential growth. The problem with this cancerous mindset is that we do not live in a world with infinite power, resources, or greenhouse gas capacity.

Simply put: you cannot have infinite growth within a finite system. It is mathematically impossible. But that isn’t going to stop the people responsible. If they cared about the rest of us, we would’ve solved this in the 80s, when ExXon researchers found objective proof that human activity has harming the climate and suppressed it.

The solutions to climate change seem obvious: renewable energy sources that don’t cause a greenhouse gas buildup, switching to electronic public transportation in favor of private gas powered cars, reducing the waste we produce- but these would all radically change the status quo, and more importantly, cut into the bottom line of corporations. The government will not, under any circumstances, be able to pass these changes in time, if at all.

A radical change to the system, as is absolutely necessary in our situation, cannot exist within the confines of the system. The only real solution to climate change is to think outside the box.

They will face Crystal Falls Forest Park on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Marquette High School in the Quarterfinals.

But what exactly is in the food we eat? Are schools only required to abide by the base standards of the FDA?

As it turns out, no. Federal guidelines for school lunches as dictated by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) state that schools must offer:

-Fruits and vegetables as a distinct serving

-A M/MA (Meat/Meat Alternate) in the main dish

-At least 80% of grains offered must be 100% whole grain

-Fluid milk, low-fat if flavored

Among many other requirements. Although schools face many restrictions regarding the food they serve, the exact foods served are completely up to the individual schools.

So, how does Inland lakes choose what food we eat? I interviewed Laurie Fielder, a lunch lady, about what we eat, why, and how it gets here.

Apparently, certain days of the week have a “theme” of sorts: Mexican on Tuesdays and pasta on Wednesdays.

For non-scheduled days, Laurie says they choose a random food that falls within USDA guidelines. “It has to be balanced. You have five different components you can have in a thing. We have to have three with each meal,” she said, “five components” referring to the five food groups.

Extra snacks and drinks, such as the pop or chips that cost extra, must be sugar-free and low-calorie.

As for the process of actually preparing the food, they estimate how many students they will serve that day and prep accordingly, cooking and measuring food in ounces and cups. “Meat is supposed to be two ounces, maybe also a half a cup of a vegetable or a grain.”

To prevent contamination or spoilage, Laurie states that all imported food goes through two different security processes: the first by their supplier, Gordan’s Food Service, and the second here at Inland Lakes, where they ensure that the food is fresh and in the right place.

But why has Inland Lakes has continued its free school lunch program? “It’s the percentage of free and reduced kids we have. If they qualify for free and reduced it makes a percentage. Then, the state government decides that we are okay for free lunches every day,” and according to Laurie, free school lunches do not impact the choices available or the cooking process at all.

The Mad Dog Hunt is an ARG organized by us here at IL360. Participants (hunters) will scout for clues that each contain a secret code hinting at the next clue’s location and a number of a padlock combination that will be used to unlock a grand prize. When a clue is found and deciphered, hunters will notify the account where the information available will be updated. All hunters who contribute will each receive an individual prize, so we encourage hunters to work together to find the final target instead of competing for it.

Happy hunting!

Seniors – Horror
Juniors – Disney
Sophomores – Sci-Fi
Freshman – Action
8th Grade – comedy
7th Grade – Marvel
6th Grade – Loony Toons

Join in on the school spirit by dressing up. Spirit week dress up days are:

Monday (9/26) – Minion day (Staff is encouraged to dress like Gru)
Tuesday (9/27) – Dress as your theme day
Wednesday (9/28) – Raid your parents’ closet day
Thursday (9/29) – Movie premier day
Friday (9/30) – Blue & White day

Homecoming Court

King court

Kaden Hansel
Connor Knight
Sam Meyer
Evan Perreault
Sam Wiggs

Queen Court

Lucy Bunker
Ryan Clancy
Lauren Fenstermaker
Hayleigh Temple
Natalie Wandrie

Class representatives

Junior

Marrissa Kolly & Sam schoonmaker

Sophomore

Brooklynn LeBrecque & Chris Foldenauer

Freshman

Mary Myshock & Andre Bradford

Picture Day has now been rescheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 4.

The new schedule is controversial among students. Of the fourteen students initially polled, 85.7% had negative feelings about the new schedule, while only 7.1% felt positively.

“I don’t really like how it’s, like, two hours at the end of the day, I’d rather have two hours to start with,” one student said.

Superintendent Elizabeth Fairbanks shed some light on the original decision to move to block scheduling.

The block schedule was implemented as a COVID precaution for the 2020-2021 school year.

“We had to have less transitions in the day,” Fairbanks said. “So we started out by doing a blue and white day and three block schedules. Some students really loved having the block schedule, and some students really hated it. So, I then decided it was important for us to survey the student body.”

A survey was given late last school year. According to Fairbanks, roughly 60% of students liked the block schedule, while 40% said they preferred the traditional. Fairbanks also surveyed teachers on their preferences.

Due to the mixed response to the block schedule, the new hybrid schedule was designed as a compromise.

“It was really hard for us to make the decision, because it wasn’t like 90% for one and 10% for the other. So, we met in the middle to make sure all students were happy.”

Superintendent Fairbanks researched both options heavily, finding that there was evidence for and against both system’s effectiveness. She states that she is happy with the effectiveness of the schedule concerning COVID.

“That’s why I started this work – to make sure I heard from students and from staff. Then I met with a teacher from every department, and I bet we had four or five ongoing conversations about what we needed to do. And so, it was hard. It was a lot of work. But I wanted to make sure if we were what we were going do, and we were going do it right, and not just put a band-aid on things.”

Which classes are daily and which classes alternate has also been a point of contention for many students. According to Fairbanks, priority is given towards daily academics rather than electives.

“We focused it on academics. So, math, science, language arts and social studies are in the morning and electives are the every other day.”

When asked about the negative student response towards the new schedule, Fairbanks does not dismiss student opinions, but asks that they keep an open mind.

“I think it’s important that I always hear from the student body, how they’re feeling, because I wanna make sure that we’re doing things based on data. I do think anytime you try something new, it’s always kind of hard. Change can be hard. So I would empower any student that wants to come talk to me and share how they’re feeling about the schedule. I’d love to hear what their thoughts are, but I do hope everybody can give it a shot, you know, and give it some time before we make final decisions.”

Fairbanks confirms that there is a possibility that the schedule could be changed back if students are vocal enough about their opinions.

“If enough student body come forward and say that, we definitely can always make decisions based on what the needs of our building are. I’m not saying it’s stuck forever, but I think that we’re gonna give it a try and I’d love to hear from others about how they’re feeling, how it’s going.”

So if you aren’t happy with the new schedule, don’t be afraid to make your voice heard. Take the il360 poll. The staff are listening.

For 2023, the Inland Lakes Secondary School welcomes six new staff.

They are:
Bryeana Rinvelt- Math/Biology
Garrett Romero- Band/Vocal
Bryan Newman- History
Kenneth Brunger- History
Jody Fletcher- Special Ed
Stephen Irish- Special Ed

Another new face in the building is Josh Bigby who teaches PE, but switched from the elementary school.