Gun Control

Simply saying the words Sandy Hook Elementary School, out loud, is something that tends to evoke a lot of emotion from people. The tragic event that took place there, less than a month ago, is the source of recent heated discussion on gun control. Had, 20 year old Adam Lanza, not been able to get his hands on a gun, A lot of innocent lives could have been saved. Gun control issues have always been widely discussed but the events that took place in Newtown, Connecticut has surfaced many new opinions. I think greater restrictions need to be made. I don't think banning certain weapons is the answer to less violence. I think greater restrictions on people that are allowed to get their hands on a gun is the first step in protecting Americans. There needs to be tighter restrictions on gun sales. If guns aren't getting into the wrong hands then the chance of violent actions taking place are greatly reduced. I'm aware that this won't solve everything, but t's a step in the right direction.  

The ACT

Seeing as I'm a senior in high school, college has been an important subject in my life lately. The ACT is a standardized test given to high school students to measure their "college readiness". Although I'm through with the ACT process at this point, it's not something I look back on with fondness. It was a long and difficult process. This test is timed and broken up in to five subjects: math, English, reading, science, and writing. Many people argue that the ACT is beneficial to students when it comes to college preparation. I don't quite agree with that statement. I don't think one test should be the determining factor in how ready one is for college. There are many characteristics and talents that can't be portrayed through the ACT, yet many colleges defer students because their score doesn't fit the college's criteria. Some students aren't good test takers, therefore may not be able to achieve an "acceptable score". This doesn't mean that student isn't college ready, or that they don't have other qualities that they can provide for the school. I consider myself very privileged to be able to attend a school as good as Fremd, but not everyone is that lucky. Many students aren't able to attend a school that will give them a quality education. Is it really fair that those with less opportunity should be expected to achieve the same score that others, with a much better quality of education, are achieving? I don't think so. Therefore I don't think the ACT should be such a crucial portion of college applications; nor do I think it should even be a requirement for students. 

Kid Friendly Facebook

11 year old, Zach Marks, went behind his parents back and made himself a Facebook account. He had to lie about his age in order to create this a account and eventually his parents found out. They weren't happy with the adult content that he was being exposed to and made him delete it. Instead of getting upset, Marks began working on his own social media website. The site is called gromsocial.com. It's purpose is to provide a place for young kids to interact and socialize, while still maintaining a safe environment. The website is aimed towards people 16 and younger. There's a curse filter on the site to prevent any language considered inappropriate for kids of that age. I respect the fact that instead of pouting over his parents decision to delete his Facebook, he channeled his energy and created a kid friendly version. Kids in today's society seem to be growing up too quickly and that could be directly related to the maturity of the media they are exposed to. I think Zach's website will be beneficial to a lot of kids because it gives them the option to socialize through the internet but in an appropriate manner for their age. Facebook can pose a threat to a young, impressionable child. The fact that gromsocial.com has strict rules on their age limit, drastically decreases those threats. If kids have the freedom to use sites like gromsocial.com, they won't be as tempted to try out sites like Facebook.