Homestead High School's student newspaper

The Epitaph
Homestead High School's student newspaper

The Epitaph
Homestead High School's student newspaper

The Epitaph
Despite mostly appealing to experienced artists, art club provides a variety of activities that may help members with varying backgrounds practice their artistic skills, Song said.

A club for all

By Patrick Hao • November 8, 2022

Clubs at our school are very much a reflection of the technology hub we live in, with a diverse selection of STEM clubs ranging from pure sciences to engineering-based clubs, such as robotics. However,...

FOOD DISTRIBUTION EFFORTS: PTSA parents, teachers, board members pack food food from the Nov. 10, 2021 food pantry.

Lack of PTSA student involvement is a missed opportunity

By Nicole Kim • May 30, 2022

Homestead’s Parent Teacher Student Association, more commonly known as the PTSA, differs from traditional parent organizations for one thing – its inclusion of students. From the many conversations...

INEQUALITY AMONG SEARCHES: Nine bodies found during Gabby Petito search were swept under the rug due to unequal racial treatment in missing person cases.

Search for Gabby Petito highlights the prevalence of missing white woman syndrome

By Saira Ahmed • November 8, 2021

Gabby Petito was an Instagram influencer who loved to travel the country with her fiance, Brian Laundrie, an activity she is no longer able to do. On Sept. 11, Petito was reported missing and within days,...

Toxic productivity culture: An unachievable goal that prevents students from being proud of their accomplishments.

The growing obsession with toxic productivity endangers students

By Ashley Orozco • May 22, 2021

Toxic productivity, an unhealthy and extreme obsession with productivity, has become increasingly prevalent in today’s society. Toxic productivity stems from the culture that praises productivity, but...

After months of waiting, the COVID-19 vaccine has finally been authorized by the FDA and is being distributed across the country. 71% of Americans say they will "definitely or probably" get a Covid-19 vaccine and 39% said they would "wait and see" how initial vaccination goes before getting a vaccine themselves according to a survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The release of the vaccine might placate many for the current moment, but it won’t make everything go back to normal. Currently, the most advanced vaccines use three different approaches: viral vectors — using a harmless virus which is altered to contain part of COVID-19’s genetic code — RNA, which contains a synthetic version of part of COVID-19’s genetic code and protein subunit, which uses pieces of the COVID-19 virus, according to CDC. The release of the COVID-19 vaccine is great news as once the majority of the public have taken the vaccine, the spread of COVID-19 will potentially reduce, according to BBC News. It will shorten the time needed for the country to go back to normal. However, I am skeptical about the workings of the vaccine and this is part of my concern when trying to decide if I will take the vaccine. As COVID-19 continues to spread across the United States, misunderstanding of herd immunity has started to show up. Herd immunity is achieved when large percentages of a population become immune to a disease. Herd immunity against COVID-19 will be achieved by protecting people through vaccination, not by exposing them to the pathogen that causes the disease for developing immunity. In terms of COVID-19, the percentage of the population that needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity is estimated to be between 70% and 90%, according to David G. Hill, a member of the Lung Association's National Board of Directors. Although vaccines have helped the world get rid of deadly diseases such as fever and smallpox, the process always takes time and there are no guarantees ensuring the results of the COVID-19 vaccine will be positive. At this point, being vaccinated doesn't mean the full development of the immune system and one can still be exposed in crowded areas with no prevention, such as masks. The current coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective and has no serious side effects from the first set of complete results of a late-stage vaccine trial, according to Pfizer. This means out of 100 people, there would still be five people where the vaccine doesn't work. The vaccine should definitely be taken once the distribution has started, but just because the vaccine is here doesn't mean we shouldn't maintain precautionary measures. I hope the vaccines will eventually help bring the spreading of COVID-19 under control, but before that, the usage of masks in public areas and social distancing should be continued.

COVID-19 vaccine won’t take us to the past

By Jack Xu • March 19, 2021

After months of waiting, the COVID-19 vaccine has finally been authorized by the FDA and is being distributed across the country.  71% of Americans say they will "definitely or probably" get the vaccine...

The decision pro-Trump rioters made to breach the building was a horrifying attack on American democracy.

Political polarization deepens in wake of U.S. Capitol breach

By Macy Li • January 21, 2021

Chaos erupted during the certification of the 2020 presidential election, as pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol in protest, breaching the building. The political polarization in the country, largely...

The next Supreme Court Justice will hold the power to significantly influence the entire country and make decisions affecting all women, including young girls who are still in school.

The flawed nomination of Amy Coney Barrett

By Macy Li • November 4, 2020

The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg sparked a battle between political parties over President Trump’s rushed nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.  For the millions of women...

Imposters win after turning all crewmates into ghosts.

Among us: the right thing for the right time

By Jack Xu • November 2, 2020

During this unique time, due to COVID-19, many people are staying at home with less face-to-face conversations. The world may have started out by playing “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” for amusement,...

The Supreme Court provides police officers with almost limitless immunity from prosecution for their actions taken on the job.

Our flawed legal system: helping police get away with murder

By Macy Li • August 19, 2020

Nationwide protests and social media outrage led to the arrest of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. Even though this is a step towards...

As seen in the graph above, since reopening, the amount of new COVID-19 cases has increased rapidly.

Reopening economy doing more harm than good

By Amber Birrell • July 5, 2020

California, along with many other states, has begun to slowly reopen and ease lockdown restrictions.  While this does sound relieving, there has not been a significant decline in the amount of COVID-19...

The video of Arbery’s shooting bears a striking resemblance to lynching photography, since both were not taken to protest violence, but rather to celebrate it.

Being black should not be a death sentence

By Macy Li • May 31, 2020

For years, black citizens in the United States have faced countless racist attacks from white people. Today, this abuse towards black civilians has rapidly gained attention and sparked nationwide outrage....

The toxic reality of hyperpartisanship

The toxic reality of hyperpartisanship

By Dan Penalosa • May 26, 2020

President Trump is a known climate change denier, xenophobe and misogynist. And yet, the Republican Party still backs him. In fact, he isn’t anywhere near losing his party’s support; according to...

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