The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

The student news site of Pleasant Valley High School

Spartan Shield

The two crop tops pictured are both examples of thrifted and fast fashion clothing items. The higher quality item (left) was purchased from a thrift account for 12 dollars. The lower quality item (right) was purchased from Shein for 5 dollars.

Conundrum of fashion: Thrifting v. fast fashion

Kelly Brewer, Social Media Manager October 19, 2020

The fashion industry has continuously caused chaos for years. Consumers have begun to speculate about the ethics behind fashion. Two popular ways of shopping, thrifting and fast fashion, have recently...

Ethan Stigler looks at the district’s COVID-19 tracking form. This is the form that shows the various COVID-19 categories.

Protocol in place: How PV is handling students with COVID-19

Nathan VanUtrecht, Copy Editor October 14, 2020

After the first six weeks of school, only a few dozen students have tested positive for COVID-19. These small numbers are thanks to the protocols set in place by PV’s administration. Pam Cinadr, the...

Using a base-swapping algorithm,  deep fakes are created and are becoming increasingly influential.

Deep Fakes: The modern equivalent of nuclear weapons

Azzy Brown, Copy Editor October 13, 2020

Synthetic media has become substantially more convincing as technology continuously becomes more advanced.   Deep Fakes are an example of synthetic media. They are forgery videos or audio recordings...

President Donald Trump recently contracted Covid-19.

Unprecedented presidency: What would President Trump’s death mean for the U.S.?

Grace Pender, Copy Editor October 13, 2020

Regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic, the presidential election year is in full swing. Voters have casted ballots and candidates have campaigned tirelessly. But an unprecedented twist recently came to light:...

Many corners around the Bettendorf and Davenport area has been packed with signs like these. Going from left to right there is Tony Knobbe seeking re-election for the Scott County board of supervisors along with Ken who is also seeking re-election for the board of supervisors. Mariannette Miller-Meeks who is running to represent Iowa’s 2nd congressional district in the U.S House of Representatives. On either side of the Miller-Meeks sign there are two Republican slogan signs stating, “Free Markets Not Socialism” and “Limited Government not Big Government.” Lastly, There is Gary Mohr who is running to represent Iowa’s 94th district in the Iowa House of Representatives.

Focusing on the local elections

Sam McGrath, Business Manager October 13, 2020

During an intense election year between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, many have not paid significant attention to local elections. While ads for each party run frequently,...

A Senior ignoring their multiple missing assignments due to a lack of work ethic.

The academic pandemic

Jonathan Chiles, Arts and Entertainment Editor October 13, 2020

Seniors this year have been facing two pandemics, a literal one and a figurative one. While school adjusts to COVID-19, another well-known disease is spreading: senioritis. Senioritis has plagued seniors...

FJ Lank in his Halloween costume for  trick-or-treating this year.

Halloween and COVID-19: Bettendorf edition

Lily Barrett, Student Life Editor October 12, 2020

Trick-or-treating on Halloween is a highlight of many kids’ childhoods. Going door to door in costume to pick up candy with friends is traditional for Halloween night. However, this year, it is going...

Doorstep delivery makes for a safe and efficient exchange during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clothing businesses rise during COVID: How many teens turn to Instagram for profit

Azzy Brown, Copy Editor October 5, 2020

Social media platforms have made buying and selling easier and more accessible.  Many teenagers have turned to Instagram to become self-employed managers of their own accounts used strictly for business...

Business teacher Janene Murphy navigates through Google products to create a calendar for the week.

Tech Overload: How PV teachers are dealing with online learning

Jonathan Sulgrove, Opinion Editor October 5, 2020

It has now been almost seven months since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States. In that time, teachers have had to adapt to a new form of teaching: online. Although most teachers have had to...

Business teacher Janene Murphy navigates through Google products to create a calendar for the week.

Tech Overload: How PV students are dealing with online learning

Jonathan Glaum, Multimedia Manager October 5, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has made technology a necessity for Pleasant Valley High School’s students and faculty. It has provided the means to communicate, accomplish schoolwork from remote locations and...

With several prominent Washington, D.C. schools breaking away from the AP program, it has left administrators, teachers and students questioning its benefits. Many recognize its duality, having both advantages and disadvantages such as senior Lauren Guinn. “Dual credit and AP classes are extremely challenging and push me more than other classes I have taken,” said Guinn. “However, I think there is too much pressure to take the classes only to spend a majority of them prepping for a test rather than learning.” Although she does not think PV should break away from the AP program entirely due to the complicated relationship between the classes and colleges, Guinn finds dual credits more promising as they are a guaranteed credit and more focused on content.

Administrators, students question benefits of Advanced Placement curriculum

Ingrid Hofmann, Editor-In-Chief October 5, 2020

Eight private high schools in the Washington, D.C. metro area have begun to phase out Advanced Placement (AP) classes, having started in 2018 and continuing until 2022. These prominent schools began...

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