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

Chinese fast fashion clothing brand, Shein, has released a makeup line called SHEGLAM that potentially can be detrimental to customers’ health.

The dangers in dupes: Cheap prices in exchange for health

Hannah McVey, Business manager December 5, 2023

The idea of a dupe seems amazing. Being able to find cheap products that are exactly like expensive brands; sounds like a steal right? Dupes may sound great for a bank account, but in the long run they...

As a nation built around gun culture, the United States has witnessed a harrowing amount of gun violence in the last decade.

Misconceptions surrounding the correlation between mental health and gun violence illustrate the need for an amendment

Muskan Mehta, Social Media Manager November 30, 2023

With a harrowing 565 shootings in 2023 so far, the violence epidemic in America continues to grow each year. Although it is tempting to say that gun violence stems from mental health, the truth is much...

Classes at Pleasant Valley that have a star at the end of their class titles denotes honors status. This allows these classes to be counted on the weighted GPA scale.

Making a choice: Students are forced to pick between college credit courses or a higher weighted GPA

Timothy Ku, Business Manager November 29, 2023

When glancing at the Pleasant Valley course registration list for future classes, students get to decide between Advanced Placement (AP), Honors, standard and concurrent Scott Community College courses....

Negative stigma around GED- Ariana

Ariana Assadi, Design Editor November 29, 2023

Three days before this puppy, Skippy, was sent back to the hound because of behavioral issues.

Killing without reason: inhumanly euthanizing animals

Gabi Ragins, Multimedia Manager November 29, 2023

Killing race horses Commonly known, the horseracing industry is far less glamorous than it is dangerous. Specifically the horses who are forced to train for hours on end who eventually get injured,...

Junior Becca Hahm celebrates Chinese New Year in the United States, blending American and Chinese traditions to uphold her heritage in a different country. 
Photo credit to Judy Hahm

American Amalgamation: The fluidity of culture in the 21st century

Ayah Alsheikha, Lead Editor November 28, 2023

Humanity is defined by its history, marked by its culture-defining traditions. From religions to holidays, culture has encapsulated human existence and defined the diverse histories of people across the...

Student working on homework as they decide what happens if they fail.

To fail or to flourish: Students have lost ownership of their own success

Cassi Paustian, Infographic Manager November 28, 2023

Pleasant Valley High School is facing an alarming number of students assigned to academic study hall as administration tries to raise the grades of their students.  Academic study hall can be assigned...

Senior Margil Carmona Sanchez listens to controversial artist Kanye West.

Controversy around separating art from artist grows as expectations for celebrities increase

Muskan Mehta, Social Media Manager November 28, 2023

Separating the art from the artist is a common debate among fandoms and pop culture. Given their fame and influence, celebrities are expected to uphold and reinforce their values. However, in most circumstances,...

Americans are exposed to news about tragic mass shootings so regularly that the impact of each individual tragedy is reduced.

Bulletproof ignorance: America’s disturbing numbness to gun violence

Jae Jepsen, Editor-in-Chief November 27, 2023

The Project Pink flip-flops, an AR-15 rifle, and spatterings of dried blood. These are the first things readers see when they open The Washington Post’s newest project. Next, they see an editor’s...

Junior Andres Bravo Garza works on his assignments under 30 flags in the PVHS cafeteria that represent the nationalities of international PV students.

Forgotten: America’s immigration system alienates international students

Ashwin Parab and Reetham Gubba November 26, 2023

As the bells ring across hundreds of high schools in Iowa, students line up in their physical education classes to choose teams for kickball. One by one, the captains select classmates for their teams...

A look at how dark it is at 5 p.m. on Nov 12, 2023

Why daylight savings’ time needs to be up

Luke Allaman, NIFI Producer November 14, 2023

As people around the United States set their clocks back for the annual tradition of daylight savings, they are once again thrown into a seemingly endless darkness.  Since 1918, the US has switched...

Donald Trump campaigning and meeting his supporters at the Iowa v. Iowa State game on September 9, 2023. Photo credit to Jayden Fairweather

New conservative agenda ‘Project 2025’ implements concerning changes to democracy and society

Muskan Mehta, Social Media Manager November 13, 2023

With approximately one year until the next presidential election, Donald Trump and his associates have started dominating the polls in nearly every battleground state.  In response to the popularity...

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