[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 24 (Friday, February 9, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S595-S598]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VERMONT STATE OF THE UNION ESSAY CONTEST FINALISTS
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I ask to have printed in the
Record some of the finalists' essays written by Vermont High School
students as part of the 14th Annual State of the Union Essay contest
conducted by my office.
The material follows:
Finalists
LILIANA DICKS, OXBOW HIGH SCHOOL, JUNIOR
Mental health is still a problem in America. Even in
today's progressive society, mental health may be noticed,
but is never truly acknowledged. Citizens are still feeling
sad or hopeless, or even contemplating taking their own lives
at such a young age. Bringing more awareness to our youth
before they hit adulthood of how social media is affecting
their mental health, and teaching them healthy habits of how
to handle social media in their lives, would help with the
impact of social media.
There is proof that the stories being told on social media
of sad and despairing topics are contributing to the rise in
suicide rates. According to the National Library of Medicine,
``Hawton and colleagues (1999) conducted a study in emergency
departments in the United Kingdom, examining the pattern of
suicide attempts before and after a fictional Royal Air Force
pilot took an overdose of paracetamol (i.e., acetaminophen)
in an episode of a popular weekly TV drama. Presentations for
self-poisoning increased by 17 percent in the week after the
broadcast and 9 percent in the second week (Gould).'' Another
study taken place in Japan reported, ``After 8 April 1986, an
increase in the number of suicide cases was observed for four
days among 10 14-year-old females ().'' April 8th, 1986, was
the date a popular singer committed suicide, and her death
was broadcasted on social media. Both fictional and
nonfictional stories are contributing factors to this rise in
suicide rates. Meaning social media stories period have an
effect on our mental health.
There is no getting rid of social media, but there is
implementing safe habits. The American Psychological
Association recommends teaching children social media
literacy skills. These skills with teach children that social
media is not real life, what is safe to share online, what
too much social media use looks like, how to handle and
prevent online conflicts, and to only find things about
health both mental and physical, from credible physicians and
doctors. I think these skills would be very important in
helping children understand the impacts of social media, and
how it affects them as a person.
Social media is deteriorating our citizen's mental health,
but there is a solution. Implementing good and safe habits
during youth and while people are being introduced to social
media, will help protect them in the long run. Social media
can be fun, but it can also be dangerous. It is important to
teach and understand the lines we have to draw to keep our
mental health safe.
PATTERSON FRAZIER, CHAMPLAIN VALLEY UNION HIGH SCHOOL, JUNIOR
One Vermonter every two days. One hundred and forty
Americans every day. One hundred and fifteen thousand
Americans a year. All of them have died. This is not a war,
or a pandemic, or a car crash statistic. These are fatal drug
overdoses, which since 1999 have increased by approximately
470%. For comparison, the U.S. Population has increased by
20% in that time. Drug crime has unequivocally worsened, and
the entire country is paying the price. Cities are no longer
safe, first responders are at critical risk of exposure-
related overdose, and as of 2009 the United States was
collectively spending half a trillion dollars a year on
substance abuse management. Drug abuse has grown to a
national crisis and needs to be swiftly curbed.
The issue of drugs is highly complex, and is a result of
decades of poor public policy, corporate greed, and
government interference. America should by every measure be
more capable in solving drug crime than other nations who
have successfully handled the issue. We are wealthy, with
developed industries and capable medical professionals. So
what are we doing differently? U.S. Policy has been
historically focused on prosecuting and demonizing addicts.
Newer approaches such as decriminalization are a step in the
right moral direction, but often lack enough follow-up
support and resources to be effective.
President Biden successfully increased the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration budget by three
billion dollars for FY 2024, proving that money can be found
to support national reform. The ideal national reform will
supplement or overhaul the current substance abuse reduction
policies. It needs to be built around the fact that addicts
are victims of exploitation and should be shown compassion.
In stark contrast, drug traffickers need to be prosecuted
viciously.
The actions taken to help drug users need to be focused
around a long-term vision for each individual. This requires
state interdiction, which in turn needs justification. One
place to start is to ban open air drug use, and fund the
creation of safe injection sites nationwide. If a person is
found using ``Hard drugs'' in a public place, then they
should be considered for a mandatory rehabilitation program.
After achieving sobriety, previous users need sources of
stability. The federal government could create programs to
match sober people with in-demand jobs. Safe injection sites
will in turn help prevent open air drug use and clean up the
streets.
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Ultimately, there are no drugs without distribution and
production. Law enforcement needs to receive increased
funding with the specific goal of reducing the production of
synthetic opiates. Rhode Island has been relatively
successful in reducing drug use, in part due to stricter
sentencing. The production of fentanyl results in prison
sentences of up to fifty years and fines reaching 500,000
dollars. Strict and swift punishment can disrupt supply
chains, while a combination of asset seizures and fines can
help reimburse efforts. The facts are clear; drugs not only
destabilize the country, but threaten our national security.
JACK FRENCH, ESSEX HIGH SCHOOL, JUNIOR
Per US Senate data, the first half of 2023 saw lobbyists
spent a record 2.1 billion dollars at the federal level
alone, coming most substantially from the pharmaceutical,
insurance, and energy industries. With the 2024 election
cycle fast approaching, this is far from the only corporate
funding that will be funneled into government this year; ad
spending by federal campaigns are expected to eclipse 15
billion dollars, and following the several landmark Supreme
Court decisions, the source of this money has never been less
transparent. The increasing role of private finance in
policymaking and the legislative branch is one of the great
challenges facing America today.
Private investment into political campaigns threatens the
efficacy of the democratic process. Though it was once used
to promote democracy, the lobbying system has become a form
of legal bribery, in which money is exchanged for undue
influence and policy is catered towards private interests.
Lobbying funds elections, where the advent of mass media and
invasive advertising techniques have created a situation
wherein the victor is often the candidate with the most ad
investment; in other words, a candidate's financers play a
greater role than their constituents do in keeping them in
office. In a country that prides itself on its democratic
ideals, the money of corporations and the fabulously rich
should not vote louder and more directly than the voice of
the people.
In order to protect the integrity of our democratic system,
we must pursue both political and cultural change surrounding
our regulation and perception of elections. First, the
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act--a 2002 act responsible for
regulating campaign finance that has been methodically gutted
by pro-lobbying legislature and judicial decisions, most
notably Citizens United v. FEC (2010)--needs to be
supplemented with a wide-reaching piece of legislation, like
Senator Warren's Anti-Corruption and Public Integrity Act,
that will close loopholes and restrict financial actions of
policymakers, both in the midst of elections and during their
terms. This will keep our elected officials focused on the
interests of their constituents as opposed to the highest
donor.
Unfortunately, there's a reason that Senator Warren's
proposal died in committee and campaign regulation comes
under judicial threat. Those responsible for enacting such
legislation are the same people that benefit from lobbying,
and the same firms that lobby have the funding to challenge
restrictions in the courts. In order to cause meaningful
change, such an effort needs to come from the people. Funding
plays less of a role in elections when the voting population
is educated on the issues and has a high turnout, so
participating in the democratic process will fortify the
system from bad actors and wealthy individuals. In the long
term, constituents need to advocate to their representatives
in favor of tightening campaign restrictions, which will
pressure legislative action. We cannot sit idly, watching our
political representation be bought by big business; a
government held accountable by the rich will not work for the
people.
TALIA GIBBS, VERMONT COMMONS SCHOOL, SENIOR
I contracted COVID-19 in 2022, and my life has not been the
same since. I went from dancing 16-20 hours a week to almost
fainting when standing, full body pain, and struggling with
stairs. I stopped dancing for some time. Later, a PT
determined those were flare-ups of chronic illnesses caused
by COVID-19, putting me in the long COVID group.
Long COVID is the persistence of symptoms for months after
initial infection of SARS-CoV-2. Up to 23 million Americans
suffer, and it has such detrimental medical and economic
impacts that it is the next public health catastrophe and
needs immediate intervention. It can manifest in a variety of
forms, such as respiratory problems and Post-Exertional
Malaise--when preexisting symptoms worsen up to forty-eight
hours after activities. It can also trigger Postural
Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome-a chronic disorder involving
dizziness, fatigue, increased heart rate, fainting, etc. All
symptoms of long COVID severely affect everyday functioning.
Long COVID is not only affecting the health of Americans,
but it is also impacting our economy. Long COVID prevents a
dangerously large group of people from working; 71% of long
COVID patients could not work for six or more months, and 18%
were not back after a year-the majority were well below
typical retirement age. Additionally, long COVID causes 170-
230 billion dollars of annual lost wages, and it is estimated
that the total economic cost of long COVID is $3.7 trillion.
The first step towards helping the long COVID crisis is
improving treatment and access to treatment, meaning we need
more COVID clinics that provide personalized treatment and
more funding, such as The National Research Action Plan on
Long Covid, which involves Congress giving $1.15 billion to
the National Institutes of Health to research the illness.
Income is another issue, which is why a reconsideration of
paid sick leave is imperative. If people are worried about
losing wages, they could go to work with COVID, increasing
the number of long COVID patients. Additionally, current
rules regarding paid sick leave are not sufficient for the
timeline of long COVID. Solutions could be financial
governmental intervention if working from home is not offered
for certain jobs, or compensation if the workplace was where
they contracted COVID-19, ultimately leading to long COVID.
Accommodations are an unquestionable necessity for
approaching the long COVID disaster. On a smaller scale, they
should include: choice between standing and sitting, working
from home, and flexible hours. While long COVID is officially
acknowledged as a disability, obtaining disability status
with it is extremely difficult due to uncertain definitions
and proof of illness. Additionally, the usual requirement for
disability status is a minimum of one year, but long COVID is
relatively new. We need to increase accessibility by
acknowledging that this cannot follow normal rules, lowering
the one-year limit, increasing coverage flexibility, and
providing education about disability status and long COVID.
Long COVID should be a national priority. Without this level
of response, long COVID will continue to silently undermine
society and destroy lives.
DELIA GOULD, BRATTLEBORO UNION HIGH SCHOOL, FRESHMAN
Why does the cycle of disadvantaged, low-income kids versus
privileged kids continue into adulthood? All over the world
there are inequalities in education, this applies to America
and in our state of Vermont. The impact this has on students
needs to be recognized. The more resources create more
opportunities, resulting in more successful students. In
Vermont and throughout the country, low income towns are
unable to provide money for their students to get the
education they deserve. In contrast to richer school
districts where they do have the money to provide and
ultimately create a better education and environment. This is
the reason why many American public schools are unequal as a
result of social class and resources available for students
in school.
In Vermont this becomes evident when rural schools in lower
income towns find it is much harder for students to get
access to quality education. This affects the students
because only those who have the motivation and support will
be the ones to succeed, ultimately creating this inequality
within the school system. According to the latest five-year
ACS data statically West Brattleboro is the poorest part in
all of Vermont with the typical household making 46% less
than the state average household income. These students are
already starting off at a disadvantage and many with minimal
support at home, in return it is the schools responsibility
to make sure these students don't fall behind. This is why
more funding for schools in these areas should be a priority.
Moreover, the only way to break this cycle is creating
schools with the resources students need to thrive and be
successful. Alternatively, schools and districts with more
funding are more easily able to achieve this, with less of
the pressing issue of students in poverty. Another factor is
more students in these schools and towns are easily able to
seek support outside of school as well, as a result they will
have the opportunity to better succeed. This creates a cycle
where the privileged kids grow up to be privileged.
The way to equalize public school systems in America and
within Vermont is to recognize the low-income towns and
schools with this issue and make this a priority to help
provide the resources needed for students through the
schools. Along with this, students at these schools who do
want to succeed often are not challenged to their full
potential because the school cannot offer the same
opportunities for them. Importantly, these schools need not
only the bare minimum resources but also the opportunities
that will set students up for success and a better chance at
higher education. It is crucial to address this problem
because the youth is our future and every kid deserves a
quality education.
OLIVIA GRAY, SOUTH BURLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL, FRESHMAN
Has the government ever decided your future? 1970 is when
Roe v Wade was brought to the Supreme Court, and 1973 was
when it became legal to have an abortion. 2022 is when the
law was overturned, and 2024 is now when women are again
having to fight for rights to their bodies. Our nation has
just undergone such a big setback in our history. The leaders
of our ``free'' country shouldn't be able to determine what
we do with our bodies, they need to make abortions safe and
legal for every woman.
14 states have a full ban on abortions, 2 states have a ban
after 6 weeks, 2 states have a ban after 12 weeks, and 3
states have a ban after 15-18 weeks. The average woman,
according to WPTV, finds out they are pregnant between 6-8
weeks, and the majority of states have bans before the 6-8
weeks. Say a young woman finds out they are pregnant at 5
weeks and they are considering an abortion, is one week
enough time to make that
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life-altering decision? Or in states where it is completely
banned, is no time at all enough to decide if they are ready
to become a mother or go through the physical and mental
changes of just being pregnant? The government of your state
shouldn't decide your future.
Some people's argument for why abortions should be illegal
is ``You can't kill a living fetus.'' Well, pregnancies
aren't always safe, what if the mother's life is at risk?
Forcing a woman to choose a fetus's life over her own isn't
fair. Making a mother give birth even if the baby is
stillborn and forcing the mother to go through that
traumatizing event isn't right.
The government shouldn't dictate what women do with their
bodies, we should have freedom with what we want to do. Women
are capable of making decisions for themselves even if
someone doesn't agree with them because at the end of the
day, it's their choice and it affects them the most. If a
woman gets pregnant and chooses to get an abortion it doesn't
change the life of a politician, it will change the life of
the mother, if they are choosing an abortion they should have
that right and they know the consequences and that is their
choice.
Abortions will happen no matter what, whether safe and
legal, or dangerous and illegal. Abortions will happen and
the government needs to make it safe and legal to protect
women. Being able to get an abortion legally was a freedom
for women for decades and now that is being taken away, if
our country wants to progress there have to be easily
accessible abortion clinics throughout the nation, and easily
accessible birth control to prevent women from getting
pregnant if they choose to take birth control. Women in our
country deserve to have control of their lives and to be
given choices about their bodies, not have them be taken
away.
MADDY McHALE, BURLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL, FRESHMAN
The overuse of juvenile incarceration is costing America
more than just money. After the 1980's war on drugs, America
has become a world leader in youth incarceration, having 11
times the incarceration rate of Western Europe. Certain
states spend up to an astounding $214,620 per child annually.
Additional reports show that this yearly price of detention
costs 9 times as much as it would if that same child was
enrolled in k-12 public education. Despite the focus America
puts on juvenile detention, extensive research shows that the
penalty is not only ineffective in preventing future crime,
but shows a 70% to 80% chance of reoffending within three
years after release. As the practices often employed in
incarceration are punitive, they neglect to address the root
cause of the child's behavior, and only reinforces their
label as a criminal. Furthermore, these measures have been
proven detrimental to the child's stability mentally,
physically, and financially in adulthood. Shifting the focus
from incarceration to a more restorative approach would not
only be more beneficial for the child's rehabilitation,
reducing future reoffending, and increasing public safety,
but also could help to alleviate the heavy cost that juvenile
incarceration requires. In order to do this, incarceration
must be used as a last resort.
New Zealand is a prime example of successful reform. In
1980's, New Zealand had one of the highest juvenile
incarceration rates in the world. Since then, New Zealand has
restructured their juvenile justice system from retributive,
to restorative, and have seen a drastic decline in crime. An
instrumental factor in this systematic shift was the 1989
legislation: The children's and young people's well-being
act. This act requires police to respond to minor crimes with
a warning or court diversion, incorporating the stakeholders
in the crime to create a plan of requirements to best repair
the harm done. Currently, 75% of youth who come into Name
with the police are handled this way, this correlates with a
2017 study that found a 33% decrease in youth crime.
Some states in the US have already taken from New Zealand's
example, implementing court diversion into their own justice
system. Washington Pierce County, Washington diverted 82% on
delinquency changes from 2017-2019, 60% in Multnomah County,
Oregon. Studies show youth enrolled in these diversion
programs show a 45% reduction in recidivism comparatively to
those incarcerated. Not only is diversion more effective, but
it's significantly cheaper. at $75 daily, as opposed to the
$558 per child in detainment.
Following New Zealand's model, America should hold youth
accountable by funding restorative alternatives that avoid
the long-term ramifications of incarceration. This investment
would instill higher public safety, equity for our youths'
future, and help to reduce the heavy financial toll detention
puts on taxpayers. With approximately 60,000 children
incarcerated on any given day, it's imperative we make this
shift now. If not, we will continue on this trajectory of
perpetuating the self-fulfilling prophecy of criminalization
that juvenile incarceration enforces on our youth.
ANDRES MIGUEZ, MOUNT MANSFIELD UNION HIGH SCHOOL, JUNIOR
July 10th, 2023, was a day that would change the future of
our little state, with severe weather warning Vermonters
around the state prepared for heavy rainfall. The Lake
Champlain tributaries and vast array of streams and rivers
quickly began to flood much faster than anticipated, and
unbeknownst citizens were the victims of the ruthless
floodwaters. The flood left thousands of homes flooded and
destroyed major parts of local infrastructure. In the midst
of winter, Vermont was just hit with another flash flood.
This instance was unexpected and left those in flood zones
flooded during the cool temperatures of the Vermont winter.
These instances beg the question: What is the future of our
state if repeated flooding continually bombards our people
and infrastructure?
According to the national weather service, the state has
risen 2 degrees Fahrenheit in the past decade. Each year, we
see increased rainfall in correlation to global warming as
well as shifting weather patterns. Therefore, the flooding
can be attributed to changing weather patterns and climate
change. With the rising temperatures and weather patterns
affecting the future of our state, a flooding solution is
crucial to the future of our state's prosperity.
I propose the Flood Land Management Act, an act that would
ensure the safety and prosperity of future generations of
Vermonters who will also face the adverse effects of climate
change and flooding in our state. The act will implement new
zoning permit regulations and require structures to be flood
code-compliant, as well as require existing structures to be
altered to become compliant with the new flood code. This
management act would apply to the areas previously affected
by the two floods we have endured in the past six months, as
well as other areas prone to potential future flooding. By
requiring watertight foundations and elevating structures, as
well as rebuilding our river banks and drainage systems under
the Flood Management Act, we can inherently improve the lives
of current and future generations while unifying our state to
confront an alarming issue in the era of a new environmental
crisis.
The Flood Land Management Act will initiate action
necessary for the future of our state; flooding will
repeatedly affect Vermont citizens until necessary action is
taken. The Flood Land Management Act is the next necessary
step in improving the future of our state and promoting the
safety and prosperity of our people.
OLIVER NICHOLS, BURLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL, FRESHMAN
Limited medical access is one of the leading causes of
death in the U.S. This issue is important because it affects
around half of Americans, that's 165,950,000 people. But we
could help with the accessibility of healthcare if we
invested in mobile health clinics.
Healthcare access and mistreatment are major issues in the
U.S. I've personally experienced problems in healthcare in
the U.S., as have many Americans. The U.S. had an 88.7 rating
in healthcare quality and access in 2016, which is lower than
the average for most big countries. Limited medical access is
one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. Healthcare
quality and access ``measures preventable mortality rates for
32 causes of death. A higher rating suggests fewer deaths due
to a higher standard of care and access.'' This means that
the U.S. has more fatalities and medical mistreatment than
the rest of the larger countries in their group. Doctors are
in short supply and doctors rush through their medications to
get to the next patient, misdiagnosing and misdosing
patients. All of these factors contribute to why healthcare
is such a problem in the U.S. Per the KFF, ``About half of
U.S. adults say they have difficulty affording healthcare
costs. About four in ten U.S. adults say they have delayed or
gone without medical care in the last year due to cost.'' In
2021, 40% of adults in the U.S. didn't have immediate access
to health care. The big reason for so many people is cost,
many people don't have the money to get medical help and
millions of Americans are at risk.
Congress needs to invest in mobile health clinics--
converting campers and busses into mini hospital rooms. If we
had enough of these clinics, people in faraway towns and
rural areas could get healthcare locally, instead of driving
for hours to get medical help. Imagine someone has a stroke
in a small town--the further the hospital, the less chance of
survival. With a clinic right in town, that person can get
almost immediate healthcare. Per Tulane University, ``Mobile
health clinics provide quality care at a lower cost than that
of traditional healthcare delivery modes . . . for every $1
spent on mobile health, $12 is saved.'' Mobile health clinics
would be beneficial in care and in cost. Per the USC
``Historically, providers have been unwilling to establish
services in small, rural communities because they lack large
hospital systems and populations with money to pay for
services . . . [and] small rural towns may not have the
latest technology to offer the highest level of care. This
means people have to travel away from their home community to
get medical care.'' With mobile health clinics, rural
Americans would finally access healthcare.
Healthcare access is a big problem in the United States. If
the government issued more mobile health clinics, we could
have more widespread healthcare at lower costs, while
maintaining quality and accessibility.
THOMAS SCHEETZ, MOUNT ANTHONY UNION HIGH SCHOOL, SENIOR
``Just leave it, then,'' the exhausted woman said with a
sigh before walking away from my register at Price Chopper
and out the door. When I read her total, she realized she
could not afford her modest grocery
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order; defeated, she left the store immediately, her cart
still in the middle of the aisle.
The Bennington Price Chopper, and other grocery stores
across Vermont and this country, host similar sad scenes
every day. Grocery prices went up nearly 25% between the
beginning of 2020 and mid-2023, including a 10% increase in
the single year of 2022. The major increase in basic food
prices is compounded by massive increases in prices for other
necessities. Housing prices are stratospherically high; the
median sale price of a house nationwide nearly doubled
between Q4 2012 and Q4 2022, and median rents for one-bedroom
apartments nationwide soared by more than 20% during the
pandemic. Heating oil prices, moreover, have increased in
Vermont by nearly 50% since January 2020. And families incur
even more burdensome expenses; the cost of child care in
Vermont and many other states takes up 20% or more of the
median family income, and college tuition has risen to absurd
heights in recent decades. For many people, it is too
expensive simply to exist in this country. Consequently,
recent surveys suggest that more than 77% of Americans are
anxious about finances, 68% worry they will never afford
retirement, and nearly 30% suffer negative mental health
impacts due to financial concerns.
Overall, the recent sudden, meteoric rise in cost of living
in America is unsustainable; it causes drastic, sweeping
harms to nearly all segments of the population. It must be
swiftly met with calculated, multifaceted action. Large
corporations and overly wealthy individuals, powerful yet
unelected, are among the most responsible for the crisis, so
they must be held accountable. They must be forced to pay
their employees a living wage according to new legislation
that raises the minimum wage annually with inflation.
Corporate taxes must be heightened, furthermore, and these
revenues must go towards the construction of new housing
developments with units for low- and middle-income families.
The new supply will ease housing costs, the single biggest
monthly expense for most families. High housing costs can be
further alleviated with new legislation to prohibit the
ownership of single-family homes by corporations and with
increased property taxes on vacation homes and investment
properties.
The insidious cost-of-living crisis poses a complex issue
that can only be solved with a bold multi-pronged approach.
Each aspect of the problem--from corporate greed to housing
and everything in between--must be assertively addressed with
legislation. These legislative acts, in addition to assuaging
the situation by themselves, will beg the question: should
wealthy corporations be allowed to enrich themselves by
driving up individual costs, paying lousy wages to the
working class, and generally assaulting the American Dream?
When societal attitudes towards this question change, the
cost-of-living crisis will be solved once and for all.
MAGDELINA SHORT, BELLOWS FREE ACADEMY FAIRFAX, SOPHOMORE
When faced with the thought of a life lost to fentanyl
overdose, many people think of an addict who never wanted
help, a criminal, or a life that was not worthy regardless.
The first thought that comes to my mind is my friend Grace
Riley, whose life was taken by fentanyl on June 2, 2022 at
age 21. Grace was hardworking, an athlete, a role model and a
friend whose kindness shone in countless people's lives. If
she had not been sold the singular fentanyl pill, which she
thought was a Percocet, she would be taking college courses,
making art, and working towards her goals of recovery so that
she could become an addiction counselor to help those in her
place.
According to the CDC, drug overdose death rates involving
fentanyl increased by 279% between 2016 and 2021. These
dramatic increases will only heighten, unless more honest and
empathetic education is provided around the dangers of
fentanyl along with how to assist someone experiencing
symptoms of an overdose. Within mine and many of my peers'
education, the only information our school system has
provided regarding addiction and overdose has been minimal
and creates a stigmatized bias against those struggling with
addiction. Along with this our current education has not
provided information on what to do in an emergency overdose
situation. Only being shown short clips of vulnerable addicts
in health class or reading large statistics with no personal
story not only dehumanizes the tragedy of a life lost to
overdose, but encourages judgment. These methods of teaching
can overlook the struggles students or their loved ones may
face regarding substance abuse and overdose.
Education must begin including lessons on how to administer
Naloxone to a person in an emergency overdose situation.
Naloxone, more popularly known as Narcan, is a nasal spray
which not only is easy to administer but according to CNN can
reverse up to 93% of opioid overdoses. If students are taught
how to administer Naloxone they're given the ability to save
the life of a peer, family member, or even a stranger.
Impactful education must start with understanding the lives
taken by fentanyl overdose and addiction. The lives of real
humans who had their own struggles, lives, and possibilities
to offer the world. One method that can be used when teaching
students about the dangers of fentanyl is by sharing real
stories of people whose lives were taken by the drug.
Organizational psychologist Peg Neuhauser found that learning
stemming from stories is remembered more accurately, and much
longer, than learning derived from facts and figures. This is
because stories like Grace's are ones that students could see
themselves or people they love in. Seeing the humans behind
large statistics at a more personal level creates more
urgency around such a pressing issue.
Education without stigma is the necessary starting point to
ending fentanyl overdose. If these educational practices are
widely implemented many lives have the potential to be saved.
JACKSON WHEATON, NORTHFIELD MIDDLE HIGH SCHOOL, FRESHMAN
All life is interconnected and Vermont is at the precipice
of an environmental calamity: our fish are dying. Climate
change in Vermont is significantly impacting our fish
population in streams and waterways. With increased flooding
and warmer temperatures, more and more damage is being done
to our lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. Erratic weather
patterns caused by climate change are making our fish
habitats more unstable. As an avid fisherman, I am concerned
about the health and future of Vermont's native and non-
native fish species and believe the government should step in
to save our food chain.
According to an interview conducted by WCAX News of
multiple Vermont Wildlife Officials, the fluctuating weather
is causing alewives to wash up. They concluded, ``The non-
native species are subject to seasonal fish kills because
they can't handle the lake's [Lake Champlain] cold
temperatures.'' Anecdotally, my great grandfather, James
MacMartin, was a biologist for Vermont Fish and Wildlife
during the 1950s and 1960s and conducted extensive studies of
Vermont watersheds and fish species. He found our lakes and
streams to be extremely healthy. An annual report from Fish
and Wildlife compared his research from the 1950s to the fish
population in the 2000s. They surveyed 205 streams, the same
205 streams that my great grandfather surveyed to compare the
changes since the 1950's. According to VTDigger, 50-60% of
brook trout in Pond Brook have died.
While climate change is not an easy problem to solve, with
regard to our declining fish population, my solution to
protect the waterways and fish of Vermont is to include more
stringent protection of catch and release. If Vermont
employed more game wardens, there would be greater
enforcement of fishing laws and protection of those bodies of
water. The average brook trout stocking during the 1950's was
1,701,499 as compared to brook trout stocking in the 2000'
which was 243,435. Each year Vermont Fish and Wildlife
stocked 34,029 fewer brook trout over the 50 years. The
reason for this is habit degradation and fragmentation.
Another solution is more stringent protection of waterways,
including no boats on certain ponds or lakes, to help curb
the spreading of invasive species.
When one part of our ecosystem is out of balance, it
affects the viability of all living things. Our delicate
ecosystem ravaged by flooding and erratic weather patterns
needs more protection now than ever before. All living things
have a purpose, and it is time we take action to protect
nature's most important resources.
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