The Torch

EDITORIAL: Despite progress, not enough being done to encourage girls to enter STEM fields studies

December 15, 2019

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) related fields try to solve the world’s problems. Epidemiologists research diseases to find potential cures and treatments. Mathematicians solve complex...

OPINION: Olympic Heights and school district would do well to consider cutting ties with Chick-fil-A

Marie Preuss, Editor-In-Chief • December 9, 2019

Chick-fil-A has been in and out of the news for several years, and America’s third-largest fast-food chain is once again in the spotlight for the controversy related to its financial support of anti-LGBTQ...

EDITORIAL: School needs to provide a better place for students waiting on after-school rides

November 14, 2019

Sweating, stressed, annoyed - these words describe the Olympic Heights students waiting on their rides to pick them up after school at the school’s front entrance, the designated waiting spot. Many students...

OPINION: While Donations to Rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral May Be Well-Intentioned, the Money Could Be Put to Better Use

Marie Preuss, News Editor • May 6, 2019

The whole world looked on in shock as Notre Dame, the iconic 856-year-old cathedral in Paris, was engulfed by flames on April 15. The video of the cathedral’s spire collapsing into the fire was both...

EDITORIAL: Anti-Vaxxer Movement Poses a Serious Danger

March 3, 2019

Vaccines have been a crucial instrument in disease prevention for hundreds of years. Life threatening diseases including polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella (German measles),...

OPINION: Rise of Global Anti-Semitism Demands a Global Unified Response

Jacob Pasternack, Editor-In-Chief • February 25, 2019

Hate takes many shapes and forms. In our hotly contentious sociopolitical atmosphere, racism and homophobia have taken center stage. Quietly, however, another older type of hate has been growing in the...

EDITORIAL: Should Celebrities Be Speaking Out on Issues?

February 22, 2019

In 2019 the world is far more connected than ever before. Under the Trump administration, America has become increasingly divided on matters of social, political, and moral importance. The left has retreated...

OPINION: Looming Government Shutdown Will Have Little Immediate Impact on Average Citizen

Jacob Pasternack, Editor-In-Chief • December 18, 2018

Government shutdown. This premise is used as a weapon by politicians to scare opposition into cooperation, and both parties are evidently terrified by it. This time, the Trump Administration has threatened...

EDITORIAL: #MeToo Movement Not Doing Enough to Safeguard Teen Victims

November 14, 2018

In October 2017, an online movement developed after numerous allegations came to light about Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein sexually harassing and assaulting women. Thousands of celebrities and women...

EDITORIAL: Vote “Yes” on School Property Tax Referendum

November 5, 2018

Election Day, November 6th, is tomorrow, and many issues that have accumulated since the last election cycle are now ready to be voted upon. A major issue that will be voted on is a school referendum...

OPINION: Trump’s Move to Legally Define “Gender” Makes Sense in Regards to Title IX Cases

Jacob Pasternack, Editor-In-Chief • November 2, 2018

The Trump Administration, over the last two years, has been controversial, to say the least. And, to continue the trend, the Trump Administration is considering making a move that has many members of the...

COMMENTARY: When Unqualified Students Are Pushed into Taking Advanced Placement Classes, All AP Students Suffer

Jacob Pasternack, Editor-In-Chief • March 1, 2018

Let’s just get this out of the way now: many AP classes at Olympic Heights aren’t what we’ve been led to believe. Decreased rigor, increased class sizes, and constant test reform has led to this...