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F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 1

By Nick Moisides Chieftain Staff

On Jan . 20 , Joseph Biden became the 46th President of the United States . It was a momentous day for some and the start to a hopefully productive new chapter in American history . With a new person in the Oval Office , there has been a lot of speculation about what Biden will do .

Since he was elected , one of Biden ’ s main priorities has been addressing the division of the country and improving unity . His campaign strongly emphasized the increasing separation and chaos that occurred last year .

It is no secret that the morale of U . S . citizens is in need of repair , and that people are worn out from all the division . So it ’ s important that we overcome the turmoil for improvement in 2021 .

The mood of U . S . citizens is at a concerning low , and an increase in crime and drug use is prominent . More than 30 states have reported an increase in opoidrelated deaths , according to the American Asscocition for Clinical Chemistry . Without improvements , how can we expect to evolve as a country ?

“ I think that everyone is still scared with what ’ s going on ,” said Junior Jacob Shamoun , “ but not compared to how scared people were back when Corona-

President Joe Biden being sworn in on Jan . 20

virus rose to prominence . People have begun to drop their guard slightly , but most are still taking precautions .

“ When it comes to unity , we must enforce repercussions for racism . People need to accept each other despite their political views , and then we can progress as one .”

A prevalent topic in 2020 was the credibility of both televised and social media news . People are rethinking who they can trust on TV . Because of false information , many search for a reliable news source but fail to find trustworthy information .

The use of social media as a news source spiked last year , and this wasn ’ t a good thing . Social media is known for typically biased views , yet many read it as cold fact , creating misinformed people looking to argue . “ I believe it is important to do your own research in multiple sources for the facts ,” said Mrs . Hoyt . “ Social media can be biased depending on who you are following , which leads to one-sided information . Social media CEOs also have a role in what is seen and what is censored , so depending on your political beliefs , this could be frustrating .”

Many people were outraged last month

See Biden , Page 2

By Michael Ferrari and Patrick Karam Chieftain Staff

Over the past year , our world has been entrenched in a widespread pandemic that has infected millions and killed hundreds of thousands in the United States alone . The new norm has become wearing masks , social distancing , and constant sanitization .

However , this new norm may fall out of relevancy soon since a vaccination has been developed

In the Brother Rice community alone , many question whether they should get the vaccine . While students and staff alike are split on this issue ; both sides agree that we need to find what ’ s best for our school going forward .

“ I ’ m hopeful but I ’ m nervous because of the unprecedented speed at which they brought [ the vaccine ] to market ,” said Mr . Kuschel . Mr . Ciaravino agreed . “ The concern that I have with this vaccine in particular is that it was put

together pretty quickly and rushed to

See Vaccine , Page 2

Brother Rice High School Chieftain Page 1 f e b ruary 2021

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