Students weigh in: My Life With The Walter Boys

by McKenzie Gonos and Lenia Ali

The New York Times Bestseller book, My Life with The Walter Boys, was first published on March 1st, 2014. The book was popular among many youth worldwide. On December 7, 2023, Netflix dropped the series My Life With the Walter Boys based on the book. 

My Life with the Walter Boys shares the story of a girl, Jackie Howard, forced to leave New York City and move across the country to Colorado after the death of her parents and older sister. She moves into the house of her mom’s best friend, who has twelve kids. Eleven boys and one girl. Jackie must adapt to the changes while still grieving her family. She falls into a love triangle between two of the Walter Brothers, Cole and Alex.

The show came to fame with people from around the world and gained a fanbase of over 20 million people. Though fans of the series have different views about which Walter brother is best for her.

Nineteen students were asked which boy they think is best for Jackie, with an option of both as well. Cole won with a total of ten votes, with Alex close behind with seven. Both got a total of two votes. 

“ Alex is a wannabe cowboy and a jerk in season two,” said eighth-grader Lennon Resenic. 

Cole is a popular choice among the fan bases and around the Indiana Junior High School. Eighth grader Carlin Allshouse said, ”Cole is good for Jackie and treats her better than Alex.” 

Cover of the book series, My Life with the Walter Boys

Abortion discussed throughout the Indiana Junior High  

Abortion is a very sensitive topic today, and there are many different opinions and positions about it at  Indiana Junior High School (IJHS.) Crimson Arrow interviewed 50 students to find the opinions the school has on whether or not abortion should be legal. Some consider it murder, while others consider it a basic human right and freedom.

One position on abortion is that it should be legal. People argue that the fetus is not a living thing, and does not have value until born. It is stated that it is still a parasite and is unable to function without the support of another human being. Therefore, not an actual living thing. Another point is that if there is a serious situation where the mother might risk dying, or would be life-changing to have a child. “Sometimes people aren’t financially stable, and can lead to many different situations,” said an 8th grader.

Another position on abortion is that it should be illegal. Some argue that fetuses think and are conscious, and are thus just unborn babies. Many of the self-named “pro-life” people have their opinion based on faith. “God has a plan for everyone, even those who have not been born yet,” said a student from IJHS. The idea that fetuses are actually conscious unborn babies led most of the “pro-life” students to believe that abortion is the same as murder and should be completely illegal, with some going as far as saying that “Abortion is worse than the Holocaust.”

Out of about 50 interviewed students, the High Arrow discovered that about half of the student population thought abortion should be legal, while the other half thought the other. Abortion is a widely discussed topic in modern times, even in schools. Despite students having extreme opinions on subjects like this, the Crimson Arrow has discovered that many kids are highly uneducated on abortion and other modern-day ideas.  

Best season

There are four seasons in the year, and the debate of which is the best is always happening. Students voted on their favorite season and explained why. This is to get students’ opinions and compare to see what the most liked season is.

Summer is a time of swimming, playing outside, and vacations. Many people enjoy summer. Maybe because of the long and warm days, or maybe it’s because of a favorite sport. Everybody has a different reason. Giovanni Briscoe, an 8th-grade student, said, “Beach.” While Giovanni said he liked summer, another 8th-grader, Madeline Sschaeffer, said, “While getting out of school is nice, the heat and humidity make it unbearable.” Out of the 68 people who filled out the survey, 22.7% (15 people) said that summer was the best season. On the other hand, 28.8% (19 people) said that summer was their least favorite season.

Spring is when the flowers start to bloom, and the earth gets hotter. While some people may say it’s too hot, or spring isn’t the best because it is prime allergy season, Marcus Wilson, a 6th-grader, said, “I like the mix of cold and hot.” 11.8% (8 people) said that spring was the best season, but a good number of people seemed to disagree, as 24.2% (16 people) of people said that spring was the worst season. Two times the number of people who liked spring dislike it.

When fall comes around, the days are getting shorter and cooler. Leaves start to turn different colors and fall off. An 8th grader named Kat Stitt said, “You can wear nice clothing without sweating or freezing.” Lots of people agreed with that statement as they responded similarly. On the other hand, Bennett Lytle, a 6th grader, said, “I don’t like all the itchy leaves, although they are fun to jump in.”

Winter is when the Earth gets colder and the days are shorter. Normally, in PA, it snows more in January. Winter is filled with hot cocoa and lots of layers. 26.5% (18 people) said that winter was their least favorite season. Sunnie Steetle in 6th grade said, “Very pretty and I can throw snowballs at my brother’s face XDDDDD” about winter, but Simeon Bessetti in 7th grade said, “It’s too cold when I am walking to school in the morning. Coldest temp. was around -5 degrees Fahrenheit.”  A lot of people who filled out the survey disliked winter. 34.8% (23 people) voted that winter was the worst season.

People all around the world have different opinions about which weather is better. Say someone in Canada likes summer because it’s way too cold in the winter, but someone else in Florida likes winter because it’s way too warm in the summer. Where people live can affect how they view each season. 

Picture of a tree during each season found on Google.

Why should students read books?

Pciture of a library; stock photo

Books are an extremely important part of daily life, whether you’re reading a cookbook, a science book, or just plain fiction. Books play an essential role in making our world more interesting, and are able to be read basically anywhere at any time. Crimson Arrow interviewed several students about their favorite books and why they think reading is important.

The first student interviewed was Emma Rupert, a seventh-grade student. Emma’s favorite books are Harry Potter and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, although Emma doesn’t really love to read, she thinks that reading is important because it helps expand your vocabulary. The second person questioned was sixth grader April Cao. April said, “Reading is important because it has been proven that reading makes you smarter. It’s also a chill and relaxing hobby to indulge in.” Her favorite book is Famous Last Words.

Another person we inquired about was Penny Higbee, a seventh grader whose favorite book is The Hunger Games. Penny loves reading, and she agrees with Emma on the fact that it expands your vocabulary. The fourth person we interviewed was Victoria Ireland; her favorite book is Accomplice. Victoria thinks reading is a good thing to help pass the time. The last person interviewed was an eighth grader named Daelyn Freyvogel. Her two favorite books are Anne of Green Gables and Eight Keys. Daelyn said, “ Reading helps you learn more about life, the world, and vocabulary. It’s also fun.”

Reading is very important to many of these students. Reading is an extremely significant factor in the world. It is used everywhere for hundreds of different reasons. So, if you are interested in reading, or you’re not sure if it’s for you or not, try reading one of these suggestions in between bell switches, during a water break in a sport, or whenever you have time. Maybe reading is a new hobby for you!

Students debate whether vaccines should be mandatory

The students of the Indiana Junior High School debated whether they believe vaccines should continue to be mandatory to attend a public school. Polio, Mumps, measles, rubella, and chickenpox are required by all 50 states. Vaccines have been a controversial topic for many people across the world. The students of the Indiana Junior High were asked their opinions on the topic. 

The students gave three different kinds of answers during the poll. The answers were yes, they should be mandatory, no, they shouldn’t, or I don’t know if they should. The most popular answer throughout the school was yes, vaccines should be mandatory. 

A close majority of the 70 students interviewed agreed that certain vaccines should be mandatory in schools.  Eighth grader Nolan Dillaman agrees with the mandatory vaccines. He said, ”We wouldn’t want to spread diseases to others.” Most of the other pro-vaccine students had similar comments with some saying that many people would die. On the other hand, the anti-vaccine students had a very different opinion.

“There’s no reason for anyone to have to get shots,” said McKenna Gonos, an eighth-grade student. Many students think that vaccines should be mandatory because of things such as freedom, allergies, and religion. 

“Our estimates suggest GPEI prevented 2.5–6 million cases of paralytic polio,” said the National Library of Medicine. This is just one of the many vaccines that must stay mandatory to ensure that as many lives as possible are saved. Disease is a public safety problem, not a personal choice, and therefore should be mandatory in schools. We should try our best to keep vaccines mandatory in our country.

Eighth grader, Nolan Dillaman pretending to be sick

100 Percent of Junior High students disapprove of Israel’s war on Gaza

On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists from Gaza attacked Israel, and killed over 1,000 people. In response, Israel started a war that has since killed over 60,000 Gazans, including over 20,000 children. Israel’s actions are now being extremely criticized by students of The Indiana Junior High School.

The war in Gaza has made headlines throughout the last two years, often due to Israel’s terrible war crimes. Some of the war crimes Israel has committed is bombing schools, killing journalists, bombing hospitals, and genocide. While the Hamas attacks were devastating, Israel’s response should be viewed as unacceptable and met with resistance.

Despite Israel’s many war crimes, the USA has remained loyal to them. The US government-including both Biden and Trump-has sent tens of billions of dollars to the Israeli Military. Trump even threatened to turn Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” and possibly not let the Gazans back into their homes, despite many students being republican.

The selection of students interviewed in our school disapproved of Israel’s actions after being exposed to Israel’s war crimes. “It’s truly devastating,” said Hala Abulaila, a Palestinian student who was highly affected by the war, “many family members have died.” Although she and her family are personally affected by the war, many students stand with her against Israel.

All in all, Israel’s war crimes have caused people in our school—some of whom are personally affected—to stand against Israel. Let’s all hope that this war will end soon, and our country will stop sending money to war criminals.