​By Braylee Chaney, Exploring America’s Homelessness Crisis 

In one of the wealthiest countries in the world, we face one of the most significant problems imaginable. The United States has more billionaires than any other nation, yet more than half a million Americans experience homelessness each night. So many people remain unhoused in a wealthy country because of unaffordable housing, low wages, and a lack of support for those in need. According to the Official Nationwide Survey of Homelessness in the U.S, The homeless rate has risen 18 percent since 2023, and there are now around 771,480 unhoused people in America. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “On a single night in January 2024, 771,480 people were experiencing homelessness across America.” 

One primary reason people remain unhoused is the rising cost of housing. Rent prices have skyrocketed in nearly every major city, while wages have not kept up. “Homelessness is primarily driven by a shortage of affordable housing, combined with insufficient income and supports,” said Daniel Soucy from the website “ National Alliance to End Homelessness” . In places like Los Angeles and New York, even people working full-time can’t afford a one-bedroom apartment. This shows that homelessness isn’t just a result of personal failure; it’s a failure of the housing system itself. 

Another reason for widespread homelessness is the lack of living-wage jobs and affordable healthcare. Many people lose their homes after a single medical emergency or job loss. For example, studies show that thousands of Americans each year fall into homelessness after being unable to pay hospital bills. When people must choose between paying rent and paying for medication, homelessness becomes almost unavoidable.

Some people argue that homelessness happens because individuals don’t want to work or choose to live on the streets. While this may be true in rare cases, it ignores the larger reality. Most unhoused people desperately want stability, but face barriers such as high rent, discrimination, mental illness, or a lack of affordable housing programs. In reality, homelessness is caused far more by broken systems than by personal choices.

In conclusion, so many people remain unhoused in a wealthy country because our economy and social systems fail to protect the most vulnerable. It’s time for policymakers to invest in affordable housing, raise wages, and expand mental health and addiction services. By doing so, we can ensure that no one has to live on the streets in a nation with more than enough resources for everyone. 

Sources:
https://www.theintelligencer.net/opinion/editorials/2025/11/solving-homelessness-will-take-a-new-approach/

https://endhomelessness.org/state-of-homelessness/ 

https://homelesslaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Homeless_Stats_Fact_Sheet.pdf 

By Abagail Medved

On Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, Pueblo County High School hosted Lewis Palmer for a home swim meet. The Hornets lost with a final score of 78 to 108.  

By Colt Antle

On Dec. 15 and 16, 2025, Pueblo County High School held their annual Winterfest Concert as a way for members of the Art Academy to showcase their talents with a nice holiday twist.

By Wyatt Antle

Agriculture is the practice of farming and producing the materials and food people need. Society’s growth has changed how farmers work in agriculture in various ways. Their farmland provides the community with some of the most essential necessities for survival, yet their work goes unnoticed. This isn’t something that has been resolved; it's still going on today. This should be brought up because the number of people joining agriculture is shrinking, and farmers are getting little to no credit for their hard work.

“Because it is very hard work to do and the producer that starts gets the least amount of money,” said Abbigail Johnson.

Johnson is the agriculture teacher for Pueblo County High School. She has been teaching agriculture for 3 years, including Introduction to Agriculture and Principles of Agriculture. Johnson is also an involved member of the Future Farmers of America community.

First, let's define what agriculture does for us. It provides people with food, supplies, and water, among other things. Agriculture provides everyone with a lot so that the public can live a good, happy life. The sad part, though, is that farmers barely get any credit back. They break their backs every day to help society, and are given nothing. But the worst part of all this is that farmers get only 7 cents back for every dollar Americans spend on their products. 

“When a consumer spends $1 on food produced in the U.S., just $0.07 of that dollar goes back to the farmers. The rest supports the wrap-around industries that deliver, sell, and market food products to consumers, including food services, food processing, retail, wholesale, energy, transportation, finance/insurance, and other sectors. This ripple effect of the food dollar stems from agricultural activities and directly benefits local restaurants, supermarkets, and other Main Street businesses,” said Makinizi Hoover and Isabella Lucy from the United States Chamber of Commerce.

One of the several factors that discourages people from pursuing agriculture is the environment. For example, soil and water affect resources and agriculture in general, with droughts that can negatively affect how farmers' crops grow. The quality of the environment in which they work can impact farmers. If the soil is dry and unhealthy, the plants won’t grow as well. The plants could get too much sunlight and not enough water, making them dry and bleached. Even the farmers' health can impact the way they work. Farmers go through a lot, so they are at risk of getting hurt or sick and halting the production of their harvest. There are just natural causes, too with wildfires, droughts, and everything in between for farmers and their crops. Farmers go through a ton just to make sure that their crops can survive the harvest season. Another reason that shows how much farmers do to help people's lives.

“Climate change can make conditions better or worse for growing crops in different regions. For example, changes in temperature, rainfall, and frost-free days are leading to longer growing seasons in almost every state. A longer growing season can have both positive and negative impacts on food production. Some farmers may be able to plant longer-maturing crops or more crop cycles altogether. In contrast, others may need to provide more irrigation over a longer, hotter growing season,” according to a post made by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/climateimpacts/climate-change-impacts-agriculture-and-food-supply.

People need to understand what agriculture does for us. Helping end poverty and boost the economy. Agriculture helps get rid of some big environmental problems, like greenhouse gases. Using different affordable ways to drop greenhouse gas levels. But agriculture isn’t used to its full potential. Being underused and just left on the side, unnoticed. Recent problems like the weather discourage the practice of agriculture. Extreme weather and economic-related issues have been slowing farmers' efforts to feed 10 billion people! These new conflicts are putting millions at risk of not having the food they need for a healthy diet. The nation has to be part of agriculture to help it evolve. Helping change and feed the mouths of the people in need.

Agriculture provides people with jobs, supplies that build the economy, and helps keep society together. Without the farmers and agriculture, everyone would be swimming in poverty and starvation. Their community needs to be noticed more in this modern day and age. How much it does for us, and how society can help evolve and improve it. Give agriculture a chance. 

Sources:
https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture/overview

https://www.epa.gov/climateimpacts/climate-change-impacts-agriculture-and-food-supply

https://www.uschamber.com/security/agriculture-regulations/how-agriculture-supports-the-american-economy-and-main-street-businesses

By: Brynnley Prijatel 

Many teachers have noticed a decline in students participation in class since 2019. There are a few different reasons for the decline in student participation. Many teachers and adults jump to the conclusion that they don't pay attention, or they're not confident of what they are doing. Although this can be true, there are far more reasons hidden below the surface. 

Henry Grossen, High School English teacher at Pueblo County High School states, “Immediately after Covid there was a large decline in student participation. Apathy levels were at an all-time high, I think-- and I've always said apathy is a poison. When you start not caring about little things in your life (hygiene, diet, screen time limits, etc.) it is a slippery slope to start not caring about the bigger things in your life like your education or your relationships with friends and family. Caring about your life and your mind is very important, and when you stop participating you stop caring. There have always been students that choose not to participate, whether through ignorance or shyness; and I believe a student can still learn without always actively participating; but they're certainly not getting the best that their education has to offer without their own buy-in and effort.”

Some students face the fear of judgement by their peers, fear of getting the answer wrong, and low confidence. Covid caused everyone to shut down, staying quarantined in their homes with little to no face to face social interaction. Students had little to no interaction causing them to be more timid to speak, and socialize in person after a year in isolation. COVID disrupted normal learning habits, also making it harder for students to adjust. Many students came back from Covid with more anxiety and lower confidence. 


From the article, “Student Engagement in Learning Is Low. A Survey Offers Clues on How to Bring Them Back”, Emma Fittes explains, “Students are lacking a curiosity at school that is critical to learning, a new report finds. And it likely plays a big part in teachers’ ongoing struggle to reengage students post-pandemic. Nearly half of teachers (46 percent) say student engagement has declined compared to 2019, according to a survey-based report by The Harris Poll for Discovery Education. At the same time, the vast majority of students, 83 percent, say there are not enough opportunities at school for them to be curious. That’s a disconnect that all vendors in the K-12 space should be paying attention to, said Lisa Katz, vice president of research and analytics at Discovery Education.”


Although we are more connected now than ever via technology and social media, true connection with each other is lacking. Many young people today  have fewer opportunities for in-person, genuine connections with their peers that are not technology based, and that is leading to a sense of loneliness and disconnection. 


Amanda Lay, English teacher at PCHS states, “Anyone who has been paying attention has noticed the increase in apathy (this is everywhere, but especially noticeable in young people) since COVID shutdowns. The reasons are varied and nuanced, but I believe that the main culprits are social disconnection/loneliness and trauma. We have access to all of the information in the world, but much of it is surface level and does not lead us to long term, deep, and meaningful relationships and connections. This causes many young people to "check out" in school and in their social lives, going along with the motions but never really feeling a sense of belonging or pride in who they are. 


Overall, student participation has gone down significantly after COVID, while teachers and adults notice it, students are also starting to notice the decline. After COVID students stopped caring about their overall appearance, the effort they put into themselves, along with their education. 


Sources:
https://marketbrief.edweek.org/meeting-district-needs/student-engagement-in-learning-is-low-a-survey-offers-clues-on-how-to-bring-them-back/2024/10 

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-disengagement-gap/

https://www.nasbe.org/getting-students-engaged-in-learning/ 

By Abigail Medved

The use of Artificial Intelligence appears to be causing brain changes in the younger generation.

In today's ever-evolving technological world, it is unrealistic to believe that there would be no controversy surrounding recent developments like AI. Society has once again delivered with growing concern surrounding AI and its effect on the human brain. 

In PubMed’s study “From Tools to Threats,” researchers, including Ismail Dergaa, Helmi Ben Saad, and others, report, “The concept of AICICA [AI chatbox cognitive atrophy] raises the potential cognitive consequences of excessive reliance on AICs [AI Chatboxes].”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, cognitive atrophy is the loss of neuron connections in the brain that often results in loss of brain volume. This can lead to memory loss, weak critical thinking skills, and other detrimental effects. Although memory loss is often a normal part of aging, healthcare professionals use the term “cognitive atrophy” specifically to describe cognitive changes beyond that expected for an individual’s age. 

PubMed’s study concluded, “It is crucial to recognize that AICICA may disproportionately affect the younger generation, particularly those prioritizing convenient access to information over deep reflection and comprehension, given their continuously developing brains.”

In another study by PubMed, researchers found that human processing speed decreases over time while crystallized intelligence creates an arc (See chart). Since younger children are still undergoing the development of crystallized skills, the development of cognitive atrophy from AI has a more detrimental effect on young brains. However, not only are researchers expecting further changes to the human brain, but also changes within AI itself.

“I am of the view that AI is eventually going to be able to do everything that humans can, and that this will happen faster than we think,” neuroscientist Ivan Soltezs states in an interview with Stanford Medicine. “I have a grant from the National Science Foundation whose central motivation is to develop new computers that can run on sugar, just like our brains do. The future could also hold other solutions for energy sources. So, even this energy limitation of AI systems will likely be gone very soon.”

If simply losing AI chatboxes has effects like cognitive atrophy, what human changes lie ahead with the constant development of AI? This question remains unanswered by researchers and scientists. However, based on past events, it is evident that bigger transformations are coming.


Sources:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11020077/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22515-brain-atrophy
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4906299/
https://stanmed.stanford.edu/experts-weigh-ai-vs-human-brain/

By Colt Antle

Cell phone in hand, and earbuds plugged in.

The topic of phones in school is an ever-present one with no clear answer, and will continue to be debated for years to come. Through countless research articles, the cons of the little handheld devices have always been at the forefront of discussions, with little attention given to the pros, making the debate appear one-sided. Despite this, there are actual benefits to allowing students to use their cellphones during class.

In such a technologically ingrained society where most jobs revolve around the use of devices or heavy machinery, it may be helpful to students to interact with technology as much as they can. Jobs like mechanical drafting will require some degree of technological skills, while jobs that don’t relate to a particular field, like working at a fast-food joint or in retail, will require, in some way, the use of technology. 

Students already interact with electronics inside and outside of school, so giving them extra time to use phones during school would help create familiarity with technology that can better prepare them for the ever-changing real world.

“Integrating cell phones in schools can prepare students for the demands of the future workforce. Cell phones are already integral to the modern workforce, with 83% of employees utilizing them. Allowing their use in schools can foster positive change and innovation, equipping students with the necessary skills and familiarity with technology that will be crucial in their future careers,” according to a Sparx Services blog post, www.sparxservices.org/blog/benefits-of-phones-in-school-for-students.

Though the advantages of phones often get swept under the rug, the downsides cannot be ignored. As many teachers have witnessed, if cellphone use is misused, it can become the number one distraction in classrooms. Increased time spent on devices can reduce a person’s attention span and foster harmful habits that can be hard to break. Phones aren’t the only piece of technology that can create this habit, but they are the easiest and most common because of their size, accessibility, and the apps they offer. 

“This might include things like bullying, harassment, videotaping, and posting to social media. Those are reasons why having phones within schools could potentially be accelerators of negative student behavior,” said researcher Dylan Lukes.

Researchers like Lukes have theorized that it might be beneficial to both the school and students to address the hindrances that phones pose and improve them, turning them into an active tool for learning. Phones hold many helpful apps and services, like Google Classroom and Duolingo, on their screens that can help students. This continuous access also allows the student to stay connected to the school and others in an emergency or when they need to access information on the school or work on something related to a class and aren’t at the building to do it. Of course, phones also hold plenty of non-educational applications that would only hurt the student’s learning experience. A balance needs to be struck for these phones actually to serve as resources. By doing this, cellphones can reach their full academic potential as tools for learning rather than constant distractions.

“Cellphones can be useful tools in schools, but they also bring risks. Schools need to find a balance, allowing students to use their phones in helpful ways while keeping distractions and problems under control,” said Director of IT and Special Programs of Central River Area Education Agency, Sarah Nelson.

An outcome like this will probably never be reached, given the divide that everyone has cellphones, but that doesn’t mean things can’t improve or that efforts haven’t supported the issue. Many school districts have enforced cellphone policies and bans to combat students’ constant attachment to their phones. The cellphone policies have a mixed impact across the board; some schools have seen a positive effect from the bans, while others, such as the New York Department of Education, have had to repeal them due to negative responses from students and parents.  

“However, most cellphone bans have been repealed due to their unpopularity with parents and students and concerns over equity [as low-income students often have mobile-only access to the internet]. In March 2015, the NYCDOE lifted their longstanding districtwide cellphone ban and provided schools with significant discretion in designing and implementing school-level policies governing student cellphone use…” said Lukes.

Whether they’re powering the next generation or dimming their future possibilities, phones are here to stay. Technology and society will continue to advance and change regardless of who is in charge or what phone model is currently out. The best way to combat a change like this is to work together to overcome the issues that divide people, rather than throw each other to the side like a bad Wi-Fi connection.



Sources:
https://www.centralriversaea.org/news/the-debate-over-cellphone-use-in-schools-pros-and-cons/ 
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/news/22/08/weighing-costs-and-benefits-cellphones-schools 
https://www.sparxservices.org/blog/benefits-of-phones-in-school-for-students 

By Abigail Medved

On November 18, 2025, Pueblo County High School DECA attended the District Competition at CSUP. Three Teams and 15 Individuals qualified for the state competition. State qualifiers and those competing in written events will compete at DECA State, which will be held on February 22-23, 2026, at the Broadmoor.

By Camila Nito Burgos

On November 13, 2025 the Pueblo County High School Arts Academy presented the classical play, Pride and Prejudice by Charlotte Bronte. There were 5 performances between Thursday, Nov. 13, and Sunday, Nov.16 under the direction of Ms. Kristin Hoffmann. It was a huge success with each performance filling the auditorium. 

By Emma Moiser
​
Pueblo County High School held a Veterans Day Assembly on Tuesday, November 11, 2025 in the main gym. The PCHS JROTC honored all veterans in attendance during the assembly. JROTC Instructor, (Retired) Army Sgt. Maj. Arnold Lewis presented the colors, the cadets, veterans past and present. Lewis named all in attendance individually as well as remembering those who lost their lives.