Students in Mr. Pascua’s class have been researching current events, often controversial issues faced by our society. Students choose individual topics, conducted in depth research, and prepared presentations highlighting key elements of the issues. After hearing and processing all this information, students were asked to reflect on their learning and if possible, consider solutions. Here are some of their responses.

• One of the main lessons I learned during the presentations was that police brutality isn't as common as people think it is. I cared about this topic because I am a black male in America and we usually have bad run-ins with the police that could cause jail time, or death. After doing my research on the topic I found only 15 black police brutality cases a year that happened are unjustified; many were legitimate stops that escalated into something bigger. Before doing my research, I was thinking that these cases happen more often due to racist cops. - Elijah Wright

• A lesson I learned was about AI; it made me think I should be more appreciative of the actions and works of humans. AI is starting to take the jobs of people, making their lives more difficult to live. Not having many free jobs leads to many families starving and eventually becoming homeless. One job being taken over by AI, for example, is an artist. Many people are using AI for art. Many artists, who worked hard on their art, can easily be copied by AI making them furious. But, it also helps them because it can make their original art more valuable since it is handmade. - Mitchell Thilavanh

• One of the main lessons that I learned was about immigration and the border wall. This presentation gave me information about how much we are missing, about how the numbers come into the equation, and how much immigrants can affect Americans. For example, immigrants entering the U.S. cost Americans at least 150.7 billion dollars to cover the policies that Biden has put in place. When Trump was in office the number of illegal crossings decreased  and how much we were paying for everything such as gas, taxes, and even day-to-day items decreased as well. Since Biden’s presidency, Inflation had risen, gas prices have risen 49% (diesel fuel 55%) and illegal crossings have risen. – Ethan Greer

• The main lesson I learned was about the seriousness of depression and the causes of suicide. Specifically, I realized the gravity of depression and its connection and link to suicide. Depression is not merely having a bad day or feeling sad; it's a mental health condition that affects how a person feels, thinks, and acts. Without treatment, or without someone trusted to talk to depression can lead to suicidal thoughts and behaviors, potentially leading to the act of taking one’s own life. I learned that in 2023, over 50,000 people committed suicide in America. Additionally, I learned that social media was highlighted as a primary reason why teenagers fall into depression. – Marlen Padilla

• The important thing I learned was regarding affect of the absence of a father in the home. Statistically, not having a father figure is shown to affect people negatively a lot more than I thought it did. For example, a study has shown that 85% of young people in prison come from fatherless homes. I feel as if having all the data in front of me helped show me just how much of an issue lacking a father-figure can become. – Ace Contreras

• I learned that the school wastes so much money on food that most of the students don't like. I also learned that some people could afford their food, and don’t need the free lunch the school provides It makes me think the school should spend the money instead, on something people cannot afford. It makes me think the school could help pay for things like college education through application vouchers or scholarship offers rather than spending it on food. This makes me wonder if the school wastes money on other areas students can afford. – Abdul Noori

• A lesson I learned is that bullying is the top reason why people young adults (14-24) are suicidal. For this group, suicide is the second leading cause of death. It’s very sad that people get bullied so much that they think the only option is to commit suicide. It's sad that people think that suicide is the only way to get rid of all the bullying. It’s sad that society isn’t showing any effort to help. I believe that there should be better resources. If the government improved the resources suicide rates could go down. Therapeutic programs can help children and adults can learn that there is more than one option, how to cope with their emotions and enjoy life. – Kayla Ramos

•  I learned those who consider themselves a part of the LGBTQ+ community can get a lot of backlash for their identities Those who come out as gay or trans and so on, often get threatened, harassed, and/or bullied; trauma that often leads to depression and thoughts of suicide. This especially applies to young people. 15% or 3.7 million teens between 12-17 have depression which can lead to suicide if they don’t get help. 65% of the population don’t actually get the help they need for depression. Teens who consider themselves part of the LGBTQ community are four times as likely to commit suicide which resulting in 1.8 million kids seriously considering suicide each year. There isn’t a pure solution to this, but we need to do something. There is still a stigma towards gay people and a stigma against the mental illness of depression that leads to hate. The only solution I see is to teach understanding to stop this generational hate. – Akane Okino

• One of the main lessons I learned was about abortion. I learned that there are approximately 121 million unintended pregnancies a year; many get ended by abortion. I personally believe that abortion is not okay for religious reasons, that if you were knowingly having intercourse and risking becoming pregnant that you should not get an abortion. Even if you’re struggling with finances, or were forced to have the baby, there are programs for women to help them live stable lives – Shania Dyer