St Pete Women’s March

The one-year anniversary of the Women’s March occurred this past Sunday, Jan. 21, in Williams Park, St. Petersburg. Crowds gathered to protest the day after the anniversary of Donald Trump’s inauguration, holding signs and chanting things such as “This is what democracy looks like.” This year’s theme was Power to the Polls. “The Women’s March shows an astounding level of passion and strength behind the desire for equality and diversity in America,” sophomore Michael Townsend said. “It’s wonderful to see such rallying unification to support people’s beliefs and morals in the face of unbelievable prejudice and violence.”

Historic government shutdown

This past week America saw its first government shutdown since 2013, but this current shutdown was historic- it occurred in a one-party government, with Republicans controlling the Presidency, the House and the Senate. On Monday, Jan. 22nd, President Trump signed Congress’ bill extending funding for three weeks, ending the government shutdown. “I was kind of disappointed but also not surprised considering the political stability of the country,” freshman Shibani Rana said.

Two IEDs explode at Lake Wales mall

East of Tampa at the East Ridge Mall in Lake Wales, two flares were ignited in a hallway, originally leading authorities to believe that pipe bombs had been detonated. However, upon investigating the large amounts of smoke, it was discovered that the flares were inside PVC pipes and wrapped in electrical tape. There were no injuries and police say there is no terrorist connection to the incident. “I’m glad everyone is safe,” junior Samantha Stewart said. “but I feel like some sort of further investigation should be done to make sure this doesn’t lead to anything else in the future.”

Dress up like your favorite book character

This week is Literacy Week, and on Friday, Jan. 26, students are allowed to show their literary spirit by dressing up as their favorite book character. The costume must follow the dress code, be school appropriate and should not cover your face. Props- and fake weapons- are not allowed. “I think dressing up like your favorite character is really cool,” senior Ruben Mercado said. “It gives a whole new meaning to loving a piece of literature.” The Teacher Door Decoration Contest is also being held on Friday, with the winning teacher receiving a prize.