The student-run news site of H. B. Plant High School

PHS News
The student-run news site of H. B. Plant High School

PHS News
The student-run news site of H. B. Plant High School

PHS News
Rowan OFlanagan

Rowan O'Flanagan, Opinions Editor

Hey I’m Rowan and I’m so excited to be the Opinions Editor for PHS News! I’m starting my senior year at plant and my second year on newspaper staff. Outside of school, I love volunteering at the local animal shelter and going to the beach.

All content by Rowan O'Flanagan
Mountains all the way! Nice family hike and later you can sit by the fire with a nice cup of hot chocolate.

Mountain vacation

Rowan O'Flanagan, Opinion's Editor
May 6, 2022
Debating between mountain and beach vacations? Read below to decide!

Beach or mountain vacation?

Rowan O'Flanagan and Emily Mangione
May 6, 2022
The Lumineers released their new album “Brightside” in January this year. The album contains nine songs.

New The Lumineers album provides storytelling, emotion

Rowan O'Flanagan, Opinion's Editor
March 30, 2022
TV Production members and seniors Hannah Hurd and Delaney Davis record the morning show. TV Production is currently working on the senior video.

TV Production seniors discuss senior video

Rowan O'Flanagan, Opinion's Editor
March 9, 2022
A screenshot of the Hillsborough County Public Schools COVID dashboard displays recent student and staff case numbers. The start of 2022 has been characterized by skyrocketing case counts across the country.

What to know about COVID testing

Rowan O'Flanagan, Opinion's Editor
February 1, 2022
Episode One of Season 2 of Euphoria became available on HBO on Sunday, January 9, at 9 p.m. Season 1 was known for its glittery makeup and suspenseful plot.

“Euphoria” season 2 premieres on HBO 

Rowan O'Flanagan, Opinion's Editor
January 11, 2022
The band Surfaces performs on stage at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg. Surfaces is made up of singer/guitarist Forrest Frank and musician Colin Padalecki.

Surfaces “Good To Be Back” tour concert review

Rowan O'Flanagan, Opinions Editor
November 5, 2021
PHS Newspaper Staff sampled a lot of different variations of Goldfish which prompted a lot of different reactions. For your convenience, the staff ranked all the different flavors we sampled.

PHS News staff try 15 different Goldfish flavors

Rowan O'Flanagan, Cultures Editor
October 20, 2021
Illustrated pumpkins contrast with a beach background. Despite what many might wish, Fall in Florida usually feels more like an extension of summer.

Florida fall is a figment of the imagination

Rowan O'Flanagan, Opinions Editor
October 6, 2021
Students walk around campus during the first day of in-person school in August 2020. Last school year was characterized by constantly changing COVID mitigation policies.

A new school year brings another new normal

Rowan O'Flanagan, Opinion Editor
August 12, 2021
The sun sets over the water in Pass-A-Grille Beach, Florida. Pass-A-Grille is only a 40-minute drive away from Tampa.

Five reasons why Pass-A-Grille is the best beach in the Bay Area

Rowan O'Flanagan, Staffer
March 10, 2021
Laying in the sun, pit bull-mix Cali chews a stick. Adopting a puppy can be a great source of laughter and fun.

A new source of smiles: the joys of adopting a puppy

Rowan O'Flanagan, Staffer
February 26, 2021
Though the first week of February produced only one reported COVID case at Plant, the winter has been characterized by high case counts.

Plant experiences winter COVID spike 

Rowan O'Flanagan, Staffer
February 16, 2021
2020 was a notable year for many reasons, among which were the immense and immediate effects of climate change. As a pandemic swept the world, so did wildfires, hurricanes and extreme temperatures, all of which will only worsen unless major actions are taken. The year began with a massive blaze in Australia, which burned an area of land larger than Florida and released as much ash into the atmosphere as a volcanic eruption. One study (hyperlink to https://nhess.copernicus.org/preprints/nhess-2020-69/) reported that climate change caused the conditions responsible for Australia’s wildfires to be 30% more likely, a seemingly small difference which is incredibly concerning considering the damage a single wildfire can cause. Later in the year, the United States was struck by record-breaking wildfires. In California, almost 4.2 million acres were burned, including 1.03 million acres which were destroyed by the August Complex fire, the largest wildfire in the state’s recorded history. Spurred on by record setting blazes also in Colorado and Washington, a total of 10.27 million acres were burned by wildfires across the U.S., another somber historical record (source: Yale Climate Connections). On the other side of the country, a different series of disasters were unfolding. During the six-month long Atlantic hurricane season, 30 named storms formed, 12 of which hit the United States. This too set a historical record, and devasted parts of the gulf coast. To make matters worse, 2020 was also one of the hottest years in recorded history, second only to 2016. Average surface temperatures reached 1.25 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels, despite weather patterns which should have resulted in cooler temperatures. Though it is nearly impossible to definitively attribute any weather event to climate change, rising CO2 levels almost certainly contributed to the disastrous year. According to the UN, global CO2 levels also set a record last year – 410 parts per million and rising rapidly. While coronavirus restrictions around the world did cause a small drop in global emissions, World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petteri Taalas referred to it as “just a tiny blip on the long-term graph.” Any real attempt to stop climate change will require a significantly bigger drop in emissions. Considering the impact climate change is already having on countless lives around the world, that attempt needs to be made as soon as possible. Climate change is a global issue, which requires global action. Many countries have already made pledges to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 in the hopes of possibly avoiding some of the worst impacts of climate change, though it is uncertain whether this target is ambitious enough. Unless there is a massive decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, 2020 will be just the tip of the iceberg of our planet’s climate related troubles. Wildfires, hurricanes, heat waves and other natural disasters will continue to increase in frequency and power, causing untold suffering across the globe. We simply cannot ignore our warming planet anymore. 2021 must be a year of climate action.

2020’s climate change disasters serve as warning for 2021

Rowan O'Flanagan, Staffer
January 27, 2021
A new piece of legislation proposed by Governor Ron Desantis in response to last summer’s wave of racial justice protests, called the “Combating Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act,” is a dangerous abuse of power. 

Proposed protest bill poses danger to Floridians

Rowan O'Flanagan, Staffer
January 8, 2021
Step 9: Bake for 9-10 minutes, then let cool before eating.

Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies: A Recipe for the Perfect Holiday Treat

Rowan O'Flanagan, Staffer
December 17, 2020
The electric Dairy Joy sign lights up during a summer storm last June. Dairy Joy is one of numerous great places to get ice cream in South Tampa.

The Best Spots for Ice Cream in South Tampa

Rowan O'Flanagan, Staffer
November 16, 2020
At a campaign event held in August, former Vice President Joe Biden and California Senator Kamala Harris have a conversation. Biden and Harris were projected as the winners of the 2020 presidential election on Saturday, Nov. 7.

Biden Projected Next President of the United States

Rowan O'Flanagan, Staffer
November 9, 2020

The Top Five Best Halloween Candies

Rowan O'Flanagan, Staffer
October 30, 2020
The best and worst of Halloween candy

The best and worst of Halloween candy

Izzy Antilla and Rowan O'Flanagan
October 30, 2020
The election approaches, and the influence of voting is being widely discussed. While voting can’t solve all of our problems, it’s still a powerful tool to influence change.

The Power of Your Vote

Rowan O'Flanagan, Staff Writer
October 29, 2020
“The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a popular family film directed by Tim Burton. Although it has some elements of Christmas, the movie undoubtedly belongs to Halloween.

‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ is a classic movie for the Halloween season

Rowan O'Flanagan, Staffer
October 26, 2020
With election day rapidly approaching, democrat Julie Jenkins challenges incumbent republican Jackie Toledo for her seat in the Florida House of Representatives. The term for a Florida representative is two years.

Election Spotlight: Florida House District 60 

Rowan O'Flanagan, Staffer
October 20, 2020
As the School District struggles with a shortage of funds, Superintendent Addison Davis has proposed a slate of new budget cuts. Those these policies are intended to save money, they harm students and teachers.

School district budget cuts hurt students, teachers

Rowan O'Flanagan, Staff Member
October 12, 2020
Stacked three layers high, packages of plastic water bottles line the hallway near the cafeteria. The school began providing plastic water bottles this year to compensate for water fountains being shut off to prevent coronavirus spread.

New covid rules create more plastic waste

Rowan O'Flanagan, Staffer
September 28, 2020
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