Tag: Kaylee Borelli

Column: When used correctly, social media can help teens make connections

by Kaylee Borelli

Around 96% of teens aged 13 to 17 are reported to spend time on social media each day. Social media is significant to today’s generation. For example, social media allows teens to connect with their friends, express themselves, and find communities of people with similar interests.

Social media is, for the most part, a good thing. But social media can also be quite harmful and can lead to mental health problems in teens. According to a Pew Research study, roughly 48% of teens say social media has a mostly negative impact on people their age, but only 14% say it harms them.

According to the same study, parents of teens are more likely to be concerned about teens’ mental health than teens themselves. Overall, 55% of parents say they are extremely concerned about the mental health of teens. In contrast, only 35% of teens make the same claim.

Women are also more significantly impacted by social media than men. According to a study by Memorial University of Newfoundland, 88% of women compare themselves to other women online, compared to 65% of men who do the same. This can lead to many problematic things, like self-esteem issues, body dysphoria, and, in extreme cases, can lead to an eating disorder.

Not only does social media harm teens’ body image, but it can also increase the risk of teens having other mental health problems like depression and anxiety.

According to a  Yale Medicine study, American teens aged from 12-15 who use social media for three or more hours a day faced twice the risk of things like anxiety and depression.

Even with all these problems that social media can cause, it isn’t all a bad thing. Actually, social media can also be good in many ways.

According to a National Institute of Health study,  social media can help teens maintain and build connections with their friends and peers. It also helps teens who might have a long-distance friend or relationship keep in touch. The study states that teen girls who spent time with their friends on social media made their friendships closer.

Social media doesn’t just allow teens to connect with others, but it can also give teens a place of belonging.

The same study shows that different groups of people use social media to find other people like them and create and build communities. For example, teens with chronic or rare diseases used social media to find more people like them to connect and combat isolation.

Social media is both a good and a bad thing. Yes, it can cause mental health problems like anxiety and depression, but it can also allow people to find their community and connect with friends. I believe that if teens use social media correctly, they will find it much more helpful than harmful.

by jhshyphen

Column: We must reduce school shootings by taking action on gun laws

by Kaylee Borelli

The topic of gun laws is very sensitive. Some people believe that you should have the right to have a gun because of the Second Amendment, while others believe that there should be more restrictive laws because of gun violence and school shootings. I think that people should be allowed to have firearms, but they shouldn’t be handed to people who have the wrong intentions. 

According to CNN, as of September 23, 2025, there have been 53 school shootings in 2025. 27 of these shootings occurred on college campuses, and the other 26 were on K-12 school grounds.

Source: Source: https://www.cnn.com/us/school-shootings-fast-facts-dg. Graphic by Kaylee Borelli.

The number of school shootings so far this year hasn’t been as high as in previous years, but this number is still too high. According to a CNN chart, the number of school shootings has mostly risen since 2008; last year had the highest number of school shootings, with 83 of them. But even before 2008, there were problems with school shootings.

For example, Columbine is one of the most notorious school shootings. It occurred on April 20, 1999, and led to 13 deaths, many injuries, and physical and emotional trauma to the survivors. As a result of this devastation, there was a national reassessment of school safety and a significant change in school security and policies.

While these changes seem like a good solution at the moment, these security measures aren’t working. I believe that, in addition to the security measures, there should be more action on gun laws and more research into how these tragedies can be prevented. 

Many gun laws have been proposed in the past, but these laws haven’t been passed, and if they are passed, they could cut down on school shootings. In other countries, the gun laws are much stricter, and there isn’t widespread availability and accessibility to firearms. In Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and the United Kingdom together, there have only been five school shootings since 2009. In contrast, there have been 288 school shootings in America since 2009. This data alone should be enough for there to be a crackdown on gun laws, and still, it seems as if people don’t care enough to take action.

Another important part of preventing school shootings is preventing adolescents from having access to firearms.

According to the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Service, the average age of adolescent school shooters is 16 years old. Since these kids aren’t legally able to purchase a gun, they have to turn to stealing it from their parents. Most of the time, these guns are loaded and easily accessible, rather than being locked away. This poses extreme danger. Guns should be required to be locked up and in a safe place where a kid cannot access them. Studies have also shown that when children and teens live in a home with firearms, there is an increased risk of firearm injuries to them.

Since so many teens have had access to firearms, there have been huge problems along with it, like firearms being the number one cause of death in children and teens.

According to Harvard Medical School, since 2020, firearms have been the number one cause of death among children and teens. Along with those deaths, many children and teens also suffer from injuries as a result of firearms. These deaths and injuries cause mental health problems in both the families and the children. These mental health problems seriously affect the people suffering from them and can last a lifetime.

With all these dangers and risks, many students are nervous coming to school with the possibility of getting shot. It’s also not just students worried about a school shooting happening at their school; their parents also share the same concern.

In a Pew Research study, 57% of teens say that they are worried about the possibility of a shooting happening, with one-in-four of these students saying they are extremely worried about it happening. For parents, 63% said that they were somewhat worried about a shooting happening at their children’s school.

If action isn’t taken on gun laws, there will continue to be school shootings. It’s not just school shootings that are the problem, but also mass shootings in general are a major problem. Without any control over gun laws, students are afraid to go to school, and some people might be scared to leave their houses. These shootings have taken a toll on mental health, and if people really cared, something would have already been changed. I think it’s about time for important people to actually care about this problem, so that something can change, hopefully for the better.

by jhshyphen

Math teacher Cory Densford combines high standards with humor in his classroom

by Kaylee Borelli

JHS geometry teacher Cory Densford greets his students as they walk into his classroom with a warm welcome and a fist bump.

“I want to form a good relationship with my students,” said Densford

This is Densford’s 13th year teaching at JHS, and throughout those years, he has grown significantly as a teacher and has also learned things that have shaped him into the teacher he is today.

Math teacher Cory Densford checks homework in his seventh-hour geometry class. Photo by Kaylee Borelli.

“My first year was terrible because I didn’t know anything,” stated Densford. “Relationships are the most important part of teaching. It doesn’t matter what you say to a kid if they won’t listen to you, and the way you get them to listen to you is by building a personal relationship, especially on the first days of school. Learning their names, what they like, and what they don’t like is probably the most important thing.”

Along with learning throughout the years, he has also had many challenges that he has faced.

“Sometimes there is a personality issue between you and a kid that is always a big challenge, and navigating that when the student and I have different ideas of how class should run, there is always a big challenge,” explained Densford. “Navigating the logistics of a school sometimes and not having enough of a resource or where you get a resource is always a challenge, especially if you’re brand new.

Densford recalls back to his years at JHS and how much his Algebra II teacher, Mr. Clark, influenced and inspired him to go into teaching.

“I knew I wanted to teach when I was a kid. I wanted to go into something that helped people,” said Densford. “I thought I wanted to become a doctor, but that was not going to do it once I got a little bit older. It was my Aalgebra II and calculus teacher, Mr. Clark, who made me want to become a math teacher.”

Densford’s students have mentioned that they have learned a lot in his class and that Densford has truly helped them understand the concept of geometry.

“He teaches very quickly and efficiently and makes sure you understand the material,” said freshman Chloe Kallbrier. “He actually makes me understand geometry.”

Another student also details how Densford has impacted them.

“He helps me when I get nervous during a test,” said freshman Makaylynn Nguyen. “He’ll tell me my score on the test and show me that I did well.”

Other students also describe Densford very positively.

“He’s funny, nice, and he’s also respectful,” said Nguyen. “He’s actually helped me learn.”

Densford explained why he loves teaching at JHS and why he keeps coming back to teach every year.

“Nothing else is as fulfilling as teaching,” explained Densford. “Getting to see people helps a lot, and I have a friend who works at a call center, and he works from home, but whenever we hang out, he’s always jealous that my job is fulfilling.”

Densford wants to ensure that he leaves a lasting impression on his students once they step out of his classroom for the last time.

“I want them to remember the good times we had together,” said Densford. “We did a lot of math, but I’m a pretty goofy guy, and I would love for them to remember the fun that we had along the way.”

by jhshyphen