Ithaca’s Afterschool System is Failing Elementary School Families
By THE TATTLER EDITORIAL BOARD on June 2026 |
Editorials
The ICSD elementary school day ends at 2:00 PM, nearly an hour earlier than surrounding districts’ dismissal times. For many ICSD families, this extremely early...
Strengthening Suicide Prevention Resources in ICSD Middle Schools
By THE TATTLER EDITORIAL BOARD on May 2025 |
Opinion
Trigger Warning: The following content discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline...
How ICSD Can Better Attract, Retain, and Support Teachers of Color
By THE TATTLER EDITORIAL BOARD on April 2025 |
Features
In the United States, people of color are significantly underrepresented in teaching. With the federal government’s recent threats to public school funding and diversity, equity,...
IHS Must Address AI Usage in Classrooms
By THE TATTLER EDITORIAL BOARD on March 2025 |
Features
Artificial intelligence (AI) is broadly defined as a set of technologies that allow computers to perform advanced functions such as mimicking conversation and ‘learning.’ AI...
Changing Times Change Grading Scales
By THE TATTLER EDITORIAL BOARD on February 2025 |
Features
Over the last several years, ICSD has phased in a “standards-based grading” system at the middle schools. The system’s self-proclaimed goal is to create a...

Posts published in “Opinion”

Bring Back Reading

By THE TATTLER EDITORIAL BOARD on May 2023

It’s been weeks since you’ve picked up a book (not counting the Shakespeare play you’re reading for English class). There just doesn’t seem to be…

GPT-4 Is Out, And It’s Writing Itself

By TARAN KNUTSON on May 2023

OpenAI unveiled its new multimodal AI language model, GPT-4, on March 14, 2023. This model is much more capable than its predecessors, scoring much higher…

Controversial Takes: Pineapple on Pizza?

By BRENNA LUCIO-BELBASE, CLAIRE PARK on May 2023

Pineapple on pizza is a common debate that has not been reconciled. Neither side is willing to concede to the other, but hopefully at least…

More Time In the Day: Why IHS Should Have Eight Periods

By MARK KIEFER on May 2023

As some students may remember, before this year’s system of Universal Lunch (UL), last year we had a staggered lunch schedule: students would eat in…

Why Investing in Police Training Shouldn’t Be a Priority.

By ISIA PATIE on May 2023

Content warning: violence, school shootings Police officers took seventy-four minutes to end the Uvalde massacre, three hours to shoot the gunman at the Pulse nightclub…

Op-Ed Contest Winner: We Need More Appreciation for Our Teachers

By MIA CHO on May 2023

I remember through my elementary school years, there was always a poster in the classroom that stated the Golden Rule– to treat others the way…

Op-Ed Contest Second Place: How Reducing Salt Intake Can Benefit Your Health and the Environment

By MARLEY THOMSON on May 2023

As summer approaches, one thing is constantly on our minds–hydration. Those blistering hot days seem to extract the life out of us. This feeling is…

Op-Ed Contest Third Place: Is Democracy Really the Best Form of Government?

By ELIJAH KELLY on May 2023

Lots of things are democratically run, something many participants take pride in. I am one of those people, but I also feel that democracy is…

IHS is Literally Falling Apart

By THE TATTLER EDITORIAL BOARD on April 2023

Maintenance issues have been piling up at IHS, inconveniencing students, teachers, and staff. Broken air conditioners and heaters, leaking pipes, and rodent infestations around the…

The January 24 and February 28 Board of Education Meetings

By MUKUND GAUR on April 2023

The Board of Education (BoE) has had two voting meetings in the past two months: January 24 and February 28. The February 14 meeting was…

For a Just Implementation of the Ithaca Green New Deal

For a Just Implementation of the Ithaca Green New Deal

By ACE DUFRESNE, ROSEMARY MEAD on April 2023

According to the City of Ithaca’s website, the Ithaca Green New Deal (IGND) is a “government-led commitment to community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030 that focuses…

Social Media, Screen Time, and Mental Health: It’s Time for a Change

Social Media, Screen Time, and Mental Health: It’s Time for a Change

By MIA CHO on April 2023

I’m betting that most people reading this checked their phones shortly before doing so. What you were doing on your screen is not my business,…

Without Accessible Childcare, School Breaks are Not Equitable

By THE TATTLER EDITORIAL BOARD on March 2023

School breaks are widely celebrated as a time of relaxation and freedom from the monotony of school and homework, but for working families with young…

Why Students Should Try To Limit Their Time Spent on Social Media

By THE TATTLER EDITORIAL BOARD on March 2023

Social media impacts all aspects of our life. From the way we view the world to the way we view ourselves, our use of social…

Controversial Takes: The Incomparable Quantity of Wheels and Doors

By BRENNA LUCIO-BELBASE, CLAIRE PARK on March 2023

This month marks the anniversary of when the Wheels Vs. Doors debate went viral across social media platforms. It’s a simple question, really, for how…

The Ethical Dilemma of Medically Assisted Death

By LILY WANG on March 2023

Medical assistance in dying (MAID), or euthanasia, has sparked debate in recent years. This is the action of ending a terminally ill patient’s life with…

The Sexualization of Jeffery Dahmer

By JAYA BHOJRAJ on March 2023

For the longest time, people loved the shining hero who defeats the big bad villain. Good defeats evil, everybody’s happy, end of the story. Now,…

Rethinking Our Views On Grades

By MIA CHO on March 2023

“A mark indicating a degree of accomplishment in school”, is the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of the school-term grade. This is what grades have become; a…

A Worrying New Stage in the Attack on Encryption

By MARK KIEFER on March 2023

Recently, Apple announced the implementation of a long-anticipated feature: users can activate end-to-end encryption with iCloud. Apple has a reputation for device privacy and security…

ICSD: If our teachers are leaving, where does that leave us?

By THE TATTLER EDITORIAL BOARD on February 2023

For years, ICSD has been shedding teachers in droves. As these teachers depart, our district has opted for a rotating door policy of hiring inexperienced…

The Current Custodian Complications in ICSD

By THE TATTLER EDITORIAL BOARD on February 2023

As students, we mostly pay attention to those we interactwith. Our minds are occupied with friends, parents,teachers—people whose actions are at the forefront of ourroutines.…

The Pros of Procrastination

By MARK KIEFER on February 2023

When looking for advice on studying for a test, you’lloften come across the advice of “don’t procrastinate.”Studying consistently is considered to be better thancramming the…

Why You Should Try Drinking More Plain Water

Why You Should Try Drinking More Plain Water

By MIA CHO on February 2023

Ever feel tired, drained, or disorientated? Stayed up a littletoo late finishing homework? Do you need an easy boost ofenergy or to refresh your mind?…

Controversial Takes: The Labeling of IHS Multi-stalled Bathrooms

By CAEDMON SETHUPATHY, CLAIRE PARK on February 2023

Construction projects in the G building bathrooms have been ongoing since the beginning of the year. It was previously decidedupon by the district that the…

New Year’s Resolutions: Hated but Actually Quite Beautiful

New Year’s Resolutions: Hated but Actually Quite Beautiful

By HANNAH SHVETS on February 2023

Content Warning: Mentions of eating disorders and weight loss I have personally always been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. Maybe it isn’t particularly…

Learning to Cope With Regret: A Chance at a Better Life

By MAX WINGE on February 2023

I’ll be the first person to tell you I’ve made horrible decisions. If I made a list of all the terrible things I’ve done throughout…

Period Products Should be Plentiful in Every Bathroom

Period Products Should be Plentiful in Every Bathroom

By THE TATTLER EDITORIAL BOARD on December 2022

Anyone who menstruates is familiar with the panic that comes with starting a period unexpectedly without tampons or pads at hand. Luckily for the IHS…