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The Warrior • Opinions
December 19, 2024
STAFF
Editor-in-Chief ........................................... Audrey Farris ‘25
Managing Print Editor ....................... Evelyn San Miguel ‘26
Managing Online Editor .................................... Ziv Golan ‘26
News ..................................................... Evelyn San Miguel ‘26
Opinions ............................... Seph Fischer ‘25, Cliff Vacin ‘25
Pulse ............................................................. Maya Dorsam ‘27
Spotlight ...................................................... Audrey Farris ‘25
Humor ........................................................ Declan Rooney ‘25
Entertainment ........ George Awkard ‘25, Jordan Costolo ‘25
Sports ................................Cara Farr ‘27, Andrew Fenner ‘27
Copy and Content
Director of Copy & Content ................................ Katie Ng ‘25
Copy and Content Editor ............................. Justin Lakso ‘25
Business and Social Media
Director of Social Media ............................ Declan Rooney ‘25
Director of Advertising ............................. Jordan Costolo ‘25
Photography
Photographers ..................... Cliff Vacin ‘25, Zach Geller ‘25
Matthew Leighton-Jones ‘25
Staff Writers
Taylor Adams ‘27, Madelyn Awwad ‘27, Lilah Boig ‘26,
Reid Duvall ‘27, Jack Engelhardt ‘25, Ryan Green ‘26, Nick
Hammond ‘25. Matilda Hawkins ‘27, Paloma Illanes ‘25, Nisha
Khatri ‘26, Isabella Landaverde ‘27, Miriam Lev ‘27,
Emma Link ‘27, Fiona Lipczenko ‘25, Aby Lo ‘26, Shannon
Naas ‘26, Laurika Pich ‘27, Josh Pulaski ‘25, Molly Schecter
‘27, Deepika Shrestha ‘26, Chase Sondike ‘26,
Rachel Themistokleous ‘26
The Warrior serves as Sherwood’s news source,
receiving numerous state and national honors
over the 46 years it has been in circulation.
With a staff of 37 students under the guidance
of Peter Huck, The Warrior keeps the Sherwood
community informed about local and
national events. All opinion articles represent
the viewpoint of the writer.
The Warrior staff invites feedback and corrections
to printed inaccuracies.
The Warrior reserves the right to refuse advertisements
and other promotionals.
No, Really, What Can We Do?
by Nick Hammond ‘25
Especially since the past
Presidential election, many students
have been feeling demotivated
to vote or participate in
the political process, or even pay
attention to the news, for a multitude
of reasons. While most high
school students are too young to
vote and for many the current
state of the world may seem rather
bleak, there are still a plethora
of ways to contribute and influence
your and others’ lives by focusing
on a smaller scale.
Obviously, most of us simply
don’t have enough time to fully
and consistently commit to all of
these things. However, the reality
and hope that there are actual
steps we can take to influence our
daily lives. The following strategies
are ordered based on level
of effort and the level of outreach
from smallest to greatest. Try to
find ones you may be interested
in, and apply them to your own
interests and situation.
Helping other peers or
friends on a personal level with
struggles: striving to be personally
vulnerable yourself and also
supportive to friends and family
is a great start and can help you
learn what you and others around
Mid-Atlantic Energy Company
Unveils Invasive New Power Line
by Fiona Lipczenko ‘25
Public Service Enterprise
Group (PSEG), a Mid-Atlantic
local energy company, has proposed
the Maryland Piedmont
Reliability Project (MPRP), consisting
of constructing a 70 mile
long power line throughout Western
Maryland. PSEG claims the
project is necessary for power
grid reliability and affordability,
though landowners, economists,
and environmentalists have
voiced concerns against MPRP.
Maryland must find more environmentally
sustainable solutions
to its energy needs.
Maryland’s power grid is the
most congested in the Mid-Atlantic,
due to limited transmission
infrastructure and recent power
plant closures. PSEG claims the
power line project is necessary
to meet Maryland’s growing
consumer demand. According
to MPRP Project Director Jason
Kalwa, “there will be rolling
brown-outs and blackouts if this
project is not placed in service by
June of 2027.” PJM and PSEG
are pushing for rapid progress in
the project’s development.
However, not everyone
shares such perspectives on the
power line. Local homeowners
and farmers have expressed
you care about most.
The next level is to reach out to
people and support those who are
not as close to you, such as peers
at school who seem to be struggling,
those on social media you
may not know as well, reaching
out and checking in on extended
family etc. Being open to others’
perspectives and feelings about
the current world will help you
to have more productive conversations.
Additionally, engaging and
learning about our local government;
taking time to learn about
perspectives by talking with
friends and family, and doing
things like reading this newspaper
to learn about student, teacher,
and administrator perspectives
and about well-researched topics
relevant to our student body all
are great choices. Furthermore,
researching local officials, offices,
and representatives can help you
learn who is responsible for what
in our area, and who to contact if
you have any concerns you’d like
addressed by the county or state.
While Olney and surrounding areas
do not have town councils or
a town government, we still have
a strong and active County Council
with elected representatives.
Taking the time to share your
unease about the possibility of
PSEG invoking eminent domain,
forcing them to abandon their
livelihoods. Frederick County
Council wrote to PJM and PSEG
to advocate for more transparency
and inclusion of residents
in the development process. According
to a letter from one such
exchange, “the new transmission
lines … will directly and negatively
impact current homes, businesses
and farms (many of which
are in agricultural preservation
programs utilizing state and/or
local funds), historical preservation
sites, and will diminish
the property values of thousands
of Frederick County residents.”
Numerous affected counties actively
oppose MPRP, though their
County Councils cannot prevent
the power line from being built.
It is up to residents impacted by
MPRP to speak out.
The proposal to build such
a power line also raises environmental
concerns. It is still unclear
what route the power line will
take, but it will most likely transmit
power from a nuclear or coal
plant. Coal power is notorious
for contributing to air pollution
and nuclear power furthers global
warming through thermal water
pollution. PSEG claims to be devoted
to clean energy; however,
opinions and ways to improve
your community can lead to direct
benefits for you and others
in your life. Though national politics
can feel difficult to influence,
you have much more weight over
your local government, and thus
will have more control over your
daily life.
Trying things such as creating
or signing petitions, joining
protests, volunteering for nonprofits
or community groups,
or even going door-to-door or
calling in support of a candidate
who may especially resonate with
your beliefs all could impact results
in the next election. By attending
or watching town halls
and council meetings online, you
can learn about what is currently
being acknowledged, worked
on, and recently achieved in your
community.
Look into even one of these
strategies and try your best to
get your voice heard. You never
know what can come from a single
conversation, call, email, or
even message! By gradually engaging
more and more over time
within our communities, we can
help to keep our futures from sifting
through our fingers before we
know it.
the energy they utilize may not be
so environmentally friendly as intended.
What Maryland needs is a
transition away from non-renewable
energy and pollutants, towards
green energy sources, such
as geothermal. If PSEG is truly
dedicated to alleviating unreliability
and high expenses, green
energy will serve them better in
the long run. Though more costly
upfront, renewable energy sources
save money over time. They
also protect the sustainability of
the world.
Due to the number of Maryland
power plants being retired, it
is still uncertain whether MPRP
will even fix the problem at hand.
According to Kalwa, “MPRP is
the first of several transmission
line projects across Maryland that
aim to bolster the reliability of
the state’s power grid.” Maryland
may be in for more future energy
projects than anticipated, which
could mean negative impacts for
residents of many other counties,
including Montgomery. Invasive
power lines and non-renewable
energy does not only affect Western
Maryland residents. Soon, it
will affect everyone. Maryland
residents must stand up for themselves
and for the greater good of
the planet.