12.13 Issue by HiLite News

hilite CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL NEWSMAGAZINE VOL. 86, NO. 5 DEC. 13, 2021

Amid holiday season, CHS students, teachers review what makes a family, how close relationships develop PAGE 28 | AUSTIN GUO, DANIEL TIAN

table of contents just a minute 04 LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! In recognition of National Short Film Day, learn about short films in Indy, at CHS

18 STOP THE BLEED 19 HOLIDAY STATION

entertainment

perspectives

20 VIRTUAL REALITY CHECK

06 I STEP TO SAT 07 NOT A BARBIE GIRL 08 FOR YOU PAGE 09 TIME FOR ME 10 A LITTLE MEANS A LOT

22 SWING INTO ACTION

Giving smaller, sentimental gifts has more valuable than large, expensive gifts, should be normalized

11 CONCERT CRAZE 12 SPOTIFY SUPREMACY 13 APPLE ADVANTAGE

news 14 NEWS BRIEFS 15 FLYING BIRDIE 16 HOLIDAY OF GIVING 17 FINAL-LY FREE

With optional finals, students, teacher, evaluate values of holding final exams

In honor of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” coming out Dec. 17, learn more about the spider-man movies

24 NOT THE NORM

feature 38 REBOOTED 40 A DIFFERENT PATH Students, educations explore nontraditional learning strategies

42 GLOBAL CHRISTMAS 44 TO BE JOLLY?

sports 46 ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

26 ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFS

47 SPORTS BRIEFS

27 TEENAGE WASTELAND

48 WINNING FORMULA

cover 28 FOUND Due to holiday season, students, teachers, review what makes a “family,” how close relationships develop

student section 34 OUT OF THE WOODS?

Students, teacher discuss way to protect wildlife, environment

50 VOLLEY FOR OPPORTUNITY 52 WEIGHT WATCHING Wrestlers conscious of nutrition going into holiday season

15 minutes 54 FITNESS FANATIC Q&A with junior Peyton "Pey" Henney on running fitness account

36 CONNECTING LANGUAGE 37 HUMANS OF CHS Hug it Out: Junior Kate Smith (right) poses with senior Allison Walawender (left). Smith said she spends time with the Accents in and out of rehearsal. The choir performed their annual show Holiday Spectacular at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church on Dec. 8 to 11. See page 28 for the full story. MARISSA FINNEY PHOTO

staff Editors in Chief Cady Armstrong Chloe Sun Managing Editors Aniket Biswal Sowmya Chundi Daniel Kim Emily Sandy Leah Tan Riley TerBush Front/TOC/JAM Nathan Huang Elise Varhan Perspectives Joshika Sathyamathan Daniel Tian News Zainab Idrees Raghav Sriram Entertainment Riley Laferriere Jillian Moore Cover Maddie Misterka Student Section Saumya Somasi Feature Archit Kalra Chenyao Liu Sports Austin Guo Darshini Shankar 15 Minutes Jasmine Zhang Web Eva Glazier Social Media Olivia McKee Copy Editors Avery Carlisle Matthew Du Claire He

Saahas Kandru Sumedha Kota Rohan Mahesh Eddie Sun Photographers Marissa Finney Caroline Just Arthur Mansavage Luke Miller Gabby Saber Zoe Tu Graphic Artists Siri Byrisetty Kent Fujita Grace Guo Moody Homsi Yichen Liu Ali Persinger Arjun Purohit Writers Royce Brown Maryam Hafeez Addison Joyce Dariush Khurram Christian Ledbetter Kate Loper Hibba Mahmood Maggie Meyer Pallevi Pillai Arya Pinnamaneni Alivia Romaniuk Siri Surapaneni Kruti Subbannavar Michelle Wan Lauryn Weninger Ryan Zhang Advisor Jim Streisel Principal Thomas Harmas Superintendent Michael Beresford

Contact information: Mailing Address: 520 E. Main St. Carmel IN 46032 Phone: (317) 846 7221 Ext. 7143 Website: www.hilite.org Email: Staff members may be contacted by using their first initial and their last name appending @hilite.org The HiLite is a student publication distributed to students, faculty, and staff of Carmel High School. For the December issue, the HiLite will be published online only via Issuu at issuu.com/hilite, with the typical press run of 1,500 copies resuming in January. The paper serves as a public forum and two-way communication for both the school and the community. Opinions expresed in the newspaper are not necessarily those of CHS nor Carmel Clay system faculty staff or administration. Credentials: The HiLite belongs to the Indiana High School Press Association, Quill & Scroll and the National Scholastic Press Association. Advertising: Businesses may advertise in the HiLite if their ads adhere to guidelines. The advertising policy is available in Room C147 or at www. hilite.org/ads-info. Responding to the HiLite: Letters to the editor will be accepted for the January issue no later than Dec 23. Letters may be submitted to Room C147 placed in the mailbox of Jim Streisel, emailed to management2122@hilite.org or mailed to the school. All letters must be signed. Names will be published. (Letters sent via email will be taken to a student’s SSRT for them to sign). Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual and may be edited. Corrections and clarifications: The HiLite strives to correct its errors. If you notice any inaccuracies in this or past issues, please contact management2122@hilite.org. CHLOE SUN FRONT COVER ILLUSTRATION

@hilitenews @hilitenews @hilitenews

just a minute

DEC 13, 2021

Lights, Camera, Action! With National Short Film Day approaching on Dec. 28, learn about history of short films, CHS short film work ELISE VARHAN GRAPHIC

SMITHSONIAN, OSCARS, HEARTLANDFILM, INDYFILMFEST, INDYLGBTFILMFEST, HISTORY SOURCES

by the numbers

10.6%

short film standards

Learn the guidelines for short films, local film festivals HEARTLAND FILM FESTIVAL OCT 6 - 16, 2022 The Heartland Film Festival (HFF) is an 11-day festival that takes place in October annually, occurring in Indianapolis. Heartland Film, a nonprofit organization also hosts various film events, such as the Indy Shorts Film Festival, The High School Film Competition, and the Truly Moving Picture Award.

INDY FILM FESTIVAL MAY 5 - 15, 2022

Short films must have a total running time of 40 minutes or less, including credits

This 10-day film festival, taking place in the spring, is hosted by Indiana State University. The organization also hosts several year-round events, such as Cereal Cinema, Rock + Reel, and Sunset Cinema on the Canal.

INDIANAPOLIS LGBT FILM FESTIVAL TBD

of Hollywood directors are female

African-American directors have been nominated for an Academy Award

20 openly LGBT directors have been nominated for an Academy Award, with 5 wins

This annual fundraiser event is hosted by the Indiana Youth Group, a nonprofit organization to fund the needs of Indiana LGBTQ+ teens. This 12-day film fest showcases 79 films in November, all displaying the work of LGBTQ + artists.

Oscar Short Film Categories Best animated short: Must have animation elements in at least 75 percent of the film’s duration Best documentary short: Must be original and independent, not related to a larger series Best live-action short: If shot in documentary format, and explanation must be provided proving the fictional nature of the content

Short films must be shot on either a 35mm or a 70mm lens camera

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a beneficial bet Learn about the origin of the first short film ever

A bet between two friends over whether or not a horse moving at full speed was ever fully airborne prompted photographer Eadweard Muybridge to conduct an experiment. Muybridge captured the horse’s movement in frames and showed them in a sequence, giving the illusion of a “moving” picture. The 2.11-second short film, entitled “A Horse in Motion”, is now known as the first film in history

q&a

ELISE VARHAN Q&A

IB Film Teacher James Peterson

JAMES PETERSON SUBMITTED PHOTO

Scan to view a CHS alumnus prized short film

What is the significance of short films as opposed to full-length films? What are their defining qualities? The shortest film to be considered for an Oscar was about a minute and a half long. They usually aren’t longer than 40 minutes otherwise they get considered a full-length film. They are like a short story compared to a novel. They have limited time, so the subjects are usually smaller in scope and have a more personal touch.

How involved is CHS’ film program in local short film festivals? How do they typically perform? We have consistently been involved in short film festivals even hosting our own for a couple years. The CHS Film Festival was here for about three years from 2013-2015. Students from across the state entered and awards including best film and the Georges Melies Award for Creativity was given out...In addition, our students have entered the internationally recognized Heartland Film Festival High School short film festival from its inception back in 2011. Students from CHS were consistently shown at the festival. Recently, CHS alumnus Justin Park, won the documentary category his junior year and the narrative category his senior year. He earned back-to-back accolades for his films.... COVID-19 had an impact on many of these film festivals and contests. Hopefully, opportunities for students will open up as the virus subsides.

movie magic Check out the earliest prototype of projectors The cinematographe, invented by Auguste and Louis Lumière in 1895, was the first example of a modern-day projector

The first demonstration of the invention was in the same year, at an industrial meeting. “La Sortie des ouvriers de l’usine Lumière” (“Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory”) was shown

The cinematographe feeds film in front of a camera, which is then displayed on a screen

perspectives

DEC 13, 2021

I STEP to SAT Changes to graduation requirements in addition to SAT have some drawbacks HILITE STAFF EDITORIAL

eginning

this

school

year, the Indiana Department of Education changed graduation standardized testing requirements from the ISTEP to the SAT. Additionally, students can now use the SAT to fulfill one of three graduation requirements, the postsecondary-ready competencies requirement. However, while the decision is commendable, it may not be in the best interest of everyone. First, though, the change is not without merit. Students are now required to take the SAT as their accountability assessment in the spring of their junior year of high school, where previously students would take the ISTEP in their sophomore year. The change gives

speak-up!

JOSHIKA SATHYAMATHAN SPEAK-UPS, PHOTOS

students more time to develop the skills needed to succeed in tests of this nature. Additionally, students will now be able to take the SAT for free without having to pay the testing fees. This is good for students of all backgrounds, but especially for those who come from lowerincome backgrounds as it eradicates the barriers they would have faced otherwise, such as financial hardships or having to fill out a fee waiver. Students will also be able to send their scores to four higher-education institutions of their choice at no additional cost. However, the change is not perfect, especially for those students who may not want to pursue higher education, wish to apply to

JOSHIKA SATHYAMATHAN SPEAK-UPS, PHOTOS

What are your thoughts on the replacement of ISTEP?

Senior Sofia Li-Harezlak

“I think it’s good that they are replacing the ISTEP with the SAT. First of all, ISTEP was not generally useful. Your ISTEP score didn’t really matter as long as you were passing. Whereas the SAT is an important indicator for college readiness. Making it so that there is a school day for the SAT instead of ISTEP is more helpful because it is something that you need for college as opposed to taking a school day for ISTEP.”

“I think that the SAT will remain just as important as it is right now regardless of the change because most students end up taking the SAT and I think that making it a requirement won’t change anything that much. I think it’s a good idea overall as most students end up taking the SAT Senior so doing it at school is a way to Ella Mencias make it easier.”

by the numbers

62% of the class of 2021 took the SAT on a school day

HOURS are taken to complete the SAT

1.5

MILLION students in the high school class of 2021 took the SAT at least once COLLEGE BOARD SOURCE

Scan this to read a Q&A with students on changes to SAT essay or any subject tests

a test-optional school, or just have test anxiety. Unlike the ISTEP, the SAT has a certain amount of notoriety surrounding it, and even comfortable test takers can get nervous when taking this test. It undoubtedly would be much worse for people with severe test anxiety. For those students who have future plans that do not require them to take the SAT, it is unnecessarily burdening them with an extra graduation requirement. Students should pick the option that they feel most comfortable with or is most relevant for their future goals. We recommend that students familiarize themselves with all the possible options they have to fulfill their postsecondary-ready competencies graduation requirement. Additionally, students should also talk with their counselors to determine what the best option for them is. Different students will have different needs and strengths, which is why the SAT requirement will be beneficial for some and not so great for others. For these other students, they, fortunately, have other options available to them and can choose h the best one for themselves.

our stance We commend CHS’s decision to add the SAT in the graduation requirements; however, it is important to consider the drawbacks to this decision

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Not a Barbie Girl Barbies portray idealized beauty standard, have negative effects DARSHINI SHANKAR COLUMN JILLIAN MOORE GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

hen i hear the name aspired to be like them, I became ob“Barbie,” I immediately sessed with my body image. I associthink of a pretty, thin ated beauty with thinness to a point and blonde doll — the first word itthat I feared gaining weight because self that comes to mind being “pretty.” I would not be as “pretty” as I previFor so many girls like me who grew ously was if I did. up with the influence of the Barbie Other than contributing to “fat franchise, Barbie as a character greatphobia” found in society, this idely shaped the beauty standard to be alized beauty standard can be exthin, blonde and feminine. tremely unhealthy for young girls However, with National as they could develop body Barbie and Barney Backlash dysmorphia, a mental illday on Dec. 16, people ness where they obsesshould recognize the sively focus on flaws in consequences of the appearance. However, doll’s unachievable I concede that the and idealized beauBarbie franchise ty standards. has made an efBarbie was an infort to move away tegral part of my from the thin, childhood. I was a blonde beauty collector of Barbie standard with dolls dolls. By that, I of different races. barbie world mean I had over I remember 30. Of those dolls, when I was little, nearly all were blonde and all but my parents bought me an Indian one of them were Caucasian. And Barbie doll very soon after they were they all had the same thin, hourreleased because they were excited glass-shaped body. by the fact that Mattel was releasing Playing with these dolls on a dolls of various races and acknowlday-to-day basis, I began to view edging different cultures with ethnic them as the definition of “pretty.” clothes. It was a step in the right On top of that, watching the Barbie direction, but a small one. Nonethemovies, where the protagonist was less, the variety of dolls did little to almost always a version of Barbie change Barbie’s idealized body type that maintained her beauty ideal, as they all maintained the thin, hourmade me associate the beauty ideal glass shape the character was always with being a princess or fashion deknown for. With this considered, signer — which I wanted to be. Barbie continues to have a negative When I was little, I didn’t realimpact on body image among the ize the impact these dolls had on young girls who consume products h me, but looking back at it now, they of the Barbie franchise. made me associate beauty with thinness. Barbie was definitely not the The views in this column do not neconly factor, as other characters I saw essarily reflect the views of the HiLite on TV also were often deemed to be staff. Reach Darshini Shankar at pretty if they were thin. However, as dshankar@hilite.org a child who saw these characters and

irl LOL this is so obviously staged! Why do people care so much?

6:00 p.m.

Survivor, Episode One: Drama in the Jungle

If Ozzy doesn’t win the next challenge I’m blackmailing CBS

2:00 a.m.

Survivor, Episode 10: A Beachside Betrayal

DEC 13, 2021

For You Page Social media is home to personal connection, provides real world opportunities OLIVIA MCKEE COLUMN

ecently, social media

has been a big target for harsh criticism. Just a couple of months ago, for example, the Wall Street Journal released a series of articles that featured whistleblower Frances Haugen, a former facebook employee who said social media platforms like facebook harmed teen’s mental health and did little to stop the spread of misinformation on their platforms. But for me,

verified

saving signals Take a look at the saving signals that social media has spread.

1. Palm open thumb tucked The Signal for Help was created by the Canadian Women’s Foundation to help provide a modern solution to the issue of a rise in domestic violence cases 2. Trap thumb

The Canadian Women’s Foundation and other organizations clarified that this signal is a tool that someone could use to get help.

ARYA PINNAMANENI GRAPHIC

social media has been nothing but positive. I downloaded Instagram in 2015, Snapchat in 2017, TikTok in 2018 and Twitter in 2020. As I think back to why I even wanted to use these apps in the first place, it comes back to one thing: friends. Our friends, followers and “mutuals” are what put the “social” into social media. If it weren’t for the users, social media would not exist. We follow our peers to see their opinions and creativity, and we can learn so much about someone from their online presence. In fact, some of my closest real-life friendships began from a follow request. I have even made a friend through social media who lives over 150 miles away. Our interests brought us together online, and just last month I was able to meet her in real life. It’s amazing to think with one click of a button, you can begin a friendship that could last a lifetime. Additionally, social media allows us to connect with people we never would have known before. I can learn about different cultures, see how people do their jobs or donate to a person in need all from a less-than60-second TikTok video. Social Media gives people a platform to share their knowledge with others, which can result in a positive impact on the world. Some of the major events I think about when it comes to social media activism are the #MeToo and the #BLM movements. Both of these campaigns gained massive followings through social media and were successfully able to shine a light on matters that desperately needed discussion. My passion for social media has grown immensely as the time to fill

out college applications comes to an end. As someone who hopes to pursue a digital marketing role through social media after college, all I’ve heard my entire life is, “Social media is not a real job” and, “You just want to be an influencer.” But while doing hours of research on different majors and careers, I have realized that I can build a future on social media, and I don’t need to be the next Charli D’Amelio to do so. From marketing to advertising to management, there are countless ways to have a “real job” through social media. The more these platforms grow, the more in-demand these jobs are becoming, and it’s now grown to be a giant industry full of opportunity. That is why when I submit my college applications on Jan. 1, I plan to select digital marketing as my major. I encourage everyone to take advantage of the multitude of opportunities and connections that come from social media, and I hope that we as a generation can move past the outdated h stigma against it. The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Olivia McKee at omckee@hilite.org

did you know? Six Degrees is considered to be the very first social networking site. Six Degrees was founded by Andrew Weinreich in May 1996. The following year, the site launched and combined popular features such as profiles, friends lists and school affiliations in one service. CBS NEWS SOURCE

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Time For Me Students should consider detriments of social media, taking time off

EVA GLAZIER COLUMN

ANIKET BISWAL GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

sarily true. There are so many apps where influencers are able to change Dec. 11, and while it is the way they look in order to make good to celebrate apps what they post seem more appealand be grateful for the abilities they ing. As a result, this can lead to low offer, be mindful of the amount of self-esteem and anxiety because time you’re on social media, and how many people want to be socially it’s affecting you. I often spend a accepted. In fact, a study lot of time on social media. from 2019 titled SoWhen I look back on my cial Media, Thin-Ideal, daily screen activity, the Body Dissatisfaction most used apps are Tikand Disordered EatTok, Snapchat, and ing Attitudes: An Instagram. Exploratory AnalWhen I spend ysis, about 47% hours scrolling of the people surthrough these veyed said they apps, I always feel were unsatisfied drained and like with their body. I wasted my time. Additionally, peoAnd according to a SM(H) ple in this group study in the Qualireported spending tative Report, I am an average of 3 hours a day on social not the only one who feels like this. media. While there is still research 86 out of 156 in that study cited that to be done, there is no doubt that after being on social media, they felt social media does affect us, and not dissatisfied with themselves. While always in a positive way. social media can be used to comAdditionally, social media can municate and connect with people, cause social isolation. A study in the the negatives generally outweigh American Journal of Preventive Medithe positives. When social media is cine found that young adults aged 19 used correctly and sparingly, it can to 32 who had more social use had have positive outcomes, but the key more feelings of loneliness than those words are “correctly” and “sparingly,” with less social media use. Also, a study two areas where many users fall short. from the University of Pennsylvania It’s estimated that we, as social merecommended that limiting social media users, spend an estimated average dia to 30 minutes a day suggests sigtwo hours every single day on social nificant improvement in wellbeing. So media, updating profiles and scrolling spend some quality time with friends through feeds. This is a large amount rather than spending time scrolling of time, time where many of us could through your feed. It will give you the be doing other activities that are just as same mental satisfaction and allow you fulfilling such as pursuing a hobby. h to create genuine memories. Social media, while positive in many aspects, still detrimentally The views in this column do not necaffects students. One of these ways essarily reflect the views of the HiLite is because what’s on our TikTok or staff. Reach Eva Glazier at eglazier@ Instagram feeds isn’t always neceshilite.org ational app day is on

sucked in forever

5:00 p.m.

9:00 p.m.

1:00 a.m.

DEC 13, 2021

A Little Means a Lot Giving smaller, sentimental gifts should be normalized, is more valuable than giving large, expensive gifts LEAH TAN COLUMN

s the holiday season is

upon us, it’s easy to get bogged down in finding the perfect gift for our loved ones. Sometimes, I’ll spend as much as three hours endlessly clicking links to find a gift that will make them happy. This search often results in the complete loss of the money I earned from my last paycheck, a common phenomenon for most holiday shoppers. In fact, shopping trends during the holiday season are extremely costly: according to the National Retail Federation, households spend approximately an average of $1,000 on holiday gifts alone. But is it worth it to spend so much on gifts that are likely to be used once? The answer is no. It’s time we save ourselves from the shopping spree and get rid of our money-driven gift-giving culture to embrace another type of gift: homemade, sentimental ones. In order to understand why we should reject our current giftgiving culture, it’s important to acknowledge its purpose. The point of giving gifts is to communicate our appreciation for one another. Judging the value of a gift by

by the numbers

850 BILLION dollars are projected to be spent during the 2021 holiday season

8.2% increase in overall holiday sales occurred in 2020

47% of people plan to shop for the holidays from department stores ALLIANT SOURCE

its monetary value completely a stigma around giving such gifts, diminishes that. However, in turn stigmatizing those who are when you make or pick unable to afford splurging a gift because of some on so many gifts over the underlying reason other holiday season. Giftthan its price tag, you giving is a love language, communicate your it should be accessible effort and sentiment to everyone. to the receiver. Don’t get me More often than wrong, I’m not not, I’ve cherished trying to act like all the smaller, more expensive gifts are meaningful types bad—if someone of gifts much more gifted me tickets than the expensive, to the Bahamas I bigger isn't better would happily take showy ones; I feel significantly more them, no problem. loved and appreciated when I know However, it’s important to the gift was given with my best interests make the distinction that a gift’s in mind. There’s a reason why reading monetary value is not directly birthday cards are by far my favorite correlated to how good of a gift it part of the gift: I get to see their true is. We need to start to overcome personality that I adore shine through. the expectation of both receiving But beyond that, our emphasis on and giving such expensive gifts and the price of gifts unfairly favors those instead appreciate the little things, who are more financially able to the "cheaper" ones. After all, a h purchase such gifts. We’ve completely little can go a long way. undermined the value of homemade gifts by stereotyping it to be shoddy, The views in this column do not neceslast-minute gifts made by those who sarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. don’t care. As a result, we’ve created Reach Leah Tan at ltan@hilite.org

Finals Week:

To Do: studystudystud ystudystudystu dystudystudyst

3 ne 0 m w illi ta on sk s

busy busy busy

udystudystudy

Nevermind. life and the upcoming holidays

you you

This is fine.

MADDIE MISTERKA GRAPHIC

HILITE.ORG

Concert Craze Astroworld tragedy could have been avoided, Travis Scott should be held accountable

PALLEVI PILLAI COLUMN

situation and a thorough investigation should be done before playing of live concerts has bethe blame game. But the further gun, tragedy struck. On we get from that event, the more it Nov. 7, the Astroworld concert in becomes evidence that Astroworld Houston, Texas hosted by rapper was an act of pure negligence. Travis Scott left at least 10 people According to CNN, the dead and dozens more injured. concert began at 9 p.m. Hundreds of concertgoers Disturbing footage took to social media to showed ambulances recount their experiencswarming through the es, with many calling it crowd, and paraa “concert from hell.” medics performing Like most peoCPR while Scott ple, I got to know continued to perabout the tragedy form. There was through Twitter an instant where and watched live Scott had stopped footage of hunmid-performance dreds of people as one ambulance appearing miser*rubs forehead* was making its able, barely able to way through the move in the densely crowd. After he resumed the perpacked mosh pit. formance, fans began screaming The whole situation felt apocalyptic and uneasy, with concertgo- “stop the show” during set breaks, cries of desperation that went uners on the verge of fainting from heard. By 9:40, police officers desuffocation as music boomed in the clared Astroworld as a mass casualbackground. After outrage about ty event. Scott, however, continued the event spread on social media, his set until 10:15 p.m. Scott posted an Instagram story Not only was this event comthe next morning in which he expletely irresponsible on the part of pressed his “grief ” about the deaths the organizers to fit 50,000 people with his fans. Scott also said that into the venue, but Scott himself he did not know of any fatalities is just as responsible. Travis Scott until the morning after the concert. is the allure—the crowds were The transparent laziness and inconstantly surging in order to get sincerity of his response topped with closer to him. the incessant rubbing of his forehead He has command over the auas he talked seemed really disingenudience. You do not need to possess ous, and Twitter did not hold back high spatial awareness in order to on their mockery of his apology. see how much anguish the audiTo be fair, some fans did show ence was in. Scott is well aware of their support for Scott, defending his power; he infamously stopped his claim that he was not aware of a concert in 2015 after a concert the chaos unfolding as he was pergoer stole his shoe while performforming. They also said that there ing. The tragedy that occurred at is a lot we do not know about the ight as the resurgence

Scan this to see the lawsuit filed against Travis Scott

Astroworld was not some unforeseeable event. It could have been easily preventable by a little more thoroughness from the organizers and attentiveness and swift action h from Travis Scott. The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Pallevi Pillai at ppillai@ hilite.org

don’t look ALI PERSINGER GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE Who wrote this song, I really like it

Oh.

Suge

DaBaby

DEC 13, 2021

#2021WRAPPED

Spotify Supremacy Addison Joyce

Spotify’s extensive podcast selection, availability, budget, shareability give it an edge up on Apple Music.

ll around the world,

music streaming services have become increasingly popular. With this growing popularity, a division between frequent music listeners arose. When considering all aspects of what makes a streaming service reliable, it is apparent that Spotify is the frontrunner when compared to Apple music. When it comes to budget, a standard paid account for both Spotify and Apple Music are the same price at $10 per month ($5 for students), and the Apple Music family program costs one dollar less. However, this does not paint the whole picture. Spotify is the only of the two that offers a completely free, ad-supported option, making it much more budget-friendly and accessible. Spotify is also the better option when it comes to multimedia. It is the only streaming service that also offers podcasts, and the selection is extensive. It also makes it easy to discover new music with artificial intelligence. Spotify has countless playlists and mixes that give listeners easy access to new songs. “Discover Weekly” and “Release Radar”

did you know? Spotify Wrapped, a summary of a user’s listening activity throughout a year, started in 2015 when it was known as “A Year in Music” SPOTIFY SOURCE

are popular playlists that do this and are specific to each listener, as well as “Daily Drive” which offers a combination of your top songs and news podcasts. Looking at the availability of both streaming services, Spotify also has the edge on Apple Music. They offer streaming on every Xbox console since Xbox ONE, as well as both PS4 and PS5. Spotify also has The Car Thing, which is a small device that can be installed in any car for streaming, comparable to Apple Carplay. However, Apple Carplay is only available on certain newer model vehicles, and The Car Thing can be installed in any model. Additionally, Spotify can be streamed with Apple Carplay too. Finally, while both streaming services have good sound quality and good app design, Spotify makes it easier to share music with friends through social media integration. It allows listeners to not only post songs, playlists, and even album art to social media, but also provides QR-like Spotify codes with direct links to Spotify features. While Apple Music allows for sharing with other registered users, its social media integration is not as advanced or accessible to listeners. Overall, the differences between Apple Music and Spotify are minor, but there are still key elements that make Spotify more reliable and userh friendly. Spotify’s incorporation of podcasts into the app gives listeners much more access to news and en-

Scan this to see Addison’s go-to Spotify playlist

by the numbers

tertainment while listening to music all at once. It also offers a free version that isn’t comparable to Apple Music, along with a wider availability on more devices. Spotify also makes sharing music and playlists much easier and more personalized. At the end of the day, both streaming services have their pros and cons, but Spotify has an h edge on almost all aspects. The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Addison Joyce at ajoyce@ hilite.org

our song recs!

165 MILLION members are subscribed to Spotify Premium while 72 million are subscribed to Apple Music

Dear Chicago

$9.5 BILLION

Didn’t Fix Me

revenue was generated in 2020 while Apple Music only made $4.1 billion STATISTA SOURCE

Ryan Adams

Dawes

SONG

Emmylou Vance Joy

SONG

HILITE.ORG

Apple Advantage Maggie Meyer

i(love)Tunes

Apple Music’s unique features, better sound quality, interface overrule those of Spotify

hile spotify and apple

Music have many similar and super convenient features, Apple Music still stands above. Apple Music has about 72 million subscribers and I am glad to be one of them. With over 75 million songs and several unique features such as it’s 24/7 radio station, it clearly reigns supreme. The service is extremely easy to use and it is already built in or available on most Apple products such as Macbooks, iPhones, Apple Watches, Apple TVs and more. This makes it both convenient and reliable.

Like Real People Do Song - Hozier

Sleep on the Floor Song - The Lumineers

Beige Song - Yoke Lore

DANIEL TIAN GRAPHIC

Apple Music also has Advanced Audio Codec (AAC), which makes the sound quality sound like the original song at the studio. Apple Music is easy to share with friends and family as there is a friend request option and you can share songs via iMessage. You also do not need to have an Apple product in order to use Apple Music. It is offered on other devices such as Android, Amazon Echo and even some gaming consoles. To get an Apple Music subscription, users pay $9.99 a month; however, it is worth it because there are no ads, and if you switch to a family plan the cost is $14.99 compared to Spotify’s $15.99 price. If you are still skeptical about Apple Music, you can try the first three months free. The simplicity of Apple Music’s set up and song search is what makes it a great product. It is customer friendly and even creates playlists based on songs you frequently listen to. While Spotify has many of these same features, it is not as easy to access and requires users to download the app instead of having it already installed on their Apple device. Spotify does allow more social options; however, some could argue it shares too much. Spotify allows friends to view exactly what you are listening to, which, to some, is an invasion of privacy. Apple Music still has social features, but they are not as extreme as Spotify’s. Apple’s sound quality allows for it to stand out even though it does not have the same social features Spotify does.

did you know? As of Sept. 2021, Apple Music has 75 million songs in its catalog while Spotify has 70 million CNET SOURCE

Despite the name, Apple Music does not just offer music; it has radio shows, too. The variety Apple Music has to offer makes it even more user friendly as it reaches across all different types of audiences. Apple Music is another one of Apple’s well rounded products and the convenience of it h makes it stand out from the rest. The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Maggie Meyer at mmeyer@hilite.org

speak-up!

LUKE MILLER SPEAK-UPS

Do you use Spotify or Apple Music?

“Apple Music. There’s no ads on Apple Music. I have all my playlists on it like my Justin Bieber fan boy playlist. I like the layout of it, and it’s Sophomore easy to use.” Claire Trenshaw

Junior Eric Yang

“Spotify. I use Spotify because it generates playlists based off the music I listen to. This way, I am always discovering new music and am never bored.”

news

DEC 13, 2021

News Briefs ZAINAB IDREES BRIEFS, GRAPHIC

Dec. 14

National Honor Society Meeting

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Dec. 17

Last Day of First Semester 2021

Dec. 18 & 19

Wrapping Drive for Riley

Jan. 1

New Years Day 2022

DECA District Competition

National Events

Dec. 31

Dec. 25

New Years Eve 2021

Christmas Day 2021 Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

JANUARY 2022

Academic Transition Night

Jan. 17

Jan. 20

Jan. 10

Martin Luther King Day 2022

School Events

DECEMBER 2021

Sun

Jan. 8

Key

GKOM Connection Sessions

by the number

94 days of instruction in the second semester for 2021-22 year

Jan. 28

CCRC Military Academy Day

trivia night Submit your answers to this history quiz for a chance to be featured in a future HiLite issue

When was the first Carmel Holiday Trolley?

How many stops are on the Holiday Trolley’s route?

A) 2012 B) 2019 C) 2015

A) 5

B) 14

C) 35

D) 2017 E) 2018 F) 2016

D) 6

E) 12

F) 18

Scan here to fill out your answers

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Flying Birdie Q&A with Badminton Club leader, sponsor DARIUSH KHURRAM Q&AS DANIEL TIAN PHOTO

q&a Mark Lee, club leader and senior What makes badminton so fun? I think kids really enjoy the hand-eye coordination practice of trying to hit the birdie with the racket, and I think there’s a certain amount of comedy that goes with it when you don’t hit the birdie.

What differentiates badminton from other sports? Well, it’s different from tennis mostly because the rackets are lighter. And it’s also really fast-paced; you’ll have a birdie going back and forth across the net at really rapid paces. And so you can get a lot of action, and it’s really fun to watch as a professional sport.

q&a Casey Danubio, club sponsor

What is the atmosphere of the club? It’s super relaxed. It’s very fun. We’ve had a great turnout. We’ve had anywhere from 30 to 50 students show up to each meeting. We play at the fieldhouse, and we typically have eight to ten nets going at a time. Everybody has the resources that they need, like the birdies and the nets. They’re all up, and it’s just really chill; it’s really fun.

racket toss: Lauren Tompkins, senior and club member prepares to play a badminton game. Club leader and senior Mark Lee said that badminton is a sport that requires a lot of agility.

What are your plans for the club for the rest of this year? Our plan is to just keep consistently meeting every other week. (One goal is to have) the club keep growing and have it be as inclusive and fun as possible.

What do you think makes badminton such an underrated sport? I would say access to all the equipment that’s needed and space to play it. If you don’t have a gym, you’d have to be outside to do that, and the weather would be limiting with that.

DEC 13, 2021

Holiday of Giving Q&A with senior Senator Dylan Boyer on Holiday Charity Drivers, Winter Dance CADY ARMSTRONG Q&A

What is Senate working on right now?

RAGHAV SRIRAM PHOTOS

What is the Winter Dance?

We are working on Care to Share which is our holiday annual charity drive and the Winter Dance coming up at the beginning of second semester (January 21). We’re just starting to plan for that shortly as well.

What is Care-to-Share? Care-to-Share is Senate’s holiday charity drive that we do every single year. We basically go from room to room and encourage as many SSRTs to sign up as possible. It is completely voluntary. Once the SSRT decides to participate, they commit to some sort of a fundraising goal. There’s $25, $50, $75, $100, and all the way up to $200. $200 is enough to sponsor a single person in a family so with all this, we pool this money together and get these families gifts they couldn’t afford otherwise. It is meant to target families in Carmel, a lot of whom have kids that go to our school and who really need it.

The Winter Dance is kind of like the Senate’s spin on Homecoming. We didn’t have it last year because of COVID, but two years ago we had all sorts of various activities there, such as music, dancing, card games and cornhole. It is a bit more informal than homecoming. Two years ago, we had a Sadie Hawkins style dance, where the girls ask the guys. It is a lot of fun.

How is the Senate balancing Care-ToShare with planning for the Winter Dance?

It’s stressful and difficult sometimes. We experienced something similar with the Blood Drive and Homecoming, probably two of our largest events, pretty much concurrently. We have committees to help divide it up. If we have an appreciation week or a blood drive or any main event, we have a committee with a chair, sometimes two chairs that all work together. So that helps with delegating tasks.

swamped senator: Senior Senator Dylan Boyer (below) works on planning for the Winter Dance on his computer during SSRT. Boyer said that Senate is currently determining the logistical plan for the Winter Dance.

all hands on deck: Senior Senator Dylan Boyer (right) delegates tasks during a busy Senate SRT meeting. Boyer said, “We’re given 90 minutes every other day so I might as well positively impact those around us.”

whiteboard writing: Senior Senator Dylan Boyer writes down tasks for the Care to Share fundraiser. “I ran (for Senate) because I wanted to be involved with something bigger with the school,” Boyer said. “It’s a lot of stress at times, but once it is all over, it is very rewarding and I’ve stuck with it year after year because it is fun and it gives me something to do.”

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Final-ly Free With optional finals this year, students, teacher, evaluate value of holding final exams, benefits to new finals week plan

MADDIE MISTERKA STORY fter a year of hybrid and

virtual learning, administration announced there will be no formal finals week this school year with “final exams” weighted no more than typical tests. Junior Amna Mallick, who has not experienced a finals week since the first semester of her freshman year, said she likes the idea, but believes there might be potential drawbacks to the change. “I think (a typical finals week) better prepares you for college because most colleges still have a formal finals week,” Mallick said, “but I know (administration) is trying to take student’s mental health into account more, which I appreciate.” However, senior Rida Jawad said she does not see many drawbacks to these new adaptations. “I can’t think of a reason people wouldn’t like it. At some point, you have to ask, what’s the point of (having finals),” Jawad said. Because finals are optional this year, math teacher Kristina Hunt said she will not give a cumulative final to her classes this semester. “(As a teacher,) it’s important to ask yourself, ‘Why are we giving this test?’ And while there’s value in trying to prepare kids for exams in college, I think

speak-up!

ARTHUR MANSAVAGE PHOTO

we need to be paying more attention to the here and now of what’s happening in our classes to weigh what content we think is more important,” she said. Jawad said she supports these changes and believes the new schedule will benefits students and teachers. “After being in hybrid for a year from COVID, people weren’t in much of a school routine, so easing back into it makes the whole process a lot less stressful for everyone,” she said. Hunt agreed, but understands why some classes would still give finals this year despite the new schedule. “It doesn’t really make a difference in students’ grades,” Hunt said. “If a student is averaging an A or B in the class they tend to score in that range on the final, and the same for lower scoring students. If we aren’t learning new information from presenting a final to students who still need to resituate themselves in a school setting, we’re not being productive.” “I definitely like (the idea of ) this new plan,” Mallick said. “I’d prefer to have time to work on projects to develop my grade, even if I might have scored better or worse on a final, just because I know I put my best effort h into my (long term work).”

grading grind: Sara Atlihan, intermediate precalculus/trigonometry teacher, speaks with a student while grading the latest test. Atlihan said she will not be giving a final exam for any of her classes this year. Atlihan said after students take the last chapter test their current grade will be the final grade for the semester.

What is your opinion on finals week schedule this year?

RAGHAV SRIRAM SPEAK-UPS, PHOTOS

I would say that it is not as helpful as it used to be because in the past we could take the time to study for certain classes we had on a certain day, but now we have to study for classes that are happening on the same day and that seems like it would Senior be a little bit overwhelming so I Mihir Sisodiya would say that it’s not as great.

“I think that we shouldn’t have finals week just because school transitioning back to full in-person learning is very stressful to a lot of people, including myself. I was all Junior virtual last year and it Stella Chalex that was definitely a lot.”

DEC 13, 2021

Stop the Bleed Carmel Fire Department equips schools, city with Stop The Bleed kits KATE LOPER STORY

HE CARMEL FIRE Department (CFD) began distributing bleeding control kits to the CCS district. According to Andrew Young, who is the EMS training Captain for the CFD, the idea started due to the increase of country-wide mass casualties within schools and an instance of a kit saving a student’s life, as with the shooting that happened at Noblesville West Middle School in 2018. These kits, fully supplied with medical gloves, scissors, tourniquet, a black marker and dressings, are all supplies to stop a bleed from becoming deadly before emergency authorities arrive. These kits are placed within each classroom and supplied on each bus for CCS in case of an emergency occurs on the way to school. Staff were required to watch a video ex-

SIRI SURAPANENI PHOTO

plaining how to use the kits and when to use them. “Uncontrolled bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death in the event of an injury. Using the contents of the kit- can be really lifesaving,” Young said. The kits are supplied so that any staff member or student can use them to prevent and minimize injuries from getting out of control. The kits are also now being given out to private schools, churches, City-of-Carmel-owned vehicles, parks and other establishments. According to Ruchi Prakash, Club Med leader and senior, the kits are important for safety. “Bleeding can determine life or death. Having these (Stop the Bleed kits) nearby and being prepared for anything even before an event occurs can save a life. I think

MAHMOUD HOMSI GRAPHIC

learning moment: Nurse Amy Fletchall explains the contents of a Stop the Bleed package. Fletchall said it is extremely helpful to have Stop The Bleed kits in schools.

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The pads are the first step to prevent blood loss; place on wound and apply pressure.

CARMEL FIRE DEPARTMENT SOURCE

that it is great that the district is adding more,” Prakash said. According to Amy Fletchall, long-time CCS district nurse, uncontrolled bleeding can be deadly within five minutes if not stopped. The placement of these kits allows for the overall safety of each classroom to increase if an extreme mass violent school wide event occurs. Fletchall said, “It makes everyone a first responder, you’re not waiting on medical staff or EMS to arrive on site. It just makes everybody capable of handling an emergency situation.” Young said members of the fire department hope these kits can help if an emergency situation happens and he hopes people have an understanding of how to use them. “Know where the kits are located in your school, buildings, bus, and more,” h Young said. “This is lifesaving.”

did you know? More than 1.5 billion people have gone through Stop The Bleed’s training program. The program is a national bleeding control curriculum. A Stop the Bleed course typically lasts no more than 90 minutes. STOP THE BLEED SOURCE

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Holiday Station Q&A with Carmel Project Manager, Event Coordinator about Carmel Holiday Trolley RYAN ZHANG Q&A

q&a

ARJUN PUROHIT GRAPHIC

CANDY MARTIN SUBMITTED PHOTO

Candy Martin, Carmel Project Manager Is there anything different about the Holiday Trolley this year?

the traveling trolley Take a look at a map of the holiday trolley stops Monon Trail 1

Main Street

This year, we’ve added a stop in our midtown area. We’re also adding a tracking system so that people will be able to track where the trolley is so they’ll be able to see how far away the next trolley is.

Trolley Stops

1 Near Bub’s 3

2 Near Agave

3 Santa’s House

The trolley runs on Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m. (and) Saturdays from 2 to 9 p.m. And it starts on Friday, Nov. 26 and goes through Saturday, Dec. 18.

4 Midtown

Rangeline Road

When does the trolley run?

City Center Drive

q&a

5 Hotel Carmichael 6 Christkindlmarkt CITY OF CARMEL SOURCE

MEG OSBORNE SUBMITTED PHOTO

Meg Osborne, Carmel Event Coordinator How did the Carmel Holiday Trolley begin? (The) Holiday in the Arts District event had horse and carriage buggy rides, but we were always dealing with the cold weather and the horses. And a friend of mine actually had bought a San Francisco trolley and was looking for different ways to use it. So the first year the city hired the trolley, (there were) about 26 people per trolley and from that point forward, it grew.

What is the experience like? It’s such a neat experience. The lights are all twinkling inside and they got holly and some garland wrapped around. It’s just a really neat holiday experience. I don’t really think you can limit the fun by age.

Is the trolley doing anything differently because of COVID-19? Basically, we will be monitoring how many people can ride at one time so that it’s not packed. The windows will be open, so that there’s air coming through and filtering through the trolleys. We’ll be taking precautions to make sure that they’re clean and wiped down. People also obviously can wear a face mask if they feel comfortable wearing them. They don’t have to but they can.

What do people see on the rides? (There are) holiday lights all over the city. They can go from location to location. You can ride the trolley to Cake Bake, get off and have dinner, get back on the trolley (and) it will drive you around the fountain and all the lights on the city square (then) to Christkindlmarkt. You can get off at the Christkindlmarkt, you can shop, you can jump back on.

DEC 13, 2021

Virtual Reality Check Despite limitations, students engage with immersive virtual reality CHRISTIAN LEDBETTER STORY

irtual reality

(vr)

has

been failing to capture its full potential, according to an article from ABC News. Still, Facebook, which acquired the VR startup Oculus in 2014, announced in October that it would change its name to Meta, releasing various ads and promotional materials about the Metaverse, a VR and augmented reality platform for business, fitness and education as well as entertainment. Though Meta is betting on the success of VR, eSports director

did you know? 43% of manufacturing companies believe VR will be essential to the industry within three years. Healthcare and education are expected to benefit significantly from accessible virtual reality, and 77% of people who use VR want more complex social engagement within it. XR TODAY SOURCE

MARISSA FINNEY PHOTOS

Dylan Gentilcore said VR has two problems it must confront first before it becomes mainstream. “The first thing is cost,” he said. “The VR headsets themselves can be incredibly expensive, especially if you’re looking for a really dedicated gaming experience. You want a high refresh rate, you want it to be comfortable with a good setup.” He said though headsets like the Oculus Quest - a cheaper, portable alternative to headsets that require a high end PC - exist they don’t have the power to play more high end games like Valve’s “Half Life: Alyx’’ or VR ports of Bethesda’s “Fallout 4.” Even so, the Oculus Quest has driven VR’s growth in recent years, with Meta announcing that the Quest 2, retailing at $300, had outsold all of its predecessors combined since its launch. Harrison Carter, eSports member and junior said the low price and portability of the Quest is what helped him gain an interest in VR which helped him connect with a friend who had moved. “One of my best friends used to live in South Carolina. Now he lives

by the numbers

75% of the Forbes list of the “World’s Most Valuable Brands” have invested in VR in some capacity

171

MILLION people already use VR in some way

$5.8 BILLION worldwide spending on VR, which placed China at the top of the list XR TODAY SOURCE

tech frenzy: Using his headset and controllers, Harrison Carter, eSports member and junior, illustrates the capabilities of virtual reality (VR). Carter said the affordability of the Oculus Quest helped him learn about VR and he now uses it for games and to connect with friends.

in Lafayette, but I used to live in South Carolina and when he moved away we weren’t in contact that much,” Carter said. VR made it so we could (breach) the distance and we could have the illusion of being right next to each other and it makes for these personal connections that you can make with friends online. Jack Cappaert, eSports member and sophomore, who also uses an Oculus Quest, said the draw for him was the release of new games such as “Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted.” He said that part of what made VR unique was the immersiveness of it. “For action games it feels like you’re more there as opposed to just watching it from a static screen,” he said. Carter said he agreed that VR gaming was more immersive than

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non-VR gaming, though that came with its downsides. “There are a bunch of videos that see people get too immersed and they jump in the game and they jump in real life,” he said. “ I saw a video of someone jumping into a TV and they broke the TV.” While playing a game, Carter said he accidentally punched his own mini-fridge. “I was throwing the Frisbee and my controller hit the mini-fridge. It actually cracked the controller; it’s fine though,” he said. Gentilcore said another aspect hindering the growth of VR was the lack of sustainable experiences non-VR gaming provides, comparing big games like “Beat Saber” to party games. “Something like ‘Super Hot,’ even though it’s not a rhythm game, sort of plays out like a rhythm game, so it’s more of these games that test your reactions,” he said. “Test your reactions, test your ability to (match) the rhythm. They’re fun little experiences but they don’t offer that sustained, multi-hour you exploring this world, which I think is what’s going to draw people in more than ever before.”

VR made it so we could (breach) the distance and we could have the illusion of being right next to each other. It makes for these personal connections. JUNIOR HARRISON CARTER Gentilcore said games like “Half Life: Alyx,” the long awaited continuation to the popular “Half Life’’ series, differed from other VR games in that it offered an experience with greater depth. “There’s a narrative built into it,” he said. “There’s a deep experience. It’s not just you doing one repetitive task over and over, but it’s a variety of gameplay challenges for you. There’s gunplay in that game. There’s a lot of puzzle-solving relating to physics, and there are exploration elements that exist.” Carter, who has played the game, said he agreed. “‘Half Life,’ being one of the first really big story games (series) of all time, it gets some of the older crowd into it; it gets some of the newer crowd into it just because it’s VR.” Even so, according to an article from Forbes, “Half Life: Alyx” failed to capture the interest of mainstream audiences, with “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” and “Doom Eternal” faring better in sales. Cappaert said though he had seen VR grow in recent years, the pace has definitely slowed. Carter said he still likes the immersive experiences that VR can provide and that he is interested in the concept of the Metaverse. “I really like the idea of being able to create a place where you can go just to experience whatever you want and I think it’s a very modern way of looking at things, it’s very future proof,” he said.

through time and space Take a look at VR’s development through modern history 1993 SEGA VR SEGA announced a prototype VR headset that included four games, but did not release the product

2007 Google Streets Google introduced a new virtual map service, with a 360° view

2021 Metaverse Formerly known as Facebook, Meta introduced a new augmented reality that includes complex social interactions

2016 Oculus Release Oculus released virtual headsets which include more movement inputs

KENT FUJITA GRAPHIC VIRTUAL REALITY SOCIETY SOURCE

irl: While completing a demonstration for his students, E-sports director Dylan Gentilcore uses his screen and projector. Gentilcore said he thought VR would take a more significant role in education in the future, as demonstrated by the rapidly increasing use of technology in classrooms. He said even today’s VR can engage people’s brains by forcing them to problem-solve in games.

However, Gentilcore said he wasn’t as confident in the Metaverse, saying he couldn’t see VR getting such widespread adoption as becoming an integrated part of people’s daily lives, be it through business or socialization, as Meta hopes it does. “I don’t know if we’re going to get to that level of adoption where it’s just, ‘Okay, now you can have your professional calls on your headset and use it for ‘Beat Saber,’’ he said. “You’re going to have to see more engaging experiences from an entertainment perspective. We’re going to have to see the cost of that experience be driven down so that for two, three, four hundred bucks you can get a quality headset and not have to pay $500 to $1,000 for the headset and then all of this h equipment on top of it.”

entertainment

DEC. 13, 2021

Swing Into Action! In light of “Spider-Man: No Way Home’s” release, take a look at history of Spider-Man EMILY SANDY GRAPHIC MARVEL, IMDB, TIMETOAST SOURCES

q&a

RILEY LAFERRIERE Q&AS

Junior Sam Quigley RILEY LAFERRIERE PHOTO

Why are you excited for the new movie? Ever since my childhood Spider-Man was one of my favorite heroes. Now, seeing him in a new adaptation mixed with the new villains, it’s very exciting.

What makes this Spider-Man film more exciting than the others? My favorite villains were in the old films and to see them in this new one excites me because I get to see more from those villains. And I like (those villains) because they are cool.

q&a

What are you looking forward to in the new movie?

Junior Abby Bentivoglio SUBMITTED PHOTO

Which Spider-Man movies do you prefer? The Andrew Garfield (and Tobey Maguire) movies follow more lines from the comics, so by that standard I would prefer their movies. But I think Marvel put a really cool twist on Peter Parker and his relationship with other superheroes.

I think what I’m most looking forward to is the rumor that other (Spidermans) might be in the movie. We already know the Multiverse is real, but it would just confirm that characters from other movies and Sony Pictures are able to be in Marvel movies… I think having those characters in the movie (would) open up so many new opportunities and worlds for them.

web of movies Take a look at all Spider-Man movies, their plots

2002

Spider-Man Based off comics, this spectacle brings them to life with true drama and emotion

2004

2007

Spider-Man 3 Peter’s Spider-Man suit turns black and takes control of him. Peter must overcome the suit’s influence and villains Sandman and Venom

Spider-Man 2 Peter Parker faces struggles in life, but Doc Ock shows him that New York needs a superhero

2012

2014

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Peter Parker goes up against new supervillains Electro and Harry Osborn

The Amazing Spider-Man Peter Parker’s journey through his orphanage and confrontations with Dr Curt Connors’ giant lizard

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spidey sense

SUPERIOR (2013)

See the evolution of Spider-Man’s costume in the comics

Doc Ock switched bodies with Peter Parker and let his body die with Peter in it. He then wanted to prove that he was the superior Spider-Man. This costume design by Humberto Ramos was based off of a rejected movie costume by Alex Ross.

ORIGINAL (1962)

Drawn by Steve Ditko, this costume gave Spider-Man his iconic wide eyes with intricate webbing throughout the piece. Originally having a web gun, Ditko replaced these with web shooters and webs under the arms.

ALL-NEW (2015)

In part of Marvel’s “All New, All Different” promotion, Spider-Man’s costume was made to be more high tech. Alex Ross gave the costume a more metal-like appearance along with glowing eyes, webs, and a glowing spider emblem.

ULTIMATE (2000)

CLASSIC (1966)

Spider-Man’s eye size and intensity of the web design varied from artist to artist. Mark Bagley’s Ultimate Spider-Man is iconic for the comic’s era due to it’s large eyes and free-flowing and large blue sections.

Ditko redrew this character with the intent to make the blue parts of Spider-Man’s costume black with blue highlights. After he left, new series artist John Romita Sr. followed suit, but eventually dropped the webs under the arms.

SYMBIOTE (1984)

Fan Randy Schueller wrote to Marvel about making SpiderMan’s costume black, and editor Jim Shooter ran with it. Mike Zech and Rick Leonardi came up with design, eventually changing the red spider on his chest to white.

SCARLET SPIDER (1994)

The dead clone of Peter Parker unexpectedly returns. He runs around with all of his memories in his head, although he goes by Ben Reilly and soon took the mantle of Scarlet Spider. This return of the clone leads to confusion as to which one is the real Peter Parker.

Scan this to view a graphic about facts and history of Marvel movies and the Avengers team

spidey celebs Check out a few actors that have portrayed the role of Spider-Man TOBEY MAGUIRE Films portraying Spider-Man: “Spider-Man” (2002) “Spider-Man 2” (2004) “Spider-Man 3” (2007)

2018

2017

ANDREW GARFIELD Films portraying Spider-Man: “The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012) “The Amazing SpiderMan 2 “ (2014)

Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse Miles Morales suddenly develops the powers of Spider-Man. Miles uses his skills and powers to battle the evil Kingpin.

Spider-Man: Homecoming After Civil War, Peter Parker returns home and embraces himself as Spider-Man. He then fights evil Vulture

2019

TOM HOLLAND Films portraying Spider-Man: “Captain America: Civil War” (2016) “Spider-Man: Homecoming “ (2017) “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) “Avengers: Endgame” (2019) “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019)

2021

Spider-Man: No Way Home A continuation of the story from Spider-Man: Far From Home

Spider-Man: Far From Home Peter Parker is dealing with loss of his mentor when he and his schoolmates end up fighting Elementals on a school field trip

entertainment

DEC 13, 2021

Not the Norm Students talk about “camp,” niche, non-mainstream aesthetics AVERY CARLISLE Q&AS

q&a Senior Regan Wakeman

How would you describe your style? Honestly, I wouldn’t categorize my style as any certain subculture or any niche I’m trying to fit into. I think I’m just attracted to abstract forms of expression and it’s another medium for me to express myself. I like to go crazy with different colors that kind of speak within the same palette, lots of earth tones. I like to experiment with different textures and shapes and really just simply have fun with expressing myself.

Do you have any advice for readers style wise?

I like the spirit of (camp) and the whole idea of having courage to express honestly, even if it is a little bit of an exaggeration... Honestly fashion has fleeting rules but style is something that is very personal. Just express yourself in whatever realms you’re comfortable in and don’t be afraid to explore and take some liberties if you want.

Are there any challenges with dressing in non-traditional ways? Sometimes, I’ve caught myself questioning an outfit I put together for fun because I do feel like maybe I am a little too tall or a little too bold. So that can be a challenge internally. Embracing my desire for boldness, but actually choosing to dress that way comes so naturally.

fashion show: Regan Wakeman shows off items of clothing. Wakeman said most of her clothes are second-hand and although she doesn’t make any of the items, she sometimes alters them to fit her style.

HIBBA MAHMOOD PHOTOS

How do you believe your style corresponds with your personality? I think that everything that we do, every way that we express ourselves reflects this core. I think in every way, my style reflects my personality or character. It’s not static, the clothes I wear are ever changing, but it’s always in the same theme. I aim for it to be like a true expression of me.

How do you think other people perceive your style? I think that we are in this important age, a coming of age time of our lives, and I think people admire when others display that they are confident in their individuality.

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q&a Sophomore Kaiya Lustig

Have people ever openly disliked your style? Yes. Normally it is people where I don’t like their style either. It’s like a guy in all Under Armor telling me that. Like okay, same back to you. And then I go on with my day. I don’t really care. No one has ever said anything where I go home and rethink my entire style.

stuntin’ the style: Senior Regan Wakeman wears a layered outfit. Wakeman said her style is a reflection of her personality and that fashion is not always static.

Where do you shop for your clothes? All Ebay and thrift stores. I like it because there are so many clothes already in the world. You don’t need to produce any more. Also, I just like it and prefer it more.

Do you believe how you dress changes how people view you? Someone once told me that my bangs were the most liberal thing they’d ever seen. So people definitely make judgments about you. There’s ways people can dress where you can make assumptions about them.

stepping it up: Regan Wakeman shows off her unique shoes. Wakeman said some of her favorite shoes are her clogs made of yarn and her Sketchers combat boot heels.

fit check AESTHETICS.WIKI SOURCE

See niche aesthetics that have become popularized through social media

GRACE GUO GRAPHIC

Y2K Characteristics bold colors and saturation, graphics

Modern Witch Characteristics: dark shades, crystals Compare to: Goth

Compare to: McBling

Fairycore Characteristics: pastels, nature Compare to: Cottagecore

DEC 13, 2021

Entertainment Briefs performances Elf the Musical Fridays, Saturdays dec. 3 to and Sundays dec. 24 Civic Theatre The Nutcracker Presented by the Ballet Theatre of Carmel

dec.

18 dec.

2 PM and 7:30 PM STAR Bank Performing Arts Center Starring Riley TerBush and Elizabeth Brame as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Hannah Brazus and Nisha Tague as Clara

hands-on: (LEFT) As junior Tanay Acharya and sophomore Hrithik Arcot work on a project for Science Olympiad, they pour sand into their homemade timekeeping device. Members rotated through stations to complete various experiments. RAGHAV SRIRAM PHOTO

challenge accepted: Sophomores Alex Qu and Charitha Anamala work on their Ping Pong Parachute project for Science Olympiad. To succeed, they must keep a ping pong ball attached to a parachute aloft for the greatest amount of time. SAAHAS KANDRU PHOTO

community events Carmel Christkindlmarkt 4 TO 9 PM Wednesday and Thursday nov. 20 to 12 TO 9 PM Friday, Saturday and dec. 24 Sunday Santa Sunday dec. 3 TO 6 PM Carter Green

Festival of Carols dec. 3 TO 5 PM Carter Green

picture perfect: (BELOW) Painting students work on surrealist food paintings using oil paint. Surrealism is known for its visual artworks and writings to activate the mind through imagery. SAAHAS KANDRU PHOTO

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entertainment spotlight

What is your talk show about?

My talk show, “Teenage Wasteland,” is basically about entertaining people and keeping them updated about what is going on in Carmel. It’s kind of letting people in on what it’s like to be a teenager during the early 2020’s and just kind of what that experience is like because as phones become more of a part of people’s daily lives and as social aspects change with social media, it’s important to show people what it’s like to go through those experiences with our generation.

How do you plan to develop your talk show into the second semester?

Why would you recommend your talk show to others? I think it’s great to listen to because with a lot of talk shows, you feel like you have to really listen in to understand what’s going on. We keep it pretty simple with lighthearted conversation, so it’s something you can really keep in the background and listen to to entertain yourself.

When and where can students tune in and listen? You can tune in by going onto 91.3 FM on the radio, whether you’re driving in your car or at home. You can also listen on your phone or on your laptop by going to whje.com. There’s a livestream that will always have our radio station on it.

n age e e T &A

ior Jacob Ba iley h jun t i w

show

“Teenage Wast ela n

I think having a radio show is definitely a stressful thing to have, but it’s also a great way to kind of learn how to be your natural self in situations you may not be used to being in.

KENT FUJITA PHOTO

d”

radio rebel: Junior Jacob Bailey records his talk show. Bailey works on the show every Saturday from 9 to 10 p.m, often utilizing headsets in the studio.

What’s your favorite part about the talk show?

steland Wa

What skills has hosting “Teenage Wasteland” given you?

JILLIAN MOORE Q&A

alk st hi

My plan for development is really to create a more fluid talk show that people can tune in to and just feel comfortable listening to. Through doing that, I need to, or at least we as a group need to, connect more as people and just find a way to go in front of a microphone and still be our natural selves.

My favorite part is the people that I get to do it with. Owen Bruner and Ryan Jones are just great for hosts. We have a lot of fun and we make sure that we hang out after school and outside of radio so we can really connect and make it so it’s a lot more fluid for us.

cover

DEC 13, 2021

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FOUND

With upcoming holiday season’s focus on family, community, students, teachers review what constitutes a “family bond,” how relationships develop AUSTIN GUO, DANIEL TIAN STORY MADDIE MISTERKA GRAPHIC

DEC 13, 2021

tarting

from

summer

training camp to late-night rehearsals, Ella Glowacki, Accents member and sophomore, spent countless hours practicing and being with her fellow Accents members, forming irreplaceable friendships. “Everyone (in Accents) is super nice. My closest friends are in choir with me, and even people who aren’t in my grade, I’m close with them too. Everyone’s just super kind and supportive, and I just love being a part of it,” Glowacki said. At CHS, an expansive selection of extracurriculars is available to students. Students are involved in many activities ranging from academic to social, from athletic to volunteer. For many students who are involved in these extracurriculars, like Glowacki, the time dedicated to these extracurriculars has contributed to a familial bond with the extracurricular’s members. Societally, most people spend the months surrounding the holiday season celebrating their families and giving thanks, but for many students, they also celebrate the family-type bonds they have developed outside of their homes. Clay Richards, basketball player and junior, said he shares a sentiment similar to Glowacki’s about his teammates. Richards said he has been playing with some of his friends on the basketball team since second grade and throughout the years, he has developed a connection with players on his team. “Our locker room presence is great. We all get along, and there’s no tension,” Richards said. “Especially with guys I’ve been playing with for a long time, our chemistry is through the roof.” Richards said he is also a member of Senate, which helped him adjust to the CHS community when he was still new to the school. “My freshman year, (being in Senate) was very good. I felt like a little fish in a big sea being a freshman at CHS, but some of the upperclassmen in Senate really helped me find what I like to do here,” he said.

nuclear family Check out what the traditional American nuclear family looks like 2 parental figures

families usually contain few children Decline in Nuclear Model:

no parents (4%) one parent (9%)

one parent (26%)

two parents (87%)

1960’s family

no parents (5%)

two parents (69%)

2010’s family

Other Changes: in 4/10 families, increase of women

women bring in the

working (about 30%)

family’s money

1/6 kids live in a blended family

PEW RESEARCH SOURCE RILEY LAFERRIERE GRAPHIC

by the numbers

types of love defined by the ancient Greeks, including Philia, or deep friendship

98% of Americans

say they have a close, or “best friend”

13.4% elders who felt lonely developed dementia, compared to 5.4% nonlonely GREEK CITY TIMES, LIVE SCIENCE SOURCE

“Yogi Rao was a junior when I was a freshman; he and I formed a really good bond over the two years (we spent) in Senate together. I still keep in touch with him everyday.” Richards said he was able to easily adjust during his first year due to his experience in Senate; however, Glowacki said she did not always feel as included as she does now. “Especially (during my) freshman year, there are just so many people (in choir) that you feel like you get lost with all the different girls, but then as you grow and move into different choirs you sort of find your own place,” Glowacki said. “Joining (Accents), I was a little nervous because I thought in an all-girls choir, people would be catty and mean to each other, but everyone has been so nice. It’s been absolutely drama-free, and I’m not afraid to talk to any of these people.” Swimmer and senior Varsha Chandramouli, who has been swimming since third grade, said that like Glowacki, she had felt unsure if she belonged at one point.

dance it out: Freshman Jessia Ding works alongside freshman David Jiang as he completes his work during a debate meeting. The members of the debate teem were preparing for a meet in Chesterton. Jiang said he debates in the Lincoln-Douglas devision of the debate team, and is a new member of the team as of this year. Jiang said he is still working on figuring out his niche in the school, but the communities formed by his extracurriculars have helped hm get settled into the school. MARISSA FINNEY PHOTO

Chandramouli said, “In sixth or seventh grade, I didn’t really know many kids since I’m at this weird age where for half (the season), the people I would swim with moved up because they age out, and younger people than me moved in, so there wasn’t really a consistent base of people in my groups. I felt like I didn’t know people for that long.” “As a freshman coming into the team, I was surprised because it was definitely more of a team atmosphere than I thought,” she added. “In middle school, it was just practicing together, but on team, there are bonding events, and there’s more of an emphasis on the team bonding aspects. We see each other way more, so I definitely felt like it was more of a family. It was especially really good as a freshman going into high school to have that connection, that support system,” she said.

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Chandramouli said she is a member of both the Carmel Mayor’s Youth Council (CMYC) and symphony orchestra. Chandramouli said, “I like being a part of different (multiple activities) because I feel like being able to see all the different communities that you are a part of is really important.” For Glowacki, Richards and Chandramouli, the extracurriculars they are involved in take up hours and hours of time, which can lead to creating that family atmosphere. Glowacki said while practicing for the Holiday Spectacular, she spent many long nights rehearsing, singing and dancing alongside her choir family. Richards said basketball practice is six days a week, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. “When we have games, we don’t get home until 10 p.m. to midnight, depending on where we play at,” he said.

Scan this to check out the website for CHS clubs to see what clubs are available and who to reach out to to join

Chandramouli said, “In the holidays, swimming picks up and so does orchestra for (the Indiana State School Music Association competition). I end up spending more time with my families here (at CHS) than my biological family.” In some cases, bonds also form among specific people within an activity. Cynthia Henry, sponsor of Science Olympiad, said students must work extensively with one or two other people in a certain competition in order to be successful. Henry said, “To have a successful team, partners have to work very closely together and they have to know each other fairly well because when it’s time to take a test, they only have fifty minutes and they have to understand a lot ahead of time, (like) who’s gonna do what part of the test and how

they’re gonna do it. How they work together and knowing what each other knows is very important.” According to Henry, how much students need to coordinate with one another in Science Olympiad varies by event, with some handson events requiring spending much more time together. “Some events that are testing events where they know the material very well, the students don’t have to meet up as much. While in WIDI, or -Write it Do It,- when they come into the event, they see a structure and they have to describe and write down on paper how to build that with the materials given,” Henry siad. “Then, they leave and their partner comes in and they’re given the materials and the piece of paper and they have to build it. That one’s much more important that partners work together often so they understand how one writes and how the other builds.” For these students, time spent together builds connection. Wrestling Head Coach Edward Pendoski said he believes there is another aspect that builds relationships: hardship. According to Pendoski, the shared difficulty and equality of wrestling also foster a sense of brotherhood among athletes on the wrestling team. “I don’t know of any other place I’ve ever been besides a wrestling room where everyone is the same. There isn’t a rich kid, a poor kid, a black kid, a white kid: we’re just all wrestlers,” Pendoski said. “I think wrestling is like a cult. No matter where you go, once you’ve wrestled, you’ve always been a wrestler. By the time a season starts to the end of the season, everybody on the wrestling team is very, very close. It’s the physical and psychological stuff that we go through. If this guy next to you can do the same things you’re doing, he’s your brother.” Something Glowacki, Richards and Chandramouli said they had in common was joining a CHS family during their freshman year. With every ninth grade student being new to this school, the year can be seen as important to find communities and opportunities within the school.

DEC 13, 2021

David Jiang said he is >> Freshman still finding his CHS family. In

middle school, Jiang went to Sycamore School, a private school from kindergarten to eighth grade in Indianapolis. However, Jiang said he was not accompanied by many of his friends at Sycamore when he came to attend CHS. He said, “I’d say there are maybe five or six people from Sycamore in my grade. I remember in the Sophomore Class of this year, there were a ton of people who joined (CHS), like 30, all of them from Sycamore—the entire list going down was just CHS, CHS, CHS. But for us, we only had six because a lot of them went to (other schools, such as) Brebeuf and Park Tudor.” Jiang said he is a member of Debate Club, Math Club and Key Club, and although he said he be-

lieves he has not created many deep connections, he said he can see himself joining a family at CHS. “I think a lot of people that I’ve met in these clubs—not even just friends that I had before—more so people I hadn’t talked to at all before going to these clubs. Just randomly during it, we would talk,” he said. “It felt like the clubs really joined us together, especially the team-based competitions such as Debate and Math; you definitely feel you have more of a connection there with your teammates.” Building a home away from home at CHS does not only occur through extracurriculars. Science teacher Eric Rauch said he likes to consider his classes the “AP Bio Family.” He said he views his students like his own children.

patty cake: Accents members sophomore Ella Glowacki and junior Celia Hamilton, play a game while talking at an Accents gathering. Glowaki is wearing a santa hat because the choir was celebrating “crazy hat day” as one of their activities to bring members closer together. MARISSA FINNEY PHOTO

“I consider my class a family because I want (my class) to be an open and honest discussion, always. If kids have questions, I want them to be able to come and ask me; I hope my kids at home do the same thing,” Rauch said. “I think one of my goals as a teacher is to be the face in front of my kids every day. If I can be the teacher that I’d expect to be in front of my kids at their school, then I’m giving my students the proper forum to feel free to learn new things, discover new things and ask questions.” Many students said they respond well when they have a support system at CHS. For students, like Glowacki, Richards and Chandramouli, have established friend groups through their extracurriculars acted as a support system during their freshman year. For

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Jiang, Debate and Math club are have helped acclimate to CHS. Rauch said he wants to help establish a strong support system for his students both inside and outside of his classroom. Rauch said, “The most important thing is caring about each kid like they are your own and also having tough conversations. Rather than just saying, ‘you didn’t do well,’ I say ‘OK, maybe we didn’t perform at the level we wanted to because of blank.’ Find the solution, troubleshoot together: it’s not just a kid on an island trying to figure it out. “I think that the relationship is really important too. I try to get to know them like they are my kids. Obviously, I don’t know them as well as I know my kids at home, but that doesn’t mean I am not interested in what’s going on,” he added. “And I think that does go

gather ‘round!: Senior Varsha Chandramouli laughs as she and other swim team members make a path to honor senior members. She said the team provides a support system, but is not the only thing that defines her. DARSHINI SHANKAR PHOTO

a long way when someone does have trouble. They are more likely to come into SSRT and ask questions, ask questions in class or even email me. A lot of the time the questions don’t have anything to do with biology. If I can provide that family-like atmosphere, I’m totally good with it.” Rauch said he gets amazing feedback from his students and their families about the warm family-like environment developed within his classroom. “It’s mind-boggling sometimes how much they appreciate it. The com-

sing it loud: Junior Katie Mayer sings at a dress rehearsal for the Holiday Spectacular performances. The shows took place from Dec. 8 to 11 at St. Luke’s Methodist Church. CHENYAO LIU PHOTO

family of choice Check out some examples of the “found family” trope in American sitcoms Community

In the show, the study group form deep, family bonds to the point that some members attempt subterfuge in a desperate ploy to keep the group together

CHENYAO LIU GRAPHIC TV TROPES SOURCE

The show Friends follows a group of friends through their experience in New York together, in many instances helping each other through trouble and providing support for one another

ments I get when I do my check-ins, the comments I receive in the hallway, the number of comments and emails I get from parents even just blows my mind,” Rauch said. “I feel like the way students interact with me is different than it was from when I only taught to distribute information. Hearing kids say they’re comfortable coming to me, that response is what has changed my view on what teaching is.” The connections formed during high school have often persisted into college and beyond. Pendoski said he still keeps in touch with many other wrestlers and CHS alumni due to his time in wrestling. “I think (in) the family (developed in) wrestling, what’s really neat about it is that it never ends,” he said. “It’s not what you do, it’s who you are. Even now, I’m 50 years old and I’ll go somewhere and someone will (say to me) ‘You wrestled,’ and I’ll go ‘Yeah, you did too.’ There’s still that bond from somebody that’s just some random person you see somewhere. The wrestling people all say to wrestling people ‘Where’d you wrestle?’ because you can tell just by looking at them. (The conection is) not something that ends when you stop competing or quit playing the sport. Wrestling isn’t something you do and it’s who you are. It never h ends and I personally love it.”

student section

DEC 13, 2021

Out of the Woods? Students, teacher discuss wildlife protection, ways to help environment EDDIE SUN STORY

ildlife

conservation

Day, which was on Dec. 4, started back in 2012. Its purpose, based on a pledge by the U.S State Department, is to protect wild animals by encouraging protective measures for species around the world. Connor Daniels, founder of the Environmental Management Club and senior, said his goal is to restore the old forested trail next to the school to provide a beautiful and healthy greenspace for the animal community. “Wildlife affects me specifically by making common experiences interesting,” He said. “A normal day mowing the lawn can be drastically improved by watching squirrels chase each other down a tree, or walking in the morning becomes exciting when I see a pair of deer in the distance. It makes me remember that there’s more on this planet than just humans, which is easy to forget in Carmel, Indiana.” Apart from the Environmental Management Club, Daniels said he immerses himself in nature simply by hiking and picking up any trash he sees along the trails. He said, “The longer you spend in nature the more aware you become of its problems.” Junior Ali Schuman, a member of Green Action Club said she believes humans destroy the environment. Schuman, who owns a crested gecko - a species once thought to be extinct - said, humans strive for innovation and big developments within society, but they ultimately harm wildlife, destroying homes and causing harm to the environment. Schuman said, “Humans take away the homes of a lot of animals to make room for their homes and

SAUMYA SOMASI PHOTOS

the vacated animals are going to suffer because of it. This also goes sort of hand in hand with many species who are becoming extinct either because of loss of environment, poaching or excessive hunting, and a lot more reasons.” Daniels said he agreed with this statement, and is aware that humans have a negative effect on wildlife, especially as unawareness runs prevalent. “The biggest threat to our natural world is large corporations that have been left unchecked, and this is someone who loves business and plans on working for corporations in the future,” he said. “A thousand people trying to leave the smallest

by the numbers

70%

of wildlife has been destroyed by human activity

160 SPECIES have gone extinct in the past decade NPR SOURCE

carbon footprint possible wouldn’t even begin to counteract the carbon footprint created by one large corporation. The best way to save our planet is to pressure legislators to pass stricter environmental laws on corporations.” To illustrate, in 2019 according to Bill Wirtz, a reporter for FEE, 2.3 million animals were killed and 2.24 million acres were burned as a result of over 40,000 wildfires caused by humans. Small things such as picking up pieces of trash while walking, posting on social media about environmental hazards, volunteering within a community, or even supporting a local organization that re-

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stores wildlife can lead to a better and more healthy future for society. Daniels said invasive species contribute to the way humans affect wildlife. “Well we affect wildlife and their habitats in many ways,” he said. “We are the reason invasive species are introduced into environments where they have no competition. All trash found in their habitats originates from humans. Our growing population often destroys their ecosystems for land development. Nearly every action done by humans has some effect on the environment.” Both Daniels and Schuman said humans have the biggest responsibility towards the deterioration of our environment, from companies and emissions causing massive carbon footprints to the cutting down of trees within forests destroying homes of many animals. With that in mind, Daniels offered some suggestions for people to help. “The obvious ways are to recycle and simply use less but that’s been

heard many times. Something that I think most people do not hear is to write a quick email to your state’s office holders. You don’t need to suggest policy or research and write an argumentative essay, just state your concerns for the environment. Let them know what you think as a citizen that they are obligated to represent” Daniels said. Kara House, an AP Environmental Science teacher, said, “The best ways to combat negative effects across the environment are picking up trash and just interacting with the environment in a positive way. People need to become aware of the detrimental causes from our daily actions and remind people daily of the harms we are doing to wildlife. We must come together and all help out the environment in any way possible.” Daniels said he agreed and promotes awareness for wildlife in hopes it will get better. Daniels said, “My message, for someone at home, would be to just domestic wildlife: Junior Ali Schuman takes her gecko out of its cage. Schuman said even though her gecko is confined to staying inside, having pets has helped her connect to wildlife and understand the difficulties associated with taking care of pets. She said, “Humans take away the homes of a lot of animals to make room for their homes.” Schuman said along with her gecko, she takes care of her dog and also participates in taking care of the environment.

spend more time with nature. While most people care for the environment and want to help it, it’s easy to forget why. Being in nature helps me find inspiration to try to protect it.” h

up close: Junior Ali Schuman poses her gecko. It is a nocturnal animal.

save the savanna See the diverse ecosystem of the African savanna

GRACE GUO GRAPHIC NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOURCE

Mountains and Hills are common in the semi-arid and arid savanna landscape

Umbrella thorn acacia trees grown in rocky land

Animals pictured: Rhinoceros, malachite kingfisher, white-faced whistling duck, giraffe

DEC. 13, 2021

Connecting Language Students explain impacts of speaking Arabic, English in the U.S. MARYAM HAFEEZ STORY

unior sarah alhaddad, who

is bilingual, said she speaks mostly Arabic at home with her family. She said, “I’m from the Middle East, my parents are from the Middle East, my whole family is from the Middle East, so the fact that I speak Arabic, it really helps me feel more connected to them, and, you know, living in America, it can sometimes make me lose sight of my identity, but being able to speak Arabic at home and being able to speak Arabic when I go back to the Middle East, it makes me feel more grounded.” According to Babbel, the language-learning platform, Arabic is the fifth most spoken language in the world, with more than one million speakers in the United States itself. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established Dec. 18 as World Arabic Language Day in 2012 for the purpose of celebrating the language and multilingualism more broadly. Alhaddad said she appreciates the increased recognition. “Honestly I think it’s really amazing,” she said. “I’ve grown up here and I’ve been looking for that and I just get so excited when I hear stuff like that. That recognition means a lot to me, it makes me feel more welcomed here.” Junior Sarah Dawood said she feels similarly. “I think it’s great, to be honest. It makes me happy. It’s easier for us to say that we’re Arab or Egyptian when more and more people understand how we are. (The)

by the numbers

29%

increase of Arabic spoken in the United States within three years

3.6%

of people living in the United States speak Arabic NPR SOURCE

same way other ethnicities and races are being recognized, I think it’s important for us to get even that minuscule recognition,” she said. Dawood said being able to speak Arabic allows her to have better communication with her family. “(The Arabic language) helps me connect with my relatives, even my cousins that live here [in the United States], it’s easier for me to talk to them in Arabic rather than English. I know they’ll understand,” she said. For Alhaddad, she said the beauty and depth of Arabic make the language so appealing to her. “I just think that Arabic is a really beautiful language and (it) defi-

nitely does have a richer vocabulary. I think it’s been around for a lot longer than English has, and so it has a h really huge vocabulary.”

did you know? Arabic is the official language of the 22 countries that form the Arab League. There are more than 300 million Arabic speakers across the world, though they predominantly live in the region stretching across the Middle East and North Africa. BRITISH COUNCIL SOURCE

the arabic belt View countries around the world that speak Arabic

SIRI BYRISETTY GRAPHIC WORLD ATLAS SOURCES

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humans of CHS

Gold Gifts v. Gag Gifts Students compare their worst, best gifts received MATTHEW DU Q&AS, PHOTOS

Junior Audrey Wong

Senior Remi Shirayanagi

“My favorite gift is probably from my friend in middle school. She got me this really big photo album with all of our memories in it and painted it like a really cute blue color. I remember looking through it like thinking it was a good gift. I want to say the worst gift I’ve gotten was socks but I honestly like socks so I’m not sure.”

“The best gift I’ve ever gotten is a wii. I think just because it was fancy and I used it a lot it was really fun to play with. I am not sure what the worst gift I’ve gotten is. I’d say the worst gift is more when I don’t get a gift because I like most things.”

“The best gift I’ve gotten, it’d probably have to be a guitar when I was like six, (it’s) best thing I’ve ever gotten, (and) it’s treated me well. The worst gift I’ve ever gotten was probably underwear on my birthday. It’s very thoughtful, but like, you know”

Junior Owen Bruner

“My worst gift was a shirt that was way too large and like went down to my knees. The best gift I’ve gotten was a laptop”

Freshman Vincent Chia

“The best gift is, well, the worst gift was socks, I don’t want socks. The best gift, I don’t know, (is) a dog.”

Sophomore Cayman Stowe

feature

DEC 13, 2021

Rebooted

Q&As with student, teacher on their thoughts on rebooted movies, TV shows ARYA PINNAMANENI Q&AS

SENIOR WEST INMON From a viewer’s perspective, why might a studio reboot a show or movie? “A lot of times I think it’s, ‘Why make something new when you already have something great?’ So they’ll take an original idea, add some modern elements and try to make it appeal to a newer audience. A lot of times with reboots, the original may be great but it might also be dated. Or maybe it wasn’t great and they reinterpret it to be something better—I think it’s either a lot of fan outcry or something that was left off as a cliffhanger—and it’s like, ‘There’s been so much time now, maybe we can do a reimagining of (it) or continue where they left off.’ A lot of times that works out pretty well.”

How does nostalgia affect the way you view rebooted media? “I think nostalgia’s one of the biggest emotions that affects (the) media, cause it can really have rose tinted glasses. When a classic is rebooted, people definitely can be way too harsh or be blinded by problems with it because, ‘Oh, this new thing is back.’”

ZOE TU PHOTOS

relive the show: Senior West Inmon analyzes two separate screens: on the left is a scene from the 1998 anime series Cowboy Bebop, and on the right is the 2021 Netflix reboot, also titled CowBoy Bebop.

Scan to see this story online and a HiLiteproduced video with more info

What are a few examples of “good” reboot movies or TV shows? I haven’t seen a lot of recent ones but I know you mentioned Rocko’s Modern Life. That was one of the recent ones I’ve seen. That reboot kind of did its own little thing but it was still a continuation of what it did. But it definitely changed a lot and made the show have a lot more commentary then it originally did. But I thought it was done really well, and it still had the same feeling as the show. When I watched it I enjoyed my time with it. But I hadn’t really seen much of the original Rocko’s Modern Life and then I went back and watched some and it kind of seemed like the same thing. The iCarly one (also) looked interesting, it didn’t look bad. I remember watching the trailer for it and I remember watching the original and it was enjoyable.”

Do you think audiences who watched the original version of a show should influence how reboots are made? “I think it can be beneficial but a lot of times I think the best thing a reboot could do is introduce it’s original idea to a new audience. Instead of just trying to pander to a new audience. Like younger audiences haven’t seen the same thing.”

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time and time again Take a look at some famous TV shows that were recently rebooted/remade

ARCHIT KALRA GRAPHIC SCREENRANT SOURCE

iCarly Original: 2007–2012 Reboot: 2021–

Cowboy Bebop Original: 1998 (anime) Remake: 2021– (live action)

iCarly, starring Miranda Cosgrove, follows the life of a teenager who becomes famous after starting a vlog. The reboot follows Carly’s life as an adult and how she navigates new struggles.

Cowboy Bebop follows interstellar bounty hunters like Spike Spiegel (left). Netflix recently released a live-action remake of the series, starring John Cho as Spiegel.

IB FILM TEACHER JIM PETERSON Why are reboots made? “Usually they happen because they made money the first time and there’s a built-in audience. Producers are scared that they’re going to make something and nobody’s going to watch it, so reboots are easy because they have that built-in fanbase.”

Can reboots accomplish the same goals as the original for audiences? No, because you can never replicate anything that’s happened in history. You can make a version of it, but it’s kind of impossible to capture the same thing, just because times change. It would be kind of irresponsible to do that, especially recently because things have changed so much. Like to do stuff from back in the 90s and try to redo it today when there’s been so much cultural change, you can never really capture what it was. But I have seen it done successfully where they’ve made an adaptation and have made improvements (as) well. I don’t want to say improvements, but they’ve grown too.”

did you know? Reboots are new works that are part of an original’s “universe” but in a different story; remakes are remade versions of the original ROTTEN TOMATOES SOURCE

What makes a good reboot? by the numbers “It’s just good stories. I think that’s the big thing

remakes since 1978 have a higher Rotten Tomatoes score than their original

34%

ratings difference for reboots vs originals ROTTEN TOMATOES SOURCE deja vu: IB Film teacher Jim Peterson sets up a tripod. Peterson said production companies often create reboots to reach an already existing fanbase. Peterson said, “It’s just good stories. I think that’s the big thing—if it’s a good story we’ll watch it regardless of if it’s a reboot of an old story or not. If they bring something new to it, I think it will be interesting.”

if it’s a good story we’ll watch it regardless of if it’s a reboot of an old story or not. If they bring something new to it, I think it will be interesting. I’m really excited about the Ghostbusters that’s coming out, because I think they’ve got the nostalgia of what I remember from the original— well, the first one: the second one I don’t like to talk about—but they kind of brought all that back. Which is a different thing from when they tried to do the all-female cast version that kind of fell flat and I’m not exactly sure why, because on paper it looked great. It just was not executed well and I don’t know who’s fault, there’s blame but I don’t know whose fault it would be.”

Can reboots dilute their original versions? “I don’t really know, Like take the Ghostbusters with the all female cast. I watched it but I didn’t really quite enjoy it. But it didn’t make me think, ‘Oh, that ruined Ghostbusters for me forever.’ I’ll go back and watch it again, no problem. But no, I don’t think so. But that’s really kind of a personal thing.”

DEC. 13, 2021

A Different Path Students, teachers explore non-traditional learning strategies at CCS CHENYAO LIU STORY, PHOTOS

Peer tutors provide benefits for some fter junior teresa yu

got her AP U.S. History test back, she signed up for a session with a social studies peer tutor to review her answers. “(This) was (the) first time I ever used (peer tutoring),” she said. “I like (it) because the atmosphere is very comfortable and it helps me understand why I made a mistake and the overall thought process behind it.” Yu said she believes she benefited from peer tutoring, especially one-onone tutoring. “One-on-one tutoring benefits me because it gives me time with a tutor to help me learn,” Yu said. “If I want to ask questions or take more time on a certain part, it’s much more

comfortable and easier to do. The pace is very helpful (since) the pace is dependent on me.” While peer tutoring is typically assumed to be beneficial for the tutee, research claims the tutor can also profit. According to ResearchGate, peer tutoring allows the tutor to learn by reformulating their knowledge. Junior Mindy Sim, the social studies peer tutor who walked Yu through her test, said she agreed with this sentiment. “Tutoring APUSH (AP U.S. History) while I’m currently taking the class is really helpful,” she said. “People often say that we learn best by teaching others and I think that’s accurate.”

peer review: Juniors Teresa Yu (left) and Mindy Sim (right) review Yu’s AP U.S. History test during a peer tutoring session. Sim, who tutors AP U.S. History while taking the class, said teaching others the material she’s currently learning also helps her understand it better since she has to reformulate her knowledge.

As an APUSH tutor, Sim said she often talks her tutees through answers, which helps her connect more with the material. “The nature of AP tests often means that I have to explain to someone why one answer is better than another, even though both may be historically accurate,” Sim said. “As I come up with explanations, I find myself having to form deeper connections within the history.” Yu said peer tutoring was helpful as well as enjoyable. “The peer tutors are really nice and explain things effectively,” she said. “I also think it is very useful just to talk with someone that understands the h test and the class.”

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CLC provides project-based path to graduation

fter

spending

around

two weeks at Carmel High School, junior Ella York transferred to the Carmel Learning Center (CLC), an alternative education service across the street from the high school. “When I was walking in,” she said, “my mindset was, ‘This is going to suck.’” Drew Grimes, director of the CLC, said he knew about the CLC’s reputation and disagreed with the rumors. Rather than a place for problematic kids, Grimes said the CLC is catered to students who need a different environment for learning. “I think there’s a misperception about who we are (at the CLC) and who our kids are,” Grimes said, “We have 20-something kids and they’re all there for 20-something different reasons...No two experiences are the same; we’re there to provide a different pathway.” One contrast from the traditional high school class is that the CLC implements project-based learning.

“We ask (all the kids) to do some projects. It’s more high-interest,” Grimes said. “Whatever (students’) interests or passions are, we really try to bring that out in what they do.” York said she believed the projects were helpful and allowed her to connect with her learning more. Grimes said project-based learning lets students use their passion and creativity to connect with their education. “In the afternoon (session), I had a young lady who thinks someday she might want to be a tattoo artist,” Grimes said. “We read some things for U.S. history—some first-person accounts of a war—and she designed an arm sleeve. (She) drew out on paper what it would like and what (symbols) represents what, and that was her final project for that class— (doing) something she’s interested in.” Grimes said his goal was let students use their time efficiently to develop the skills they need for the future. “We just try to (make sure) every kid has the experience that they need,” he said. h

more than one way Learn more about the V.A.R.K. learning model

Visual learners retain graphic depictions of information

V A R K

Kinesthetic learners enjoy hands-on activities

Reading & Writing learners prefer textheavy resources SIRI BYRISETTY GRAPHIC

Auditory learners succeed by listening to information

VARK LEARN SOURCE

Scan this QR code to read extended versions of the three stories on this spread

Math teachers receive grant to expand “Thinking Classrooms” ver the summer, math

teacher Dawn Laumeyer participated in a book study with others from the math department. Math teacher Susanna Micki Outcelt organized the book study, reading Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics by Peter Liljedahl. “I was motivated by (Assistant Principal Karen) McDaniel to start a book study,” she said. “That’s when I sent out the email to see what kind of interest we would have in the department and there were about 10 or 11 of us that actually met throughout the summer. We met on a weekly basis and it was a team effort...We were able to, as a group, discuss ways we were going to use the information from the book.” Outcelt said she and other math teachers were interested in the book because it was geared for math educators.

“A lot of the books that we read for educational ideas aren’t necessarily only geared (toward) math, it’s more of a general idea. So when this was geared around math, it makes it a lot more interesting for us (math teachers) because we know the research has been done in a math classroom,” she said. A major practice Laumeyer incorporates from the research is the use of “vertical surfaces.” “It’s whiteboards basically,” she said. “(Liljedahl) felt the magic number for groups was three (students). He said (to) get kids up and out of their seats, especially in the very beginning to get their brain activated, and do a 5 minute task on the whiteboards.” Outcelt said the thinking classrooms were better for the students and the teachers. “I wanted something new and fresh, I wanted a fresh start especially coming out of...hybrid,” she said. “There’s a lot

a new horizon: Senior Alyssa Cook writes on a whiteboard during “vertical surfaces” time in math class. Susanna Micki Outcelt, Cook’s teacher, said she and other math teachers applied for a grant from the Carmel Education Foundation (CEF) to buy more whiteboards for teachers to use. “There’s a lot of people that are using (whiteboards) just here in the A (halls),” Outcelt said.

of us (math teachers) that are excited about what (the thinking classrooms) are doing for our rooms, and doing for our students. The dynamics of the room and the way that students are using the spaces, it’s encouraging.” h

DEC 13, 2021

ball Ch hriisttma as Gllob Non-Christian students, teachers describe experiences celebrating Christmas

CLAIRE HE STORY or

sophomore

vaishu

Majji, Christmas is a unique way to spend time with family. Christmas is a Christian holiday which commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. It is also statistically one of the most popular national holidays in the United States. However, despite its Christian roots, many non-Christian families, like Majji’s, choose to celebrate it. Majji, who is a Hindu, said certain societal factors drove her family to begin engaging in the holiday. “My family didn’t celebrate Christmas until I was born,” she said, “so I guess they just wanted to give me that ‘American experience.’ “I feel like a lot of people in America honestly celebrate (Christmas) like a secular holiday; it’s kind of become one of those holidays that a lot of people celebrate here,” she added. “I feel like ours is different because we don’t really associate any (religion)—we don’t have that kind of religious affiliation—like I don’t really know what Christian people do at Christmas, but from what I’ve heard from my friends, the day starts out maybe getting presents and going to church—something

MADDIE MISTERKA PHOTOS

season of giving Take a look at common Christmas traditions that have been adapted over time

Middle Ages (400 - 1400)

1400s 1500s 1600s 1700s 1800s Victorian Era (1837-1901)

1900s

Celebrations lasted 12 days Evergreen wreaths, holly, candles Practice of giving gifts

1670 Candy Canes Nativity plays Carol singing, Santa Claus, Christmas trees

1843 Christmas Cards 1890 Department Store Santa 1903 Advent calendars 1920s Poinsettias and milk for 1930s Cookies Santa

Types of Traditions

1980s Ugly sweaters

YICHEN LIU GRAPHIC Traditional Christian BBC, BRITANNICA SOURCES General

(I) don’t do— it’s a little bit the same. I see a lot of people with decorations of Mary and Baby Jesus and we don’t really have that. We have Santa.” Freshman Ethan Wu, who identifies as non-religious, said he has celebrated Christmas with his family since he was about 5 years old. “I think it was just because they saw Christmas all around America, so they just adopted it, too,” he said. Like Majji, Wu said he also celebrates Christmas secularly, unlike Christians. He said he feels the way Christians celebrate Christmas is more religious, mentioning Jesus, whereas the way he celebrates is more centered on gift-giving, so he said his experience is more casual that way. Majji said she participates in the holiday without its religious sentiments. She said, “I kind of celebrate Christmas as a secular holiday—like the giving of gifts, spending time with family, so we don’t really affiliate anything religious with it. But yeah, a lot of it is time with family, eating good food and a lot of lights and presents.” Director of Orchestras Thomas Chen, who is also non-religious,

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said his family’s celebrations morphed and changed over time. “When I was younger, we set up a tree, decorated the house, and put out lights all as a family,” he said via email. “On Christmas Day, we give gifts and prep for a big dinner. “One of the biggest changes that we’ve made to our celebrations has been dinner,” he added. “We used to spend a lot of time preparing a large American-style dinner with some of our favorite Chinese dishes. Now, we do hot pot. It’s way easier, and I like how it keeps us at the table to talk to each other for longer than a traditional meal. Our Chinese culture has impacted the food that we eat the most.” Majji also said she focuses on the family aspect of Christmas celebrations. She said that nearly every year, “Usually, for all of our family who lives in America, we’d all meet up somewhere at someone’s house. Last year, we spent it in Ohio. We’d usually get up in the morning, all the kids would open presents, and I guess we’d all kind of

speak-up!

‘tis the season: Sophomore Vaishu Majji explores various Christmas candies, decorations and apparel. Majji said she enjoys celebrating Christmas as a secular holiday with her friends and family. “A lot of it is time with family, eating good food and a lot of lights and presents,” she said.

Read a column about sentimental gift-giving during the holiday season

sit as a family—sometimes we’d play Christmas games—and usually in the evening we’d go downtown.” When it came to specific experiences with Christmas, Wu said, “Some years I’ve gotten really nice gifts from friends that actually meant a lot, but usually those just have the most impact, and it’s just like a warms-your-heart kind of thing.” He said during his past Christmases, he has experienced nice times of bonding and has had fun; additionally, he said he thinks Christmas holds more weight secularly because rather than thinking primarily of religion during Christmas, it is also important to focus on the “quality time” being spent with family. Majji said when it comes to a disparity between Christmas and Hinduism, she has not encountered much conflict, because she personally does not put any religious meaning towards Christmas. She said she feels it is easy to balance their religion with Christmas.

“I treat it as a non-religious holiday, like a birthday or New Year’s,” she said. Expressing a similar sentiment, Chen said, “We don’t observe the overtly religious traditions. Christmas might as well be a second Thanksgiving with gift-giving and decorations. It’s more about bringing the family and close friends together.” Majji said, “I feel like Christmas has gotten to the point where like everyone should be able to celebrate it if they want to, regardless of if you have a religious affiliation or not— for people Christmas is more of a mindset, I guess, than a holiday. It’s kind of the mood that everyone gets into in December, with the lights and everything—it’s a really happy thing, you know? Everyone can celebrate it as long as you don’t disrespect where its original roots came from.” “I feel like as time goes on, the meaning changes over time—like the way people celebrate, they celebrate it differently—change, even if you don’t h like it, is inevitable,” she said.

How/why do you celebrate Christmas?

SUMEDHA KOTA SPEAK-UPS, PHOTOS

“We still kept our own twist (on Christmas), and I never celebrated Christmas to the same level as my peers. My mom would make purely Indian food for Christmas, and we don’t do the whole stockings thing, but we do set up a Christmas Sophomore tree and have a Christmas party Devansh Singh with some family friends.”

“My family really enjoys Christmas, even though it’s not really part of our culture, but because it’s such a big thing in the United States, and my parents wanted to make sure that we were just as Freshman involved in the ‘American Parth Bhonde culture’ as kids born here.”

DEC. 13, 2021

To Be Jolly? Students, teacher challenge toxic positivity during holiday season SUMEDHA KOTA, ARYA PINNAMANENI STORY

uring the holiday season,

junior Clara Funk said she noticed the holiday spirit being forced and pushed upon her in a toxic way, especially when she said she wasn’t interested. “I feel like sometimes people just force themselves to be happy around the holiday season,” Funk said. “Like with family, you’ll get a group of people and they’ll not like each other outside (of ) the holidays, but they are expected to be happy and get along and expect you to also (get along).” What Funk described may be evidence of toxic positivity— the dismissal or minimization of negative emotions, as well as responding to stressful situations in an overly positive and unrealistic manner rather than in a sympathetic and manageable way. The University of Washington School of Medicine published a website titled “Right as Rain” that is dedicated to helping people feel healthy and well. Authors frequently address toxic positivity,

and they clarify that although toxic positivity usually occurs with good intentions, it can cause people to feel alienated. This alienation, or minimization of someone’s feelings, can often make people feel as though their feelings are not valid and should be hidden. Sophomore Nerland Veillard said she experienced toxic positivity, especially during the holiday season. “If I was ever feeling down or anything like that,” Veillard said, “people would just say ‘Don’t feel down, it’s the holidays,’ or ‘Christmas just passed’. It kind of just made me feel obligated to feel happier.” Funk said she agreed, and didn’t think toxic positivity was helpful. “People will be like, ‘Oh why don’t you like the holidays?’ and, ‘You should be happy’ and whatnot. I’ll be okay, sure. But just telling me that doesn’t really help,” she said. During the holiday season, social studies teacher Allen Wheeler said there are many reasons why teachers might not be feeling the holiday spirit and being uplifting.

ARYA PINNAMANENI PHOTO

by the numbers

75%

of people said they often ignore their emotions in favor of being happy

68%

of people said they often experience toxic positivity from others

is the age when the average adult feels the most stress SCIENCE OF PEOPLE, APA SOURCES

“There’s lots of grading being done before the semester ends,” he said. “Teachers are under a lot of pressure, so you can’t expect them to be in the happy holiday mode all the time.” Though the holidays can become stressful, Funk said she still likes to see other people happy. “I actually like seeing other people who really enjoy (the holidays),” she said. “They’re always putting up decorations and stuff and I think it makes (everything) look fun. I just personally don’t like decorating.” Many factors can play into people’s feelings during this time of year. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), the holidays can be hard for people who have to go through them alone, those who’ve experienced loss and people who simply have busy lives or don’t like the holidays. A recent study from the APA also found that only 8% of people feel happier during the holidays while 38% reported feeling more stressed. Veillard said she agreed the holidays could be stressful, though she also liked some aspects of the holidays.

good intentions Check out validating alternatives to some toxically positive phrases

Instead of saying...

It’s alright, you’ll get over it!

Just be positive!

Good vibes only!

Think happy thoughts! SIRI BYRISETTY GRAPHIC COLLAB COUNSELING SOURCE

validate someone’s emotions and say... You’ve done hard things before, I believe in you. I know there’s a lot of things that can go wrong. What can go right? It’s never fun to feel upset. Is there something we can do to make you feel better?

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bookworm: Junior Clara Funk reads a book in the library, ignoring the Christmas and holidaythemed books in the background. Funk said she believes people force positivity and the holiday spirit onto others—also known as toxic positivity—which she dislikes. “People will be like, ‘Oh why don’t you like the holidays?’ and, ‘You should be happy’ and whatnot,” she said. “But just telling me that doesn’t really help.”

“I love ice skating, and I kind of like Christmas parties and seasonal stuff,” she said. “It’s just that this time of year can be hard.” According to Wheeler, feeling forced to stay positive to ensure others’ happiness is not only a product of the holidays, but occurs outside of the holiday season as well. Wheeler said teachers are affected by toxic positivity year-round as they are always expected to exhibit a positive persona in front of their students. “Teachers are humans, too,” he said, “and we can’t always be positive in front of students or show off a type of persona each day because suppressing our actual

did you know? “Tragic optimism” is considered the cure to toxic positivity, defined as continuing to search for meaning in inevitable human tragedies. THE ATLANTIC SOURCE

emotions is toxic for us as well... You need to treat (teachers) like humans and understand that they are not going to always be in one mode, because people are more layered than that.” Along those lines, Wheeler said some teachers have various issues which might impact their positivity which students are not even aware of. “Of course, school lives and outof-school lives are different areas, but at the end of the day, your teachers are still the same people, you know,” he said. “If something happens in their personal lives, (teachers) are not going to purposefully bring that (issue) into

their classrooms, but their mood would be impacted.” Funk said she is not opposed to positivity as a concept. “There’s the toxic positivity,” she said, “but it’s not really a bad thing in general unless it’s being pushed upon people.” Wheeler said he agreed. “You have some naturally positive teachers, and we generally do try to create a nice environment for our students,” he said. “But teachers can’t be forced to act a certain way. Teachers are humans too, and they deserve to feel emotions in the same way as everyone else, and those emotions are not always going to be positive.” h

just keep swimming: Swimmer and freshman Alex Shackell swims laps at practice. Shackell said she typically practices swimming twice a day: in the morning and in the afternoon. Shackell also said she hopes to competitively swim at the Olympics.

athlete spotlight

Alex Shackell Freshman swimmer shares outlook on high school swim career after going to Olympic trials ADDISON JOYCE Q&A

What are your greatest athletic achievements? (Some) of them would definitely be going to (the Olympic) trials this year for swimming and then winning nationals this year.

What does a typical day of training look like for you? For example, on Monday I get up at 4:45 a.m. and then we have practice at 5:30. We have an hour in the weight room and then two-hour swim. We go to school and then we come back from 4:20 to 6 practice.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced in swimming? (A challenge for me was) going to big meets at such a young age and having bigger competitions than I was used to, but it really just made me more motivated and determined. just another lap: Swimmer and freshman Alex Shackell swims laps in the pool. Shackell said she has been swimming from a young age and faced a achallenge as she had to go to big meets. LUKE MILLER PHOTO

LUKE MILLER PHOTOS

by the numbers

59.61 seconds is Shackell’s 100m butterfly record, ranking her

#3 for US girls

ages 13-14 INDYSTAR SOURCE

What is the most memorable moment from your swimming career? The summer in Greensborough during nationals when I won the 100 fly and I saw my team and it made me so happy.

What are your plans for after high school?

I definitely want to swim in college and then hopefully go to one of the Olympics. Since I’m only a freshman, I haven’t really looked too far into it but there’s a few (colleges), I like (such as) Virginia, Stanford and Florida.

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Sports Briefs DARSHINI SHANKAR BRIEFS

hockey Icehounds Gold vs. HSE dec.

9:45 to 11:30 p.m. Ice Skadium Carmel, IN

eye on the basket: (LEFT) Hannah Lach, varsity basketball player and junior, has her eyes on the basket in the Carmel-Zionsville game on Nov. 16. The Greyhounds lost a close game with a score of 39-40. MAGGIE MEYER PHOTO

women’s basketball Varsity vs. North Central

JV vs. Portage

dec. 7:30 p.m. North Central HS Indianapolis, IN

dec.

12 p.m. Carmel HS Carmel, IN

men’s and women’s swimming and diving Varsity vs. Hamilton SE Homestead & Zionsville dec.

6 p.m. CHS Natatorium

dec.

11 a.m. Homestead HS Fort Wayne, IN

on thin ice: (RIGHT) Adam Aguilar, hockey player and senior, looks out for the puck during a hockey game. Aguilar plays for the Icehounds, a club hockey team at CHS. OLIVIA MCKEE PHOTO

wrestling Varsity vs. Center Grove dec.

6:30 p.m. Eric Clark Activity Center

Carmel JV Invitational dec.

9 a.m. Fieldhouse Court 1

DEC 13, 2021

Winning Formula Motorsport fans evaluate “Drive to Survive”, impact of series on Formula 1’s popularity in the United States ALIVIA ROMANIUK STORY

ack in october, formula 1’s U.S. Grand Prix witnessed a record audience of around 400,000 attendees across four days. According to Austonia, a local news outlet in Austin, Texas, where the race was located, the Grand Prix is now the largest annual event in Texas. Furthermore, the race’s 110 million television viewers exceeded the Super Bowl’s 96.4 million viewers earlier this year. Viewership numbers, however, weren’t always so high. In fact, according to ESPN, in previous years the Austin race was in danger of being cut from the Formula 1 calendar due to a lack of interest from Americans. However, in 2019, Netflix launched “Drive to Survive,” a

OLIVIA MCKEE PHOTOS

suspenseful docuseries about Formula 1 that has attracted millions of new American fans. Senior Abhiram “Abhi” Ankaraju said that he is one of these new fans. “I got interested in F1 because of the Netflix series ‘Drive to Survive,’” he said via email. “I also have a lot of friends who are involved in the sport so I had people to talk about it with.” American motorsport fans tend to follow NASCAR and INDYCAR, which both feature American drivers and have races in American time zones. Formula 1 races on the other hand, occur all around the world, and there are few American drivers, so there was little draw for Americans until the first season of “Drive to Survive” was released.

did you know?

Scan this QR code to read a story about a family in Carmel with a tradition in motorsports and racing

“(‘Drive to Survive’) got really popular during COVID times because (Formula 1) took a break from racing until July 2020 so people watched (the series). It caught on for a ton of Americans and I just started watching because it sounded very interesting,” senior Gabe Perrin said. However, Formula 1 has also grown in popularity in the United States due to word-of- mouth. Junior Amna Mallick said she began following Formula 1 after a friend spoke to her about it. “(I started getting into Formula 1) about two months ago. A friend of mine has always talked about Formula 1 and racing for years on end and I could never follow in their conversation at all so I decided ‘You know speed limit: An IndyCar drives past on the IMS during the 2021 Indy 500. While IndyCar and NASCAR remain larger in the US, Formula 1 has been growing in popularity.

The 400,000 attendees at the United States Grand Prix is the highest attendance ever recorded at a Formula 1 race. The previous record was set by the 2019 British Grand Prix with 351,000 spectators. AUSTONIA SOURCE

driving differences

See differences between IndyCar, Formula One Highly popular in the US

All drivers use the same car base

Drivers choose between Honda and Chevrolet engines

Teams regularly refuel cars during races Up to speeds of 235 MPH

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the roaring: Fans trickle into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the 2021 Indy 500 on May 30. According to senior Gabe Perrin, IndyCars reach higher top speeds while Formula 1 cars accelerate faster.

by the numbers

MILLION what? I’m going to start,’ so I started listening to podcasts,” Mallick said. Ankaraju said he expects Formula 1 to further expand in the United States, especially as it makes inroads into the North American market. Ankaraju said. “Most people just don’t know about (Formula 1), so once it gets more exposure I think its popularity will grow.” “It may have (Surpassed INDYCAR and NASCAR in popularity in the United States) already,” Perrin said, pointing out that the NASCAR race that fell on the same day as the United States Grand Prix only had about 20,000 fans. “I think overall the (F1) races are a lot more exciting than NASCAR and INDYCAR.” Business teacher Rob Holman said that he thinks Formula 1 will have a positive impact on the U.S economy and on INDYCAR’s popularity. “The fans that follow the sport typically fall into a different demo-

Refueling has been banned since 2010 Up to speeds of 205 MPH

graphic from a money standpoint. So the fans that come here will spend money on nicer hotels, restaurants, etc,” he said via email. “I think it will help the INDYCAR series (since) some of the Formula 1 drivers have also driven in INDYCAR races.” Perrin said he also followed INDYCAR and that there are several differences between INDYCAR and Formula 1. “INDYCAR is primarily in the United States and Formula 1 is worldwide in 23 different countries. INDYCARs go a lot faster in a straight line, but F1 cars are super fast around the corners and they accelerate a lot faster,” Perrin said. “Overall F1’s a lot more global sport, there’s more global fans, they visit more countries, drivers from every single continent. INDYCAR is mostly North and South America.” According to ESPN, which has broadcasting rights for Formula 1, the

viewers of Netflix series “Drive to Survive” in 2021

433 MILLION worldwide TV viewers of Formula 1 races during 2020

944

THOUSAND average TV viewers on ESPN during the Formula 1 season in 2021 ESPN SOURCE

average viewers per race in the United States went from 547,000 in 2018 to 928,000 in 2021, a 59% increase. Students here have quickly became acquainted with the major stars in Formula 1, including Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Perrin said his favorite driver is Lando Norris, who is prominently featured in “Drive to Survive.” Still, despite the exposure “Drive to Survive” has brought to the sport, Perrin said he believes some of the suspense and feuds depicted in the series are manufactured for the sake of entertainment and not completely reflective of the sport. Perrin said, “I think that’s the reason why a lot of people started liking it because people love drama so when they saw (‘Drive to Survive’) they were like ‘Oh, that’s exciting, I want to be a part of that.’ However they kind of manufacture a lot of feuds between teammates and things like that which a lot of people don’t like.” But beyond those manufactured conflicts, Perrin said the product itself is exciting enough in Formula 1. “I think (NASCAR and INDYCAR) have to manufacture some sort of excitement,” he said. “but F1 is always exciting no matter what.” h

Drivers choose between four different engine manufacturers: Renault, Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda

ALI PERSINGER GRAPHIC ALTDRIVER SOURCE

More popular globally

Each team develops their own parts h

DEC 13, 2021

Volley for Opportunity Students evaluate benefits, implications of sanctioning men’s volleyball as an IHSAA sport

RAGHAV SRIRAM STORY unior

carly

christy

said volleyball has been an integral part of her life ever since she was a young child. “I (have) played volleyball since I was maybe seven years old. It was the first time I took a (volleyball) class, and I just loved it ever since. I’ve played club since I was eleven and volleyball has just been a really big part of my life,” she said. After initially playing club volleyball, Christy said she also got involved in the women’s volleyball team at this school. “I’ve been on the (women’s) volleyball team for the past three years,” she said. “My favorite thing about it is just been the people. It’s awesome to have friends and people you can trust on the court, but you just meet so many amazing team huddle: The varsity women’s volleyball team strategizes during a game. At this school, women’s volleyball is a schoolsanctioned sport but men’s volleyball is a club sport. Junior Yayha Rehman said that men’s volleyball does not compete in regional and state level competitions as a result of these differences in sanctioning. LUKE MILLER PHOTO

people, and especially in club that just reaches so many different places. So you make so many friends.” “(Volleyball), really teaches you to be organized and structured when you play sports, because you don’t have all the time in the world. It makes sure I eat goods like my body is fueled so that I can do everything I need my body to do; It also just teaches me how to be a good person and a good teammate.” However, junior Yahya Rehman said he might not have the same opportunity to make memories and share similar experiences as Christy was able to through volleyball due to limitations of the men’s volleyball team at CHS. He said, “Even though there is a men’s volleyball team here at (this school), I’m guessing that the

did you know? Men’s volleyball has been overseen by the Indiana Boys’ Volleyball Coaches Association (IBVCA) for the past 28 years and has been played according to ISHAA rules. CHANGE SOURCE

matches and even the tournaments are all quite a bit different from the girl’s volleyball team since men’s volleyball is not an IHSAA sanctioned sport, meaning that there is no regional and state level tournaments and competitions that you see with other sports like swimming and football.” Rehman said that he would be interested in joining the men’s volleyball team here at this school but was not aware of the opportunity until recently. “I think when I was younger I didn’t know of a single boys team, at all, but now some other clubs have started having a boys team, Carmel obviously has a boys team,” Christy said. “Although, I also feel like maybe there aren’t as many tournaments for boys teams to go to because just not very many boys

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I think it’s a really big shame that not as many people know about (men’s volleyball). I mean, in middle school during gym, it was a sport we all played, no matter our gender, so I don’t see why that shouldn’t continue into high school. SENIOR BEN HASTINGS teams played, so there just isn’t as much opportunity to compete (for men’s volleyball players).” Benjamin “Ben” Hastings, senior and boys’ volleyball player said, “I think that it’s a really big shame that not as many people know about (men’s volleyball). I mean, in middle school during gym it was a sport that we all played, no matter our gender, so I don’t see why that shouldn’t continue into high school.” “And I don’t think that should even stop at high school. There’s men’s college volleyball teams as well and you can see men’s volleyball in the Olympics, but you don’t see that being talked about nearly as much as other sports which I think is a bit unfair,” he said. Hastings is not the only one who shares this sentiment. A petition created by First Point Volleyball Foundation, a national organization dedicated to growing boys’ and men’s volleyball, has reached over six thousand signatures and urges the Indiana Athletic Association (IHSAA) to sanction boys high school volleyball.

Scan this to see the petition to sanction men’s volleyball.

John Speraw, chairman of the First Point Volleyball Foundation, said, “Our goal is to grow the number of opportunities at every level, for men and boys to play (volleyball), this includes getting boys high school volleyball sanctioned in all fifty states. One of the best ways to do this is by creating a petition to rally up support within communities and show volleyball players across the nation the amount of support that they have.” According to the petition, sanctioning high school boys’ volleyball in Indiana should be a relatively

up in the air: Ben Hastings, senior and volleyball player, jumps as he prepares to hit the ball in a game. Hastings said he thinks it’s a shame that not as many people know about men’s volleyball as other sports. BEN HASTINGS SUBMITTED PHOTO

seamless process as for the past 28 years. While boys have been playing club volleyball, the Indiana Boys Volleyball Coaches Association (IBVCA) has maintained IHSAA rules during play. Christy said, “I support the petition. I think, hopefully, it will just reach more people and maybe people will be like ‘Oh, I want to play volleyball that looks cool’ because I didn’t even know that there was a boys team until I got to Carmel, so hopefully more people will know about (boys volleyball) and will be h more aware.”

DEC 13, 2021

Weight Watching Wrestlers conscious of nutrition going into holiday season MAGGIE MEYER STORY

the

holiday

season

approaches, people typically find themselves feasting on holiday meals and treats. However, that is not the case for wrestler and senior Embry Horal as he maintains a healthy diet for his wrestling season. Horal said it is hard to maintain a healthy diet while he is on break, yet he said he still manages to maintain it because he wants to improve. “It’s really hard not to break your diet and not just eat a bunch of unhealthy food,” Horal said. “(I overcome it by) thinking of my goal to do well, so it motivates me to keep my diet clean and to talk with (other teammates) about it, too.” Like Horal, junior and wrestler Nate Powell said it is tempting to break his diet yet having his teammates to talk to is helpful, as they can all relate to facing the temptations. “I am pretty disciplined in my eating,” he said. “It is important to keep (a positive) mindset. When you have people around you with the same goals, it is a really good environment.” Head Coach Ed Pendoski said the time off for holiday breaks, such as Thanksgiving, is more concerning to him than the traditional Thanksgiving meal itself. “(The concern about) nutrition through the holidays is not Thanks-

by the numbers

PERCENT The lowest body fat percentage considered healthy for teenage males

CUP How much water wrestlers should drink every 15-20 minutes during competitions CIF SOURCE

NFHS SOURCE

giving dinner,” Pendoski said. “We tell all the boys, gorge yourself for that meal, but then the other hours in the day, try to be on board (with the diet). The hard part of the holiday season is when you are at home fighting the fridge.” Pendoski said while wrestling does require healthy eating habits, it is not the only aspect wrestlers focus on and it is not as extreme as people make it out to be. “If you ask other people, they will tell evil stories of the weight class. All of those things are gone, and they are grossly exaggerated. But I would be lying if I didn’t say that (watching your weight) wasn’t a part of wrestling,” Pendoski said. “There has to be a maturity level, that has to go with nutrition. We want to make sure that we spend most of our time talking about wrestling, how to

wrestle harder, and how to wrestle with better technique.” Pendoski said cutting weight to fit into a weight class is not as common nor extreme as people make it out to be. A common misconception is that most wrestlers move down in their weight class due to dieting. However, Pendoski said this season, 76% of wrestlers on the team wrestle in the same weight class into which they were placed at the beginning of the season. He said the athletes take tests and follow strict rules to ensure their safety and health while dieting. “Everybody that wrestles in high school has to do a body fat test that determines how much they weigh,” Pendoski said. “When the state gets (the athlete’s weight), they are put on a schedule so they can’t lose more than 1.5% body fat per week. There

dead weight Take a look at some legal, illegal ways of cutting weight in wrestling

Legal Methods to Lose Weight

did you know? Starting in the 2023-2024 season, states will have a choice between 12, 13, and 14 weight classes for competitions in both men’s and women’s wrestling.

GABBY SABER PHOTOS

Illegal Methods

Eating a healthy diet and maintaining a calorie deficit is important while losing weight as a wrestler

Sweatsuits are illegal in high school competitions as it is dangerous to athletes who use them

ROHAN MAHESH GRAPHIC NEW YORK TIMES SOURCE

Performing cardiovascular excercises like running and jogging is a method to decrease weight by focusing on increasing heart rate

Sweat boxes allow the individual to lose large amounts of water weight by heating the body and sweating. This is illegal as it could cause individuals to faint.

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eating good: Head Coach Ed Pendoski (right) speaks with another coach during wrestling practice. Pendoski said why weight: the image Head Coach Ed Pendoski (right) talks to of wrestlers another coach during practice. Pendoski frequently said the common changing weight image of wrestlers changing classes is atheir weight to drop down to a lower weight class is largely a myth. misconception.

are many rules in place to keep the garbage stuff that happened years and years ago off the plate. We all have weight management rules in place to make sure we are losing weight in a super healthy way.” For his part, Horal said he focuses his diet on organic and nutritious foods to maintain a healthy weight.

team effort: (BELOW) Wrestler and junior Nate Powell wrestles during practice. Powell said his teammates help him stay focused on his diet.

“(I eat) a lot of eggs for breakfast and no junk food. I try to eat natural foods and good amounts of protein like chicken and lean meats. And also lots of fruits and vegetables,” Horal said. Pendoski said the athletes learn about nutrition and how to diet in a mature way by learning from experts.

If you ask other people, they will tell evil stories of the weight class. All of those things are gone, and they are grossly exaggerated. But I would be lying if I didn’t say that (watching your weight) wasn’t a part of wrestling. VARSITY WRESTLING HEAD COACH ED PENDOSKI

“We have a nutritionist from St. Vincent who comes and talks to our team about every two or three years,” Pendoski said. “The athletes have to nourish themselves by paying attention to how many calories they burn, what type of calories they take in, when they are taking in their calories. That is when we bring in the nutritionist and she explains and as we go through that.” Pendoski said the discipline required in wrestling teaches the athletes many life lessons and creates a level of maturity he doesn’t see in many students. “Wrestling practice never ends,” he said. “You are always at practice. If you play another sport, you practice, you go home and you are done. But wrestling practice starts in November and for every second of the day, it is wrestling practice because of that small nutrition part.” Powell said wrestling has helped him grow into a more mature person as he learns to overcome challenges. “Wrestling affects me in a positive way,” Powell said. “It helps me get mentally tougher and it helps me overcome challenges in my life and the challenges I will face in the future.” h

15 minutes of fame

DEC. 13, 2021

Fitness Fanatic Q&A with Junior Peyton “Pey” Henney on sharing fitness journey through social media LUKE MILLER Q&A

How did you get into fitness? After dealing with some health struggles, one of my friends introduced me to the fitness community and what weight lifting was. After that I completely fell in love and haven’t looked back.

Do you have a home gym or do you go to one? I work out at home gym. The perks of a home gym is the fact that I can work out anytime I want. It can be 5 in the morning or 11 at night and even if it’s just for 20 minutes I can get it in.

healthy habits: Junior Peyton Henney mixes protein powder into her water bottle post-workout in her kitchen. According to Henney, “My favorite ‘cheat’ snack is anything chocolate and my favorite healthy snack is frozen strawberries with vanilla Greek yogurt.” LUKE MILLER PHOTO

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Why did you decide to start sharing your fitness journey through social media?

What message are you trying to spread with your fitness account?

I decided to share my fitness journey through social media because I wanted to help inspire and educate others about all things surrounding health and fitness. My goal has been and will always be to reach others and educate them on health and fitness. I also want to help remind people that it’s not a “one size fits all.”

My message behind my account is to educate others about health and fitness and how it is okay to take up more space in this world. The media often tells us that we need to be small to meet beauty standards but that’s just not true. Strong is beautiful too.

What is your motivation behind staying fit and working out? My motivation comes and goes but it’s mainly my dedication that keeps me going. Making a plan and time to work out is truly what helps me stay on track. If you don’t make time for a workout then how can you expect (yourself) to do it?

Scan this to check out Henney’s fitness account on Instagram body balance: (LEFT): Henney poses with a bag of healthy vegan white cheddar chips. According to Henney, “Once I educated myself on proper exercise and nutrition, I changed my life for the better.” (RIGHT): Henney emphasizes how important a positive mindset is when working out and building healthy habits. Henney said, “Health and fitness is not only about the physical side of things, but the mental too. PEYTON HENNEY SUBMITTED PHOT0S

Do you see yourself following a career path in fitness? Yes, I will most likely do something in the health and fitness field. I want to go to school to get my nursing degree but I don’t know exactly what I’ll do with that degree. I could easily see myself coaching other girls by giving them workouts and nutrition advice.

Do you have any tips for someone who is wanting to workout? My best tip for someone is make a plan. Motivation comes and goes but if you’re dedicated and plan to prevent yourself from getting off-track you will go far places.

spectacular selfie Greyhound Sound member and senior Carter Inskeep poses for a selfie with his fellow members (clockwise from top left) junior Ethan Brown, senior Nathan Andrews, junior Aaron Young, senior Augustus “Gus” Mullens and senior Reilly Horan. Their song “Text Me Merry Christmas” was part of Carmel Choirs’ Holiday Spectacular “Spirit of the Season.” Carmel Choirs performed at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church from Dec. 8-11. CHENYAO LIU PHOTO