Lakota East Spark 2020-21 Issue 3 by Lakota East Spark

Spark Lakota East High School lakotaeastsparkonline.com April 2021

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS Spark takes a detailed look at the complex nature of body image, exploring it’s impact on both the Lakota community and the modern world. April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS ISSUE #196

FRESH HEALTHY FLAVOR

NEWS:

As more Americans receive the COVID-19 vaccination, members of the Lakota community want to learn more about the medical breakthrough.

Revolution

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PACKAGE:

In this issue, Spark investigates the complexities of body image and its impact on the East community.

TRY IT ON YOUR BURRITO OR BOWL

East Junior Connor Pletikapich donates blood for his mom’s bone marrow transfusion.

CULTURE:

The sister stores Forage and Koko take Cincinnati by storm with their environmental mentality.

SPORTS:

Six East juniors have been playing basketball together since second grade.

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FEATURE:

OPINION:

Spark staffers debate whether or not students should be required to get the COVID-19 vaccination.

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 3

Spark 2020-2021 STAFF

Editors-in-Chief: Abbie Westendorf Shiloh Wolfork Business Manager: Riley Higgins News Editors: Rachel Anderson Megan Miranda Feature Editors: Frankie Stull Marleigh Winterbottom Package Editors: Mia Hilkowitz Ava Huelskamp Culture Editors: Ianni Acapulco Natalie Mazey Sports Editors: Mason Wise Evie Colpi Opinion Editors: Rehab Jarabah Olivia Rigney Photography Editors: Riley Higgins Cassandra Mueller Art Editor: Cassandra Mueller Graphics Coordinator: Mary Barone PR Director: Abbie Westendorf Webmaster: Shiloh Wolfork

chief column | opinion

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Spark, Photography has always been something I’ve had an interest in, and when I joined Spark as a junior, my passion for it only grew. It most importantly taught me to never be afraid to ask questions and talk to people openly. Developing my communication skills gave me the confidence to start photographing people in public. In the past, I never would’ve imagined that I could casually go up to random people and ask them if I can take their picture on the spot. But now, I happily snap away at special moments without hesitation and eagerly seek out people to be in my photographs. When I started taking pictures of more people, I learned how to highlight the unique differences of my subjects. Everyone is different in their own unique ways, and I love being able to incorporate those differences into my photos. A lot of times my clients will tell me that they feel insecure about how they look in a certain angle or pose and that they just want to feel beautiful in the photos I capture. This is why I believe that Spark’s coverage of body image this issue is so important. In Lili Reinhart’s revealing speech about body image at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards, she says “We aren’t born with these insecurities, we are told what to be insecure about.” This statement really made me realize how often the media tends to target our insecurities. Meticulous algorithms flood our social media feeds with unrealistic expectations, plaguing our thoughts and intensifying our self-criticism. Our eyes quickly glance over each image, eager to compare ourselves to society’s ever-changing definition of the “perfect body”. Although it can be easy to get caught up in these harmful expectations, it’s important to remember that beauty comes in all body types, shapes and colors. It doesn’t matter if you’re skinny, curvy, white, black, brown, tall, or short. We were born to be real, not perfect. Society is always going to be judgmental, so we should be finding positive ways to embrace our flaws rather than hiding them. The media is slowly becoming more representative of different body types and more celebratory of diversity. This is contributing to a more inclusive environment where people don’t feel like they have to change themselves in order to meet society’s standards of beauty. Although humans tend to search for perfection in others, there’s no such thing as perfection. Personal appearance shouldn’t define your happiness. You should. —Former Spark Culture Editor Ekra Khalid

VIRTUAL VULNERABILITY

e often find ourselves lost in other people’s lives. As you scroll through your chosen social media feed, you may see your cousin’s first steps, a “get ready with me” video from your favorite makeup artist, or a cute picture of a couple celebrating their anniversary. All of these things sucking you in for more and more scrolling, clicking, liking, commenting. According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, 54% of U.S. teens say they spend too much time on their phones. The study goes on to say that in 2016, 68% of U.S. adults are Facebook users, 28% use Instagram, and 21%

use Twitter. While these sites are a great way to stay connected with friends and family, keep yourself up to date on local businesses, and watch cute cat videos, they can also push harmful messages like toxic dieting and fitness culture. On the surface, social media’s fitness culture seems to promote healthy eating, habitual exercise, and the idea that achieving your ideal fit physique is at your fingertips. While the tips represent one ideal prototype, they fail to account for a vast and general public. I see countless “what I eat in a day” videos of influencers sharing their meals and snacks for a given day. Although content creators may have good intentions putting out these videos, they can steer viewers away from thinking critically about food and nutrition and its role in their lives. In an interview with HuffPost, Anaya Habtemariam, a registered dietitian and certified intuitive eating counselor stated that when people are comparing their eating patterns and they don’t measure up to the creator’s over time it can lead to anxiety over your appearance, disordered eating behaviors, and lower self-esteem. According to the National Eating Disorders Association exposure to the thin ideal in mass media is linked to body dissatisfaction, internalization

column abbie westendorf photography riley higgins

of the thin ideal, and disordered eating among men and women. Not only do “what I eat in a day” posts promote this ideal body but fitness videos as well. Media monetizes their viewer’s insecurities by showing only the good, or the airbrushed and edited.

bombshell study conducted by the Florida House Experience, a healthcare institution, uncovered that both women and men compare their bodies with those in the media. The survey included 1,000 men and women and focused on their body image, confidence, and the media. It found that 87% of women and 65% of men compare their bodies to images they consume on social and traditional media. In that comparison, a stunning 50% of women and 37% of men compare their bodies unfavorably. People wishing to avoid this type of situation can solve the problem. If you find yourself comparing your body or life to the people you follow, do yourself a favor and unfollow them. This can include influencers who assign mortality to food and those who obsess over athletics. People can avoid videos that lead to insecure feelings. Social media algorithms know when viewers stop to watch something, even if they don’t like or comment on it. Following people who promote bodyinclusivity and registered dietitians will help you recognize what negative diet-culture is and that all bodies deserve love no matter the shape, size, or color.•

The Spark encourages letters to the editor. Letters can be sent to the publication at Sparkbusiness2021@gmail.com or delivered to room 118 at the Lakota East High School Main Campus. Letters must be signed, and the staff reserves the right to edit the letters for length, grammar, invasion of privacy, obscenity or potential libel. The opinion editor will contact writers for confirmation.

ON THE COVER designer shiloh wolfork

Copyeditors: Rachel Anderson Abbie Westendorf Shiloh Wolfork Advisor: Dean Hume

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This issue, Spark is taking a look at different aspects of body image examining the impact that they have on the modern world. Some of the topics that we cover in this package include eating disorders, fashion, and skin. In order to provide our audience with an opportunity to connect with this subject, there is a reflective material on the cover. This material is meant to simulate a mirror and serve as an interactive representation of personal image. April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 5

news | photo captions

LAKOTA

ins ography riley higg caption and phot it in line to get the the halls of West to wa akota staff gathered in . The vaccines were nesday Feb. 3 and 24 ployees. Kroger Pfizer vaccine on Wed h by Kroger Healt em ed ter nis mi ad d an supplied as well as directional tanced waiting spots dis ial soc d rke ma ns sig station outside of the ipants to a registration rtic pa led t tha s ow arr ministered. East history the vaccinations were ad opportunity to cafeteria, which is where the excitement about the ted no r ille M tha an teacher Sam staff had expected. ed quicker then many urr occ ich wh d, ate cin be vac s,” Miller said. “We t we were able to do thi a “I was very grateful tha ting [the vaccine] for t [the possibility of get had been hearing abou .” ng en a really exciting thi few weeks and it has be wait in the gym for se, staff was required to do the te ing eiv rec ter Af ctions. To accommoda immediate allergic rea of e th cas bo in on y tes da nu ity mi am 15 a cal s, students were given • for potential side effect virtual learning days. ote rem o tw by ed low fol th, 24 the d the 3rd an

SPREADING HOPE photography riley higgins

H caption megan miranda photography marleigh winterbottom hile teaching personality, motivation, and emotions during unit seven in AP Psychology, East teacher Jared Haynes decided it wasn’t fair to teach about stress without providing an opportunity for students to de-stress. During the week of Mar. 2-5 Haynes’ students, following his lecture, spent the rest of the bell engaging in stress relieving activities. Haynes main priority was providing his students an opportunity to relieve stress while also learning important ways to improve stress in the future. “The biggest reason I do it is to give students coping mechanisms,” Haynes said. “Students are the most stressed out group in the U.S. but also have the least amount of knowledge on how to cope with it.” •

ocated on Liberty Centre Drive in West Chester Township, Candy Stash Sweets & Treats has become the focus of East’s National Honor Society (NHS) this winter. With COVID-19 restrictions affecting their normal flow of funds, NHS has been hit particularly hard by the ongoing pandemic. Fortunately, students were able to support the group by simply visiting their favorite local ice cream shop as an alternative. After purchasing either ice cream, candy, or other various treats, participants would mention East at the checkout and NHS would receive 10% of the proceeds from the sale. Although the fundraiser ended on Feb. 18, students and community members are still encouraged to drop by the family-owned shop to purchase delicious treats. “This was our first time doing a fundraiser with them,” NHS Fundraising Committee head Anna Florence said. “It was a positive experience; they were really helpful and good with communication.” •

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Street allowed positivity to enter the building. “I think a lot of times mental health problems are overshadowed by the business of school and day-to-day lives. Although students know that the Hope Squad exists and that teachers do care about their student’s mental health, it is a step back to allow everyone to focus on the subject,” Golembiewski said. “Hope Week also encourages students who are not dealing with mental health to reach out and bring awareness as well.” Each year, Hope Squad comes up with different activities to do during Hope Week. Last year a few of the activities included free hot chocolate, passing out lifesavers, and chalk artwork on the sidewalks surrounding the school. This year, Hope Squad had to think of ideas that would work with all of the COVID-19 regulations. “Because of COVID-19 it’s been a lot harder to outreach because most of our outreach activities are passing things out and hugs and high fives,” Alexis said. “It’s harder to let students know that we care, and we’ve had to adapt a lot

THE SECOND E

caption frankie stull photography kaitlin dwom

caption frankie stull photography riley higgins

oping to continue the annual tradition of promoting hope while also easing the stress that COVID-19 has caused in students, East celebrated Hope Week from Mar. 15 through Mar. 19, promoting “community, positivity, and hope,” according to Hope Squad advisor and English teacher Erin Schneider. The advisors and students in Hope Squad started planning the week’s activities in January which included free candy, therapy dogs in the gym, and a spirit week. East junior and Hope Squad member Myriam Alexis believes that Hope Week was important this year because of the stress that the pandemic has caused. “I think that this year with COVID-19 it’s been really hard to reach out to the student body,” Alexis said. “So, I think Hope Week can be a fun reminder that we are here for them and we can help them if they need it.” East senior Emma Golembiewski thought that Hope Squad did a good job spreading hope throughout the school. She said that the posters and streamers that decorated Main

s you walked down the hal ls of East this February, it was hard to not notice the numerou s faces lining the halls, suc h as Jackie Robinson, Katherine Johnso n, and Kamala Harris, flo oding the school with reminders of the rich African American history. The door decoration contest, announced in early Februa ry, was carefully planned by East’s Studen t Diversity and Inclusion group. The rules were simple: choose a fam ous African American and then decorate your classroom door acc ordingly during Hawk Tim e. Although Michelle Wilkerson’s class won the contest with their door featuring Amariyanna Copeny, Eas t senior Shika Susarla wa s proud of the door that her class decora ted. The idea came to her when she realized that there was a lack of LG BTQ+ representation aro und the school. “We based our door off of Marsha P. Johnson,” said Susarla. “She was a black transgender female activist. I wanted to emphasize a person of color, but more specifically, a black trans woman who was the head of a very pivotal movement.” •

RECAPS

ast Administration focuses on the 4 “E’s” to prepare every student for success: Enrollment in college, Enlistment in the military, Employment in our workforce, or Entrepreneurship. East High School and Adena Elementary received the Purple Star Award on Jan. 26, 2021 for their ongoing dedication to military families and students. The award recognizes schools that help support military families and students in our community. The award must be reapplied every three years. East applied on Dec. 3 2020 by creating a presentation that was PRESENTED to a team in the Ohio Department of Education. The application is given to a Higher Education team which is then given over to the Senior Officer of the Ohio National Guard, who seeks to see if the school went above and beyond serving military families in their community. “The application was fairly easy. It was an online application,” East English teacher Michelle Wilkerson said. “We really just had to showcase what we do here at East, so we were able to do an Adobe Spark.” The presentation was made in Adobe

Spark, showcasing events that East held during the school years, such as the Veterans’ Day Celebration which was depicted by photos of the veterans being paraded down Main Street. They also included pictures from Stocking for Soldiers where there was a school-wide campaign to collect gifts for military personnel abroad. “So what our students are doing in that stockings for soldiers, they’re literally touching people around the world in a way that we all struggle with” Lakota District Parent Engagement and Outreach Coordinator Leah Aguilar told Spark. During the past few years, the East Veteran’s Club has dedicated its time to honoring the veterans in the community and getting all students involved. The Veteran’s Club is a fairly new club at East. Former student Grace Keith, who graduated in 2019, came up with the idea. She went to East ESL aid Sally Barker, who is now the advisor of the Veteran’s Club, in May of 2018 during the Military Commencement Ceremony and talked about creating the veterans club. “Our Veterans Club has done so much to help win this award, some of them include taking hundreds of students to CVG to welcome home our Honor Flight veterans,

of our activities to keep everyone safe.” Even with the regulations and change of activities, Golembiewski thought that the activities still allowed students to take a needed break from their school day. “I think the therapy dogs helped students by allowing them to take a total break from the stress school brings,” Golembiewski said. “Plus, they are therapy dogs and know exactly how to comfort humans.” According to Schneider, every one of the 963 schools that have a Hope Squad participate in Hope Week, but the week they celebrate just depends on the particular school’s schedule. “Little gestures of kindness can go a long way in reminding people that they are loved and that they are not alone,” Schneider said. •

-Rachel Anderson Right: Hope squad member Austin Boocher hugs a therapy dog.

holding fundraisers, and honoring our veterans through our Veterans Day programs.” Barker said. “[They also] chaperoned veterans to museums, promoted suicide awareness from PTSD through the 22 Push Up Challenge, and made cards for veterans.” One of the MORE INVOLVED events that East has held for the past four years is the Honor Flight. The Honor Flight is a nonprofit organization that helps send veterans to see the multiple war memorials in Washington D.C for no cost to the veterans. Three busloads of students who choose to go to the CVG airport during school help welcome the veteranS home from their flight from D.C. Many Veterans were not welcomed back when they initially served, so this is a chance for them to have recognition. To celebrate East winning the Purple Star award, East has special parking for military personnel and a plaque in the front of the school. “We have purple star parking for any of our militaries when they pull up at school. It automatically signals that this is a military welcome building,” East English teacher Michelle Wilkerson said. “The Keystone plaque is right there for that military recognition coming into that building... So it’s a visual representation right away before anybody has ever talked to anybody.” •

-Rehman Khalid April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 7

new matt miller contract | news

Comparing the Salaries of Local Superintendents By the Numbers: 1. Mason City Schools

10,627 students in the district

2. Worthington City Schools

10,324 students in the district

3. Olentangy Local Schools

21,711 students in the district

200,000

180,000

160,000

140,000

120,000

4. Lakota Local Schools

16,281 students in the district

100,000

1. John Cooper, hired in 2018; contract through 2022, $163,000

5. Madison Local 3,125 students Schools in the district

Above: Matt Miller engages with VanGorden Elementary student in the classroom.

RAISING THE BAR

sources cincinnati.com, thisweeknews.com, wikipedia. com, niche.com, School District Websites

The Lakota Board approved a new five-year contract, pay raise, for superintendent Matt Miller. • story natalie mazey | infographics shiloh wolfork | photography used with permission

n a unanimous 4-0 vote at the Dec. 14, 2020 meeting, members of the Lakota Board of Education, with board member Micheal Pearl absent, approved a new five-year contract for superintendent Matt Miller. Along with the new contract, a raise of about 13% was approved, resulting in a new base salary of $192,000. “I think that we’ve had a really good roadmap and strategic plan [the past five years],” Board member Brad Lovell said. “Miller was pivotal in assuring that that plan was forward thinking, and that’s going to continue in the next five years.” Since his hiring in 2017, Miller has expanded Lakota’s use of technology, implementing chromebooks that allow for personalized learning, while also fostering community through endeavors like his “Coffee Chats” that now take place on Zoom due to COVID-19. Over the next five years, Miller will be getting an additional yearly raise of 1.97% each August. “Miller has done a fantastic job of engaging the students and staff in schools, as well as the community with his Coffee Chats,” East English teacher Michelle Wilkerson said. “With the start #WEareLakota on Twitter, people are able to see all of the amazing activities that are happening throughout the

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district; he truly shows that he cares by being visible in the schools, at events, and in the community.” Fostering community has existed at the forefront of Miller’s mind during his time in Lakota. Due to COVID-19, forming bonds has had to look different, but social media has allowed for Miller to still connect. “The biggest shift that we’ve seen in the district under his leadership is building culture within the school district,” Lovell said. “He’s

done an incredible job of communicating and creating a lot of momentum around our marketing, looking at how we’re promoting the district but also how we’re engaging the community.” During January of the 2018-2019 school year, individual Chromebooks were rolled out to the high schools after Miller hosted a Ted Talk, boasting the benefits of throwing traditional textbooks out the window. East senior Sydney Swain witnessed this transition

TraditionalSteps Stepsto toBecoming Becoming an an Ohio Ohio Superintendent Superintedent Traditional 5

Must have three years of successful experience in a position requiring a principal or administrative specialist license.

Complete the Ohio Assessment for Educators licensure exam #015 prescribed by the State Board of Education.

Receive a recommendation from the dean or head of teacher education at the institution where the preparation program was completed.

Complete an approved preparation program.

Earn a master’s degree from an accredited university. source education.ohio.gov

as Chromebooks quickly became a tool utilized in many aspects of the learning experience. “Chromebooks make communication easier if you don’t have a computer at your house and I like having textbooks on my laptop because it’s less stuff to carry around,” Swain said. “I do wish we had more paper copies and actual textbooks because I learn better that way. A lot of times I end up printing out things on my own.”

ome real world learning experiences, internships, and work within Lakota Outreach Diversity and Inclusion Department (LODI) haven’t been able to happen due to COVID-19, but Miller wants to focus on advancing those areas once COVID-19 isn’t at the forefront of educator’s minds. “Coming out of COVID-19, what does that look like for our kids both academically but also on a social emotional piece,” Miller said. “[Lakota has] some initiatives that are still going on that COVID-19 has paused or slowed down.” Lakota ranks as the largest district in Butler County as well as being the seventh largest district in the state of Ohio with nearly 15,000 students. “It says something to be the largest school district in the state of Ohio to have gone in person and stayed in person,” Lovell said. “I think it speaks volumes to his leadership with his team to make that a reality in our community. It would have been easier just to say we’re going to go remote and calling it there, but giving our families a choice has been a huge accomplishment, and a lot of that lands on him.”

2. Trent Bowers, hired in 2015; contract extended through 2024 in 2018, $163,149

While managing a district of this size is typically a convoluted endeavor, COVID-19 added another layer of complications and dramatically changed the roles of administration within the district. Miller’s outlook in particular had to focus on maintaining safety while navigating the unprecedented times rather than innovating within education. “I gave a West Chester-Liberty Township government issue update a couple weeks ago. We have to give the three big things that are going on in our district, and my briefing included nothing about education; it was all about COVID and quarantining and shots,” Miller told Spark. “I just hope we can get this pandemic passed as soon as possible, and then we’ll focus on the things that we were built to focus on.”

eading into the 2020-2021 school year, decisions about what this year would look like were met with backlash from every side. In-person vs remote learning was a heated debate, but with the direction of his team, Miller made decisions that he felt would best support the students. “Miller made the aggressive decisions when they needed to be made,” Lovell said. “He hasn’t always been spot on and people haven’t always agreed, but I think we can all look back and say that we were able to gain some momentum around the pandemic because of his leadership and his vision.” Over the past five years, Miller has grown within his leadership, accepting that he won’t be able to make every person happy, instead letting the interests of students guide his decision-making. “Snow days are a great example. Someone

3. Mark Raiff, hired in 2015; contract extended through 2023 in 2017, $175,000

4. Matt Miller, hired in 2017; contract extended through 2025 in 2020, $192,000

5. Lisa Tuttle-Huff, hired in 2018; contract extended through 2024 in 2019, 110,000

is always upset no matter what decision we make,” Miller said. “I just listen to the team that’s very supportive, then we take an idea and we figure out the best course of action. Then I get to call the play.” Miller’s vision for the district acts as a catalyst for advancement according to Lovell. The school board dons the responsibility of hiring two people: the superintendent and the treasurer, who both then report to the board. “The best thing that we can do for Matt is create a runway for him to take off of. The moment we stop feeling his vision or doing our work to create a pathway for him to navigate that vision is when we lose the momentum,” Lovell said. “You have to understand that he’s got a big picture. He knows where he wants to go, so it’s fun watching that happen.” During Miller’s career within education, he has spent 15 years in the role of superintendent, first at Mentor Schools in northern Ohio before coming to Lakota. Miller has 11 years before retirement becomes an option, and he would be grateful to carry out those years within Lakota. “We hope Mr. Miller does stay for those 11 years,” Assistant superintendent Robb Vogelmann said. “He’s been great to have here. Not that I’m counting but I’m close to the same amount of years, so it would be awesome if he were to stay.” Miller’s mission has remained constant over his time as superintendent, and he will be carrying the same sentiment into the next phase of his journey with Lakota. “My goal is always making Lakota one of the best school districts in the state of Ohio,” Miller said. “I’m blessed with a really good team that gets a lot of stuff done, and we’re all in sync with that same message.” •

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 9

news | covid-19 vaccine

covid-19 vaccine | news

“As more patients came in COVID-19 positive, it was a relief to know that I was going to be vaccinated. I read about the development process since last spring and noted the mRNA platform was a novel way of developing a vaccine. I have a lot of faith in the well done medical science as well.” - Hilltop OBGYN Physician and President Elect of the Atrium Medical Center Will Andrew of COVID-19 patients, residents and staff in groups or assisted living homes, people with developmental disabilities, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responders. The following 1B phase included Ohians aged 65 and older, as well as K-12 teachers in the state. Currently, the COVID-19 vaccine is not authorized for anyone under 16. On Feb. 3 and 24, 2021, Lakota teachers and staff had the opportunities to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. “I was very grateful to be able to [get the vaccine],” East Social Studies teacher Samantha Miller said. “I’m the one who goes to work every day and I’m worried that I might take COVID-19 home to my 90-year-old grandpa, so I’m really glad to have that extra layer of protection.”

(Above) Physician at Hiltop OBGYN Heather Hilkowitz (left) is administered her first dose of the Moderna vaccine by Chief Nursing and Operating Officer at Atrium Medical Center Marquita Turner (right).

A RETURN TO NORMAL

As more Americans receive the COVID-19 vaccination, members of the Lakota community want to learn more about the recent medical breakthrough. story, photography, and infographic mia hilkowitz

ast junior Aya Darwiche’s favorite thing about Thanksgiving has always been the food. Every year, her family has come together to celebrate and, like most Americans, to indulge in a dinner of Turkey and mashed potatoes. But this Thanksgiving, Darwiche was unable to taste a single thing. Darwiche contracted COVID-19 in early November 2020. She started developing symptoms shortly after coming in contact with a friend who had tested positive. Darwiche made the decision to get tested for COVID-19 as her symptoms persisted. She received her positive results on Nov. 22, and shortly after lost her senses of taste and smell. “I was really mad at myself and the world. I had done everything I could [to be safe],” Darwiche said. “I had quarantined during March, April and May. I wore masks. I told other people to wear masks. So I was really

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really mad when I got [COVID-19].” Following her contraction, Darwiche unknowingly spread it to other members of her household. The Darwiche family was quarantined and sick on Thanksgiving. Now, months after her positive results, Darwiche is still grappling with the after effects of the virus. “My dad got hit the worse. He had a really hard time breathing because of COVID-19. The hardest part was giving it to my family. And my friends had to quarantine after being exposed,” Darwiche said. “There are lasting effects of COVID-19. I get out of breath going up the stairs at school and that never used to happen. I still can’t taste or smell anything.” But Darwiche is now optimistic. On Dec. 11, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the first emergency use authorization of the PfizerBioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. for

those over the age of 16. Darwiche, who has experienced the effects of the virus first hand, was excited by the development and said that she is in full support of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution in the country. “Even though I wouldn’t be offered the vaccine right now because I just had the virus, I would 100% get it,” Darwiche said. “I know some people who would be willing to take it and others who wouldn’t want to take it because they don’t know what’s in [the vaccine] and may not understand the science behind it.” As the COVID-19 vaccine starts to become available across the country, an increasing number of citizens must make the same decision as Darwiche: whether or not they should get the vaccine. The Ohio Department of Health distribution plan is separated into several phases. Phase 1A included healthcare workers and personnel involved in the care

akota Superintendent Matt Miller said that the district worked with local health care authorities to administer the vaccines to teachers and staff. “Once we knew that the vaccinations were going to happen, we made it a priority for teachers and staff to get a vaccine,” Matt Miller told Spark. “We worked with Butler County Educational Service Center and the Lakota Executive team and board to make sure we could get this for our teachers and staff as soon as possible.” Vaccinations for over 1,900 Lakota staff were held at Lakota West High School. West High School also served as a vaccination site for other school districts including Ross, Edgewood, New Miami and Madison school districts. Local Kroger pharmacy personnel administered the doses. East Computer Science and Cybersecurity teacher David McKain chose not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in February. He is not alone. According to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research report, 1 in 3 Americans say they will not get the vaccine for a myriad of reasons ranging from personal beliefs to health concerns. McKain, who has been teaching in-person since August, said that choosing whether or not to get the vaccine is “obviously a difficult decision.” “There’s a lot that goes into [the decision]. Basically, it came down to this: the vaccine is scarce. There are a lot of people that are very desperate to get it,” McKain said. “So, to me it seemed like one of those things [where] I can go

to the back of the line.” According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of Feb. 27, the federal government has delivered 113.3 million doses to states, territories, and federal agencies. The current U.S. population is over 332 million people. Like many others, McKain said that he will postpone his decision to get the vaccine until he can see how the situation continues to develop. “[COVID-19] may be something that doesn’t ever completely go away,” McKain said. “But I can’t say, things change and life situations change. For example, if the school says ‘if you’re going to teach in-person, you have to get the vaccine’ that’s a different story. Because this is my mission, what I’m doing here [at East], so if that’s what I’d have to do to teach, then I would have gotten it.” East junior Makenzie Moman is apprehensive to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Although she said that she was relieved to hear that a vaccine was being developed, she would not receive it herself. “When I was a baby I had a really bad reaction after getting a [flu] vaccine and I was in the hospital for a week and a half. My family has a history of being allergic to vaccines,

so I would wait to see how [everyone else] reacts and gets tested.”,” Moman said. “I was concerned that it was made a little bit fast and that it was being made just for money. Different companies were making [the vaccine] to be the first one to sell it. I would wait a little bit before I get it.”

lthough Moman would not currently feel comfortable getting the vaccine, she does not think that others should be judged for their decision. “Don’t bash people for getting the vaccine [or not],” Moman said. “If you just don’t want to get [the vaccine] for political reasons, maybe re-evaluate that. But people that don’t want to get it for personal or health reasons, I don’t see any problem with that.” According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit organization focusing on national health issues, 47% of U.S. adults say that they have already received the vaccine or are willing to receive the vaccine. 7% would only get the vaccine if it were required and 13% say that they would not get the vaccine. The CDC reports that as of Feb. 21, over 42 million Americans have received one or more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Among those 42

(Below) Medical Personnel had to register and sign a waiver before they were administered the Moderna vaccine.

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news | covid-19 vaccine million is Hilltop Obstetrics and Gynaecology (OBGYN) Physician and President Elect of the Atrium Medical Center medical staff Will Andrew. “I felt a bit of relief that the COVID-19 vaccine was picking up speed and that I was going to be offered a measure of protection,” Andrew told Spark. “As more patients came in COVID-19 positive, it was a relief to know that I was going to be vaccinated. I read about the development process since last spring and noted the mRNA platform was a novel way of developing a vaccine. I have a lot of faith in the well done medical science as well.”

he COVID-19 mRNA vaccine works differently than previous types of vaccines. This vaccine gives instructions to the body’s cells to make a “spike protein.” A spike protein is found on the surface of the virus. Once the spike protein is made, immune cells break down the mRNA instructions and get rid of them. Next, the body’s immune system recognizes that the COVID-19 protein does not belong in the body and begins to build an immune response and make antibodies. Following this process, the body has learned how to protect against future COVID-19 infection. Andrew received the first dose of the vaccine on Dec. 23. He experienced minor after effects following the first dose. “After [I got the vaccine] I had a lot of work and a lot of deliveries going on. After a couple hours I started to feel pretty rundown and I wondered if that was the vaccine,” Andrew said. “I had read about a lot of the side effects, and I had seen that there were people who had felt nothing at all. I had a touch of soreness on my shoulder, but that’s not unusual for other vaccines that I’ve received.” The FDA reports that some common symptoms after receiving the vaccine are tiredness, pain at the injection site, headaches, muscle pains, chills and nausea. These are not uncommon for other types of vaccine. Chairman of the Board at Atrium Medical Center and Hilltop OBGYN physician Greg Swieny also received the vaccine on Dec. 23. He explained how the vaccine has been a sign of hope for healthcare workers around the country. The CDC reported there have been over 408,000 cases of COVID-19 among healthcare workers in the United States.

covid-19 vaccine | news “If it was nine months ago, I would be a little bit trepidatious,” Swieny told Spark. “But now after nine months of seeing people suffer with this disease and seeing how dangerous it is to everybody, I feel that the risk of the vaccine side effects are extremely low and the benefits are very high. So for me, it was just no doubt. I was going to take it as soon as I could get it.” Swieny says that he and many other physicians have received lots of questions from patients regarding the safety of the vaccine. “A lot of my patients have had parents or grandparents who have suffered from this disease or have had relatives that died. They’re worried about themselves, their children and especially pregnant patients are worried about [the vaccine],” Swieny said. “When people are sick around you it’s a natural human response to think ‘how does this affect me?’ You worry and try to research and ask questions as much as possible.” Atrium Medical Center Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Director and Pulmonary Disease specialist Thomas Yunger has been answering these questions for months. “Just about every patient I see on a daily basis is asking whether they should receive the vaccine or not. We have a discussion about it and I tell them that there are risks and benefits. Then they ask me ‘Will you get the vaccine’ and I tell them I already have,” Yunger told Spark. “Right now anyone who has a lot of allergies, we need to take a second look at and I think over the next couple of months we will have a better idea how to vaccinate those people as well. Right now, just about anybody over the age of 65 should be vaccinated right away as well as health care and first line providers, such as firemen, policemen, medics, and teachers.” The FDA is currently recommending that those with severe allergic reactions to a previous dose of the COVID-vaccine or any of the ingredients should not receive the vaccine. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine contains several mRNA lipids, potassium chloride, monobasic potassium phosphate, sodium chloride, dibasic sodium phosphate dihydrate, and sucrose. Patients should tell their vaccine provider about any medical conditions including any allergies, bleeding disorders, blood thinners, an immunocompromised immune system, and if they are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. As an ICU Director, Yunger has spent

the last year taking care of patients with the most severe cases of COVID-19. To better understand the vaccine, Younger explained how the virus impacts the body. “COVID-19 creates an extreme reaction that leads to inflammation in the lungs. Then, with time, your body continues to create that inflammatory reaction and the lungs are damaged, oftentimes damaged beyond repair,” Yunger said. “Some of the folks that get COVID-19 get to a point where even on a ventilator we can’t give them enough oxygen.” As of Feb. 21, there have been more than 28 million cases of COVID-19 and almost 500,000 deaths in the U.S. While these may just appear as numbers, Yunger says he has seen the impact on a personal scale. “Now when somebody comes into the hospital with COVID-19, family members cannot come in and see them. When you can’t have family there, and you’re just talking to them on the phone, it’s not the same,” Yunger said. “Then as these patients get sicker, it’s extremely hard to have to put somebody on a ventilator when their family can’t be there with them. As we move into that phase where some of these patients don’t survive, the family cannot be there with the patient.”

unger said that many people are unaware of the hard decisions that healthcare workers must make for COVID-19 patients around the country. For instance, when a ventilator stops working for a COVID-19 patient, physicians may have to paralyze the patient to keep them alive. “If I had anything to say, please just wash your hands and stay in small groups so that you’re not the next person that we’re taking care of in the ICU,” Yunger said. “And so that you’re not the next person that doesn’t have any family with you as you get sicker.” Registered nurse Irene Hermann has been administering vaccines in residential facilities and group homes in the Butler County area since January. Hermann, who has been administering vaccines for several decades, contacted the Middletown City Health Department to offer her assistance. “My part is to go to the health department in Middletown and pick up the vaccines which are frozen, refrigerated, then kept in a cooler until they are ready to use. [The Commissioner] gives

“If I had anything to say, please just wash your hands and stay in small groups so that you’re not the next person that we’re taking care of in the ICU. And so that you’re not the next person that doesn’t have any family with you as you get sicker.” - Atrium Medical Center ICU Director and Pulmonary Disease Specialist Thomas Yunger 12 lakotaeastsparkonline.com April 2021

me different locations of where I’m going to give the shots,” Hermann told Spark. “Patients fill out a form to give their demographics and answer questions. Then once I check all that, I draw up the vaccine and give them their shot. When that’s done all that information goes into a database called ‘Impact.’”

members of the community. “When you leave these 90-year-old people’s homes they want to hug you and kiss you because you’re protecting them from something that they’re so afraid of,” Hermann said. “They say ‘What can I do? How can I thank you enough? Can you come back with the second dose?’” President Joseph Biden announced on Feb.11 that 200 million more doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines had been purchased and estimates that the entire American population will have the option to be vaccinated by mid-summer. But until most Americans are vaccinated, Swieny is positive that the move will benefit healthcare workers, teachers and citizens alike. “When you become a physician or a nurse, you never really worry about your own health,” Swieny told Spark. “This is the first time ever that we are worried about getting diseases from a patient killing us. Yes, we’ve faced it and it has kicked us in the abdomen. We figured out ways to overcome it and we will defeat it. It’s going to take a while, but we need to all work together.” •

ermann said that she must go in with a detailed plan when administering vaccines. “I get ten doses in one vial. When you pierce that vile, you have to use it in six hours,” Hermann said. “With this vaccine, you have to plan, because you can’t waste any doses and at the end of the day, if you have doses left, you have to have some plan for how you are going to use those last doses. We use everything, we don’t waste any of the vaccines.” Hermann says that if there are left over doses, nurses must find other high-risk people in the community to administer the dose. Hermann estimated that she had administered around 300 shots in the first two weeks of January. While there are still many more doses to administer, she has seen first hand how getting the vaccine has had an impact on

How The COVID-19 Vaccine Works Scientists take a part of the COVID-19 virus’ genetic code and turn it into a vaccine.

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The vaccine enters the cells and tells them to produce a harmless COVID-19 spike protien. 4

The body reacts by producing antibodies and T-cells to destroy the spike protien.

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If someone contracts COVID-19 again, the antibodies and T-cells are triggered to fight the virus again.

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source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

EASTSIDE VACCINATIONS Lakota School District had discussions about possibly making East a community vaccination spot. story olivia rigney

fter the success of turning West into a teacher and staff COVID-19 vaccination spot on Feb. 3 and 24, plans were set in place to offer vaccinations at East, for the community. East hopes to partner with UC Health or Kroger in an effort to get as many eligible members of the community vaccinated as possible. East was chosen as a possible vaccination spot due to its proximity to the highway, being located in the northern part of the district and Butler County. East Principal Yejide Mack has been in communication with UC Health to find an available supply of COVID-19 vaccines in order to set plans in place to offer those vaccines to the public while continuing to keep staff and students safe. “We would certainly allow them to use our facility but only after hours,” Mack said. “In the evening, if there would be a game or theater performance, for example, we would need extra time for custodians to clean and get ready again.” Lakota Superintendent Matt Miller has been heavily involved in the process of using Lakota’s high schools to vaccinate teachers, staff members, and in the future hopefully individuals in the community. “We were working with Kroger and UC Health to get vaccinations, but we didn’t know who our partner was going to be,” Miller told Spark. “We were calling them a few times a week, and through these conversations, there might be an opportunity for East to be a vaccination spot.” East has undergone a site visit and once there is an available supply of vaccinations, there will be an opportunity for members of the community to get vaccinated. Although there is no plan for when or how the vaccinations will be supplied, ideally there would be times for people to come East to get their vaccine after the school day, ensuring that vaccinations won’t interfere with the students’ learning environment. “I can’t say that there won’t be some overlap, between the setup and the workers,” Miller told Spark. “I’m not sure it will ever materialize, but I hope it does, so stay tuned.”•

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state testing | news East junior and government student Kristen Reed works on her Chromebook.

TO TEST OR NOT TO TEST Due to the impact of COVID-19 on learning during the 2020-21 school year, many school administrators and students believe that the testing should be waived.

story shiloh wolfork | photography riley higgins | infographic mary barone

n Mar. 2020, due to the rampant onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Education allowed states to seek one-year waivers from the ESSA’s testing and accountability requirements for spring standardized testing. Following this action, The Ohio General Assembly passed emergency legislation to completely cancel the spring 2020 administration of Ohio state standardized tests. Thus, the Ohio Department of Education received a federal waiver for the 2019-2020 school year. Under the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), all U.S. states must hold annual statewide tests in reading/language arts and math for all students in third through eighth grade and at least once for students in ninth through 12th grade. Science assessments must be administered at least once during third through fifth grade, sixth through ninth grade, and 10th through 12th grade. These tests must be “aligned with the challenging State academic standards and provide coherent information about student attainment of such standards.” Overall, Ohio’s learning standards emphasize critical thinking and problem solving skills to equip students

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with the qualities most sought by today’s employers. They also strive to teach students to apply these skills in school so that they are on track to graduate high school and lead successful lives. Although adjusting to learning in a pandemic has proven to be difficult for many students, states should not expect to receive testing waivers again for the 2020-2021 school year according to the U.S. Department of Education. The Biden Administration confirmed that all states must administer standardized achievement exams to students this year. Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Ohio Department of Education Paolo DeMaria thinks that the decision to continue with spring standardized testing will be a beneficial indicator of how COVID-19 has impacted student’s learning. “We administered some tests in the fall, and those fall assessments gave us some insight into what happened when schools closed at the end of last school year,” DeMaria said. “We already saw some beginnings of lower performance on the assessments even though they were given in the early part of this school year. I think we

owe it to ourselves to try to [understand] what has happened over the course of this hugely disruptive and challenging year, so that that [information] can be used to inform what we do going forward.” Since continuing the testing may raise some difficulties for some districts, states are allowed to adopt methods to make the testing process more flexible such as modifying or delaying the exams. For example, for Ohio districts, the online administration window of the math, science, and social studies tests has been extended one week from and will now run from May 29 to May 14. Madison Local Schools Superintendent Lisa Tuttle-Huff said that keeping the spring standardized testing in place will serve as a useful measuring point of student performance during the 2020-2021 year. “We need to keep [the tests] in place. I think that we have to have some kind of data point whether we’re using formative assessments or not and whether you’ve been in school or you’ve been remote,” Tuttle-Huff told Spark. “There has to be some kind of data points for our state to say ‘where are our kids’ and ‘where are the challenges in the state that we need to

understand.’ I don’t see a problem with the tests as long as the data isn’t used to rank schools or used as a part of a state report card.” Each year the Ohio Department of Education uses state standardized testing data to create Report Cards for Ohio schools and districts. The Report Cards are designed to provide insight to communities and district officials about how their schools compare to others in the state in terms of student performance and support. DeMaria explained how COVID-19 will impact this process. “While I’m for the assessments, I’m not for using that assessment data in the state’s accountability report card system,” DeMaria said. “Because of the disruptions to this year, we shouldn’t use the testing data to impose consequences on schools or districts, because it would be fair.”

brings stress and strain when we start talking about outside tests, so [I do think that] we can let that spring state standardized go [for this year]. I would think that that would be something that we can do, just for the simple fact of all the other stressors and things that we have going on.” On a traditional high school graduation pathway, there are a total of seven end-ofcourse state tests that students must take in order to graduate. Students are required to take exams in Algebra 1, geometry, Biology, American history, American

akota Superintendent Matt Miller, on the other hand, said that spring state standardized testing should not continue as planned due to the drastic impacts of COVID-19 on the typical learning environment. “I’m not a big proponent of standardized testing in a normal year or a COVID-19 year or any other type of year. Being in-person, in my opinion, is the best course of action for kids to be in, but we also have kids thriving in [Lakota’s virtual learning option] VLO,” Miller told Spark. “But if you look at school districts across the state, you have districts that are in-person, some that are remote, some are hybrid, and some have gone back and forth between two or three of those. How is this really going to be an accurate measure of how our kids are performing in the middle of a pandemic?” According to Education Week, there is currently no national data that tracks the learning modes of the nation’s more than 13,000 school districts. However, as of March 15, 58 member districts in the Council of Great City Schools - some of the largest districts in the U.S. - are open for some type of in-person learning. East Principal Yejide Mack said that standardized testing is already excessive during a normal year, so continuing with the testing during this unprecedented time will only be another stressor for high school students. “I think the initial premise of all standardized testing was good in theory, but I think the number of times that a student is assessed during the day, during the week, during the month, during the quarter, and during the year is so excessive,” Mack told Spark. “It certainly

government, English 1, and English 2. These tests are evaluated on a scale from one (limited performance level) to five (advanced performance level). To meet the criteria for this pathway, students must earn a minimum of 18 points from the seven tests, including at least four points on English tests, four points on math tests, and six points on science and social studies tests. In some subjects such as American government and biology, College Credit Plus (CCP) courses or Advanced Placement (AP) / International Baccalaureate (IB) courses in the subject area will satisfy the graduation requirement. For East U.S. government and U.S. History teacher Justin Dennis, COVID-19 has altered the way that he’s able to interact with and prepare his students to master the end-of-course exam. According to the updated U.S. Government standards, students should have a well-defined understanding of eight main topics: Civic Involvement, Civic Participation and Skills, Basic Principles of the US Constitution, Structure and Functions of the Federal Government, Role of the People,

Ohio’s State and Local Governments, Public Policy, Government and the Economy. “My strategies [in government] are usually more hands-on and interpersonal, and we don’t get that [this year]. It’s been a bit different to try to do the things that I’ve seen work in the past in a different way. It’s unfortunate because I feel like it’s a less effective way, but we’re doing what we have to with the circumstances,” Dennis told Spark. “I think they’re missing that deeper conversation and level of understanding that comes from doing more hands-on things and thinking outside of the box. They’re still able to excel, but we’re still trying to figure out that piece that we’re missing.” In an October 2020 poll by Education Data, parents of children who continued to receive in-person instruction were most likely to express satisfaction with the way the school is handling instruction during the pandemic. For East junior and former Dennis student, Kristen Reed, despite her being in-person, COVID-19 had a major impact on her comprehension of the material. “I feel like [COVID-19] has definitely decreased my understanding. Mr. Dennis taught us some tips and tricks that really helped memorize the information. And some of the study guide material really helped because it was really similar to what we saw on the test,” Reed told Spark. “I do think that [preparing for the test] would’ve probably been easier if we could do our collaborative assignments because this year we weren’t able to do any of the fun projects.”

ennis said that some of East’s specific COVID-19 protocols, such as having three 90-minute block periods everyday to limit the spread of the virus, have somewhat impacted how well his students absorb the material. “With the block periods, we don’t have the same momentum. It takes students a moment to remember the material that we covered the last time we were in class. I think that we, as a whole government team, do a good job of preparing our students, COVID-19 or not, for what’s going to be on the test,” Dennis said. “I don’t know if the test scores for our government kids will be that different from a normal year, but I’m more disappointed that the test is a test because I don’t think it’s a great measure of what they know.” Although Reed felt that her understanding wasn’t as strong as it could’ve been in a normal year, overall, she felt confident about her mastery of the material on the end-of-course test. “I feel like I would have been a lot less stressed if we didn’t have the test, but I feel [pretty good] about my performance,” Reed

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 15

news | state testing told Spark. “But obviously I know that a lot of other people struggle during the year and were very stressed out about the test.” In addition to the difficulties that COVID-19 has caused for high school students, the pandemic has also had a negative impact on the learning opportunities of elementary school students. Fifth grade Language Arts teacher at Woodland Elementary Jennifer Greer said that virtual learning during the fourth quarter of the 2019-2020 school year paired with the COVID-19 learning modifications of this school year has taken a toll on her students. “During remote learning in the fourth quarter of last year, kids didn’t have the opportunities to learn all that they could have if they were in the classroom during that time. They’re a little bit behind with what they need, so I’m really trying to get them to where they need to be for these tests,” Greer told Spark. “There are different variables that come into play when it comes to kids learning, and a lot of times, their focus is on what’s going on with the pandemic. It’s caused kids to worry more about things that 10 and 11 year olds shouldn’t have to worry about on top of trying to stay focused.”

oodland Elementary Principal John Wise agreed. Due to the various COVID-19 challenges that have specifically impacted elementary schools, Wise said that the spring standardized testing should be waived. “[There’s been] a COVID-19 gap because of the lack of technology and because our students are younger, so a lot of them went to daycare during the day during the period of remote learning,” Wise said. “Some of our young kids were able to sit with their parents to do the work every single day, but others weren’t. Now that we’re back in school we’re seeing a discrepancy between who had that consistent support, who had consistent [access to a computer], and who did not. Now we’re kind of working two different paths as educators in the building to make sure that our kids keep growing and moving forward.” According to Education Data, COVID-19 sent over 50 million K-12 students into athome remote learning. Of those students, about 30% lack adequate digital access, with around nine million lacking both internet and devices. Based on the experiences of ninth grade Virtual Learning Option (VLO) World History teacher at East and West Freshman schools Randy Chapman, virtual learning greatly reduces how quickly students can pick up the material. Although he is not currently teaching a class with an end-of-course assessment, Chapman thinks that spring standardized testing should be waived.

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“I’m teaching much slower than I would be able to in-person because I feel like I can’t put too much on them week to week. Whereas in-person, I can move faster because I can get a feel for the students and how well they’re understanding,” Chapman said. “I have students who have not logged on at all this whole year, so I would imagine if we did have an end-of-year test, they’re not going to do very well.”

n October 2020 Education Data poll found that 21% of parents whose children were receiving in-person instruction were very concerned about their children falling behind, compared to 32% whose children were receiving at least some online instruction. While East senior Anne Matthew recognizes the negative impacts of VLO on her learning; she said that VLO has also been somewhat positive. “[VLO] has definitely helped my time management skills because I’m able to create a schedule that works for me,” Matthew said. “I have the freedom to balance my time between all these classes and choose how long I spend on

the work for each one.” Last year, the state was forced to adopt modifications in order for seniors to meet graduation requirements. For students who don’t pass the tests this year, DeMaria predicts that Ohio will adopt similar measures. “[We can] still administer assessments and then deal with graduation issues separately, which is exactly kind of what happened last year,” DeMaria said. “A student might not do as well but that doesn’t necessarily create a consequence for the student; it creates better data for us to understand what’s happening. Last year we just used the grade that a student got in the class, rather than their score on the assessment.” Despite the positive information that may be gained from the testing, Chapman said that keeping it in place would be unnecessary. “We’ve already missed so much school that taking out more time to have these tests [would only] add extra stress,” Chapman told Spark. “It’s been a stressful year already, so we should just forego this year and reevaluate maybe doing it next year.” •

lakota diversity planning | news

East principal Dr. Yejide Mack and members of LODI have a meeting over their future plans.

DIVERSE PLANS CONTINUE East celebrated Black History Month and will continue to celebrate cultures throughout the year. story megan miranda | photography rachel anderson

t East the February decor went beyond the typical pink and red heart shaped signs. Instead, the focus was on Black History Month. Hallways were lined with decorated doors, the T.V.s rotated powerpoint slides of influential African Americans, and on Fridays music rang through the speakers as students raced to guess the song trivia by black artists. East principal Dr. Yejide Mack believes the most important aspect of participating in the celebration of Black History Month is having a focus on diversity. “It’s important to focus on diversity. It’s important to focus on inclusion,” Dr. Mack said. “I think it’s important to highlight the differences that we have because that’s what all brings us together as a Lakota East.” Mack worked with students and teachers around the building to implement fun activities and opportunities for learning. “[We had] that visual display on Main Street that highlighted some notable African Americans and a little bit about their history and contribution to our society,” Dr. Mack said. “We tried to get the community at East involved with the door decorating contest, so we can showcase some notable African Americans on our doors. We’re also using our Friday music trivia to highlight some African American composers, singers, and artists.” Senior Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Lakota Elgin Card, enjoys focusing on Black History Month as a chance to celebrate and reflect on influential African Americans. “I think [Black History Month] is just

to celebrate,” Card told Spark. “I think it’s so important for people to understand the contributions that black Americans [have] made in our country.” In other areas of Lakota, Card has seen teachers and students get involved in new ways. He views these learning opportunities as encouraging strides because personally, while growing up, he didn’t learn much about black history in school. “I know there are a lot of Cherokee teachers [using] Nearpod and different [platforms] learning about famous black Americans. The key is we are having that conversation about these people, and the kids are having to do some research, and when I was in school, we never did any of that,” Card said. “I was 30 some years and I learned a few things I didn’t know [while] I was teaching. So it’s just so important that these conversations are being had and that people are listening in and understanding the importance of it.”

ersonally, Card uses his social media platforms to provide little reminders and an area where people can learn about different people in history. “I try to post some things that are not the people we normally learn about,” Card said. “So a [post for] Benjamin Banneker, Dr. Charles Drew, or Fannie Mae, just different people and all the great things they’ve done in different fields. We know a lot about entertainers and sports and things of that nature, but there’s a lot of great scientists, doctors, inventors, and civil rights leaders.”

Since leaving his role as Lakota West Principal in 2020, Card has been delving into ways Lakota can become more diverse educationally during Black History Month, but also all year round. “My ultimate goal is to make sure that some of these [influential moments in black history] are just built into our curriculum,” Card told Spark. “I love Black History Month, but I want to learn about all the contributions of black people and people of color and other people all the time.” One of the groups who worked with Dr. Mack in planning for Feb. and continuing to do so for upcoming months is a group of students started by Card: Lakota Outreach Diversity and Inclusion (LODI). After forming, LODI has worked around the building to plan events and areas for students to learn about black history in February and women’s history in Mar. “We’re planning to spread information about black history in the month of Feb. even though it was more adult-led this month,” East junior Aya Darwiche, a member of Card’s student diversity and inclusion group, said. “But for Mar. we want activities to be more student- led..” Mack has recently sought out new ways for students to have fun and participate in showing school spirit. During what Dr. Mack has deemed “Fri-Yays”, different clubs and sport teams at East sing the fight song through the intercom as other classrooms during Hawk Time are encouraged to clap and sing along. Afterwards, classes have the opportunity to win donuts for their Hawk Time during music trivia. “[Dr. Mack] wanted more student leaders and student led activities so she just brought students together and told us what she wanted us to plan to do around the building,” Darwiche told Spark. “In the long run I think these things will start to have an impact at East.” However, Feb. isn’t the only month where the celebration of cultures and groups of people will take place. Dr. Mack hopes to continue to educate and engage students as the school year continues. “We want to celebrate black history but we also want to celebrate all history,” Dr. Mack told Spark. “We hope to have different opportunities to highlight some other cultures that are part of our community throughout this year, and then we’ll keep that going through next year. We have a choice here, and our choice is to be inclusive. And that’s what we’re going to do.” Dr. Mack’s motivation behind incorporating more celebration of different people and cultures stems from having a diverse community at East and understanding everyone. “If you sit in just one class of 30 you have all different types of people in that classroom, and it’s important to understand somebody else’s perspective and background,” Dr. Mack said. “It’s important for us to have an understanding of who we’re sitting next to because it’s our differences that make us stronger. It’s not our similarities.”•

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news | vlo to in-person

SWITCHING PLACES

At the start of the second semester, Lakota students had the option to go back to school in-person or remotely. • story and photography audrey allen

tudents wake up early in the morning on Aug. 17 or 18 for their first day of school. It is a memorable day for them, the universal feeling of growing up and starting a new grade level. Students enter the building and see all of their friends that they didn’t see since the previous year. It is a fresh start for everyone. They play get to know you games and learn what the class is going to be like throughout the year. But for students that chose the Virtual Learning Option (VLO), switching into school for second semester it is a different situation. East had 50 new visitors on Jan. 12 or 13 for their first day of school. These students completed their first semester online through the VLO program and switched to in-person learning during second semester. East sophomore Samira Guseinova felt nervous before she walked into East’s Main Campus for the first time. “I was scared because I didn’t know anything since I had trouble teaching myself online,”

(Below) East sophomore and VLO student Megan Haitsch works on her English as her dog Parker looks on.

Guseinova said. “I didn’t know who my teachers were because some of them switched since I switched to in-person.” Due to the flexibility that comes with remote learning, the schedules of VLO students are very different than those of in-person students. East sophomore Amisha Kejriwal was not looking forward to the 90-minute classes when she transferred to in-person learning. Although she had to wake up early due to the amount of work, as a VLO student she was able to take her time throughout the day to get it done. “I expected the first day to be really bad, but the only thing that was bad was how long the classes were. I can’t sit in one place for too long,” Kejriwal said. “As a VLO student I could just get up whenever I wanted to, and I didn’t have to work for a certain amount of time. But it is kind of difficult to sit in a class for 90 minutes everyday.” For VLO students to make the switch to inperson learning East principal Dr. Yejide Mack had to ensure that communication was “spot on.” She had to communicate with parents, students, counselors, administrators, and the district office of technology to ensure a seamless transition and to make it feel like a normal start to the school year. “Students indicated they wanted to switch by filling out a Google Form, and we started the process to make that happen. For us, the key is just staying in

communication with each other. There was a day for students to walk around the building and find their classes when there were no other kids in the building [as a replacement for a typical open house],” Dr. Mack said. “Our job is to support [students], so [students] tell us what they want and we’ll make that happen for them. That’s our job. So, is our job difficult? No. Is it labor intensive? Yes.”

ccording to the Nationally Representative survey from Common Sense Media, 60% of teens said that online learning is worse than in-person learning, and nearly 20% said it’s “much worse.” East sophomore Zeena Bayyari is one of those students. Bayyari switched to in-person learning because she felt that virtual learning wasn’t allowing her to fully comprehend the information. “In-person you actually have a teacher guiding you throughout the entire curriculum. For VLO, we had a teacher, but it wasn’t like we were getting one-on-one teaching lessons. I had to do a lot of self-teaching,” Bayyari said. “I had to read lessons and try to comprehend it on my own. I am really bad when it comes to [self-teaching]. I have to have someone actually teaching me, so that’s why I switched.” Dr. Mack noticed that many students’ decision to switch was driven by differences in learning preferences and styles. “I can speak from a personal experience; I am a face-to-face learner. I figured that out in college when my only class that I got a B in grad school was an online course. It wasn’t difficult, it just wasn’t how I learned,” Mack said. “Our job is to

vlo to in-person | news help students bring that passion out of them and figure out what they need, and then we support them if they need to switch to VLO or in-person.” According to Education Week, 61% of students said they are concerned about falling behind academically because of the pandemic and learning online. Of those surveyed, 56% said they are very or somewhat worried they will lose connections with their friends. This was the case for East senior and former VLO student Harnoor Guhman. “I did miss talking to my friends, and [I missed] the in-school environment. I missed being able to talk to teachers in the moment instead of waiting for a reply if I didn’t understand something. But it was nice to have a flexible schedule,” Guhman said. “I could do what I wanted during the day and still get my work done, but I am a huge procrastinator so I would put schoolwork off. I wasn’t doing the best online because I just wasn’t understanding the material. Plus, I just wanted a little experience of my senior year, so I made the switch.” Bayyari felt like she was at a huge academic setback compared to the rest of her classmates. She felt like she learned the same material as inperson students, but felt that it was not on the same level of information or understanding. Bayyari said it felt like students in-person had the curriculum more engraved in their brain. They could remember the concept longer since they took their time with the lesson because they had 90 minutes in the classroom and could ask the teacher if they had any questions then and there. As a VLO student, she would read a lesson on her own, comprehend it, take a short little quiz, and do an assignment, but then move on to the next lesson at a more rapid pace compared to in-person students. “I wish some of my teachers were more understanding of how much of a setback I was at. It kind of felt like going from 0 to 100, or at least like 20 to 100,” Bayyari said. “The class went full speed after the first day of school. For me, I had no idea how to be motivated and productive. I was freaking out because I felt like I didn’t have enough time to do assignments that were due the next day when I would normally have a week to get an assignment done.” According to an annual survey by Wiley Education Services, 78% of online students who have learned in a face-to-face setting feel their online experience was the same or better than their classroom experience. For East sophomore Megan Haitsch, who switched from in-person to online learning for the second

“I did miss talking to my friends, and [I missed] the in-school environment. I missed being able to talk to teachers in the moment instead of waiting for a reply if I didn’t understand something. But it was nice to have a flexible schedule,” - East senior Harnoor Guhman semester, VLO allowed her to have a less stressful learning experience. She doesn’t have to get up at a certain time and has more time to hang out with her friends. “I didn’t like the long classes. I think it’s because I can’t stay focused for that long, especially in one class. And I feel like the teachers were overusing the time they had. They gave a lot more work than they should have,” Haitsch said. “I got quarantined so many times that I had to do most of the first semester online anyway, so I felt like it was a good idea to switch to VLO, and it wasn’t much of an adjustment. ”

aitsch mentioned that most of the work is due at the end of the week, but teachers will give place markers to keep students on track with the work, such as a schedule with the number of assignments they should get done each day. However, if the students don’t get something done that day it’s fine. “We use Apex for online learning, and I can see the schedule of work for the week that my teachers have created. I’m able to get my assignments done very quickly and then I have the rest of the week to do whatever I want,” Haitsch said. “My language arts teacher that I had when I was in-person gave me some tips and tricks for online learning and if I had any questions to email him. One of the tips was about how to manage all my work and it has been very helpful.” English and speech teacher David Honhart has taught both VLO students and inperson students this school year. He teaches sophomore English and speech class in-person as well as junior English on VLO. He has had three

students from VLO switch into his CP English 10 classes and seven go from in-person to online. For VLO, he has eight new students and six students switched to in-person. “I tried to at least make sure students coming in from VLO got a little bit of an introduction. But the fact we started remote for the first couple of days of second semester made it a little bit easier because they at least bonded over a zoom call,” Honhart said. “I want to make an effort to make them feel part of the community. Listening to in-person students, there was a lot of thinking that the grass is greener on the other side where VLO students thought that in-person students had it easier and vice versa.” East Spanish teacher Maria Maine had trouble connecting and building relationships with her VLO students through Zoom calls when they had their camera off and did not show their faces. She

(Right) East sophomore Amisha Kejriwal works on her Chromebook during Hawk Time in-person.

18 lakotaeastsparkonline.com April 2021

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 19

news | vlo to in-person

incubator product pitches | news

teaches Spanish I and II for in-person students and Spanish II and III for VLO students. “I have been lucky to have some VLO kids that I had last year for in-person learning. So I know who they are, but it’s very difficult to get to know [my new VLO students], especially when they’re just a name popping up on my zoom call,” Maine said. “I ask and invite them to show their faces but there’s a huge piece missing from that connection. That’s not why I got into teaching. I got into teaching to connect with students and to have those relationships with them.”

onhart said that it has been an eye-opening experience for some students who went VLO in terms of how much is expected of them. Students will receive four to five hours of work a week per class. That’s if they’re focused, if they are multitasking on their phone, that becomes eight to 10 hours really quickly. “As a school, I think we placed more attention on really trying to acclimate students coming back into the classroom rather than those going the other way. It would be a really good idea if there was a mandatory meeting maybe a week before the end of the semester, that those going from in-person to VLO would have to attend with some VLO teachers,” Honhart said. “The teachers would talk to the students and help them understand what is expected of them. They could give students some tips for going online.” East Assistant Principal Matthew MacFarlane talked about holding a transition meeting next year for the students that want to switch to VLO to let them know what they are getting into. “I think a lot of students thought that VLO was going to be the same things we experienced last year for the fourth quarter, which was 30 minutes of work per class each week. The counselors did a good job of trying to explain to the students that it is a big change,” MacFarlane said. “It’s not like you are just continuing in your classes and starting from where you left off in the classroom. It’s a whole different curriculum, learning platform, and new teachers. It’s almost like transferring schools.” For his students who switched to VLO, Honhart recommended that they go in with their eyes open and have an organized plan to get their assignments done, otherwise the weekly work will feel like a never-ending process. “I think the district did a really good job of prefacing that this is a student-directed learning experience. Teachers are going to be there to grade and answer some questions, but you’re really going to be accountable for your

education,” Honhart said. “The goal is that we’re actually providing real valuable education learning experiences to the best of our abilities in a brand new form.” Honhart mentioned that most teachers that teach VLO classes didn’t have a choice, but the “reality is that teachers are professionals” and they’re going to try to help as much as they can throughout the day for their in-person students and VLO students. MacFarlane said that it was a team decision to pick who would be the best teacher to teach VLO students based on the content that they taught in class. “So it’s kind of a process of elimination,” MacFarlane said. “If it came down to a couple of teachers, we would try to ask the department chairs to figure out which teacher would be the best for VLO.” Honhart has five in-person classes to teach and prepare for, but he only has one VLO class planning period along with Maine and the other teachers that teach VLO and in-person. “Students who had chosen VLO were probably surprised and frustrated to discover teachers weren’t available 24/7 anymore compared to last spring,” Honhart said. “I think that VLO students and teachers would probably be better served if there were teachers that only teach VLO and vice versa.”

been able to pull it off, but with the schedule this year, the “amount of work on the teacher’s plates is insane.” Maine said that there is a lot of time that goes into VLO with uploading files and creating activities that are engaging. She likes to reflect her personality through a module or assignment that she gives her VLO students because they don’t get to experience it in-person, but it takes more time and work. She has to be strategic with how she words assignments to make it clear to the students what is being asked. “It’s almost like I am doing two jobs because I have to plan work for VLO students and I’ve got to plan for in-person students,” Maine said. “There are times where I have students in front of me in class asking questions and VLO students emailing me questions, so I have to juggle the two. I do a lot of note-taking so that I know exactly where I left off, what I am doing, and who I need to attend to.” No problems occurred with student’s schedules or teacher’s attendance lists once the second semester was in full swing for both VLO and in-person students. The main issue was deciding if students had made the right decision. Maine suggested that if students have an opportunity to choose VLO or in-person, they should pick in-person. She says that there’s a lot of personal growth that comes with having to be somewhere every day, showing up, and keeping each other accountable. “Everybody has their own reasons why they choose to be VLO or in-person. I completely understand that and I know that the district is trying to appease and adhere to everybody’s needs, but I just think if you can be in-person there’s a lot that you can get from the relationship that you establish with your teacher and your peers,” Maine said. “Having interactions on a daily basis says a lot and gives you a lot of personal growth.” Bayyari had trouble deciding what to do with her second semester but once she made her choice to go back to in-person learning she felt like she made the right choice. “I had to make the decision of going back to school or staying home, and it was difficult. It took me three days to figure out if I was going to give up a more effective learning experience by going VLO or risk potential exposure to the COVID-19 virus by going to school inperson,” Bayyari said. “Ever since I switched, I think I have made the right decision of going back to school in-person. I have been able to learn better and more efficiently, and I haven’t had any experiences with being quarantined or testing positive.” •

“I think the district did a really good job of prefacing that this is a student-directed learning experience. Teachers are going to be there to grade and answer some questions, but you’re really going to be accountable for your education,” -East English teacher David Honhart

20 lakotaeastsparkonline.com April 2021

acFarlane said that they found as a school district that teachers that are full-time VLO are better off for VLO students than teachers that do both VLO and inperson. The plan next year for VLO is to have full-time VLO teachers helping the students according to MacFarlane. “Teachers that are full-time VLO are able to meet with students and reach out to students throughout the school day, which is what we’re finding is what VLO students need more of,” MacFarlane said. “Our in-person teachers that teach VLO have a bell off, but if a student is not available during that bell to Zoom in they might have to wait until the end of the day until the teacher can respond to them. A fulltime VLO teacher would be able to get to that email quickly.” Honhart said that students who have been in person have probably had a much better learning experience than those students who are just now coming back to in-person. He credited it to everyone’s teamwork that they’ve

Students (pictured left to right) Evan Spicer, Seth Grace, and Anthony Walsh work on their INCubator presentation for their company Lyfegaurd.

INCUBATING INGENUITY

In order to provide an update on their first semester progress, Lakota’s INCubator classes presented their minimum viable product pitches to various administrators and mentors. story marleigh winterbottom | photography megan miranda

n her second-period INCubator class presentation, East senior Becca Strack stood in front of her class alongside a Zoom meeting full of mentors and administrators and painted a picture through her descriptive scenario. “It is 2 a.m. and you are walking back to your dorm after a late night studying at the campus library. The sidewalks are dimly-lit and you can hardly see,” Strack said. “You notice someone cross the road and walk behind you, even though both sides of the sidewalk are completely empty. The person is getting closer and closer, walking right behind your heels. You clench your keys in your hand and run all the possible scenarios in your head. What should you do?” Strack has worked in her INCubator class since the beginning of the 2020-21 school year to create a business to help the ever growing issue of college campus safety. Their app, Never Walk Alone, will give students access to a GPS program where students can report dangerous incidents around the school that will then appear as red flags for others, rerouting them to the safest route and alerting them if they are near one. The app will also include a direct contact to local law enforcement and add emergency contacts for easy access. Never Walk Alone and 20 other teams of businesses from both East and West have worked tirelessly the past semester in their

INCubator classes to find a problem they feel needs solved, create a business to solve it, and find their probable consumers. Their minimum viable product (MVP) presentation’s aim was to establish a base ground of their findings and show what they have found through their research conducted thus far. East junior Anthony Walsh is a part of the company, The Lyfeguard, working to create a wrist wearable device that uses a cellular chip to communicate with the parent device. The parent device measures blood oxygen levels to alert parents or guardians of a potential drowning.

s a lifeguard himself, Walsh has seen firsthand the dangers and flaws in drowning prevention. “I know how serious the problem can be and the training only goes so far,” Walsh says. “ To have something accessible in homes and other places like [The Lyfeguard] would be a big help.” Each team has been working alongside their “mentor,” a group of adults in the community working in business that were each assigned a team to assist. They Zoom individually with their group twice a month to offer their knowledge, suggest ideas, and answer questions. “We invited district leaders and building principals, but a big part of that was also inviting [each team’s] mentor [via Zoom to the presentations],” INCubator teacher Kevin

Keen said. “We wanted to bring the mentors in to show off what we’ve been working on via their help. We also wanted the mentors to critique the presentations and to see what’s going on with other teams as well.” Walsh and his group have utilized the mentor program to their full advantage. Their mentor, David Scott, who is a Senior Commercialization Manager at TechLink, has been there along the way to answer questions and give advice from an insider’s perspective. “Our mentor has been a really big help,” Walsh said. “He understands everything we’re dealing with and has been there for us throughout the whole process.” Next, teams will begin preparing for their final pitch presentations. The INCubator curriculum will focus on testing each team’s assumptions, making changes based on their results, and considering business law. While nothing is yet set in stone, Keen plans to take the top five or six teams out of all of the 21 groups from East, West, and VLO, to make the final cut and present their final pitch live to investors. “We can’t have one night of 21 teams presenting; that’s too much for the volunteers and everyone involved to sit through,” Keen said. “I’m still figuring out how to get it so that all teams will present a final pitch and then have five or six teams, out of the 21, make it to a final in-person.” •

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 21

news | prom

A SOLELY SENIOR PROM Lakota has made the decision to hold a Prom for East and West seniors only. story megan miranda | photography marleigh winterbottom

akota has made the decision to move Savannah Center on Apr. 24. Despite intending to announce the plans forward with Prom in the midst of a COVID-19 canceling year. East’s Prom will for Prom later, following an announcement from Governor Mike DeWine, the Lakota be held at the Sharonville “I Board approved the decision for a solely Convention Center am not going to seniors prom. Director of School on May 8 while and Community Relations prom partly because of West’s will Betsy Fuller was a member of the risk because I haven’t been take place the decision making team vaccinated yet, and I don’t think at the for Prom and other senior it’s necessarily worth the risk to go to activities this year and knew it prom. I think it’s cool that we are still would be a unique situation. having one, but, personally, “We met [during virtual it doesn’t interest me as meetings] several times to much based on all the discuss what the end of the year restrictions.” celebrations for the class of 2021 could look like. We had initially planned on releasing some information the week prior to spring break,” Fuller told Spark. “But when we got information that venues were allowed to have higher capacity for attendees we got in touch with locations for Prom.”

uller said most importantly they made the decision based on COVID-19 protocols and prioritizing student safety for the event. With that in mind and limited capacity they believed the smartest route in order to hold Prom was to make it exclusive to seniors, who didn’t get to have one last year. “[East Principal] Dr. Yejide Mack and [West Principal] Ben Brown spoke to the venues to find out how many attendees they could have safely following all the restrictions in place by the state of Ohio. We also discussed how we’ve been able to stay in-person, all year long, and not allow visitors into our building,” Fuller said. “Keeping every school in its own bubble, so we’re not letting anybody else in and out. With the limited number of attendees as well as the idea of keeping that bubble in place, we landed on seniors only.” East Principal Dr. Yejide Mack thought the meetings were beneficial for communicating with Fuller and Lakota Superintendent Matt Miller which ensured the end of year events

Left: East senior Chris Mages will not be attending Prom. Right: East senior Kelly Ekberg will be attending Prom.

22 lakotaeastsparkonline.com April 2021

were safe and ran smoothly. “We were on the calls to talk about what events are going to look like. We talked through our COVID-19 protocols, our numbers for this year, how to keep everybody safe, “I think and different that it is the [Prom] closest we can get v e n u e s to having some sort of and the normalcy in our senior year, c a p a c i t y so I’ll take the advantage.” for them,” Mack told Spark. “This year is a-typical b e c a u s e normally Prom would be a high school [decision], but it was very important for Mr. Miller to [have] that conversation [with us] because we want to make sure that we’re following everything b e c a u s e ultimately that’s going to fall back on him as a superintendent.” With this in place juniors will get a prom their senior year like the class of 2021. H o w e v e r,

prom | news senior year. East Junior and Prom “Most Committee member Kylie of my friends Gunning has always are juniors. My boyfriend’s looked forward to this a junior, and I don’t want to have opportunity similar to the experience without them. And I Meyers, but SHE will understand people [not] coming from be attending. other schools, but I have classes with “We didn’t get one these people every day. So I just wish last year. And I know I could have prom with them since people think Prom it’s the last chance I’ll get.” is [something] you’re

with dates and friends of seniors b e i n g juniors there has been some negative feedback i n response to the decision to exclude juniors. East senior Hannah Meyers has decided not to attend Prom for many of these reasons. “Most of my friends are juniors and I don’t want to go by myself,” Meyers said. “Last year before the pandemic, I had gone dress shopping in like December and was so excited to experience prom. Then the pandemic happened and right when they canceled prom I was devestated. And it’s kind of parallel to what happened this year. The second I found out it was seniors only I just cried.” One reason Meyers is not attending and is upset about the final decision is because she shares many classes at East with juniors. “One thing I’m upset about, is I understand if the students are coming from college or from another school,” Meyers said. “But what doesn’t make sense to me is five out of my six classes have juniors and so I’m within like, two to three feet of juniors every single day.” Nonetheless, many seniors are looking forward to what seemed an out of reach opportunity to partake in a prom their

class of 2021, and we’re thrilled that we’re able to offer a prom this year even though it’s going to look differently and we know that juniors are disappointed, as well as seniors who wanted to bring a date outside of their senior class,” Fuller said. “We absolutely understand that, but we’re very thankful that the governor has opened up some restrictions, and we’re able to provide this for our students.” •

not going to remember in “I however many years, but it’s good think it’s really high school memories,” Gunning said. important that we get “This year has been pretty bad, we didn’t this final ending of our senior get homecoming or Sadie’s and all that kind of stuff, so why would you not go year to kind of close things off. I out on a limb and have fun and have think it’s great that we’re just having some sort of a normal experience.” seniors to limit the capacity, and I Gunning along with fellow members think it’ll be a great, fun and safe of the Prom Committee have been and night.” will continue to be involved in making Prom happen. While they had no input or information on where, when, or even if Prom would take place, they attempted to prepare for it nonetheless. “We first started off picking a theme, and picking a slogan to kind of go with it and then find crowns and sashes,” Gunning said. “We do the silly stuff like plan prom court, the King and Queen, spirit days leading up to prom and then ticket sales, and designing invitations and T-shirts.”

he theme of the 2021 Senior Prom is Maskerade: the Golden Gala. After last year’s Prom was cancelled, they kept some of the decorations following the Roaring 2020s: Golden Gala, keeping a golden theme in terms of decorations. While Gunning and members of the committee don’t have much information on what the COVID-19 safety protocols will look like, they know student safety will be prioritized. “I don’t really know that much right now because it’s really back and forth of stuff that we can do and stuff we can’t,” Gunning told Spark. “There’s definitely going to be tables because we have to have room for people to sit and we can dance but we cannot be all around each other it has to be more spaced out and we have to wear masks.” Overall, Fuller intends for Prom to be one of the many in-person opportunities to celebrate our seniors and have a great end of high school experience. “Right now our focus is on celebrating the

Left: East senior Hannah Meyers will not be attending Prom. Right: East senior Brooklyn Salyers will be attending Prom. April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 23

news | puffs play

puffs play | news

(Left to right) East junior Gabe DeLaCruz, sophomore Donovan Sweeten, sophomore Isabella Hartman, and senior Becca Strack perform in the first act of Puffs.

PUFF-FORMING LIVE

The East Theater performed Puffs, a play that tells the story of Harry Potter through the Hufflepuffs perspective as a part of the 2021-2022 school year’s play theme of literary ties. story rachel anderson | photography used with permission

s Harry Potter came running out on stage, the audience erupted with laughter, realizing that the red mop the actor was holding was supposed to be Ron Weasley, and they cheered as the unlikely team of Puffs helped protect the school from Voldemort. Even though a play about the world in which Harry Potter lives has the potential to be dark and ominous, the winter play, Puffs: Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic kept a comedic and playful tone throughout the 130-minute play. Choosing a cheerful and humorous play was not an accident. With the ongoing pandemic affecting almost every aspect of students’ lives, East Freshman Theatre, Acting I-III, and Theater Arts teacher Kristen Hoch decided that they would perform lighthearted plays this year. Every year, the theater rotates genres of plays that they will put on, ranging from comedy and mystery to classics and Shakespeare. The plays chosen for the 2020-2021 school year all had literary ties. “There are many factors that go into choosing a show, but as an educational program, we try

24 lakotaeastsparkonline.com April 2021

to rotate genres, loosely over a four year period. We want anyone who has been involved with the program to perform [multiple genres].” Hoch said. “We know that life in the pandemic has been hard, so we chose to keep everything pretty light this year… The fall show was based on the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, this show is based on the Harry Potter series, and the spring musical is based on Jane Austen’s Emma.” The fall play, The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon, featured a collection of wellknown fairy tales, and Emma is a “jukebox musical,” according to Hoch, meaning that the musical includes songs written by a variety of pop singers and songwriters. Some of the songs in the musical are “Chapel of Love,” “Turn The Beat Around,” “Brave,” and “Unwritten.” East senior Hannah Fuller watched both the Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon and Puffs and was glad that the plays have taken a more joyous tone than some in the past. She is also looking forward to seeing Emma. “There has been a lot of stress in everyone’s lives for the past year,” Fuller said. “By making

the plays lighthearted, people are able to escape everything that is going on in the outside world for two hours and enjoy a high school theater’s production.” The winter play Puffs, written by Matt Cox, follows the lives of three young wizards through their journey at Hogwarts, the school of witchcraft and wizardry that is prevalent in the Harry Potter series. The play is set during the seven years that Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger attend the school, but it is told from the Hufflepuffs, or Puffs, perspective. East Theater had four showings of the play: Mar. 5, 6, 12, and 13. “Puffs is a lot more fast paced than a lot of other shows,” East senior Becca Strack said, who played Sally Perks and the older Megan Jones. “I think a lot of people are excited to [see the play] because it’s based on Harry Potter, and a lot of people have that background.” The plot of the play includes many key events that take place during the Harry Potter books and movies, such as the night the troll enters Hogwarts, the year the students get petrified, the Triwizard Tournament, and the final battle where Harry Potter defeats Voldemort. It also included more subtle details for the fans of Harry Potter, including the sorting hat, the mirror that reflects one’s deepest desires, and references to popular characters, such as Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and Draco Malfoy. However, East junior Gabe DeLaCruz, who played the lead role in the first act, Wayne Hopkins, believes that the audience can still enjoy the play without understanding the references. “I have never actually seen any Harry Potter films, nor have I read the book. And the irony of that has been pointed out a lot over the months.” DeLaCruz said. “It definitely made the initial script read very interesting. [Puffs] lets you know the basics of the series from a comedic perspective.” Hoch first heard about Puffs in 2017 and immediately put it on the list of plays to consider for East. She saw Puffs at the Know Theatre in Cincinnati during their 2019-2020 season and knew that East had to use the script. Although, during the second act, Hoch was unsure of how they were going to use it. The play spans a length of seven years, so the tone of the script evolves as the students mature. The witches and wizards at the beginning of the play are 11, but by the end they are 18. In the second act, the start of the fifth year, there were some scenes with foul language, drinking, and mood swings in the version of the play that Hoch viewed. “In the original version, there was some cursing, as the students hit the beginning of high school, reflecting real life. On stage, however, cursing is often superfluous,” Hoch said. “Luckily, Matt Cox, the author, seemed sensitive to this, as well as desiring flexibility in

other areas, like competition rules, for instance, and was willing for his work to be published in four different versions.” Cox wrote a Young-Wizards Edition of the play that is more school appropriate, allowing Puffs to be put back on Hoch’s to-do list. The script is available in a one or two act version of the original play, as well as a one or two act version of the Young-Wizards Edition. While East is not legally allowed to alter the script, Cox made notations on the script “with suggestions regarding what we could add there and permission to improvise,” according to Hoch. These improvised scenes were DeLaCruz’s favorite moments from the play. “My favorite moments as Wayne Hopkins were the ones that weren’t in the script. Especially since we’re all in high school, issues will arise during performances. Late entrances, prop malfunctions, costume mishaps. But you can’t stop and fix them, you have to roll with them,” DeLaCruz said. “Anything that we did on the spot was always my favorite part of being Wayne Hopkins.” DeLaCruz first read the script in late 2019 during his Acting I class. Hoch let the students read the script as a test to see if they wanted to perform it, and DeLaCruz read for Hopkins. “As we read the script, I had no idea what to expect from a Harry Potter play, but I sure didn’t expect it to be so funny. Wayne as a character really had everything I wanted in a role,” DeLaCruz told Spark. “He’s awkward but funny, he’s pathetic yet heroic, he’s Harry Potter, but you know, worse. So when I was told we were doing puffs as a show, I auditioned with no one but Wayne Hopkins in mind.” The audition and rehearsal process looked different than in past years, although they were held in-person, unlike the fall play. According to Hoch, the auditions started in Nov. of 2020 and were held in small groups. The students were in-person with masks, but a virtual video option was available to students who were quarantined at the time of auditions. The students also rehearsed in small groups while trying to maintain social distancing, and the only time the actors removed their masks was when they were on stage performing to the audience. East senior Paige Whalen, who played Harry Potter and the older Susie Bones said that working in small groups did not prove to be very difficult. “We would do Zoom calls as a big group,” Whalen said. “[The small groups were] also nice to be able to work on smaller scenes since not as many people would be left out.” DeLaCruz preferred the in-person rehearsals rather than the Zoom calls. “Virtual play rehearsal works, but so does virtual learning. It works, but my god is it not ideal,” DeLaCruz said. “In person rehearsals are far more efficient.” To keep the groups small, the two acts featured two different ensembles. This allowed

for more participation and distinguished the difference between a younger and older version of the characters. “Since the play takes place over a seven year period, it made sense to use that to split up the involved students into smaller groups,” Hoch said. “Additionally, this decision provided a natural understudy for each role, in case of quarantine or illness.” The two ensembles were kept separate during the majority of the rehearsals, but DeLaCruz who played the younger Hopkins said that the actor who played the older version embodied Hopkins “perfectly.” On the other hand, Strack, who plays the older version of Megan Jones in the second act, said that she worked with Marley Glass who played the younger Megan Jones during the last few weeks of rehearsals. “We got to shape our characters together, especially as we were putting together the show,” Strack said. “We worked a lot together to make sure [the two versions of the character] blended well.”

long with the option to audition virtually, there was also an option for the audience to watch Puffs from home starting on Mar. 12. “The particular show is handled through Broadway on Demand. Lifeboat Digital Media came and recorded the show for streaming the first Saturday,” Hoch said. “Then, they prepared it to the specifications of Broadway on Demand, and we posted it. It is available ondemand for those who bought virtual tickets, with a code, for four days.” Fuller watched Puffs the live performance at East so she could feel the audience’s reaction and see her younger sister perform on stage inperson. She also watched the play virtually with a family member who was not able to attend the live play. “I really liked how I was able to feel the excitement from the other members of the audience when something happened on stage that was funny or that someone could relate to. I also liked how I was able to see the facial expressions of the actors who were not speaking [whereas] virtually you were only able to see the people that the camera was pointing at.” Fuller said. “I did like how in the virtual performance you could pause or go back and watch a part over again if you missed it.” Although Fuller has not read the books, she has seen the Harry Potter movies and enjoyed the references, both subtle and obvious, that the cast made. “I thought [the references] were funny. I liked the way that they made Harry a background character,” Fuller said. “I really liked how there were different comedic parts throughout so even if you did not know a lot about Harry Potter, you were still able to enjoy it.” •

(Above) East sophomore Donovan Sweeten holds the mop that represents Ron Weasley.

(Above, left to right) East senior Becca Strack, sophomore Austin Boccher, sophomore Madelyn Gardner, senior Molly Moreland, and junior Nate Kodish rehearse.

(Above, left to right) East sophomore Marley Glass, junior Gabe DeLaCruz, senior Paige Whalen, and sophomore Donovan Sweeten perform on stage. April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 25

feature | log off movement

LOGGING OFF

West senior Sarah Abudakar is a member of the Log Off Movement, a teen-led global organization fighting to spread social media awareness. story, photography, and infographics marleigh winterbottom | art rachel anderson

West senior Sarah Abudakar takes a stand with the Log Off Movement logo. (Right) Abudakar sits surrounded by social media, stressed by its impact.

26 lakotaeastsparkonline.com April 2021

ing ding! There are 20 new likes and five new comments on your recent Instagram post. In 2018, Harvard Researcher Trevor Haynes found that positive social media notifications can cause a release of dopamine, similar to that of cocaine, causing countless users to develop addictions to checking every buzz made by their phone. After learning statistics like this in research for her ninth grade passion project on happiness, now West senior, Sarah Abudakar dove into a newfound devotion to spreading awareness of social media’s effects on teenagers like herself. “Before realizing the extent of social media’s impact, I found myself getting caught up in everyone else’s lives,” Abudakar says. “I was not aware of what was going on in my own life and put a lot of thought into my appearance, comparing myself to others I saw on social media.” Abudakar’s counselor, Effie Jata, has known Abudakar since her sophomore year and started to notice her interest in social media awareness junior year. “[Junior year] is the most homework you’re gonna have, it’s a higher pace of classes, everyone’s taking the ACT, and starting to get nervous about college,” Jata says. “I think all the pressures for a lot of students add up and Sarah took that and realized that social media was something that didn’t help her feel better and noticed some big changes when she started to limit it.”

After watching the Netflix Documentary “Social Dilemma,” Abudakar checked her inbox to find a subscription email about the Log Off Movement, an organization started by Alabama high school senior and CEO Emma Lembke to encourage discussion among youth about the effects of social media and spread digital consciousness. The Log Off leadership team consists of young adults aged 13 through 28. “I wanted [the Log Off Movement] to be teen led because that was the one piece of the community that was so vacant in my research,” Lembke told Spark. “Seeing that, I was shocked. How were people trying to fight for teen voices without asking the teens what they think? So, we are teen led because we want to integrate that voice that has been so lost for a really long time.” Butler County Suicide Prevention Coalition Chair, Kristen Smith, finds the involvement of youth in discussions about social media’s influence on mental health essential to get the full perspective of its impact. “I can’t say enough about how important [youth involvement] is,” Smith told Spark. “It doesn’t make sense to have a discussion about mental health and youth without youth voices in the room. We need that young perspective because they have a completely different experience than people older than them.” The teen leadership Abudakar saw from the Log Off Movement was something she found extremely impressive. “For teenagers to be able to build such a complex website over such a complex idea is really cool,” Abudakar says. “It’s crazy to see how much we can actually do.” The Log Off Movement launched in July 2020 after Lembke’s extensive research and the website was complete. Before the movement officially began, Lembke spread word through Reddit, a social media discussion website, asking if people were interested in joining. She later got involved in speaking at webinars, but she did not expect the outpour of support so quickly. “It’s been insanely wonderful to see the outpour of support that [Log Off has] gained

log off movement | feature in just under eight months,” Lembke says. “I’m from Alabama and I was like, ‘Oh if I get to another southern state, that would be amazing!’ and then the third application we got was from the Philippines. Now, when I counted last, we’ve been viewed in over 100 countries, so it’s been the most humbling and intriguing experience for me.” At the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, Abudakar decided to apply to be on Log Off’s Leadership Council, alongside 28 other teens ranging from 14 different countries, as a Regional Director and Character Ed Task Force member. “Sarah’s interview was one of my favorite experiences of Log Off because of her instant bubbliness, excitement, and desire to help,” Lembke says. “From the second that I started talking with her, it became increasingly clear that not only did she want to help have this conversation, but she was dedicated to sparking communal change.” As a part of the Log Off Movement’s Character Ed Task Force, Abudakar works with 13 other teens to develop a curriculum for students aged elementary level to high school that will hopefully launch summer 2021. For elementary students, they are working on creating an activity based introduction to social media and cyberbullying along with recognizing addictions and mental health. The middle school curriculum will focus more on the cyberbullying aspect since kids are starting to experience and use social media platforms with talks of mental health built in. Finally, high school students will go into depth on the mental health impact relating to increased suicide rates due to social media. “Sarah jumped in right at the beginning and has been a foundational member to Character Ed’s development,” Lembke says. “She has played a huge role in researching, discussing, brainstorming, and working to take this idea and turn it into a tangible reality.”

budakar also sees importance in starting social media awareness at a younger age due to its increasing popularity. “The first step we would want to take is to provide [the Log Off curriculum] to the middle schools because I feel like they are the next kids coming up,” Abudakar says. “I feel like they have been brought up with technology even more than us high schoolers and if we start with younger grades and then move up to high school, that’ll really help in general with being aware of social media.” The biggest push for the Log Off Movement curriculum is that it is made by teens, for teens. “We want to compile resources for youth groups, schools, or any group that wants to teach kids about digital safety and help them teach it in a productive way,” Lembke says. “I know if I were younger and some teachers showed me a program from the Log Off Movement, I would

feel much more comfortable knowing that a bunch of teens developed something to push this dialogue to get off your phone.” Both Abudakar and Lembke note that one of the most intriguing parts of working with Log Off and Character Ed are the diverse conversations. “I tell applicants when they come in, you’re going to meet a diverse set of people and you’re going to be able to explore cultures and ask questions,” Lembke says. “I always emphasize to take advantage of that because this is a very unique space where all of the teams are very inviting and you can have those conversations in a productive way.” Abudakar takes these conversations as an opportunity to learn from others and adjust the Character Ed curriculum to fit the needs and cultures of other countries. She has found that social media is not as prevalent and popular in other parts of the world as it is in the United States. “We have one girl on the Character Ed Task Force who lives in India and she was saying that even ninth graders don’t really have social 3:20 media. That was crazy to hear when we have sixth graders that are on Tik Tok 24/7.” One of the biggest things across the In an East survey of 85 students, Spark found that board that the Log Off 41% of East students average 4-6 hours a day Movement recognizes on their phones. Three of the most popular apps in their awareness include Instagram, Snapchat, Tik Tok, and Twitter. and curriculum is that social media isn’t going to simply disappear. Instead, they want teens to discuss and of East students of East students understand its impact spend the most spend the most time on other time on Tik Tok. as well as have the platforms. ability to recognize an unhealthy relationship and have strategies to take a step back. of East students “[Social media] spend the most time on Instagram. does impact our relationships and our connection with people,” Abudakar says. “Obviously we of East students spend the most know that there’s no time on Snapchat. way to completely cancel out social source media or completely spark student survey delete all your apps forever because our generation has grown up through social media and that’s how we connect with people, but you just need to be aware of how much time you

app store 38%

38% 22%

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 27

feature | log off movement

mr. dennis | feature

“Sarah’s interview was one of my favorite experiences of Log Off because of her instant bubbliness, excitement, and desire to help. From the second that I started talking with her it became increasingly clear that she was dedicated to sparking communal change.”-CEO of the Log Off Movement Emma Lembke are spending on it and if it’s an unhealthy relationship.” Through working with the Log Off Movement, many members have taken what they have learned and incorporated new tactics to cut back on screen time into their own lives. “One of the biggest things that I like to do [to take a step back] is journal to write down my goals for the day and have a plan,” Abudakar says. “For apps, one of my biggest things is just resetting for a week. Then, I can come back knowing when an attachment issue would start and recognize when I need to step back from my usage.” Lembke, however, takes a slightly different approach. She uses an app that tracks her screen time, giving her notifications that put how long she has been on her phone in perspective. “The app, Moment, is my best friend,” Lembke says. “It gives me notifications every 30 minutes I’m on social media saying, ‘do you really want to be on your phone right now?’. You can also have competitions with your friends to see how long you can get off and it tracks your screen time.” While Abudakar’s main focus is the Character Ed Task Force, she is also involved in many other initiatives. One, including her role as a Regional Representative in which she is involved in conversations within her community. She and another Log Off representative from West, Alassane Sow, have

12.2%

of victims of cyberbullying viewed websites related to suicide versus

3.7%

of those not victims of cyberbullying.

source butler county suicide prevention coalition

been involved with the Butler County Suicide Prevention Coalition where they discusses ways to help others in the community handle social media’s influence on mental health. “Sarah was someone that I read a news article about and I reached out to her because I wanted to learn more about [the Log Off Movement],” Smith says. “She was very interested and came to one of our meetings. I asked her to be a speaker, but she was out of town, so Alassane ended up being our spotlight speaker.” As a spotlight speaker, Sow talked to the

group of community meeting attendees about what the Log Off Movement is and the effects of cyberbullying on mental health and suicide rates. “We’ve never had so many questions directed at a spotlight speaker before. People really had a huge interest in the issue and had a lot of questions for him,” Smith says. “I think that partnership [with youth] is where it’s at. This specific movement comes much better from a youth founded organization giving the message to other youth rather than a general coalition.” The sense of passion and readiness to engage in conversations is a characteristic Lembke notes as a leading factor in Abubakar’s success and influence. “She’s incredibly perceptive, but yet one of the reasons I loved having that interview with her is because she has this ability to kind of calm the people. She’s always smiling,” Lembke says. “She’s always ready to engage and it’s very clear when she cares about something. That sense of excitement to advocate has been very contagious and I’ve seen a lot of people take that spark and run with it.” Jata agrees, “[Sarah] certainly knows how to reach for the stars and find her own answers,” Jata says. “I’m excited to see what she does and where she goes. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Log Off in the school curriculum soon.”•

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JUSTIN DENNIS VS. THE PANDEMIC East government and psychology teacher Justin Dennis manages his students’ grades and mental health, during the COVID-19 pandemic • story isha malhi | photography audrey allen

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hen the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the world, amongst all the panic and confusion, a major question stood out. What would happen to students and how would they continue school? While districts scrambled to figure out how they could adjust the curriculum, students celebrated with getting an additional two weeks off of school. What no one realized was that the extra two weeks at home would

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Justin Dennis stands in the East gymnasium with his students as they play with a therapy dog.

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Justin Dennis is among so many who had to do just that. With a way of teaching that is very hands on and group oriented, it was difficult to find substitutes and replacements. Students were no longer allowed to move around to be closer to their friends and partners. Sharing supplies became difficult as everything constantly needed to be clean. “It’s a majority of what I like to do,” Dennis says. “I think there’s a lot of value in being able to interact with others around you.” After a very abnormal end to the 20192020 school year, Lakota made the decision to bring back some of the normalcy that so many students missed. In-person schooling began again but with a twist. School days were cut down to three 90-minute bells a day with classes alternate each day. All the changes brought a lot of stress to both the staff and students but there was one thing that no one was prepared for: quarantine.

turn into the rest of the school year at home. Instead of spending eight hours at school sitting at a desk, students began to spend eight hours a day behind a computer screen. Teachers who had spent years building a comfortable teaching style that they enjoyed had to throw everything out the window as they began to hit post over and over again for assignments on Canvas. East Government and Psychology teacher

s the year continued on into the winter, classes became smaller in numbers as more students were pulled out of school to spend two weeks at home by themselves, quarantined due to exposure. Though it was explained that being in quarantine was for the better good, many became frustrated. Dennis explained that having so few students in class at a time greatly affected the environment in his classroom. “There are some students in your class that are leaders and trying to initiate some of the interactions and missing those kids has been a bit tougher and it doesn’t really feel the same,” Dennis says. Dennis has been known as the type of teacher to build good connections with his students. As a psychology teacher and as one of the leading teachers of Hope Squad he understands the importance of mental health among students. “He really understands the type of stress we’re under,” Lexi Warm, one of Dennis’s government students, says. “He’s the type of teacher you can tell cares about everyone.” In a time where so much has been affected by something that one cannot truly control, mental health has become especially important. According to a study done by Kaiser Family Foundation, 56% of young adults have been experiencing more symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorder. With so many teachers continuing to pile on more work and stress, it isn’t unlikely that the statistic listed above will continue to grow. However, Mr. Dennis is remaining hopeful. Even though this school year is unlike any other, he’s happy that this one is the start of things slowly becoming normal. Many are among their friends again and teachers are being able to teach in their classrooms. It’s a new adjustment but everyone is willing to give it a shot. As Mr. Dennis would say, “What keeps us together keeps us together.” •

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 29

feature | heifer international

NOT A CUP, BUT A GOAT In an effort to donate a goat to a family in need through Heifer International, Lakota second grade teacher Lisa Sizemore and her class raise money by doing household chores. story abbie westendorf | photography used with permission | infographic marleigh winterbottom

(upper left) Achora Gloria, 7 years old, enjoys a cup of milk on August 30, 2011 in Acet Central village, Uganda. (lower left) A young boy feeds leaves to a goat provided by Heifer International in Mukuno, Uganda. (upper right) Latif Annoh, 16, feeding leaves to one of the family’s goats in Ghana.

heifer international | feature

“Kindness and generosity are two things that our world will always need. The students learn they can be a part of the change and anything they can give, whether that’s kindness, money, time, or support, it can and will make a difference.” -Wyandot Second Grade Teacher Lisa Sizemore

he class logs on to SeeSaw and sees their assignment: to read Beatrice’s Goat by Page Mcbrier, a children’s book based on the true account of a young Ugandan girl and her family who have been gifted a goat that works “magic” to change their lives. This was the inspiration behind Wyandot Elementary School’s self-contained secondgrade teacher Lisa Sizemore’s Economic studies project with Heifer International that raised money to buy a goat for a family in need. “The children see how they can make a difference in the lives of others,” Sizemore says. “They learn that great things can be accomplished, and situations can be changed when you work together towards a common goal.” Heifer International wants just that, in the last 75 years it has helped bring more than 34 million families out of poverty. The organization’s goal is to improve the recipients’ quality of life with the livestock they donate to people in need residing in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. “The mission of Heifer International is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. Heifer does this by providing appropriate livestock, training, and related services to smallscale farmers and communities worldwide,” Hannah Eaton, a Heifer Donor Service Representative told Spark.

Sizemore’s Students raised money by doing household chores then parents donate money to the class’ fund site page. Once they reached their goal of $120, the money was donated to Heifer international to grant a goat to a family in need. “My students were eager to work together to help a needy family meet their needs. Many of our children are so blessed to have all their needs met, and then have time to focus on their wants as well,” Sizemore says. “It allows them to build a sense of empathy when they learn about the needs of others in the world.”

student in Sizemore’s class Grayson D. helped around the house by vacuuming the stairs, doing the dishes, and collecting the garbage. “[Helping] made me feel good because I knew it would make [the family] happy,” Grayson says. Wyandot principal Elizabeth Gruber hopes to see this project and ones like it implemented more across her building and the Lakota community. “Being able to help others and become more empathetic as a group brings us all closer and gives us a common goal and language as a group, especially in a year when it is more difficult to connect with one another,” Gruber says.

The founder of Heifer International, Dan West, started the organization in 1944 with a similar idea in mind. He believed families in need could lift themselves out of hunger and poverty if given the resources and training. “While feeding refugees on a volunteer service trip during the Spanish Civil War, he’d seen firsthand that giving people food was a short-term solution, whereas providing them with animals offer a steady supply of nutritious food for an entire family,” Eaton told Spark, recounting West’s hopes for the organization. “[He’d always say] ‘not a cup, but a cow’.”

nother student in Sizemore’s class Jahdel J. loved seeing his whole class come together virtually to support a family in need. “It inspires other people to help too,” Jahdel says. “A simple goat or other animals can change someone’s life.” Like Jahdel, Sizemore too believes her student’s efforts transform the lives of the recipients and the students themselves as well. “Kindness and generosity are two things that our world will always need,” Sizemore says. “The students learn they can be a part of the change and anything they can give, whether that’s kindness, money, time, or support, it can and will make a difference.” •

Sizemore’s students do chores at home in exchange for money to dontate to Heifer International.

Their class takes the combined earnings and donates their goal of $120 to Heifer International.

Heifer International puts their donation towards buying a goat and gives it to a family in need.

A greater family income allows for the family’s children to attend school.

The steady influx of food boosts the family’s income through sales of extra milk.

The goat provides milk, cheese, and butter to the family for nourishment.

(lower right) Sithembeni Nkomo (33) at home in Gwatemba Small Scale Farming Community herding her 15 sheep from Heifer with her family.

30 lakotaeastsparkonline.com April 2021

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 31

jewels by dawn | feature

East junior Dawn Davidson finishes a beaded ring from her small business.

A JEWEL IN THE ROUGH After experimenting with jewelry making at the beginning of the pandemic, East Junior Dawn Davidson began her own jewelry business on Instagram in September.

story and infographic natalie mazey | photography riley higgins and mia hilkowitz | art mary barone

fter an excursion to Micheals, East junior Dawn Davidson spreads her treasures out on the floor of her bedroom. Wire, beads, and charms intermingle as she pours over a tiny notebook she’s kept track of over 110 orders in, contemplating her plan of attack for the evening. Orders have flooded in, but she’s prepared to spend the next 5 hours fulfilling them, plucking pearls, charms, and beads from the containers that make up the calamitous mess that defines her workspace. Davidson made her first post on her instagram account @jewels.by.dawn on Sept. 17, 2020, but the beginnings of her journey with jewelry started long before that. As she was met with the question of how she would

spend the copious amount of time laying in front of her as the world came to an abrupt halt in March, she placed an order for pickup at Micheals. “When I first started, I wanted to do the beaded necklaces and rings. My mom had a few things like that from when she was in college, and I just started trying stuff,” Davidson says. “Some things wouldn’t last as long or didn’t look as good so I just kind of figured out what worked for me.” This trial and error led her to a multitude of creations that she began gifting to friends and wearing herself. “I wasn’t really looking to sell it. I just wanted to be a little creative and avoid supporting big

“[Dawn] is really motivated because she likes what she’s doing. She likes jewelry, and it shows in what she makes. She tries to make people happy and she can do just that with jewelry.” -East junior Anna Dailey 32 lakotaeastsparkonline.com April 2021

businesses,” Davidson says. “During quarantine everyone was shopping online on places like Amazon and not a lot of small businesses were getting attention.” According to eMarketer, Amazon has 38% of the ecommerce market, dominating its closest competitor, Walmart, who boasts 6%. Amazon’s earnings releases from 2020 showed the company grossed over $386.1 billion in net sales, which is up 38% from the previous year, proving the pandemic gave way to prosperity for this multibillion dollar company. Creating her own pieces allowed Davidson to make exactly what she was looking for when she wasn’t able to find any small businesses that were selling what she had in mind. After a few months had passed, she was presented with yet another question. “I had so much extra supplies and I was like, what am I going to do with this?” Davidson says. “So I made a bunch of stuff, then randomly, I was like okay today is the day. I was really nervous to make an Instagram account because I didn’t know if people would like it.”

n the first week after her first post, Davidson $12, with some rings for only $3. Jewels by Dawn Pricing was astonished by the feedback. People were “The prices are super reasonable,” customer reposting her post on their Instagram Kylie Goodfriend says. “I love that it’s all Jewels bystories, Dawn Pricing garnering even more traction. She wasn’t handmade and that I can support a small expecting to get orders within the first few days, business.” but exactly that happened. The ebb and flow of orders means Davidson “It’s very cool how she just came up with the could be swamped with orders one week yet idea of herself one day and decided to start her completely free another, but she guarantees Wire Rings $6 own business,” Davidson’s friend and customer deliveries within two weeks of an order Wire Rings Sibella Russell says. “She taught herself how $6 to being placed. Creating the jewelry is just make all the jewelry. She’s very creative, she $5 aspect$7of the business; keeping track of Tassel so Hoops Heartone Bracelet $5of different designs and Heart Bracelet $7 comes upTassel with Hoops a bunch orders, packaging, taking product photos, and Jewels by Dawn Pricing managing Instagram giveaways all come into how colors fit together.” Through the course of the past six months, play. Her friend and customer Anna Dailey her customer base has expanded past the has seen her thrive despite her heavy advanced walls of East, her initial target market, as placement (AP) course load. people from other schools have reached out. “She works a lot [at Northstar Cafe], and Getting to meet new people and develop with all the homework that she does for the new relationships is one of Davidson’s hard classes she takes, it’s amazing she can get Wire Rings $6 favorite parts of running her business. orders in and get them shipped out,” Dailey Jewels by her Dawn Pricing Repeat customers have become says. “She’s still able to keep that balance in her Tassel Hoops $5 Heart Bracelet $7 comfortable sending a picture of life.” something they are interested in, Selling over Instagram feels more personal asking Davidson to fulfill custom for Davidson than if she were selling on a site orders. like Etsy. This personability is part of what “A lot of people have also has made her business successful, according to Wire Rings $6 said ‘I love everything you Dailey, who says Davidson’s people skills make make, will you just surprise her stand out. Tassel Hoops $5 Heart Bracelet $7 me?’” Davidson says. “I “She is really motivated because she likes love being trusted with what she’s doing. She likes jewelry, and it shows Left: East junior that creativity.” in what she makes,” Dailey says. “She tries to Dawn Davidson Davidson’s prices make people happy and she can do just that aims to price her typically remain under with jewelry.” •

jewlery affordably.

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ATHLETES TAKE ON THE PANDEMIC

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INFLUENCERS: TISHA GROTE

story shiloh wolfork | photography riley higgins April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 33

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THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS Left: Karen Pletikapich receving a bone marrow transplant using her son Connor’s blood. Right: Connor Pletkapich sits in the hospital for five hours donating blood to use in his mom’s transplant.

BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER East junior Connor Pletikapich donates blood for his mom’s bone marrow transfusion as treatment for her leukemia. • story cassandra mueller | photography used with permission

itting in an uncomfortable, hot, dark room with a needle stuck in his arm for five hours was not the most pleasant way to spend one of his limited winter break vacation days, but for East junior Connor Pletikapich, the decision to be there was one of the easiest of his life. Pletikapich sat in a room in the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was to donate blood that would save his mother’s life. His mother, Karen Pletikapich, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in July of 2020. “I went to the emergency room not feeling well,” Karen says. “And then it was just a week after that they knew according to my white blood [cell] count that I would have to have a [bone marrow transplant] done.” AML is a type of fast moving leukemia that starts in the bone marrow and often moves into the blood. According to Cancer.org, “bone marrow is the soft inner part of certain bones. It is made up of blood-forming cells, fat cells, and supporting tissues. A small fraction of the blood-forming cells are blood stem cells.” Karen’s diagnosis concluded that she had an alarmingly high amount of white blood cells in her body. Hematology.org states that “leukemia is caused by the rapid production of abnormal white blood cells. The high number of abnormal white blood cells are not able to fight infection, and they impair the ability of the bone marrow

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to produce red blood cells and platelets.” Due to this increase in white blood cells, she underwent a type of chemotherapy treatment designed to eliminate all of the cells, which she started in the summer of that same year. “I went through three rounds of chemo,” Karen says. “My white blood cell [count] had to get down to zero before the transplant.” After the chemotherapy, Karen would need a bone marrow transplant to get healthy cells back into her body, which is where Connor would eventually step in to help. Right after Karen was diagnosed and learned that she would need a transplant, the search for a blood donor was on. “[The doctors] tested all kinds of family members,” Karen’s oldest son Alex Pletikapich says. “Like [Karen’s] sister, her brother, some cousins of mine, her cousins, Connor was actually the last option [to get tested], but he was a perfect match.” Connor found out about the bone marrow transplant in Dec. 2020, when his parents sat him down and asked if he would be willing to get his blood tested. “When they said that I could possibly be donating, I was all up for it,” Connor says. “I knew I wanted to help my mom get better.” The bone marrow transplant took place on Dec. 21 and 22, 2020 and involved two different steps. First the blood would have to be taken from Connor. Then, after the doctors got the blood ready and separated out the stem

cells, it had to be put into her body. Connor’s part in the transplant took about five continuous hours, but he did not care about the time or the discomfort. “I didn’t have any hesitation [about getting blood drawn],” Connor says. “I wasn’t really worried at all, I was thinking about her more than me.” The next day Karen went in to have the blood put into her body. Her procedure only took about 45 minutes. The transplant will eventually cause Karen’s blood type to change from her O+ to Connor’s A+. “It was really anticlimactic,” Karen says. “I just sat there and [the blood] just went through my IV line.” While the actual process of getting the blood was not anything to note, the recovery time after was a little more rocky for Karen. “I was really tired and just not feeling well and throwing up the first couple of weeks and I’m still recuperating. I couldn’t walk and I’m still weak, but I’m starting to walk now,” Karen says. “[The doctors] said, when I really start to feel better, it will be six months to a year.” Karen is now in remission and on her way to recovery, and as of now goes into the doctors three times a week to get magnesium into her blood, Alex says. He is really excited that she is on her road to recovery. “[Connor] was really happy to do this for [our] mom,” Alex says. “I’m proud of both of them for being able to do that.” •

East sophomores Emma Lillis (left) and Sydney Kerlin (right) share their experiences with body image.

“Body image” describes a person’s thoughts, feelings and perceptions of their body. According to the Mental Health Foundation, 68% of teens felt upset or ashamed in relation to their body image. In this issue, Spark investigates the complexities of body image and its impact on the East community. April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 35

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A LOOK IN THE MIRROR According to the Mental Health Foundation, 68% of teens felt upset or ashamed about their body image. • story mia hilkowitz | photography riley higgins and ianni acapulco | infographic mary barone

h e class of VanGorden Elementary School fifth graders line up, anxiously waiting for the bell for recess to finally ring. A smile is plastered on almost every face, except for one student who stands quietly, trying to wrap her head around what she just heard. The comment of a “friend” harshly criticizing her flat chest still rings in her ear. Although six years have passed since that day, East junior Lina Miese remembers the comment vividly. Miese recalls how she was often subjected to similar types of judgment from peers regarding her small size, even at a very young age. “When I was in elementary school, I was made fun of a lot for being flat-chested,” Miese told Spark. “People would constantly make comments and it was embarrassing. Usually, I would take it as a joke, but later on it became a subconscious issue.” Miese says her peers’ hurtful words

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continued to affect her as she went into middle and high school. “It made me really insecure,” Miese says. “I had trouble believing people when they told me I was pretty or that they liked me.” According to Miese, adults would take it upon themselves to voice their views on her size. “I remember one time when I was five I had [an adult] comment that I hadn’t filled out my jeans yet,” Miese says. “Before that, I had never thought much about me being small.” As a result of these experiences, Miese says she became insecure towards her own body image. Jean Forney, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Ohio University, describes how psychologists define body image. “When we think about body image, we think about how people evaluate their own bodies, whether they think they’re good or bad, or pretty or ugly,” Forney told Spark. “We also think about how they perceive their body.

Whether they perceive it at an accurate size or not.” While all people have body image, many mental and physical issues can arise when people have a negative body image, or are unhappy with the way they look. According to a 2019 Mental Health Foundation report on body image, 37% of teens felt upset and 31% felt ashamed in relation to their body image. A recent Spark survey found that 86% of participants have struggled with their body image.

person’s struggle and their body image can extend much further than just weight. According to the National Conference for Community and Justice, millions of people in the United States have experienced “colorism,” or discrimination against those with darker skin tones. Colorism has been shown to have a major effect on people of all ages’ view towards their own and others’

body image. One 2006 University of Georgia study on colorism found that employers prefer light skinned black men to dark skinned men, regardless of qualifications. A 2012 American National Election Study showed participants 223 photos of different people and found that African American and Latino people with lighter skin tones were more likely to be perceived as intelligent. Acording to Forney, although children of all ages are at risk of developing a negative body image, that risk tends to spike around puberty. One common factor that can negatively impact adolescents’ body image is acne. Even though acne affects between 40 and 50 million individuals each year, a national survey by pharmaceutical company Cutanea Life Science reported that 71% of participants with acne feel that it has negatively influenced their body image. “We know that for girls, puberty is a big risk period for developing body image concerns and eating disorders,” Forney says. “There’s something about the body changes that happen in puberty, but also some of the social changes that really put people at risk.” According to the Park Nicollet Melrose Center, an eating disorder treatment center in Minnesota, 53% of 13-year-old American girls are unhappy with their bodies, while the number grew to 78% by the time those same girls reached 17. The body image issues that come with puberty affect both boys and girls alike. A Chapman University psychology study reported that between 20 and 40% of men felt dissatisfied with their overall physical appearance. Butler Tech and East class of 2020 alumni AJ Stenski recalls his own experience from around this time. Stenski, who has a condition called Pectus Excavatum, a condition where the sternum and rib cage are shaped abnormally, says he began to struggle with his own body image around puberty. “When I was in middle school in gym class, people started to point out the fact that I had a crater formed in my chest and [that] it wasn’t like everyone else’s,” Stenski told Spark. “So I looked into it and found out that there was a surgery to fix it. At first, it was just for cosmetic reasons because I was insecure about it, but when I was a freshman it got deeper and was harder for me to breathe.” S t e n s k i says that even after undergoing surgery--- where two steel bars were inserted into his chest--- his first look in a hospital mirror caused him to still feel “very disappointed with the way I looked.” Now having graduated from high school, Stenski looks back on how body image has impacted him and his peers. “I don’t know what goes on in everyone’s head. But I know that most people do struggle with [body image] and most people that do are quiet about it,” Stenski says. “It really doesn’t matter what you look like, the person that

criticizes you the most is yourself.” According to Erin Hillard, Assistant Professor of Psychology at University of Wisconsin Parkside, self-criticism and comparison are large contributors to a negative body image. “There are kids as young as three or four making comments about other people’s size or maybe even their own size and comparing themselves [to others],” Hillard told Spark. “Peers making comments or engaging in weight teasing can have a lasting impact on [someone’s] body image.”

to feel anxiety about the way their body looks which predicts restrictive eating behaviors associated with anorexia and bulimia, as well as binge eating behaviors.” According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), over 28.8 million Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that results in excessive weight-loss and extreme thinness caused by self-starvation. NEDA estimates 2% of women and 0.3% of men will develop anorexia in their lifetime. The

ccording to a study published in Pediatric Obesity, a medical journal covering research on obesity in childhood and adolescence, of the 110 children and teens surveyed, 62% reported they had been teased about their weight. “Young children, even as young as preschool, can pick up on our societal biases against people who are overweight and obese,” Forney says. “And then it continually gets reinforced as we grow up through comments people make about dieting, other people’s weight, or teasing about appearance. All these sorts of different interactions influence body image.” A 2013 experiment conducted by the University of Leeds reflected this point when studying young childrens’ responses to characters in a picture book. In this experiment, children ages four to six read a book with two characters: “normal” sized Alfie and “overweight” Thomas. (Left and right) East junior Lina Miese Researchers found that discusses her experience with body almost all of the children image over the years. said that the overweight character was less likely to do well in school, American Addiction Centers found that 1.5% be happy with the way he looks, and would of the U.S. female population and 1.5% of have fewer friends. Hillard says that this type the male population has experienced bulimia, of teasing about weight and body size has been an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of linked to the development of eating disorders. extreme overeating followed by self-induced “One of the biggest predictors of a vomiting, purging or fasting. development of an eating disorder is body Hillard emphasizes that parents can have dissatisfaction, or having negative thoughts just as big of an influence on a child’s body about the body,” Hillard says. “Any sort of image and eating habits as peers, through both negative body image or shame can lead people direct and indirect behaviors. Research has

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 37

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Advertisement: Reality Check

East sophomore Sydney Kerlin uses her sense of style to make a statement.

While ads were once notorious for catering toward a specific beauty standard, they are evolving to embrace bodies of all shapes and skin tones.

Dove Launched their Campaign for Real Beauty, promoting all body types and celebrating ‘the natural physical differences between women.’

shown this to be especially prevalent in motherdaughter relationships. “[A mother] being direct with her daughter [would be] telling her that she needs to lose weight or that she needs to watch her weight,” Hillard says. “More indirect behaviors [are] where essentially mom is modeling diet culture through her own behaviors and talking about her own body in front of her daughter.” East junior Nate Kodish has tried to model their parent’s behaviors and thoughts regarding body image. After a relative commented about their weight gain at a family reunion, Kodish says they wanted to change and become more healthy. Naturally, they looked to their mother for support. “My mom was double my size when she was my age,” Kodish told Spark. “She changed, so I thought I could too. She has helped me change to become more healthy.”

isplays in the media from social media to advertising have also been found to have an impact, Hillard explains. The same Spark survey found that 73% of respondents say social media has negatively impacted their body image. “There is a lot of research on media messages in advertising where the whole goal of the advertising message is to tell girls and women that in some aspect of their appearance, they’re not good enough,” Hillard says. “And [advertisers] use that insecurity to get women

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Nike Released “You Can’t Stop Us”, a split-screen ad featuring professional athletes of all races, promoting inclusivity to 50 million viewers on youtube alone.

Fenty Beauty Rihanna created the makeup line to focus on a wide range of traditionally hard-to-match complexions, diversifying skin tone representation in cosmetics. sources nike news, dove, fenty beauty

to buy products.” While this type of insecurity is widely recognized in social media, messages within the fashion industry can also have a negative impact on a person’s body image. One National Center for Biotechnology Information study found that of the 548 5th grade through 12th grade participants, 69% reported that magazine pictures influenced their idea of the perfect body shape. The Social Issues Research Center also reported that eight out of 10 women are dissatisfied with their reflection, and more than half may see a distorted image when trying on clothes in a clothing store. Hillard says this same type of insecurity and uncertainty caused by the fashion industry can evolve as people get older, specifically when entering a new phase of their life. “I would also argue that any sort of transition can lead to body image problems,” Hillard says. “Anytime where [someone] might be facing any sort of social uncertainty usually leads to making more social comparisons to try to better understand this new environment you find yourself in.” Lori Bishop, Assistant Director for the University of Cincinnati Student Wellness Center, has seen first-hand how these types of transitions, like the one from high school to college, can severely impact a student’s body image. She says that it is important to provide students with the appropriate resources such as support groups and healthy habit programs, early on. “Working at a student wellness center,

sometimes you don’t instantly see the results in the students you are offering resources to,” Bishop told Spark. “In the long term, we’re helping to plant those seeds to help people grow into their best selves and apply the lessons [they’ve learned] five years from now.”

ow a junior in high school, Miese has been able to take a step back and reflect on the environment in elementary and middle school that negatively influenced her body image. “I didn’t even realize how much [my experience] sucked until this year, when I’m not friends with those people from elementary school anymore,” Miese told Spark. “And [now] I surround myself with people that do say positive things about me when for the longest time I had issues believing those things were true.” Miese acknowledges that every person’s experience with their body image is different, but reveals what she wishes she had known when she was in elementary school. “You can’t control what other people say,” Miese says. “But you can control what you think every time you look in the mirror. You can control how you carry yourself and how you treat the people that bring you down. Because you can only control what you do and how you handle those issues.”•

THE MODEL BODY With the rise of social media, modeling has become more and more of an influence on body image. • story abbey bahan | photography ianni acapulco

model stands anxiously in a line of competition for Columbus Fashion Show Casting 2020. She is yearning to hear her name on the hard cement flooring. As the designers pluck models of their choosing, one by one, the line gets smaller and smaller. Either they like you, or they don’t. You get accepted, or rejected. She never heard her name that day. East senior Gwyneth Medley has been modeling for two years at Heyman Talent Agency. Medley has modeled for Mercury Wilde. Despite her love for modeling, she’s had to learn to grow a tough skin for an industry that is based on physical appearance. “You have to be aware of your self worth and be confident in yourself,” Medley told Spark. “My mom always drilled into my head, ‘pretty is a dime a dozen.’” According to Medley, looks aren’t everything. Not only does a model have to look the part, they also have to have the talent and drive to fight for what they want. “There’s 1000 pretty girls in the modeling industry,” Medley says, “You have to separate yourself by showing qualities besides being pretty.” Ohio Wesleyan Assistant Professor of Psychology Chris Modica has conducted a portion of his research on the social and cultural variables that impact body image. He thinks that what society defines as “pretty” is impractical and puts pressure on people to fit the standard.

“People are born with the genetic code to dislike their appearance,” Modica told Spark. “A lot of this is due to the fact that these standards are so unattainable for men and women.” East sophomore Nathan Smith agrees that there are unrealistic body standards in the media that can influence the way a person views themself. “[The way bodies are portrayed in the media] can make you downgrade yourself; thinking you’re not good enough and nobody wants you,” Smith says. As a model, Medley has experienced the same issue: feeling unwanted. Her rejection at the Columbus Fashion Show Casting 2020 was something she had struggled with initially, but eventually came to terms with. “It was hard at first, knowing that I didn’t get [hired] because of the way I look,” Medley says. “But you have to realize that there’s nothing you could have done. It just depends on what the [casting agency] wants.” Self-titled photography business owner Lauren Alexandra Wessel shoots portraits and boudoir photography to include every type of body in her shoots, no matter the gender identity or sexual orientation. Boudoir is an intimate, French style of photography. “I want to take authentic photos and show people that they are beautiful,” Wessel says.“To me, [boudoir] is very much about empowering people. And not just women. Everybody on the gender spectrum deserves to have beautiful photos of themselves.”

Just like Wessel, Modica advocates for representation of models of all genders, rather than just women. “Men have bodies as well. And there’s also stereotypes and standards out there for men,” Modica says. “Those stereotypes might be different than women but we still have [ideals] of models that impact men as well.” Modica always tells his students that as a psychologist he can’t change culture, but he wants to protect people from it. According to the Park Nicollet Melrose Center 53% of 13 year-old girls in America are unhappy with their bodies. Once they reach the age of 17, that number goes up to 78%. Alongside women, 34% of men are dissatisfied with their body. “I can’t change what people consider beautiful in a week,” Modica says. “ [People in society] need to work on changing what [our] culture views as attractive, and also help people develop certain abilities to resist those pressures.” Wessel also recognizes that there is still work to be done, but she thinks society has come a long way in terms of diversity. Especially with the advent of social media, the modeling industry has developed to include more plussize models and varying body types. “I definitely see [modeling] moving forward so much more than when I was growing up,” Wessel told Spark. “I think in the back of my head ‘wow if I had this kind of representation when I was growing up, I might have had a different outlook on myself ’.” •

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skin | package serious disease, it can be the source of scarring, as well as physiological and emotional distress. According to a BioPsychoSocial Medicine (BMC) study, when reacting to photo images, 65% of teenagers and 75% of adults, noticed the acne and skin of a person first. Additionally, 64% of teenagers felt embarrassed on behalf of their acne and 55% of those teenagers thought getting acne was the hardest part of going through puberty. “At first I hated my acne,” LeQuire says. “I hated the way it messed up my makeup and covered my skin. I thought about it constantly every day.”

East junior Maddie Cramer has seen how social media can lead to misconceptions surrounding body image.

FACED WITH REFLECTION For some East students and teenagers everywhere, looking back at their portrait can be a constant source of difficulty, and tension. story olivia rigney | photography riley higgins

t’s with you all the time, always looking back at you in the mirror. Your skin. It’s the embodiment of your face and the first thing people notice. But for some, skin can be a source of distress and anxiety when looking back at a reflection.

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According to an East survey, 72% of students have struggled with their skin in one form or another. East juniors Taylor Whitton and Madison LeQuire have struggled with acne since their late middle school and early high school years. Acne, or Acne Vulgaris,

is another common skin problem, affecting approximately 85% of people between the ages of 12-24, which can range from very minor to severe cases, according to the Academy of Dermatology Association. Although acne itself is not considered a

hitton has had similar issues with her acne. One of her coping mechanisms has been using makeup to cover it up; even going so far as to take up to an hour every morning to attempt to make it unnoticeable. “I used to wear a full face of makeup every single day because I was so insecure about my acne,” Whitton says. “No matter how much time I had in the morning, I would always do an entire face, which in the long run probably made my acne worse because I never let my skin breathe.” Having skin conditions in any form is a problem that many people across the world deal with. According to the AAD, at some point in their life atopic dermatitis, commonly known as eczema, will affect one in ten people. According to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Dermatologist Nichole Massengill, acne can have many physiological effects on teenagers, especially influencing their view of themselves. “Even teenagers with mild to moderate acne have become depressed and at risk for suicidal thoughts,” Massengill told Spark. “Overall acne can ultimately affect physical health if a patient becomes severely depressed due to appearance issues.” Although acne is something most people will deal with in some form or another, there are still misconceptions surrounding skin that lead to unrealistic beauty standards. According to an East survey, 75% of students have believed these misconceptions about skin, which stem from a lack of education on skin conditions and are generated from personal opinions without evidence based on factual research. Of those same survey results, 70% admit to their skin also impacting their body image. LeQuire agrees and says that her peers may have misconceptions about acne, one being that the same skin practices affect everyone’s skin in the same way. “Most people think that just washing my face and drinking water will give me a perfectly

clear face,” LeQuire told Spark. “Everyone is different and things that work for some may make others worse.” Many people struggle with finding what medications and methods work with their specific situation. It takes a lot of trial and error because everyone reacts differently to different types of treatment. Acne is typically treated with topical antiseptics, anti-inflammatory medications, and retinol medications initially. However, if these methods do not work there are different options for future ways of dealing with acne. “If topical therapy is ineffective, we will attempt to use oral antibiotics,” Massengill says. “We often also suggest girls talk to their primary doctors for hormonal therapies, which are typically effective.” President and CEO of Dermatology & Skin Care Associates, Elizabeth Muennich says that finding a skincare routine is a trial and error process of trying to find what works best for each person. “Over-the-counter medications and

Acne has been reported to be associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and a failure to thrive at school and other social environments, suicidal ideation, and social attempts.

ccording to Massengill, any disorder that causes a “difference” from the skin of peers is often at risk for psychosocial consequences. Because the skin is visible, issues surrounding acne in contrast to other conditions, like diabetes or cystic fibrosis which are not visible to peers, are subsequently a more common cause for depression due to appearance and decreased self-esteem. “My advice for teens who are struggling with body image due to skin would be to discuss their concerns with their parents or a primary care physician, and seek treatment for skin conditions,” Massengill told Spark. “Don’t judge your peers for skin issues, [skin issues] are not due to a lack of cleanliness or lack of personal hygiene.” LeQuire and Whitton have come to terms

“Now I have reasonable expectations for my body and skin. Everyone should embrace who they are in the moment even if they don’t meet today’s definition of what’s considered attractive.” - East junior Madison LeQuire treatments are often the best methods of dealing with severe acne,” Muennich told Spark. “But there are other treatments like face wash and cleanser.” Whitton has experienced this trial and error process for finding a skincare routine that works for her by trying different products to find something geared to her specific needs. “I’ve used Proactive before and a few other cleansers and lotions, none of which have worked for me,” Whitton says. “I finally switched to Curology [during my] sophomore year. It hasn’t gotten rid of all of the blemishes, but it’s definitely helped a lot.” As stated by an International Journal of Women’s Dermatology report, despite how common acne is, there are still a profound amount of psychosocial effects. Cohesively,

with their acne and the different skin issues they face, by accepting themselves and learning to love their skin. “Now I have reasonable expectations for my body and skin,” LeQuire told Spark. “Everyone should embrace who they are in the moment even if they don’t meet today’s definition of what’s considered attractive.” The process of accepting her skin and becoming comfortable with her image has been a journey for Whitton that is not over yet. As she learns more about herself, new confidence has been a positive effect. “Through different treatments [my acne’s] gotten a lot better,” Whitton says. “Now when I look at myself I don’t focus on the acne or let it affect how I view myself. It’s just there and that’s okay.”•

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 41

Spark staffer Wudie Amsalu details her personal experience with an eating disorder.

THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD Spark staffer Wudie Amsalu reflects on her experiences with body image as an eating disorder survivor. story wudie amsalu | photography ianni acapulco infographic ava huelskamp and vi dao

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y sister’s newly purchased bed crinkled underneath the weight of two young sisters and the question that sat between them. The brief pause hung heavy between us. My oldest sister “knew everything,” so I trusted her wholeheartedly to give me the correct answer. With a casual tone, the younger version of her told me the truth. “No, probably not.” The words hit me like a ton of bricks. My worst nightmare was coming true. I was fat. Except that was not the question I asked her. My sister was stating a fact; I probably did not have baby fat as a 5 year old. But to me, it was a declaration of war on my body. My objective was clear: Stop all weight gain. It’s borderline impossible to track down the first time I skipped a meal purposely or refused a food because of calories. the habits have been ingrained in me since birth. For years, restricting came as easy to me as turning off the lights at bed time or riding a bike because I learned them at the same time. According to Common Sense Media, 80 percent of 10 year old girls have been on a diet. No one was willing to explain the nuances of body image to me, and I think it is because they did not fully understand it themselves. Instead, teachers sat down and read books like Supersized to Superhealthy! about the horrors of going up a pant size while television flaunted weight loss stories on every channel. Even one of my family’s favorites, Arthur, was not free of the gratuitous weight loss episode. There is no mystery behind these messages; Diet culture has damaged the perceptions of millions. The system of beliefs and actions that idealizes thinness above all has been brought to public attention in the past ten years for the astounding impact it has on all of us. Eating disorders find their power in control over personal image, as claimed by a University of Southwest Australia study, and I was no exception. I had my dysmorphia boiled down to a science, to the point where I practically had a schedule for it: I would relapse every two years, lose a significant amount of weight and get praised for it, then get tired and fall back to my previous eating habits. Stare. Starve. Sabotage. Survive. For a while, I got away with it. Then eighth grade hit. I was struggling with other mental disorders in middle school, as 97% of eating disorder victims suffer with a correlating mood disorder. My life seemed out of my control and I was desperate for something to call my own. I was hooked to the rush of power that skipping meals gave me. Week after week I would go to my psychologist and attempt to figure out an effective strategy to cope with my eating disorder. Meal plans were devised, weekly weigh-ins were hidden, but all of it could not keep up with my disorder. Just wondering if I had gained weight set off an episode, even if it was only speculation.

personal narrative | package As the months went by, I stopped confiding in my friends and turned to diary entries and other outlets for my journey. The gap that my eating disorder had made between me and those I love was so wide it intimidated. I ended up passing out at a March For Our Lives protest in March of 2018 because I had not eaten anything in 24 hours, but I refused to tell anyone. Hitting 99 pounds was like hitting a wall. I was over 20 pounds below the average girl my height, and at that point I was tired of fighting

ago was forced to a truce in the summer of 2018. I never realized how badly my eating disorder warped my world until after I partially recovered, but the jarring contrast was as clear as night and day. Counting calories before taking a bite of someone’s meal was not something people did repeatedly. Cringing whenever I passed the mirror was not reflex, it was learned. The National Eating Disorder Association states 60% of patients treated with anorexia go through recovery, but those are only the lucky

Common Eating Disorders Name

Symptoms

Anorexia Nervosa

Dramatic weight loss Dressing in layers Excessive exercise regime

Bulimia Nervosa

Evidence of binge eating Evidence of purging Dental problems

Binge Eating Disorder

Inability to stop eating Steals or hoards food Creates schedule around binge eating

source national eating disorder association

against some invisible beast that followed my every move. The word “body” was a word tainted with obsession and instability, and I was tired of hearing it. There was no connection between my mind and body, yet too much at the same time. In the end, the thing I was most averse to ending up saving me: Intervention. At the time I was ashamed of myself, thinking that I was a “traitor” and “attention seeker”, but telling my parents that I needed more assistance was one of the best decisions I had made in thirteen years. I was at my most vulnerable, yet also my most fearless. With that courage and the support of loved ones, the internal war declared over a decade

ones like myself who get that far. Millions of people do not get diagnosed for a variety of reasons and have to suffer in the trap of their minds in silence. My disorder had taken away my voice for years, and I went through hell getting it-and my body-back. Looking at myself in the mirror has never come easy to me, and maybe it never will. My eating disorder is not something that can go away in an instance and a few coping mechanisms. Something I do know is that all my worth is not determined by the reflection of the mirror. My BMI says that I am overweight, but my world is not over. It has just begun.•

“I would relapse every two years, lose a significant amount of weight and get praised for it, then get tired and fall back to my previous eating habits.” - Spark staffer Wudie Amsalu April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 43

colorism | package made note that she should ‘be lighter.” “Constantly being told you’re too dark makes growing up difficult,” Fofie says. “I used to think that dark was ugly and that no one would want me because of [my dark skin tone]. But now it’s easier to love myself and others, and a lot of that bitterness and self hatred has stopped being projected onto others.” As Haroon was researching the topic of colorism, she found the origins of the issue rooted in the era of British colonization, which instilled a mindset that revolves around fair skin being the ideal of beauty and the “brains” of the society with which she belonged to. Failing to meet the physiognomic criterion naturally, relatives from her home country often attempted to persuade her to take the alternative route of heavily chemicalized whitening creams. She had been told before that her face “looks dirty” and was once even questioned by a relative how she might ever “have a happy life looking like that.” Haroon is discouraged by the notion that part of her worth is intrinsically tied to the shade of her skin rather than her own talents and accomplishments. “I can be as smart as I want, but to them, I’m not pretty at all,” Haroon says.. “I’m doing all this other stuff and they think that my value degrades just because I’m not fairskinned.”

East junior Mackenzie Moman has spoken out about her experiences with colorism.

COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES

C As the world continues to progress, so too does the role that colorism plays in society.

story ianni acapulco | photography riley higgins | infographic mia hilkowitz i n a h i l Haroon remembers attending the Pakistani weddings. At 12 years old, the process of preparing the bride had seemed extreme to her. Not due to its extravagance or length of time, but because of the way that makeup and lightening creams had been used to make those brides appear ten shades lighter than their original hue. Now a senior attending Lakota East and Butler Tech, Haroon had been familiar with the idea of lighter skin being equated to beauty at a young age. It wouldn’t be until years later—as she delved into the topic of her college essay—that she would put a name to the harmful phenomenon: colorism. Thought to be first coined by Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Walker, the term “colorism” is defined as the “prejudicial or preferential treatment of same-race people based solely on their color.” Walker utilized the term in a 1982 edition of Essence magazine, and she later

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defined the word in her 1983 book, “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens.” According to Washington University Professor of Law Kimberly Norwood, colorism is not the same as racism, though the relationship between the two is clear. “Colorism deals with the tone of skin, which is different from race,” Norwood told Spark. “As we begin to evolve and come to the realization that race is a social construct, and as more people become multiracial, [the concept of ] ‘race’ becomes really slippery.” Even in places where almost all of the population are the same race, there is still a space for colorism to thrive. University of Georgia Clinical Assistant Professor Matthew Harrison says that while some countries and cultures don’t have a racism problem, they do possess a colorism problem. “Colorism is prevalent in pretty much every ethnic group where there is skin tone variation,” Harrison told Spark. “It tends to always be that

the lighter you are, the better things are for you.” In a nationally-representative survey done under social science academic journal Ethnic and Racial Studies, the study found that skin tone played a significant predictor of having ever been arrested. A one-level increase in the darkness of a respondent’s skin tone was associated with 14% higher odds of having ever been arrested, which means that darkestskinned African Americans have 121% higher odds of ever having been arrested compared to the lightest-skinned respondents.

ccording to University of California Irvine sociology Professor Edward Telles, one of the tricky things about colorism, is its lack of coverage in discrimination laws. “There are laws that say you can’t discriminate on the basis of race, gender, disability,” Telles told Spark. “Thumbs up for the original laws,

but [color] is not usually emphasized. So I don’t think there’s enough emphasis. Colorism often goes across categories or is within the same category. People have different shades of color, and those categories separate them from each other.” Norwood began pouring over the topic of colorism after teaching for a semester in Shanghai, China, where she saw its influence thrive. Although she had begun studying the issue in adulthood, Norwood had been experiencing it all her life. Having been raised by a mother with skin lighter than hers, Norwood had been followed by commentary from friends as well as people on the street regarding how much darker her skin was in comparison to her mother’s. Years ago, one of her mother’s friends had asked Norwood, “don’t you wish you looked like your mother?” Colorism was an experience that East junior Brenda Fofie had undergone while growing up as well. As an African American, Fofie has grown up with commentary concerning the shade of her skin, and even her aunt and grandmother have suggested she use bleach or

o l o r i s m presents differently for men and women. According to Norwood, although men are undeniably affected, colorism doesn’t affect men as significantly as it does women. This is, in part, due to the aesthetic expectations of women in today’s society. “We know that lighter skinned women are more likely to be educated, and more likely to be in a relationship or more likely to be married,” Norwood says. “That reality is so strong in showing that women do all kinds of things -- that they will even harm themselves in order to marry.” For Fofie, one of her worries is how her skin color will play a part in the prospect of romantic relationships. “It’s a common thing,” Fofie says. “Black people, especially black men and dark-skinned men, hate dark skinned women. They’ll want a light-skinned, mixed girl.” A book that Norwood loves --“Don’t Play in the Sun” by Marita Golden-- entails women in various parts of Africa who practice bleaching by applying it on their skin topically or using mercury based pills to lighten their skin. Golden spent time interviewing these women, and found that their motives were related to the prospect of marriage. The women interviewed felt that it was a necessary process to undergo in order to get a husband or attain a better life. Skin lightening or skin bleaching are both names for the practice of using chemical

substances in order to reduce the melanin concentration in the skin. These products can come in the form of creams, soaps, pills, and even treatments such as chemical peels and laser therapy. According to Healthline Media, an American provider of health-related information, there is no health benefit that skin bleaching can offer, but the deleterious effects of skin bleaching can range from mild to severe. One of its more notorious aspects is attributable to the presence of none other than the element, mercury. Unexpectedly, skin-bleaching creams have been linked to mercury toxicity, an ingredient which is banned in United States products but still utilized by other countries. Mercury poisoning’s side effects can range from mild numbness and light sensitivity to memory loss and even kidney failure. Neither Fofie nor Haroon have ever bleached their skin, but the products for skin lightening remain present in their home. While Haroon’s mother has never encouraged her children to take part in skin bleaching, Haroon’s aunt has brought back several skin lightening products after visits to Pakistan and encouraged the practice with Haroon’s cousins. “It affected me when I was younger,” Haroon says. “I dwelled on it with all these people asking me to do treatments and to use these creams. It was always someone telling you ‘oh you know if you just [lighten your skin], it’ll be better,’ or ‘you’re perfect, but all you need to do is add that little fairness to yourself ’.” When Fofie was 14-years-old, her mother brought home skin bleach and told her to use it. Fofie had refused to do so, and now the bleach sits forgotten and hidden in the recesses of her room. Eve n before her mother had bought her the bleach, Fofie had insecurities about her skin color. From grade six to grade nine, Fofie avoided taking pictures of herself because of how “dark” she seemed. By manipulating the lighting she took pictures in, Fofie could make it appear as if she was lighter. “For a long time I did wish I was lighter or that I was mixed,” Fofie says. “But I’m coming to terms with the fact that my skin is perfect the way it is. And there’s nothing wrong with being darker.” At a global level, skin bleaching is an industry whose products make up one-half of the entire cosmetics industry, as reported by National Public Radio (NPR). In Japan, Africa, South Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, the process of lightening skin is popular. In 2017, Statista, a German company specializing in marketing and consumer data, valued the global skin lightening market to 4.8 billion United States (U.S.) dollars, and forecasted that by 2027, it’s worth would reach 8.9 billion U.S. dollars. The brand Fair and Lovely, which sells melanin-suppressing skin creams, dominates

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package | colorism

MASKED BY MASCULINITY

“I can be as smart as I want, but to them, I’m not pretty at all. I’m doing all this other stuff and they think that my value degrades just because I’m not fair-skinned.” - East senior Minahil Haroon India’s skin-lightening industry with up to a 70% market share. The company makes a sale of 24 billion rupees ($317 million U.S. dollars) annually as of 2020, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

air and Lovely is endorsed by several big-name media presences, one of which is popular actor, Shah Rukh Khan, whom the media refers to as the “King of Bollywood.” The Indian Bollywood industry doesn’t only hold sway within the country, but it is also known to strongly influence a large portion of the Sub South Asian continent. It scares Haroon to think that so many influential actors endorse harmful skinlightening products. “Do [they] even know it’s bad for [them]?” says Haroon. “I’m sure [they] don’t even use it because of all these chemicals in it. Why do [they] have to go to that extent for money?” Haroon has grown up watching mainstream Bollywood alongside Pakistani and Middle Eastern entertainment. She was used to seeing the constant portrayal of fair, light-skinned actors and actresses. But Haroon was surprised to notice the narrative that often put darkerskinned actors as the “villain.” “I think you’ll see a disproportionate number of darker-skinned black males that have roles linked to gangsters, drug dealers, things of that nature,” Harrison says. “Whereas typically, if you see a black doctor, physician or politician on television, [it is] likely going to be played by a lighter actor.” When the actress Lupita Nyong’o became widely recognized for her part in the movie, “12 Years a Slave,” Fofie remembers the scathing commentary she’d seen about the actress on social media that spoke ill of her dark skin and called her hair “gross”. “It’s damaging to see someone who has your skin color and who has hair like you, and then people are saying all these horrible things about them,” Fofie says. “It makes you self-conscious, and it makes you wish that you didn’t also look like that.” Fofie feels that in order to diminish colorism, acceptance and representation of dark-skinned people in the media is an important step. She wants to see more dark-skinned actors casted for projects in “normal stories”, feeling that in many shows where they are present, the focus is

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on their skin color. “I think that needs to stop,” Fofie says. “It’s important that dark-skinned people should be represented more, but also if you focus on skin color, then it becomes something that you’re self-conscious about.” Telles feels that these physical ideals of beauty are tied strongly to western idealization. “We live in a very Western society,” Telles says. “Among Latinos, you look at [the people who are] on TV and in the programming and

Common Skin Lightening Products in the United States Unilever Fair & Lovely Advanced Multivitamin Fairness Cream $6.90 Palmer’s Anti-Dark Spot Fade Cream $6.95 Glutathione Lightening Pills $21.49 Fair & White So White Brightening and Moisturizing Body Milk $32.99 Makari Exclusive Skin Toning Milk $82.99

Skin Lightening products generated $8.6 billion in revenue in 2020. The industry is estimated to reach a revenue of $12.3 billion in 2027. source research and markets

though you like to show diversity once in a while and have Afro Latinos, they tend to have lighter skin.” Failing to offer the desired representation of many young black children, Hollywood’s range of commonly casted black actors does not fully portray the range present in society. Casting tends to lean towards actors of lighter complexions and more eurocentric-typical features. In 2018, “The Hate U Give”, based on the bestselling Young Adult (YA) novel of the same name written by Angie Thomas, was released in theaters with a notable difference in its protagonist. Although the story’s protagonist is written as a “medium brown shade”, the decision to cast the lighter-skinned actor, Amandla Stenberg, was met with criticism and disappointment from fans as well the book cover’s illustrator, Debra Cartwright.

East junior Seth Grace fights against childhood lessons where he was taught to hide his emotions.

East students and professionals discuss the impact of societal masculine expectations. • story megan miranda | photography riley higgins | infographics mia hilkowitz and mary barone

h e act of casting lighter-skinned actors for darker-skinned characters continues in 2021 with Netflix’s highly anticipated series, “Shadow and Bone”, which is set to release on April 23rd. Adapted from the combination of Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy and Six of Crows Duology, the show features Jesper Fahey, who is written to have dark skin but is played by lightskinned actor, Kit Young. According to Harrison, when it comes to colorism, the stereotype is often so powerful that the group being stereotyped “often buy into it themselves.” “Colorism is an ‘ism’ that exists where even people who are black oftentimes fall in line with a lot of the beliefs that surround colorism,” Harrison says. “And so I think that there is, to a degree, some self-hate that’s in there. People are less inclined to openly discuss it because there are black people who believe that lighterskinned black people are better than darkerskinned black people. The same things [are seen] with Latinos, Asians, and Indians.” Haroon strongly feels that colorism and the power it holds against millions of people is no light matter. “I mean, it’s probably going to take a while to battle it and fight it off,” Haroon says. “But that’s what we, as parents, are going to have to do: make sure to tell our kids that it doesn’t matter how fair you are or how dark you are. It’s just about who you are as a person.”•

he atmosphere was cold yet wrapped in support primarily by the friends and family who were beside him. Yet even in an environment where tears were accepted and a level of understanding lingered, he couldn’t allow himself to cry in front of the audience around him. As he faced the barreling emotions that could easily be displayed if he let a single tear fall, he rarely found himself disappearing to the back room when the feeling was too overwhelming. April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 47

masculinity | package

package | masculinity East junior Seth Grace was 13-years-old when he found himself at his mom’s visitation. She had lost her battle with cancer after two years on Oct. 23, 2017. While the moments surrounding her death were filled with a storm of emotions Grace tried his hardest to display composure when faced with others. “Everyone was really supportive and they didn’t really press me or anything; they were just there for me if I wanted to talk to them,” Grace told Spark. “Looking back I think they would have been very understanding if I had started crying or opened up to them but at the time I still felt like I had to keep it all together and pretend like things were fine.” Throughout Grace’s life coping with his mom’s passing wasn’t entirely where his emotional reservation stemmed. Before her diagnosis there existed a different battle, one with masculinity. “A part of it comes down to my childhood, I was taught from a young age that I needed to kind of hide my emotions,” Grace says. “Because of that, even today, I’m still a little bit closed off. I could probably still count on my hands how many times I’ve cried in front of people, because I avoid it.” Grace felt that there was a societal expectation for him to not show emotion because of the fact that he’s a male. Temple University Professor in Gender and Sexuality Studies Jennifer Pollitt views this struggle with masculinity as a larger issue. “There is this idea that men have to be stoic and strong at all times and that if men

show any vulnerability at all, that somehow means that they are weak,” Pollitt told Spark. “Men are humans, and they feel pain, they feel anxious, they feel afraid, they feel threatened they are vulnerable and vulnerability is not a source of weakness, it’s an intense source of strength. The way that we have socialized boys into masculinity tells them that they don’t need that.”

he word masculinity by Myriam Webster definition is the “quality or nature of the male sex”. However, Clinical Psychologist and Harvard Professor Roberto Olivardi defines masculinity as a social construct. “I would define masculinity as a socially constructed term that applies to all of the characteristics and traits that society has deemed to be something that is manly,” Olivardi told Spark. Olivardi believes that the majority of men struggle with the concept of masculinity in the sense that they may feel pressured to either associate with or follow certain expectations. “The fact is that you can ask any man that you know, or any boy, and most have an incident or an example in their life in which they were shamed in some way,” Olivardi told Spark. “Whether they were told they throw like a girl, or to man up, or some pejorative term that basically said, don’t be a girl. Which is harmful for men and women, because what’s so bad about being a girl.” Grace has felt he has had to meet typical

standards of “toughness” or maintain “strength” throughout his life as a young boy and into adulthood. When examining where masculinity begins he views it to be the result of a continuous cycle. “It was taught to us by the older generations and then our siblings, and we even enforced it on each other just because that’s what we knew,” Grace says. “If we saw another guy doing something [not masculine], they’d get treated differently. It shouldn’t be like that. It’s hard for us, especially when we’re younger, because what we see is what we think is right, and that’s how we choose to behave. No seven year old is going to try to stand up to societal norms, so it just continues.” The ongoing comparison genders face, Grace says, is encouraged at a young age. More so the impact of experiences at this developmental period can have lasting effects on children. “I think a lot of boys when they’re younger, think they’re supposed to be mean to girls, and they’re not allowed to be friends with girls, they can’t like certain music or shows, or wear certain clothes just because they aren’t ‘manly enough,’” Grace says. “From a young age, we’re all kind of taught how we’re supposed to behave. We just kind of get that idea in our minds and then live with it for the rest of our lives.” For East junior Austin Boccher he doesn’t associate with some of the traits deemed masculine, regardless of his gender identity as a male. “I feel like [masculinity] means very ‘manly’ things like you play sports, you watch football,

Muscle Dysmorphia In Muscle Dysmorphia inMen Men Muscular dystrophy is a group of inherited diseases that damage and weaken your muscles over time. Studies have shown that this condition is common among men who engage in unhealthy behaviors to become “more muscular.”

Self-Destructive Behaviors Associated assoicated with Muscle Dysmorphia:

Disordered Eating Patterns

Unhealthy exercise patterns

Disruption of body image

Abuse of pharmaocoloic agents or dietary supplements

source National Center for Biotechnology Information 48 lakotaeastsparkonline.com April 2021

ObsessiveCompulsive behaviors

93% of prison inmates are male

49% of men feel more depressed than they admit

men are 2x more likely to binge drink than women

men die by suicide 3x more often than women

source mindwise drink beer and stuff,” Boccher says. “I guess I’m not really into all those manly things so I wouldn’t say I’m very masculine [even though] I am a man.” Boccher has, more recently, had the courage to break some of the expectations many hold him to, as a male in society. Specifically he has gained self assurance in not loving sports and instead being in theatre, and wanting to wear makeup. “I’ve gotten better at doing my own thing and not caring about what other people might think about me, and not letting people tell me what is right and what’s wrong,” Boccher says. “Recently, however, I’ve been wanting to wear makeup. And I guess not many people accept that. I think they’re scared of the new. They don’t like how men can wear makeup and do stuff that girls can and they don’t think is right.”

ollitt views a large responsibility towards a person’s masculinity views and interpretation in part to parents and those raising their children. “It starts in families-think about gender reveal parties. Right before that baby is even out in the world, there are all these expectations of how that baby will behave and what they will look like,” Pollitt told Spark. “I don’t think that’s the fault of the parents. They grew up in the same system that denies them access to thinking about these things in different ways. If they’ve never had these conversations before, they go with what they know and what they know are narratives about gendered expectations for boys.” East Psychology teacher and football coach Jared Haynes agrees that the root of masculinity begins with youth and expectations assigned to kids. “How many times have you heard ‘boys don’t cry,’ ‘girls don’t get in fights’ or ‘ a good girl wouldn’t hit’. But then if a guy does it it’s normal. We normalized violence for boys but this shouldn’t be normalized at all,” Haynes told Spark. “It starts with our young children. How are they supposed to be told to think about

source mindwise

themselves as masculine or feminine in society, and then try to break those gender types when we have put them in boxes. You’re borrowing traits from both femininity and masculinity, you’re not just going to be masculine because you’re a boy.” Olivardi believes within the larger aspects of masculinity lies body image expectations and pressures for men. Statistics gathered by The Australian Psychological Society showed a significant increase in the last 25 years as male dissatisfaction with body image has tripled from 15% of the population to 45%. “Within the last three or four decades, [body image] has really tied into the social construction of masculinity. I would say in the 1980s it shifted massively where in Hollywood you had Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger who were the proliferation of men,” Olivardi told Spark. “How muscular a man was really was tied into him being more masculine and all of these constructed masculine traits of being powerful, sexually feral, and threatening. It’s not so much about being the biggest guy in the room [anymore], but it’s still about being cut.” Pollitt has seen body image have a tremendous effect on society, individuals, and specifically men. She defines it simply in terms of one’s opinion of their own body. “Body image is the way that you feel about your body, and the way that the world interacts with your body based on that feeling,” Pollitt says. “If you feel good about your body, you’re more likely to go out in the world, and believe that you are worthy of that job promotion, relationship, or friendship.” Through his experience with running track and cross country for East, Grace has seen the effects of body image on people involved with the sport. “There’s definitely a stereotype of who the cross country kid is, we all make jokes about how we’re all like a bunch of scrawny white kids,” Grace told Spark. “There are other kids on the team that [don’t fit that mold], who have struggled with weight in the past or are still struggling with weight. Some of them quit, just because I think they were treated differently

because of how they looked.” Pollitt suggests that while naturally women have had an assumed impact by social media with regards to body image, it has more recently become a bigger issue for men as well. “Men are now flooded with the same images that women have been flooded with for decades in terms of what a man’s body should look like,” Pollitt says. “This can be especially harmful when folks are at a particular developmental stage. When you’re young and going through puberty bodies change dramatically and rapidly.” A study conducted by the healthcare institution Florida House Experience, showed that out of the 1,000 men and women surveyed, 87% of women and 65% of men compare their bodies to others on social media. This is what Pollitt views to be a detrimental factor for social media consumers, as it carries unrealistic expectations and comparison. According to a survey at East 50% of students surveyed spend four to six hours on social media, and 12% spend seven or more hours. “There is not as much imagery on social media of men who have more diversity in body shape or type,” Pollitt says. “We’re seeing younger and younger men, experiencing eating disorders or dysmorphic body disorders. We’re seeing men feel a lower sense of self esteem related to their body image because they’re not incredibly athletic or muscular.”

ave Chawner, 26-year-old British stand up comedian, best selling author, and public speaker has shared his personal battle with anorexia as a product of the pressure he felt to meet a masculine and fit body image. “In 2006, one of the catalysts for [my anorexia] was when I got a lead role in a play where I had to appear topless and that was the first time I really thought about my body,” Chawner told Spark. “I started to lose a little bit of weight, and as I started to lose weight everyone kept on telling me that I looked good, and everyone kept on congratulating me.” Chawner’s view and negative response to his own body image increased after going to college and his anorexia became a subliminal response to the change of environment. “I realized that everything had started getting so good when I’d lost weight so surely by that same token, the more weight I lost the better I’d be. I had increasing levels of obsession over calories and exercising and food control,” Chawner told Spark. “One of my teachers just said to me, ‘have you ever thought that you might be anorexic?’ That was the first time that anyone had ever asked me, which made me think. I had never done anything about it because I never felt ‘anorexic enough.’” At 23-years-old, Chawner sought out therapy after being diagnosed as severely clinically anorexic and received help from the

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“I’ve made my peace that I don’t like my body, but my body is what I drive around in. I’m not in a Ferrari but I’m not on a unicycle either. I’m in a middle of the range Toyota and I’m okay with that.” - British Comedian Dave Chawner Mercy Hospital in London. Now he has turned to comedy and is comfortable opening up about his personal struggle to help others. “I was listening to all of these comedians talk about being poor and not being able to find a partner and really terrible things,” Chawner says. “But that kind of comedy was a big garnish and I love that when people are laughing they have to be listening and when they’re listening they can learn and you can use that to entertain but also to educate and inform as well.”

n contrast to body positive influencers who preach the idea of loving everything about your body, Chawner believes it is healthy to not entirely care about how you look but instead be grateful for the body you have. “Telling people to always love their body is yet another unrealistic requirement. I think a good way to think is just to not care. I don’t judge people based on what they look like,” Chawner says. “I’ve made my peace that I don’t like my body, but my body is what I drive around in. I’m not in a Ferrari but I’m not on a unicycle either. I’m in a middle of the range Toyota and I’m okay with that.” Olivardi, when working with patients, teaches them to retrain their minds and thoughts about their bodies. One common disorder his patients struggle with is body dysmorphic disorder, which according to Mayo Clinic is “a mental health disorder in which you can’t stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance.” “You’re not gonna find anybody that is 100% satisfied with their appearance. I’ve worked with models, who have body dysmorphic disorder and who have eating disorders, who, ordinary citizens would look at and think how is that person dissatisfied with the way they looked on the cover of a magazine,” Olivardi says. “But that person is looking at somebody else that they regard as being more ideal, there’s never an end point to it. And so how can we be

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more accepting, and by being accepting doesn’t mean that we don’t want to work at changing aspects of our appearance, but being within healthy boundaries.” More so, Olivardi emphasizes the nonpermanent characteristics that are ones physical appearance. “Our cultural script sends this message that says, ‘you have to hate your body or hate yourself in order to be motivated to lose weight.’ You can accept yourself and not tie your appearance to your self worth and your value; our body image and our appearance is a temporary thing,” Olivardi told Spark. “If our appearance is the main thing that drives self esteem, we’re going to run into major problems. We need to look at other things that are more defining and sustaining to our self esteem like our intelligence, our sense of humor, and our empathy.” Pollitt overall has seen progress in the willingness to learn and discuss masculinity amongst her college students and more of a push in our current society. Temple University opened their first masculinities course through their Gender Sexualities program. “It really has only been in the last handful of years, that the study or consideration of men and masculinity has made it more mainstream. It’s making national headlines in the wake of mass shootings and increasing violence, like how are we raising boys and what does it mean to be a man,” Pollitt told Spark. “The largest signifier of [improvement] in my professional life is that I ran the first ever men and masculinities course through our Gender Sexuality Women’s Studies Program [this year]. And there was a waiting list to get in. It was such a roaring success that it’s going to be offered now as a more permanent staple in the program because of the demand from students.” Haynes has seen the community at East reflect the progress and faults that exist around the country. “High schools tend to be microcosms of society. We’re a mini society that’s just made up of teenagers,” Haynes says. “I do think some

gender norms are starting to finally break out here, and East kind of follows suit.” Haynes views his personal contribution in helping the young students around him, by encouraging his players to open up and supporting them. “The biggest thing in football is the tough guy persona. You see it in sports, this whole idea that it’s all physical, not mental and we’re not talking about any issues,” Haynes says. “I try to do my part by telling my players I love them, showing that there’s no shame in admitting that you struggle, and normalizing that a male in society can be emotional. One of the biggest things that I can relate to is that life can suck it can be really hard, [but] you don’t have to carry it all.”

o r Grace he has learned to deal with the pain but along the way he did so in isolation, which, in retrospect, wasn’t an easy thing to do. “I honestly think my coping was just convincing myself everything was fine,” Seth says. “I had become so used to hiding my emotions that I even started to try to hide them from myself. Rather than facing [everything] I just kinda ignored the pain and eventually life just moved on.” However, Pollitt’s hope lies within a healthier future for men and women to be themselves and find more joy without the restrictions pressures of gender expectations. “Regardless of what your gender identity is, we are all much more similar than we are different. And so to continue to focus on this idea that ‘men are from Mars, women are from Venus’, forces us to cut ourselves off from forming more intimate connections, relationships, and finding a sense of belonging,” Pollitt told Spark. “The most satisfaction happens in closeness and those intimate connections, we know that humans are social animals, and we don’t thrive in isolation.” •

According to Polaris Teen Center, 2.7% of U.S. teens aged 13-18 have an eating disorder.

THE PERFECT STORM East Alumni Lillie Kusel details her years-long struggle with an eating disorder, comparing it to a “perfect storm.” • story ava huelskamp | photography fair use | infographic kaitlin dwomoh

s a child she avoided fruits and vegetables, opting for more appealing choices such as fruit snacks or goldfish crackers. Her parents and siblings started to get exasperated with her picky eating habits, her mother often building meals around what she would and wouldn’t eat. Lillie Kusel grew up as a picky eater, but at the age when most children start to expand their palettes, she restricted hers. The reason: divorce. At 16-years-old, the current University of Cincinnati junior majoring in psychology took on a parenting role for her two younger sisters as her home life was abruptly destroyed. Her parents were going through a divorce, and there was nothing she could do about it. The loss of control over her circumstances led to one of the most physically severe forms of control for Kusel, and she developed an eating disorder. Food became her only focus. For two years Kusel struggled with what would later be diagnosed as anorexia nervosa before calling her mom at 18-years-old to come clean. “Almost every time I stood up, my vision would go dark momentarily, and I had to stand still and wait for it to return. On rollercoaster rides my vision went dark. I felt lightheaded most of the time,” Kusel told Spark. “My hair

was brittle. My skin was yellow and almost green-ish. I was always cold, I carried a portable heater everywhere in the house.” Upon being admitted to the hospital, Kusel was diagnosed with not only Anorexia Nervosa but Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Major Depressive Disorder as well. Kusel was finally getting care after two years of struggle, and had a lot of bodily healing to do. Doctors were worried about her heart rate, blood pressure, and weight. They put a feeding tube in to provide nutrients to Kusel’s severely malnourished system. University of North Carolina Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Camden Matherne researches all different types of eating disorders in children and adolescents. “[The most common disorders are] anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Anorexia is when people who are at a low body weight have trouble seeing the seriousness of that low body weight. and have body image dissatisfaction.,” Matherne says. “Bulimia nervosa is when people are eating a large amount of food and feeling like they just can’t stop. That has to happen at least once a week, and then doing something to make up for that whether it’s fasting, purging or excessively exercising. Binge eating is having

that large amount of food and feeling like you just can’t stop, but you’re not purging.”

olumbus based Instagram influencer Mik Zazon has been sharing her body image story on her Instagram page for two and a half years after struggling with multiple eating disorders including binge eating disorder, bulimia, and a lesser known disorder called orthorexia, which the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) defines as an obsession with proper or ‘healthful’ eating. The 25-year-old began her six year struggle as a sophomore in high school following injuries forcing her to quit as a nationally ranked soccer player. “I felt like I was in my own personal hell; like I was in prison. I would step on the scale multiple times per day,” Zazon says. “No eating disorders are cute, however binge eating disorder is like the unspoken shame of all of the eating disorders. You eat so much to the point that you are going to throw up because of how much food you have consumed.” Zazon’s story began with more than just sports injuries. She has dealt with autoimmune diseases and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) her whole life, as well as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following

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package | eating disorders

eating disorders | package

Eating Disorders:Looking Looking atatthe Facts Eating Disorders: the Facts

42% of people will an eating disorder experience an within their lifetime eating disorder within their lifetime

83% of teens use unhealthy weight control behaviors like fasting, skipping meals and taking laxatives

an abusive relationship spanning four years. “PTSD is really difficult especially with abusive relationships because of the manipulation and the isolation. That relationship introduced me to purging,” Zazon says. “He controlled my food intake, how I made money, where I went to school, where I lived; he controlled every single part of my life. And so that played a very direct part in my experience with bulimia because he introduced it to me, as well as binge eating.”

x p e r t s say the direct cause of eating disorders are completely subject to each individual person, but one theory is the role of mental illnesses. According to NEDA, a study of more than 2400 individuals hospitalized for an eating disorder found that 94% had co-occurring mood disorders, mostly major depression, and 56%were diagnosed with anxiety disorders. Kusel described her experience with mental illnesses alongside her eating disorder. “Before my eating disorder, I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I isolated myself from others during meal times, and that turned into isolating the majority of the time. I didn’t really interact with my family, and my thoughts were very consuming,” Kusel says. “I had no

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94% of people with an eating disorder have a corresponding mental disorder

97% of women have a negative body image

source national eating disorders association

room to think about anyone but myself. When I was admitted to the hospital, I was suicidal on top of my eating disorder, so initially a staff member had to be in my room at all times.” Another cause researchers commonly attribute to the onset of eating disorders is genetic makeup according to the University of California San Francisco Predoctoral Clinical Psychology Fellow Kathryn Huryk. Huryk conducts her research on treatment for anorexia nervosa, body comparisons and body image issues. “Right now our understanding is that eating disorders have a highly genetic component; it’s the interaction of genetics and culture that lead to eating disorders,” Huryk told Spark. “People have a genetic predisposition for the illness, and then depending on the environment they were raised in, the experiences they have in life and the cultural messages they receive, that vulnerability gets activated.” While mental illness and genetic predisposition are the most common factors researchers believe to cause eating disorders, an essential part of most people’s daily lives is also at play: social media. According to The Nielsen Company, a USbased global marketing and research firm that tracks media habits and trends worldwide, the average American spends more than 11 hours a day using online media.

University of California San Francisco Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Jason Nagata accredits media use as well as the perfection perceived on social media sites as a cause of the extreme body image standards that often drive people to the habits that snowball into an eating disorder. “In the last decade or so, social media has been a new influencer in that a lot of social media like Instagram is purely image focused. People are posting lots of selfies and getting more reinforcement from them,” Nagata says. “The other thing about social media is that people can engage themselves; you can post your own pictures and get a lot of feedback. That has been a new phenomenon that can really put a lot of emphasis on body image.”

very unhealthy section of body portrayal in the media is the advertisements of weight loss products and dieting. Matherne says there is a direct relationship between these media images and the development of an eating disorder. “A really big environmental piece is our culture is very focused on diet and body image and weight. There’s a lot of cultural messages that being thinner is better, that eating a certain way is better, that certain

“I felt like I was in my own personal hell; like I was in prison. I would step on the scale multiple times per day. No eating disorders are cute, however binge eating disorder is like the unspoken shame of all of the eating disorders. You eat so much to the point that you are going to throw up because of how much food you have consumed.” - Instagram Personality Mik Zazon foods are good and other foods are bad,” Matherne says. “When trying to adopt that eating style, people hyper focus on their bodies or their shape or their weight and they can actually trigger the trauma that leads to an eating disorder.” Zazon has strong feelings about diet culture, saying that a multi-level marketing diet called Advocare is what initially caused the domino effect into her eating disorders. The diet was a 30-day-long program that her parents got her into during high school, and everything went downhill for her from there. A one diet Zazon speaks on is the ketogenic diet, which according to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) is a dietary regimen introduced by modern physicians in the 1920s to initially be used as a treatment for epilepsy. “It breaks my heart that [corporations] who were greedy decided to take things like keto which was made for children with epilepsy and capitalize on people’s insecurities. It was never made for the average person to do,” Zazon told Spark. “Dairy free and paleo all of those diets are capitalizing off of health issues and it’s so normalized now.” Besides the mental impact eating disorders can have on a person, the most noticeable difference is the changes they can cause to the physical body. Internal organs are largely affected by habits eating disorders introduce to the body. According to NEDA, about 10% of people with anorexia nervosa die from the disorder. “Eating disorders can affect basically every single organ in your body at work. You’re in a state of starvation. When your body doesn’t have enough energy or nutrition to sustain itself, everything shuts down,” Nagata says. “The most important organs are your heart and your brain, so when your heart doesn’t have enough energy to be properly slowed down, it can go into abnormal or weird rhythms.” However, Nagata says that damage to the internal organs can be reversible with recovery. According to the Mayo Clinic, eating disorder recovery can consist of

several steps including a combination of psychological therapy, nutrition education, medical monitoring, and medication.

usel’s recovery was broken down into many steps. Hospitalization, the use of a feeding tube, and spending time with her family along with multiple stays at an inpatient treatment center for rehabilitation. She was put on an eating disorder protocol after meeting with a dietician that consisted of three meals and three snacks a day. Despite the good intentions of the protocol, Kusel says her stay in the rehabilitation center took a psychological toll on her. “During meal times, eating disorder patients had a staff member eat with them and talk to them in order to aid in distraction and support if they needed it. Some meals were harder than others. I am a slow and picky eater on top of my eating disorder, and meals were timed to 30 minutes only,” Kusel told Spark. “You could refuse, however if you refused to eat altogether enough times, the feeding tube would come back. How long you were in the facility was dependent on you. You had to complete all of your meals for three consecutive days before the doctor considered letting you out of the facility.” B i o M e d Central (BMC) conducted a study with 83 anorexia nervosa patients who were enrolled in a relapse prevention program for anorexia nervosa with 18 months follow-up. The study concluded that 11% of participants experienced a full relapse, and 19% of participants experienced a partial relapse. Kusel details her experience with relapse and how it severely affected her self worth. “It felt so defeating. The first time I went into treatment, I was in the actual hospital, then inpatient at a psychiatric facility, followed by outpatient. That whole process took up my entire summer before my first year of college,” Kusel says. “Even with such a support network and with my family beginning to understand my signs of relapse, it is possible to fail. But to

fail even after all that work is gut-wrenching. You begin to wonder if this will always be your life, in and out of the hospital.” Kusel’s sister East sophomore Kirsten Kusel was by Lillie’s side as she was recovering from her eating disorder. As a sister and part of Lillie’s support system, Kirsten witnessed every change and struggle Kusel went through during recovery. “[My family] had to walk on eggshells around her so we wouldn’t say the wrong things to trigger her. It was tough. I felt like I was in a movie, like it wasn’t real,” Kirsten told Spark. “I would go visit her in the hospital and just sit and try to make small talk and make her laugh, but she was super dry and just seemed too sad to talk.” Reducing the rates of eating disorders is not an easy thing to do, but experts believe there are practices that young people can adopt into their daily lives in order to improve their body image and stop the problem before it starts. Huryk suggests monitoring media intake, as well as practicing cognitive therapy exercises. “Young people need to learn how to be a critical participant in the media, which means not believing everything you hear, but learning how to be like, ‘why would the Kardashians be selling me a weight loss shake on Instagram; where’s that message coming from, who benefits from this and why should I listen to it,’” Huryk says. Lillie is now in recovery, and her life has changed tremendously. She adopted a black Labrador Retriever named Lainey, and encourages people to live for themselves and not let others’ opinions dictate how they should live their lives. “My life can now be described as care-free, and light. I would say that I am living my life how I want to, instead of for others,” Lillie says. “I got a tattoo of a cherry blossom tree to symbolize my growth, new-found peace, and my beauty inside and out. You’ll find that this life is what you make it, and that you are in control. Stay brave fellow warriors.” •

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fashion | package East sophomore Avery Campellone defies gender norms with his fashion.

DRESS TO IMPRESS East students use fashion to express themselves, better the environment, and improve their body image. • story audrey allen | photography ianni acapulco | infographic shiloh wolfork

a s t sophomore Emma Lillis doesn’t care what people think. She wears her colorful high waisted collaroy pants paired with a tight, long-sleeved shirt and a baggier top over it. She finishes off the ensemble with a corset and her black platform boots that clomp as she struts through the hallways. She doesn’t listen to what people say about her fashion style; she does it for herself. “I’ve learned I’m at the point where you just stop caring about what people think because they are not going to matter in a couple of weeks,” Lillis told Spark. “Their opinion doesn’t matter to me. I feel confident when I put on a cool outfit and it makes me feel better about myself and that is all that truly matters.” For teens, fashion can speak volumes. According to Residential Teen Treatment Center, teenagers are the most fashionconscious people on the planet. They are doing the hard work of forming their sense of self, what they wear becomes incredibly important. Furthermore, it’s one of the few ways they have to show the world who they are or who they want to be. In addition, fashion can also be a route to gaining social status, bonding with peers, and expressing beliefs and affiliations. Assistant Professor at Parsons School of Design Shireen Soliman says that people can reflect how they feel about their bodies,

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culture, religion, society, gender and professional status, through their clothing. Soliman, who teaches visual communications and fashion courses, says that the space in between how we want to perceive ourselves and how others perceive us is where conversations about fashion choices can happen. “Think back to when Paris was the center of fashion and people waited for the French designers to tell them what was in for that season,” Soliman says. “Now nobody waits for anyone to tell them what is in for that season. Instead people watch the shows and see new ideas being presented on the runway, and we see more of a story based narrative. Fashion is now a space for a global conversation.”

ccording to the Social Issues Research Center, eight out of 10 women are dissatisfied with their reflection, and more than half may see a distorted image when trying on clothes in a clothing store. The report also found that standards of beauty have become harder to attain, particularly for women. The current media ideal of thinness for women is achievable by less than 5% of the female population. Instructor and Sustainability Coordinator at Pratt Fashion Institute Tessa Maffucci finds that history towards fashion contributes to this

East sophomore Avery Campellone is breaking these norms. He applies his mascara and does eyeliner everyday before school. Despite any looks he may get for his unique appearance, Campellone uses his fashion to make a statement. “Clothes and styles don’t have a gender or a certain community that they belong to,” Campellone told Spark. “In this day and age everyone should be able to wear and dress how they want to dress without people caring about societal or gender norms because if it makes you happy then who cares.”

phenomenon. “I teach [students] that what is missing in history is more important than the familiar history we all think we know,” Maffucci says. “Material culture is an inescapable part of the human experience. We negotiate our identities through the objects and material experiences we have in the world. Fashion is starting to move beyond a binary approach to gender. We’ll be seeing much more innovative work that mines past ideas of menswear and womenswear from a historical perspective.” Every period of history has had its own standards of beauty, and every contemporary society has its own distinctive concept of the ideal physical attributes. In the 19th Century, for instance, being beautiful meant wearing a corset. Tying one on was misery and required multiple people and caused breathing and digestive problems. Soliman says that even men’s fashion is becoming more blurred in terms of fashion dictating gender norms. “Throughout history it has always been that womens’ bodies have a lot more freedom and are more creative with fashion, but for men it is limited even as far as color pallets being gendered,” Soliman says. “In fact, about 100 years ago maybe more, in America blue was for girls and pink was for boys. We are trying to break some of those norms. I feel like even if we can’t break the norms, we could get people thinking.

a s t Alumni and sophomore at Pratt Institute Maggie Lehman started selling clothes as a side job in 2018 because she had “too many clothes” and she wanted to get rid of them. But after she started selling, she discovered she really enjoyed going thrift and second hand shopping. Currently, she has sold 1,057 items and is using her business to send a different message. “I would love to work for a company that is taking clothes that already exist and turning them into something new,” Lehman says. “I think sustainable fashion is really important to our planet and our world since fast fashion is a big problem. During my senior year and after I graduated [from East] I started to get more educated about sustainability and fashion. Slowly I have just tried to make that a bigger part of my life.” A group of students at East have taken it a step further and made an eco-friendly, modest sustainable clothing brand, Gemini Clothing, to make people more aware of the fast fashion industry and its effect on the environment. Their team consists of seniors Ream Awad

(Design and Communications); Lillian Elliott (Operations and Media Manager); Alyssa Hampton (Financial Officer); Ayman Saed (Chief of Public Relations); and Jake Ratliff (Marketing Manager). “Jake brought up the fact that fast fashion and the environment needs to be addressed in our business,” Awad told Spark. “We wanted to offer a wide variety of clothing to include modest options into our company.” Gemini Clothing receives clothes from donation drives and then sends the clothes out to manufacturers that can deconstruct materials. The manufacturers take the deconstructed materials then reconstruct it into a new piece of clothing. They send it back to Gemini Clothing ready to sell. This cycle will repeat over and over until the biodegradable material is at the end of its life cycle. This model reduces production that happens in the fashion industry and decreases carbon emissions and negative environmental effects. “We are selling typical clothing, stuff that is trendy. We are trying to address the fast fashion [problem],” Awad says. “So our goal is when someone gets sick of old clothing they will donate it back to us.” They are still waiting to see how much a manufacturer will charge before they estimate prices but they want to keep it lower than other sustainable options so that everyone can afford it. In the fashion industry Soliman says you have to be able to adapt with changes in terms of every level, in terms of how we look at fashion, and in terms of how we consume fashion. “The industry is moving more towards sustainable, ethical circular systems,”

Soliman says. “Instead of fast fashion we’re looking to move into a slower process, where people have more mindful consumption and connection between the fashion industry, climate, and environment.” People that thrift, though, may have difficulty finding clothes in their sizes and feel discouraged. This can lead to bodydissatisfaction. According to Park Nicollet Melrose Center 34% of men are dissatisfied with their body and 50% of Americans aren’t happy with their current weight. Approximately 80% of U.S. women don’t like how they look and 70% of normal weighted women want to be thinner. The percent of 13 year-old American girls that are unhappy with their bodies is 53%. This number grows to 78% by the time girls reach 17. Even though East sophomore Jack Sweeten is learning from home, he still dresses to impress. He likes his clothing to show that he cares about his look while still showing his personality by displaying his favorite musician or movie on his shirt. Sweeten says that being “taken outside of the school hemisphere” allowed him to experiment with fashion and express himself. “In an ideal world, people wouldn’t have to worry about the way they look negatively influencing their own views about themselves. If you get into fashion you can help yourself look the way that you want, and [I think] it’s a great first step to having a positive self image,” Sweeten told Spark. “ Not feeling confident in yourself can definitely change the way you want to present yourself. Over the past couple of months I have more selfesteem and I have been able to present that through my style and my clothing.”•

History of Popular Fashion Trends women: focused on creating an hourglass silouette with masculine/military details, padded shoulders, shirtwaists, A-line skirts men: long, loose jackets, double-pleated pants, big hats, wide ties, sport coats, hawaiian shirts

1920s

women: fake fur and cloth coats, reversible coats, sweater dresses, babydoll dresses with capri leggings men: dad jeans, oversized denim jacket, loose shirts, leather jackets, windbreakers

1960s 1940s

2000s 1980s

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culture | spring fashion

STYLE SPOTLIGHT photography ianni acapulco

R E A M

A W A D

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spring fashion | culture How would you describe your style? My fashion style is really experimental. I like to play around with many different pieces of clothing and make them modest. Typically, I like to wear neutral colors, but I love to play with bright colors as well! My style is a consistency of 90s and 2000s. I like baggy strait pants, trousers, and mom jeans. I love patterned shirts and simple colored shirts because I can wear them with anything. I also love layering clothing. Fashion is a form of expression. What does yours say about you? My style shows that I’m not afraid of what people think. I can wear things that make me confident and comfortable.

Do you enjoy wearing some stuff that’s out there? Or would you rather say rather stay with what you know works. I typically love dressing up even if it’s going to the grocery store. A lot of people will be, “Just wear sweats,” but wearing something that’s out there brings me joy! Does body image play a large part in how you dress? Body image does not play a role in how I dress. How has your style changed over the years? My style has changed drastically over the years. I used to wear things that never matched or very childish items, but as I grew up, I got a sense of my own style. New trends that started to develop just caught my eye and inspired me to mix them into my style.•

How would you describe your style? My style is kind of just a mix of whatever I want to wear. I put comfort first and incorporate different trends. The baseline for every thing I wear is pretty timeless and classic, but I like to throw in different trends. Especially recently, I’ve been wearing styles from the 90s. Fashion is a form of expression. What does yours say about you? I think my style shows that I feel comfortable in my own skin and am not afraid to branch out. There is a creative aspect to it that is another way to express myself. Do you enjoy wearing some stuff that’s out there? Or would you rather say rather stay with what you know works. Sometimes I’ll wear things that are out of my comfort zone like bright colors or bold patterns, but for the most part, I stick to what I know looks good on me style and shape-wise.

Does body image play a large part in how you dress? Yes. My parents have always been big on modesty, and I try to wear things that I feel comfortable in and that don’t show too much. Comfort is key, and I’d rather wear something that I can wear with ease than something that is difficult to move in or that I have to constantly tuck in or adjust. How has your style changed over the years? I used to dress very preppy and basic. I would always wear jeans, sweaters, long necklaces, that kind of style. I think even at one point, I would try to wear a different outfit for every single day and never wear the same thing, which took a ton of effort. Now I care less about the effort I put in and more about how happy or confident I feel in it.•

STYLE SPOTLIGHT

photography ianni acapulco

P I P E R D O R R

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culture | review

DRIVING HOME

review natalie mazey art cassandra mueller

etting your driver’s license is a rite of passage for most, but gaining the title of biggest song in the world with your debut single is a rare feat that few, if any, will ever achieve. Olivia Rodrigo, 17, has accomplished both. In the same year Rodrigo took to the roads, she released her debut single “Drivers License”, which spent the weeks following its release on Jan. 8, 2021 by shattering records after being announced only four days prior. Rodrigo had already amassed a sizable following through her roles on Disney’s “Bizaardvark” and “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” but her first independent single skyrocketed her to success. On TikTok, the hashtag #driverslicense accumulated over 888.5 million views in a single week as millions fell head first into the addictive nature of the song, belting the lyrics in their own cars while adopting Rodrigo’s painful heartbreak as their own. Through Rodrigo’s captivating vocals, she invites the listener into her innermost thoughts, laden with simplicity and truth that’s established within the constant beeping of the seatbelt alarm that begins the song. Speculation about the story behind the song has further played a role in the it’s dominating takeover of the charts. Rodrigo, who is signed to Geffen Records, remains unbothered by the circulating rumors, instead basking in the critical acclaim that bombarded her from the first moment her song was unveiled. On Jan. 11, it broke the Spotify record for most singleday streams for a non-holiday song, before immediately breaking its own record on Jan. 12 with 17.01 million streams. After eight weeks since it’s release, “Drivers License” has seemed to have found a comfortable home within the number one spot on Billboard’s Top 100, Spotify’s Top 200, and the iTunes chart. Rodrigo belts the lines, “red lights, stop signs/ I still see your face in the white cars,

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BREAKING CONVENTION

Left: Olivia Rodrigo has found world-wide success with the release of her first independent single.

front yards,” as the song swells to a spellbinding bridge that has been compared to the likes of Lorde and Taylor Swift, both of whom rose to unprecedented fame in their teen years. The teenage angst that marked Lorde’s “Melodrama” is integrated with Swift’s masterful formula for the perfect bridge into something entirely it’s own. “Drivers License” was co-written and produced by Daniel Nigro, who also produces Conan Gray’s music, another record-breaking singersongwriter. Both of these artists have boasted the influence of Taylor Swift on the evolution of their music as can be seen in the simplistic stories flooded with imagery that lines their songs.

er success in her transition to solo music can’t be attributed to the whims of social media or luck alone; at the heart of the “Drivers License’’ groundbreaking success is it’s masterful lyricism paired with swelling vocals that encapsulate the feelings of heartbreak without malice for anyone else involved. Despite the influences that are interwoven through the cascading notes, Rodrigo has already established herself as a revolutionary of the music industry, creating something that is uniquely hers. As the listener spends four minutes within Rodrigo’s world, it feels like they’ve buckled into the passenger seat of her car, riding through the suburbs with the windows down and music drowning out the yearning of lost love.•

0:00

-4:02

“Drivers License” is the lead single for Rodrigo’s debut EP whose release date has yet to be announced. 16,000 digital downloads and received more than 21 million streams in the first three days. The song’s total streams increased by 122% on its second day, and rose another 32% in its third day. Highest weekly streaming total in the world for a song by a female artist, with 130,060,000 streams, surpassing the 130,042,000 sum for Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You”.

Sherlock Through the Years

review andie madding art rachel anderson infographic natalie mazey

new spin on the classic book series “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,” provides a fresh view of the world Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created. The Netflix Original movie, Enola Holmes, follows the story of Sherlock Holmes’ sister Enola and her adventures in the late 19th century. She tries to solve the disappearance of her mother and find out who set a hitman on her new friend Lord Tewkesbury. The storyline is packed with suspense and adventure and contains many plot-twists throughout. The plot is full of action and clue-solving but is also very easy to follow for the audience. It has the perfect amount of suspense and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire movie. While it was an amazing film, Netflix missed an opportunity to format the screenplay as a series of episodes. This would have left more time for character development, especially that of Enola and Tewkesbury’s family. The action could have been even more dramatic by leaving a cliffhanger at the end of each episode. Drawing out the plot would present more opportunity for suspense throughout the series

and allow the profound emotions shown by each character to be fully explored. Enola Holmes had some of the best casting I have seen in a long time. Enola is played by Millie Bobby Brown, a fantastic young actress who also plays Eleven in Stranger Things. Seasoned actress Helena-Bohnam Carter plays Enola’s mother and Henry Cavill, of Superman fame, is Sherlock Holmes. The audience was introduced to up-and-coming actor Louis Partridge as Lord Tewkesbury, who did an amazing job at bringing the role to life. All of these casting decisions were phenomenal, and I loved and related to every character in the movie.

he emotions portrayed by Enola and Tewkesbury were especially authentic and helped me to connect with their characters. In the movie, both Tewkesbury and Enola fight gender-norms and work toward a better society throughout the movie, which I appreciated as a fellow teenager. Tewkesbury helps to vote for the progressive movement and Enola battles the conventional way of thinking for women in that period of time. Unlike most films, the “fourth wall” was broken throughout the movie. This means that Enola would talk to the camera and explain her thoughts straight to the audience. Movies usually use visuals to help move the story along, but this film does the opposite. Enola uses direct dialogue to explain what is happening while adding a comedic element. This can be good when used in small amounts, but Enola Holmes takes it too far. Taking out a few of the fourth wall breaks would leave more plot for the audience to interpret and “solve.” The movie is based on a series of books written by Nancy Springer titled, “The Enola Holmes Mysteries.” There are six books, the first, “The Case of the Missing Marquess” has been adapted for this program. This means that there is more of Enola’s story to be told and leaves me wanting sequels to this

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“Enola Holmes” begins streaming on Netflix.

The animated movie Sherlock Gnomes premiers, a sequal to “Gnomeo and Juliet”.

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BBC America’s Sherlock airs, starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role.

The first movie adatption of the Sherlock Holmes series entitled Sherlock Holmes premiers.

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Conan Doyle publishes his first Sherlock Holmes Story, “A Study in Scarlet”.

fantastic movie. This movie deserves all of the praise it has received for the amazing plot, casting, and filmmaking. It received an astounding 91% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was watched by more than 76 million households within four weeks of the release. It can be enjoyed by any age and is a smart “movie night” choice to keep the whole family entertained. This has definitely made my top five movie list of all time.•

Enola Holmes, played by Mille Bobby Brown, and Tewkesbury, played by Louis Partridge, meet on a train as Enola begins the search for her mother. April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 59

culture | review

A COSMIC QUEST

he alternation between the soft sound of the ticking chess clock and the abrupt click of starting the opponent’s clock were the soundtrack of this series. However, at its core, this seemingly straightforward sports drama proved to be about so much more than chess. The Queen’s Gambit, a miniseries based off of the 1983 book by Walter Tevis, was released by Netflix on Oct. 23, 2020. The series is titled in reference to a popular chess opening that is known for its skillful attack. Although the series is fictional, the story is inspired by real events within Tevis’s experiences as a Class C competitive chess player. Directed by Scott Frank, The Queen’s Gambit is a beautifully emotional tango between greatness and vulnerability. The miniseries follows the life of chess prodigy Elizabeth (Beth) Harmon as she strives to become the world’s greatest player in a maledominated field while battling addiction and emotional turmoil. With only seven episodes, the limited series leaves the audience begging for a second season. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the series set Netflix’s viewing record for mostwatched scripted limited series. About 62 million member accounts have watched at least a couple of minutes of the show over its first four weeks. The series has also won the 2021 Golden Globe award for Best TV Limited Series, and rightfully so. The Queen’s Gambit boasts an impressive cast headed by actress Anya Taylor-Joy. If you don’t recognize Taylor-Joy from her performance in the period horror film The Witch or her role as Gina Gray in the English c r i m e television show Peaky Blinders, it’ll be difficult to forget her

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review zach shultz | art cassandra mueller | infographic mary barone

Below: Chess prodigy Beth Harmon, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, considers her next move.

CHECKMATE review shiloh wolfork | art cassandra mueller

astonishing talent as the quirky, red-headed Elizabeth Harmon. Taylor-Joy portrays Beth from ages 15 and up, and she truly breathes life into this period drama. Her unique features, such as her wide eyes and interesting face shape, connect her to the 1950s/1960s setting in a very sophisticated way, and her poised demeanor skillfully communicated Beth’s feelings with relatable imperfection. With each match that Beth wins throughout the show, it became harder for me to believe that Taylor-Joy had very limited knowledge of chess before this role. While watching the series, the obvious depth of her understanding of Beth blew me away. According to the US Sun, a news entertainment organization, it only took Taylor-Joy about an hour and half to devour the book and fall in love with her character. From there, she trained with world-renowned chess trainer Bruce Pandolfini to pick up the basic rules of the game, and for individual scenes, she memorized each specific move like choreography. The series’ portrayal of addiction is just one of the many things that makes it so special. Although I found the chess matches interesting, I never doubted that Beth’s main opponent is always herself. Her love for the game consumes her with the prospect of perfection. She experiences a constant tightrope walk between brilliance and obsession. At the orphanage, she was exposed to drugs and when she’s adopted, her adoptive mother encouraged her to drink alcohol. So for Beth, these substances have always been her safe haven. When Beth uses alcohol and drugs, she is able to visualize the chess board and practice different

strategies in her head. Although this portrayal is a prominent representation of the power that the drugs have over her, I really appreciated that the series didn’t fail to recognize that the drugs are not responsible for her talent. It would have been superficial and disappointing if the creators misrepresented Beth’s addiction by implying that her talent is drug-induced because she takes pills before most of her matches. Instead, the series doesn’t hesitate to explore the realistic depths of her addiction. The trope is rejected in Beth’s final match when she is able to visualize her mental chess board while sober for the first time. In this tearjerker of an ending, Beth proves to herself that she doesn’t need drugs or alcohol to play well.

noher aspect of the show that kept me in constant awe was Beth’s relentlessness to achieve greatness within a male-dominated domain. Her indifference toward gender norms and societal expectations was so inspiring to me. She was never intimidated by being one of the few women in the game, and she didn’t directly respond to the sexism she faced. I admired how she let her determination to become the best speak for itself. Taylor-Joy depicts the character in a way that ensures each member of the audience is invested in Beth. Throughout the series, I never judged her for her addiction. I sympathized and connected with her because I’d been given an opportunity to understand her struggles. I respected her courage and applauded her strength. The Queen’s Gambit is not only a marvelous tale of feminism in a sexist era; it is a coming-of-age masterpiece. I’ve never played chess nor have I ever found chess particularly interesting, yet I found myself genuinely engaged in Beth’s every move. When it comes to series’ that are rich in passion, strength, and persistence, The Queen’s Gambit is the Grandmaster. •

Right: Tae-ho, played by Song Joong-ki, wears his spacesuit within a crew of space sweepers.

he setting is the year 2092, where Earth has become nearly uninhabitable because of loss of trees and increased desertification. A corporation named UTS rises among the dying human population, building an orbiting home in space that mimics the processes of nature from Earth. This splits the rich and the poor, with only the former being able to ascend to this new safe haven. Some of the “non-UTS citizens” take jobs as space sweepers, collecting space debris in Earth’s orbit and selling it to the company to survive. The company works towards making Mars a new Earth, using genetically modified plants to make it safe for humans. This is the premise of “Space Sweepers”. “Space Sweepers” is a South Korean film directed and written by Jo Sung-hee, and is considered to be the first Korean space blockbuster, only releasing on Netflix on February 5th, 2021. The budget was roughly around $21.2 million when converted to U.S. dollars. It stars Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri, Jin Seon-kyu, and Yoo Hae-jin as the titular “space sweepers”, piloting a spaceship named the Victory.

Zach’s Top 5 Space Opera Stories:

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Star Wars film franchise (1977-)

Halo video game series (2001-)

Cowboy Bebop anime series (1998-1999) Guardians of the Galaxy film series (2014-) Thor: Ragnarok film (2017)

I am a big fan of science fiction, more specifically the space opera genre. Movies and TV shows such as “Star Wars”, “Guardians of the Galaxy”, and “Cowboy Bebop” have always been favorites of mine, because of their great casts of characters, vast locations, interesting technology, exciting battles, and emotional conflicts. “Sweepers” was no different. The plot itself was funny, exciting, and very tense and emotional at times. It was funny because of great jokes throughout, and the emotional parts really worked because they happened after you had grown attached to the characters. It did a great job with themes of poverty (the poor not being able to enter UTS’s new home), classism (UTS-citizens vs. non-UTS citizens), empathy (characters become empathetic over the course of the story), and environmental justice (UTS tries to desert the Earth without trying to make the environment better). The cast and characters being racially diverse is another plus. More than anything, the film is no different from others in its genre, with technology and battles that were on-par with similar elements in other space opera stories.

he soundtrack was done by South Korean composer Kim Tae-seong, and while it wasn’t memorable like other iconic movie soundtracks such as “Star Wars” and “Jurassic Park”, it did a fantastic job with the right choice of music for each scene. Although, there are a few slow spots with heavy amounts of exposition strewn into the plot that break away from the pacing and can be hard to keep up with. There are fair amounts of clichés with the ending and villains, but there were also some good surprises that I didn’t see coming. All of the main characters had lovable personalities, and I really enjoyed watching the growth they go through during the story. A small cast allowed the main characters to be fleshed out and developed throughout the film. Like any sci-fi spaceship crew, the interactions

between characters was one of the best parts of the film, just because of all the entertaining jokes and comments characters made towards each other. I was unfamiliar with the whole cast, but I loved all of their performances, especially English actor Richard Armitage’s, who played the founder of UTS.

his film was visually spectacular, to put it simply. So many scenes and shots were absolutely stunning and beautiful, such as expansive shots of a dying Earth and scenes of unique spaceships fighting in either small or large environments. They gave the film an abundance of character, and it made you feel that there was a lot of love put into it. Most of these scenes I’m talking about were done in post-production from green screens meaning the actors had to imagine what they were looking at. But even if they were done on a computer, they are pleasing and again, give the film character. Now, sometimes the visuals can be a downside. Certain scenes in the Victory or tight residential areas are crowded with colors and can make it hard to follow what’s going on, especially with the camera work during fight scenes and other scenes in these areas. But every visual in space is, again, engaging. So, overall, aside from some clichés and confusing exposition dumps and locales, the film was really fun to watch and had some great characters and powerful moments. It met my expectations as a space opera film and executed the elements of the genre well. Anyone who enjoys science fiction, specifically space operas, or wants to see more Korean films after the success of “Parasite” two years ago, I recommend “Space Sweepers.”•

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culture | pic six

PIC SIX: FISH SANDWICHES reviews and photography | kaden papadatos

PIC SIX: FISH SANDWICHES

pic six | culture

#1 NORTHSTAR CAFE N

#4 PUTTER’S SPORTS GRILL P

#2 LONG JOHN SILVER’S W

#5 BUFFALO JOE’S B

#3 HOOK FISH AND CHICKEN A

#6 MCDONALD’S M

7610 Sloan Way West Chester, OH 45069 | $17.50 orthstar cafe is known for being appetizing, maintaining quality, and being expensive. After ordering their fish sandwich with fries, I can say for certain that these are all correct. Northstar cafe did a great job at creating a nice and safe dining experience for all, which nowadays is a relief. I felt comfortable eating there and taking my time. First trying the fries, they were really good; they were a good middle ground between crisp and soft and not greasy in the slightest. The fish, though, was amazing - tender and smokey. The only problem was the bread, which only really covered the great taste of the fish with great sides to match.The biggest drawback is the price, which is the heftiest of the six, but if you can swing it I strongly recommend it.•

7419 Tylersville Rd West Chester, OH 45069 | $5.69

hen thinking about a fish fast food restaurant, Long John Silver’s is the first restaurant that comes to mind with its ocean theme. The restaurant has become synonymous with fish itself. Long John Silver’s meets the expectations that come along with being the forefront of fish with their Cod Sandwich head on and does not disappoint. The fish, tartar, and bun all are amazing and flavorful with the real standout being, rightfully, the fish. The fish had a really crispy bite and had a good and flavorful taste which was only made better by the tartar sauce. The worst part of the meal, however, were the fries. They seemed stale and tasteless, almost as if they were sitting out for a while and weren’t served fresh.Overall, Long John Silver’s is a great sandwich but is lacking with the fries. It’s worth the price for the sandwich alone.•

2021 S Erie Blvd Hamilton, OH 45011 | $4.99

unique restaurant, Hook Fish and Chicken, is a surprising gem of a restaurant. They had the best bang for your buck with fries and a sandwich. I ordered the fish fillet on my sandwich, and the meal was made fresh with a relatively short prep time. The meal itself was sizable, the fries were a generous helping, which, on the advice of the chef, I put cajun spice on, and I would have to say were great tasting and full of flavor. The sandwich was loaded with toppings like tomatoes, lettuce, and red onions that really did a great job at enhancing the already good flavor of the fish and adding a great taste. The bun was tasty and has been the best of all, but the major detractor of it is the tartar sauce. It was a little overpowering and had too much of an almost sour taste and kind of made my stomach feel upset.•

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6575 Cincinnati Dayton Rd Liberty Township, OH 45044 | $12.00 utter’s is seemingly always crowded, even in the midst of COVID-19. Their Cod sandwich is touted to be award winning, and I would have to say the crowd and awards are somewhat unwarranted. The servers were kind and friendly and weren’t afraid to go the extra mile. The fish came out fresh, and definitely tasted as such.The fish was crispy and had a good taste. It was only made better by the tartar’s tang. The bread didn’t help the taste like the other sandwiches that I’ve tried, but it was still a good sandwich. The price was the only downside. The chips are mostly tasteless as most saratoga chips are. For a consolation prize they were the best out of the 1 order of chips I had received, as most restaurants decided on fries. The sides weren’t impressive and the sandwich wasn’t anything above The Putter’s Cod sandwich is a good sandwich and with a poor price point.•

9243 Schulze Dr West Chester, OH 45069 | $5.99 uffalo Joe’s Family Restaurant is a unique blend of your typical fast food restaurant and your run-of-the-mill sports bar. Like most sports bars though, the most redeeming feature, at least when it comes to fish sandwiches, is the atmosphere. Buffalo Joe’s fish sandwich wasn’t the most outstanding sandwich. The fish itself was decently crispy and had a good flavor but the toppings definitely held it down. All their lettuce and tomatoes were less flavorful than the others’ fish sandwiches and definitely hid the flavor of the fish. The tartar as well had little flavor. The sandwich also seemed to fall apart very quickly, which actually was a good thing as I could have the fish without the toppings. Overall, Buffalo Joe’s is a swing and a miss.•

7085 Liberty Centre Dr Liberty Township, OH 45069 | $4.79 cDonald’s isn’t really known for their amazing quality and generally has a poorer reputation overall. Even though the lines on Fridays during lent might be long, let’s just say the Fillet-o-Fish did not lend any credence to the opposite. I was hit with two things about the fillet-o-fish that really stuck out to me; it was small and upon further inspection, the cheese and tartar sauce were only on about half of a sandwich. My first bite was disappointing.The fish didn’t have a standout taste, and the bun, while alright, felt out of place taste-wise compared to the rest of the sandwich. It was like a blob of flavor. The only improvement was the tartar sauce, which I would say is the best part of the sandwich, once again, only on half of the sandwich.•

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 63

gymnastics | sports

Forage’s goal is making sure their plant community and anyone looking to join feels comfortable and welcome. They believe keeping a wide variety of different plants will help appeal to anyone, and how they do that is by receiving two shipments of all sorts different plants from a local greenhouse. “I would describe Forage as thoughtful chaos, and with it being like that it was intriguing the way the staff new where everything was and how incredibly helpful they were when it came to whatever I needed and the plant project I was working on.” Michelle Kilby a frequent Forage shopper says. What started off as a little shelf that provided sustainable living products within Forage, soon expanded into the idea of a sister shop based solely off of sustainable living. “When Jamie and I were trying to find ways of expanding our product assortment, we quickly realized how this idea could be its own brand entirely instead of confined to the little shelf in Forage,” Hall says.

Inside of Forage, the walls are lined with a variety of plants, ranging from succulents to aloe vera. Prices start at $4 for 2” succulents and cacti.

GROWING GREENER The sister stores Forage and Koko take Cincinnati by storm with their environmental mentality. story and photography caitlin o’donnell

alking in the energetic doors of either Forage or Koko, the shopper is invited to a world that has an appreciation for our earth’s environment and the little green wonders it creates. Forage is an interior plant shop while Koko is a sustainable living shop. Even though both Forage and Koko are separate brands, they still work together with the purpose of serving its patrons in a cleaner, greener way. “We started Forage off of the idea plant lovers can have a place where they can truly be a community and can thrive and feel empowered,” owner of Koko and co-owner of Forage Adria Hall says. In 2016, the dream of escaping their office jobs and creating a plant community became a reality when Forage plant shop was opened in Louisville Kentucky. The interior plant shop, owned by Jamie Fairman and her business partner Adria Hall, has now opened its seventh location in Cincinnati, providing a community for plant lovers who view plants as more of a need than a want. “I think there is a lot of fear around owning

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plants,” Hall says. “People love them, but the fear of killing them can be overwhelming, so we really try to instill the confidence of a good plant parent by providing all sorts of resources on how to care for your plant.” Forage provides ethically sourced and sustainably made hard goods as well as goods made outside of the U.S. because they want to be able to provide a space where anyone can

“There’s no one size fits all for sustainability; there’s no right or wrong way to do it” -Koko Store Manager Alex Brewer find goods they can enjoy and afford. “Overall we want to provide products that are accessible to anyone’s financial status,” Manager of Forage Anna Condron says. “That’s why it’s important for us to have that wide variety for people to choose from.”

oko’s goal is making the idea of living a sustainable lifestyle a reality for all. Their curated collection of sustainable products is there to provide less waste and good living. Koko is a shop that provides resources and goods that are for all people, striving to make accessibility and inclusivity nonnegotiable. “There’s no one size fits all for sustainability; there’s no right or wrong way to do it,” store manager of Koko Alex Brewer says. “It’s a journey that looks different for everyone, so ultimately trying to make it less intimidating and more comfortable is really what Koko tries to push.” Koko not only provides sustainable hard good products but also is a refilerary that people can visit and fill up products from Koko or their own bottles and containers from home. The refilerary provides products that range from household care, personal care, essential oils, and everything in between. “Cutting down waste is the goal so people aren’t buying new containers with the same products over and over again,” Brewer says. “Instead, refilling their already existing containers is ultimately better for them and the environment.” Both brands provide services that want to ultimately help the environment and its people, so they make sure their mighty team of earth loving employees spread the word of inclusivity and knowledge to its customers about the cleaner lifestyle. “Needless to say neither of the brands are done growing,” Hall says. “They are both services people really need and want, and we want to be able to provide it to as many people as possible [to continue] spreading our message of sustainability, healthy living and inclusivity.”•

East sophomore, Avery Davis, performing a handstand dismount on vault.

Over 86,000 gymnastics injuries each year require professional treatment.

REBOUND RECOVERY

The two areas where gymnastics injuries happen most are school (40%) and sports arenas (39.7%).

A head injury postponed the gymnastic season of East sophomore, Avery Davis. • story aubry buchanan | art and infographic evie colpi

ast sophomore, Avery Davis spreads powdery chalk on her hands as she warms up for what she thought was going to be just another gymnastics competition. She paced along the edge of the mat getting some last minute stretching in before it was her time to shine on the mat. As the first few notes of the song started she took a deep breath and started her routine. It started off smoothly, but her roundoff back tuck landed too soon and resulted in a concussion that led to a two month suspension in her gymnastics career. “All I wanted to do was get back into the gym and train,” Davis says. East gymnastics coach, Mardi Dagley, was impressed by Davis’ teamwork and dedication. “She wanted more than anything to be cleared to compete before our district championships. When she found out she wasn’t going to be cleared, she made sure she came to support her teammates,” Dagley says. Being a gymnast is hard on the body and comes with a lot of physical pain to begin with, but the physical pain that caused her not to

play, also came with mental pain. She had a slow and severe concussion recovery. “I had to follow all the steps it took to come back to doing what I love,” Davis says. Coming back to the sport she loves has proved to have some setbacks. One of these setbacks is a fear of throwing her back tuck, the skill that led her to deferring her season for weeks.

avis’ teammate and East gymnast, Kayla Scanlon, recognized Davis’ struggles with recovery. “When a gymnast takes time off they risk losing skills they worked so hard to get,” Scanlon says. Getting hurt and having such a hard recovery time led Davis to be fearful that she had lost some of her skill and her biggest fear was not being as good as she was before. As Davis works towards her goal of getting better and back to competing during her off season, she feels amazing knowing that she is pushing through what was such a big set back.•

Commonly injured areas of the body in gymnastics include the upper extremities (42.3%), lower extremities (33.8%), head and neck (12.9%), and the torso (10.4%).

70% of gymnastics injuries happen during apparatus events, 41.9% happen during floor exercise and 28.2% on uneven bars.

source stopsportsinjuries.org

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wrestling | sports “My favorite part of coaching is working with wrestlers with the goal of helping them become better than they can be. I want all of our wrestlers to go beyond their full potential,” Fetzer says. “Instilling mental toughness, desire, grit, and focus are some of the goals I have in coaching our team.”

ven in a year where the program has faced its own set of challenges regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, he is still looking to build a winning culture. Wrestlers have been shuffled in and out of the lineup due to positive COVID-19 cases and quarantines, which has created a season like no other. After winning several conference and sectional championships at West, it is safe to say that Coach Fetzer knows exactly what it takes to build a championship team. This mentality is reflected both in the wrestling room and in the weight room, where many of the wrestlers have spent a lot of time working out this past off-season. East senior Will Gibson (138) took immediate notice of this, and emphasized how shifting his focus to improving his strength in the weight room has allowed him to be in the best shape of his life. “We have started lifting and working out a lot more frequently since Coach Fetzer took

Above: East wresling coach, Scott Fetzer, observes Traves Tideswell (left) and Tyler Linam (right) in a practice match.

PASSING THE TORCH

Former West head coach Scott Fetzer is looking to build upon the winning culture left behind by former East Head Wrestling coach Chad Craft. story mason wise | photography cassandra mueller

t the beginning of the wrestling season, East Athletic Director Richard Bryant took to Twitter to announce the hiring of Scott Fetzer, an engineering instructor at the West Freshman School, as the new head coach of the wrestling program. After two historically successful seasons under coach Chad Craft, East looked to their first year assistant coach for a head coaching change after Craft decided to step down in order to spend more time with his family. Since Fetzer accepted the job back in Sept., the trajectory of the program has completely changed. But Fetzer’s path to becoming head

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coach at East has certainly been an interesting one. Before becoming an assistant coach at East in 2019, Fetzer was the head of the West wrestling program for 13 successful seasons and was inducted into the Lakota Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017. After his historic run at West, winning seven Greater Miami Conference (GMC) championships, seven sectional championships, and a district championship, Fetzer was forced to take a break from coaching due to family reasons. But ultimately, Fetzer’s passion for the sport eventually won out as he returned to coaching a few years later.

“I stepped away from being a head coach because of family issues,” Fetzer says. “Coaching at East last year reminded me of how much I missed the sport and working with our student athletes.” After spending the 2019-20 season as assistant to departing Chad Craft, who led the Hawks to a second place finish at the 2019 GMC Championship, Fetzer was a head coach once again. Fetzer had already coached with Craft back in his tenure at West. Ever since Fetzer took over, one thing is very obvious: he wants every one of his wrestlers to maximize any opportunities that come their way and reach their fullest potential.

over,” Gibson says. “I like how he sets high expectations for us and always pushes us to our fullest potential.” Not only has Fetzer continued to build and advance the culture of the East Wrestling program, but he has put a strong emphasis on making his wrestlers better everyday and maximizing their potential. Max Boaz (138), a senior leader for the team, expressed that Fetzer has done a great job of building relationships with his wrestlers on a personal level, creating a “family” atmosphere. “The thing I like most about Coach [Fetzer] is the fact that he really cares about each wrestler. You can tell just by talking to him that he wants to get the most out of you,” Boaz says. “His love for the sport is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.” Another senior, Eli Willis, who is in his fourth year with the East Wrestling program and has seen multiple coaching changes, says Fetzer is a coach who genuinely cares about his wrestlers and their successes. “I like that he is not afraid to show emotion and get excited. He is a very honest coach and tells you exactly what the problem is and how to fix it,” Willis says. “He brings the energy to the matches and the rest of the team feeds off of that energy too.” Not only is Fetzer known to be a high-

energy guy in the wrestling room during practice, but he gets just as fired up during matches as well. His aggressive coaching style has certainly rubbed off on his wrestlers, especially Gibson, who has come a long way in developing his skills as a wrestler this past season. “Coach has taught us to be more aggressive and score quick points at the beginning of matches,” Gibson says. “This is different from other coaches I’ve had in the past, who focused more on being defensive and trying not to get too aggressive.”

hen Fetzer took over as head coach at East, he was faced with a tall task. The program was coming off one of its best seasons in a long time after their second place finish at GMC’s last year. But even through the pandemic, he has been able to lead his team through plenty of challenges, both on and off the wrestling mat. “To say this year has been a challenge is an understatement. We have been dealt a rough set of cards but we are moving forward and doing the best we can do with those cards,” Fetzer says. “I continue to tell our wrestlers to do the best they can with the things they can control and be mentally tough with the things you can’t control.” •

BOAZ FINSIHES EIGHTH AT STATE story mason wise | photography jake ratliff

ast senior Max Boaz (138) finished the 2021 season with an amazing 38-5 record. After being just one spot away from qualifying for the 2020 Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) state championships in his junior year, Boaz was determined to do everything in his power to take on state his senior year. It has been his goal all along, to get to the OHSAA District Championship and claim one of the top four spots in his weight class, which would then give him the opportunity to compete with the best of the best in the state of Ohio. Boaz changed his diet, spent countless hours in the weight room getting stronger, and expanded his inventory of wrestling moves that he knew would be necessary when he reached the postseason. This dedication paid off, and he placed 3rd in the 138 lb. weight class at the OHSAA District Championships, sending him to state along

Above: Last season, East wrestler Max Boaz (right) would go on to pin his Middletown opponent. Boaz finished eighth in the state this season. with just 15 other qualifiers across Ohio. “It felt absolutely amazing to qualify for state,” Boaz says. “All I’ve wanted for the past 13 years was to make it to state, and hopefully place in the top eight. I’m really proud of myself for putting in the work to accomplish both of my lifetime wrestling goals. After finishing 8th at the OHSAA State Championship in the 138 lb. weight class and being the only East wrestler to make it out

of districts, Boaz is hoping to continue his wrestling career at the collegiate level, although he has not yet committed to a school. “If I do decide to go to college next year, I will definitely wrestle. It would just feel too weird going through the winter season without having anything to do,” Boaz says. “But as for my career moving forward, I think I will be fully prepared for whatever my future holds.” •

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basketball | sports

“To put it simply, we were dominant. In the span from second grade until we got to high school, you could probably count the amount of losses we had on two hands. We were a very talented group. We played so well together which gave us a huge advantage over our competition.”-East junior Nate Adkins

Left: The boy’s fourth grade Cincy Shock team after winning the league championship. Right: Kobe Peck shoots a layup as teamates Kyle Poppe and Nate Adkins hold off defenders in a 73-41 victory against Sycamore.

THUNDERBIRDS TO THUNDERHAWKS

Adkins developed a fast-paced system which included lots of ball movement and quick transitions. This style of play could only be executed by players that trust each other and that are used to playing with each other. There was less focus on rebounds and more focus on turnovers. “Sometimes you’re sacrificing some offensive rebounds by getting back on defense and making sure you contain the basketball,” Adkins says. “Part of not sending a bunch of guys to the glass is you keep teams out of transition offense.” East’s defense shined this year, with a big focus on aggression. East had the second most steals in the league with 202. Sophomore Jack Kronauge, juniors Nate Adkins and Evan Spicer, and senior Nate Johson all finished in the top 25 in the GMC for steals - Johnson at third. East finished second in points allowed per

game with 38.5. They also had the highest difference between average points scored and average points allowed. This bond between the players has also allowed them to overcome the lack of seniors on the team. The number of seniors on the team dropped dramatically following the graduation of the 2020 class. The team went from six seniors one season, to two the next. Even with Nate Johnson’s talent, the 6’3” guard who will be headed to the University of Akron to continue his career next year, the team was still lacking experienced upperclassmen. The junior class was obligated to take a step up and lead. “With only one senior who really played, we knew, as a whole, that all of us needed to step up,” says East junior Charlie Kenrich. “One of our junior captains, Kobe Peck, really kept us locked in all year and led us.” This was only ever going to work with this

exceptional group of players. The team finished second in the GMC, behind Fairfield. They moved on to the playoffs, but a loss to LaSalle in the second round marked the end of their season. This group will be seniors next season. They will have played together for 11 years.

ith a strong senior class and soon-to-be juniors like 6’2” shooting guard Jack Kronauge and 6’5” big man Austin Siereveld, this next season should be one for the books. “Playing together for so long has brought us all to be so close, on and off the court. It’s almost that I don’t really see them as friends or teammates anymore, but closer to being a brother,” Nate says. “The chemistry we share on the court has grown tremendously over the years, and now we all play out there seamlessly. It’s been a blessing to play with these guys for so long.”•

Six East juniors have been playing basketball together since second grade. • story ben stowe | photography cassandra mueller and used with permission | infographic evie colpi

or the past 10 years, one team has consistently dominated on the court. From Thunderbirds, a youth basketball league affiliated with Lakota, to East varsity basketball, six players have stuck together the whole way. It all started in second grade. Clinton Adkins, now head basketball coach at East who teaches American History and Sociology, had the idea to put together a competitive Thunderbirds team and asked some of the best players in the league to join. Charlie Kenrich, Kobe Peck, Jadon Coles, Kyle Poppe, and Adkins’ son, Nate, all came together to form an unstoppable force. TJ Kathman joined the year after. Now East junior, Nate Adkins, recalls the team’s success. “To put it simply, we were dominant,” Nate says. “In the span from second grade until we got to high school, you could probably count the amount of losses we had on two hands. We were a very talented group. We played so well together which gave us a huge advantage over our competition.” The team moved up from Thunderbirds

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to Cincy Shock, in fourth grade, to find better competition. They won a number of tournaments and showcases during their elementary school years. The success continued as they began playing at the junior high level, in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC). “We all ended up at Liberty Junior High together, where we won back to back GMC championships,” Nate says. “Then in high school, not a lot changed. As sophomores, a number of us played roles in getting to a regional final game before the season was canceled due to COVID-19.” The original five: Kyle Poppe, Jadon Coles, Nate Adkins, Kobe Peck, and Charlie Kenrich were all listed on the varsity roster their sophomore year. The team was on a 16 game winning streak before the cancelation. Kobe Peck, specifically, made a difference on the court. He averaged 24.6 minutes and 5.9 points a game up until a season-ending injury, a torn meniscus in his right knee, against Hamilton in week seven. Jadon Coles also played a big role his sophomore year with a field goal percentage of

51.6% and a free throw percentage of 80.0%. He played an average of 20.6 minutes a game. In their junior season, they faced a new obstacle - height. “This year we’re not very big at all,” Adkins says. “We’re very guard oriented.”

ven though they had a few players near 6’3”, like Charlie Kenrich and Nate Johson, they had nobody tall enough to compete against the 6’5” and above players on other GMC teams such as Sycamore and Hamilton. The solution was speed. “We tried to play more in transition and kept the tempo of the game high,” says Lakota East junior Jadon Coles, who averaged eight points a game, this season, with a shooting percentage of 58.0% from the field. Being effective when shooting was also exceedingly important. East led the league in field goal percentages with 51.5%. No other team in the league made more than half their shots from the field. East was also second in shooting percentages from three with 40.4%, just barely overshadowed by West with 41.1%.

2020-2021 STATS Nate Adkins 100% free throw percentage

Kyle Poppe 52.5% on three point shots

Kobe Peck averaged 9.2 points per game

Charlie Kenrich averaged 3.8 rebounds per game

Jadon Coles 58% field goal percentage

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 69

sports | swimming

brad reid | sports to better myself but also to have fun.” Colten Simkins, East Junior, lifts with Reid and agrees that he is significantly more positive now because of going to the gym. “Brad has been more positive and motivated both in the gym and in school.” Simkins says. He helps others by going to the gym one on one and showing them where to start. Beginning to lift can be overwhelming and it can be difficult to maintain motivation.

East junior Maggie Huss prepares for her event at a swim meet.

O East junior Brad Reid squatting 225 lbs at Fitworks gym.

KEEPING THE SPIRIT ALIVE Although COVID-19 protocols made team spirit difficult to achieve, the East swim team finds a way to enjoy their season. • story skylar mckay | art evie colpi

s she comes up for air she hears nothing but silence -- swimming in her first race of the season with no parents, no siblings, and no friends to cheer her

on. East sophomore and Junior Varsity swimmer Maggie Huss describes how this year’s swim season has been different due to COVID-19. Executing team spirit is difficult to achieve when put under such strict protocols. Staying six feet apart at all times was one of the most difficult policies to abide by during the swim season, according to Huss. “I feel like team bonding and spirit is created when you are close together,” Huss says. “Whether that means cheering in a circle together or just giving one another high fives and hugs.” East physical science teacher and swim team head coach, Dennis Beck, comments on the spirit of the team this season. Beck said that the team dynamic has been altered. “We had districts this past weekend and there was no spirit,” Beck says. “It was very flat and dead, just because there weren’t 2,000 people at Miami University watching a swim meet.” Following districts, three East swimmers prepare for state and the protocols only get

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more complex. The East swimmers preparing for state are Evan Devine, Adam McDonald, and Isabelle Gomez. Beck comments on the protocols of the state meet this season. “We are only allowed to have one coach. Athletes are only allowed to have one parent attend the meet,” Beck says. “This will be the first meet where parents are able to attend, so the swimmers have not had their parents see them swim live and in person in a meet all season.” Having no parents attending meets all season not only impacts the spirit of the team

“I feel like team bonding and spirit is created when you are close together. Whether that means cheering in a circle together or just giving one another high fives and hugs.” -East sophomore Maggie Huss

as a whole, but also influences individual swimmers. “My parents can’t watch me swim. I can’t hear them cheer me on,” Huss says. “They only watch zooms and sometimes the links don’t work.” Although building up the spirit of a team becomes difficult with social distancing, masks, and no fans, this team found a way to enjoy their season.

ast sophomore and Varsity swimmer Hope Keith stays positive through everything. “I was just really excited that we even got to have a season in the first place,” Keith says. Many other swimmers, including Huss, feel the same way. “It’s hard to wear a wet mask as it gets super uncomfortable,” Huss says. “But it’s worth it because we got to have a swim season.” While COVID-19 has made life harder for most, it also has made everyone feel more grateful for the opportunities that are given despite difficult circumstances. “It definitely wasn’t the best year for me with all the changes,” Huss says. “But I was super thankful that we had a swim season.” •

NO PAIN, NO GAIN

n social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, Reid posts about his journey for others to see and feel inspired. “Advice I always give is do not be afraid to start. Everyone starts somewhere.” Reid says. “I was 129 lbs before I started and now sit at 178. You never know what’s going to happen unless you try. Don’t be afraid of the weight you start with.” Over the past eight months, Reid has gone from a bench press personal record (PR) of 165 to a new PR of 245. His squat has improved from a PR of 225 to 315. In under a year, he added almost 100 lbs to his PRs and is more confident and happy then he ever has been. “Since we started I’ve seen Brad grow not only physically but also mentally,” O’meara says. “Brad always comes to the Gym with a positive attitude and pushes everyone to their max.” •

East junior, Brad Reid, shares weight lifting journey and becoming comfortable and confident in his own body. story and infographic evie colpi | photography ben stowe

he sign centered on the red brick building with large, bold, white letters reading “Fitworks Gym” gleamed in the sun as East junior, Brad Reid, opened the door to his second home. The gym is where Reid feels most confident and where he lets out his stress and worries in life, but it has not always been like this for him. Reid was born with a condition called Pectus Excavatum, which causes the sternum to grow inwards instead of outwards. In Reid’s case, his inward growth caused a dip in the chest, which in turn, created breathing problems and pressure on the lungs and heart. In Nov. of 2018, Reid underwent surgery. “The pain was bad and it was hard to move and sit up,” Reid says. “But after the surgery was done I could breathe a lot easier.” Six months of recovery later, Reid no longer recognized himself. Because of the surgery, he experienced weight loss and was not happy with the way he looked or felt. In July of 2020, after being stuck inside and quarantined because of COVID-19 for months, the gyms were opening back up and Reid decided that this was his opportunity to start his journey of self worth and confidence.

After going through troubling times and the aftermath of the surgery, Reid realized that lifting weights and going to the gym was the one thing that stayed constant and what got him through the most difficult parts of his life. “I started going to the gym because I wanted to inspire people; I wanted to make something of myself,” Reid says. “I realized I loved it when that was the one thing I still wanted to do after hard times.”

ince that moment of realization, and going to the gym six to seven times a week, every week, for seven months, Reid has become stronger both mentally and physically. “My life has changed dramatically since I’ve started lifting; people started showing me more respect and I have more respect for myself,” Reid says. “I felt much more confident swimming and doing other activities.” Reid also helps his friends with their fitness journey. East junior, Conner O’meara, lifts with Reid after school everyday. “My favorite part about lifting with Brad is that he makes it fun,” Omeara says. “He has the ability to make me more motivated to go. Not just

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 71

sports | head to head

head to head | sports

HEAD TO HEAD YES

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very Friday night from December all the way through February, high school gyms become packed with fans to cheer on their local high school basketball team. It has been an Ohio tradition for more than 100 years since the founding of the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) in 1907. At the high school level, basketball is certainly one of the most relevant sports and also brings in a large chunk of the revenue for most high school athletic departments, which in turn helps support other varsity level sports. What makes high school basketball particularly special is not only getting the chance to represent your school and play with some of your best friends, but also getting the opportunity to participate in a game that is totally unique in comparison to the college or professional level. The biggest difference between high school basketball and the more elite levels is the lack of a shot clock during games. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), the shot clock is 24 seconds per possession, while in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s college basketball game, the shot clock is 35 seconds per possession. A shot clock is essentially a timing device that displays a countdown of the time within which the team possessing the ball must attempt a shot. With no shot clock, teams are able to prolong their offensive

Should the OHSAA implement a shot clock in high school basketball games?

possessions for as long as they choose, which can lead to longer possessions and lower scoring games. Many teams will use this as a game planning strategy, especially if they are playing a more talented team. In high school basketball, it is especially common for less-talented teams to intentionally slow down the pace of the game in order to prevent the other team from getting too many offensive possessions. Implementing a shot clock would help prevent these teams from holding on to the ball for too long. Teams that like to push the pace of the game and score a lot of their points in transition would be relatively unaffected by a shot clock. If anything, they would likely benefit from it. In my opinion, it is a much better alternative to reward the fast and athletic team rather than the slow, less-talented team who tries to milk the clock in order to keep the game close and low-scoring. From the fans’ perspective, the game moves much slower and is a lot less appealing without a shot clock. Both teams would have limited possessions and fewer opportunities to gain momentum on offense. But with a shot clock, the game speeds up and becomes much more entertaining. Teams are constantly exchanging possessions and there is potential for more points to be scored throughout the game. Not only would a shot clock benefit the fans, but it would also benefit the players as well. In terms of player development, a shot clock would be crucial in helping players prepare for the next level, where there is a 35 second shot clock. For players who plan on playing college basketball at any level, not just Division I, this would help them get a head start on adjusting to a shot clock system, rather than having to adjust on the fly. Adding a shot clock to high school basketball would forever change the dynamic of the game, but it would certainly change it for the better. In fact, there are already a total of eight states in the U.S. who have made the change and implemented some form of a shot clock into their high school games. Given that a shot clock would benefit players, coaches, and even fans, it is definitely something that the OHSAA should at least consider.•

According to USA Today, a total of eight U.S. states have a shot clock in high school basketball. However, as the pace of the game has quickly increased over time, especially at the high school level, many states are now considering whether or not a shot clock should be implemented. columns mason wise and kaleb flood | photography riley higgins

t’s the end of the fourth quarter with 10 seconds left to go in the game. It’s tied 48-48. The Eagles have the ball, they’re driving down the court, they launch a half court heave to win the game and… the clock didn’t start… This example is very common among the high school basketball level. During late game situations, the players and coaches definitely feel pressure, but one person that people don’t think about in late game situations is the timekeeper. One wrong click of a button and you have the whole gymnasium yelling at you and blaming you for the loss. These situations happen, even in the most important games of the season. Not only does it add more pressure to the timekeeper, but it adds another thing for the referees to keep track of during the game, on top of having to make difficult calls throughout the game. The harsh language officials already get for a missed call is so extreme in Ohio, that it’s caused a shortage of officials for the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). “It’s interesting, I probably have heard more harsh things in this job from people because email is so easy to say things, then it is, you know, actually live,” OHSAA director of officiating, Beau Rugg says. The key with the shot clock is to speed the game up and avoid players holding the ball at the end of the quarter. In this situation the shot clock is effective, but it hinders teams that have a slower play style. If a shot clock were to be implemented, these teams would be rushed to be forced to change their playing style to adjust to the shot clock, which puts them at a competitive disadvantage. “If you’re not a real good shooting team, but you can handle the ball, you’re still playing basketball,” Centennial coach Scott Raper says. “You’re just not playing the fans’ game of basketball.” The shot clock makes a good game better, but it can also make a bad game worse. A developing team that might not be as talented is going to struggle when they have more pressure on their plate to make sure they shoot the ball off in time. Meanwhile, teams that play faster and are more athletic would have even more of an advantage with a shot clock. The

gap between the best high school teams and the worst high school teams would only grow wider as a result. In the eight states that have a shot clock in their games, they’re only at the varsity level. For divisions I-III this might not be a problem as they have higher skilled programs. But for divisions IV and below, they will most likely struggle, not only skill wise but financially as well. Division IV and V schools often struggle to bring in enough revenue to support their athletic departments, so the last thing they can afford is a brand new shot clock system. A spokesperson from one of the nation’s leading distributors of scoreboards and shot clocks, Daktronics, said that the cost of both the shot clock and the installation of the shot clock system ranges from $5,000$10,000. For b e t t e r a c c u r a c y, the school would have to hire an additional s c o r e k e e p e r, which would cost even more. The average salary for a high school scorekeeper is $32 per hour. That’s around $64 per game per scorekeeper, on top of the costs for the clock itself. There’s a lot that goes into making sure that teams do not run the clock at the end of the quarter, but a shot clock is not the correct way to solve this issue. The cost to make sure the fans are satisfied at a high school basketball game is questionable.•

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 73

opinion | column

BE A VOICE

NO EXCUSE FOR ABUSE

photography riley higgins | art shiloh wolfork

REHAB JARABAH

his is what patriotism looks like.” That sentence had been echoing in my mind since the second I heard it. On March 23, West Chester Township trustee Lee Wong, an Asian American, took his shirt off in order to show the scars he obtained from his years in the military. On March 25, as I sat in my AP Government class my teacher, Dr. Tisha Menchhofer-Grote, looked around our classroom with a look of pure sadness and shock, asking us if we were aware of the situation. She played a video of a local trustee baring his chest at the crowd and asking whether he was “patriot enough” to accept. The common anger that my teacher and many others felt is the reason that this story has grown to national recognition. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been increased reports of attacks

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on Asian Americans. The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism found that anti-Asian American hate crimes reported to police rose 149% between 2019 and 2020. In New York and Los Angeles alone, hate crimes targeting Asians increased, from three to 28 in New York and seven to 15 in Los Angeles. Stop Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Hate received reports of nearly 3,800 hateful incidents during the first year of the pandemic. But experts say that many hate crimes remain unreported for a variety of reasons. Victims may question police legitimacy or believe that there will not be any consequences given for perpetrators. Not only are hate crimes underreported, but the media tends to paint a different picture of a hate crime, as the nation saw in the Atlanta, Georgia spa shootings, where six of the eight victims were Asian. The shooting was not labeled as a hate crime by the police. But violence and verbal abuse are not the only ways that Asian Americans have been affected. For some, their everyday routine has been affected. Many, especially Asian American women, have had to add some sort of defense tool that they can take with them when they need to go out. A s i a n businesses, such as restaurants, are suffering. Roughly half of Chinese restaurants have closed down since the start of the pandemic, mostly due to prejudice and irrational fears, according to a study done by a credit card processing company, Womply.

column | opinion

NATALIE MAZEY

So how do regular people with no control over laws do anything to create a change? It’s simple. For regular people like me, the easiest way to help is speaking out. Whether it’s generating conversation, educating and informing through social media, or speaking out against an actual perpetrator of violence in real time, speaking out is one of the easiest ways to be an ally to the Asian American community. Along with speaking out, support small, Asianowned businesses. It’s as easy as going to a local Asian-owned restaurant and ordering some food. Asian Americans deserve the assurance that they can be safe and that they are accepted. Asians owe us nothing, and the fact that some Asian Americans are answering people questioning their patriotism with their lives is at the very least disturbing. Before big news sources covered the story of Lee Wong, not even his local constituents knew about his story. Without a few of my own teachers speaking out, I admit I probably wouldn’t have known either. Without people becoming upset with the treatment of certain marginalized groups, there would never be a change. Everytime I open my own computer, I am reminded that I must use my voice and cannot be content with just allowing bad things to happen. Losing things because of the pandemic does not justify the increase in violence. It is not enough to just understand that the pandemic is not a certain race’s fault; we must do more. And that begins with having the difficult conversations; people can make note of stories that are popular in the news and share them. Without my teacher having us have the difficult conversation about the increase in Asian American community and how it’s affecting people that we may know, I would be unaware. Being a voice that allows room for change and not an echo that allows the same oppression to continue in different groups is vital in allyship. Although it’s disheartening to have a conversation about violence, it’s even worse to have to see people lose their lives in the face of hate.•

n Dec. 13, 2020, Lindsey Boylan, former special adviser to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, tweeted allegations stating that Cuomo had sexually harassed her. As rumors began circulating that Cuomo was being considered for Attorney General under the Biden administration, Boylan felt a newfound urgency to share her story, preventing an administration full of intimidation and misconduct to protrude past the walls of New York. Charlotte Bennett, a second-former aide, came forward with her accusations through a series of interviews with the New York Times in February and March. Before leaving in Nov. 2020, Bennett was an executive assistant and health policy adviser in the Cuomo administration, stating that the governor had continuously made comments alluding to a future pursuit of a sexual relationship. Currently, four women have come forward to share their stories of sexual harassment. While the allegations against Cuomo are disheartening, surprise does not accompany them. Allegations of sexual misconduct have become seemingly synonymous with men in politics. When men are handed political power, they take that as permission to abuse this power. Bill Clinton’s affair with his White House intern came to light along with other accusations of sexual assault. Brett Kavanaugh was accused of sexual assault by Christine Blasey Ford and four other women, but he was deemed innocent by a group of his peers. He still gained the title of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. Cuomo is just one in a line of many. An attitude of invincibility has blanketed Cuomo. His three terms as New York’s Governor and extensive career in politics seemed to have clouded moral judgement, replacing it with an attitude that he has impenetrable support. Political power has been ingrained within Cuomo’s personality; he began his political pursuits as a campaign manager for his father, who was also the governor of New York from 1979-1982. With power comes room for corruption and abhorrent ignorance.

According to a Quinnipiac University Poll of New York voters, 50% of voters are not satisfied by the way Cuomo has responded to the allegations. That same poll found 43% of voters feel he should resign. Despite calls for resignation from prominent political figures like Senator Kristen Gillibrand and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who released a joint statement on Mar. 12, Cuomo stands by his initial statement that he will not be resigning. In addressing the allegations, Cuomo has asserted he is simply a victim of “cancel culture,” undermining the bravery of the women who have come forward. Above all else, he is an older man in a position of power who has preyed on young women as all of his accusers were in their twenties at the time of the misconduct. According to a Pew Research Survey, 59% of women and 27% of men say they have personally received unwanted sexual advances or verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature. Despite adamant refusal that resignation is not in his future, the New York State Assembly announced on Mar. 11 that an impeachment investigation would be opened. While this is a step towards accountability, all too often men in politics are praised as “good guys” while concurrently abusing their power. They recognize there will not be consequences to their actions because the system they exist within allows them to make the same derogatory mistakes over and over again. There are no universal standards of decency in the world of politics. While Cuomo’s actions have been condemned by members of his own political party, Donald Trump won praise from

his followers for more appalling actions and statements. Men, especially those in political office, need to be held to a higher standard, but that is proven difficult when the standard is inconceivably low. During Trump’s presidency, allegations of sexual assault and bribing of mistreses couldn’t dispell him from public office, simultaneously saying that anything that wasn’t as bad as that was okay. Men are applauded for doing the bare minimum because others are able to get away with heinous behavior. When men are only compared to the worst offenders, the definition of a “good guy” is morphed into something that should not be applauded. The addictive nature of power can quickly corrupt judgment, especially when accountability is thrown out the window. It’s become an expectation that powerful men will behave badly behind closed doors, but that shouldn’t be the case. Power is no excuse for abuse.•

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 75

opinion | head to head

head to head | opinion

s I walk down the hallway at Lakota East, a reusable mask adorning my own face, I see someone wearing his mask under his chin. Someone else’s mask droops under their nose. Another pulls their mask down to get a sip of water, but neglects to pull it back up, strutting the hallways without recognition of the rules put in place for their own safety. A disregard for the self discipline required to properly wear a mask shows that masks aren’t a forever solution; but vaccines could be. Requiring students to get the COVID-19 vaccine offers reassurance that, while in the school building, safety is guaranteed. Requiring a vaccination is not outlandish as Lakota currently requires students to get certain immunizations before they can come to school. One dose of the tdap booster and one dose of the MCV4 booster are required before the start of seventh grade, while two doses of the MCV4 booster are required before the start of twelfth grade. These rules are in place to safeguard the student population as a whole, just as requiring the COVID-19 vaccine would. As of now, only people 18 and older can get the Moderna Vaccine, while people 16 and older can get the Pfizer vaccine. Unless this changes, the feasibility

HEAD TO HEAD YES

column natalie mazey photography riley higgins art shiloh wolfork

76 lakotaeastsparkonline.com April 2021

feet apart, if that. Mask breaks often warrant students drifting closer together, blurring the lines of six feet. The school building is not an impenetrable force field from the virus; simply walking through the doors does not grant immunity. All of the current COVID-19 vaccinations are said to be highly effective against fighting the disease, according to the CDC. Although myths have effectively disillusioned parts of the population in regards to the vaccine, the CDC reassures that getting the vaccine does not have the ability to alter your DNA or allow the government to track you. Getting the vaccine simply acts as armor against the virus if you are exposed, since masks and social distancing can only go so far as to prevent exposure in the first place. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the best way to reach herd immunity is through mass immunization rather than allowing a virus to continue to run rampant until it runs its course. Requiring students to get the vaccine guarantees a sizable portion of the population can contribute to the numbers necessary to gain herd immunity. As of now, there is not a specific number that certifies herd immunity, but the more people protected, the less it will spread, regardless of specifics.

he looming threat of the pandemic has hovered over every aspect of our existence over the past year. Nothing looks like it once did, especially the experience while

Should students be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccination?

of requiring students to get the vaccine questionable as some upperclassman would be the only ones eligible. As more people get vaccinated and more trials are completed, the probability of the age range expanding increases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that wearing masks does slow the spread, but not all masks are created equally. Neck gaiters and single layer cloth masks are said to be less effective, but schools often can’t police exactly what mask is worn. Although schools try, they can’t always police that masks are worn properly either. Someone could pull their mask down to talk to a friend or simply refuse to keep it above their nose. If masks are worn improperly, the protection they provide becomes obsolete. While it may be true that masks are required, students are not always wearing them during the school day. At lunch, where masks cannot feasibly be worn, students are only three

at school. Computers have become students’ number one companions as paper handouts have become a luxury. Making the COVID-19 vaccination a requirement could allow some of the new protocols to loosen their grasp on the shaping of classes. The pandemic will not dissipate over night; this is a slow, painful battle, and vaccinations are one of the strongest tools to fight against it. As of Feb. 7, more than 28 million Americans have been infected, leaving over 513,000 dead. Attempting to reach herd immunity through infection results in a plethora of unwarranted deaths that could be prevented. The pandemic has already caused mass destruction and devastation. A yearning for normalcy has overwhelmed humanity over the past year, as day-today routines took on complacency and mundanity. Vaccinations seem like the quickest and least painful way to find some of that normalcy that was lost.•

s if there weren’t enough heavily heated debates circling the throes of our social media platforms, text chains, and family dinners in 2021, whether or not the COVID-19 vaccine should be a requirement for Americans is one that has recently been added to the list. As a high school student, I would go even further to make the discussion whether or not students---who are at least 16 years of age, as that is the minimum age requirement at this point in time to receive the vaccine---should be required to get the vaccine. The simple answer, yet an unpopular one, is no. According to a Monmouth University study published on Feb. 3 2021, one in four Americans said they wouldn’t get a U.S government approved COVID-19 vaccine if it were offered to them. As for students and the vaccine, much of this decision is up to their parents. According to a Feb. 10, 2021 Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, 15% of responders say they will definitely not get vaccinated; 17% say they probably won’t. Of this number, 60% of people cite their reasoning as “safety concerns.” People concerned about vaccine safety are not out of their minds. There is something to be said for the quick manner in which the vaccine was developed and approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). The virus was only introduced to the U.S. in late January or early February of 2021, according to limited data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

and produce a careless solution to a colossal problem, and the same caution should be afforded to the COVID-19 vaccine. While there is research to support the effectiveness of the vaccine, people aren’t crazy for being slightly skeptical, and they should have the right to choose whether they want to get their children vaccinated or not. Dr. Anthony Fauci, lead researcher of the White House COVID-19 task force stated at an event in August 2020 at George Washington University that he does not believe in a widespread mandate of the vaccine. It would be unconstitutional for the federal government to implement a national vaccine mandate. Although it would not be unconstitutional for states or schools to make their own rules, I urge all other entities to consider the gravity of the decision they are asking parents to make. Considering a December 2020 study conducted by seven academic researchers found that in-person school does not contribute to community spread, it would not be devastating for the vaccine to be strongly encouraged, but not required. This would afford parents the peace of mind to make the decision of vaccinating their children based on their own agendas and principles. If schools are concerned

According to CNN Health, all 50 states have or will expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to everyone 16 and up. With the vaccine becoming more readily available, some wonder if schools should require their students to get vaccinated. I am not a parent, so I cannot know the fear they must feel at injecting an unknown medicinal substance into the pride and joy of their lives: their children. However, I do have a parent, one that feeds me and my siblings organic milk and eggs in fear of chemicals that nonorganic could introduce into our bodies. Parents have to face the impending fear of allowing a doctor to administer a potentially harmful drug to their child in order to check a box allowing their child to continue to have an education. Enough time has not passed to ensure that this vaccine will not cause any long-term damage unlike the other vaccines students are required to receive. Let’s take a look at the influenza vaccine. According to the CDC, the influenza virus broke out in the 1930s. It wasn’t until the 1940s that two lead researchers at the University of Michigan began to develop the first flu vaccine. In 1945 their vaccine was licensed for use in civilians. Doctors did not make haste to try

about providing in-person instruction to non-vaccinated students, there are ways to get around this as well. Since the start of the pandemic, most schools had to figure out some way to instruct students remotely, meaning they already have a virtual learning system which would be a minimal cost to the district. In the case where schools really aren’t comfortable with non-vaccinated students having a physical presence in school, they can require virtual learning rather than requiring the vaccine. Personally, if asked whether or not I would get the vaccine if it were offered right now, I would say yes. But I understand that decision may not be easy to make for cautious parents of young students. Considering the speed at which not only the vaccine has been developed but also the speed at which this virus has made a home in our daily lives, we should all be awarded some time to decide whether this is the best avenue for ourselves and our loved ones. •

column ava huelskamp photography riley higgins art shiloh wolfork

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 77

opinion | column

STOP THE WAR ON DRUGS

TEXT ME IF YOU GET HOME

photography riley higgins | art shiloh wolfork

MARY BARONE

or the first sixteen years of my life, I never considered myself to be ignorant. I assumed staying up to date on the news and simply believing in equality was enough. However, when the Black Lives Matter movement gained traction last summer, I decided to delve deeper into black history and I was quickly humbled by how little I knew. My dad introduced me to the Netflix documentary “13th”, which shed a light on the connection between racial disparity and the war on drugs. When the 13th amendment was ratified 156 years ago, it abolished slavery for all but criminals. This loophole was quickly exploited as newly emancipated slaves were arrested for minor crimes and forced back into bondage. The pattern of unjustly incarcerating African Americans continued for the next hundred years and was amplified as drugs became a significant issue in the 1970’s. The War on Drugs enabled authorities to

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disproportionally arrest African Americans, and it is time for drugs to be decriminalized to abate the inherent racial bias in our legal system. Decriminalization is less lenient than legalization but extends to a wider range of drugs. It would eliminate criminal penalties for drug use, possession, and low-level sales. These tactics target the distributors rather than the consumers and would prioritize health, safety, and rehabilitation over punishment for drug users. Former president Richard Nixon stepped into office in 1969 amid civil rights and antiwar movements that opposed his agenda. He sought to terminate this age of political reform by declaring a war on drugs and pushing a narrative that linked black communities and protesters with drugs. He quickly passed the Comprehensive Drug Prevention and Control Act which prohibited drug production, distribution, and use. Despite Caucasians outnumbering African Americans seven to one at the time, the FBI reported that the latter was two times more likely to be arrested for drug charges. The number of black Americans imprisoned surged with the growing public anxiety of drug crime and by 1982, they were five times more likely to be arrested for drug crimes than whites. The initiative did not stop there - Ronald Reagan adopted a similar approach to his politics when he assumed the presidency Jan. 1981. Cocaine had recently been introduced to US markets and the government endeavored to halt its use. Powder cocaine quickly took the white population by storm. A significantly cheaper alternative known as crack cocaine was soon produced and spread t o lower income black

communities. The only differences between these two substances were the forms they took on and the racial groups associated with them, but they resulted in dramatically different penalties. Reagan signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act in 1986, mandating a minimum sentence of five years for possession of five grams of crack and the same sentence for 500 grams of powder cocaine. The media followed suit, hyping up threats with racist coverage that ignored rampant cocaine use among whites and sensationalized the crack problem in black neighborhoods. The Center for American Justice reports that today, one in nine black children has an incarcerated parent. That means more than 10% of the black community lives in a single-parent household, setting them at a disadvantage from the get-go. A study from the Humans Rights Watch shows that African Americans comprise 67% of drug offenders admitted to state prisons. Black communities also suffer from over policing, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina is a prime example of this. Between 2010 and 2020 the percentage of incarcerated black and white residents were nearly identical (45.6% to 45.7) despite African Americans making up less than 10% of the population and Caucasians nearly 73%. Along with lessening racial inequality in the legal system, the decriminalization of drug use has many potential benefits. Reduced imprisonment for drug possession will lead to significantly lower single parent households. As drug restrictions become less foreboding, over policing in black neighborhoods would decrease because authorities would have less reason to monitor those areas. Resources tied up in enforcement can be reallocated to effective rehabilitation programs so drug abuse can be countered rather than perpetuated in the prison system. The common fear that addiction will run rampant is refuted by Portugal, where the drug war has been substantially scaled back and no such results have occurred. The racial disparity embedded in The American Legal system has set African Americans back for decades, and it is time to make a change.•

OLIVIA RIGNEY

ou’re walking home alone. It’s dark outside and you start to feel unsafe. But who are you going to call? Not ghostbusters; the police. They’re known to protect and serve. Not take you from the street so that you’re never seen again. 33-year-old Sarah Everard was doing everything right the night she was kidnapped and killed by police officer Wayne Couzens. On March 3, Everard was walking home from a friend’s house in south London. According to police reports, Everard was on the phone with her boyfriend at approximately 9:30 p.m. when the call ended without warning. This was the last time Everard was ever heard from, as later in the week her remains were found 50 miles away from her last known location. Couzens was then convicted ten days later. The wake of Sarah Everard triggered a worldwide response of women and girls everywhere sharing their stories and support for Everard and sexual assault victims everywhere. As the news broke on this horrible incident, social media began to trend hashtags like #TextMeWhenYouGetHome and #ReclaimTheStreets. According to the U.S Department of Justice National Violence Against Women Survey, it is estimated that 1.9 million women in the United States are physically assaulted annually. And of those victims, 54% had been under the age of 18. While looking through surveys and studies that show statistics like these, the information is always presented in a way that depicts how many women were assaulted, not how many men assaulted women. Looking at crimes like this brings attention to the women, but does not hold the perpetrators accountable. In New York, two officers from the Police Department were convicted in 2019 on more than 40 sexual abuse charges after arresting an 18-year-old woman on a marijuana possession charge. She was then raped in the back of a police van in 2017. The woman goes by Anna Chambers. Her perpetrators, former detectives, were on duty. Edward Martins and Richard Hall did not serve any jail time after being sent

to only five years of probation. The men pled guilty to 11 charges of battery and misconduct even after admitting to having sex with the young girl. These cases are not even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to police abusing their power. According to a Washington Post database, almost 250 women have been killed by police since 2015. On March 18 it was released that two St. Louis police officers were accused of sexual assault. Former officer Lafeal Lawshea was charged with counts of forcible rape, forcible sodomy, sexual misconduct, tampering with a victim. The victims were two women who were assaulted in 2009 in the officer’s home on separate occasions who recently came to the police with their allegations and bond was later denied. Lawshea was also accused of sexually assaulting a female civilian police department employee in 2019. The cases of police abusing their power and assaulting and raping women doesn’t stop there. There are stories that were covered by the police force, and stories that didn’t get national news coverage. When seeing horrific incidents like those of Sarah Everard, Anna Chambers, and other victims, the most gutwrenching part is that it could have been any of us. Women deserve to live safely. Women are taught the dangers of just living. The media lets cases like these go unnoticed, or not served to the right s e ve r i t y, because of the power dynamic between police

officials and regular individuals. Women can only do so much. We carry pepper spray, we track our friends’ location, we don’t make eye contact with strangers, we park near light posts, we hold our keys in our hands for dear life. But this isn’t enough. The risk of leaving the house even when taking every safety precaution possible is still there. Every person should be held accountable for the crimes they have committed. There should not be an exception made when you’re supposed to be serving the community. I don’t want to have to fear for my life every time I walk down the street. I shouldn’t need protection to just exist. So maybe I’ll call ghostbusters instead.•

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 79

chief column | opinion

opinion | editorial cartoon

BATTLING BIAS

“WHO’S IN CONTROL?” editorial cartoon mary barone

EAST SPEAKS OUT

How has social media influenced your body image? interviews and photography mary barone

DONOVAN COBB

FRESHMAN “People see models and bodybuilders and wonder why they don’t look like that. In some ways [social media] can encourage people to get in shape and take care of their bodies, but in most cases, it just leads to people prioritizing their looks.”

SOLANGE BOAITEY

SOPHOMORE “[Social media is] set to be this European beauty standard that most people don’t fit whatsoever. It makes you feel like you’re not beautiful if you’re different from what you see on social media, and I had to learn not to compare myself to it.”

80 lakotaeastsparkonline.com April 2021

KATIE BEERMAN

JUNIOR “If you look on Instagram, the beauty standards are almost unreachable. Some people pay money to have cosmetic work done and spend hours getting ready on top of that. People still compare themselves to the people they see on social media.”

CAROLINE BAXTER

SENIOR “Social media has this image of how people are and how they’re supposed to be. If you aren’t a certain thin, you feel hated for it, and it puts pressure on people who don’t fit the mold to be someone they’re not.”

fter a quick Google search of “unprofessional styles’’, Google images will bring up millions of photos of black men and women with dreadlocks, afros, and braids. This harsh reality makes me realize how much work still needs to be done in order to achieve equality for all. In a world that claims to be so advanced in terms of fairness, it’s alarming that our society continues to cling to such exclusive standards of professionalism. Dress codes are used to communicate to employees what the organization considers appropriate work attire. These appearance policies allow the company to set expectations about the image that they want to convey, including regulating clothing, piercings, tattoos, makeup, hair, nails, and more. There are four main types of dress codes according to an article from the University of Denver’s Career and Professional Development department: business professional, business casual, “dressy” casual, and everyday casual. In more creative professions, dress codes are usually less strict or nonexistent. However, in more formal careers like business, law, and finance, dress codes are considered to be a significant element of overall professionalism. Although this can be beneficial to overall performance, these standards can foster negative feelings of uniformity that discriminate against those who don’t fit the company’s ideals. In September 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled that Catastrophe Management Solutions didn’t violate federal civil rights law by refusing to hire a qualified black woman because she wore her hair in dreadlocks. The company requires its employees to be “dressed and groomed in a manner that projects a professional and businesslike image” and prohibits hairstyles that are “excessive” or an “unusual color.” The woman, Chastity Jones, applied for a job in a call center, and the company agreed to hire her if she cut off her dreadlocks. When she refused, the company rescinded her job offer. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) presented the suit on Jones behalf, and the court dismissed the case by claiming that requiring “professional” hairstyles is not intentional racial discrimination. The

column shiloh wolfork • photography riley higgins

U.S. Supreme Court did not re-examine the case. Dreadlocks are recognized as a common hairstyle within the black community, and by allowing this company to deny a qualified applicant a job due to her natural hairstyle, the court is contributing to the perpetuation of employment discrimination. The court defended a company that is guilty of showing intolerance toward a woman who proudly displayed her racial identity through her hair. According to a 2016 study by the Perception Institute, an organization that works to address bias and discrimination, one in five black women feel social pressure to straighten their hair for work - twice as many as white women. A Duke University study found that black women with natural hairstyles, like afros, braids, and twists, were found to be less competent, less professional, and less likely to be recommended for a job than black women with straightened hair or white women with either curly or straight hair.

hese findings make me wonder why natural black hairstyles are automatically viewed as “wild” or “excessive?” Why should we have to cut off our culture just to be respected within the workplace? People of color shouldn’t have to alter their natural features in an effort to blend into the whitewashed standards of workplace professionalism. Instead, our society as a whole should evaluate the true meaning of these standards and address the bias that fuels them.

In order for change to be made, people need to analyze the ways in which typical societal beauty standards influence everyday life. According to a 2015 Pew Research Center study, over half of all single-race white people preferred whites over Asians and about half of all single-race whites automatically preferred whites over black people. Of those, 35% favored whites moderately to strongly. 29% of single-race black people favored whites, and the test found that 42% of white and black biracial adults had a pro-white bias in comparison to the 35% that had a pro-black bias. These inherent examples of racial bias imply that whiteness is ideal. These sentiments, which insinuate that the characteristics of people of color lack value in comparison to white people, naturally lead to the suppression and oppression of the millions of voices. Through education and awareness, society needs to make more of an effort to stop relying on the outdated, divisive principles that are at the root of the prejudice. If we continue to allow these discriminatory measures to guide our society, diversity will continue to be discouraged, and unity will never be achieved.•

April 2021 lakotaeastsparkonline.com 81

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