Welcome to the first Inkwell issue of the 2024-2025 school year! As the leaves begin to turn different colors and we move further into the semester, our team decided to focus this issue on the theme of change. We’ve named it the ‘Rewrite Issue’ to reflect shifts in lifestyle, decisions, and opportunities in our close community and also out into the world.
Inside, you’ll find tips for navigating the transition from high school to college, insights on lifestyle changes to address climate change, opportunities for volunteering, opinions and features of new student voices, and highlights from our community. We hope this issue inspires you to embrace the change around you and step out of your comfort zone.
Enjoy reading, and keep an eye out for our upcoming issues this year! We also welcome submissions from the Annie Wright community, so feel free to reach out if you’d like to pitch any ideas.
Sincerely,
Ellis Giller
Co-Editor in Chief
Esteemed readers, if you find yourself reading this it probably means you deeply care for Inkwell! Or not and it just happened to be sitting on the coffee table near you. Either way you are now enjoying the visual splendor of the Inkwell fall Rewrite issue.
As design editor, my job is to make the issues as eye-catching as possible, while also configuring every writer’s articles in a way that adheres to the greater design theme and speak as an independent piece. My goal with every issue is to make sure that the reader, you, doesn’t want to stop reading because the next page could be even cooler! So without further ado, I hope you enjoy this Autumn’s Issue.
Best Wishes, Ireland Jean, Design editor
Co-Editor in Chief and Articles: Lucy Hall
Co-Editor in Chief and Articles: Ellis Giller
Design Editor and Articles: Ireland Kress
Social Media Content Design and Articles: Peyton Matthews
Eisha Ahmad: Articles and Photos
Masha Kotelnikov: Articles
Christian Gleser: Articles
Maia Bostock: Articles
Maria Dorner: Articles
Chloe Yoo: Articles
Minh Nguyen: Articles and Photos
TT Nguyen: Playlists and Music
Jack Cushman: Articles and Adverts
Kevin Nguyen: Photos
Cooper Dicks: Articles and Photos
ALICE & WONDERLAND
A journey to finding what it means to be a girl
By: Chloe Yu
Curtains are drawn, lights are shown, and the play begins. This year, our celebrity student actors at Annie Wright have created a mysterious adventure into Wonderland with a shift from the original story’s innocent depiction of Alice’s tale to one with a much darker background and deeper meaning.
Based on Lewis Carroll’s original story Alice in Wonderland and Holly Beardsley’s rewrite of the play, Annie Wright has created a new approach to a much more creepy, ghostly theme.
This version of the story not only explores the main character, Alice’s journey through Wonderland but also her journey through girlhood. This feminine twist on the story includes Alice repeating the sentence ‘just a girl’, as an expression of her frustration towards her sister telling her how to be a young girl. Throughout the story, Alice’s frustration with the rules she has to follow as a young girl is highlighted. Following her display of irritation, the character sees a white rabbit who eventually leads her to Wonderland–the crazy realm–and meets various characters who encourage her to accept what being a girl means for her in the end.
Annie Wright’s directors furthermore pointed out the importance of the feminist theme being incorporated into the story and the message regarding defining oneself in this play. Director Sal Frattallone stated, “The main theme of this play is what it means to be a girl. But I can’t speak to that because I do not know what it’s like to be a girl. ...However, from my point of view, what it means to be a girl is that you get to choose what that girlhood means to you. There’s no one way to be a girl–you get to decide. This whole show is all about Alice taking control of her own destiny and reality as all the crazy things are happening around her....” Director Jackie Richter also mentioned, “I think the feminist theme is a really important one. Without necessarily having to draw harsh gender lines on each character, I think it’s still important to give this message of ‘you’re not just a girl, you’re not lesser than anything because you’re a girl and you can still achieve things and be in control of your own destiny and ability.’ ”
SHOW TIMES:
November 1st, 2nd 7:00 pm November 3rd 2:30 pm
DIRECORS INTERVIEW
Inkwell: Are there any variations you gave to the characters that distinguish them from the original story?
Richter: In this script, the caterpillar is described as an Audrey Hepburn-esue Breakfast at Tiffany’s type of character. She is more elegant and beautiful and really doesn’t look like a caterpillar at all. Also, for The Mad Hatter, rather than being masculine like Johnny Depp in the Tim Burton movie, we allowed Chloe(Chloe Brosseau ‘25) to be more feminine, which I think is nice for the character.
Inkwell: What are the ‘directors’ most excited about?
Frattallone: I’m most excited about the opportunity for these kids from fifth grade to all the way to seniors in high school to get to create something together on stage and showcase that. And I’m just happy that we have a place where people can come together and be weird. ...When I direct stuff, I want people to be blown away at the end of the performance and not recognize the people they know from school when they see them on stage. I want them to be unrecognizable....”
Inkwell: What sort of person is going to love this show?
Richter: “Although it’s spooky, I think it’s family-friendly and for all ages. It’ll be entertaining for lower school kids since it has the Alice in Wonderland fairy tale vibes, but some of the older kids can get into it too because of the creepy Halloween vibes. Also it’s fun to support your friends and come see what they’re doing.”
Inkwell: What’s going to surprise people about this show?
Richter: “Probably the creepiness and spookiness. It’s not the typical Alice in Wonderland. The tea party scene will have many cobwebs, spiders, and creepy stuff. There’s a lot of dark makeup under the eyes, making characters look somewhat like corpses, which is very different from the usual flowery, mushroomy Alice in Wonderland.”
STUDENT INTERVIEW
Inkwell: Who in the show is most like their character? Why?
Deem: I believe that Glean Connerly(Cheshire Cat 1) is most like his character because he acts like a cat in a way that makes you think that he is, even when he’s not wearing a costume. He shows a variety of emotions throughout the play and tries his best to incorporate them into the lines that go along with them.
Herrera: Sophie is definitely most like Dinah, both scary and sweet!
Inkwell: What’s the biggest challenge you faced taking on this role?
Grondin: The most challenging thing would probably be acting deranged all of the time. It’s easy to lose yourself within other people’s lines.
Solisnoriega: I think the biggest challenge I faced was finding the right way to play the character. Such as how I want him to sound, walk, and interact with other characters. Even though I could do whatever I really wanted, I still had a bit of trouble finding the right thing that felt fit.
Inkwell: Without giving anything away, what’s your favorite line of dialogue?
Wenzel: “And perhaps, in some twisted way, you may find solace in knowing that we all are, in our own ways, forever lost within the grasp of time.”
Ren: “Is it almost intermission? I have to pee!”
From directors behind the entire stage to backstage tech crews to onstage performance teams, everyone involved in creating the show has put immense effort into this fall’s main stage. I hope all the seats for the audience are filled with friends and family who are there to support the cast on the day of the performance. In the meantime, keep your hopes high because you’re about to explore the mysterious Wonderland led by the incredible stars of Annie Wright in November!
MORE THAN A TREND
ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU BUY
“$750 SHEIN HAUL FOR FREE” “RUN DON’T WALK TO BUY THIS..” “I TRIED THIS ONCE AND NOW I CAN’T STOP USING IT!” If you have social media, chances are, you’ve seen some form of one of those taglines on your For You page. These taglines are one of many examples of how social media and influencers have increased overconsumption in the public.
Big brands have started advertising products through influencers, creating a new form of marketing that can be consumed willingly by the public like never before. Because these brands are using this new platform, users are becoming increasingly exposed to advertisements of unnecessary products. As social media usage increases, more studies are done to analyze its effects on all fronts. A variety of studies have dove into the correlation between the intensity of or attitude towards social media, and its connection to materialism and consumerism. One study done by the National Institute of Health (NIH) focused on 400 Thai social media users. It looked at the intensity and frequency at which they consumed media as well as their attitudes towards social media. The study proved that there is in fact a strong relationship between media consumption and a materialistic mindset leading to consumerism. They stated that higher rates of exposure to media, and therefore brands, trends, and advertisements, led to an increase in desire to purchase.
The study highlighted three negative consumption behaviors: Impulse buying (triggered by outside influence), compulsive buying (uncontrollable and excessive purchasing, triggered by internal tension), and conspicuous buying, consumerism because of an adopted herd mentality and constant comparison to other people in society leading to purchasing to fit in or conform. Conspicuous buying is the variety of consumption most highly perpetuated by social media because of the flashy advertisement of products through influencers making the viewer feel as though they are missing out on a trend if they don’t buy the product.
According to the NHI’s study recorded from 2015 to 2018, in the analyzed demographic, weekly media consumption increased from eighteen to thirty two hours per week and online spending nearly doubled.
70% of social media users were likely to access advertisements that showed up on their For You page. In 2021 Facebook and Instagram were the platforms generating the highest number of clicks on advertisements (38% and 37%).
IRELAND JEAN
When fashion first grew into an industry there were only four seasons.
Now there are 52 micro-seasons each bringing a full set of new clothing, designs, textiles, and waste. According to the Environmental Protection Agency textile waste has increased by 811% since 1960 bringing the total waste from 1.7 million tons to 16 million tons.
While the enormity of these issues can seem unbearable there are simple solutions, as consumers, we can all limit our exposure to the source of these harmful materialistic habits by decreasing the amount of time we spend on social media platforms to improve our own health and the health of the planet.
Overall the study made the conclusion that media consumption did indeed correlate with increased compulsive and conspicuous consumption behaviors due to an increased materialistic mindset. Not only this, but it also mentioned how social media driven materialism can lead to higher debts, overuse of credit cards which can lead to inter familial problems, mental disorders, addiction, low self-esteem, and depression. Environmental impacts of overconsumption are incredibly significant; Just looking at clothing, we can see an increased excess of everything from pointless niche products to technology and clothing.
The perfect way to wrap up your summer is at the Gorge amphitheater, immersed in beautiful sunsets, live music, and scorching hot weather. For the Tyler Childers concert, however this was not the case…
Upon arrival concert goers were greeted with pouring down rain and lightning caused fires. This led to a two hour delay, but the rain soaked fans didn’t seem to mind too much. The amphitheater was immediately filled with fans running around in the rain blasting the artist’s sound out of wet car windows, everyone passing the time till we got the text we could go back inside. We all filed back into the venue, buzzing with excitement, finding any open spots on the muddy lawn or under the shelter of the pit canopy.
The openers for the show included Joy Olakokun as well as Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, both were incredible. They distracted everyone from the storm and brought everyone’s attention back to the music. Tyler Childers ended up coming on stage around 9 o’clock due to the delays, he started the show off with his song “Way of Triune God”, which was a hit off of his 2022 album Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven. He played a fantastic setlist covering songs all the way back to his first album Bottles and Bibles in 2011 to his most recent released album Rusting in the Rain. The energy in the crowd was exhilarating, people singing and dancing, everyone there was having a fantastic time, paying no mind to the nasty weather that started it off. Overall, the Gorge amphitheater is a great venue to see one of your favorite artists outside in a beautiful place, listening to beautiful music with an excited, if slightly damp, crowd.
UPCOMING EVENTS
VINCE STAPLES SABRINA CARPENTER
DAYGLOW
BOYSCOTT
Suki Water House - november 1st- showbox sodo- $$
Vince Staples - november 2nd- showbox sodo- $$
Boyscott- november 4th- madame lous - $
Sabrina Carpenter- november 6th- climate pledge - $$$
Billie Ellish- December 6th- climate pledge- $$$
Day Glow - november 8th - moore theater- $-$$
Latto- november 25th- WAMU theater- $$
Duster - november 15th- neptune theater- $
Ritchy Mitch & The Coal Miners - november 23rd-24th- Neumos theater- $
Zach Bryan - November 22nd- 23rd - Tacoma dome- $$$
A single pair of glasses can change an entire family’s quality of life. This summer I was lucky enough to volunteer for a non-profit organization called Unite for Sight. Unite for Sight is an organization that provides critical eye care to communities in Ghana, Honduras, and India. Their programs are run by locals. Thanks to the Lions Club, I was able to bring over 1,000 pairs of glasses to Ghana, many of which I actually saw given out to patients. I got to witness first hand how the simple act of receiving glasses can transform lives. The relief and awe on people’s faces when they put on their glasses was palpable, with one woman weeping from the relief of finally being able to see clearly. Before receiving glasses, she could only see a few feet in front of her. This woman was a street seller, who spent about seven to ten hours walking the streets of her village every day selling water sachets on her head. Her near-sighted vision made this job extremely dangerous, yet she had five children relying on her for income. This woman is an example of many others I met where receiving glasses opened up opportunities and safety that had previously been obscured by their blurred vision.
During my time in Ghana, my days looked like this: At the start of each day I was picked up by a Unite for Sight van and shuttled to communities on the outskirts of Accra, the capital of Ghana. Even though I wasn’t traveling very far, the shuttle rides took from two to seven hours each way because of the poor conditions of the roads. Before I arrived at a clinic, a community organizer would spread the news that
Ellis Giller
Unite for Sight was coming to provide inexpensive eye care to the community. When I reached our destination for the day, hundreds of community members who needed eyecare help would be sitting on chairs underneath a tent waiting for us. The doctors who traveled with me would set up their medical kit near the gathering space—and then I would get right to work. My task was focused on visual-acuity tests. People would cover one eye (just like we do in the U.S. with our eye doctors)
and try to read a “tumbling E chart,” which is used when people don’t speak the same language. On the chart, the letter “E” faces different directions. I would ask which way the “E” was facing and the community members would motion. I would document how much of the chart each individual person could see correctly. If patients couldn’t see anything on the chart, I would wave my hand in front of their faces to gauge if they could spot any motion at all. Once the doctors saw the patients, with the information in hand that I had collected, they would prescribe a next step. I also worked on handing out related prescription eye drops and glasses. On my last day, rather than travel to a faraway community, I spent time in Accra at the Crystal Eye Clinic, the facility to which patients were transported from their rural villages to receive eye surgeries. I got to observe two glaucoma and cataract surgeries. On average, the surgeon performed 45 to 50 surgeries per day, an incredible feat.
Handing out prescriptions.
I was profoundly struck by the extreme kindness and patience of the Ghanaian people. Even people living in the poorest conditions smiled easily. Experiencing these conditions, which are common in most of the world, made me deeply aware of my privilege and reminded me of the importance of getting outside of my regular bubble and helping people.
One of the outreach days was based in a Liberian refugee camp. The civil war in Liberia officially ended in 2003, but over the last three decades, many Liberian refugees have built new lives in Ghana. The government of Ghana wants the refugees to leave; recently the government bulldozed many of the refugees’ homes. I talked to an 18-yearold boy named George who had lived there all his life. His family had been in the camp for two generations. Because his home was bulldozed, George is now living in an abandoned school with his family.
This conversation deeply resonated with me as here was someone my own age going through a life circumstance I’ve only read about or seen online. It is incredibly different to talk to someone in person and hear what they’re going through, it’s no longer just a theoretical story, it’s right in front of you. After this experience in Ghana, I feel inspired and eager to learn more about global health and international relations in school and I’m interested in pursuing some sort of career in nonprofit healthcare after college.
Jerome introduced Unite for Sight with the help of a translator. You can see the eye chart behind him.
An example of where the patients would sit and wait to be seen by the doctors.
If you have any interest in public health and the role of NGOs in helping provide critical eye care to developing countries, I highly recommend you check out Unite for Sight. More than that, however, I recommend you explore volunteer and action programs in general. According to the Atlantic, “Since the COVID-19 crisis began, nearly 50 percent of Gen Z-ers have taken action to support a cause they care about.” This statistic demonstrates that our generation cares about social issues. We want to understand how the world works and have meaningful experiences that help people as well as support issues that we care about. However, reaching out to different programs and figuring out opportunities can be a daunting task. Here are two websites that may inspire and help guide you to find a volunteer opportunity. college.
The two incredible eye doctors with whom I worked: Ernest (optometrist) and Jerome (ophthalmologist).
The school in which George was living.
For more information about Unite for Sight, check out their website
This is a website about teen-specific volunteer programs
This is website for anyone to use to find volunteer opportunities:
FALL PLAYLIST INTERNATIONAL PLAYLIST PLAYLISTS
COMMUNITY EVENTS
UPCOMING
Realize Tacoma: Understanding Mental Health
October 23, 6 to 8 pm
Learn about the importance of keeping a healthy mind with high school students from Chief Leschi, Tacoma, and Annie Wright recently spent a week exploring our city, discussing its challenges and successes in order to build a persuasive presentation about which topic our community should focus on for the year. Join your fellow members of the Annie Wright community in the Great Hall for the first conversation of this year’s series, focused on distinctions between mood disorders and complex mental health diagnoses, clarifying misconceptions, and promoting understanding. Appetizers and beverages will be provided.
GO GATORS: Friday Night Lights
Fall Family Festival: Alice in Wonderland
October 25, 5 to 7 pm
EVERYONE is invited to a whimsical evening at this year’s AWSPA Fall Family Festival! On Friday, October 25 —just before the football game—our campus will transform into a vibrant celebration filled with exciting activities and delicious food. While we’re embracing the enchanting theme of Alice in Wonderland, we encourage everyone to unleash their creativity by dressing up in any costume that inspires you—be it a beloved character, a favorite animal, or anything your imagination conjures!
Get ready to celebrate and cheer on the USB Yellow Ties on our football team under the Friday night lights! This month’s ‘Game of the Month’ features Annie Wright vs. Lynnwood High School on Friday, October 25, at 7:00 PM at the Stadium Bowl—right after the AWSPA Fall Festival. Let’s make it a night to remember!
DRIVES!
Neighborhood Clinic (Dec 2-6)
Tacoma Community House (Dec 8-12)
St. Vincent De Paul (Dec 14-18)
(s)ELECTIVE OPEN HOUSE & STUDENT FEEDBACK
This year (s)Electives rewrote the Open House recruiting process. Students spent a week rotating through many different (s) Electives that captured their interests, instead of just focusing on a few. They were able to get some hands-on experience with each group and participate in the activities to test out the environment and further explore their personal skills and interests. With this new system of rotation and more interactive activities, each student, and each (s)Elective group could make sure they are in the (s)Elective that is the best fit for their skills, interests and goals.
Here is some feedback from a few of Annie Wrights (s)Elective leaders:
Student Life & Governance:
Ju-ah Paik - President:
I loved seeing so many new faces who were as passionate about leadership as me! Hearing all their bright ideas fill the room was such a refreshing experience.
Science team/HOSA:
Doris Wu, the HOSA President talked about how she enjoyed having “a lot of people coming and sharing their experiences” with the Science Team.
Community (s)Elective:
(s)Elective leaders Andrea Gyimah and Hannah Zhang
The best part for us was witnessing how many people were actually interested in our (s) Elective considering how small of a group we already are and seeing how the work we do and the way we interact with each other is admirable to others and worth exploring for newcomers. We also had a moment in each open house day where three of our members went around saying why they decided to join our (s)elective and it was nice seeing how much of an impact the (s)Elective has been for them.
Varsity Arts is a Visual Art Portfolio is a program for students wanting to accelerate in visual art by investing more time in the studio honing their skills and viewpoints, and developing a portfolio of show-ready works.
This fall, we have 18 student-artists in Varsity Arts, representing both USB / USG divisions and students from grades ninth to eleventh.
Varsity Arts students have access to specialized coaching, local artist workshops or collaborations (this year, the Varsity Arts students worked with local printmaker Yoshi Nakagawa on a new, large scale piece commissioned by School), trips to local arts-events or studios (including Tacoma Studio Tour and Tacoma Art Museum’s guided studio program), and submitting their works to regional and national contests.
Fashion (s)Elective:
Nina Beard - President, Gianna Elder - Vice President
We loved the amount of interest. This is our second year of being a (s)Elective and the previous year we only had a handful of people who were excited and willing to show up and participate in our (s) Elective. This year it was enjoyable to see the amount of not only freshmen but upperclassmen who were keen to join.
MockTrial:
Co-Leaders: Lauryn Seton, Zuri Smith, Andrea Ortega-Valle and Victor Peterson
Getting to meet new people in the Annie Wright community and seeing how well they will fit into the (s)Elective while adding their own perspective to make it better was so exciting.
VARSITY ARTS MAIN EVENT
VARSITY ARTS SHOWCASE: NOVEMBER 14th AT ANNIE WRIGHT
FALL SPORTS
FOOTBALL
CROSS COUNTRY
TENNIS
SOCCER
VOLLEYBALL
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR SPORT?
VOLLEBALL
Bea: “I love how fast volleyball is, there’s always something going on on the court.”
Jolieke: “Volleyball is a game of mental battles. Striving to constantly keep a positive mindset, being able to rely on your teammates is crucial. This is exactly why I love the game! The connection and trust that is formed within a team is uplifting and empowering. Loud and memorable bus rides to custom made handshakes, the little moments are what make this my favorite sport.”
TENNIS
Miles Defebaugh: “Tennis is a perfect combination taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquility.” - Billie Jean King. Really the athleticism and technique required to be good at tennis is what I love about it.
FOOTBALL
Tre: I love no matter how hard you work there is something to work on.
SOCCER
Femke: When you play soccer, you can forget about everything and just have fun with your friends.
CROSS COUNTRY
Will: I like having fun with my teammates and cheering for each other
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF BEING IN AN AWS SPORT PROGRAM?
TENNIS
Miles Defebaugh: “Being on an AWS sports team holds lots of the same benefits as being on any other sport team such as physical activity, engaging with your community, and of course having fun. What differentiates AWS sports for me is that participants are able to make connections across the upper school. This is particularly significant because the aws community is already small, and it creates the ability to see more known and friendly faces in the hallways.”
VOLLEBALL
Bea: “The support is definitely a huge benefit. It’s really nice to be able to have so many resources and people to look to when an athlete might need it.”
Jolieke: “Some of the benefits is that the AWS sports programs account for the management of academics. Being a Student athlete, balancing homework and late night games can be a struggle. However, the sport program provides a time period, before practices or games, to complete homework and communicate with teachers, if necessary. This is extremely helpful to balance the heavy workload and still have time to be active.”
CROSS COUNTRY
Will: “You get to meet a lot of people that you otherwise wouldn’t during the school day.”
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE MOMENTS FROM YOUR SPORT? FOOTBALL
CROSS COUNTRY
SOCCER
Femke: Beating Vashon 1-0 for the first time in AWS history and making it to the playoffs for the first time in AWS history.
Will: Winning State TENNIS Miles Defebaugh: “Losing the first set 1-6 then being down 1-5 in the second set at love 40 (one point away from losing) my sophomore year then coming all the way back to win the set and tie breaker to win the match.”
WHO DO YOU THINK OUR TOUGHEST COMPETITION IS IN THIS LEAGUE?
VOLLEBALL
Tre: How I’ve changed as a person and how differently I look at the world and myself. I also loved the Lindbergh game Jack: Getting told I was voted in as Captain, getting first place in my first shot put meet in Track my sophomore year
Bea: “Cascade Christian 100%, they have this huge D1 commit hitter who hits the 10-foot line every time, she’s insane.”
Jolieke: “ Realistically speaking, the biggest competitor our team will face is Cascade Christian. However, I think that our team’s strongest opponent will be ourselves. Being able to keep a positive mindset will be crucial during any game. A key to success will be to adjust during mistakes and to keep fighting regardless of the score. vorite sport.”
ON YOUR TEAM, WHO DESERVES A SHOUTOUT?
VOLLEBALL
Bea: “Sloane is 100% the hardest working athlete on the team. She is so consistent and her energy is infectious. She’s always making us laugh even when we’re running during conditioning and we can always count on her to put a ball down.” Jolieke: “Sydney Farach is our libero and she is the glue of our team. Libero’s aren’t always seen as crucial because they’re not the flashy front row. However, syd is everywhere at once. She picks up every ball that is blasted her way. Without her, we would not be able to complete our team. Good job Sydney!”
SOCCER
Femke: Katya - for always having to do extra running to take all the throw-ins because she can throw them extra far and because she is a great defender and keeps our backline organized.
CROSS COUNTRY
Will: Glorian is the hardest working athlete on the team. He always shows up and brings the energy to the workouts and easy runs.
FOOTBALL
Tre: Ta’a is a great example of getting it done. He is always working even before practice.
Jack Cushamn: Ian Wil ley. Ian gives 100% every play and demands everyone around him to work just as hard as he does. I respect him immensely.
WHAT ARE THE TOP MUST SEE GAMES?
VOLLEBALL
Bea: “Definitely our home game against Cascade on the 23rd of October, and senior night on the 30th!”
FOOTBALL
Tre: “Senior night October 25th (football @ stadium bowl)”
Femke: “You get to compete with friends and have fun while giving your very best.”
FOOTBALL: Tre: “How rewarding it feels.” SOCCER
WE ASKED ANNIE WRIGHT STUDENTS WHICH OF THE OFFERED FALL SPORTS WAS THEIR FAVORITE.
There were 42 responses, with volleyball and cross country tying for the most votes.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE HARDEST SPORT IS?
TENNIS
Miles Defebaugh: “To me, the hardest sport encompasses two different aspects: physicality/athleticism and technique. An example of a sport that requires a lot of athleticism but minimal technique is football.
On the other side of the spectrum, golf requires lots of technique but limited athleticism. To me, the perfect middle of the spectrum (making it the hardest because it requires maintenance of both athleticism and technique) is tennis. In tennis, speed, agility, stamina, and even strength are all necessary in being truly generational at tennis (not to mention nutrition).”
CROSS COUNTRY
Will: “Cross Country is the hardest sport because not only is it very hard physically to run fast for three miles but it is also a hard mental battle.”
SOCCER
Femke: “Soccer because there are so many different aspects of the game to master.”
VOLLEBALL
graph composed by Cooper Dickes
Bea: “Tennis is definitely the hardest sport in my opinion. Just because it’s just you out on the court alone, and the games always last so long. ”
Jolieke: “One of the hardest sports to play is probably tennis. Personally, I struggle keeping a positive mindset while playing. This is why I rely on volleyball teammates to provide support and encouragement. However, while playing tennis, it’s you vs yourself. When watching tennis, I find this highly impressive and skillful. ”
FOOTBALL
Jack: “Long distance running. Hardest sport in the world for sure ”
Tre: Basketball is I believe scientifically the hardest because of the immense amount of stamina needed to play it.”
ClIMATE CHANGE
MASHA KOTELNIKOV
As global warming becomes increasingly prevalent, our day to day lives get increasingly impacted. We see temperatures constantly rising, and natural disasters, such as Hurricane Heline in the south becoming exceedingly more dangerous. However, we live in the safety and security of the Pacific Northwest where natural disasters are limited and our weather will remain cold and rainy, right? Unfortunately, not quite. Wildfires and heat waves have significantly increased, specifically in the Seattle area. In fact, during the 90s Seattle only experienced about 7 days a year where temperatures were over 84 degrees Fahrenheit. By 2050, we are expected to reach about 28 days a year where temperatures exceed 84 degrees(1). This is a 400 percent increase.
Lake Chelan is one of Washington beloved lakes, and this past July, 30,000 acres of forest were burned east of the lake(2). As I am writing this, there are 8 different deadly forest fires in Washington state (3), (not to mention the other states in the Pacific Northwest). It is safe to say that the weather has become concerning and notably more dangerous. These unfortunate events beg the question, is there no going back? Can we rewrite our future? Well, the answer is not two dimensional. As of now, our current Seattle legislation is going back on the Climate Commitment Act. This act, enacted in 2021, aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 95% by 2050(4). So, yes, we can rewrite our future, but only if our legislation and government prioritizes keeping the earth safe.
As for the United States and the world as a whole, the Biden administration definitely advanced our position in terms of climate change. For example, in 2021 Biden signed an executive order that directs the US government to reduce emissions 65% by 2030. Specific measures include energy efficiency, and renewable energy. The US, however, is surprisingly behind in comparison to Nordic countries such as Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Unfortunately, it will take multiple decades of zero greenhouse emissions to stabilize the climate. “Stabilize the climate” means that not a single greenhouse gas is being emitted. Even with modern technology that prevents greenhouse gasses from entering our atmosphere, the damage we have done makes it almost impossible to reverse globally. These limitations in technology suggest that completely stabilizing the climate is not very feasible. However, there are still ways that we can make progress. In fact, we can already see positive effects of reducing emissions and fossil fuels on a small level. As long as we continue to try, (reducing carbon emissions, clean energy, etc.) there is still hope.
So what can we do? Is it possible for individuals to minimize the impacts of climate change? The idea that individuals need to take responsibility for their own carbon footprint is a little bit farfetched. This idea was created by powerful people and organizations to draw attention away from the larger problem at hand. It is important to consider that individuals are not fully responsible for this catastrophe, but there are still things we can do. For example, instead of shopping at large fast-fashion companies, we can shop at thrift stores. In this way, we can reduce our waste, and reduce, reuse, and recycle.
The Pacific Northwest is our home, and I think we can all agree that our beautiful environment should be preserved. It is the responsibility of our large corporations and people in power to rewrite our future. If you want to play a part in rewriting our future in Washington’s initiative to reduce carbon emissions, vote no on repealing the Climate Commissions act!
SCOURCES:
“Seattle, Washington Climate Change Risks and Hazards: Precipitation, Heat.” Climatecheck.com climatecheck.com/washington/seattle.
“What to Know about Washington Wildfires and Smoke in Seattle.” Seattle Met, www.seattlemet.com/ travel-and-outdoors/washington-wildfire-smoke-seattle.
“Washington Wildfire Map - Current Wildfires, Forest Fires, and Lightning Strikes in Washington | Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center.” FireWeatherAvalanche.org, www.fireweatheravalanche.org/fire/state/washington. Myers, Todd. “Citizens’ Guide to Initiative 2117 to Repeal the Climate Commitment Act.” Washington Policy. org, 2024,www.washingtonpolicy.org/ publications/detail/citizens-guide-to-initiative-2117-to-repeal-the-climate-commitmentact
Moseman, Andrew. “How Long Will It Take Temperatures to Stop Rising, or Return to “Normal,” If We Stop Emitting Greenhouse Gases? | MIT Climate Portal.” Climate.mit.edu, 19 Dec. 2023, climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/how-long-willit-take-temperatures-stop-rising-or-return-normal-if-we-stop-emitting.
The Pioneer Fire blazes away on the shore of Lake Chelan. The fire had grown to more than 12,000 acres and was only 14% contained.
COURTESY PHOTO/RICK KELLY/MLFD
Smoke from wildfires obscure the Space Needle and the Seattle skyline on Sept. 12, 2020.
Photo by Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images
NEW STUDENT VOICES
From Maia and Maria
Annie Wright Schools welcomes many new students into its doors each year. These students come from all around the world. Each has different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We wanted to give new students a chance to share their voice and feelings about their time so far at Annie Wright. We decided to do this both through sending out a survey and interviewing students in person. While interviewing, we were curious to learn about motives in choosing to come toAnnie Wright.The student we interviewed said that they came to Annie Wright for the academics and also the experiences offered. For example, the opportunities to see other countries and cultures and the offered after school clubs and (S)Electives. We all have different motivations and reasons for our actions, and by asking these other questions we hoped to get insight into why these students have chosen Annie Wright for their high school experience.
Our school offers a host of opportunities for students with interests ranging from baseball to baking. New students are no exception. Even early in the school year, there are many options for sports, (S) Electives, and clubs. We were curious to learn more about exactly what activities these new students were involved in.
“Creative writing and tech crew for theater.”
- Anonymous
“Cross-country running, Sport medicine (S)Elective.”
- Maryna Kryvych
“Volleyball and business elective.”
- Ziyun Liu
Although we are only a few month into the current academic year, new students have already created countless memories, some of which they will carry with them throughout their lives. To truly establish which moments mattered to our new students, we asked them what their favorite memories have been so far.
“Campfire. Even though it wasn’t necessarily a big or long event, it was still really fun. It broke down the boundaries that I’ve always seen between teachers and students, and makes it seem like a much more healthy experience and environment.”
- Anonymous
“Finding a new friend group, and meeting and becoming part of the community in general.”
- Anonymous
“My favorite memory by far is probably my first ever cross country meet at Wright Park.”
- Paris Lozada
New experiences and places can evoke many new perspectives. We asked new students to describe how they were feeling so far about their experience at Annie Wright in one word.
nvigorating - Anonymous
Unique - Paris Lozada
Memorable - Isabella Triggs
Grand - Rowan Rognstad
Even through visiting and researching schools, you don’t get the full experience until you are able to experience it as a student. In order to see what new things people learned after beginning to actually attend Annie Wright, we asked students to write one sentence on what has most surprised them about the school so far.
The openness of the community, and how accepting and adaptable everyone is with any complications
- Anonymous
My classmates are all very friendly and inc lusive to me as a new student this year
- Ziyun Liu
I thought the 90 minute classes would feel a lot longer but they aren’t that bad
- Anonymous
The thing that surprised me the most is how well organized everything is, including electives and meetings
- Paris Lozada
Coming to Annie Wright can be an entirely new experience to many students. Whether they’re coming from another private school or public school in the United States, or even from an entirely different country, Annie Wright can be vastly different from their old schooling experiences. In order to understand some of these changes, we asked students to share what the biggest differences between their old schools and Annie Wright are.
My past school was a public school, so I was used to taking it easy after school, but Annie Wright keeps me busy 24/7, in a good way
- Paris Lozada
The students move around classes instead of the teachers coming to the classroom
- Chaehee Yoo
There are always struggles when adapting to a new environment. The student we interviewed cited social struggles such as interacting comfortably with new people and difficulty in putting themselves out there as their primary issues. They countered these troubles with a deliberate effort to participate in school activities such as Casino Night. Personal victories such as these have allowed this student to grow and thrive in their newfound environment, cementing their identity and exploring their individuality just like the many students that have come before them. The sheer variety and breadth of experiences and responses to these simple questions truly illustrates the diverse nature of Annie Wright. Students from all over the world coexist, bringing their unique perspectives and worldviews to our school. These unique aspects of Annie Wright allow students to develop new ideas and result in a lifetime of knowledge and memories.
BEYOND THE BOOKLET
FINDING THE COLLEGE THE FEELS RIGHT FOR YOU
By: Lucy Hall
A life post-Annie Wright graduation can feel daunting and overwhelming. Whether college is the path you choose or not, graduation can instill just as much fear as it does excitement. When first exploring what college felt right for me, I remember being drawn to school after school, choosing places solely on the look of the campus and my preconceived notions of how “good” a school was, which to me at the time meant how highly selective that school was. This summer I was privileged enough to visit many universities I was interested in, which ended up morphing my college list for the better, and helped get an idea of what I want my educational future to look like! Getting started in the college world and finding schools that interest you must begin on websites like College Kickstart and Scoir, but a school is so much more than the statistics and highlights that are promoted on their website and to the public.
In my online college search, I found a school I was incredibly excited about, everything about it sounded perfect. The classroom sizes were small, the campus beautiful, the location beautifully discrete tucked into the forest of Vermont. However, rose colored perception was tainted the second I stepped onto the campus.
I arrived for my tour a few minutes late and was guided down to the presentation room by a second year student who was spending her summer at the school. I started openly talking with her about the competitive feel of the school, and the more we walked around the campus the more I wawa able to experience first hand all she was describing. Each student on my tour felt as though they were viewing me not as a potential colleague, but as competition. The demeanor of these students alone was enough for me to see the type of person this school drew in, someone incredibly antagonistically ambitious and incredibly academically driven.The juxtaposition of the vibrant, rich, encouraging environment showcased online and the dreary, solemn university was shocking to me.
Last spring I was lucky enough to visit a well known UC school. A few of my friends attend this school and love it, which got me excited at the prospect of applying. However, the second I stepped on the campus, I was not met with a positive buzz of student life, I instead was faced with study room after study room of isolated, stressed students preparing for midterms. While, of course, the time of my visit was unfortunately aligned with testing season, I was able to see the backstage reality of the perfect academic statistics highlighted on that UC schools site.
The last school I was able to tour this summer was one that was incredibly high on my list, which made my anxiety peak at the prospect of being let down once again. However, the second I stepped through the admissions door, I felt as though I was in the right place. The other students on the tour immediately resonated with me, everyone was incredibly welcoming and equally anxious as myself.
While I was able to get to know these schools through friends and online summaries, the second I stepped onto the campus of these schools I had idolized, it became apparent to me what environment was for me and what was not.
If you have the privilege to visit any of the universities that interest you for the future I strongly recommend it. The culture of a school means so much more than the statistics that school places on its website. Rember, in your college search, you are deciding more than just your vocational future, but where you’ll live the next couple of years. Above all I recommend choosing a place you feel comfortable calling home. The National University of Health Sciences also emphasizes the importance of getting to know the physical environment and feel of the school before you enter into life there as well as assessing resources (Team, NUHS. “5 Advantages of Visiting a College Campus.” National University Of Health Sciences, 16 Feb. 2024). Highlighting the need to get a feel for the culture and practical life of the college environment you enter into life on that campus.
SCOURCE:
Team, NUHS. “5 Advantages of Visiting a College Campus.” National University Of Health Sciences, 16 Feb. 2024, www.nuhs.edu/5-advantages-of-visiting-a-college-campus/#:~:text=Visiting%20campus%20can%20give%20you,specific%20college%20may%20be%20like.
SENIOR ARTIST LAUREATE DINNER SALON
On Thursday, October 3, 2024 Annie Wright Senior Artist Laureates Celebrated and Shared their genius at a Dinner Salon. Below is a snapshot and brief description of the art and artists at this fantastic event.
Photo Credits to Annie Green, Artist Laureate Program
MUSICIANS
ARTISTS
Glean Conerly: Actor and Storyteller
Sydney Ramsey: Acrylic Painting
Phoebe Heacock: Woodworking
Brooklyn Nguyen: Photojournalism Christian Gleser: Photographer
Tremendous Lipscomb: Alto Sax
Ju-ah Paik
Pierre Wang
Eason Li
Di Ma
Harry Cao
Kevin Lin
JUMP INTO CAS
ENAGE, SERVE, AND, MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Creativity, Activity, and Service are the three stems of the infa mous CAS project. The CAS project is what you all will have to complete at some point in your Annie Wright Education but it doesn’t have to be so tedious. Whether you are in the midst or far ahead, here are some projects you can get involved in.
Creativity, Activity, and Service are the three stems of the infa The Yellow Tie USG has a number of interesting CAS projects in the works right now. There is currently a yellow tie running a pet supply drive! These yellow ties have pets and know how expensive and high maintenance owning a pet truly is which is why they are passionate about this project. Shelters all over the world have been overpopulated with dogs due to COVID-19. A lot of people got animals over Covid due to the crippling feeling of isolation when in quarantine. However, unfortunately, once returning to work, they found that they could no longer care for these animals. This has led to an increase in strays and is why all donations from the drive will be given to the Tacoma Humane Society.To get involved you can participate by bringing supplies to their drive. They have posted around the school of acceptable donations. If you still need an incentive, the class with the most donations will get House Cup points.
Another drive on the horizon is a food drive for Tacoma Rescue Mission, run by a yellow tie USB. Food insecurity is a large thing in the state of Washington with 32% of households that face food insecurity every year. This drive will start up towards the end of this month, so watch your emails. They will want non-perishables (ie. soups, pasta, crackers).
If drives don’t quite sound your speed, another Yellow Tie is leading the community in a pen pal project with younger kids over at the Multicultural Family and Hope center. More information will be coming soon, but if you are interested in acting as a role model to these children, I encourage you to contribute to this community bonding project. The CAS project is a perfect way to blend your passions into our community. So, mark your calendars, get excited, and get involved!
CHRISTIAN GLESER
“Teacher Resources.” CAS Trips https://www.castrips.org /teacher-resources/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: WITHIN THE UN
The New York Times is not just a newspaper; it’s an institution located in the heart of New York city. It has grown to become a global center of journalism offering many insights from news and cultural habits to critiques of ideas in our society. The New York Times is also heavily involved with the United Nations, citing many investigative human rights articles and top stories from the IGO.This relationship not only offers news coverage, but also cultural representation, as it brings awareness to issues that occur in marginalized groups, refugees, and other victims of human rights abuses. The reporting helps to humanize these groups and shares their voices globally for awareness.
A prime example of this shows in the case study of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict the New York Times has been spreading coverage about. Specifically about the intense malnourishment Gazans are facing due to a nation-state hunger emergency imposed by Israeli-operations. This famine impacts a significant amount of Gaza’s population of around 2.2 million people which is backed up by the United Nations-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification global initiative and other U.N. agencies who have accurately quantified the impact of this issue. Even reporting on what will soon happen if this food insecurity continues which will threaten humanitarian well-being for people in Palestine in the future. The New York Times has used these statistics reported from different organizations in the United Nations to bring it to light and spread it to more and more people for awareness on these humanitarian crises.
By: EIsha Ahmad
As stated,The New York Times has ties with UN groups of bodies like The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), The Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and other UN organizations focusing on marginalized communities and emphasizing women’s rights. When it comes down to the actual stories, the New York Times combines multimedia storytelling of documentaries, articles, interviews, social media, and photos to highlight and address many human rights crises. They also work with human rights legal experts’ and learn about their analyses and opinions to accurately interpret how humanitarian law is being threatened. Having these experts’ opinions helps the coverage reach a greater audience. This reporting significantly impacts public policy as the issues the UN works on get published through the New York Times and across different platforms, influencing and informing people on how to change certain policies and laws that impose violations on humanitarian law.
