Cardinal Columns (June 2021)

COLUMNS COLUMNS

JUNE 2021

Pandemic - Page 5 Divorce - Page 9 Men’s Mental Health - Page 11

Plus:

America’s Political Divide - Page 20 Straight Up Domination - Page 3 Welcome To The Stone Oak Coffee Haus - Page 13

Contents

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Sports

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Straight Up Domination Goooooooal

Burnout

How the Pandemic has Affected Students

Editorial Policy The Cardinal Columns is a designated public forum written, edited and managed by FHS students as part of journalism classes taught by a certified journalism educator. The purpose of FHS media is to inform and entertain its audience (students and staff as well as the local community) through timely, accurate, impartial and thorough reporting as well as to serve as an educational journalism experience for those on staff. The Cardinal Columns and its staff are protected and bound by the principles of the First Amendment and all other protections and limitations granted by the Constitution and the various laws and court decisions implementing those principles. The staff strive to uphold the principles of journalism as outlined by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism as well as the highest ethical standards of the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics.

Letters to the Editor The Cardinal Columns newsmagazine welcome comments and opinions from students and faculty in the form of letters to the editor. Letters to the editor must be signed with a first and last name and be 250 words or less. The editorial board reserves the right to withhold a letter or column and return it for more information if it determines the piece contains items of unprotected speech or to edit for spelling and grammar and confirm authorship.

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Features

Separate but not Alone The Stigma Around Men’s Mental Health

Contact Cardinal Columns Room 2610 Fond du Lac High School 801 Campus Drive Fond du Lac, WI 54935 920-929-2740 cardinalcolumns@gmail.com ADVISER: smithm@fonddulac.k12.wi.us

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Culture

Opinion

News

The Coffee Catastrophe Summer Fashion 2021 America’s Political Divide

Loans and Titles and Banking Oh My! Queer Education

Looking Towards a Brighter Future

Masthead

A Special Thanks

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A special thank you to Mr. Herr for creating the front cover for us. We had no idea how to create something like that, and it turned out better than we could’ve ever hoped. Thank you so much Mr. Herr!

Julie Rebek

STAFF WRITERS Hayden Christensen Sunny Chen Erica Contreras Hannah Fenrick Zachary Holzmann Anna Menominee Madison Morales Yaz Nickols Willow Vellema Isabella Gessner Samantha Giese Hayden Mason

ADVISER

Matthew Smith

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Sports

STRAIGHT UP DOMINATION The 2020-2021 ALTERNATE SEASON WAS ONE TO REMEMBER FOR THE FONDY FOOTBALL TEAM

BY

WilloW Velllema, Staff Writter

W

atching the Cardinals play goes something like this: Kyle Walljasper gives the ball to Braelon Allen for a touchdown. The next possession? Kyle Walljasper keeps the ball for a touchdown. The defense limits the opponent as the offense straight up dominates.

In the seven games this season, the Cardinals outscored opponents 409-104.

As senior quarterback Kyle Walljasper said at the beginning of the season, “I expect us to win every game. Anything less than undefeated would be a disappointment.” The truth behind that was carried throughout all seven games in the alternate season. were very dominant. The closest regular season game was a win of 35 points. These wins are brought on by amazing defensive performances and insane amounts of points games undefeated left Fondy with the num3

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ber one seed in the playoffs. dominant the Cardinals were this season.

Instead of a regular playoff schedThe Fondy football team loses 23 ule, this year included bracket play and only seniors. This brings up the question: what two rounds. As if a shortened season wasn’t will the 2021-22 season entail? “I think we bad enough, there was no chance to bring the gold ball home. Even though the team of,” junior Armond Wempner said. At the could not physically have the state champi- end of every season, the Cardinals always onship, they treated the Fox Valley Classic look to become better for the next season.

Conference title game like it was the state The grind never stops for the team here at title game.

Walljasper and his senior running back, Braelon Manitowoc Lincoln: 63-7 Allen, dominated opposing defenses all season. In the Neenah: 56-21 game against Kimberly, the duo combined for over 600 Stevens Point:52-0 yards and nine touchdowns.

Not only was this the best stat Green Bay Preble: 63-3 lines in the state last week, Bay Port: 62-19 but Kimberly’s defense was claimed to be a top defensive Appleton North: 42-7 team. The 71-47 win against the biggest Fondy rival, an Kimberly: 71-47 overall solid team, shows how

GOOOOOOOALup THE BOYS SOCCER SEASON COMES TO A CLOSE BY

BELLA GESSNER, STAFF WRITTER

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hile the 2020-2021 school year has been a crazy one, we can clearly say the sports season this spring went very well. Even with the COVID-19 obstacles, the boys soccer season went well ending with a 4-3-1 record.

The team even went on to accomplish beating a long term rival Neenah 2-1.

“Fondy hasn’t beaten Neenah in soccer Braden Gerritson said. “We had a really good game and played to the level I knew the team was capable of.”

The boys also worked much better as a team this year. “The majority of the team has been working since summer”. Gerritson said. “It helped our team

develop chemistry that in my past years we’ve lacked.

“I look forward to coming to the games next year and continuing to watch said. The team had been playing together for 5-8 years, and as seniors graduate everyone is still supporting each other because the bond they created this year really can’t be broken. Winning regionals was another proud moment from the team.

“My favorite memory of the season was winning the regional play off game and DMC handing us the plaque. ning something felt good and the whole

Kimberly:1-3 Oshkosh West: 2-2 Oshkosh North 5-0 Steven Point: 0-1 Neenah:2-1 Appleton East: 2-0 Appleton North: 0-1

Hayes said.

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BY HANNAH FENRICK, STAFF WRITER

How a Pandemic Affected Students

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ou know that feeling when you have to get an assignment done, but you don’t feel like doing it? Or maybe you’ve finished a massive test, and afterwards felt so drained of energy that you were unable to pay attention in the rest of your classes? Maybe you’ve even had a mental breakdown after finishing four hours worth of homework one night?

Chances are if you’re a student, one or more of these scenarios is something you’ve personally experienced. What this feeling looks and feels like is different for everyone, but regardless of how it’s handled, this common feeling is known as academic burnout.

This year, with a pandemic and the many stresses it’s caused, academic burnout in students has only become that much more intense.

“It’s like I have no energy left to do anything,” senior Macy Nellessen said. “It feels like all I want to do is just go lay in bed and take a nice long nap.”

Senior Tiara Thurow further explains this concept. “Burnout feels like my brain is melting. All my thinking ends up in one big mixing pot. I feel like a mess because my brain is so exhausted with keeping everything in order that it gives up. I tend to feel physically tired but unable to sleep because I feel anxious about not doing things that I’m just too drained to do.”

But what exactly is academic burnout? According to the University of the People, a tuition-free online university, “Academic burnout can be defined as a negative emotional, physical and mental reaction to prolonged study that results in exhaustion, frustration, lack of motivation and reduced ability in school.”

According to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a research-intensive medical school, ““It occurs when you feel overwhelmed and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest or motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place. Study burnout reduces your productivity and saps your energy, and may leave you feeling increasingly hopeless, powerless, cynical, and resentful.”

Amount of Burnout During a Pandemic:

Causes/Symptoms Causes of Academic Burnout: • • • • • •

Piles of school work Lack of Sleep Poor eating habits Limited or no physical exercise Poor time management Unrealistic goals

Symptoms of Academic Burnout: • Long-term fatigue • Intellectual exhaustion • Inability of the brain to absorb more information • Unwillingness to study further • Decline in academic

performance Source: the Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Knowing what academic burnout is is important in understanding how it has affected students during the COVID-19 pandemic. With schools changing their status from open to closed, and schedules being changed to accommodate virtual classes, the 2020-2021 school year hasn’t exactly been the easiest. Some students have even felt more burnt compared to other years thanks to

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the added stresses from the pandemic.

Both seniors in high school, Madison Mudrak and Sami Riley, have reported that they’ve experienced more burnout this year due to the pandemic. “I feel like it’s because a lot of things that we look forward to have been taken away from us or changed in some way due to COVID-19” Sami said.

“The pandemic led to more exhaustion because since all of my classes are music classes, it put a huge stop to being able to play together” Madison said.

Tiara sheds some light on this topic. “The pandemic caused a lot of stress and anxiety. For a few months, I was terrified to be near anyone and would have panic attacks. On top of the usual stress I have, I now had this fear of getting sick,” Tiara said. “School was much harder for me as well, and I almost failed three of my classes.”

Shellee Schipper, a French teacher at Fond du lac High School, gives a new perspective to this idea. “I do believe they are feeling more “burnout,” but I feel it’s not necessarily a result of their direct fear of COVID-19 itself but due to the domino effect that it has had on life in general (i.e. emotional, educational, familial, etc),” Schipper said. “It has been a year of interesting change in so many ways and it’s catching up to students.”

Other students say they haven’t felt an increase in academic burnout due to the pandemic.

“I feel like I have actually experienced less because when we had to quarantine I had more time to do my work and had more time for myself,” Macy said. “I didn’t have to wake up early and stress out about any

“Online schooling was . It e m r o f r e d r a h was a lack of ’t n d i d I e r u t c stru .” d e d e e n I w o n k hurow Tiara T

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“It’s been a year of change , and it’s catchi ng up to studen ts.”

She llee Schipp

er

work that I have to have done right away because I had all day to make sure I got it done.”

Jennifer McClyman, an English teacher at Fond du Lac High School, gives a similar report. “I actually have not noticed a difference in the amount of students feeling or talking about burnout this year,” McClyman said. “Usually, I have a handful of seniors who are exhibiting those classic signs of ‘senioritis,’ but I have not really had that this year.”

Models of Schooling and their Effects Before Fondy High returned to fully inperson classes five days a week, those who were not fully-virtual students attended school using a blended model of 2 days in-person and then 3 days virtual.

Once the middle of February came about, students were given the option to either attend in-person classes 5 days a week, or to remain remote and attend classes virtually.

Like with the amount of burnout students are experiencing, the results are varied for which model of schooling worked best to reduce burnout.

Some students say the cohort, or blended model, was the best model. “Blended really helped cause them I still went to school while I still had time for myself,” Macy said.

Other students say more than one model was best for them. “Personally I liked the blended model because there were some people in the other cohort that I benefited from not seeing everyday and having to interact with,” Madison said. “But at the same time, I like the fully in person model because I get to have band more than 2 times a week, and I also get to see some of my other friends and be able to hear each other’s parts musically.”

Even teachers have given varied results, with some saying fully in-person has been the better model of choice. “I can’t say that I know for sure, but those students who have been willing to share have said that being in school full time has been easier for their

learning and attention to school,” Schipper said.

Not only did people report which models worked the best for them, but they also reported which model was not the best. Some say that fully online, or remote, schooling has been the model students have had the hardest times with. “The students who seem to be struggling the most with keeping up with the work are those who have chosen the remote platform,” MyClyman said. “I have had a number of them contact me to try and get things back on track.”

“Online schooling had been much harder for me because it was a lack of structure, a structure I didn’t know I needed until I broke down about feeling stressed,” Tiara said. “Being stuck at home caused a lot of stress too, as I felt like I didn’t really have a place that was just mine anymore.”

Preventions: When it comes to combating burnout, fighting it is a unique experience that’s different for everyone. We all have our own tips and tricks for fighting this mental exhaustion that helps get us back into the swing of things. In other words, each person has found what works best for them, with many developing techniques they think may help others in the everpresent battle against academic burnout.

“I think just using a schedule and timing out assignments works. So does scheduling in breaks because they are just as important,” junior Bailey Kuphal said. “Personally, I use my Chromebook taskbar to write things I need to do that night or week, and I put a time limit on them. For example, I would put math (30 min), and when I do math I would set a timer. It increases productivity and efficiency so I have time to relax later.”

“Take everything one day at a time and have a goal in sight,” McClyman said.

“The better you’re able to plan and slowly but surely check off the things on your ‘to do’ list, the better you’ll feel and the less stress you’ll experience,” Schipper said. “Connected to that - you always have to plan a small bit of time for yourself, your friends, and your family. There will always be the need for rejuvenation to keep going!”

With the raised awareness of mental health this year, and with everyone dealing with their inner demons in the midst of a pandemic, global news coverage about such topics has not only informed people, but also connected them.

“It helped me personally to know I wasn’t alone and I think that can go for anyone, playing into the ‘together apart’ term brought on by COVID-19,” Bailey said.

“If more people are vocal about their struggles, it helps other people feel like they can talk about them too. I think that’s what helped students feel more able to speak up about their burnout,” Tiara said. “The more people feel they can talk about it, the more accepted it is.”

o t d e p l e h t I “ n’t know I was k alone. I thin or f o g n a c t a th anyone.” al Bailey Kuph

“The mo re peopl e feel they can talk about it, the more accepted it is.”

T iara Thur

ow

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SEPARATE BUT NOT ALONE The hidden truth behind having separated families.

BY WILLOW VELLEMA, STAFF WRITER

S

he spent nights alone, shaking in bed, trying to fall asleep, unsure what to do next. Her thoughts raced about all the terrible things that could happen next. After being thrown against a wall, held hostage and so much more, all she could think about is when her parents would finally take the next step.

Divorce.

Years after these events, Olivia still suffers from anxiety, anger and trust issues. She never feels comfortable or “right at home” because of the time she spent in an unstable environment. Until her parents got a divorce, she said her life was living hell. Well, now that hell is just a nightmare that continuously sneaks up, but always haunts her brain.

Olivia is not alone with this.

Many other Fondy students who are part of separated families feel the same sting and struggles.

Divorce is common in the United States. According to the American Psychology Association, 40-50% of marriages end with divorce. This high percentage nationally also falls into play at FHS, school counselor Jennifer Delevot said.

A senior, Harden, has gone through the split parent situation since she was young. Picture this: a bright, fun, loving, creative girl who just went silent one day. This five year old was no longer 9

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herself. “I was shyer once they separated,” Harden said. “I stopped talking as much. I thought I was the reason.”

A five year old should never have to feel the pressure of something so extreme, but she did. The thought that she was the reason hung around for years.

Harden did not understand what had happened, just like most children who watch their parents argue, stop talking or separate.

In most cases of divorce, there are major effects. “Differences in both mental and physi-Jennifer cal [changes],” Jennifer Delevot said.

These physical changes vary from a lack of involvement and poor grades to low attendance and disconnect. The mental changes often include lack of focus, feeling alone, anxiety and depression.

“Divorce is a loss, so students usually go through a grieving process,” Delevot said.

When it comes to going through a divorce with the least amount of change

and impact, there are a few key parts.

Fond du Lac High School nurse Sarah Kirchhoff explained that parents have an important role in making the best out of it. “Students really benefit from parents having good communication with each other and the child feeling loved and important to both parents,” Kirchhoff said. It is also important for the child to be aware of the events and realize it is okay to get help when they are struggling. It is always okay to ask for help.

A freshman student at FHS, Emily, talked about her exDelevot perience with two separate homes. “I do not remember a time when my parents were together,” Emily said. Since she was very young, her parents have been divorced. This led to two completely different atmospheres for home life. She said her mom was often the strict, demanding one, as her dad is more chill. Eventually, the difference in the situations put a strain on Emily’s relationship with her mom.

Emily also brought up another

“Divorce is a loss, so students usually go through a grieving process.”

My Take:

Student names have been changed for their protection. experience that most children who have been part of a family separation go through. One of the hardest things for people to realize is that other families are not like this. One of her most vivid memories was going to her friend’s house for dinner.

“Both of her parents were married so seeing everyone happily sit down and eat together was almost weird,” Emily said. After seeing that, she began to wonder if her family, at either house, would ever have days like that. “When I got older my mother and father both remarried, but in all truth, it was still never how I dreamed family dinners would go.” Some things are easier for certain families and unfortunately, family dinner is not one of those.

Another side of divorced families is the change in family roles. When the father figure is removed from a household, someone else needs to step up. “I became the man of the house so I had to toughen up and grow up sooner,” senior James said.

The case of comparing and contrasting family life to others is something difficult to do, but many tend to do it. The most important thing to remember is every person is different, therefore every family is different.

However, just because your family might be struggling, does not mean you are alone.

The effects last a long time. “I honestly don’t believe in love,” Harden said. “ I believe in a connection, but something as pure as the idea of love.... I’m not sure how two imperfect humans can pull that off.”

“Is your couch open?” is a common text Olivia’s friends receive. This now 16 year old is still affected daily. She isn’t alone. No one is alone.

Growing up with divorced parents is something that most people don’t think about. Most adults never had to deal with it, but now it is a growing issue. My closest friends all struggle with anxiety and depression, including myself, and we all have one common issue. All of us have divorced parents.

I would cry so hard I would puke. I would stay up all night, sick to my stomach, unsure of what to do. This has happened since I was 4.

One thing lots of people do not realize is that divorce is more than two homes, double the presents and more family holidays. For the last 15 years, I have heard classmates talk about how amazing it is that my parents are not together. Frankly, if I ever felt that way, I would feel so selfish.

I often stop and think about how my siblings and parents all went through the same, but slightly different, pain. My mom still feels guilt, to the day. When my mom would take me to my dad’s, I would scream, cry and eventually throw up. My brother became a totally different person. He developed behavior problems and often believed everyone was out to get him.

Another way I can explain the pain is with what my brother said. “We were more upset in the divorce when physiological and our emotional needs weren’t being met with not having an ending quality time with ones we love.”

On top of all the chaos from my biological parents getting divorced, my dad went through a second divorce my sophomore year. This one also hit very hard. My then step-mom was a big part of my life from age three until 16.

Things hit extra hard because I lived through the hardship, and I clearly remember it all. My dad and her split after 13 years. After seeing the pain he felt and knowing that anyone can switch up, I developed strong trust issues along with the anxiety.

I am not going to lie; I have thought about a life with happily married parents. I picture a “perfect” family and a life without the long-lasting effects of the divorce.

Through this all, I do not think I would change anything.

It helped me bond with my brother. I learned to never take time with your parents for granted because you only see them for a short time. I saw the good, the ugly, and everything in between with both of my parents. It took me almost 10 years to even begin to understand that it is out of my control. The only thing I have to say about it now, on the outside, is “it is what it is.”

All these feelings, all because two people fell out of love.

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The STIGMA Around Mens Mental Health

BY ZACH HOLZMANN, STAFF WRITER

I

t’s something Eric has struggled with his whole life. “As of now, I’m still not even out to everyone I know, and I haven’t explicitly told anyone on social media. Part of that is because I’m scared of being judged by it,” the Fond du Lac High School student said.

This name has been changed to protect the privacy of the student.

“In eighth grade, I went to I trusted about me being bisexual. He then told most of the Springs students of my grade, even mislabeling me and saying I was just gay. Thank the Lord this incident happened during the summer before I was going to Fondy and I didn’t have to deal with homophobic Springs kids. Other than that there’s nobody I’ve told that’s distanced themselves, because, for the most part, I’m good at knowing who to trust,” Eric said.

“A lot of times I worry myself and wonder if something is ‘too much’. my sexuality because I really don’t think anybody should and for example the other I thought it was ‘too much’ and I thought to myself ‘why is this too much?’ ‘why gender?’ Eric said.

Eric isn’t the only one who struggles with the fear of being judged for their emotions. Men all across the nation struggle with this, and it’s certainly not an isolated incident. According to a poll of 11

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21,000 American men by researchers at be viewed as less masculine if they don’t the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), nearly one in ten men reported bases someone’s masculinity on things experiencing some form of depression or such as strength, lack of emotion, domianxiety, but less than half sought treatment.

Although society has tried to erase this This statistic is no coincidence. disgusting perception of masculinity, it Traditionally, men have a harder time still lingers today and causes a multitude showing their feelings and opening up due of mental issues for the majority of men. to the societal standards that have been set According to a survey sent out by the across generations.

Cardinal Columns, 64.7% of students feel “Men have been trained by the as if they need therapy, but have not gotten older generation to disregard feelings for it. Out of the men who responded, 24% their masculinity,” therapist Paul Clark of them felt as if they needed therapy but said. Paul Clark has been a therapist for 15 would not go to therapy. years at SSM health, and about 50% of his “The root of the issue is that patients are men. Paul specializes in men’s men aren’t raised to open up about their mental health and has done an abundance feelings. Instead, they’re raised to bottle it of research regarding the topic. “‘Suck up or convey it through anger,” therapist it up, big boys Kayla Schultz said. don’t cry’ they Schultz has been a “Men aren’t raised to therapist for 8 years say,” Clark said.

This with SSM Health, open up about their is generally and has a total of 60 referred to as patients signed up feelings. Instead, Toxic Masculinwith her. Out of these they’re raised to ity. According patients, only 20% to the Journal bottle it up or convey it of them are male. Alof School of though Schultz doesn’t through anger” Psychology, primarily work with toxic mascumen, she is well aware -Kayla Schultz linity is the of the glaring issue constellation of with men’s mental socially regressive [masculine] traits that health. serve to foster domination, the devaluaAccording to Schultz, both her male and tion of women, homophobia, and wanton female patients deal with anxiety, depresviolence. This harmful depiction of massion, ADHD and trauma recovery. “These culinity causes men to not only feel, but are problems that everyone deals with, and

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it should be normalized for men to express these kinds of emotions,” Schultz said.

Schultz also suggests that men seek out help from a male therapist, as they’re able to more fully understand the issues that they go through. With that being said, everyone’s experience is unique.

Senior Jake DeGere had a female therapist who was able to help him through his issues.

“I don’t think the gender of my therapist had an impact,” he said. “At the very least, it wasn’t worse because it was a girl,” DeGere said. “Therapy helped primarily went to therapy to work on his relationship anxiety. After a few months, he was able to understand where his issues were coming from and address them himself.

A big part of Jake’s therapy experience was admitting to himself that he needed it. It can be hard as an individual and have the motivation to take action on them. eryone gets used to the way they live and don’t always take a moment to look back and realize something is wrong,” DeGere said. He also had fears of being judged for going to therapy but was never faced with any judgement. He realized that it’s far more normal than he thought it was, and no one was judging him.

JUST A PERSONAL CHOICE?

Many people view therapy as a personal choice. This may be true at surface level, but there’s much more to unravel. “Past trauma and mental illness can lead to substance abuse and domestic violence,” Clark said.

Undiagnosed mental illnesses not only will affect the life of the individual, it is likely to have a multitude of effects on others. According to psychotherapist and marriage specialist April Eldemire, mental

illnesses can have serious negative effects on romantic relationships.

In her article for Psychology Today, Eldemire mentions how mental illness in a relationship, when undiagnosed, can cause issues such as codependency and/or problems with intimacy. Codependency is chological reliance on a partner, typically one who requires support on account of an illness or addiction.

In relationships, codependency can lead to severe issues. It can cause a person to place their self worth into how their partner views them and how happy they make their partner. If their partner is unhappy, they will believe it’s their fault. This can lead to a controlling and unhealthy relationship. Jake dealt with similar issues and was able to save his relationship by going to therapy to get himself checked out. For Jake, therapy was not just a personal choice.

Undiagnosed mental illness can also intrude on the wellbeing of your future children. According to Marcy Burstein, a clinical psychologist and employee

“Therapy helped me figure out where my problems were coming from and how to fix them” -Jake DeGere of the National Institute of Mental Health, children of parents with anxiety disorder are four to six times more likely to develop anxiety disorder in their lifetime.

Similarly, Marcy’s research also shows that children of parents with depression are three to four times more likely to be depressed in their lifetime. This can be due to genetics, environment, or a combination of both. In the case of genetics, there is

unfortunately nothing that the parent can do.

On the contrary, there are solutions if it’s caused by your environment.

If you believe you have mental illness, getting therapy before you have kids will children having mental illness.

“When a child is growing up, their role model is the father,” Clark said.

“When the father has unresolved trauma or untreated mental illness, it’s more than likely to play into the well being of the child.” In some situations, it’s unavoidable. However, this is another example of therapy not being a personal choice.

One reason many people are reluctant to seek out therapy is the cost.

According to Thervo, a cost estimate website, therapy ranges from $60 to $120 on concern, but there are ways to lower the price.

When looking to lower the cost, make sure you’re working with your insurance company to see what your insurance does and doesn’t cover in terms of therapy service. If this doesn’t lower the cost enough, you can also look into local community therapy groups and online therapy for free.

Far too often, mental health is neglected due to a lack of time, money and a need for productivity. “Mental health and physical health need to be treated equally. You need both to live a healthy life,” Schultz said.

“I feel judged about it almost every day but in the end, I think I’m more the athletes and guys at our school,” Eric said. They are conforming to this systematic ideal of society to be this macho man without emotions and feelings, but polish because I think it’s cool and wear rings and necklaces. Overall I think toxic masculinity awareness has come a long way, but it still has a while to go.”

MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

Fond du Lac County Crisis Intervention: 920-929-3535 St. Agnes Hospital Outpatient Behavioral Health Services: 920-926-4200 Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386 (The Trevor Project provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth ages 13-24). https://www.betterhelp.com/ (online therapy service) Prevent Suicide Wisconsin: www.preventsuicide.org Text “HOPELINE” to 741741 Suicide Prevention Resource Center: www.sprc.org Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 (24 hour toll-free lifeline for people in crisis or distress) CARDINAL COLUMNS

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Culture

WELCOME TO THE STONE OAK COFFEE HAUS

BY ANNA MENOMINEE, STAFF WRITER

D

ue to Covid-19, The Stone Oak Coffee Haus shut down from March 19 to May 19, 2020. “I just refused to stay shut when everyone wanted some sort of normal day, and we missed our customers,” Kim Galske said over a follow-up email.

“We would have loved to expand our hours, but Covid kept quite a few away,” she said. “Bouncing back from a pandemic has been a challenge, but we are doing well.” Galske still managed to make a few changes such as adding three seating areas to their outside patio and a bike rack.

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Summer will bring an exciting start for The Stone Oak Coffee Haus, because it will be their ing forward to the crowds that the park and festivals will bring to the area,” Galske said. “We are incredibly thankful to have survived 2020!”

Kim Galske originally grew up in Arizona and Southern California, but even though she’s not from Wisconsin, she feels “as though Wisconsin adopted her.” “I feel like this is home even though I’m

not originally from here,” she said.

Now, Galske has given Fond du Lac a place that feels like home--The Stone Oak Coffee Haus on Winnebago.

The homey feel is in every aspect of this location: from the laughter and loud conversation by the customers to the friendly workers.

The Coffee Haus is a “place to unplug and have more conversation,” which Galske feels we are lacking today. “We want to promote eye-to-eye conversations, articulating our words, telling stories, like your aunts and uncles and grandparents would tell,” Galske said.

When I gave my name after ordering my drink, one of the cashiers there told me it was also the name of her daughter, who is getting married. Kim Galske’s hopes of “creating communication” are really happening here, and I felt it as soon as I walked into the door.

Conversations through the shop range from serious to light and friendly.

Several stories happen all at once, and there’s plenty of space for it with the different rooms customers can sit in. The tables are close together, but each table creates its own world of conversation.

The homey feeling doesn’t stop with the people. It’s also in the coffee

drinks. Kim Galske said she believes in having a “coffee experience, not a sugar experience.”

The menu is very simplistic, which was done to promote conversation.

“The Coffee Haus really stands for connecting to our community, and that can start with a conversation at the register since no one knows what to order because of our simplistic menu without pictures,” Galske said.

There are two part-time employees working at the coffee house right now. “They come in and help us so we’re able to come out and have a conversation with people like we wanted to and not be stuck behind the counter,” Galske said.

The Galskes are very involved in their community.

Kevin Galske is the chief deputy of the Fond du Lac County sheriff’s department. Kim Galske is executive director of Salute the Troops, an organization helping veterans. “My husband and I work a lot in the community and we deal with people in dif-

small farmers market on Sundays, extend the back of the building in the summer for an indoor/outdoor space, turn the garage into a coffee shack, and expand the lunch hours, serving soups and sandwiches.

“We have a lot of people that come in here and say it reminds them of going to their grandma’s house or somebody in their family. Sometimes, a customer will run into somebody they haven’t seen in years and you’ll get that, “Ohmigosh, I haven’t seen you in so long!” and these are really good memories that they will always have here. We hope that continues,” Galske said.

Kim and Kevin Galske have created a space for communication here in Fond du Lac. The amount of customers they get on a Saturday morning shows how the community is grateful for this building and all the work the Galske’s have put into it.

“This place is open for community members to use,” Galske said. “If they need a space to meet, we will be happy to provide this place for them to come together. Anything is possible with this location.”

“We want to promote eye-to-eye conversations, articulating our words, telling stories, like aunts and uncles and grandparents would tell.”

-Kim Galske

of ourselves in that way which can be draining,” Galske said. to give in a different way by making people feel good while they’re here.”

Already, things are taking shape at the Stone Creek Coffee Haus, but Kim Galske says, “This is just the beginning.” Her plans are to host events such as baby showers and bridal showers, create a

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JUNE ‘21

14

Culture

THE COFFEE CATASTROPHE

JOURNALISM STAFF PUTS POPULAR COFFEE LOCATIONS IN FDL TO THE TEST

BY BELLA GESSNER, STAFF WRITER

L

ike most teenagers do, our staff tends to bicker. We bicker about one thing in specific: Coffee. With our class starting first hour, most of us show up with coffee or other forms of caffeine.

Even Mr. Smith, our teacher, joins the conversation about which coffee place in town is the best.

So in an effort to bring this argument to it’s well-deserved close, I came up with an idea. We chose five popular coffee places we thought could be viewed as the best in Fond du Lac. Going into this the class was divided pretty evenly between

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Starbucks and Dunkin.

This experiment would put those opinions to the test with the possibility of people liking other places in town or even the opposite of what they thought. his experiment would put those opinions to the test with the possibility of people liking other places in town or even the opposite of what they thought.

The Process

To make every coffee as equal as possible, everyone ordered a medium vanilla latte. A basic yet popular flavor that everyone likes that can be compared. I la-

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beled enough cups for the 6 of us who decided to participate with different letters.

The process was to rank all of them with 1 being best to 5 being the worst.

Those rankings were added up into points for each lettered cup. Whichever letter had the lowest score was declared the winner. We started off by just taking sips and deciding which cup matched each location. After everyone finalized their guesses, we went over what everyone decided and wrote it on the board, where Hayden put the data into a chart. Then we went through and ranked the letters to decide which one was our favorite.

1st Place - Dunkin

In first place was Coffee D with 3 votes for rank one and a total of 14 points in total. It was revealed as Dunkin, and the room kinda buzzed with confusion. Zach was the only one who guessed Dunkin, and the majority thought Coffee C was Dunkin.

1ST PLACE

2nd Place - Uba

In second place was Coffee E with 14 points as well. Overall, everyone ranked this one pretty high on their lists. E was Uba, a place nobody really heard of. It was super sweet and the Coffee was smooth and it just hit the spot on everyone’s taste buds.

3rd Place - McDonald’s

In third place was Coffee A with 15 points. This was another high ranked one on the list with a lot of 2s and 3s. It was revealed as McDonalds. This one was surprising for some, because it was from a fast-food chain. But it was a really good coffee. It wasn’t too sweet and wasn’t bitter, which made it pretty middle-ground.

4th Place - Kwik Trip

In fourth place was Coffee B with 21 points. Everyone except for one knew it was Kwik Trip. It wasn’t that good to be honest, but it wasn’t horrible. The flavor just tasted kinda bleh and fake. It was the cheapest however, which may be a factor for the everyday coffee buyer.

5th Place- Starbucks

Finally, in fifth place was Coffee C. Starbucks lost with a total 23 points.

This was the most shocking of the 5, besides Dunkin. The coffee was just too bitter for all of the taste testers. There wasn’t anywhere close to enough vanilla in it, making it taste bland. This was the most expensive one of the five.

2ND PLACE

As a well known Starbucks activist and a Dunkin hater, I was shocked when I found out my #1 rank was Dunkin and my #4 was Starbucks. The Table here shows each person’s ranking as well as their guesses, as well as the total points and the real location.

After believing this would resolve the coffee debate, we then continued to sit there after the taste test and argue about what this meant. Personally, I used the argument that Starbucks has bitter coffee, and I tend to go for sweet. When I order my coffee I order it super sweet and the Dunkin was sweeter.

If the Starbucks wasn’t as bitter, I would’ve chosen it. My classmates said my argument is not applicable.

While we still stay divided on our taste in coffee, we had a lot of fun planning the taste test. Getting to know each other as people and becoming friends has been one of my highlights of this class. Even though my fellow classmates still cannot admit Dunkin has terribly watered down coffee.

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16

Culture

Summer Fashion 2021

BY HAYDEN MASON AND ANNA MENOMINEE, STAFF WRITERS

W

hat a strange year, right?

Not only has Covid impacted schools and our communities, but it’s also impacted fashion. The effects of Covid and lockdown have left many brands scrambling for what to do next.

Covid-19 Impact on Fashion With shops closed, consumers were buying less products. Many brands had to draw back, creating a “less is more” way of thinking. In an interview, Achim Berg, a senior partner in McKinsey and Company, talks about just that: consumers wanting less. Berg says, “Brands and retailers are starting to have less collections, less drops...”

During quarantine, online shopping became the new normal for many consumers. This made labels consider a new approach for their business. In fact, Berg says the crisis has given many fashion industries the opportunity to “reshape business models, streamline their operations, and sharpen their customer proposition.” Berg guesses that “Online shopping will dominate because people don’t want to gather in crowded areas.”

So, what about the clothing? Ac-

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cording to the fashion network, many labels were “going for comfort and minimalistic everyday wear styles.” This was seen in a women’s ready-to-wear collections show in New York, London, Milan and Paris between September 13 and October 6. The collection showed designers going back to basics because people wanted to be comfortable at home.

However, after we pass through this pandemic, hopefully things will start looking up. “I’m hoping for the Roaring Twenties. I think we will all celebrate and party,...and fashion will play a role.”

Current Trends Another summer with Covid-19 is quickly approaching. It’s certainly been a hectic year, and while we can’t control what’s happening around us, we can control what we wear. So...what are we wearing this summer?

Comfort is still as relevant as it was last year! L’Officiel states, “The world’s new habit of working from home influences the inspiration for outfits.”

They’ve found that many brands are going for comfort, which can be seen with new loose-fitting trousers, bralettes, knitting,

flare dresses and more.

This summer, we might see 70s, knits and crochet tops, flare dresses and vibrant and bright colors. L’Officiel says, “The joy of a new spring and the desire to return to normal has brought bright colors.”

One color, for instance, is bubble gum pink.

L’Officiel guesses this color is trending because of “people’s need for sweetness more than ever right now...and Gen-Z’s obsession with all things Y2K.” Many designers incorporate these bubble gum pink outfits to their runway shows.

Face Masks Face masks have been a big part of this year. Vogue’s street fashion captures many images of people sporting masks to protect themselves and the others around them. Vogue says, “These pictures capture a specific moment in time and our mixed emotions; we’re balancing empathy, caution, and the simple joy of being with colleagues and friends.”

While the pandemic goes on, it’s important for us to stay safe. Many brands offer fun colors for their masks.

For instance, Vogue discusses a model who matched her rainbow-splattered mask to

her utility pants. If you don’t want to go with color and designs, a black face mask is just as stylish. Many articles like Vogue and Runaway agree that black face masks are the most popular.

Emma Chamberlain’s Summer Look After watching Emma Chamberlain’s Youtube video, “What I’m wearing this summer,” we got a lot of inspiration.

Her first outfit choice, which she called “My summer outfit” is a white tank top paired with Levis shorts. This simple outfit is a great summer look, and is easily paired with accessories and other articles of clothing.

Chamberlain will also be wearing outfits that are inspired “from California in the 90s and earlier.” For instance, she showed us outfits with vintage t-shirts, beachy pants, fun prints, and cut off shorts.

Other ideas in her video include long skirts, track shorts, patterned button ups, dad shorts, and crochet tops. “I’m dressed like a golf dad,” Chamberlain says in her video as she sports a green collared shirt, light wash jeans, and a pink baseball cap. “A dad who plays golf who loves cheese and wine...That’s my aesthetic.”

The great thing about her outfits is that they can be mixed and matched.

There’s unlimited options when it comes to styling clothes.

Fast Fashion Consumers want the latest fashion trends. Of course, in order to spend money on clothes, you need money. Brands like Shien, Romwe, Fashion Nova and more are easily accessible websites that sell clothing at a ridiculously low price. All over social media, customers share their try-on hauls with clothing from these brands. Sounds like a pretty good deal, right?

According to Zeitgeist, a blog that works with sustainable brands, “Three out of five fast fashion garments end up in a landfill within a year of purchase.” Why? Because these garments are cheaply made and most of the time fall apart after a year.

Furthermore, according to the United Nations Climate Change News, “Fast fashion makes up 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.”

Not only does fast fashion impact the environment, it impacts workers as well. Zeitgeist writes, “93% of brands aren’t paying their workers a living wage.”

So, what can we do? For most of us working minimum wage jobs, spending

a lot isn’t an option. Instead of purchasing from fast fashion brands most of the time, we can try shopping sustainably. A great way to do this is through thrifting.

Fond du Lac has many thrift stores like St. Vincent and De Paul, Goodwill, Salvation Army and Second Impressions.

To show you the cool pieces you could thrift, we went to our local St. Vincent and De Paul to find fun clothing that we think fit the summer 2021 fashion.

While it’s been a difficult year, brands and designers have taken this into account, using this experience to expand their ideas to give us the best trends. So, look forward to the comfy-chic wear of the summer!

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18

Culture

It’s F’REAL, NO JOKE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT F’REAL MILKSHAKE

BY Zach holZmann, Staff Writter

P

icture yourself on a hot summer day, enjoying the weather with your friends. It’s 90 degrees outside, and you decide you want a milkshake. Where

summer craving.

The most unique aspect of the F’Real milkshake is the personalization of the experience. When you’re buying

resort to A&W or Gillies. Although these milkshakes aren’t bad, there is a far better option that is being overlooked. Today, I will explain why your best option for a milkshake in the summer is a F’real Milkshake from Kwik Trip.

ask you is if you’d like your milkshake to be less thick, normal thick, or more thick.

Choosing less thick allows you to drink your milkshake with a straw, while more thick options will allow you to use a spoon and have your milkshake have a texture closer to ice cream.

After you choose your thickness option, you get to watch as the machine takes your cup and blends it into it’s beautiful form. After taking out your milkshake, the machine will clean itself in front of you before the next milkshake can go in. This assures that there are no cleanliness issues with your milkshake. After you take out your milkshake, the real experience begins.

Kwik Trip has an abundance of customization options throughout the store.

Next to the F’Real machine will be located a whip cream machine where you can add as much whip cream as you’d like to your milkshake, free of charge. If you’d like, you can even add the whip cream before you

decision is the price. A F’Real milkshake is only $2.99 per milkshake, and the milkshake is 12 ounces. This price isn’t amazing, but it’s reasonable. During the summer, Kwik Trip has a special called “F’Real Fridays” where F’Real milkshakes are only $2.

Whether you’re getting it on a Friday or not, these are reasonably priced milkshakes. the milkshake. Anywhere you’d normally milkshake, as well as 3 protein shakes and 3 smoothies. This allows you to be spontaneous with your milkshake cravings, and 19

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blend it so that the whip cream is mixed in.

Kwik Trip also has a variety of coffee area. Although these are intended for coffee, they work for your milkshake as well. You can add sprinkles, marshmallows, chocolate drizzle, caramel drizzle, chestnut and many more toppings. The options are almost endless, and you can either choose to add them as toppings or mix them into the milkshake. You can also add give your milkshake an extra taste. Unlike any other place, you can add all of these you want them, the exact amount you want, free of charge. This allows you not only to have a cheaper experience, but the freedom of experimenting with different customizations with no repercussions.

It’s no doubt that other places ofoptions and a good taste. However, F’Real milkshakes offer the cheapest and most personalized experience for your milkshake craving. If you’re looking for a great tasting milkshake that you can handcraft just the way you like, F’Reals are for you.

Culture

AMERICA’S POLITICAL DIVIDE

FROM POLARIZATION TO SECTARIANISM, BUT AT WHAT COST?

BY MADISON MORALES, STAFF WRITER

O

h she’s just a radical liberal, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” “He’s a republican, he has to be racist.” These kinds of statements are made every single day, even though it might not be factual. Twenty years ago it might have been different, but now with the transformation of social media and strengthening opinions, the political climate has become increasingly intolerant.

The Cardinal Columns conducted a survey with 73 participants, and out of those people 72 of them agree that America has become more intolerant of other people’s ideas and opinions in recent years. Seventy one out of 73 participants agree that the divide in the actual content of opinions has gotten vastly wider. Although these are just high school students, they’ve already experienced the harshness of political opinions.

The political divide in America is very wide now, but it wasn’t always like the general “permanent” divide is estimated to have started shortly after the 2008 recession under the Obama administration.

Both sides had entirely different ideas of how social and economic issues should have been handled, which is going ture. The left wing got more liberal ideas, and the right wing got more conservative.

Figures like Bernie Sanders and Donald

Trump came in shortly after the reces-

with many backgrounds and opinions,

slightly changed how the general parties are seen.

Political parties used to be just a basic outline of ideas you share with others, but in recent years it has transformed into something more. It used to be called political polarization, which means a general difference in ideas, but now it looks more like something called political sectarianism. There has been a shift in attitudes throughout the history of the US, but since approximately 2010 it has been a more drastic change.

Political sectarianism generally

In the summer of 2020, there were many different protests stemming from the Black Lives Matter movement.

Only about 5% of the members participated violently, but the fact that the violence was politically motivated is the point.

In a survey by Braver Angels, 56% of Americans reported being fearful of the recent election bringing more violence. Now that we’re past the election, it’s obvious that it did bring more violence. On January 6, 2021 there was a riot at the capitol over the election results, claiming that it was fraudulent. The group of people stormed into the capitol building while congress was having a meeting for the recount of electoral votes, in hopes to stop or change the results.

Although those are some bigger, well-known things, there’s smaller politically motivated events that happen in ev-

being “othering.” This is when you view someone who doesn’t share your opinions as weird, almost alienish. The second element is “aversion” which is when you don’t trust others if they don’t share your opinions and genuinely dislike them for that one and only reason. The third element is called “moralization”. This is when you see the other side as immoral, maybe even evil.

The “moralization” aspect of political sectarianism is particularly noticed by society in the recent political climates.

Seeing the other side as immoral can be almost harmless and a little close-minded, but there’s always the risk of someone escalating it. In a society of many people

From small accusations to legitimate hate crimes, America experiences everything.

Fifty four out of 73 people who participated in the Cardinal Columns survey report that they have seen people be bullied in school due to their political alignment.

The political divide may have become more normalized since younger people grew up around hatefulness, but it doesn’t always have to be like that.

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JUNE ‘21

20

Opinion

Queer Education The reality of being an LGBTQ+ student

BY YAZ NICKOLS, STAFF WRITER

DISCLAIMER: Some of the topics in this article will be uncomfortable or triggering. Some may be very different from your personal experiences or beliefs. Please take this into consideration as you read. Students’ names will be changed for their safety and privacy.

“All of a sudden I felt a tug on my jacket. I turn around and there are two dudes, like way taller than me, just standing there. I tried squirming away and one guy held my arms and the other punched me in the face and kept saying ‘look at the [f-slur] wiggle.’” -Ava, Sophomore.

T

his is the reality of a queer student: constantly preparing to be faced with hate and learning to tolerate it to survive.

Of the over 2,000 Fond du Lac High School students, an estimated 112 are LGBTQ+ (according to the latest Gallup survey, which found 5.6% of Americans identify as LGBTQ+). Here at Fondy, we preach about three core values: respect, responsibility and safety; however, for many of the 112, those words mean nothing. Most of the homophobia and transphobia in our school goes unnoticed, especially because slurs and derogatory jokes are both normalized and trivialized. In actuality, rejection of identity is much more common in our school than you’d expect.

To gauge the inclusivity of the high school, two surveys were sent out, one to students and one to staff. Of the 156 students who answered, over half identified as some part of the LGBTQ+ community. Less than half of those queer students feel safe or accepted at school or have resources regarding LGBTQ+ specific issues. Seventy-two students said they’ve been victim to homophobia or transphobia from peers during high school, and 23 said they’ve experienced such hate and discrimination from teachers.

When Toby, a freshman, was asked if he felt safe at school, there was barely hesitation before he gave a steady, “no.” Not even 16 years old, Toby easily recalled story after story of the awful treatment he has received simply for existing as a transgender boy. “In middle school, I’d travel in a group with friends so they couldn’t get any of us.” Even in high school, he often had to be walked to class by a counselor for fear of harassment in the hallways before going remote.

Toby also was forced into the girls’ strength and conditioning class, even though he is and was out as a transgender boy.

Because the girls’ locker room made him so uncomfortable, he ex21

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perienced panic attacks, rendering him unable to participate in class and having to spend time in the nurse’s office. His teacher neglected to recognize the fear and anxiety he was going through, and even reprimanded him for coming to class in jeans and sweatshirts.

Jason, a sophomore, was denied access to the boy’s bathroom when changing his legal name and notifying the office. Having that seemingly basic right that every student expects ripped from him made him stop coming to school entirely because of how unwelcome and uncomfortable he felt.

A senior, Jordin, was made to feel so unsafe in the boy’s locker room that they felt the need to report it to the phy. ed. teachers. “The things that I heard in there were some of the most disgusting things I’ve ever heard… I legitimately felt like if anyone even noticed that I was there that I would be hurt physically because of some of the things people were saying,” they said. In the end, nothing was done about the situation, and Jordin was forced to endure it.

Ava and her girlfriend, both sophomores, share the same fear in Fondy hallways. Ava has been thrown into lockers, pushed down flights of stairs and surrounded in the locker rooms. Last year she was assaulted by two boys during classtime. They followed her into the girls’ restroom, trapped her where no one could see, and laughed as they beat her up and left her there, traumatized.

Although many LGBTQ+ individuals are largely desensitized to the abuse, the consequences of these events are not to be taken lightly. Toby was repeatedly told to kill himself, and his friend seriously considered taking his life twice in one school year. Recovering from such trauma is a process, and doing so can feel impossible and pointless when the harassment persists. When others minimize the impact and harm of that behavior, LGBTQ+

children begin to hate themselves and believe that their entire existence is wrong or vile; this often leads to shutting part of themselves away, self-harm, addiction, homelessness and even suicide.

According to a study by the Official Journal of the American Acadamy of Pediatrics in 2018, “Nearly 14% of adolescents reported a previous suicide attempt… [Transgender] female to male adolescents reported the highest rate of attempted suicide (50.8%), followed by adolescents who identified as not exclusively male or female (41.8)%, [transgender] male to female adolescents (41.8%), questioning adolescents (29.9%), female adolescents (27.9%), and male adolescents (9.8%).”

It is understandable how the ever-evolving vocabulary and acronyms for the queer community can be confusing or seem excessive for non-members. For those that are non-members, society easily accepts their identities of straight, man and woman.

People who do not fall within these identities may feel as though they are not considered “normal” in the sense that straight, man and woman are. Know that having queer terms and concepts gives many LGBTQ+ individuals a sense of acceptance and belonging.

It’s comforting to put a word to a feeling you have been confused

and distressed about. There are many terms for genders, sexualities and attractions, but you only need to know chosen names and pronouns in order to respect someone. Some pronouns won’t make sense to you. Some identities or forms of expression won’t make sense to you. That’s OK. You don’t need to fully or personally understand as long as you treat others with the same respect and dignity that you expect from them.

For those who need it, there is a plethora of information online about queer identities and what being an ally and advocate for LGBTQ+ individuals entails. One of these resources is from Misty Gedlinske who founded the Fond du Lac Pride Alliance, a local nonprofit organization promoting inclusivity, building positive visibility, performing public advocacy and education and providing resources and service connections to local LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies. Please take the initiative to go to their website at fdlpride.org and read the information there to remind yourself how to be an ally and advocate. Healthline.com is also a great resource.

For questioning or struggling LGBTQ+ individuals, also please use the Pride Alliance website, or go to the Trevor Project website for hotlines and support.

Below is a list of things those who are not in the community can do or think about to be a better ally and advocate: ~Ask the question “What pronouns should I use for you,” whenever meeting someone new (or ask the people you already know) even if they appear cisgender. Pronouns (she/he/they/), though they do not directly define gender, can be affirming depending on which set someone prefers. If that’s not yet clear, think about the pronouns you identify with. They feel right, right? Now try referring to yourself with the wrong pronouns. It probably feels off or wrong. That is just a glimpse of what misgendering feels like. When a (queer) person’s pronouns are respected, it creates a feeling of validation and recognition that can benefit their relationships, productivity, and mental health. ~Sometimes, like with pronouns, a person will identify with a name other than the one they were assigned at birth.

If someone asks you to use a name different from their legal one or the one you’re used to, make sure to respect that. The non-consensual use of a name a person no longer uses can cause traumatic memories or connotations to be recalled, which can be extremely harmful. ~Don’t use random LGBTQ+ individuals as resources for your questions. It is exhausting and uncomfortable to explain being queer out of nowhere, and asking anyone invasive questions is inappropriate. ~Recognize privilege. If you do not have to worry about coming out to every person you meet, being kicked out of home for being queer, or fearing showing public affection with your partner, then you have straight, cisgender privilege.

Having that privilege does not invalidate any of your hardships or struggles; it just means that those struggles didn’t come from your gender or sexuality. Recognize the abuse LGBTQ+ individuals endure. Understand the defensiveness that that can create, and the tolerance queer people are continually expected to have for others and situations that harm and ostracize them. ~Freedom of religion is an amazing right we as Americans have. Religion and spirituality are empowerment, are love from the self, from a higher being, from a community. Using that power to choose who deserves love based on a secondary character is abuse. Abuse is not freedom of religion or a right, it is discrimination against someone else’s empowerment.

Crossing this line to abuse by rejecting someone’s personal identity is immoral and harmful. Don’t use your personal beliefs to dictate who deserves validation and respect. ~Do research!

WRITER’S THOUGHTS AND NOTE TO LGBTQ+ READERS: I know it is difficult to read some of the real experiences from students at Fondy. It was heartbreaking to hear from other kids how they’ve been abused and to sort it into an article, but I needed to do this before I graduate for the sake of my underclassmen. On May 5, I met with the FDLHS staff and gave them a speech similar to this article, which I hope reached them, and will initiate the inclusivity that this school and its students desperately needs. I want to thank the teachers who helped me survive as a queer student, to all those who participated in the survey or who agreed to be interviewed for this cause, and to my friends who keep me going every single day. If anyone reading is struggling or confused, know that you are not alone. You are not wrong. Celebrate your pride, because you are beautiful.

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JUNE ‘21

22

Opinion

LOANS & TITLES & BANKING, OH MY! SHOULD PERSONAL FINANCE BE A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT?

BY JULIE REBEK, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

F

or many years, it’s been debated whether or not Personal Finance should be a graduation requirement.

Many schools in the area have adopted this requirement, yet Fond du Lac High School continues to drag its feet in allowing this class to be a requirement.

After graduating from high school, many students don’t know a lot about their finances. Sure, they might be able to write a check and open a banking account, but they don’t know how to do their taxes or how to pay for bills. Thankfully, a class exists in order to lessen the confusion about finances, but the class isn’t a requirement for graduation.

Personal Finance One and Two are both financial literacy classes offered at Fond du Lac High School. According to John Quella, the teacher for Personal Finance One and Two, the classes focus mostly on budgeting. Personal Finance One also includes concepts such as insurance, banking and using credit cards.

These are all important life skills that high schoolers should know before leaving high school. However, without the class being a requirement, not enough students have an opportunity to take this class.

According to a survey of seniors, over 64% said that they have not taken Personal Finance One or Two. And the other 36% said that they only took Personal Finance One. When asked why they didnt take either class, seniors said that 23

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they heard the class was “too much work” do my own taxes, but I do know how to and it is “not that useful.” Other responses write an essay.” said that they didn’t even know that PerFinancial literacy learning is sonal Finance existed because their counjust as important as an English class, but selor never said anything to them. And for students have been conditioned to think that those that did take Personal Finance One writing an essay is more important knowland not Personal Finance Two, they justiedge than knowing how to maintain a bank fied their decision account. This would by saying that they not be a problem if didn’t have time High schools nearby Personal Finance in their schedule, was a requirement. or they thought such as Oshkosh, High schools the first class was nearby such as boring and didn’t Neenah, Appleton and Oshkosh, Neenah, go into depth about Appleton and Kimwhat they wanted Kimberly all require berly all require 0.5 to know. credits of a financial Due to 0.5 credits of a literacy class. If the lack of seniors these highschools taking this class, financial literacy require it, why don’t it is apparent why we? Thankfully, many of us feel class. If these high there has been a confused about life committee formed after high school. schools require it,

by Mrs. Krug-PickAccording to a art in order to make survey of seniors, why don’t we? this class a graduamany of them do tion requirement. not know how “There are no to do basic adult specifics or for responsibilities, such as opening a bank sures yet, but we are hopeful that something account, finding insurance, or how to do will happen in the near future,” Quella said. their taxes. Senior Abbie Simon said that Even though there are no concrete plans to she does not “understand the financial make this class a requirement, there is an aspect of life,”. Simon also admitted that effort to give students the best chance for “I do not know how to write a check, or financial stability in the future.

News

LOOKING TOWARDS A BRIGHTER FUTURE

AS THE SCHOOL YEAR COMES TO A CLOSE, ADMINISTRATION IS BEGINNING TO PLAN OUT THE 2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR.

BY ZACH HOLZMANN, STAFF WRITER

I

t goes without saying that the 20202021 school year has been a unique challenge for everyone. We went from the 2 days a week Cohort scheduling to a full virtual schedule, back to the 2 days a nally back to a full 5 days a week schedule.

Every event in existence was cancelled, and even the ones that weren’t had restrictions to go along with them. Although this year has been an unpredictable one, it’s time to look towards the future.

Fond du Lac High School plans on attempting to return to a fully normal school year 2021-2022, according to Steinbarth. With that being said, administration is unable to predict exactly where the pandemic will be when the school year begins. “I hope that we can start returning to open school events again,” Steinbarth said.

“Knowing that we are attempting prom, and graduation is a good sign, and I’m sure future decisions will balance on how those events go.” Steinbarth also mentioned that the majority of these decisions are decided by cabinet-level administrators rather than himself.

Administration is unable to congo back to a normal schedule as much as possible. “As of right now, we will be returning to a school similar to the last few months,” Steinbarth said. “I have not heard anything about masks, virtual platforms or events at this time.”

Furthermore, the music depart-

ment is planning a year full of normal events. This would include retreats for the upper level choir groups, as well as a fall musical, a winter musical and Night of Silence. They’re unsure exactly how many people would be able to attend in person for these events, but they’re prepared to adapt for the safety of everyone regarding the pandemic.

“Our hope is that we can return to as normal of a school year as possible,” choir director Cory Schneider said. “With

“I hope that we can start returning to open school events again” -PRINCIPAL STEINBARTH that said, we understand that we still may have to make some adjustments for the pandemic for everybody’s safety.”

Administration has also discussed a return of 3rd period Cardinal Time, but no further information has been released regarding how it would work. “Currently, we are thinking that there will be some aspect of Cardinal Time back in the schedule for next year. It may not be a full period, but we know we will have something in the schedule similar to what Cardinal Time had been,” Steinbarth said.

Steinbarth noted that it will be

very important for all students, including incoming freshmen, to work together with administration to ensure a smooth transition to normal school life again. “The biggest thing is to be watching emails and the summer. I’m hoping we have some inperson registration days, an opportunity for 8th graders and new students to tour the school, an 8th grade only day at the beginsports teams have the opportunity to have a normal summer schedule,” Steinbarth said.

Overall, students and staff will be able to look forward to as normal as possible of a school year beginning in September. “I am excited to be able to participate in the musical and other activities at school next year,” sophomore Marianna Leventhal said. “I’m hoping it will begin to feel like a normal school year again.”

“As crazy as this may sound, I’ll be happy when I have to deal with a snake that has escaped in the school and the normal day-to-day events a principal is expected to make decisions on,” Steinbarth said. “I enjoy having opportunities to make the school more enjoyable for the students and staff. I’ve missed the positive, excited energy a normal school year can bring. I want our students to think back on their High School experience positively instead of remembering all the things they HAD to do and things they didn’t get to experience.”

CARDINAL COLUMNS

JUNE ‘21

24

INTRODUCIN YAZ CONVERTED EACH OF OUR

ANIMATED

Mr. Smith THE ADVISOR Iroh

Julie Rebek EDITOR-INCHIEF Trixie Tang

Zachary Holzmann STAFF WRITER Willow Vellema STAFF WRITER

Ash Ketchum

Harper

Yaz Nickols & Sunny Chen STAFF WRITERS Itadori Yuuji & Mai 25

JUNE ’21

CARDINAL COLUMNS

NG OUR STAFF STAFF MEMBERS INTO THEIR FAVORITE CHARACTER

Hayden Christensen STAFF WRITER Captain America

Isabella Gessner STAFF WRITER Cat Noir

Erica Contreras STAFF WRITER Velma

Hannah Fenrick STAFF WRITER Honey Lemon

Madison Morales Samantha Giese STAFF WRITER STAFF WRITER Isabella

Wendy CARDINAL COLUMNS

JUNE ’21

26

FUELING A RECOVERY URBAN FUEL IS RECOVERING FROM THE PANDEMIC

BY JULIE REBEK, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

I

n a small business dominated town, like Fond du Lac, it is not easy to overlook how much small businesses have been impacted by the coronavirus.

Especially when those small business owners are people in our community. Terri Deanoivch, the owner and founder of Urban Fuel says that because of Covid-19, her business will never be “back to normal”.

The initial shutdown of businesses in March of 2020 caused many businesses to close. Small businesses were unable to operate because the Stay at Home Mandate deemed them “Non-essential”. Urban Fuel however, is a part of the businesses that managed to survive amid the pandemic, but it was not without losses. “Coffee may be non essential for some of you. However, to me it is not always about the coffee, it is about the connection that is essential,” Deanovich said.

Urban Fuel is a small coffee shop located in Peebles, just off of Highway 151.

This small business is just one of the many that have been impacted by the coronavirus. After the shutdown, many businesses were slow to open. Especially those in food service businesses because they were forced to follow social distancing rules with their tables. The reduction of tables also means a reduction in customers.

According to Deanovich, when Urban Fuel roll, and now she only has 7. This has been was able to reopen, they were able to the case for many small businesses. continue business as usual. “My first After the shutdown, many were forced to priority was to reopen as safely as get a new job or onto unemployment. Then, possible,” Deanovich said. Luckily, their when businesses were able to reopen some tables were already socially distant, and were not able to come back or they were staff continue to wear their masks in order afraid to work due to the coronavirus. to keep their customers safe.

However, there is a light at the At the start of 2020 Urban Fuel end of the tunnel for these small had 150 events scheduled, including businesses. Deanovich says that with the weddings and live music. However, due to increase in COVID vaccinations they have the pandemic and the ultimate shutdown seen some of their regulars start to come in March of 2020, only 22 of those events back in. This may also mean returning to were able to happen before the quarantine. “normalcy” if we even know what that is Urban Fuel also used to have anymore.

Thursday Night Live Music.

However it has not EACH ISSUE, THE CARDINAL been able to occur CLOUMNS THROWS A DART AT A MAP OF FOND DU LAC, WIS. since the start of the AND SEARCHES FOR A STORY pandemic.

WHERE THE DART LANDS Not only did Urban fuel miss out on a lot of revenue from these events, but they also lost more than half of their employees. Deanovich says that at the start of 2020 she had 16 people on her pay-