Oct 2021 USJ

Journal The Union St.

How should we teach race?

How the critical race theory debate reached CCSD Cherry Creek High School 9300 E. Union Ave. Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Vol. 7 Issue 1 October 2021

Table of Contents Varsity quarterback junior Christian Hammond (#1) prepares to take the field for the first home game of the 2021 high school football season on Friday, Sept. 3. He had just come off a win as starting quarterback at Doherty High School on Friday, Sept. 10, with a final score of 42-0.

News

Features

4 - The Divisions

6 - Working Like A Dog

Sports

In-Depth

Between Us

8 - The Hammond

Legacy Continues

A&E

18 - Taco Bell Has The Best

Chicken Sandwich Yet

12 - How Should We

Teach Race?

Opinions

20 - Surviving After Assault

PHOTO BY MADISON SECKMAN COVER PHOTO BY CARLY PHILPOTT

Staff Editors-in-Chief Raegan Knobbe & Carly Philpott Design Editor Madison Seckman News Editor Lily Deitch Features Editor Bre Mennenoh Sports Editor Raegan Knobbe

Letter from the Editors With the healthy fear of sounding like a cheesy wedding website, we felt it necessary to give you a brief history of Carly and Raegan. We met in ninth grade English class, taught by none other than the legendary Seth Fine, our USJ advisor. And much to the dismay of our science teacher (and our lab groups), we spent our time in Lauren Sutton’s honors physical science class discussing the finer points of journalism over a spread of matzahs and peanut butter on the lab table. Both of us officially joined the journalism class our sophomore year and decided that we not only wanted to be on staff, we wanted to run the program. And here we are a year later, publishing our very first issue as Editors-in-Chief.

This year’s 32 person staff is historically large, and forced us out of our beloved IC703 into a new classroom with our very own journalism office.

This year truly marks a new era for the USJ, as the paper has a new look, new leaders, and new opportunities.

We’re realizing now, more than we were able to before, how important it is to emphasize and support the voices of those around us. We want to make sure every one of our staff members has the chance to publish something of their own in the magazine and on our website. We want to encourage them to broaden their field of vision when gathering information and experience for an article. In this issue, we are so proud of the sheer volume of interviews that were conducted. Almost every article contains in-depth interviews, research, and time spent after school compiling information (then, of course, there’s the spread on chicken sandwiches).

We chose to devote so much space in this issue to critical race theory and the school board election because we believe those are some of the most pressing issues for our school today. We hope you take the time to read the articles on those topics.

Overall, what we want to convey is how proud and lucky we feel to be writing this letter and creating this magazine. We love this issue. And we hope you love it too.

Carly Philpott & Raegan Knobbe

A&E Editor Aila MonLouis Opinions Editor Nate Meredith Assistant News Editor Amanda Castillo-Lopez Assistant Sports Editor Adam Nowlin

Staff Writers Thomas Bourdeon Anna Christensen Gabby Clark Annabelle Crouch Olivia Darnel Finn Elliott Lydia Foster Emily Gleason Alex Gribb Ella Griffin Lou Leclercq Dalia Martinez Aleyna Mozingo Sophia Noahchi Adrian Pacheco Lianka Pechova Katya Roudakov Norah Rudnick Nick Rui Laila Seddiki Anna Mae Simek Aurora Miller Sydney Topelson Advisor Seth Fine

Purpose:

The Union St. Journal is the official online and print news source for Cherry Creek High School. We are a student-run publication distributed to the students, faculty, and staff of Creek, and serve as an information source and two-way communication forum for both the school and community.

We welcome guest opinion writers. Content does not necessarily represent the views of Cherry Creek High School or the Cherry Creek School District. Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the overall views of The Union St. Journal, CCHS, or CCSD. Letters to the editor are accepted and can be submitted via email to usj.editorinchief@gmail.com Letters may be edited for clarity.

4 | News

The Divisions Between Us Politics Seep Into the 2021 CCSD School Board Election

BY LILY DEITCH & AMANDA CASTILLO-LOPEZ News Editor and Assistant News Editor

T

here has never been a school board election quite like this one. None of the past or present board members recall a time when politics had been so heavily involved in the fate of children’s education.

“It has all suddenly become…’because you think differently than me, you’re against me,’…[and] nobody’s willing to budge,” candidate Jennifer Gibbons said. Her partner-candidate in the campaign, Bill Leach, agreed.

“There are some different opinions on what the main issues are with the district and how to solve those,” Leach said.

Of all the interviews conducted, of all the differing opinions and viewpoints, the one thing that remained unchanged was both sides’ desire to make the district a valuable place for their child and other students. That idea is not getting translated from side to side.

“Everybody agreed to only run on merits – not on what is negative or what you feel is negative about someone else,” candidate Kelly Bates said, “[but] it has become a dirty campaign.”

Current School Board President Karen Fischer said that 111 people signed up to speak at this year’s board meetings. There

had never been this many people sign up to speak. According to Fischer, about 90% of those people debated political topics such as the Critical Race Theory (CRT) and mask mandates. Fischer also emphasized that this was not something specific to our district.

Candidate Kristin Allan hypothesized that the divides in society have become so great, that our polarization is seeping down to the school level.

And she’s not wrong. Our country is the most politically polarized it has ever been.

According to 2019 political science research, there’s a 20% increase in reports of polarization since the turn of the 21st century.

“We as a nation are becoming so polarized, and things like education...have become so politicized; there are many groups out there that are putting politics in front of kids,” Allan said. “And now with the school board elections rolling out at this exact time, the board races – which are supposed to be non-partisan – [are] now having to deal with all of these political issues, rather than focusing on how we figure out how we serve every kid every day.”

Two politically active groups, No Left Turn in Education and FEC United, started making appearances at Board of Education meetings.

The FEC United website states that “every level of our education system has been compromised with illogical and immoral propa-

ganda,” and one pillar belief is that “parents have lost their ability to choose what is right for their families and children as their rights are stripped away and drowned out.”

Last year during remote learning, parents had the opportunity to live in the classroom with their kids. Allan believes this has given parents the chance to formulate opinions regarding what was being taught in their child’s classroom, while in normal years, kids are at school, and parents aren’t part of dayto-day classes.

“Now, it’s [their child’s education] their [the parent’s] responsibility,” Allan said. “I think it’s a combination of the awareness being raised, which is a good thing, except that there are misunderstandings that come along with what was being taught and why.”

According to the Colorado Times Reporter, FEC United sent out an email to supporters on June 22 encouraging parents to “rally and fight” against CRT at school board meetings. The email stated “this week, three of Colorado’s school districts have board meetings, which means an opportunity for parents to speak out.” It then directed parents to the Cherry Creek Board of Education meeting.

During that June board meeting, armed members of FEC United known as the United American Defense Force (UADF) lined up outside the meeting and made their presence known to the inside members of the

ART BY LILY DEITCH

October 2021 school board.

“Politics has wormed its way into almost every aspect of our lives...so it’s not surprising that all the non-partisan elections...often have a political protest to those elections,” Leach said.

Some candidates were unclear how representative these political groups were for students in our district.

“I don’t know where this group is coming from,” Bates said. “I’m hoping it’s a small group, and that our constituents know what’s best for our students.”

Allan was worried about this as well. “[Political groups have] begun chipping away at education, which is the foundation of our democracy and our thriving local economy...We must put our children first and make decisions based on science, data, and local citizen input, not on fear or any extremist political ideology,” Allan said.

Fischer said that she understands that parents are concerned about their kids; however, she doesn’t agree with the claims of groups like FEC United or No Left Turn in Education “If we’re really teaching Social Studies in a way that is excluding people, then I don’t want to do this job anymore. If by making

kids wear masks, we’re somehow ignoring their mental health, I don’t want to be the school board president anymore. If we’re excluding white kids, or immigrants, or anybody from a different field...then I quit,” Fischer said.

Recently, FEC United endorsed candidate Jennifer Gibbons who said in a Q&A forum, “I have no idea what that is, and I didn’t know they endorsed me.”

She later told the USJ that she filled out a survey they emailed her, but she had been filling out more surveys than she could count. Leach said that their main goals for the school board did not include politics.

And then again it all comes back to the idea of what’s best for our children.

“Disagreement can be very productive, but outright conflict and ability to resolve anything...is not helpful for you guys,” past School Board President Andrea Davoll said.

Candidate Schumé Navarro was another who sympathized.

“We are a culture of collaboration. We understand that we are Better Together,” Navarro said on her website.

And all candidates understand what’s at stake: the legacy and future of our children’s education.

“Ultimately, there’s a common goal of just believing in students and believing that things can work best for them,” candidate Jason Lester said.

Allan agreed with this idea, and recognized how important this particular election was.

“I’m concerned that this election is critical because there are many divergent opinions about where Cherry Creek should go and [the] different visions for it,” Allan said. “The board sets the vision for the district. And if the board members have an entirely different vision than that, then our historical dedication to excellence and expanding that excellence will change.”

Read more about the election here:

2021 School Board Election Candidates “[We need to] make sure that our definition of excellence is meeting every child every day in our district.” –Kristin Allan

“[The] education excellence that Cherry Creek Schools has is also a priority.” – Bill Leach

“I want to see every student at CCSD get on an elevator, and I want to see them go all the way to whatever floor as high as they can go.” – Jason Lester

“[I will make sure] every child receives an education where they are valued and equipped to go on to become the next generation of leaders.” -Kelly Bates’s website

“I want to focus on...teaching kids to think and to learn and to achieve and to care.” – Jennifer Gibbons

“I’ve seen progressively how they just kind of tend to remove parents’ input....I didn’t like how decisions are moving. So I thought it was important to get involved.” – Schumé Navarro PHOTOS COURTESY OF KRISTIN ALLAN, KELLY BATES, BILL LEACH, JENNIFER GIBBONS, JASON LESTER, AND SCHUMÉ NAVARRO

6 | Features

Working Like A Dog

Meet Amanda Webb and her service dog, Nero

BY NORAH RUDNICK Staff Writer

H

aving something that makes you stand out from the crowd is difficult, but freshman Amanda Webb is taking it in stride. She stands out thanks to the big black dog that accompanies her through the halls and to all of her classes. Webb has had to deal with people disrespecting her invisible disability all day, every day.

“Just because you

INFOGRAPHIC BY AVELINE HWANG & MADISON SECKMAN

can’t see a disability doesn’t mean it’s not there,” Webb said.

Webb, who was diagnosed with epilepsy four years ago, has been working with Nero for three years. Nero helps to calm her down, and works to warn her when a seizure is impending. He also works to protect Webb when she has a seizure, as she can’t speak, move, or defend herself.

“I’ve had people try and attack me, because I’m in a vulnerable state,” Webb said.

Dogs can use their heightened sense of smell to detect the possibility of a seizure up to 45 minutes prior.

During class, Webb’s accommodation lets Nero – a German shepherd, Cane Corso, and boxer mix – lie down beside her during regular classwork.

“The dog normally just comes in and usually sprawls out on the floor, and you don’t even notice him,” Webb’s advisory teacher, Cameron Moon, said.

During special coursework, like tests, Nero will lie down on the floor, and Webb will come down next to him. Nero does this because of the stress during tests, which may trigger a seizure. “He’ll start pawing me, signaling that something’s wrong.” Webb said, if he feels that she may have a seizure coming on. “That’s something that may happen.”

Freshman Amanda Webb’s epilepsy service dog, Nero, is beside her at school every day. Dogs can sense seizures even before they happen, and when Nero detects the beginnings of a seizure, “he’ll start pawing me, signaling that something’s wrong,” Webb said.

PHOTO BY NORAH RUDNICK

Webb and Nero have been working together for so long, she’s used to people saying things about him.“When I’m walking, I do hear all kinds of comments like, ‘oh my gosh, he’s so cute.’ Those comments I don’t mind at all.” A smile spreads across her face as she thinks about Nero’s “puppy dog face.”

Now, having Nero alongside her does draw some eyes, but not all spread compliments about her dog.

“People say things like, ‘Why does she have a service dog?’ ‘She’s not blind, she’s probably just crazy,’” Webb said.

These comments are what drive Webb to teach people about her disability and others. She feels strongly that people who use service dogs aren’t treated well overall, whether they’re at school or at home, and wants to utilize the public eye to teach people about different disabilities and how some require service dogs.

Epilepsy is a chronic condition that results in a recurrence of different types of seizures, but does not have a defined cause.

The electrical occurrences that produce symptoms happen in the brain. Seizure symptoms can affect multiple parts of the body, but it varies from person to person.

According to the CDC, a little more than 1% of the population have epilepsy, or about 3.4 million people. It was also found that Colorado has 56,800 confirmed cases of epilepsy.

“People with disabilities should be treated like a normal human and be treated exactly the same way you would treat anyone else.” But, Webb said, her hands waving in emphasis, “they’re a person who has something different about them, and it’s truly beautiful and amazing.”

Heather Berry’s Voyage :

October 2021

From volcanoes to the White House being a vet-tech, she learned that she was squeamish, and that this wasn’t a good fit.

She decided to put her degrees to use ost people's job repertoire consists of a few professions in the same field. Not and got a job at the Colorado Genetics many people can say that they’ve seen mul- Lab. In the year that she spent there, she tiple volcanoes erupt, or that they’ve eaten would analyze chromosomes, aiding in cupcakes from the White House in their own detecting birth defects and cancer. Unforhonor, or tasted piranha on the Amazon, all tunately, this job was’t right for her either, while raising two boys. But science teacher as she didn’t see lots of room for growth.

“So, I totally switched paths.”

Heather Berry isn’t most people.

According to the U.S. News & World ReWhile attending Colorado State University, Berry and her husband would travel with port, “The Certified Financial Planner [CFP] whatever they could afford. They had “no exam is likely the hardest test you’ll ever plans, no hotels,” Berry said. The two would take.” When Berry passed it, she got a posi“just get in the car and go.” This is where tion at financial company Charles Schwab, her love of traveling started, and it would eventually becoming a CFP. Even though she take her to 11 different countries around the loved her job, and working in the training department, her scientific past was calling world.

Berry graduated from CSU as a pre-vet, out to her.

She went back to school at the University with a double major in biology and microbiology. Before she was fully committed to of Denver and got her Masters In teaching.

She then got hired at Highlands Ranch High School as an AP Environmental Science teacher.

Here, she collaborated with schools in both Taiwan and Siberia, allowing her AP Enviro students to video chat with them, and learn more about their environmental programs.

“I always like to try new things in the classroom, and be innovative.”

When she wasn’t in the classroom, she was the head of Highland Ranch’s environmental sustainability program. Berry shifted the department from being on a more industrial level, to focusing more on educating teachers and students to be more environmentally aware. It was this kind of work that caught the attention of the EPA. Her unique teaching style combined with her district level job as a Sustainability Heather Berry visits Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon, Learning Specialist, but would Iceland. It’s “my favorite place on the planet,” Berry go on to get awarded by the said.

White House Counsel and the PHOTO COURTESY OF HEATHER BERRY

M

BY NATE MEREDITH Opinions Editor

Environmental Protection Agency.

She was one of 18 environmental teachers across the country to be awarded this high honor by Gina McArthy, Head Administrator of the EPA, and Dr. John Holdren, President Obama’s Chief Senior Advisor.

Berry also incorporated her love of traveling into her teaching program. She has taken groups of students to Iceland, Hawaii, the Galapagos Islands, New Zealand, Fiji, and Australia.

“The only thing that's going to pull me away from [teaching] is when I can just go travel the world.”

Her love of traveling has taken her to places that most people dream of. She’s seen three different volcanoes erupt, done environmental studies living on a river boat in the Amazon, and of course, seen active volcanoes in Iceland.

She and her husband left for their most recent Iceland trip on a Thursday, hiked up Fagradalsfjall Volcano, and spent the weekend watching the flowing, bubbling lava course through the Icelandic mountains. “It was literally rivers of lava.” Berry said.

Of course, she’s seen two other active eruptions. When Berry was flying over Ecuador, she saw Mt. Chimborazo ejecting clouds of gas into the air. She and her family also saw Hawaii’s Mt. Kilauea from a boat when it was spewing lava into the ocean. She described how the molten rock “was cooking everything,” giving off the horrendous stench of dead sea life.

As for her Amazon trip, she was on a scientific expedition, where she would run tests on the effects of climate change in the Amazon rainforest. When they weren’t running tests, they were fishing, spotting pink dolphins and giant sloth, and catching and eating piranha.

It's quite apparent that nothing can take traveling away from Berry. Even after teaching, she and her husband plan on buying a sailboat and they’re “just gonna go sail the world.” She did two summers of sailing lessons and got certified, and even learned open ocean sailing and navigation in San Diego.

“We’ll see where life takes us,” Berry said.

8 | Sports

HA MM ON

THE HAMMOND LEGACY CONTINUES Meet the dual-sport athlete who is attempting to lead Creek football to a three-peat

BY RAEGAN KNOBBE Editor-in-Chief

I

t’s Friday night. The lights are on and fans scream as number one runs onto the field. He’s a back-to-back State Champion, but he isn’t the quarterback that led Creek football to two rings. He does, however, share the same DNA. Christian Hammond is taking the field again, but he’s on the other side of the ball after he won the most sought after position in all of Colorado football this year: QB 1 at Creek.

As the younger brother of previous quarterback Julian Hammond III, who is now a freshman basketball player at the University of Colorado, Boulder, he has some big shoes to fill.

“It’s nerve wracking because of what he did,” Hammond said. “He didn’t lose a game, and he went back to back, but I’m not too worried about filling his shoes. I’ll go out there and do what I have to do to win.”

Aside from the loss to Chandler - a nationally ranked Arizona team - in week three and to Arapahoe in week eight, Creek Football hasn’t lost a game in two years, and the pressure to continue that streak is high.

Through the first eight games of the season, Hammond has thrown 10 touchdowns and five interceptions, giving him an overall impressive QB rating of 98.

Head Coach Dave Logan, who led Mullen Football to three consecutive State Championships from 2008-2010, could add another three-peat to his resume if Creek can pull off another State Championship win.

“It’s been two years, so I mean there’s a little bit more pressure, especially with how new our team is,” Hammond said.

“We lost a lot of players last year, so we’re trying to rebuild.

But I don’t get super uptight about it because I’m not thinking about losing.”

Hammond is one of few players on the team this year who plays both offense and defense. When he isn’t in at quarterback, he’ll play cornerback. Because of the sheer size and skillset of the Cherry Creek Football program, there aren’t too many athletes who play on both sides of the ball.

“It shows his versatility,” junior defensive end and outside linebacker Blake Purchase said. “Him being able to play corner and quarterback, which are two of the

PHOTO BY MADISON SECKMAN

Originally, Hammond wasn’t even supposed to play quarterback. One of his close friends, junior Marté Russell, was the starting junior varsity quarterback last season, as well as Julian Hammond’s backup on varsity. Hammond came in as competition, and ended up winning the spot.

“Quarterback is a super important position, and when you lose a quarterback, you try to do all you can to find a new one,” Hammond said. “Just having Marté with no competition - you have to bring in someone else to see who’s better. I used to play [quarterback] when I was younger, so they just thought they would give me a chance.”

Just like his brother did in 2019, Hammond came into this season as a junior who hadn’t yet taken a snap as a starting varsity quarterback. Hammond even plays the same position as his brother did on the Creek varsity Basketball team - point guard.

From physical size and appearances, to their accomplishments and current athletic career situations, the similarities between the two are uncanny.

“They’re both confident,” varsity Boys Basketball Head Coach Kent Dertinger said. “I would say Julian’s confidence was a little bit more of a quiet confidence, whereas Christian is a little bit more outgoing.”

Hammond is stepping into some big roles this year after almost all of the prominent players on the football and basketball teams graduated - most of whom were also dual sport athletes, and are now playing college football and basketball on full-ride, division one scholarships.

“I’ve seen him mature over these past two years,” Dertinger said. “He’s about to be placed in some positions where he’s going to have to be a leader, and I think he’s up to that task.”

Dertinger says that Hammond possesses God-given talent that will help him out this year.

“He’s very intelligent, in terms of on the basketball court and on the football field,” Dertinger said. “I imagine that’s why he fits that quarterback position pretty well, because things slow down for him and he understands the game. He processes things quickly, out on the field, and on the basketball court. That’s why I want the ball in his hands a lot, as does Coach Logan, because he’s a good decision maker.”

Hammond has reached the halfway point in his high school career, and people are beginning to wonder about his plans for college. After announcing that he received his first official Division One basketball offer from the University of Wyoming on August 28, Hammond is under some pressure to decide, but he still has time.

“It’s up in the air right now, and I’m just seeing what I like to do more,” Hammond said. “After this year, I’ve got to make decisions on what I want to do, but right now I don’t know.”

From the perspective of his longtime teammate and best friend, Hammond is someone who would have your back no matter what.

“I’ve known Christian since I was in third grade, and we’re best friends,” Purchase said. “He’s somebody that you want in your corner, he’s a good person, and if you were in trouble, he would be the first one to help you out. He’s definitely that kind of friend.”

Hammond is realizing his potential as a strong leader this year.

He gives individual pep talks to his teammates before games, and encourages everyone to go out on the field and have fun doing what they love.

“I like to remind everyone that it’s just a game, don’t worry

October 2021

about it,” Hammond said. “We got this, and let’s just make sure to have each other’s backs.”

But don’t let his previous statement fool you, Hammond wants to win just like everyone else. The competitive spirit that exists inside of him is why his teammates and coaches look to him to lead.

“He doesn’t take himself too seriously and he’s a very polite person off the field, but then when it comes time to compete, there’s no fiercer competitor,” Dertinger said. “My most favorite thing about Christian is that he’s a winner, he wants to do whatever it takes to win, and I love that about him.”

“He’s somebody that you want in your corner. He’s a good person, and if you were in trouble, he would be the first one to help you out.

He’s definitely that kind of friend.”

Junior Blake Purchase

10 | Sports

Highlights From Creek Fall Sports

BY ADAM NOWLIN Assistant Sports Editor

GOLF: Creek freshman Andre Durmonteil, senior Jonny Trigg, junior Charlie Flaxbeard, and sophomore Pratham Parmer made up boys varsity golf, at state championships as they took second place led by new head coach Dustin Neel.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JONNY TRIGG

TENNIS: Boys tennis clinched its 44th State Title on Saturday, Oct. 16th at the Gates Tennis Center. Junior Aram Izmirian took home the individual State title in two sets. They finished the regular season with a solid 16-2 record and 8-1 in league, finishing 3rd overall.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARAM IZMIRIAN

BOYS SOCCER: The boys soccer team, with one match left in the season, has a 7-6 overall record, with a 2-3 record in League. This season saw many players step up and lead their team throughout the season, one being senior Cyrus Gulati who scored a team leading 5 goals while recording an assist for Creek.

PHOTO BY SYDNEY TOPELSON

CROSS COUNTRY: Cross Country continues its great season as they are looking to qualify for State. “Communication is key, especially for a team of 150 people,” Coach Ethan Dusto said. “I do my best to communicate with assistant coaches, parents, and of course our athletes. We all want to achieve a common goal, and right now that is State.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF CLAIRE SEMEROD

October 2021

ART BY MADISON SECKMAN

How Young Gymnasts Are Pressured To Conform To Impossible Beauty Standards

BY ANNA CHRISTENSEN Staff Writer

G

ymnastics is a sport where young people are judged solely on their bodies.

While they flip and turn, the lines their bodies make are constantly evaluated and criticized. Certain body types are praised over others, leading to issues of favoritism and unequal opportunity that have plagued the sport for years.

Senior Varsity Creek gymnast Brooke Bennett cannot remember a time when there wasn’t favoritism because of body types.

“I’m not the shortest gymnast on the team, and I definitely notice the shorter girls getting more attention and sometimes even higher scores,” Bennett said. “It’s kinda just always been that way.”

Gymnasts often experience criticism on aspects of their bodies that cannot be changed. Many coaches routinely criticize the athletes for their height, natural lines, or flexibility, and it can certainly take a toll mentally.

“It can be very frustrating,” Bennett said.

“There’s definitely pressure to fit into an unachievable beauty standard.”

Many young gymnasts experience mental health issues - a concern that is only accentuated by the pressure placed on them to be perfect in all areas of the sport, especially their body. Criticism of young people’s bodies can be especially dangerous because of the commonality of eating disorders in

gymnastics. A 2019 NCAA report found that upwards of 51% of gymnasts experience disordered eating, which is likely a result of the pressure they feel from coaches to be lean and “presentable.”

“Our coaches make comments about our bodies all the time, whether it’s telling us to shave our legs, or that we’re not flexible enough, or that girls are too tall,’’ sophomore club gymnast Shayna Thighe said. “It’s really damaging to your mental health to feel like you can never make any mistakes.”

Many gymnasts, including Thighe, consider quitting because of the immense bur-

“Our coaches make comments about our bodies all the time.”

Sophomore Shayna Thighe den and stress placed on them by the sport.

“I’ve always loved gymnastics, but lately it’s just been so toxic for my mental health and I don’t really love it as much anymore,” Thighe said.

Pressure to have a certain body and appear perfect starts at a young age. Gymnasts are taught very early that they need to look lean and strong with very little body fat.

Senior Creek Gymnast Zoe Purcell recalls having a band wrapped around her stom-

ach when she was young in order to teach the gymnasts to hold in their stomachs constantly. “I basically grew up feeling like I had to be perfect all the time,” said Purcell. “It was literally so toxic.”

Lately, however, the emphasis on having a specific body type and the disregard of mental health in the sport is shifting thanks to gymnasts in the public light.

Olympic champion Simone Biles stands at only 4’8 with a muscular, stocky figure and is in possession of seven Olympic medals.

“You look at gymnasts back in the day and they’re all skinny and tall, but not Simone Biles,” Thighe said. “She’s one of the greatest athletes in the world and no one cares about her body type.”

Biles withdrew from the vault and uneven bars events in the Tokyo Games. Her decision to prioritize mental health was met with widespread support from fans and USA Gymnastics.

In a statement on Biles, USA Gymnastics said, “We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many.”

Biles’s presence has challenged the idealistic beauty standards of the sport, as well as increased mental health awareness among athletes. Many gymnasts, including Thighe, are hoping for the tides to turn on unfair standards in their sport.

“It’s definitely changing.”

12 | In-depth

How Should We Teach Race?

How the critical race theory debate reached CCSD

PHOTO BY MADISON SECKMAN

T

BY CARLY PHILPOTT Editor-in-Chief

he United States has a long, complicated history with race.

For centuries, racially-motivated divisions have sowed hatred, fear, and violence. And as America faces yet another racial reckoning, schools have become the center of complex debates about how we discuss race.

For some, 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests and political clashes have made race a more important topic than ever before.

“Race is a large topic, but we no longer can have the luxury of being afraid of talking about it,” junior Kaylee Testerman said.

“People suffer everyday and we need to start paying attention and tearing down this broken system.”

You may have heard of critical race theory, a method of studying history that looks

through the lens of how racial prejudices have shaped the nation. Critical race theory, or CRT, isn’t new – it was created in the 1980s as a grad-school level way of thinking and learning, according to a New York Times article by Jacey Fortin. But it’s become a center of controversy more recently.

Dr. Jennifer Koshatka Seman, who teaches American and Latin American history at Metropolitan State University of Denver, as well as graduate courses for K-12 teachers who want to expand their expertise in social studies, said that for many teachers, controversies and legislation surrounding curriculum have made it harder to teach.

“This depends, of course, on which state you’re in,” Seman said, “and what school district and the kind of backlash you get. Obviously, in places like Texas [and] Oklahoma, some teachers are rightfully scared.”

United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) formed

Civil War ends

Some Creek teachers, especially in the English and social studies departments, have often used pieces of literature, depending on the class, to introduce difficult conversations about race.

“I used to, but I won’t anymore,” one English teacher, who preferred to remain anonymous, said of discussing race in their curriculum. “I’ve had a parent question my entire curriculum before, so once this controversy started, I opted to stay out of conversations involving race as much as possible. This is disappointing because I feel like our classes can be safe spaces for students to explore their thoughts and feelings about difficult topics as they navigate their way to adulthood.”

But part of the problem with the critical race theory debate is the general misunderstanding, from all sides, of what CRT actu-

W. E. B. DuBois, a Black scholar, attacks the Dunning School in a book called “Black Reconstruction”

The Dunning School originates, a scholarly interpretation that enshrines the “Lost Cause” narrative in American history

Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw organizes a scholarly workshop that first articulates the principles of CRT

First African American studies department is founded at San Francisco State University

October 2021 ally is.

“I think there is a huge difference in teaching kids ‘Critical Race Theory’ and ‘understanding the world around us,’ and unfortunately the two are getting confused,” English teacher Jenna Chapman said. “Exposing ourselves to others and their lived experiences allows us to understand perspectives other than our own. This exercise helps us develop as empathetic people and allows us to better connect as humans.”

Social studies teacher Fletcher Woolsey said that CRT has been misinterpreted on both sides. “People who are in favor of the theory can make the mistake of over-applying it or treating it as a concrete fact,” Woolsey said. “This idea that much of American history is guided by or directed by sort of racist undercurrents certainly is a possibility, but it’s almost impossible to empirically prove that. On the other side of the problem, it gets misinterpreted that critical race theory is basically blaming white people for everything, and anything bad that has happened has happened because of selfish, racist, white people.”

According to Woolsey, much of the pushback against CRT is due to these misunderstandings.

“That’s where you see a lot of the pushback from white parents that we see active today, is this sense that ‘my white kid is going to go to school and be told constantly, only how terrible he is because of his racial groups,’” Woolsey said. “That’s the fear. And that isn’t what it is.”

South, who tried to cover up some of the atrocities that had occurred.

“After the Civil War was fought, and slavery was overturned legally, there was this period of Reconstruction,” Seman said. “And in the South, those that were resentful of that, and those that thought that the war was unjust and their society was ‘taken’ from them, began to promote this alternative idea of the past, this ‘Lost Cause’ mythology.”

The Lost Cause of the Confederacy, or just Lost Cause, refers to a widely spread myth that the Confederacy’s motivations were heroic and not simply centered around slavery.

Tracy Thompson, writing for Salon, calls the Lost Cause ideology “a vigorous, sustained effort by Southerners to literally rewrite history.”

plantation life.

“Going back to the daughters of the Confederacy and the kind of alternative textbooks and alternative histories they put out about the Civil War, it’s basically just a rewriting of history,” Seman said. “So it’s basically a whitewashing and sometimes just literal fabrications. If you ever look at any of those textbooks, it’s just outrageous the things that become enshrined for those folks that read that. And that becomes the truth because it’s in a textbook and ‘it’s what my elders tell me.’”

The main problem with this narrative, and the subsequent propaganda surrounding it, is how intentionally misleading it is. Often, you will hear the argument that the Civil War was instigated over states’ rights. But, according to most historians, when it comes down to it, every other motivating factor in the Civil War boils down to one thing: slavery.

Thompson describes it like this: even as the South claimed its motivations were financial or a matter of states’ rights, “there was never any doubt that the billions of dollars in property represented by the South’s roughly four million slaves was somehow at the root of everything.” But despite this, the UDC and other related organizations were often successful in re-painting history and reframing the Confederacy.

The problem began there, with a division of how history was taught depending on who wrote your textbooks.

Blatant racism in textbooks, in fact, continued on for decades. In the 1900s, this language could be found in textbooks even outside of the South.

Woodrow Wilson – historian and soonto-be president – wrote a textbook, “A History of the American People,” in which he described Black Americans’ “ignorance and credulity,” which Wilson suggested “made them easy dupes” during the Reconstruction

“I think there is a huge difference in teaching kids ‘Critical Race Theory’ and ‘understanding the world around us,’ and unfortunately the two are getting confused.”

English teacher Jenna Chapman

The History The debate around teaching race history has been going on longer than you might think, although it hasn’t always taken the same name. In fact, almost directly after the Civil War ended, there were already conflicts over how to teach race in schools. Immediately, there were people, primarily in the

The narrative was pushed by organizations such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy, which is an organization founded by female descendants of Confederates. The UDC fought to paint a pretty picture of the Confederacy by writing textbooks, sponsoring historical museums, and building monuments – many of which have become the recent center of controversy and protest – all meant to create a positive image of the Confederacy and a romantic view of

White supremacist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA, clashes with a movement to remove the city’s statue of Robert E. Lee, leading to a broader critique of the “Lost Cause” narrative

A mass shooting in a Black church in Charleston, SC, prompts a reexamination of the history of the Confederate flag and slavery

Murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police helps to spark Black Lives Matter protests

1619 Project created by New York Times to help teach race

Colorado legislation leads to a change in CCSD social studies curriculum for teaching history of race in elementary schools

1776 Project created under Trump Administration as a counter response to the 1619 Project.

It releases its report in early 2021

INFOGRAPHIC

BY CARLY PHILPOTT

14 | In-Depth era as Northerners came to promote economic development in the South. According to Wilson, these white people were “carpetbaggers,” visitors to the South who were there to take advantage of formerly enslaved people, who, according to Wilson’s racist narrative, were easy to confuse.

Wilson was from Virginia, a Southern state, but this kind of narrative was present all over the country.

27

States that have taken steps to restrict how teachers discuss race, according to EdWeek Thomas Bailey’s 1966 “The American Pageant,” which is still used in public schools today (in revised editions), describes the granting of basic rights to formerly enslaved Black Americans as a “stark tragedy,” saying that while “wholesale liberation was probably unavoidable,” the granting of “wholesale suffrage” was “both selfish and idealistic” on the part of Northern whites.

It’s very easy to see how this language is problematic.

And, as one New York Times report by Dana Goldstein found, textbook problems are still apparent today, even though textbooks now are unlikely to blatantly excuse the KKK. She compared American history textbooks from California and Texas, and the results were striking – but not necessarily surprising to experts. Much of the language used in the California versions of textbooks about not just race, but gender, sexuality, income, and other forms of historical inequality is completely missing from the Texas versions of the same exact books.

One example Goldstein lays out is from a section about the Harlem Renaissance, a 1920s movement of Black art, literature, and scholarship. Whereas California students learn not only its effect on Black culture, but also of the backlash it received, Texas students read this sentence of why white people were resistant to the Harlem Renaissance: “Some...dismissed the quality of literature produced during the period.” This excerpt is an example of how the Lost Cause narrative

persists even today. are teaching children to see people by the More recently, there have been move- color of their skin. ments to correct widespread myths about “It’s [CRT] creating these environments race, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. where...a relationship could happen, where One prominent example of this is the you could work together, where you could 1619 Project, a set of articles and artistic find your new best friend, your new partpieces featured by the New York Times that ner...and we just aren’t allowing that to hapis meant to be used when teaching slavery to pen because we’re so concerned with skin students. color,” Navarro said. “I think it’s creating the The 1619 Project was published two years most racist environment I’ve ever seen. And ago on the 400th anniversary of the arrival of that’s how I feel like it’s ruining [kids].” the first enslaved Africans in North America.

According to Navarro, some of what kids Taken together, the articles featured in this are being taught in elementary school was collection show how slavery lay at the very their own biases and privileges. She decore of American history rather than on its scribed examples of young students being periphery. They argue that we can’t truly un- asked to make a list of their own personal derstand American history without under- privileges. “We have a fifth grader who was standing slavery. told to write down his privileges and say his “[The 1619 Project] was obviously very race,” she said. “He’s 10, he shouldn’t have to successful among K-12 educators,” Seman be in that space.” said. “The Trump administration very, very Navarro believes that the 2020 murder of openly took a stance against what now ev- George Floyd by Minneapolis police and the eryone’s lumping together as critical race subsequent Black Lives Matter Protests are theory, coming out of The 1619 Project.” the main factors behind the bloom of the In response to the 1619 Project, Trump CRT debate, including in CCSD. Legislation called an advisory was recently passed in board that he called Colorado to include Students who the 1776 Commission. more conversations think curricula should cover good The dates are symbolic; about race in elemenand ugly history 1619 asks us to considtary social studies curequally er slavery as the focal riculum. Navarro said point of American hismany of the guidelines tory, whereas 1776 folaid out in this curricStudents who said CRT is at cuses our attention on ulum risk alienating least partly an the Revolutionary War, white students. Other important issue to when Americans were parents disagree. them supposedly united in a CCSD parent and patriotic cause. former Creek PTCO Students who The 1776 CommisPresident Andrea said the purpose sion lauded the idea Davoll said that what’s of history class of “patriotic educaat stake here isn’t CRT should be at least in part to tion” in which history at all, but rather an acdiscuss American classes concentrate on curate depiction of hisachievements American achievetory in schools. ments and ideals rather “We don’t really INFOGRAPHIC BY CARLY PHILPOTT than the nation’s more teach that [CRT] in complicated and uncomfortable history. Cherry Creek Schools anyway,” she said. “We Out of the clash between CRT and patri- try to portray history as honestly and clearly otic education came what we have now. as we can. And we try to talk about race in And much of this debate has been from vo- ways that honor and respect all cultures.” cal parents who are concerned about what School board president and parent of their children are being taught.

Creek graduates Karen Fisher said that the new curriculum is vital in making minority The Parents students feel more heard and understood.

One CCSD parent, Schumé Navarro, who “In Cherry Creek Schools, it’s not just is currently running for the school board, about cramming for the test, or getting an described how she thinks CRT is, or has the ACT score, it’s also about feeling heard and potential to, “ruin kids.” She raised the con- included and connecting with staff,” Fisher cern that CRT and similar teaching methods said. For that reason, “it’s crucial to have cul-

October 2021 turally relevant, accurate history.” and the way parents have become so in- in what’s taught in school curricula. When Kristin Allan, school board candidate and volved in it. adults are in charge of deciding what stuHigh Plains Elementary School parent, said So why have parents become so ingrained dents learn, kids’ voices aren’t always heard, that this curriculum change is another step in the CRT debate? some students say. in CCSD’s mission of equity.

“I think it’s that they’ve been targeted,” “[Students] should have control in terms “You’ll hear [Superintendent Christopher Seman said. “I’ve had some conversations of making sure what is taught is true, secuSmith] say this over and over again: every- with people [and] they’re like, ‘What is this lar, and appropriate for the age level,” sophothing we do must be viewed through the thing? Critical race theory? It sounds so more Toby Shu said. lens of equity,” Allan said. “I believe that this scary,’ but it’s really Shu also cited history curriculum does that by opening so not. It’s just honestly “If we choose to leave out some real-world much by providing so much more informa- assessing where we’re examples of where tion about all parts of our history and teach- at in this nation. But I certain parts of history in CRT laws – made ing honestly and accurately.” think [some are] pur- our curriculum that are by adults – have Allan said that in no way is this meant to posefully targeting caused issues, sayshame white kids. “The goal is not to make parents, and it spreads. considered ugly, we are ac- ing that “the ban of people feel bad. We can teach uncomfortable You know, people talk.” tively choosing ignorance.” teaching [CRT] by topics without making our kids feel bad,” laws is overboard Allan said. “No child should feel bad about The Students and ridiculous.” learning about our history. But there is no When it comes Senior Kayla Robinson “Critical race shame in teaching an honest and accurate down to it, students are theory bills in conhistory.” the ones who will learn servative states, like Fisher said that she often feels that par- CRT or not and take that knowledge with the one in Tennessee, ban ‘division between, ents who have spoken out against the recent them into the future, regardless of what hap- or resentment of, a race, sex, religion, creed, curriculum change in CCSD seemed “misin- pens. So are Creek kids for or against CRT? nonviolent political affiliation, social class, formed” and that they didn’t give much conFrom a poll of 144 Creek students, the an- or class of people,’” Shu said. “Banning of crete reasoning behind their stances. When swers were fairly split. 37.4% said they hadn’t a division between religion or creed would the district was deciding whether or not to heard of CRT at all. Another 37.4% said they ban denigrating the KKK or Nazism. This is pass the new social studies curriculum, sev- were in favor of CRT, while 10.9% said they clearly overboard.” eral parents came to speak at board meetings were against it. And many Creek kids have a Shu continued, noting why, despite gradto express their concerns about the curricu- lot to say when asked about this issue. ual social change, learning about racial ineqlum. The problem, according to Fisher, was “Bias is present in everything humani- uity is still very important for students today. that those parents “didn’t give us any reason” ty does, but that doesn’t mean it has to be “To say that racial equality hasn’t gotten betto veto or delay the curriculum. pervasive,” senior Kalisi Loveridge said. She ter would be a lie, but it would also be a lie “I think that many of them probably were characterized herself as in favor of critical to say that racial equality has been reached,” driven by politics,” Fisher said. “I think that race theory. “History has many different Shu said. some of the people who came didn’t have sides and perspectives; we should do our No matter what students thought about anything specific best to learn about CRT, the consensus on what we should be about Cherry Creek them all. By teaching taught was clear. With a 95.2% consenSchools, but were just “Let’s not teach kids what more comprehensive sus, Creek kids overwhelmingly said they sort of angry about political opinions to believe content concerning thought students should be taught the whole how divisive everypast events, schools historical narrative, even – and perhaps esbut instead let them figure can better prepare pecially – the parts that aren’t easy to hear. body [was].”

One organiza- it out themselves.” future citizens to “I think if we choose to leave out certain tion present at those understand and par- parts of history in our curriculum that are meetings was No Left ticipate in current considered ugly, we are actively choosing Turn, which was cre- Anonymous Student events.” ignorance,” senior Kayla Robinson said. ated to oppose edA fairly low per- “I firmly believe that the ability to turn a ucation “becoming centage of Creek blind eye to certain issues because they don’t tainted with historical revisionism, politi- students said they were against critical or didn’t affect you is a privilege. If we put cal correctness, and the outright rejection race theory, but few chose to answer why. America on a pedestal so we can celebrate it, of values which have long been at the core “Let’s not teach kids what political opinions we refuse to acknowledge the bad.” of the American experience,” according to to believe but instead let them figure it out their website themselves,” one anonymous student* who According to Fisher, some of the parents characterized themselves as against CRT who came from No Left Turn weren’t actual- said. ly CCSD parents, making it difficult for them Parents and their opinions have usually to argue for or against issues in the district. been at the forefront of the CRT debate. But Nonetheless, CCSD’s curriculum change of the 147 students polled, 86.3% said stu- Additional contributions made by Lily served as a microcosm of the CRT debate, dents should at least sometimes have a say Deitch and Amanda Castillo-Lopez

16 | A&E

Revisiting Mac Miller Through ‘Faces’

BY KATYA ROUDAKOV Staff Writer

M

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

ac Miller’s impact on our generation is difficult to overstate. Following his death in 2018, appreciation for Miller’s music skyrocketed, and many teenagers, including myself, found comfort in his messages. He was always open with his mental health issues, particularly in his music, and his talent for simplifying complex emotions into accessible lyrics validated the struggles of many.

While the general public knows Miller for his six studio albums, he had released over a dozen mixtapes at the time of his death. These mixtapes went mostly under the radar, especially with the rise of streaming in the music industry, since they couldn’t be released on platforms like Spotify or Apple Music.

When a song is released on a streaming platform, the artist can earn revenue. If a song uses a sample, it can’t be used for profit without permission, and these permissions need to be given by whoever created the sample. However, it’s often difficult to contact these artists or convince them to allow the use of their work. Because of this, the only ways for someone to listen to these projects online are through unofficial versions on SoundCloud and YouTube.

In May of 2020, Miller’s mixtape “K.I.D.S.” was made available on streaming platforms for its tenth anniversary. It has already amassed hundreds of millions of streams, largely due to the song “The Spins” going viral on TikTok. Another one of his mixtapes, a 2014 project called “Faces,” was released on streaming platforms on October 15.

This mixtape will likely find similar levels of success to that of “K.I.D.S.”

Although fans agree that it’s almost impossible to rank the songs off of “Faces,” here’s a few to look out for: Colors and Shapes - This one is already out, as sort of a lead single, and it’s for good reason that his estate chose to release it first.

Along with being a great example of the type of songs on “Faces,” this song is reminiscent of his late-career albums “Swimming” and “Circles,” with its chill, jazz-infused beat and lyrics that remark on his signature deep themes. This song takes you on a journey, watching as Miller finds himself and carves out his place in the universe.

Diablo - Many fans agree that this is Miller’s best song. “Diablo” is a showcase of his writing and rapping chops on a mellow beat that leaves room for plenty of wordplays. Though it touches on the same deep themes fused throughout the “Faces” project, most of the rhymes are lighthearted, like “Colder than gazpacho, colder than the mono / Rappin’ head honcho, rocking shows like I was Bono.” These goofy lyrics make it just as gratifying to listen to songs like “The Spins” and “Kool-Aid & Frozen Pizza,” off of his earlier mixtape “K.I.D.S.” Grand Finale - Death is interwoven into this track, making it eerie to listen to after Miller’s passing. People have long commented on the self-awareness he expressed, especially in the latter stages of his life, but “Grand Finale” takes this to another level. As the last track on “Faces,” it represents an end in more ways than one. Psychedelic guitar and an airy chorus, plus some of the darkest, realest lyrics that Miller has ever released, bring the record to a satisfying end. Just like his other records, “Faces” ends with the finality of death, which only intensifies the organic progression that his songs take you through.

For many, listening to “Faces” will be the first time hearing Mac Miller’s voice on new tracks since the release of his posthumous album “Circles” in January 2020. It’s sure to be emotional, especially for longtime fans, but I recommend this mixtape even to those who don’t usually listen to him. If you enjoy artists like Frank Ocean, Steve Lacy, or Anderson. Paak, you might find yourself really liking his music.

Give “Faces” a listen. It’s Miller’s thoughts and emotions poured into 24 songs, and even if you’re not a fan of hip hop, you’ll find something that resonates with you.

Our Top Picks From First Quarter

October 2021

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Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Exceeds Expectations

Surprises And Speculations About Grey’s Anatomy’s Season 18 Premiere

It’s rare for a movie, especially from a studio as ubiquitous as Marvel, to live up to excessive hype, but Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings does it. It tells the tale of a young man in California, whose life is upended when everything he once ran away from comes blazing back.

It’s the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to feature an Asian protagonist, as well as one of the only American movies to feature an almost entirely Asian cast.

Grey’s Anatomy had its 18th season premiere Sept. 30, and so three of our staff members, Editors-in-Chief Carly Philpott and Raegan Knobbe and Staff Writer Katya Roudakov, sat down to talk about what the trailer might mean, who might return to the show this year, and what happened last season.

Carly Philpott, Katya Roudakov, and Raegan Knobbe ABC

Katya Roudakov MARVEL

Dear Evan Hansen Is Exactly How Mental Health Should Be Represented

Most Brutal TV Show Award Goes To: Squid Game

I hadn’t been to a movie theater in two years, and I’m so glad that I broke that streak to see Dear Evan Hansen.

This musical, performed on Broadway in 2015, was finally made into a movie and premiered Sept. 24. It’s a beautiful story of friendship and family values with a much needed emphasis on mental health.

Typically, finding movies and shows that are relatable for teenagers can be a feat. Luckily, this movie was everything I never knew I craved.

Netflix’s latest original TV show, Squid Game, has been named Netflix’s #1 most-watched in over 90 countries around the world in just 2 weeks.

The show is titled after a child’s playground game in Korea. The show changes innocent games into bloody, violent competitions. It is offered to those who need money to pay off debt due to everything from gambling, addiction, or immigrating.

Madison Seckman UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Sophia Noahchi and Laila Seddiki NETFLIX

18 | A&E

Taco Bell Has The Best Chicken Sandwich Yet

BY CARLY PHILPOTT Editor-in-Chief

I

t is very rare that I write a food review.

I’m not sure I’ve ever done one. I figure, why not leave it to the experts? I have no clue what I’m talking about.

Well, that’s not true. I make quite appetizing brownies. And the occasional dinner. I sear a good salmon. I know to draw the line at rumproast.

I’ll take it a step further: I’ve had Taco Bell approximately two thousand times (rough estimate). And until now, I have never once gotten anything other than a chicken quesadilla, usually two, and a large Baja Blast.

Consider me someone who likes to stay in her lane.

Anyway, I’ve been closely monitoring the fast food chicken sandwich race. I’m not much of a chicken sandwich person. I mean, I tried the Popeyes chicken sandwich; it was fine, but I’d rather spring for some chicken nuggets. But when Taco Bell announced their own version of a chicken sandwich, I was intrigued. And perhaps a little bit frightened?

Taco Bell has a rather ugly history of making things into tacos that really should not be tacos. I mean, a fried chicken shell? Why? And then they did the same thing with a fried egg and a giant, stale Dorito. That’s exactly the kind of shenanigan Taco Bell keeps pulling, and it’s

likely to be questionable. At least based on recent history.

Contrary to the Naked Chicken Chalupa™, however, the Crispy Chicken Sandwich Taco™ did look like it could be okay. Not good, but okay. So I tried it.

I have no regrets.

Let’s just start with the shell. I’m not sure what bread-y type thing they use as the soft shell, but it’s good. They should make more things with that if they don’t already.

Then there’s the sauce. Holy Gordita, the sauce. I’m not sure if there’s anything better than the sauce. That stuff probably contains carcinogens, but it’s delicious. Every time you buy the sandwich, it’s like the lottery on how m u c h sauce you’ l l

get. From my experience, it’s either two tablespoons of it or about half a teaspoon, no in between. That part really adds to the overall joy of the whole thing. And anticipation.

I’m not much of a jalapeno person, either, but I’ll concede that the little sliced peppers really do add to the overall texture and taste of the whole thing. Plus you can pretend it’s healthy since, of course, there’s vegetables in it.

I may sound sarcastic, but I am entirely sincere. This may be one of the most scrumptious fast food items I have ever eaten.

(I would never rank it above Culver’s cheese curds.)

Where is your favorite chicken sandwich from?

“I like Popeyes because it’s better than all the other ones.”

senior Ridley Clark

“I like Birdcall because of the different variety of sauces, the buttery buns, and thick [cut] pickles.”

freshman Kathleen Murphy

“I like Popeyes because they have mayo and it’s crunchy and yummy!”

junior Karter LaBarre

October 2021

If I had to pick a chicken sandwich, it would be this one. No contest. Again, I’m not a chicken sandwich person. But I am a chicken person. And this is really good chicken.

Most importantly, however, the Taco Bell chicken sandwich taco pairs perfectly with a Baja Blast (the most important part). And so, until the sandwich inevitably gets wiped from the menu, like the Bell Beefer™, the Potatorito™, the Chicken Caesar Stuft Burrito™, and the Meximelt™, this will be my order.

PHOTO BY CARLY PHILPOTT ENLARGED FOR DETAIL

The Chicken There’s not a chicken patty like other sandwiches. It’s practically just a chicken tender. A very, very good chicken tender.

And freshly made, too. My chicken always comes out nice and hot and quite crispy.

The Sauce Holy Gordita, the sauce. This stuff probably contains carcinogens, but it’s delicious. It’s like the lottery on how much sauce you’ll get. That part really adds to the overall joy of the whole thing. And anticipation.

The Jalapeños

I’m not much of a jalapeno person, but I’ll concede that the little sliced peppers really do add to the overall texture and taste of the whole thing. It’s an interesting take on a chicken sandwich – replacing pickles with jalapeños.

INFOGRAPHIC BY MADISON SECKMAN FLICKR.COM AND PXFUEL.COM

INTERVIEWS BY NORAH RUDNICK AND NICK RUI PHOTOS BY EMILY GLEASON

“I like Chick-fil-A because it’s all around pretty good.”

“I’ve liked Popeyes’ chicken since I was six years old.”

freshman Evan Roosa

freshman Brooke Sax

“I like to make a sandwich with Raising Cane’s chicken, toast, and sauce.”

senior Alex Mitchell

20 | Opinions

Surviving After Assault

BY MADISON SECKMAN Design Editor

A

little girl placed her trust in what she believed was a responsible adult man.

He used that trust to take advantage of her.

That little girl was just one of many, and that little girl was me.

I was only in first or second grade when I went through something that would affect me for the rest of my life: sexual assault.

According to the National Sexual Violence Reasource Center, about 13% of women have experienced sexual coercion in their lifetime, and 42.2% of them were raped before they were 18 years old.

So many women every year are forced or coerced into performing sexual actions they want no part in. So many women are forced to live with those memories every day. And, so many women are strong survivors.

At first, I was not strong.

I pushed the event down in my mind until I had practically forgotten it. But it was

always a part of me and constantly pained me, and it took me years after to realize how much my beliefs were shaped around this one circumstance of sexual assault.

I genuinely feared men – and rightfully so. Throughout my younger years, men and boys were always betraying my trust and treating me like an object. Thus, I went out of my way to avoid them.

When I started having flashbacks to the event while walking through school hallways or even sitting in the safety of my own bedroom, I knew I had a problem. I would need to do something to fix it.

I spent almost two years looking into therapy, psychology, and many other mental health related studies to understand what was happening to me. While self-diagnosis isn’t the most reliable, I realized that I was showing signs of depression, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder.

I couldn’t use public restrooms. I wouldn’t let men walk directly behind me. I had a difficult time looking men in the eyes

- even my own father.

After going through the same motions for years and watching my struggles slowly worsen and become habits, I meekly approached my parents in seventh grade to ask them about attending therapy.

My mom had studied psychology in college and almost went into the field as her major, so she was fairly understanding of why I wanted to see a therapist. Yet, we were never very financially well-off, especially at the time, and both my parents were afraid we couldn’t afford for me to go, so I put it off even longer.

Needless to say, the problem didn’t miraculously get resolved over the next couple years; in fact, it seemed to only get worse.

In my freshman year, my friends were starting to have boyfriends hanging around with us, and I felt pressured to be in a relationship, too. But a part of me just couldn’t completely trust anyone of the male gender.

Things worsened even more when I had a huge disagreement with all of my friends that ended our friendship. I felt more alone

INFOGRAPHIC BY MADISON SECKMAN

October 2021

ART BY MADISON SECKMAN

than ever.

Like many people my age, my life seemed meaningless to me. I couldn’t form proper relationships with anyone because this instance of sexual assault was affecting my trust of everyone.

I would hurt myself and then hurt others out of anger and fear; I became the worst version of myself.

Yet I went on like this for another year, and simply moved through the motions of my life assuming that pushing down my feelings would make them go away - not just make them worse.

Using school as a distraction, I was surprised with how long I was able to avoid my feelings. But I knew they were still there.

When I took health my sophomore year, I would have little panic attacks when we were going through the sexual assault chapter.

Typically, that just meant turning my head down to my desk and holding my hands in my lap while they shook from the flashbacks playing on repeat in my mind.

I just couldn’t stop seeing his face and associating that face with every other man I came across, no matter how nice they were to me.

In my mind, it was my fault. I had done everything wrong. I hadn’t told him to stop.

I hadn’t told anyone else about what happened. I was a disgusting, defiled, and dreadful person who didn’t deserve to live.

Still, there was a little voice in my head

telling me that there was no way sexual assault could have been my fault, especially at such a young age.

That little voice was what gave me enough hope to finally let a boy into my life. I found myself crushing on a guy, but it still felt like I was refraining from trusting him and fully giving myself up to a new relationship.

I went to talk to my parents again. This time, I came clean about everything that happened to me.

They supported me and let me know of their remorse for what I went through, and they agreed that I should attend therapy even if it could be costly. My life was worth more than money.

So, at the end of my sophomore year, I started attending therapy. I wish I could say that it was all uphill from there, but it wasn’t.

For most people who attend therapy, that means problem solving through issues. Since I had never been to therapy before, I didn’t know what to expect - I thought I would just be telling some old lady about how terrible the world was while she nodded along and offered me crumpets.

In fact, the first therapist I came across was an older lady, but I couldn’t make my busy schedule work with hers. Thus, the search continued.

I originally didn’t want a male therapist because of my sexual assault induced anxiety. However, the next therapist I stumbled upon was a man and had lots of experience

with the issues similar to mine.

It wasn’t easy to tell some stranger all my deepest secrets, and it took me a while and a lot of anxiety to come clean. Even now, he doesn’t know everything about me. And that’s okay; I learned that you don’t have to tell everyone everything about yourself in order to trust them.

So, my long journey to recovery had finally started to see the crest of the mountain.

For the beginning of my therapy, everything seemed worse than before: he was making me feel all the emotions I had suppressed over the years. But by bringing those feelings into the front, center stage of my mind, I was able to address and eventually tackle them.

After pages of worksheets and hours of exposure and discussion I realized that the sexual assault had never been my fault. When you’re assaulted, it is never your fault.

I started to love myself which in turn helped me love and trust others. My cautious instincts around men will never fully go away, but I can live with that because they are part of me and remind me that I am a survivor.

Here I am now, a senior in high school, and, believe me, it has been a fight. And as high school comes to a close, I will take the sexaul assault with me and never forget because I know that I am not to blame, and I know that it made me into the strong woman I am today.

22 | Opinions

PHOTOILLUSTRATION BY NATE MEREDITH AND PXFUEL

BY LIANKA PECHOVA

to see past the toned abs and slim legs that seem to scream, “You’re fat and you need to lose weight!” know what it’s like.

In short, it’s hard to see them as people.

I know what it feels like to despise the It’s as true as it is cruel. We live in a socinumber on the scale, to hate every body part you see in the mirror, to cry yourself ety where it’s perfectly acceptable to profit to sleep because you just can’t stand your off of people’s insecurities, to promote prodbody. I know what it’s like to skip breakfast ucts and diets at the cost of people’s mental and lunch and lie when someone asks what health and self-esteem.

It makes sense when you think about it. you ate. I know the feeling of uncontrollable If celebrities and eating – eating until influencers make it hurts so much, but cellulite seem like the mental pain is “I know what it’s like to feel the end of the even worse. It hurts like you aren’t sick enough world, people will so much that you go to great lengths run to the bathroom to ask for help, and that to get rid of it. And and spend the next you have to be knocking on that’s where the hour making yourmulti-billion diet self vomit, promis- death’s door before you can industry comes ing yourself that you open up about the battle into play. They ofwon’t eat the next day fer a great, new diet to make up for it but you’ve been fighting.” that promises to get failing and restarting rid of the unwanted the inescapable cycle cellulite, which sounds pleasant, but what again.

I’m not diagnosed with an eating disor- they never talk about is how 95% of diets der, but 30 million Americans are. And with fail, 35% of “normal dieters” start restrictsomeone dying from an eating disorder ev- ing certain foods or calories, and 20-25% of ery hour, it can make one wonder why peo- those develop a partial or full-time eating ple get this deadly and addictive illness in disorder.

That being said, concerns regarding nuthe first place.

“There are inherited forces in terms of a trition are important, but those concerns personality type,” Creek psychology teach- are between you and your doctor or nutrier Chris Meagher said. “People who are tionist. A diet has nothing to do with health inclined towards . . . perfectionistic ways of and everything to do with money.

An eating disorder is a mental illness, thinking are more at risk.”

These “perfectionist” ways are especially not a physical one. It’s not about how much harmful when teens and pre-teens are con- you weigh. I know what it’s like to feel like stantly bombarded with altered pictures of you just aren’t sick enough to ask for help, influencers with “perfect” bodies. I’m con- and that you have to be knocking on death’s stantly reminding myself that models and door before you can open up about the batinfluencers aren’t perfect, and they are just tle you’re fighting. Remember that you don’t as insecure as I am. But it’s often difficult need to be diagnosed with an eating disor-

I

Staff Writer

der to get help. If you need someone to talk to, you can go to the counseling office and see some of the school psychologists.

“When someone’s in danger in some way, the role among [school psychologists] is if you know something about someone’s health, someone hurting him or herself, we report it,” Meagher said. “You gotta speak up. Our psychologists, they are awesome.”

If you don’t feel comfortable talking to someone in person yet, you can call or text the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) helpline at (888)-375-7767, on Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. All messages outside of these hours will be returned. And if you or someone else may be in danger, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 24/7.

26% of people with eating disorders attempt suicide 80% of all children have been on a diet before they’ve reached fourth grade Less than 6% people with eating disorders are diagnosed as “underweight” 91% of women admitted to controlling their weight through dieting, according to a college campus survey

INFOGRAPHIC BY SYDNEY TOPELSON

STAFF EDITORIAL

October 2021

Teachers, your workload is drowning us D

id you know your teachers are only supposed to assign you two hours of homework per week, total, according to Creek policy?

That may surprise you, because if you’re anything like the members of our staff, some of your teachers assign you two hours of work per day. For many kids, at Creek and elsewhere, a large volume of schoolwork can damage mental health and erase free time. But where do we draw the line of “too much”?

The issue with designating a time limit on homework is that it’s difficult to generalize the time spent on any given assignment.

It’s also difficult to put the same limit on the workload of a CP class and an AP class. But from the conversations we had within our staff and with our peers, we came to a clear consensus: teachers are assigning too much homework, and they’re not giving us enough time to do it.

Students this year are coming off of a school year where expectations were both higher and lower than they had ever been. Last year, stress was off the charts. It was astronomically difficult for many of us to balance and focus on our work with so little structure. Students often felt like the workload was too high. Even in the last seven weeks of school, when CCSD returned to full in-person, we weren’t back to a real normal. It was different, and it was overwhelming.

And yet, both students and staff feel that kids last year simply didn’t learn enough.

This year’s students lack key skills or background knowledge they should have gained last year but didn’t. And so, even as kids are still readjusting to being back to “normal” school, it feels like teachers are racing to keep up.

It seems ludicrous to expect that students are ready to get back to the full workload.

Not a single one of us has recovered from the unprecedented stress and change of the past year and a half, and not a single one of us should be expected to be.

Even as teachers are receiving frequent

communication from Principal Ryan Silva to lay off the work a little bit, it feels like many of them are disregarding this entirely.

One student in our staff described it as a “my class is most important” mentality. While it’s impossible to know if that’s true, it is the case that many teachers don’t seem to be paying much mind to how an intense level of work can hurt students. And if they are paying mind to this, then, well, they need to do better at following through on it.

There is another level to the problem. Last year, there were few restrictions on turning in late assignments. Most students became accustomed to a little more leniency, often waiting until the end of the semester to turn late assignments in. Because so many teachers went directly back to a strict policy, where turning in something a day or two late is a 20 or 30% hit to your grade (or more), many students are floundering to remember their work routine from 19 months ago, the last time students were expected to work on a normal schedule.

One way to prevent this is with something similar to what some math teachers do – as long as your work is turned in by the unit test, or even the mid-unit quiz, it earns full credit. This way, students will still complete work in time to get practice for assessments, and can still adhere to original due dates, but will also have the ability and freedom to push something back a couple days if they find themselves swamped with other work, sports, family, or their jobs.

All of this is not to say that homework is unnecessary or that it should be abolished entirely. But it does need to be reduced – and there is scientific evidence to back this.

A 2013 study by Mollie Galloway, Jerusha Conner, and Denise Pope found that students in high-achieving high schools in predominantly upper-middle class areas – just like Creek – thrived best with no more than a couple hours of homework each night. In fact, the researchers found that students who did more work than that suffered damage to their physical and mental health.

In an Oct. 13 email to staff, Silva encouraged teachers to incorporate more work time into their schedules using a “What I Need,” or WIN, day every week or so. “When I heard the WIN idea I thought it was wise and allows for student and teacher care,” Silva said in his email. “Sometimes we can get caught up in a sprint mode when the reality is this work is more of a marathon.”

Teachers must adhere to the “two hours a week” guideline as strictly as possible. They should implement policies that allow for more leniencies in the case of late work. But most importantly, they need to listen and understand that their students are still adjusting. We are not ready to go back to preparing for college. Right now, we still need to figure out how to go back to normal.

We are not ready to go back to preparing for college. Right now, we need to figure out how to go back to normal.

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