Central High Times - Volume 107, Issue 4 - Summer 2021

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Housing Crisis at the Border pg. 10 IB Senior Art Show pg. 28 Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills pg. 11

CHT central high times

Societal Issues & Saying Goodbye Volume 107 / Issue 4 / Summer 2021

IN THIS

ISSUE OPINION

Letter from the Editor

Freedom of Speech & Censorship

PG. 03 PG. 04

LGBTQ+ Discrimination in the Community Body Positivity & Neutrality

PG. 05

Leads and Shorts Accolades

PG. 07

World & Springfield News

PG. 09

Housing Crisis at the Border

PG. 10

Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills in The U.S.

PG. 11

Mass Shootings in America

PG. 12

NEWS

SPORTS

PG. 08

PG. 14

Athlete Highlight

PG. 15

Club Highlight Humans of Central Student Political Affiliations Senior Goodbyes Principal Goodbyes Second Career Teachers Institutional Racism in Health Care Hate Crimes Towards AAPI IB Senior Art Show

PG. 16 PG. 17 PG. 18 PG. 19 PG. 22 PG. 24 PG. 25 PG. 26 PG. 28

HYPE Thrifting Gentrification Food Review Horoscopes Film Review Music Review Photo Essay Comic

GROWLS

NATHAN SHARP / REPORTER

WAG Another year’s over.

PG. 06

Attacking Life Head On

FEATURES

WAGS &

PG. 30 PG. 32 PG. 34 PG. 35 PG. 36 PG. 38 PG. 40

GROWL Summer break is shortened every year, man

WAG We finally get a break.

Correction from CHT’s Double Issue:

It was brought to the attention of the Central High Times staff that the Issue 2 article “Hate Groups in America” could be misleading. We named some groups that are not officially recognized as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The Central High Times staff recognizes our mistake, and we will try to do better next time. - Ms. Chrismer and the Central High Times staff

EDITORIAL POLICY

The Central High Times is a student-produced publication of the Central High School journalism department. The staff and adviser strive to create an open forum for students and teachers. We take responsibility for accuracy and fairness and for work to be unbiased and responsive to the needs of readers in order to encourage the submission of readers’ ideas. We promise to practice honesty, to run the paper as a business and to avoid printing material that is legally considered obscene, libelous or private.

ADVISER Kori Chrismer EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Khloe Joint & Ashley Stanley PHOTO EDITORS Bailey Dipper & Halle Johnson COMIC ARTIST Keaton Lashley REPORTERS Arden Below, Reid Biggers, Maverick Hill, Addi Jordan, Ania Kovacs, Keaton Lashley, Ned Pickett, Nathan Sharp THE CHT Volume 107 Issue 4 SOCIAL MEDIA @chs.journalism2021 CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL 423 E. Central St., Springfield, MO 65802 CONTACT kechrismer@spsmail.org FONT FAMILIES Franklin, Palladio PUBLISHER The Missourian Publishing Company

Letters From The (Future) Editors NATHAN SHARP / EDITOR IN CHIEF ANIA KOVACS / ASSISTANT EDITOR

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h, so, letter. I will be Editor-in-Chief of this thing, and I promise not to sink the ship. I don’t know how I could possibly run a school news magazine into the ground, but I’ll keep those ideas on the back burner. Nobody reads the news, but we’re keeping it at the forefront. All the other sections that you scan through quickly will also be there. The least read section of the magazine, letter from the editor, will also stay. Thanks to those one paragraph in and still reading... you’re a real one. Facts have been heavily politicized within the last half-decade to the point of falsity. Saying that I will only allow facts to be published means something different to everybody. If you don’t believe what you read here, you will look through the internet for an article that backs up your bias for an unnaturally long time. People are stubborn to a crazy degree. Therefore, I give you readers my word that only refutable facts will be published in our news. If you don’t believe me, tough tomato Johnny, I can’t appease you. I’ll get off my soapbox now. Covid-19 has destroyed my productivity. I have turned in nearly every article I wrote this year at least a bit late. I quit IB after one semester because I couldn’t be bothered to care about the pretentious classes I was in. The idea of going back into the building next year is terrifying, half because of the disease, and half because of all my somewhat friends I didn’t bother to talk to since before the pandemic. If a failure like me can manage to become an Editor-in-Chief, imagine what all you preppy kids that stayed in IB could do.

’m very lucky to be able to wake up and not dread going to school. Especially now, as a high school student that spends the better part of her free time on social media, I hear a lot of pessimism about school and how draining it is. Those sentiments are more than justified in most cases, but the students and teachers at Central have made the workload and stress all worth it for me. My position as assistant editor (not to be confused with assistant to the editor) doesn’t require much reassurance to the student body, so the following is a thank you letter to CHS more than anything else. During the fifth grade, I was given the opportunity to join the Springfield Scholars Program and take my middle school courses at Central. Both of my sisters graduated with an IB diploma and were Editors-inChief of CHT, so I felt a lot of pressure to transfer here. You can imagine how intimidating the idea of attending a high school was to an 11 year old, but evidently, I took a risk and here I am now-- living in the scariest choice I’ve ever made. That being said, I really couldn’t have anticipated the amount of joy I would find when I came to this school, from meeting my best friends to random discussions in class that made me cry from laughing. The message I’m trying to get across in this letter is pretty simple and I’m trying my best not to be excessively sappy. I love Central and I love this magazine. Nathan and I are going to try our best to make next year a good one, even if our audience is small. I owe it to the place that finally made me excited about the idea of going to school.

— NES

— ACK

OPINION / 3

&

Freedom of Speech Censorship in Media

KHLOE JOINT / CO-EDITOR & KEATON LASHLEY / SENIOR REPORTER

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eing able to speak your mind is important. Without the ability to share our opinions and knowledge, people stay uninformed and walk through life with narrow views. This is what allows governments to create citizens complicit in their mistreatment and abuse. Hence, one of our most basic rights is the ability to speak freely our opinions and ideas regarding government proceedings. The creation of laws and the process of justice. With the loss of so many lives in the past year, this freedom has been vital in fighting for the justice that is consistently denied to oppressed minority groups. The U.S. is one of the only countries that have little to no laws restricting freedom of speech, with no hate speech laws put in place. This is why sites like 4chan, 8chan, shock sites like bestgore.com (RIP), and explicit content are able to thrive on the internet here in America. It seems this country has an extreme level of support for freedom of speech and the right to use the internet without government censorship, which is an issue that is viewed and handled quite differently in several other countries, the most notable being China, where the media is heavily censored by the Chinese government, and many anti-Chinese government posts and references are blocked from public view. A multitude of social media networks like Twitter are also banned in China, internet usage is limited, and films, books, and shows are subject to heavy censorship. Obviously, as a student journalist, it is important to understand the role and value of free speech within current society. However, it is difficult to not think it extremely unfair to limit what people discuss and show online. Sensible and frequent disagreement with overbearing censorship rules is how we can continue to bring up these discussions on how to properly create and enforce rules within our own country, rules that serve to protect while not infringing upon one of our most basic, not to mention constitutional, rights. It is especially vital that we look to other countries for examples of what we must avoid, where things like LGBTQ+ representation within the media are censored or simply ignored. With that being said, the restriction of innocent content and hate speech are two completely different subjects, and we do think it’s imperative that something

4 / OPINION

be done to curb the amount of hate speech that infinitely circles the internet. Social media has been a great way for people to communicate and share ideas and resources full of information that’s easily accessible and can be checked with a couple of Google searches. But it is true that social media platforms also serve as breeding grounds for terrible groups that share videos and images of dangerous and traumatizing content. The stereotype of the sensitive leftist snowflake may be applicable to us by many, but does that make us wrong for finding the causal sharing of violent and racist imagery online to be disgusting? Absolutely not. Watching the “QAnon: Into The Storm” documentary from Cullen Hoback was really eye-opening toward how hate speech and breaching these limits affect the real world. In this documentary, they discuss the mass shootings that were happening throughout 2019 across the globe, including Mosques in Norway or a Walmart in El Paso, one of the more memorable instances to me being the Mosque shooting in New Zealand, which was filmed and shared in its entirety on 8chan. Being constantly exposed to this violent, traumatic imagery is bound to inspire others that are sick or brave enough to replicate these terrible actions We saw this happen with the Norway shooter, who claimed to be inspired by the El Paso and Christchurch shootings. It may be my opinion, but it continues to be prevalent even now in April of 2021, where the imagery of mass shootings and murders committed by those in positions of power are shared time and time again, an astounding number being shown in just this month alone. It’s also very distressing to be exposed to these events every single day on the news, where they show bodycam or surveillance footage of people being shot with a measly little blur on the faces of the victims. Awareness is important. Discussion is important. Even seeing these things that are happening right now is important. But a different approach that is both more respectful of the victim and young viewers is needed. We certainly don’t have all of the answers, but know that seeing people killed on television isn’t fixing the problem. Freedom of speech needs to be protected and censorship should be challenged, but how far can it go?

DISCRIMINATION WITHIN THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY: WHAT CAN WE DO TO STOP IT? ADDISON JORDAN / REPORTER

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ith safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people growing both online and offline, discussing the topic of discrimination within the community is becoming easier. Some very relevant issues include transphobia, fatphobia, bisexual erasure, and racism. To make our safe spaces more welcoming, it’s important that we as a society address the issues we face and work to fix them. One anonymous Central student pointed out their struggles with being aromantic and asexual, and the way that society revolves around being in a relationship. “I’m aro/ace, and I’ve felt invalidated within the LBGTQ+ community. There isn’t much representation, and since we live in a relationship-focused society, it’s an internal struggle of not even accepting yourself as aro/ace. It took me so long to convince myself that I was indeed aro/ace because I deeply wanted a relationship like I saw with my friends and in movies,” the student said. “I had to accept that it wasn’t for me, and that’s okay! We need to teach [youth] that not wanting to pursue a relationship is okay!” A former Central student, 2020 graduate Michelle Carnahan, pointed out discrimination that she has faced in the community: noteably, the way that cookiecutter relationships are validated and respected more than ones that don’t fit into stereotypes. “In my experience, the most socially acceptable LGBTQ+ relationships are just cliques and stereotypes, whereas people are less comfortable with those that aren’t what they’ve already seen before,” Carnahan said. “I’ve been told to stop telling people I was bi because I’d only had boyfriends.” Kai Schiller, 11, also spoke about the discrimination he has faced within the community. As a gendernonconforming transgender man, he has experienced constant misgendering and the scrutiny of harmful stereotypes. “Of course there’s a lot with being a trans guy and gender-nonconforming; there [are] people who think that everything has to be either-or,” Schiller said. “But there’s also less obvious stuff, like people who keep misgendering you after it’s been years.”

Schiller states that it is often that these people do not take responsibility for their actions either. Instead of seeking to educate themselves and correct their actions, they place the burden of constant correction upon trans individuals. He notes that these people often aren’t held accountable for their behavior, allowing such incidents to continue. A common issue that trans individuals have spoken out about is the transphobia they’re met with from other community members. Former Central student Jeremy Ames went in depth specifically on discrimination from one trans person to another. “They’re called transmets or true-scum,” Ames stated. “They don’t think you’re trans unless you’re as cis-passing as possible and have dysphoria.” Ames recognized how such people police appearances, picking and choosing who they validate based on how well they think the individual passes. “I’ve been told that I’m not actually trans. I’ve been misgendered on purpose by other trans people simply because of the way that I express my gender through what I wear and what I do, like makeup; I’ve been told that I’m not trans for those things,” Ames said. Nemo Shelton, 9, expanded on the topic of sexuality erasure, speaking out about the discrimination that many lesbians face from other members of the community. “I see a lot of lesbian erasure especially in the bi community,” Shelton stated. “People calling other people bi because they’ve dated a guy in the past, despite identifying as a lesbian. I also know that many plus sized people have gotten [shamed] for wearing the exact same thing a skinny person wore, and that’s not okay.” LGBTQ+ youth need safe spaces, and it’s our job as both members and allies to create these spaces rather than tear them down. Ames emphasized the importance of using your voice to uplift those of black queer and trans people, as well as any community member with autism or any other disability. It is with using our voices in such a way that we can combat this needless infighting and come to a time of togetherness.

OPINION / 5

BODY H

ave you ever heard of the term “Body Positivity”? What about “Body Neutrality”? If not, you’re about to. These are terms encompass movements and ideologies that are working towards the acceptance of one’s own body. It involves both learning to love yourself radically, and learning to make peace with your body and what it does for you. Body Posititvity: Everyone is allowed to, and deserves to, have a positive view of their body. This is regardless of societal standards for beauty. This includes loving your acne, your scars, your body hair, your fat, your stretch marks, wrinkles, freckles, moles, all of it. While members of the movement focus mainly on bringing more acceptance to people who are overweight, that is not the only goal. In the end, everyone feeling good in their body is what is most important. Body Neutrality: This movement was created in response to the Body Positivity movement. While Body Neutrality isn’t against loving yourself, its focus is more on acknowledging all of the things your body does for you. Think about it this way! Your body is what houses You. If not for your physical body, you wouldn’t be able to eat delicious foods, walk to your favourite park, watch a comforting movie, or listen to that one song that makes your heartbeat just a bit faster. The idea is that you can love yourself without having to find yourself beautiful, since beauty is, after all, only a construct. Why are movements like these important? That’s an excellent question. Day in and day out people are taught to hate the things about themselves that make them unique. I know that many of you reading this have most likely felt shame caused by someone telling you your body should be different. Many of us have done things to try and change ourselves because of this shame: things like neglecting our bodies’ needs and developing unhealthy eating habits. Eating disorders are common and often overlooked. In fact, disordered eating behaviors are often encouraged and made into trendy ways for companies to profit. Diet pills, drinks, low-calorie or low-carb snacks, and gym memberships are all advertised and sold at alarming rates. Each of these things produce great amounts of income for companies. Just extra money lining pockets of already

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POSITIVITY & NEUTRALITY SENIOR REPORTER / KEATON LASHLEY

rich individuals at the higher cost of millions of people’s self-images and sometimes physical health. Let’s talk a little bit about privilege. How often do you think overweight people are able to find well-fitting clothing? How often is that clothing going to be higherquality, affordable, and still “cute” or “fashionable”? Shopping for clothing is much easier and cheaper for those with smaller bodies because a majority of these products are tailored for such people. A good portion of larger sizes are sold in specific stores and are often made to be less revealing, further implying that their bodies are automatically in need of covering, and that being overweight means that you do not get the choice to decide whether you want to show more or less skin. Clothing aside, the medical industry is also creating a challenging existence for overweight individuals. There are many stories of people going to the doctor for serious issues, and their pleas for help being ignored simply because many so-called “professionals” instantly blame the problem on the patient’s weight. This is of course terrible practice because the value of your words and your life are never to be forgotten so that the size of your body can be discussed instead. Intersectionality Within These Movements: Intersectionality means considering more than just a single aspect of a person and their identity. It means understanding how their different parts overlap and work together to make their lives different. An example of this would be considering how your feminism must change to include black women. Their race has a huge impact on how the world views them as women and that means that you cannot separate these two aspects from each other. How does this relate to Body Positivity? Well, you have to understand that it will be different for every individual and that one single path towards body acceptance won’t be effective. The way that disabled, queer, and autistic people and people of color work towards body liberation has to be navigated in separate but inclusive ways. This seems confusing and difficult, but you don’t have to guess. The best thing you can do is listen to the voices of these people before speaking for them.

LEAD & SHORT

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A brief update on what’s happening in the Central and Springfield communities. NED PICKETT / REPORTER

New Central Principal

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or the second time in two years, Central is changing its principal. Dr. Brunner and Mr. Seal are leaving and will be replaced by Jeremy Brown. Soon to be principal, Brown has had a prestigious career in the field of education. He has been an administrator and held several teaching and coaching positions including eStem Public Charter Elementary/Middle School as Dean, and served in multiple positions as a coach and a teacher for Pulaski County Special School District, Little Rock School District, and North Little Rock School District all in Arkansas. In addition, Brown was a minor league baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2005 to 2007. Although we will miss our current principals, we wish to welcome Mr. Brown to our school and bid him good luck. Pictured below: Jeremy Brown, Central’s new principal next school year. Pictured right: Dominique Lucious, 26, was murdered in Springfield, MO.

Missouri Passes Bill to Hike College Tuition

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Republican-led bill has passed the Missouri House of Representatives that loosens a limit on tuition costs in Missouri. With 12 abstaining from the vote, the bill passed 128-14. This bill would give colleges and universities the freedom to charge up to five percent more than what the original cap was for tuition. It also gives them the ability to determine tuition costs based on majors. Some opposing the bill have suggested that more funds from the state could be diverted to go to colleges instead of from applicants.

Black Transgender Woman Killed in Springfield

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ominique Lucious, a transgender black woman, was found shot to death in her Springfield apartment on April 8. According to the group Human Rights Campaign, her murder marks the 14th murder of a trans or gender non-conforming person this year. The police have apprehended suspect Charles Nelson, who was invited to Lucious’s apartment to meet up. An unknown third party was also at the apartment but was asleep during the most of murder. This person helped to identify Nelson, who has been charged with seconddegree murder and armed criminal action.

NEWS / 7

ACCOLADES

Raghav Bansal, Addie Harris, Emma Huffman, Sam Garvin, Hayden Wilson, Joya Pradhan, Grace Park, and Elizabeth Vancercin. Congratulations to these Bulldogs!

QUIZ BOWL DISTRICTS

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REID BIGGERS / REPORTER

Central students have done amazing things — here’s a spotlight of some of their accomplishments during this spring. Know someone who’s done something cool? Email thecentralhightimes@gmail. com to be featured in the next issue!

MATH CHAMPIONSHIP WIN

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n mid-April, Central’s math team competed at the Math League State Championships. Those competing took home a massive win against the other schools in the competition. Competing against 20 other schools, our team, composed of 28 students for the event, took first place in the overall Sweepstakes, beating Rock Bridge High School by over 90 points. The Math League State Championship proves to be the climax of the math team’s season each year, so this win is massive for the team. Some individual awards were also earned during the state contest, including first place for Ethan Lai and Sam Garvin, senior and junior respectively. Looking forward, some of the students on our stellar team will be competing in the math National Championship in June. Congratulations and good luck, Bulldogs!

FBLA COMPETES ONLINE

n April 17th, Central hosted Quiz Bowl districts and ended up taking second place in the overall competition. Jonah Blake, Andrew Hellman, Nolan Scotidis, Anevay Martz, Cole Brodeur, and Sam Goode were all competitors during the contest and worked very hard leading up to the event. Both Blake and Hellman were top scorers for the tournament, earning 2nd and 3rd place in points respectively. Congratulations on the amazing season, Quiz Bowl Bulldogs!

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD GOES TO STATE

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n the 10th of April, Central’s Science Olympiad teams competed at the first ever virtual Satellite State competition. The B division of the team finished in third place, competing against 37 other teams. The members of the B division are: Cole Brodeur, Elana Hadi, Hannah Young, Kat Garrison, Katie Su, Carter Meints, Evan Siever, Harrison Reed, Kennedy Orr, Daniel Bao, Grace Luo, Trisha Tewari, Naomi Neng, and Brayden Miao. The C division of the team, finished in sixth place, competing against 41 teams instead of the usual 32 teams. The members of the C division are: Christina Kasch, Ethan Lai, Theo Luan, Simarpreet Girn, Colin Clark, Andy Su, Hayden Wilson, Jinyi Lu, Jordan Altic, Krishan Ghosh, Mack Hadi, Maggie Stanfield, Tanner Wilson, Jonah Blake, and Dakota Walton. Central Science Olympiad students received first place in 3 categories in individual events, second place in 2 categories, third place in 4 categories, fourth place in 4 categories, and fifth place in 4 categories. Congratulations to the bulldogs in the Science Olympiad!

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n March, the Central Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), competed virtually at the 2021 State Leadership Conference. Members who compete at this conference get a chance to compete in STAR events, which allow members to showcase their work and compete against other students from other schools. Members who place fourth or above in the events get invited to compete in the National Leadership Conference. The members of Central’s FBLA that were invited were Elana Hadi, Zachary Murray, Tanner Wilson,

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Members of quiz bowl pose together with an award that they have won.

World News O

n Monday, March 29, the Suez Canal reopened after a large container ship was unwedged from the waterway after being stuck for nearly a week. Salvage crews from a Dutch company called Boskalis refloated the Panama-flagged Ever Given ship with the help of tug boats for pulling and excavators for digging the bow out of the ground. In total, 13 ships were required to pull the vessel, along with 30,000 cubic meters of sand and mud. The ship caused economic disruption as it is one of the most traversed canals in the world. It is important and deadline-friendly for trade because it connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. FOX Business reported that more than $10 billion was lost each day that the watercraft was stuck in the Suez. In addition to the blockage of ships that were behind Ever Given in the canal, the incident is expected to cause a ripple effect in shipping and trade that could last for months.

ARDEN BELOW / REPORTER It has also been speculated that the “supermoon” that occurred on the 28th played a key role in the changing of tides to help shift Ever Given. The moon just so happened to be much closer to the earth in its elliptical orbit just a few days after the ship lodged in the Suez. Although the incident caused plenty of stress (not to mention media coverage) for international trade, it seemed to have occurred at the best time possible.

Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal Courtesy of Maxar Technologies

Springfield News A

t Springfield’s City Council meeting on April 5, a vote passed to remove current COVID-19 occupancy restrictions. Effective on April 16, this allows for restaurants to have buffet style dining and for special events to have under 500 people. Social distancing is now only a suggestion, instead of being mandated. That being said, the mask mandate is still in effect. This vote by the City Council is a step toward normalcy, and Springfield is now entering the “yellow phase” of COVID recovery. There are three thresholds to fully enter the yellow phase: less than 40 new cases of COVID per day, under 50 people hospitalized in COVID-19 isolation, and 25% of the population 16 and older being fully vaccinated. Only 2 of those have to be met, however, “significant progress” has to be made on the third.

MAVERICK HILL / REPORTER

As of April 5, nearly 20% of Springfield was fully vaccinated, the average number of new cases was 18.3, and there were only 25 hospitalizations. Even though only two of the three criteria have been met, the city sees 20% vaccination in people older than 16 as significant progress, which is why they have begun moving into the yellow phase of the COVID recovery process. In the yellow phase, occupancy limits will be lifted for almost every venue except mass gatherings that would have more than 500 people. Even in the yellow phase, however, masks are still required for all except those playing sports. While some have voiced concerns with moving along to the yellow phase, the city is still encouraging all businesses to follow the CDC’s guidelines as best as possible.

NEWS / 9

Housing Crisis at the Border

NATHAN SHARP / REPORTER

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urrently, conversation regarding the refugee crisis has not changed since the last administration. President Biden has been quick to change some of President Trump’s actions, but slow on many others. The quality of life and treatment of those imprisoned at the border has not improved according to many reports. Biden has been quick to establish his differences to the last president, but are the changes he’s providing really enough? The border issue was officially declared a crisis in 2014, with hopes of quelling the rise in numbers of unaccompanied children. The Trump presidency sought to further the divide between the countries, making his own policies. These include building a stronger border wall, and the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). The MPP sent asylum seekers back to Mexico to wait for their hearings. Biden’s main strategy is damage control, trying to change Trump’s policies. Biden has already stated he hopes to bring down the MPP program, and has allowed 25,000 asylum seekers of the estimated 65,000 to stay in America while awaiting trial. Biden also appointed Vice President Harris to coordinate with Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. This vague appointment was later explained by The White House. Harris would simply focus on the causes of migration, but not the border crisis at hand. While Biden has faced criticism for the previously mentioned actions, the brunt of discussion is around the treatment of migrant children. Emergency beds were added as of March 25 for the increasing number of children. US agents took in around 16,000 unaccompanied minors in March, a record high. The main point of criticism is the condition of the housing provided to all immigrants. Texas House Democrat Henry Cuellar helped shine a light on the issue by leaking photos of what was already reported. The overcrowding in these shelters is at a dangerous high. The quarters are makeshift, but very taxing on the

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resources Biden has provided. Some immigrant children reportedly have been forced to sleep on the floor, and get very limited time outside in a courtyard. It is vital that Cuellar provide these photos himself, as journalists are not allowed within the shelters. Covid-19 has been stated as the reason. Biden has opened nine emergency housing facilities in his first months in office, a stark contrast to Trump, who only had 3 shelters open for the last four years. Biden also called an immediate stop to the construction of the border wall upon entering office. While Biden has clearly set himself apart from his predecessor, his efforts are too little too late. The question now shifts to how we can help. If our leaders cannot do it alone, it falls upon the people to help our fellow man. Below is a list of organizations that you as a civilian can help. This is a humanitarian issue that needs any help it can get.

Organizations You Can Help — Save the Children - donate, provide supplies, or sponsor a child in El Salvador — Global Giving - multiple donation options — Red Cross - donate or give blood — Border Angels - donate — Women’s Refugee Comission - donate There are many other options, but this is an introductary list for those who wish to help.

Backwards Bills

The Issue of Discriminatory Bills Targeting LGBTQIA+ Youth KEATON LASHLEY / SENIOR REPORTER

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any bills intended to harm the members of the LGBTQIA+ community have been the topic of debate within these recent months. While these bills affect a wide variety of people, it seems that a majority of them are intended to change the lives of transgender youth in regards to their school lives and healthcare. Starting in Alabama, a bill was proposed by lawmakers that would actively stop physicians from prescribing gender-affirming medications to transgender children. In Oklahoma, a proposed bill would have the ability to lift bans on conversion therapy and other harmful suppression tactics that are used to traumatize LGBTQIA+ individuals and convince them that their gender and sexual orientations were choices that they have the ability to change. In Montana, transgender students already have restricted access to gender-affirming healthcare and school sports, and Arkansas had proposed bills that would effectively accomplish the same goals. These are only a handful of the states that have actively tried to infringe upon the rights of queer communities. While in the end, not many of these bills make it, they still cause immense amounts of damage. Whenever the topic of removing rights for minorities is highlighted, side discussions begin. Those who don’t want equality for different people get riled up, they become bolder with their actions, and they may even hurt others to show where they stand and to gain support for their hateful opinions. While one might not see the members of our government as role models, they still should act as though they are. Their words and ideas are louder and more easily spread because of their positions, so if even one person states that they are against something, that statement will ripple out, and then innocent people will have to suffer the repercussions. Children. These people are children. It does not seem fair that children must face the trauma created by their peers discussing the validity of their existence, the

validity of their pursuit of simple comfort in their bodies and society. Is this biased? Maybe. Does that make me wrong? Absolutely not. All of us deserve to exist peacefully without old people in positions of power, old people who have never even met us, choosing how we have to live. It seems that in Missouri alone, there are a large number of bills that will endanger the members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

SOME MISSOURI BILLS TO BE MAD ABOUT HB 33, SB 442, SB 332, HB 1416

Preventing doctors and parents from assisting transgender youth in accessing gender-affirming surgeries and/or hormones

HJR 53, HB 1045, HB 1184, HB 1077, SB 503 Banning transgender students from participating in the school sports that match their gender identities

SB 332, HB 1416

Allows for discrimination via religious exemptions and the use of “sexspecific” facilities

HB 786

Enables banning LGBTQIA+ content from curriculum NEWS / 11

MASS SHOOTINGS SHOOTINGS MASS ARDEN ARDEN BELOW BELOW // REPORTER REPORTER

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n March 22, a gunman opened fire in Boulder, Colorado at a local King Soopers grocery store while shoppers were browsing and receiving COVID-19 vaccines. The attack lasted for 58 minutes and took the lives of 10 people, including a police officer that was the first to arrive at the scene of the crime. Police identified the perpetrator, and they also identified the gun he was carrying as a Ruger AR-556 pistol. Police stated that the gunman also carried a semi-automatic 9 mm handgun, but suspect that he never used it to carry out the shooting. Workers abandoned their kiosks, registers, and other workstations to hide inside the building while the gunman took his victims. Sources say that he fired multiple bullets in the initial moments of the attacks, then stopped his rampage for several terrifying minutes. The shooting ended after the SWAT team and other police forces had the King Soopers completely surrounded. The gunman was arrested at 3:28 p.m. after surrendering to police.

One Atlanta spa targeted in the March 16 shooting Courtesy of NBC

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King Soopers after the March 22 attack Courtesy of ABC 6

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his is just one of several deadly stories of gun violence in the state of Colorado. The King Soopers attack is the largest of its kind in the Centennial State since the Aurora, CO movie theater shooting that killed 12 and injured 70 in 2012. Considered to be the first mass school shooting in United States history, the Columbine High School massacre also occurred in Colorado. These are just some of the thousands of mass shootings that have occurred in United States history. While no motive has been determined for the Boulder shooting, a possible racially motivated shooting occurred just six days earlier. On March 16, a 21-year-old gunman targeted three spas in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia, killing eight people. Six of the victims were Asian-American women. The gunman denied a racial bias when taken into custody, but investigators have not ruled out this motive. The perpetrator notified police that he had a “sexual addiction” and committed the crimes to relieve his temptation. The police have yet to determine if the shooting will be considered a hate crime.

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et another tragedy occurred on April 16 at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana. The gunman of this attack was a former employee who was last seen working during the fall. The shooter had already been identified as a threat by the FBI after his mother called in March 2020 and said she suspected her son might commit a violent act such as death by suicide. The FBI seized a shotgun from his residence in April 2020. The gunman took his life before police were able to detain him after 9 fatalities.

An activist outside Gold Spa in Atlanta Courtesy of Getty Images

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ass shooting incidents have risen significantly in recent years. A common debate that exists in U.S. bodies of law is the protection of Second Amendment gun rights or the establishment of stricter gun laws. President Biden made a statement from the White House about the increasing gun violence in the United States.

“Gun violence is an epidemic in America. But we should not accept it. We must act.” -Statement from President Biden

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hat is being done to fix the continuously rising issue of gun violence in the United States? President Biden calls for gun reform. “Last week, I called on the Justice Department to better protect Americans from gun violence. I also urged Congress to hear the call of the American people – including the vast majority of gun owners – to enact common sense gun violence prevention legislation, like universal background checks and a ban of weapons of war and high-capacity magazines.”

There have been

163 mass shootings in 2021 in the United States as of April 2021 (according to the Gun Violence Archive). NEWS / 13

Attacking Attacking Life Life Head Head On On S

uccess is a luxury that many work hard to afford. The pride in achieving all your goals and becoming the person you want to be is amazing, but is affecting your mental and/or physical health worth that feeling? Laramie Hill, 9, is a full package girl, playing sports through all three seasons, playing club sports during the offseason, and taking all advanced upper-level classes hoping to have a career in the medical field. The determination and mental strength it takes to live this life can’t be easy, but Hill pushes through it all with a smile on her face. Hill has been playing sports for as long as she can remember, starting off her club sports journey when she was just three years old. She has played club soccer since she was young, however she has also played club basketball and volleyball. You’d think she was just a sports kid, but that’s not all. Hill is also fully involved in her academics participating in advanced programs, math competitions, and learning material above her grade level since she was in kindergarten. However, starting everything so young, she has been set up for a pathway of two roads; success or destruction. Being in high school is a fantasy that so many dream of, but the typical teenage life of hanging out with friends, going places, and having the most fun isn’t always ideal for many students. Natalie Eastin, 9, is a teammate of Hill’s who also plays multiple sports and takes part in advanced classes. “I try to set aside a certain amount of time to get my schoolwork done. It has been really hard, especially this year with all the online work, but I’ve managed to get through it. With weird practice times because of Covid, you just kind of have to work your way around it.” Finding a way to balance life is a priority to become successful and Eastin testifies to that. “I like being able to do everything because you get to meet so many different people and I feel like I’m able to express the different parts of my personality. I have my nerdy side, so when I’m doing academic competitions I can relate to the girls there. When I’m playing sports such as soccer, I’m able to release my stress and be an athlete. Everything is just fun in different ways.” Hill says. The busy life brings her new opportunities and shapes who she is today, building her up as an involved student-athlete. Sports are a huge part of developing teamwork skills, in many cases an athlete cannot succeed without their

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EMMARIE LOGAN / J1 REPORTER

teammates, coaches, or peers. “She shows a ton of leadership skills and I think she is a great leader. She knows what she’s talking about and she knows how to get things done.” Eastin said. Experience in life seems to be the key to Hill’s successful goals. “It helps because they already have a sense of what’s going on, especially with freshmen because high school’s so different from club. If they play club it helps them settle in faster and they know more of what’s going on than girls who haven’t played before. They’re able to help us captains and returners give the younger and new girls advice and instruction.” Holland Hawkins, 11, is the captain of the soccer team and she appreciates the time and effort that athletes like Hill put into their sports. She adds to the teams she played on, supports and motivates her teammates, and is creating a clear pathway for her future self. A part of maturing as you get older is growth. The things that people experience shape who they are. Your destiny is often what you make it, whether that’s a good or bad thing. “I’m getting more opportunities and high school sports are a lot different than club sports, but they both help me grow in a different way. As a student, it helps me improve my time management and pick up material quicker in class.” Hill is taking control of her life, attacking it head on and achieving all of her goals when she sets her mind to them. She is a full-packaged athlete bringing new levels of success to the table. “The main thing is to just be positive through the ups and downs for the season and just to encourage one another. That’s a big part of building a culture, to be encouraging and positive and it’s not always about the results. It’s about having fun out there.” Hawkins says. Last year, Central girls soccer won their district title and the urge to do that again is nothing short of a priority. “It kind of makes me nervous, I’ve never really been one to want that type of spotlight and I know that with me being known as a good player the other teams are going to put some of their best girls on me. That will be a challenge for me to overcome.” Along with Hawkins, Hill has been mentioned as one of the players to look out for in the 2021 girls soccer season. Hill is defying odds and scoring points, she has many goals that she’ll achieve. Who knows? Maybe Central’s girls soccer team has a brand new star in town.

ATHLETE HIGHLIGHT

Andy Su

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ndy Su, junior, is a member of Central’s track and field team. This is his third year participating in track and field, and also his third year as a varsity member of the team. Andy is also part of Central’s varsity boys’ basketball team, although he wasn’t able to play with the team this year. “Personally, it’s definitely been a pretty rough year for sports. I tried to prioritize my family’s well-being first, as I live with my grandparents, which led me to taking a break from basketball this year. I basically couldn’t do any sports for a whole year, but I’m gradually getting back into it,” said Su. Even though Su wasn’t able to play basketball this year, he says he’s already looking forward to his senior season. “I wasn’t able to play this year, but I’m really hoping I can next year, but it’s not that easy. It all depends on how COVID is progressing, and I’m also going to be putting a lot of effort into my college applications,” said Su. That being said, Su came back to school in February and was eligible for track and field this spring. He competes in many events, but Su says his favorites are the 100 meter and 200 meter sprints. Despite coming back to school only a little over two months ago, Su thinks his odds are good for this season. “I definitely think that I can make districts this year. Of course, state is a lot harder to qualify for, however, I am hoping for the best,” said Su.

MAVERICK HILL / REPORTER

Holland Hawkins

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olland Hawkins, junior, is a member of Central’s varsity volleyball team, girls’ varsity basketball team, and girls’ varsity soccer team. It seems no matter what sport she plays, Hawkins is a standout player. During her freshman year, Hawkins was announced as the unofficial rookie of the year, she saw district MVP honors, was on the All-Conference team, was on the All-Region team, and on top of that, she was the leading scorer with 27 goals and had 21 assists as well. To top things off, during the 2019 season, the varsity girls’ soccer team won districts. Also during her freshman year, Hawkins was ranked number one in the state for seven week for having the best back row statistics. Unfortunately, during her sophomore basketball season, Hawkins was unable to play due to an injury. Volleyball season, on the other hand, was a different story. Hawkins was named an honorable mention for the All-Conference team. Hawkins was also part of the girls’ varsity basketball team that won districts this season. This marks the third sport that Hawkins has won the district championship in during her time at Central, which is quite an amazing feat in itself. Hawkins is only a junior, and with any luck, she may just add another district championship or two before she graduates from Central. Regardless of whether or not she ever wins another district title, Hawkins will undoubtedly go down as one of the most decorated Central athletes ever.

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Club Highlight: C2C ARDEN BELOW / REPORTER

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hoose 2 Change, or C2C, is a new social activism club which is run by juniors Sophia Birmingham and Grace Tyau. The club recently started meeting during the second semester of the 2020-2021 school year, but has already covered several topics including Black history, women’s history, Deaf awareness, and other subjects of social change. “It’s an educational club that promotes the growth of activism in students at Central,” Birmingham said. “Our main focus is education, so we create a space where we can just talk about social issues through a discussion, as well as hear from guest speakers, read articles, watch TED Talks, etc. so we can get a better understanding of issues that are occurring in our world.” Choose 2 Change has conducted several online meetings, the most recent being hosted by guest speaker Dr. Shannon Wooden, a gender studies expert and English professor at Missouri State University. Wooden had a conversation with members of C2C about the social model of disability. Despite the club’s success in Zoom meetings with expert guest speakers, the organizers hope to see a change in the layout of said meetings next school year. They also plan to go above and beyond discussing social issues by reaching out to the community. “If we have in-person meetings next year, I will really be looking forward to that because for one, it’s easier to talk to people, and I also think more people will be able to make it,” Tyau said. “Guest speakers will also be awesome to have in person. Next year we are looking into doing more community outreach beyond education like fundraising.” “Grace and I have both talked about how attendance is important, but not everything,” Birmingham said. “If only three people attend a meeting, we are going to work just as hard to educate those three people as we would with 15 people—it’s more about quality than quantity of people. I would love to get more underclassmen involved, because I think the more people we reach out to the bigger difference we can make. We are also both aware that we will be seniors next year, so it would be a great way to meet some younger students and possibly find someone to pass the baton to, so to speak.”

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side from guest speakers, the club has productive conversations online via a Canvas discussion board. The leaders described it as a space to ask questions and really dive into the tough subject matter. Tyau and Birmingham recently met with former CHS student Kelsey Zimmerman, who organized the 2018 walkout in order to spread awareness about school shootings and gun violence after the Parkland massacre. Zimmerman spoke about the role that social media played in spreading awareness about the subjects. The club organizers saw this same sentiment unfold in their first discussion together. “Our first meeting really set the tone for our club,” said Tyau. “We talked about social media and how it’s given us such a platform to educate, spread awareness, and also talk to those that may not share our same beliefs. I started to realize how big of an impact you can make from wherever you are. This is what made the idea of this club so appealing to me—the fact that high schoolers can make such a big difference.” Students can keep up with Choose 2 Change on social media by following @chs.c2c on Instagram. You can also join the Zoom link https://us04web.zoom.us/ j/3279373358?pwd=Zm9DQmIrcU13R1R0bW1FNT U5KzJTUT09 to enter the recurring meetings, which take place every other Thursday at 4:30 p.m. The club is sponsored by Mrs. Pitts, who is a regular attendee of the Choose 2 Change meetings. The Zoom link can also be found in the C2C Instagram bio.

Humans of Central

MAVERICK HILL / REPORTER

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Elana Hadi

t’s safe to say that Elana Hadi is active within Central’s community. Being involved in FBLA, band, debate, Science Olympiad, Math Team, Civics and Constitution Club, Model UN, Project Green Schools, and PTSA, Hadi has a full plate. All the while, she was just re-elected as class secretary. “Student council was fun last year. I liked organizing this year’s fundraiser too, it was also fun to campaign and see the results,” Hadi said. Hadi is also on the girls’ varsity tennis team at Central. “Tennis is really fun, I’ve been playing for a while. I’m number three on the team, and we couldn’t travel because of Covid but it was still cool to meet other teams. We only had one or two seniors on the entire team so it was a bit more difficult to play teams of seniors who had much more experience and time to work together. We still did well though, but I don’t know our record. There were a lot of matches so it seemed like a never ending game after game cycle but it was really fun and I can’t wait for next season,” said Hadi.

Hadi is also part of a new club at Central: Project Green Schools. This club, as part of a larger organization, works to educate the next generation on ways they can help present sustainable solutions to many issues in our current world. Hadi says the club has many plans to take action and its just a matter of time. This year was Hadi’s novice year in debate, and Mr. Tuckness hopes that Hadi is here to stay. “I think [Hadi] is a really bright kid. She has a lot of talent and I think she can do great things with Central debate if she decides to stick around for the rest of high school,” said Mr. Tuckness. Luckily for Mr. Tuckness, Hadi says that she does, in fact, plan on staying in debate and it is one of her favorite activities that she is involved in at Central. Whether it be tennis, band, debate, or something else entirely, there’s a pretty good chance Hadi is already involved, and if she’s not, it may just be a matter of time.

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Student Politics Exploring diversity within student’s political affiliations here at Central and how our peers’ views differ from student to student. NED PICKETT / REPORTER

C How students feel about gun control

How students feel about LGBTQ+ rights

How students feel about abortion

Who students supported last election 18 / FEATURE

entral High School is often described as being very diverse. Diverse in people, diverse in classes, and importantly, diverse in ideals. From a recent poll of the school, a sampling of more than one hundred students answered their feelings on hot topics and current events. Some of the results were surprising. If you have been at Central in the past few years, you may have noticed that there are or were a few political clubs. We have had a Young Republicans Club, a Democrats club, and even a Communist club. Oddly enough, despite the fact that the Democrats club is shut down currently, a vast majority of voters, more than 80, but that their political affiliation was either left wing, liberal, or democratic. This was followed by more of those who were independent or had an affiliation of “Other,” and finally, right-wing and Republican, although it was by a very small margin. It is worth noting that many of the specific issues were more surprising--gun rights were relatively evenly distributed, despite the fact that they are an incredibly polarizing subject. The support of Former President Trump was surprisingly low from rightwing students-- four who identified as conservative did not support Trump, more than a third of those on that spectrum. Only around that many supported now President Joe Biden on the left wing side, but in terms of percentage, democrat party loyalty was much higher. Following a year of severe party tensions, as there were an election and a heavily politicized virus, not to mention everything else in 2020, the last months or so have seemed relatively quiet. That being said, this may just be a lull, and things will likely heat up again soon. While it may not directly affect us, students, it is still a good time to pay attention to the news and form opinions around what you hear.

Senior Goodbyes KHLOE JOINT / EDITOR I like to think I’m a decent writer, but I’m terrible at goodbyes, so I’m struggling to find the right words for this. I’ve never gotten emotional thinking about my time in public schooling—rather thinking about the stress and anxiety I’ve been plagued with for the last eight years straight. And my mental health hasn’t been the prettiest and this year especially has been incredibly hard. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and there’s an unbelievable amount of things I wish I would’ve done differently and opportunities I wish I didn’t miss out on. Despite all of this, I’m very happy to be leaving and seeing what comes next. Right now I have absolutely no clue, so I’m actually pretty scared and unprepared, but I’ve made it this far somehow. I think I can say that I’m proud of myself for probably the first time in my life. I’m proud of the things I’ve done and how I’ve grown and changed, even if I feel like I haven’t done anything particularly impactful or exciting. I’m proud of what I’ve done for this magazine for the last two years, even though it’s been quite stressful and I’ve made an array of mistakes here too. I joined Journalism II on a whim my junior year after realizing that’s what I actually wanted to do, and I’m forever grateful I did because, as silly as it sounds, my experience on staff has affected me in so many ways. I’m so grateful for Culp and Chrismer and my dear friends I’ve made. I’m leaving Central soon and I’ve learned a lot about myself. There’s still so much left to learn. Maybe I’m not at the highest point in my life right now, but hey! I’m this far and I have a huge path ahead of me, so I guess I’ve gotta keep going. I’m still nervous about the future and what comes next, but I’m ready to move on to something completely new and different in life. Anyways. Thank you to every person that’s shaped my experience here in some way, whether it was good or bad. And I heartful I love you to all of my sweet pals, sorry I don’t say it enough. Another thing I’m learning, I guess. Here’s to whatever comes next!

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KEATON LASHLEY / SENIOR REPORTER This year has been an absolute trainwreck. Anything that could have possibly gone wrong, went wrong. I’ve missed out on so many wonderful opportunities and lost wonderful things. I don’t know what my future holds and remain unprepared for anything that’s coming my way. My grades, as I’m writing this, are probably continuing to plummet. Okay okay, in summary? This year has absolutely sucked. However, despite the terrible events of this year, I’ve still managed to make amazing new friends. I guess that I would like to say thank you to those who’ve been here for me. Amongst all of this, you guys have been kind, loving, and patient. Your words and actions have meant more to me than you will ever know, so just take this to heart when I say it. I love you. All of you are absolutely beautiful people and I hope that we can all remain close when I leave. I hope we stay friends for years and that we will be able to look back on this time with older eyes and healed hearts. Maybe then we can make sense of everything and will be able to use these experiences to create a better future for both ourselves and for everyone around us. Let me just end this with my sincerest wish, for happiness and peace to become abundant for every last one of you. Goodbye Central.

ASHLIE GERMAN / YEARBOOK SENIOR REPORTER One of my favorite things about Central is its incredible history. Everytime I walk through the Hall of Ivy, I can feel the presence of every student and staff member that has walked the same halls. I get this same feeling while documenting Central’s history through our Yearbook Resume. We as current and former bulldogs have a century old connection that is only unique to us, and that is special. It feels like a lifetime since I first stepped into Central on the first day of sophomore year. My very first class was actually Journalism I with Ms. Culp. As a transfer student, I was terrified to start my new beginning as a Bulldog. Little did I know that this classroom, and this school, would be one of my favorite places for the next three years. As I look back on my time at Central, I realize how much I have grown as a person and student. I have gone from a young girl who never felt like she truly belonged, to a happy and confident person who is ready to take on the world. At Central I have been given the tools and resources to learn, grow and become a person I can be proud of. I was able to make friends, find myself, and develop a sense of belonging that I had never had before. As cliche as it sounds, high school really has been some of the best years of my life. It’s been challenging and trying, but it’s been so much fun. I would not be nearly as happy or successful if it wasn’t for everyone who has helped me over the past three years. I would like to say thank you to all my family, friends, teachers, coaches, counselors, and everyone else who made Central such a welcoming and accepting place to learn. I would not be where I am today without all of you. Leaving my time here at Central is going to be hard. I am sad to see this chapter close, but I am also excited to take what I learned as I move on to the next chapter. Being a bulldog was one of the best experiences, and I will be forever grateful for what Central has taught and given me.

LEXI GOFORTH / YEARBOOK SENIOR REPORTER My whole high school career I wanted it to be over so bad. I just couldn’t wait to get out of here. As it’s coming to an end it really makes you stop and appreciate all the time that has been spent here. Central has been here through all of my good (and bad) days. I’ve had the best teachers that have helped me and continue to help me push myself to be better. I know I wouldn’t be where I am without those strong individuals in my life. Leaving Central is going to be hard, I’m going to miss the incredibly amazing staff here and all the memories made, but I’m excited to see what the next chapter of my life holds for me. Congratulations class of 2021, we did it! Goodbye Central!

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MIA ANDREWS / YEARBOOK CO-EDITOR These past four years have been some of the craziest years of my life. I never really stopped to consider how much work and responsibility would go into my high school career, I just viewed it as another stage of my education that I was going to trudge through. And yes, I have had many good days and many bad ones but despite all the chaos of navigating homework, sports, clubs, spending time with friends, and my life outside of school, these past four years have somehow been some of the best four years of my life. Frankly, going to school has been stressful but I’ve made so many new friends along the way and had so many amazing experiences that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Getting to see some of my favorite teachers, participating in cross country, and being on the yearbook staff have been the things that I have looked forward to every day of the school year. Even when I was having a bad day, I was always excited to be able to go to Journalism or to cross country practice after school. I have met so many amazing people as a part of these two activities and all of my coaches and teachers have been an amazing part of my high school experience. I have thought about finally graduating high school every day this year and have been excited to move on and go out into the world. I never considered missing this place or the teachers that have made such a big impact on me. I never thought about how many friends I would be leaving behind as I move into the next stage of my life. Now that the school year is coming to a close, I have realized that so much of this school has become so important to me, especially in this last year and that I don’t know if I’m ready to leave it all behind. I’m going to miss all the people I have come to know and gotten to see on a daily basis, whether they were fellow seniors, underclassmen, or just friendly faces I could wave to in the halls. I will miss all of Central High School and I wish everyone good luck in the coming school year.

OLIVIA SHELTON / YEARBOOK CO-EDITOR I remember my first day at Central as a freshman. I was confused about where my classes were, worried about who I would sit with at lunch, and stressed about how the next four years of my life would play out. I had no idea what would happen during high school or where I would fit in at Central. Looking back as a senior, there’s so much I know now that I wish I could tell my younger self. I had no idea how chaotic, exciting, stressful, or hilarious my high school experience would be, and I didn’t know what I would learn or who I would meet. Central has helped me grow so much as a person. I’m no longer that nervous freshman anxiously anticipating my future at Central, I’m a senior ready to graduate and start the rest of my life. One of the biggest things that helped me grow into the person I am today is journalism, and joining the yearbook staff was one of the best decisions I made at Central. Working on the yearbook each year allowed me to find a purpose within Central, I was helping to create something that students could read and use to look back on their own high school experiences. Not only that, but I met so many new friends through journalism and made memories I know I’ll cherish for a lifetime. From the field trips to the late nights spent editing spreads before the deadline, I’ll never forget the three years I spent as a member of the yearbook staff or the people I got to know along the way. The memories and friends I’ve made because of journalism have been the most important part of the class to me. I’m also grateful to have been able to do a lot of interesting things as a member of the yearbook staff, including being a student reporter, photo editor, and yearbook editor. For all three years on staff, however, a part of my job has been to interview students throughout the school for stories and take pictures at every event from football games to orchestra concerts. These experiences have given me a unique connection to Central. While I’m excited to be going off to college, I’m sad that I’ll be leaving a school that I’ve grown to know and love so much. Still, I know that I’ll carry the lessons I’ve learned and memories I’ve made here with me throughout the rest of my life.

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A TRIBUTE TO SEAL AND BRUNNER

REID BIGGERS / REPORTER

As the end of the year winds down, students and staff prepare for end-of-the-year goodbyes. Principals Brunner and Seal are retiring once again at the end of the school year. While many students and teachers are sad to see them go, they continue to revel in the memories created during this crazy couple of years that they have been in charge of Central High School. Many students and teachers could also think of examples of their awesome principals. Many reminisced and told of their favorite parts about the two years that Seal and Brunner have been with Central. Having these amazing principals has made the Central experience that more interesting. The members of that community agreed to show their appreciation. Here are some of the things that the students and teachers of Central had to say about our beloved Principals!

“Hearing Mr. Seal fumble and joke every day on the intercom during morning announcements always puts a smile on my face. I think I will treasure the Happyville campaign for a very long time!” - Natalie Reece, 10 “The positive impact of the sincere empathy Mr. Seal and Mrs. Brunner have for Central students and staff has had on our community has been nothing short of amazing. Your leadership will be missed, but not forgotten!” - Patrick Burns, Teacher “These past two school years have been really difficult, but both Seal and Brunner have handled everything with such grace and have always been so kind to the student body, and I really appreciate it.”

- Summer Vitzthum, 11

“I really liked their energy. They’re always able to start every day with such a good vibe. I hope their futures are just as great as the days they spent here.”

- Rebecka Murphy, 11

“Thanks so much for dedicating your time to making Central a great place! You will be missed!” 22 / FEATURE

- Mara Vaile, teacher

“Thanks for coming to be our principals these last two years! I, and everyone else that I can think of, appreciate seeing your smiling faces in the halls and for going through the morning announcements so cheerfully every morning. Thanks for leading us to Happyville!” - Emily Scott, 10

“Principal Brunner one time asked me all about the book I was reading. Principal Seal always had the best announcements that were both informative and funny.” - Kiera Kaba, 11

“Mr. Seal, Thank you for always making us laugh and smile! I will never forget [the] impact you have made on my life! I will forever remember ‘Welcome to Happyville’. You are hilarious. Please never lose your humor. Thank you for coming to help Central when we really need it! Mrs. Brunner, Thank you for coming to our Kilties performances. That felt so good that we have a principal who supports [the] Kilties. I know I will miss you but the whole Corps will miss you just as much! Thank you for always impacting my day! I will never forget you! Have a wonderful life, Mrs. Brunner!” - Briana Jackson, 11

“I hoped that Central would be in good hands when we were without a principal. I never dreamed that we would be supported by two sets of hands with the experience and compassion needed to get us through our best and worst times as a school. Your passion for education is magnetic and contagious. Thank you for being part of our Central family.” - Angie Groven, teacher

“Mr. Seal and Mrs. Brunner have been outstanding principals for Bulldog Nation. They have provided unwavering support throughout their time here and been so amazing to the students and staff. From the morning announcements, hallway chats, costumes, advice and knowledge they have provided has been phenomenal! I can’t thank them enough for all they have done for myself and the Central Lady Bulldog basketball program. They are going to be missed tremendously!!” - Caitlin Lamberth, teacher

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Central’s Second Career Teachers

Colton Lightner Foreign Language

David Winget Mathematics

Michelle Harrison Business Education

Before becoming a Spanish teacher here at Central’s language department, Colton Lightner was an interpreter at a bank in Springfield. When he decided to become a teacher, he enrolled in Missouri State University’s MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) program and took the Missouri Content Assessment for his certification to teach Spanish. This program gave Lightner the opportunity to work as a substitute teacher for five months before being hired at Central. “This allowed me to gain classroom experience, grow in the area of classroom management, and really see firsthand how education has changed since I was a K-12 student,” Lightner said. His previous career as an interpreter allowed him to use Spanish on a daily basis and refine his professional and social skills. Lightner is very grateful for the opportunity to teach at Central and says becoming a teacher has made him more aware of the world around him, improved his ability to analyze behaviors, and allowed him to work efficiently under pressure.

David Winget was an Army Engineer Officer for 20 years before he decided to pursue teaching. After he retired from the Army, he received his Master’s in Education from Northwest Missouri State University and his teacher’s certification from the ABCTE Program. Predictably, being an engineer had a large impact on Winget’s teaching career in mathematics. Previously, he used the math concepts he teaches now on real world projects which is useful for teaching applications in his current classes. “I enjoy working with the diverse background of students at Central and helping them learn and succeed,” Winget says. “Often I learn something new from the questions and discussions in class.” Becoming a teacher has shaped Mr. Winget’s own life, as well as his students’. He says there are plenty of opportunities to grow as a teacher while gaining job satisfaction and seeing your students succeed, even if you are implementing a new curriculum or learning how to teach in a pandemic.

Michelle Harrison teaches business education here at Central and has a long background in management and computer information systems. Before becoming a Bulldog, she obtained a degree at Missouri State and most notably created sales proposals and managed a business that sold banking equipment. However, as the equipment became obsolete, the business slowly met its end. After leaving that job and many other stressful positions, she decided to begin the MAT program at MSU. The MAT program largely influenced Harrison’s life as it allowed her to explore delicate issues surrounding the field of education. She was able to student-teach in two different classrooms before officially beginning her teaching career at Central. “Being a teacher fills me with a sense of pride that I had not previously felt in other jobs,” Harrison says. “Teaching provides me a constant stream of students who need help-- and I feel best when helping others.”

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NATHAN SHARP / REPORTER

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ealth care is a right provided to us all in America, but racism built within its foundations is still there. This can mean a lot of things. It could mean doctors going into practice with knowledge that’s not completely true, or a more direct bias from doctor to doctor. In order for our world to be better, this racism must be found, and taken out. Institutional racism is racism that is within our societal and governmental structures. It is stemmed from generations of more straightforward racism that seeped into how everything is still structured now. This racism has an effect on systems like criminal justice, health care, education, and even housing. While this racism is more discriminatory, it is easy for those of conservative nature to chalk it up as one bad landlord, or one bad doctor that’s doing all of this. One survey of medical students found that half of white medical students believe myths such as Black people have thicker skin or less sensitive nerve endings than white people. This ignorance is sometimes never remedied by their education. Even worse, a doctor or nurse’s education could worsen with racist and incorrect education. Racebased medicine is still taught and practiced by many schools. This is the idea that race is a biological or genetic difference rather than a social and political one. Many textbooks also underuse people of color in their examples. The CDC has stated that Black, Native American, and Alaska Native women die from pregnancyrelated causes nearly three times that of white women. It is not fair to say all doctors are racist, and wish to kill a mother, but racist education can lead to doctors giving faulty care. While many doctors aren’t

overtly racist, their patients sometimes are. Many medical journals have written on the issue of patient on doctor racism. “Dealing with Racist Patients” and “The Discriminatory Patient and Family: Strategies to Address Discrimination Towards Trainees,” are two horrifically named journals that illustrate this point. This racism is not institutionalized like doctors are, but this could also lead to racist biases in the medical community. This issue is not black and white, and patients and doctors both are hurt by it. These issues are not exclusive to physical health, but to mental health as well. A 2007 study found that Black people were admitted into mental health wards more than three times higher than others. These people were also more likely to be committed involuntarily. This increased admittance, most likely an initially racist action, leads the entire medical community to think that there’s a reason besides racism as to why these people are there more than others. This is how it starts. At some point, an incredibly large overhaul of our medical system must be made. What else can be done if racism is embedded from even medical school? This is not to say, throw the baby out with the bathwater, but to take the baby out while we get fresh water for the baby to bathe in. There are organizations you can help support, who wish to combat institutional racism. The BLM organization is one of the most influential, but there are plenty more. Campaign Zero, Color of Change, NAACP, Black Youth Project, and many more could use help through volunteering or donation if you can.

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AAPI HATE CRI ANIA KOVACS / REPORTER

Studies Department, San Francisco University. These The rate of anti-Asian hate crimes rose organizations came together to bring education and dramatically after COVID-19’s arrival to the United resources to the community and its allies. States last year, spiking across major U.S. cities in The FBI defines a hate crime (sometimes called triple-digit percentages. Even as overall hate crimes a bias crime) as any unlawful action against another declined, this specific increase of attacks has continued person or property that is motivated by race, religion, into 2021. sexual orientation, and other factors. Physical assault, Data compiled by California State University’s vandalism, and verbal threats can all be used to Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism shows intimidate these victims, leaving them feeling more that there were 122 incidents of hate crimes committed alienated and vulnerable than before. The percentage against Asian Americans of anti-Asian hate crimes in the country’s 16 most spiked highest in New York, the populous states, an increase of United States’ largest city with almost 150%. Many recorded a substantial Asian-American incidents were violent and population. There were 3 horrifying. In one of the latest incidents involving Asianoccurrences, Salman Muflihi, Americans in 2019 and 28 in 23, was arrested in February an Indiana gas station 2020, an 833% increase. Other for stabbing a 36-year-old Asian store clerk spat at an cities such as Philadelphia, man on the streets of New Cleveland, and San Jose also oncologist on his way home York City’s Chinatown. Muflihi had triple-digit percentage was charged with one count of from work. The man told increases. Every November, the attempted murder and various the clerk he was born in FBI publishes its annual hate other charges, but not a hate Kentucky and had not been crime data for the previous year, crime, which would have given out of the U.S. for years. meaning these statistics are only him a longer prison sentence. a fraction of what we might see Even among all the evidence, later on. persecutors have been hesitant This turn of events compared to the previous to file hate crime charges and the Asian American year seem unreasonable, almost impossible-- so what’s community is visibly disoriented and frustrated. behind this rise in violence? It’s true that hatred and AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) fear within an individual play a large role, but it’s voices have spoken up on social media to spread important to consider where these ideals stem from. awareness of the heightened percentages. The hashtag Former President Trump’s racist and futile attempts at #StopAAPIHate has gained lots of momentum in the placing blame on a foreign country for his own failure to past month via an initiative that was founded by the contain a virus within his own neatly match up with the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council, Chinese for emergence of these attacks. The terms “China Virus” Affirmative Action and the Asian American

“Never come back. Don’t ever come back,”

26 / FEATURE

MES IN THE US and “Kung Flu” coined by the previous president are not just harmless nicknames-- they are mechanisms of blame and they continue to exacerbate the current climate. “The world is now suffering as a result of the malfeasance of the Chinese government,” Mr. Trump said on May 29, 2020 in the Rose Garden, shortly after announcing the U.S.’ departure from the World Health Organization. “Countless lives have been taken, and profound economic hardship has been inflicted all around the globe.” In his 10-minute address, Mr. Trump took no responsibility for the deaths of 100,000 Americans from the virus at that point in time, instead saying China had instigated a global pandemic. A quarter of 2021 has now passed and the COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. has almost reached 600,000, a tragic and almost embarrassing comparison to China’s 4,700. The Asian American population is now being penalized for the doings of a man too preoccupied with his relentless campaign, risking superspreader rallies and events for his own need to maintain a position of power and refute his opponent’s victory.

Los Angeles Times

Statista, Center for the STudy of Hate and Extremism

Trump has willfully allowed preventable carnage to unfold on the American people, and once again, has used bigotry to save himself. As the threat of the pandemic gradually lessens, remember that racism will not fade with it. This violence will continue to be emboldened by our former president’s mistakes. Central is a racially diverse school and specific situations may be uncomfortable for the victimized community. It is crucial to be vigilant and supportive to your AAPI friends now more than ever. You can also donate to organizations working on a national level to stop anti-AAPI attacks. Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Hate is a Virus, and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund personally provide services and funding to those affected and are building a more equitable society through public policy advocacy and education.

FEATURE / 27

IB SENIOR ART SHOW KHLOE JOINT / REPORTER/CO-EDITOR

Every year, the IB Seniors hold a culminating event to present art they’ve worked on over 2 years. Here is a photo essay of the pieces from all of the Seniors from the 2020-2021 Exhibition that was held at the Launch Virtual Learning Center. Great work, IB Seniors, as well as the unpictured IB Junior artists!

“Richard” by Marion DeWeerd

“eye pain” by Liatris ParkerReece

“He Clothes the Flowers” by Kennasyn Ray

“Away in the Night” by Khadija Makhloufi

“Don’t Tell Me to Smile” by Haley Langevin

“Dream Weaver” by Nina Muisiyenko

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Interactive piece by Moe Callahan

Keaton Lashley’s wall of pieces

Pictured Left: Jess Clement’s “Blueberry Dew”, Maddie Dimmick’s “Happy Woman”, and Maddie Dimmick’s “Reflection” Pictured Right: Maddie Dimmick “Many Faces”

“Family Tree” by Olivia Shelton

Left to right: Untitled by Kylie Cantin, and “Branching Out” by Paige Bailey FEATURE / 29

I

We Need To Talk About Thrifting Gentrification

n a world where climate change is a constant concern, more sustainable options for products have been desperately sought after. As more public light has been shone on the exploitation of workers, the younger generation has thought more about how they spend their money and where tending to spend less on fast fashion and more on substantial or recycled clothing. Fast Fashion refers to the business model of replicating high-fashion trends at an incredibly quick production rate and a very cheap cost for the consumer. Fast fashion realtors are infamous for their poor treatment of workers and their lousy clothing quality. Stores ranging from your local mall to online realtors, shops like Fashion Nova, Forever 21, and Shein, all contribute to the rise in wasted clothing products. For teens, thrifting has been an affordable method to shop more sustainably. However, what started as a way for teens to shop cheaply and still stay in fashion, it’s now taken a darker turn; that of consumerism and gentrification. The National Low Income Housing Coalition defines gentrification as “where land is cheap and the chance to make a profit is high due to the influx of wealthier wage earners willing to pay higher rents.” In thrifted fashion terms, this means wealthier people buying any cute, cool, or trendy clothing they see and then turning around and selling them to make a profit, pushing out those who relied on thrifting to buy their clothes in the process such as low students, low- income people, or people who find shopping in normal stores difficult. Online stores like Depop have been notorious for their misuse and in aiding the gentrification of thrifted clothing. What was once a website to sell unused and old clothing, Depop has now become a super-hub on the internet for wealthier teens and adults to sell thrifted goods. Now I’m not saying that Depop is evil, but I am saying gentrification has flourished on its site. It’s problematic when someone goes to a thrift store to buy any cute items they see, leaving nothing for those who need it most. Because of gentrification, many people are struggling to find clothing that suits

30 / HYPE

them, or those clothes have become too expensive. Many groups like college students, single parents, those on a budget, and plus-sized people rely on thrift stores to stay in fashion and to provide them with clothes. When someone on Depop takes an oversized shirt that would have sold for $4 in stores and sells it for $100, it becomes an issue. The main issue; the wealth gap. For many, thrift shopping has been a godsend and a way to stay up with fashion trends on a budget. The idea of finding ‘trash’ and turning it into treasure has spurred creativity among teens as well and has brought on many fashion trends like the rise of oversized t-shirts and the resurgence of 90s and 00s fashion trends. But when these groups are no longer able to gain access to these resources because wealthier people buy everything up, it leads them back to square one and back into the clutches of fast fashion. The rise of gentrification in the fashion industry is no coincidence, fast fashion companies, as well as large thrift store companies, benefit from its existence and upsurge. Gentrification has led small businesses to struggle; independently owned antique stores, flea markets, and thrift shops have all been subject to financial troubles due to the reselling of clothing. People will come into shops like these and, buy what they find valuable, then resell them. On the outside, this may seem beneficial to the shops, but in reality, it ends up becoming a net -loss for these small businesses. They may get an upfront purchase, but selling online makes people less likely to come into these stores in person. In a similar vein, Fast fashion companies thrive on the exploitation of the working and underprivileged classes. Due to its low cost, fast fashion is one of the few ways many lowincome consumers can buy new clothing, and these companies know that and exploit it. Gentrification of thrifted clothes, and the higher costs that come as a result, massively contributes to lower-income people turning to fast fashion. What this means is that fast fashion companies reap all the benefits and consumers get poor quality items that are made from

Story Written by: NATALIE REECE / J1 REPORTER Spread Designed by: KHLOE JOINT / CO-EDITOR/REPORTER

With the rising trend of thrifting and sustainable clothes shopping among teens and young adults the last few years, the issue of thrifting gentrification rises alongside it.

the labor of exploited workers. All of which ends habit of marking-up clothes to an extreme amount, up contributing to the main issue thrifters tried to completely isolating the people who rely on thrifting avoid in the first place, exploitation, environmental to stay in fashion—-or to get clothes in general, I was disruption, and an incredible excess of wasted completely disgusted. But this is not an isolated case, clothing. this happens all across the Internet and most of us As many avid thrifters may know, Springfield don’t even notice. Companies have shown that until offers a variety of stores to shop at, all with a teens decide thrifting isn’t “the thing” anymore, they relatively wide will continue to selection of take advantage clothing. Some of the trend. of the most So what can notable being we do? Solving Goodwill, gentrification is Salvation Army, not an easy task and Red Racks. by any means, Now, let me nor is there a share with you one-fix solution. my personal Its problems lie grudge against heavily in the Red Racks. Red deep-seated Racks Thrift issues within Store, also capitalism and known as DAV the fashion Thrift store, has industry in three locations general. But in Springfield, what we can all of which offer do is try and Pictured: Red Racks’ Battlefield location’s a vast selection shop more “Vintage” Section, which features a variety of vintage of furniture as ethically. For tees, dresses, sweaters, real fur coats, and more. well as racks starters, know Photo courtsey for The Standard on Google upon racks of where and why donated clothing. My issues come in the form of their you’re buying something. Try shopping at smaller newly introduced “Vintage” section. Red Racks was businesses or at great places like Goodwill, ones already on the pricer end of the thrift stores around that are dedicated to keeping thrifting an option for town, and on its own, that wouldn’t be that big of an all. Focus on what you want and what you actually issue, but thanks to the rise of thrifting as a trend for need, learn to balance those so you’re not constantly teens, Red Racks has introduced a section dedicated buying new items. Make a choice to buy for yourself, to items that they find to be the most sought after. thrift because it’s something you love, not to make a Let me tell you my shock when I went in this section profit. Let’s all learn to be a little more conscious and only to find an old 90s t-shirt marked up at $80. decide that the change starts with us. EIGHTY DOLLARS! Since then, I’ve decided to shop elsewhere. Red Racks has shown to make a

HYPE / 31

FOOD FOOD REVIEW: REVIEW: Local Coffee Coffee Shops Shops Local KHLOE JOINT JOINT // REPORTER/CO-EDITOR REPORTER/CO-EDITOR KHLOE

C

Big Momma’s Momma’s Big

-Street is a great spot for local shops and restaurants, and Big Momma’s is no exception. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, and their menu has a nice variety of coffee, smoothies, sandwiches and more. For this visit, I got an iced Steam Engine, a white chocolate and hazelnut flavored espresso drink, and the Jacquelin—a sandwich with turkey, provolone, some veggies, and this delicious homemade focaccia bread. The coffee was a bit stronger than my ideal iced coffee, so that’s what knocks it down one star for me, but it’s better than Classic Rock’s to me. But the main star of my Big Momma’s experience is the Jacquelin. The basil pesto pairs well with the mustard, and the bread is wonderful. This is a coffee shop review, but if you want a banging sandwich to go with your coffee, please go to Big Momma’s and enlighten yourself. It’s a gift, a favor for yourself, it’s true self care. Also, their Extreme Peach smoothie is fantastic too. All around, Big Momma’s is just great and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good lunch spot. 32 / HYPE

Reviewing a small selection of our many local coffee shops around Springfield, which is definitely an original and cool idea no one’s thought to do. WARNING: I’m also not a coffee connoisseur and refuse to drink hot coffee. Sorry in advance for my awful opinions.

WINNER: Mudhouse Mudhouse Coffee Coffee WINNER: Strictly in terms of coffee, Mudhouse knocks it out of the park for me. The balance between sweet and bitter is perfect, and I find they have one of the best menu selections and some of the most unique flavor options.

Mudhouse Coffee Coffee Mudhouse

O

h, Mudhouse my beloved. Sincerely one of my absolute favorite coffee spots in Springfield. From the frozen coffee to the smoothies, I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad drink from Mudhouse, and I hope I never do. On my visit this time around, I got a frozen Mocha Nut, which is a delicious hazelnut and almond frozen blended mocha coffee that I didn’t even have the patience or thought to photograph before I had already downed half of my cup. I gravitate towards mocha/chocolate flavored coffees, and the blend of the hazelnut and almond flavors and the mocha is just so good. However, I must complain about the big chocolate chip cookie, which fell short for me. My ideal cookie is one that’s kinda chewy and soft, and this one was a weird consistency and I wasn’t a big fan of the flavor. The sweetness paired well with the coffee, but I’d probably rather get a vegan cookie or a muffin next time.

Classic Rock Rock Coffee Coffee Classic

O

kay, I’m focusing on the coffee in these reviews, but I stopped here later in the evening for a bite and this is my first and only experience with Classic Rock since they’re quite a bit out of my way. I got an iced Dirty White Boy, which is a white chocolate flavored mocha. The coffee was a bit too strong for my coffee preferences. and to be honest, it didn’t taste too different from my mom’s choice of Sweet Emotion, which was caramel and mocha. I was a little disappointed by their overall coffee selection too; I think there are more places with a wider variety of flavor combos in comparison. The food, however, was lovely. I’m a sucker for breakfast foods, so of course, I got the breakfast naan which was actually pretty good. Overall though, I don’t think I’d go out of my way to get coffee or even food from them again when Mudhouse is closer to me.

HYPE / 33

Horoscopes NATHAN SHARP / REPORTER Aries: Mar. 21–Apr. 19 • Taurus: Apr. 20–May 20 • Gemini: May 21–June 21 • Cancer: June 22–July 22 Leo: July 23–Aug. 22 • Virgo: Aug. 23–Sept. 22 • Libra: Sept. 23–Oct. 22 • Scorpio: Oct. 23–Nov. 21 Sagittarius: Nov. 22–Dec. 21 • Capricorn: Dec. 22–Jan. 19 • Aquarius: Jan. 20–Feb. 18 • Pisces: Feb. 19–Mar. 20

ARIES

CANCER

LIBRA

Eyepatches are for either pirates or losers. Are you a pirate or loser? Figure that out before you buy one. Believe it or not, the same also goes for tablecloths. Think wisely, everybody.

At the center of the Earth is a colony of ants that don’t like you. They know what you did in the summer of ‘09. There’s nothing you can do now, but make peace with the ant god. Make peace, or learn a secret fighting technique that will allow you to battle an endless army of ants.

It’s weird that batteries aren’t an outdated concept. They’re so expensive and non-renewable. At this point, there should be a better alternative. Libras, get on this. The whole world will thank you if you can figure this out.

Lucky Numbers: One 3

Lucky Numbers: N/A

Lucky Numbers: handful of 5’s.

CAPRICORN

A

Play the bugle. You know, that horn in every camp movie that’s played at sunrise. You’d be perfect at it. Then paint sweet flames on it, and play it in a brass instrument only metal band. The band will be called The Devil’s Horns. Free band idea for any takers. Lucky Numbers: 9, and 9 only.

TAURUS

LEO

SCORPIO

AQUARIUS

Some people will have you believe red, blue, and yellow are the primary colors. Why are they primary, hmm? They don’t know, because it’s a conspiracy. I say grey, turquoise, and apple green. Fuchsia is a close runner up to being in the primary color club, but they’re a bit of a jerk.

Every other day, one breadcrumb is dropped in your house. But what about the times when there isn’t bread in your house? There are still breadcrumbs being dropped. Who’s sneaking into your house with bread? That might be something you need to look into.

Go to the nearest grocery store you can find and buy the entire stock of broccoli, pound cake, yarn, door handles, and funnels. However, only buy one shoe. Look another customer in the eyes and say that you will not share your yarn, it’s for your consumption only.

Go to McDonald’s and ask for a Hammy Slammy Deluxe with a soggy side salad. Record it live so everyone can see. You’ll immediately be sent to the psych ward, but sacrifices must be made for comedy.

Lucky Numbers: One 4

Lucky Numbers: fifty

Lucky Numbers: 25 cents.

Lucky Numbers: Two 3’s.

GEMINI Think of a number. 500 million people can accurately guess that number right now. They are psychically linked to you right now. Don’t think too hard about this, or you might have a psychic merge with all of them and become a hivemind. Lucky Numbers: Three 3’s.

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VIRGO Santa isn’t real.

Lucky Numbers: Take a hike.

SAGITTARIUS

PISCES

I don’t have anything for you, buddy. Maybe try to find your own meaning in life besides this horoscope. Eat your greens.

In the last microsecond, a very small man has run 35 miles in order to seek shelter in your ear. You just so happen to have the new Ear Vault system installed and can deny him access. What do you do? I personally don’t want a little man in my ear, and it’s no one else’s business. Lucky Numbers: Yes.

Lucky Numbers: 24 cents.

ADDISON JORDAN / REPORTER

THE REVIEW

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will admit, comedies aren’t really my thing. But after multiple people looking at me like I was crazy when I said I’d never watched Napoleon Dynamite, I decided to give it a try. The 2004 comedy is widely known both online and offline: this point being reiterated by the looks Chrismer and some of my fellow journalism staff gave me when I said I didn’t even know what it was. The film is centered around Napoleon Dynamite (obviously), and his one, and probably only, friend, Pedro Sanchez. It follows them over the course of the school year, highlighting events like Uncle Rico coming to watch over Napoleon and his brother Kip, the school dance, and Pedro’s campaign for student body president. Unlike some of our news magazine’s past film reviews, I can’t spill my heart out about this film. It’s not overly emotional, and it definitely didn’t make me cry. I can, however, talk about how stupid funny it was. I absolutely LOVED the way the characters behaved: Napoleon specifically. The way he threw out a “Gosh, idiot,” any time anyone upset him gave me a kick EVERY TIME without fail. And don’t even get me started on the dance he performed after Pedro’s campaign speech. I hate to admit it, but I borderline cackled at the way the music just cut off and Napoleon kept going. Even though I’m no comedy buff, I really enjoyed Napoleon Dynamite. From Napoleon falling over a chain link fence and Kip running away with LaFawnduh, to Uncle Rico’s sad attempt at selling his product, the film was definitely one of my favorites.

NAPOLEON DYNAMITE: A REVIEW OVERALL RATING Napoleon Dynamite isn’t really a coming of age film, but if you like those kinds of movies and want to see one with a more comical side, then you should totally give it a try! Overall, I would rate the film an 8/10.

Pictured above: Napoleon Dynamite performs a skit during the student body president campaigns. HYPE / 35

Review: Fake It Flowers by beabadoobee KHLOE JOINT / REPORTER/CO-EDITOR

beabadoobee, real name Bea Kristi, emulates nineties indie rock with this masterpiece of a debut album, combining songs to dance in your bedroom and to cry in your car in the rain to.

Track 1: Care

Track 4: Back To Mars

What an energetic banger to open this masterpiece of an album with. Maybe not the most lyrically complex or even my favorite, but Bea doesn’t care!!! And neither do I!!! This song is so fun and catchy and you can both dance and cry to this song depending on your mood. Perfect balance.

Short, soft little interlude type of song. There are few lyrics in this song, but they’re beautifully sung and allow for a smooth transition in tone for the rest of the album. From this point, the album gets more personal, and I just love the tone and vibe of this song. It’s very calming and easy to listen to.

“I don’t want your sympathy / I guess I’ve had it rough / But you don’t really care”

“Doesn’t it hurt to think about how we were just before?”

Track 2: Worth It

Track 5: Charlie Brown

Honestly, my favorite track from the album. I think it encapsulates being a teenager and being full of temptation and a need for experimentation, and I’m simply in love with the mix of Bea’s soft, pretty voice against the harsh, energetic drums and guitar. It’s perfect and solidified my love for her.

I wasn’t in love with this song at first listen because it’s so different from what she’s done before, but after hearing Bea talk about the lyrics, I have an appreciation for the depth of this song. Discussing self-harm isn’t an easy thing to talk about, let alone sing about it to millions of people.

“Don’t think we can be friends / Because you’re too pretty”

“Too bad that Charlie Brown / Has inked you up to slow you down”

Track 3: Dye It Red

Track 6: Emo Song

Who doesn’t love a song about standing up for yourself!! This song is about one of Bea’s friends’ past abusive relationships and how she felt hearing of it. She calls out this ex’s toxicity and sings about finding confidence. It’s wonderful to see women stand up for each other, and I’d die to hear this live.

This is my other favorite track, and it makes me tear up. This song is just so pretty and I adore her voice and the instrumentals here, but it’s so personal and sad at the same time. I think many people can, unfortunately, relate to the idea of your neglected trauma taking a toll on you later in life in this song.

“And maybe it’s time to change my ways / But that doesn’t include you”

“You’re not a person or a thing / Just the thought of you on my lips / It’s all your fault”

36 / HYPE

Track 7: Sorry

Track 10: How Was Your Day?

And onto this song, Bea gives us no break to stop the tears. This song details a childhood friendship that fell apart due to drug abuse, and she expresses her regrets for not being more involved and helpful. The vocals are raw in this song and there’s genuine pain that you can hear in her voice that gets me, and I don’t think we address teen substance abuse enough. I find a lot of relatability in this song.

This song is also very reminiscent of Bea’s older music, with the four-track recording sound and little mistakes of her voice cracking or her laughing a little. She sings about simply missing someone she used to be close to, and this song is almost like an open letter as she recounts her feelings about this person.

To think I was just like you / All alone, skin to bone / Skin to bone

“Forgotten how you used to smile / What do you look like?”

Track 8: Further Away

Track 11: Together

In this song, Bea touches on her journey of self-acceptance and learning to accept that not everyone will love or understand her. I love the reoccurring message of self-love and acceptance in this album, and Bea’s voice sounds so beautifully in sync with the gentle guitar in this track.

This song sounds like a track that’d play at the climax of a teen coming-of-age indie film. Bea sings about the balance between loving being with this person she’s with, but also acknowledging that she’s okay being alone too, and I can absolutely relate to this.

“They say the moon’s miles away / But your brain’s further away”

“‘Cause I don’t want to let you know / I’ve been thinking of letting you go”

Track 9: Horen Sarrison This song is the equally lovely counterpart to Loveworm’s Soren, also the name of her boyfriend. This song describes the feeling of losing yourself in a romantic relationship, and it feels like it too. This song instantly filled me with nostalgia for Bea’s earlier releases, reminding me of The Way I Spoke. “Eyes so green, I don’t know what that means / But you make me feel like all this is real”

Track 12: Yoshimi, Forest, Magdalene This song brings the album to an end, and it’s such a funky song. It’s cool and distorted, but it’s fun and gives the album a lighthearted ending. Yoshimi, Forest, and Magdalene are the names she’d name her future kids, and this song is just silly and high energy. “Loves me ‘til I die / I’ll be his corpse bride” HYPE / 37

Katie Beattie, 10, runs in a cross country meet. (Mia Andrews)

Boy’s basketball team member dribbles down the court. (Bailey Dipper)

Ainsley Daccache, 9, and Jordan Altic, 11, pose at the end of a dance team performance. (Bailey Dipper)

A Central student colors in a piece of art. (Annie German) Varsity cheer performs a dance during the loyalty assembly. (Ashlie German)

PHOTO ESSAY REID BIGGERS / PHOTO EDITOR LAURYN DUGGINS / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Sam Garvin, 11, plays cello during the loyalty assembly. (Lauryn Duggins)

Molly Scribner, 11, hits the tennis ball across the net as Annie German, 10, cheers her on. (Ania Kovacs)

Jensyn Langguth, 12, and Elizabeth Swords, 11, run the 800 meter race. (Bailey Dipper) Boy’s swim team member performs a butterfly stroke at a meet. (Ashlie German)

Meygan Smith, Halle Johnson, Theo Luan, Alyssa Hakan, Tanner Wilson perform at Mr. CHS. (Ashlie German)

KERBORT’S GOODBYE

KEATON LASHLEY/SENIOR REPORTER