Central High Times - Volume 111, Issue 1 - Fall 2024

IN THIS ISSUE...

CHS at National Competitions Arabian Nights Homecoming Spring Sports Recap

Pg. 06-07 Pg. 08-09 Pg. 23

C H T

Volume 111

Issue 1

Fall 2024

IN THIS ISSUE . . .

Letter from the Editor

Hello Day/Plaza Jam

Debate Nationals

The 2024 Election

L. Caplinger

J. Wegrzyn

C. Lawson

N. Hunter

2-3

4-5

6-7

8-9

National Competitions Recap

Homecoming

M. Wright

D. Scholz

A Guide to Getting Gold

Getting a Job as a High Schooler

A. Schmidt

10 - 11

Kilties

Step

R. Wood

E. Lewis

20 - 21

22 - 23

24 - 25

26 - 27

Garden Club

Sports Recap

E-Sports

Pomdogs

C. Lawson

J. Wegrzyn

A. Schmidt

N. Finan

ADVISER Kori O’Dell EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lucy Caplinger PAGE DESIGNERS Jack Herr, Emma Lewis, Jack Wegrzyn & Reese Wood COPY EDITORS Sarah Greene, Jack Herr & Jack Wegrzyn SENIOR REPORTER Nathaniel Hunter REPORTERS Ariana Abbott, Dhruti Bandaru, Nadia Finan, Audrey Gao, Cooper Lawson, Grant Pickett, Abbott Schmidt, Dane Scholz & Malachi Wright

COVER Student Section showing their Bulldog Pride during a Black Out theme football game.

Photo by Emma Gugliotta.

THE CHT Volume 111 Issue 1 CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL 423 E. Central St., Springfield, MO 65802 CONTACT keodell@spsmail.org FONT FAMILIES Function, Century PUBLISHER Jostens Publishing

EDITORIAL POLICY The Central High Times is a student-produced publication of the Central High School journalism department. The staff and advisor strive to create an open forum for students and teachers. We take resposibility 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.

Simone Biles

U.S. Open

Chappel Roan Backstory

N. Finan

J. Herr

S. Greene

12 - 13

14 - 15

16 - 17

Olympics Gender Controversy

Dress to Impress

Admin Spotlight

A. Gao

D. Bandaru

A. Abbott

18 - 19

Cheer

Small-Scale World Peace

Soundtrack of Fall

Online vs.

Seated

G. Pickett

E. Lewis

J. Herr

A. Abbott

28 - 29

30 - 31

32 - 33

34 - 35

36 - 37

The Fall of J.K. Rowling

Brat

John Legend Album Review

N. Hunter

L. Caplinger

G. Pickett

Advertisements Sylvan Lifetouch Retakes Jostens Yearbooks

LETTER TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Central High Times encourages the submission of ideas or comments from readers. Letters to the Editor must contain no more than 150 words. Letter to the Editor submissions should be typed, printed, signed and delivered to Central High School’s journalism office (room 024) or sent to keodell@spsmail. org with the subject line “Letter to the CHT Editor.” The Central High Times reserves the right to edit submissions for grammatical and spelling errors and for space limitations limitations.

ADVERTISING AND SPONSORSHIP POLICY The Central High Times has the right to accept, reject or cancel any advertisement at any time. Advertising will not contain any statements, illustrations or implications offensive to good taste or public decency based on the opinion of the Central High Times staff (i.e. any content containing anything racist, sexist or illegal for high school students or violates journalistic principles). Advertisements accepted by the Central High Times staff are not an endorsement from the staff, advisor, administration or Springfield Public Schools District. Advertisements should refrain from attacking competitors unfairly or disparaging their products, services or methods of doing business. If your organization would like to advertise in the Central High Times, or if you would like to provide a financial sponsorship for the Central High Times, please contact the advisor, Kori O’Dell, at keodell@spsmail.org. Sponsorships begins at $25 per year, advertising pricing begins at $50 per issue, and all money raised goes toward our printing budget.

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • CONTENTS • 1

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR I have always considered myself a creative person, but I have never been good at “art”. I mean art, as in drawing and painting and sketching. This is not me fishing for compliments, it is simply true.

There was this time in the fifth grade where we were doing self portraits, and I thought that this was my big break. The idea of the assignment was to use half of a photo of your real face and draw the other half how you saw yourself on the inside. I drew a unicorn.

I am sure there are plenty of psychological reasons that I saw myself as a magical horned horse rather than a little girl, but who cares? Unicorns are awesome - (Objectively).

The first time I ever went fishing with my dad in Florida, circa 2015.

Maybe it’s a canon event for tween girls, but I used to be unicorn obsessed.

My backpack, my clothes, and honestly anything else I could get my hands on was unicorn themed. Any time I got face paint at Artsfest or Cider Days, I would beg my grandma to let me get a little clay horn to go with the glitter on my face.

I was so excited to turn in my magical self-portrait. I was at a new school, and I wanted to befriend my art teacher (This is something that I still do, shout out Mrs. Smith, my teacher bestie). I remember, I raised my hand and asked her to come over to check my work and when she saw it - she just stared at me.

I tried to explain to her that since I was

Me, my cousins Colin Andrews (11) and Della Andrews, and my Nan after dinner, circa 2016.

a redhead, I was also a unicorn. This is something my Aunt Kate used to tell me. She simply did not understand (what I thought to be) my artistic expertise.

She told me that maybe “art wasn’t my strong suit” and that I should “try singing or dancing instead.”

I was crushed. Heartbroken at age 11, that my half-baked artistic dreams would never come true.

On top of all of this, I had newly been rejected from the Pershing Elementary Honor Choir because “singing just wasn’t my thing.” I had also quit dancing in the third grade because it was too hard, and when I’m not good at something from the start, what’s the point in pursuing it? Right?

I have since grown out of this mindset - sort of - and am trying to come to terms with the fact that talent is not always gifted. Sometimes, it is learned.

The one thing that I was always good at was

After my first and last dance recital with the flowers my dad bought me (I quit dance), circa 2015.

2 • OPINION • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

writing. I wrote whole books in first grade and recited poetry to my dad before I went to sleep.

I had found my niche. The sad thing about this, though, is that writing as a hobby is not always a tangible thing. There are no writing recitals or poetry concerts.

My cousin’s thing has mostly always been the bass. My family and I would go to orchestra concerts and watch him play, and I couldn’t help but imagine a world where I did something like that too.

I would probably consider myself one of the luckiest people in the family department. I have never felt unsupported. There was always someone at open houses, talent shows, school plays, but, for a while, it felt like I had nothing to show for my passion. I would start stories over

Me and my cousin Colin Andrews (11) after our fifth grade graduation at Pershing Elementary, 2019.

and over, but they just never felt right. I have plenty of half empty journals with okay poetry that I never cared enough about to finish. One reason that I never seriously got into diaries or journaling was because of my handwriting. It has become a bit of a joke with my friends that my handwriting is completely illegible (one of my teachers freshman year literally told me my handwriting looked like that of a village peasant and I am pretty sure they never learned how to write well). Maybe I would have thrived with carrier pigeons?

So anytime I would go to start a journal entry, I would get embarrassed because even sometimes I questioned my script. But WHY? Why did I care so much that I let it stop me from doing something I really wanted to do?

cello when I wasn’t first chair, I stopped writing stories when world-building got too hard. I like to quit while I’m ahead,or before I fail, just in case.

But, all hope is not lost - as I have put a name to this problem I have started to grow out of it. I joined the tennis team - why? For fun. No, I am not very good at tennis, but yes, I have made friends and yes, I keep doing it even when I know I look stupid.

I am doing the Journalism pathway for IBCP. I have no clue if I am good enough to be a real life journalist, but why not try? Sure, my handwriting sucks, but I have decided to take my internal Me and Finley Loethen (11) taking Homecoming photos, 2024.

Me and my friend Ellie Pierson (11) at the WhiteOut football game.

It all leads back to this idea that things need to be perfect. I can tell you right now that most of what I do is not perfect, yet I still hold onto this narrative that I need it to be. It can be found intertwined in a lot of the stuff I do - I refrained from auditioning for the school play in 9th grade, because what would I do if I wasn’t good enough? Curl up and die? I quit cello when I wasn’t first chair, I stopped writing stories when world-building got too hard. I like to quit while I’m ahead,or before I fail, just in case.

But, all hope is not lost - as I have put a name to this problem I have started to grow out of it. I joined the tennis team - why? For fun. No, I am not very good at tennis, but yes, I have made friends and yes, I keep doing it even when I know I look stupid.

I am doing the Journalism pathway for IBCP. I have no clue if I am good enough to be a

not only in my hobbies but everywhere. At school and work and in my relationships.

Life is supposed to be hard, what’s the point in living it if every day is the same?

The good things will mean so much more to you with your past failures as comparison. So go do the messy thing, audition for the play, try out for the new sport, and write it all down.

Be your own outlet and love yourself unconditionally, even if you mess up. In the end, it all comes out in the wash.

The good things will mean so much more to you with your past failures as comparison.

So go do the messy thing, audition for the play, try out for the new sport, and write it all down. Be your own outlet and love yourself unconditionally, even if you mess up. In the end, it all comes out in the wash.

Eating tiramisu on a coffee date with Maya Price (11).

Yours,

Photo by my beautiful best friend, Gracie Bauer, at the 2024 Cider Days Festival.

thoughts more seriously by putting them into words on pages. I have started to legitimize my feelings and get past this idea that anything needs to be perfect - because it doesn’t.

It is okay to fail. Life is only fun if you have things that challenge you, questions that stump you, times where you mess up. What is so funny to me is that failure is so feared in a world where everybody does it. Why do we put others down for mistakes we have made ourselves? There is no way for the future Picassos and Atwoods to find their shine if they give up immediately when things don’t go as planned. This is an idea I need to internalize -

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • OPINION • 3

HELLO DAY SURF JAM JACK WEGRZYN COPY EDITOR

The annual Plaza Jam dance and Hello Day Assembly were Central’s first spirit events this year, falling on the same day. The assembly and dance were both prepared by Central’s Cabinet, a group of upperclassmen that work behind the scenes for the Bulldog student body and local community.

This year’s Hello Day assembly was held in The Pit, where groups performed, Bulldog activities and sports were represented, and the 2024-2025 Cabinet team was introduced. The Plaza Jam theme was “Surf Jam”, shown by the decorations displayed in the outdoor plaza area at Central as well as many students’ outfits.

Fiona Lu, 12, is Cabinet’s Assembly Commissioner and enjoys the difficult aspect of her responsibilities as a Central Bulldog.

“My favorite subject is either math or chemistry, because it is nice to have a challenge and when you understand it’s really rewarding,” Lu said. “I applied for Cabinet because I like to be involved in school activities, and I like to be super organized which is a good trait for assemblies since there is a lot to do.”

Hello Day is only the first assembly of the year, meaning there are still many more in store for us this year.

“I plan four assemblies, including Hello Day, Homecoming, Loyalty, and Prom,” Lu said. “I make sure that everyone is notified for each assembly and that everything is set up.”

The majority of jobs that were done to prepare for the Hello Day Assembly were done soon before the first of the two sessions began.

“All the equipment was set up that morning, I designated everyone, and told everyone two things to do for it beforehand,” Lu said. “Everyone came into the Pit one hour before everyone was released and there were two run through rehearsals.”

There were many positives to how the assembly went as well as areas for improvement that can be applied to assemblies as the year progresses.

“We had a lot of changes, like moving to the Pit for the first time, and I’m happy everything was smooth and not off-schedule,” Lu said. “It was

4 • NEWS • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

a little bit rushed though, and the mics were echoey and loud, we just need to check that better with more time.”

Certain aspects of Hello Day stood out, such as the atmosphere surrounding the assembly experience.

“The hype and high energy makes the whole assembly better because it gets everyone excited,” Lu said. “My favorite part was when Mr. Brown and Mr. Patterson joined in for the spirit game, because the admin wanted to be involved which was really great.”

Grace Luo, 12, is this year’s Dance Commissioner and was responsible for most of the jobs related to Surf Jam. She is involved in several extracurricular activities.

“I am involved with Cabinet, I run Bellatones, FBLA, DECA, and Math Team part time,” Luo said. “The letter in P.R.I.D.E. that I think goes best with me is P for Passion, because the things that I do I really enjoy and I make time to do them with people that I care about.”

Luo chose the dance commissioner position to pursue specifically when she applied for Central’s Cabinet because she holds the skills necessary for the role.

“I feel like my creative skills fit with being Dance Commissioner,” Luo said. “Dance Commissioners have to be able to plan events that are fun, handle stress, and make big decisions.”

The Plaza Jam “Surf Jam” theme was decided in part by all Cabinet members, and it had to be finalized so that planning could begin.

“The theme was decided with a group vote, and it took about a week to land on Surf Jam,” Luo said. “I then planned out the dance layout, hand painted the platforms, listed materials to purchase, and gave every Cabinet member a setup job.”

Like Hello Day, Surf Jam gained a lot of hype from students and school staff alike.

“I’m really happy that Admin and underclassmen liked it,” Luo said. “I’m really excited for homecoming!”

Owen Gray, 10, sings along to the music, dancing at Plaza Jam. (Photo By Owen Smith)

Keilei Downer in a lifeguard costume for Surf Jam. (Photo By Lucy Caplinger)

Shamaya Lewis, 10, performs with the Step Team. (Photo By Emily Hernandez)

Greta Eiken directs the Kilties Corps at the Hello Day Assembly. (Photo By Emily Hernandez)

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • NEWS • 5

DEBATE ON A NATIONAL LEVEL With the debate team recently going to nationals in Des Moines, Iowa it begs the question; who are the dedicated students and teachers taking us to nationals?

We need to start with Karissa Talty, one of the Debate and MYP teachers at Central.

COOPER LAWSON REPORTER

Imani Lwali, 11, has been doing debate for three years, going to nationals this year.

“Both of our coaches were very supportive, and each of us on the team all played an essential role.”

Lwali said.

One necessary quality in a debate student is being able to talk amply to support their case. Talty believed that Lwali and Kwaku were good openers for their case and were designated that role for nationals. Students believe that they have improved exponentially from when they started.

“I think I have improved my skills so much,” Lwali said. “I came into last year’s debate season feeling really insecure and untalented. Now, I have a nationals trophy!”

Students believe that their coaches have been pivotal in being able to compete nationally. A strong sense of teamwork is necessary for any debate team no matter the scale of the competition. Our

these skills that can take us to higher places in life. Having a good and healthy environment is pivotal in succeeding.”

Smith believes that Big Momma’s Coffee and Espresso Bar is an optimal work environment for him. We all need to find our optimal work environment, and our debate class could be that environment for you.

“In the beginning he had a hard time finding our rhythm,” Talty said. “Central also must think of the future and where the team will go from here, and we must remain hopeful as well. If our team has already w o n

Trisha Tewari (12), Quinn Smith (12), and August Kleiboeker (11), debating a round of World Schools.

Photo courtesy of Trisha Tewari.

“Debate is my job and my life,” Talty said. A good coach is imperative to having an effective debate team and Mrs. Talty steps up to that role. “Without a good coach, participants can have underdeveloped skills and weak team The National Speech and Debate Association stage.

team has shown their teamwork is strong enough to win us nationals and potentially go even further this year.

“We all played our roles efficiently and came up with a strong argument in a short period of time.”

Lwali said.

Debate builds on skills that many high level jobs - lawyer, politician, culture figure, etc. - require due to the quick thinking and public speaking abilities associated with it. Even though you may start off The Speech and Debate national qualifiers holding with lackluster skills, you can build upon such skills plaques for their placements, the World Schools team in our Speech and Debate class and possibly make adorned in leis. it to nationals, just as this year’s team did. structure. Alumni such as Eli Moody help “I do debate because it’s one of the only spaces out the team by debating with them from in which rigorous critical thinking and iterative time to time.” testing of ideas is both the norm and completely Mrs. Talty believes that she is someone incentivized,” Quinn Smith, 12, said. “Our who is open to ideas, and students say the environment may not usually facilitate these skills, same. but in Speech and Debate, we can build and apply 6 • NEWS • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

nationals this year, who knows what the team could do next year. The sky’s the limit at central, and the debate team is pushing and breaking that limit. While Central is known for our intellectual facilities, such as our debate class, we must remain humble and work hard to achieve things like what our debate team has done. Even outside of events like this, giving one hundred percent is key to succeeding, as well as steady improvement and confidence.”

Globe graphic by Grant Pickett

MALACHI WRIGHT REPORTER

The Central High School Clubs of Science Fair, National History Day (NHD), and Math Team have just finished their national competitions and have left with more than just a simple participation award.

REGIONAL AND STATE P L A C E M E N T S Not only did the Math Team win big, but so did the Robotics Club.

“The Robotics team won first place for robotic design,” says science teacher

BULLDOG TRIUMPHS

Junior High … Perfect scores happen, like, never.”

Deng competed in the national Math League competition, receiving a gold medal for her perfect score in one of the competition’s main events.

The CHS Math Team attended said national competition, winning third in the sweepstakes and receiving a perfect score on the Power Question.

“Barely anybody ever gets a perfect score,” Deng said. “So that’s really rare.” She also won first in the Countdown Round.

The Math Team on campus of Washington University, holding various plaques. Photo courtesy of Springfield Public Schools.

and Science Fair sponsor Alicia Ligon.

Central has also won in the regional Science Fair. “Four high schoolers walked out with five grand in scholarships and cash prizes,” Ligon said.

Science Olympiad was also placed on the podium. The team placed first in regionals and fifth in state. Science Fair and Science Olympiad are competitions for all grade levels.

In addition, the math team placed in the national MathLeague championship, individual students receiving awards as well. “I got 7th in

Lanie Deng (9), the champion of the Countdown Round and a contributor to the perfect Power Question entry.

Finally, it’s necessary to discuss Central’s National History Day contestants. In 8th grade, Emma Lewis placed third in the nation for her participation in the competition. As a current sophomore, Lewis competed in the Web Design category and won first place in state last year, continuing to the national competition.

“I think everyone who attends these national competitions,” Lewis said. “All coming in from different parts of the country, put in a lot of work

Students gathered at National History Day. Photo courtesy of Lanie Deng.

and deserve to be here.”

Showing respect for her fellow competitors and peers is key for Lewis.

Satisfied with her position, Lewis has touched the hearts of her teachers, and has been called “an academic weapon.”

“The web design tool is not very user-friendly,” Lead History teacher Joel Slingerland said, “It’s not intuitive, but I think Emma Lewis has found a way to crack the code.”

With schools coming from all around, Central High School found a way to compete and brought back a trophy from NHD. “We had a group go to nationals two years ago,” Slingerland said. “Senior boys and their documentary were shown in the Black History Museum in Washington D.C.” More information about future National History Day competitions and can be found by talking to Joel Slingerland in room 322.

“People who attend these national competitions put in a lot of work and deserve to be there,” Lewis said.

“Attendance of national competitions is such a rewarding experience. I wouldn’t

Dr. Verbanaz, Lanie Deng (9), and Emma Lewis (10).

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • NEWS • 7

HOMECOMING 2024: An Arabian Night to Remember The Homecoming dance at Central High School has come and gone. It was the school’s one-hundredth Homecoming, and it was a very big milestone to pass.

This year’s theme name was Arabian Nights and it was themed after the Disney animated film Aladdin. The commons were decorated with vibrant colors, and the spirit week leading up to the dance was themed accordingly with days such as Jafar’s jerseys, where students wore sports jerseys, Cave of Wonders, where students wore colors for their corresponding grade level, and Arabian Nights, where students were able to wear their pajamas to school.

Photo by Paige Bodner

Photo by Ollie Francis Left to Right: Racheal Smithermen, Harrison Reed

“This year was so much fun and I enjoyed it more than last year,” said William Musgrave, 10. “Maybe it’s because I’m not a freshman anymore but I had a lot more people to go with. It’s always more fun to go with friends,” On the days leading up to the dance, the Central Cabinet worked on decorating the school. They set up large banners painted with various designs and colors, made multicolored jars with lights inside to create vibrant lanterns, and set up balloon arches and photo stations for groups to take pictures.

“I thought the dance was really fun, and I’m also on Cabinet, and we basically planned the whole thing, so I think it was really nice to see people enjoy the dance and our hard work,” said Stephanie Lu, 12.

Photo by Landon White

8 • NEWS • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

At the Homecoming assembly on Thursday, students went to Harrison Stadium one grade at a time around nine o’clock. During the assembly, the Homecoming queen candidates and their escorts were introduced. Different groups such as the cheer team, step team, and band came out to perform and hype people up. Team games were played, with the different grades competing against each other, all wearing colors for their grade for the theme of that spirit day.

“I thought Homecoming was a lot of fun this year,” said Avarie Mendenall, 10.“There wasn’t a very big turnout at the game, but I think that a lot of people went to the dance and had a good time.”

At the football game before the dance, Central played Stockton High School. The band performed, and during the game, Central scored one touchdown. During halftime, the Homecoming queen candidates lined up, and the winner was announced. This year’s Homecoming queen was Fiona Lu. “...We all lined up for Homecoming

Photo by Ollie Francis Homecoming Court lines up at the 50 yard line

DANE SCHOLZ REPORTER Photo by Caption..

court, and about 30 seconds before halftime, we scored a touchdown,” said Lu, 12.

Before the dance started, students gathered at the front of the school waiting to be let in.

During the dance, students came into the school and went into the Commons. Loud music was played, and there were many popular songs like Hot to Go by Chappell Roan and Fein by Travis Scott. Some students formed a conga line and snaked around the entire Commons.

Students started jumping up and down, dancing to the music, and the front of the dance floor strobe lights were flashing. There were also concessions and glowsticks sold near the school’s back entrance. The dance started at nine o’clock and ended at 11 o’clock.

“My favorite part was going around talking to my friends and favorite staff,” said Musgrave. The music choice was also great.”

When the dance ended at 11, students funneled out of the Commons, went through the elaborately decorated hallways, and exited through the front entrance of the school. People took some last pictures, friends said goodbye to each other and left with their rides, and the event officially came to a close.

“For me personally the dance was great. I wouldn’t change much if anything,” said Musgrave. The only thing I would change is my friends who didn’t come.”

Photo by Ollie Francis Homecoming Queen Fiona Lu with her escort Jonas Tetlow Photo by Ollie Francis Kennedy Orro Conducts before a Rainbow

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • NEWS • 9

Presidential Election 2024: A Very Brief Summary On September 10th, former president Donald Trump and vice president Kamala Harris had their first debate. It’s strange as just two months ago, the presidential race was not between Trump and Harris, but between Trump and current president Joe Biden. Biden was running as the presumptive candidate for the Democrats, looking for a second term. He stepped onto the debate stage, and everything fell apart.

“It was clear a political disaster was about to unfold as soon as the 81-yearold commander in chief stiffly shuffled on stage in Atlanta to stand eight feet from ex-President Donald Trump at what may turn into the most fateful presidential debate in history,” said a CNN article written after the debate. “Objectively, Biden produced the weakest performance since John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon started the tradition of televised debates in 1960 — then, as on Thursday, in a television studio with no audience. ”To say the debate went poorly for Biden was an understatement. The Kamala Harris Rally Photo by Jacquelyn Martin

NATHANIEL HUNTER SENIOR REPORTER

Democratic party went into panic mode, searching for some way to salvage the situation as the odds continued to shift out of their favor. Several Democratic politicians called for Biden to drop out of the race so he could be replaced with a better candidate. All of this is on top of the fact that Trump was almost assassinated on July 13. Politically, things were in disarray for both Republicans and Democrats.

Only 8 days after Trump was almost assassinated, Biden pulled out of the presidential race after significant pressure from other high-profile Democrats, such as Nancy Pelosi.

As soon as he dropped out, Vice President Kamala Harris immediately stepped up to become the new front-runner for the Democratic nomination. The entire party rallied behind her, and she was nominated during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Trump’s assassination attempt was somehow overshadowed, and the dynamics of the race completely shifted.

Harris’ campaign has emphasized her commitment to building the middle class by supporting labor unions, tax cuts for middle class families, strengthening social programs, and laws against price gouging by landlords and corporations to bring down costs of medicine, groceries and housing. However, the most notable thing about Harris’ campaign is not her policies, but the optimism surrounding her. Harris becoming the nominee has reinvigorated the Democratic party with a new sense of optimism and hope in contrast to the pessimism that many people felt when Biden was running.

“Among the base, the enthusiasm is off the charts, probably the most excited I’ve seen

10 • NEWS • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

people since the Obama campaign,” said Ben Tribbett, a Democratic strategist in Virginia.

“And I think a lot of that has to do with a sense of relief. I think people really felt like we were in a situation that was unfixable and untenable.”

Trump has remained on the attack, criticizing Kamala as continuing Biden’s failures, especially related to immigration. The main issue of the Trump campaign has been illegal immigration, with Trump criticizing Biden for letting too many illegal immigrants come to the United States. Trump promises to completely shut down the MexicanAmerican border, deport upwards of 10 million illegal immigrants using the army and local law enforcement, and impose a 60 percent tariff on all imported Chinese goods. Trump claims that these initiatives will strengthen America by creating more jobs, while Harris and other critics say that deporting all the illegal immigrants would send the country into a recession and that his tariffs would cost middle class families thousands of dollars.

As for the vice presidential candidates, Harris has chosen Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota. Walz has implemented a number of progressive policies during his time as governor, such as free school lunches and banning police chokeholds after the death of George Floyd.

Walz’s progressive disposition has earned him criticism from the right as a ‘Marxist’ and ‘socialist’. Trump has chosen JD Vance, a senator from Ohio who entered politics after writing his successful autobiography Hillbilly Elegy. Vance is most notable for being incredibly unpopular, with polls showing that he had a net approval rating of -6 after the Republican Convention, as opposed to the average vice-presidential approval poll rating after conventions of +19. Vance has been criticized in particular for a comment he made about ‘childless cat ladies’, being called insulting to women voters.

All things considered, the election is far from over. Just two months ago Trump was seemingly set for victory against a generally disliked Biden, and now the race is neck-and-neck between Trump and the much more popular Kamala.

The state of the election has changed dramatically since it

began, from an assassination attempt to a major resignation to new successors being crowned. This is barely scratching the surface of the platforms of both parties, but there is one thing that Trump and Harris both agree on; this election will be one of the most significant in American history, regardless of who wins.

If you are registered to vote, make sure to bring one of the acceptable forms of voter identification to your polling place on November 5: - Nonexpired Missouri Driver’s license - Nonexpired or nonexpiring Missouri driver’s license - Nonexpired United States passport - Any photo identification issued by the Missouri National Guard, the US Armed Forces, including the Space Force, or the US Department of Veteran Affairs, and that is not expired or does not expire Trump rally in Nassau County, Long Island Photo by Michael Gold

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • NEWS • 11

Getting Back On The Mat Even famous athletes experience mental health issues. Simone Biles’ performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics shocked many, but after a mental health battle of four years, she came back better than ever at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“Gymnastics is a physically and mentally demanding sport, being in a mental block can be challenging to overcome,” former gymnast, Claire Scudder, 11, said.

In the documentary “Simone Biles Rising”, it is shown that Biles felt uneasy during her warmup. She is then shown out of the stadium and does not go back.

“When she got the twisties, she probably had to start from the beginning and work up.” Scudder said.

The twisties is a mental block that happens to gymnasts and causes them to lose their position mid air.

“Here’s this incredible woman who just seemed like she could do anything — a superhero. And yet that sport was corrosive enough and abusive enough that she really had to step away for her own mental health,” sports journalist and author, Joan Ryan, said.

A lot of pressure was put onto Biles at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. People were expecting her to come out on top.

“Simone felt she had disappointed her fans and people, and felt very disappointed in herself,” Scudder said.

People online were not taking her dropping out well.

“Everywhere I went I felt like people

NADIA FINAN REPORTER

could just see the words ‘loser’ and ‘quitter’ across my head,” Biles said, “So I always just felt like everyone was staring at me.”

The Tokyo Olympics were held during Covid.

None of Biles’ friends or family could come out to support her.

“Afterwards I kind of just felt like I was in jail with my own brain and body,” Biles said.

After Tokyo, Biles disappeared from gymnastics completely. She left to go work on her mental health and did not think that she would come back.

“Things happen, they shouldn’t define us as people. Her coming back and showing everyone that she is capable really shows she is number one,” Scudder said.

In “Simone Biles Rising”, it is shown that she would occasionally go back to the gym. For about a year and a half she was in and out of the gym, until 2023 when she started taking it seriously again.

“Gymnastics can be something to help escape the real world and focus on yourself, especially when you have teammates there supporting you,” Scudder said.

Biles’ teammates would encourage her to continue coming back to the gym and practice with them.

“Gymnastics takes a lot of training and questioning if you’re good enough,” Scudder said, “Trying to perfect routines takes a lot of brain power.”

Biles got the chance to compete again at this year’s 2024 Paris Olympics. She took home three gold medals as well as one silver medal.

“Honestly, it helps everyone, I think, to know that even Simone gets nervous,” Biles’ teammate, Joscelyn Roberson, said.

Photograph by Mike Egerton / PA Image

Photographs by NBC

Photo By Lionel Bonaventure/ WW MSNBC

12 • NEWS • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

OLYMPICS CONTROVERSY AUDREY GAO REPORTER During the 2024 Paris Olympics, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif claimed gold in the women’s welterweight championship. Following her victory, she faced remarks from prominent figures including J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk due to misconception about her gender. Both were later named in a cyberbullying lawsuit filed

by Khelif.

The sports world was hit by a controversy involving Khelif’s gender. Despite initial reports, she is neither transgenWder or intersex.

Instead, she reportedly has differences of sexual development, also known as DSDs, which is not the same as being transgender. Khelif was born female, as indicated on her passport, and has recently been the subject of intense speculation and debate.

The controversy began when Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 boxing championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA). The disqualification was due to “unspecified eligibility tests”, and was “found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors.”, which sparked further heated discussion. Adding to the complexity, it was later revealed that Khelif has an XY chromosome pattern in her DNA, typically associated with males, whereas females usually have XX chromosomes.

Khelif’s case is an extremely rare occurrence, with only 1 in every 80,000 births.

The situation in 2024 first intensified following Khelif’s match against Italian boxer Angela Carini on August 1. After Khelif defeated Carini in just 46 seconds, Carini was seen falling to her knees and crying, as well as shouting “It isn’t fair,” leading to intense scrutiny later on. She refused to shake her opponent’s hand and Khelif could be seen patting her on the back. The incident attracted significant

Elon Musk, Photo By Jean Catuffe / AP

Imane Khelif with her gold medal. Photo by Ariana Cubillos / AP

attention, from both inside and outside the arena.

Following this incident, J.K. Rowling, the acclaimed Harry Potter author, weighed in on the controversy, posting critical comments on X (formerly Twitter) about Khelif’s participation and the fairness of the competition.

Rowling posted a picture from the bout and claimed that Khelif was a trans woman.

“Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better?,” Rowling said. “The smirk of a male [who] knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered”.

Rowling has been known to discuss her views on transgender topics for several years.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) however, strongly supported Khelif’s participation in the 2024 Games. “[Khelif was] born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, [and] has a female passport.” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said. “This is not a transgender case.”

Carini later apologized on August 2 for her treatment of Khelif.

“I’m sorry for my opponent,” she told Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport. “If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.”

“It wasn’t something I intended to do,” Carini said.

“Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke.”

Rowling later deleted her posts after facing backlash and Khelif named her in the cyberbullying harassment lawsuit she filed. A prolific poster, she didn’t post until nearly two weeks later since August 7, where she posted 18 times about the controversy that day.

Rowling broke her silence after Khelif’s team launched a PR (public relations) campaign, once again stating her concerns, posting “It’s important to highlight that launching a PR campaign and applying layers of thick makeup requires far more

time and effort than simply making DNA test results public.” Rowling said.

Elon Musk also criticized Khelif’s participation, stating that she had an unfair advantage.

“Men don’t belong in women’s sports,” Musk said.

Musk’s comments resulted in Khelif’s response while being interviewed on the matter, “You hate me, but you don’t even know me.”

Musk was also named in Khelif’s lawsuit, as she says he was “one of the first to attack me during this hate campaign.”

As a result of the sexist responses to her gold medal victory in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Khelif has taken legal action.

She is filing a lawsuit against both J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk, citing defamation and the impact of their public statements on her reputation and career.

The case of Imane Khelif highlights the complex intersection of sports, gender, and personal identity. As public figures and athletes navigate these issues, the controversy highlights the ongoing challenges of balancing fairness with respect for individual identity in competitive sports. As the legal proceedings and public discussions continue, they reflect broader debates about gender, fairness, and inclusion.

Responding to the controversy around her, Khelif told a press conference, “I am a woman like any woman. I was born a woman and I have lived as a woman, but there are enemies to success and they can’t digest my success.”

Imane Khelif, Photo By Katie Goodall / AP

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • NEWS • 13

U.S. OPEN JACK HERR COPY EDITOR

Colin Andrews, 11, following the U.S Open. Photo by Jack Herr.

The U.S. Open is one of four major annual tennis tournaments, or “Grand Slams”, that are followed by recreational players and fans of the sport alike. The tournament is hosted at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, lasting from August 27th to September 8th.

In the Men’s Singles Draw, seventeen American players made an appearance at home.

Eight of the aforementioned players advanced to the Second Round. Out of this collection, certain names should jump out: Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, as well as others who would go on to make deep runs in the tournament. A series of upsets paved the way for an unexpected final leg based on performances at earlier tournaments. Notably, Botic van de Zandschulp upset the number three seeded player and 2022 U.S. Open Winner, Carlos Alcaraz, a favorite to win this year, resulting in the absence of the former champion in later rounds.

Adding to the action, Shelton and Tiafoe faced off in a five-set match, resulting in Tiafoe’s advance to the round of sixteen. After winning against Popyrin, Tiafoe joined Fritz in the quarterfinals, who he would later play in an all-American semifinal. Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev would face off in the

quarterfinals. The four-set match advanced Sinner to the semifinals against Jack Draper. Sinner would come to beat Draper, and Fritz defeated Tiafoe in a five-set match. Sinner and Fritz played in a threeset Championship match, which Sinner won, thus bringing him his second major title after being victorious in this year’s Australian Open.

On the Women’s side of the tournament, some of the themes represented in the Men’s reappeared, complete with their own twists. Coco Gauff, the previous year’s champion, lost a fourth round matchup against fellow American, Emma Navarro.

Another upset story appeared in the U.S. Open stat books with the second-round loss of Naomi Osaka to Karolina Muchova, a Czech, who would also advance to the semifinals. In the end, Jessica Pegula, Aryna Sabalenka, Navarro, and Muchova would advance to the semifinals, Navarro and Pegula representing their nation at home. Pegula would beat Muchova, and Sabalenka would defeat Navarro. The Women’s Final was between Pegula and Sabalenka. Like in the Men’s tournament, an American would make their way to the finals, yet would ultimately lose to their opponent in straight sets. Sabalenka would emerge victorious from her match on Arthur Ashe stadium, hoisting a Grand Slam trophy for the third time, and the U.S. Open trophy for the first.

The results of this year’s tournament have been followed closely across the whole country, especially by players for Central’s Tennis Team.

Jack Wegrzyn, 10, is a member of Central’s Boys Varsity team and a fan of the U.S. Open and professional tennis in general, following the action from the start of the tournament.

“This U.S Open in particular was really interesting to watch just because there was a good bit of surprising upsets early into the tournament.”

Wegrzyn said. “Especially on the men’s side with Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz who got the gold and silver at the Olympics respectively.” These early upsets helped pave the way for the deep runs of Americans like Taylor Fritz and Francis Tiafoe, who saw success at the open. Colin Andrews, 11, is another member of the Central Boys Tennis team who watches the open.

14 • NEWS • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

“I believe Taylor Fritz and Brandon Nakashima both played some of their best tennis at this U.S. Open,” Andrews said. The U.S Open can be a patriotic event for both the players and for those watching.

“As an American, it’s the only major on home soil, so being able to watch that and being able to see that energy produced and the immense support from the crowd for all the Americans is really awesome.” Wegrzyn said. Home support is one of the reasons why for this year in particular and more generally, the U.S Open is special. Another distinct aspect of the U.S Open is its status as the last major of the year.

“I think some players kind of have that same mindset where this is their last chance of the year to make their mark and to show people who they are as players so that’s really fun to watch too.” Wegrzyn said. The results of this year’s Open may read as a turning point in the future.

“I think there will be a larger American presence in tennis for the years to come, judging by how many did so well this year,” Andrews said. Due to its charm and character, the U.S Open is followed and viewed by both fans and players of the sport year after year.

“It’s just a pleasure to watch,” Wegrzyn said.

Graphic by Grant Pickett

DHRUTI BANDARU REPORTER

Photo from The Dress To Impress Wiki

The ever trending, ever popular game platform, Roblox. Inside the game Roblox exists a variety of playable, open world mini-games, one of those being Dress to Impress: a pageantlike experience in which players can show off their fashion skills with different themes “I really like Dress to Impress because it’s a really good game for creativity and creating, especially on a free platform like roblox,” Lin, 9, said.

Dress to Impress has proved to be inspiring and successful, with 2.4 billion visits since it was officially released in November of 2023.

“In a way, Dress to Impress is just an evolved version of fashion famous and I love that old games on Roblox can inspire new games that millions love,” Ryan Winstead, 10, president and founder of Central’s Roblox club, said.

Dress to Impress’s creator and main contributor, Gigi_DTI, also known as Gigi, has stated she was inspired by many things making the game.

“Dress To Impress is about showing your fashion creativity. What inspired me to make it is my favorite childhood Roblox game “Fashion Famous” and the amazing 2023 Barbie movie!”

Gigi, creator of Dress to Impress, said.

A part of game creation is collaboration and the ability to put out updates at appropriate times. Dress to Impress’ team does this effectively. Every month, a new major update is put out, along with new, trendy clothing items, lore, and creative themes.

“We always strive to produce quality updates that emphasize our passion and dedication we put in for Dress to Impress,” Zac, a member of the Dress to Impress developer team, said.

From the release in 2023, a part of Dress to Impress that keeps players entertained is the lore that comes along with Dress to Impress about the nail technician found in the hair and makeup section of the map, “Lana.”

Dress to impress may sometimes feel like a lot for some players, as the themes and space

in the game may feel overwhelming. As players will often have to get very creative to accurately follow themes.

“I like a lot of the themes, but sometimes they’re really weird because it’s like a celebrity or like a zoo keeper and sometimes it’s like I’m on a scavenger hunt. But it’s really fun overall and I would definitely recommend it as a pastime,” Sania Rehman, 8, said.

Along with the updates and lore, the community surrounding Dress to Impress helps keep the game on the top of Roblox’s charts. Over the summer, the game went viral on social media platforms, such as Tiktok and X, and now is one of the most popular games on Roblox.

“Over the past years it has become really popular with the celebrity collabs and the many outfits and many creators have played the game,” Phoebe Lin, 9, self proclaimed Dress to Impress pro, said.

Although clothing items are limited as it’s a game, players will turn to making references and jokes with what’s available for them. Keeping up with trends in clothing, internet culture, and more allows the team to cater to different audiences.

Many viral memes have come from Dress to Impress, and it continues being a fresh game to pass the time with.

“I think Roblox in total is way more fun with friends, so that also applies to dress to impress.

I think there are nearly no games that would be worse with friends, to me atleast,” Winstead said.

Dress to Impress has proven to be a fresh, trendy, and community-friendly game. This viral game is a great resurgence of pop-culture and does not get you bored easily with all the updates.

The team of Dress to Impress does a great job in understanding younger generations and the digital fashion trends seen today.

“I remember when I first started playing Dress to Impress it was a lot of fun even if I didn’t know how the game worked and It’s a great game for people who like fashion,” Lin said.

Stacking up billions of visits in less than a year,

DTI Avatar courtesy of Xiaowei Wang, 9

Dress to Impress is likely to become and seems to already have become one of Roblox’s top games.

“Dress to Impress is very innovative and shows what Roblox can do, and it can showcase how the Roblox fan base likes what it likes,” Winstead said.

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • FEATURE • 15

THE BACKSTORY OF CHAPPELL ROAN Since its popularization in the mid 50s, pop has been a staple of society. Overall, the genre has stayed relatively the same since the beginning, consisting mostly of generic lovey lyrics with a generic singer and a generic instrumental. However, with the wave of fandom for indie art crashing over pop culture, increasingly niche songs are topping the charts. A few artists especially have blown up following the new obsession with the indie style; one of the most successful is Chappell Roan.

Chappell Roan was born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz on February 19, 1998 in Willard, Missouri, a town with only around 6,500 people. Growing up in a small rural town, she was raised in a very traditional, conservative Christian culture, similar

Willard High School: Chappell Roans’s Alma Mater / Willard School District

to Springfield’s environment. Roan has said in interviews that she went to church three times a week, attended many church camps over the summer, and was raised with very strict conservative values and rules to follow. Smaller American towns, especially in the South, are generally viewed by the public as being incredibly close-minded and stifling, shaming and demonizing any identities or opinions that go against the accepted norm, and the negative impacts of this culture are a huge part of Roan’s persona and lyrics.

One of the most frequently recurring points in her music is her Missouri upbringing, both positive and negative; “I usually say it’s very conservative, very opposite of LA, but not in a bad way,” Roan said in an interview with the Springfield, MO magazine. “It’s so much

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Chappell Roan

more peaceful and the air is so clean. It’s like farming, especially in Willard, it’s just farms. It’s a lot of churches, really green, really kind, everyone opens doors to each other. Very much has the Midwest hospitality vibe.” The singer frequently speaks about her childhood, reminiscing on the nostalgic parts and fighting to improve the national perception of Missouri. “I think people just think everyone in the Midwest agrees with like a far-right viewpoint and it’s just not true,” Roan said in an interview with Time magazine. “All of these gay people exist here, including drag queens, and like trans people, and me.”

Having been a performer since she was 12, many people around Roan have said they’ve always seen her passion and talent for music. “We knew music was what she was interested in the most,” said Matthew Brunner, a Central history teacher who taught Roan at Willard. “Like everyone that knew her, had her in class, knew that she’s very talented, and she wanted to explore the music industry. And I don’t remember her ever saying I want to be a pop star, but I definitely remember that she wanted to follow her passion, which was definitely music.”

Roan’s first competitive performance that she

Atlantic Records Logo / Atlantic Records

16 • FEATURE • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

spoke about was her middle school Christmas talent show, where she performed “The Christmas Song” and won. Soon after, she began working on her own music; she did covers of songs on YouTube, and at 16, released her first original song, “Die Young.” After achieving both local and internet success from the song, she was quickly signed onto Atlantic Records at 17, and kicked her career into high gear, while still finishing up high school.

“And her senior year, I remember her traveling a lot, and I can’t remember if she graduated high school early, or if she was just gone a lot, but I remember her traveling around the country, and I remember her trying to make it,” said Brunner. “She came back to high school a few years after she graduated, and she played for a class that was right next to me, and I went in and listened to her, and she brought in a keyboard, and she sounded fantastic… I believe she said she was working at McDonald’s and really struggling in the music industry, and was kind of debating whether to continue on or not.

So that’s kind of interesting, definitely about perseverance.”

However, after five years, Atlantic Records dropped Roan after her 6 released singles had been consistently underperforming. “I burst into tears,” Roan said in an interview with the Rolling Stone. “As time has gone on, I realized that no matter how hard that label experience was for five years, it was the biggest blessing ever. And being independent has taught me I can do it by myself.”

But she kept persevering, independently producing many singles and her own album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess”. After 3 years of work, Roan slowly began to garner a cult following on social media, with many indie fans praising her album. “My music’s nothing really massive, we’re not talking ‘abcdefu’,” Roan said in an interview with People magazine.

“We’re not talking ‘Say So’ when that blew up, nothing like that happened. TikTok was just a way to display my personality and the inner workings, but I feel like it was hell most of the time trying to get it together as an independent artist and also having a part-time job.”

She began her Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess tour in September of 2023, with her first location being at the Gillioz Theatre in Springfield. She supported Olivia Rodrigo on the Sour and Guts tours, even opening for a

SARAH GREENE COPY EDITOR

few of her shows, which gave her huge amounts of exposure and began her introduction to the mainstream.

Then, in April of 2024, with the release of a single track, everything changed.

The song, titled “Good Luck, Babe!”, blew up overnight, reaching huge success on social media, especially TikTok. It shot up the billboards, staying in the top 100 for weeks in America, hitting the top 10 globally, and being generally culturally regarded as one of the best popular songs of 2024. Everyone was talking about it, sharing it, making videos and animations to it, discussing the lyrics, and, as a result, discovering Roan’s other work.

The song, while commonly said to be incredibly well-made, also skyrocketed in popularity because of what it said. While Roan’s other music, especially in her album, features many queer cultural references and lyrics, “Good Luck, Babe!” was explicitly about lesbians and compulsory heterosexuality. There was no questioning it; the entire premise of the song is Roan singing to a girl she used to date who never accepted her own sexuality, and is suffering the consequences. Such a topic, stated so clearly, is very rare for pop, especially for the top songs in the world.

Roan immediately became an icon in the queer community, further solidified by the popularization of her previous queer-themed songs and the clear heavy influence of drag queens in her performance and fashion style.

Roan has spoken about her drag influences in many interviews and online, saying she considers herself to be a drag artist. She also supports the drag community at all of her performances, hiring local drag artists to open at her shows and donating portions of ticket sales to queens and LGBTQIA+ charities. “Really, I’m here to give back all the energy that the queer community has given to me,” said Roan in an interview with NME. With the openly, unambiguously queer aesthetics of The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and Roan’s stage persona blowing up all over social media and in everyone’s ears, there was no doubt that Roan was a revolutionary. Pop culture has been hyper focused on traditional, cute, cishet love for decades, and having blatantly sexual, vulgar, loud, queer art become so popular and so beloved by many signified a complete change in the modern mainstream.

Good Luck, Babe!, Chappell Roan

People are becoming much more accepting and educated; where such music would have been completely socially unacceptable before, it’s now lauded and adored by millions.

Through all of her modern social career, Roan has been a huge activist for all human rights, using her platform to protest and bring attention to problems she cares about. In June of this year, Roan spoke about being invited to perform at the White House for a Pride event, but turning down the invitation. “I am in drag of the biggest queen of all, but in case you had forgotten what’s etched on my pretty little toes: ‘Give me your tired, your poor; your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.’ That means freedom and trans rights,” Roan said during a performance at Governors Ball Music Festival, where she was dressed as Lady Liberty.

“That means freedom and women’s rights, and it especially means freedom for all oppressed people in occupied territories.” She has openly protested the war in Palestine and fights for black trans rights, donating to charities and drawing attention to queer people’s suffering in her music, performances, and on her socials. While she has

recently come under fire for criticizing the policies of the Harris campaign, her stance as a liberal fighting for human rights could not be clearer.

Roan is also known for her kindness outside of her stage persona. “She was really, honestly, one of my favorite students to have in class, and I remember her well,” said Brunner. “You know that long ago, you don’t remember everyone, but I remember her well, I remember just how nice she was and how understanding she was in class, and she’s a really good student and really nice to everyone.”

Pride Flag / Empire State Plaza

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • FEATURE • 17

New Admin Spotlights ARIANA ABBOTT REPORTER Central High School is welcoming two new administrators, Kaleb Patterson and Pamela Foster. They are both starting their administrative journeys at Central and are ready to show Bulldog pride.

Patterson is coming to Central from Marshfield Junior High School where he taught choir. As an administrator, Patterson oversees and supports the science, fine arts, and performing arts departments as well as sophomores and 8th-grade scholars.

Patterson is from Ozark and has been back in Springfield for four years after moving away for college. He has a degree in Musical Theatre Performance from Oklahoma City University and made the career switch to education. Currently, he is working on his doctorate in Education Administration from Southwest Baptist University.

After getting a degree that Patterson said made him happy, he decided to take his career in a new direction to make a difference. He decided education was right for him because he said loved the idea of leading and instructing and he became an administrator to make an impact on students.

“I think just the idea of giving back…

I had a degree before that was for me, I majored in professional performance… performance made me happy,” Patterson

said. “I wanted to give back to students, it’s all about the students for me.”

So far, Patterson said his favorite part about Central is watching his departments teach and meeting his students. He said he loves seeing everyone’s personalities and watching them grow.

Patterson came to Central because of its endless growth opportunities.

“Of all the schools I applied for, I just feel like this one has the most character. I feel like [Central] has the most opportunity to grow…There is so much potential for student growth here. and that makes me excited,” Patterson said.

To contact Patterson, his email is kdpatterson@ spsmail.org or he can be found in Ms. Nel’s office, room 129.

The second new administrator is Foster, the new Coordinator of Site Intervention. She supervises and monitors all of the attendance, academic, and behavioral interventions.

Foster has worked for Springfield Public Schools for six years and has worked in education for over eighteen years. She has previously worked at many schools in the Springfield area as a science teacher and has been a cheer coach, softball coach, and prom coordinator.

“I got my SPS start at Central. I love Central.

For one it is the most diverse, it’s got historical interest, it has IB, I love the administration staff, and it’s a great team to be a part of and grow,” Foster said.

Not only did Foster get her SPS start at Central, but she also started her administrative career

here. She originally started out as a part-time graduation mentor and eventually became a graduation specialist and worked in the administrative office.

“I’ve had my administrator license since ‘09, I loved being in the classroom and I loved being a teacher. My son had a brain injury six years ago and I left the classroom. Having a break from the classroom gave me the push I needed, and once I returned, I took that step as an administrator,” Foster said.

Like Patterson, Foster said growth was important to her. She said growth is her goal this year, including growth in her position at Central and her academic growth by finishing her doctorate this year from Trident University.

Foster said she loves the opportunities she has for growth in her position because her role is centered around students.

“I’ve always wanted to help kids, I have a passion for helping kids. I’ve been working in youth ministry and I’ve been in therapeutic fostering for sixteen years. I just want to make a difference for the next generation,” Foster said.

Foster is also a huge advocate for school pride. She said believes that there is much to be proud of at Central, and she hopes to see the students show school spirit in every way.

“I love that the students are embracing school pride and spirit, I love the vision that Mr. Brown has and I love the kids,” Foster said.

To contact Foster, her email is plfoster@spsmail. org and her office is in room 129.

Administrators Steve Spence, Kaleb Patterson, Ashley Felton, and Christopher Kensinger, Photo From Christopher Kensinger 18 • FEATURE • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

Meet The New Administrators

Pamela Foster

Kaleb Patterson

FOSTER FUN FACT

PATTERSON FUN FACT

“I taught in Thailand at the beginning of my career.”

“I spent 14 days camping across the Australian outback. I saw a lot of wallabies and kangaroos.”

Returning Administrators

Christopher Kensinger

Steve Spence

“I like to travel and see the different national parks in the United States. Come ask me how many I’ve been to!”

Mr. Kensinger oversees and supports the freshmen students.

To contact Mr. Kensinger, his email is cpkensinger@spsmail. org, and his office is in room 129.

“When my youngest child graduates from high school, I will be 62 years old.”

Mr. Spence oversees and supports the seniors and is the athletic director. To contact Mr. Spence, his email is sspence@ spsmail.org, and his office is room 233.

Ashley Felton

Jeremy Brown

“I restarted the step team my first year at Central.”

Dr. Felton oversees and supports the juniors. To contact Dr. Felton, her email is amfelton@ spsmail.org, and her office is in room 129.

“I used to have five piercings.”

Mr. Brown is the lead principal. To contact Mr. Brown, his email is jbbrown@spsmail. org, and his office is in the main office.

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • FEATURE • 19

STUDY HABITS: GETTING GOLD With the new PRIDE time system, students may want to get their grades to As and get all the benefits of being gold rank. There is more than one way that they can get their grade past 90% this year to get the gold rank.

This year, as a part of the new PRIDE time system, students will be divided into three ranks, bronze, silver, or gold based on their grade. Gold is the top rank, requiring the highest grade and having the most benefits, like hanging out in the library, gym, or the commons.

Although some students may struggle to achieve top-rank status, following this advice from tutors and teachers will get

ABBOTT SCHMIDT REPORTER

have finished and haven’t finished,” Hunter said, “Almost all of my students who have grades below a C have missing assignments.”

However, Trent thinks that if you are engaged and attentive in a subject, your grades will be automatic.

“I can think of a student a few years back, who was struggling on some assignments and tests, and I said if you focus on your learning instead of just your grade, then your grade will fix itself,” Trent said.

Even though Trent and Hunter have different methods of studying, both systems work well.

“High school is about the time that most students have to actually study for a test,” Hunter said, “Some people find it helpful to read through

However, that doesn’t mean they’re not important. Beyond the benefits of the gold rank, there are so many reasons why good study habits are important, even beyond high school.

“These concepts will help students achieve their grade-related goals, and get to the highest rank. Beyond the gold rank, though, there are so many reasons why students should have good study habits,” Wallace said, “Good study habits allow you to process the information better and develop a lifelong skill.”

1 Image by SPS

students’ grades on their way to straight As. “If you own your learning, the assignments take care of themselves,” Cole Trent, Spanish teacher and World Language Department Head said when asked how students can improve their grade. He said that if students are engaged in class and are ready to learn, that grades come naturally.

“Keeping a list of things you need to do, and crossing them off as you go, is a great option, keeping track of Canvas is another great option,” Ellen Hunter, Geometry Honors teacher, math team coach, and math tutor, said when asked what study habits should help students.

She believes that keeping track of assignments and staying organized is the way students should try to raise their grades.

“Some of the big things are keeping track of how many assignments you

all of their notes for that unit, some people like to write an outline or summary, and finding practice problems can be a great tool.” Taking notes was another way teachers recommended you study.

Kyle Wallace, teacher of the MYP 9 Personal Project Lab class, agrees with this.

“It wasn’t until college that I started taking notes but I believe that notes would have helped me,” Wallace said, “but my own style of notetaking instead of what is prescribed by a teacher.”

In Wallace’s MYP 9 class, students learn about different kinds of note-taking methods, like Cornell notes or mind mapping, to choose for themselves.

Another good way to learn study habits is from others, as well.

“Some other ways of trying to understand and do better is observation, see who is doing the work, asking them questions like: ‘how do you study.’” Wallace said. Like many students, he didn’t have great study habits in high school.

“I don’t recall anyone teaching me good study habits,” Wallace said, “I did think study habits were important, but I didn’t do them very much.”

20 • FEATURE • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

2 3

A NEW LEAF COOPER LAWSON REPORTER

Alex Garcia, 12, tending to the Central High School gardens. Photo by Jack Herr.

Participation in Garden Club includes participants performing different tasks such as composting, planting, watering etc. Only around 20 people are doing garden club so far, and it is still open to new members. They meet after school on monday every week at Central´s garden. Some of the teachers at Central High School help over the summer as well, and MYP (Middle Years Program) classes participating in gardening also isn’t unheard of. Central alumni also stop More hands means more work can get done.

Central´s garden receives plenty of help from unexpected people.

“Mr Wallace takes his MYP class into the gardens and Lynn Schick as well as Mr. Beattie help out over the summer” said Epps. “Central´s garden is open to anyone,” “Some alumni like Eli Moody help out in the gardens” Without this help Central´s garden wouldn’t be close to what it is now.

Without this help Central´s garden wouldn’t be close to what it is now.

“When we started, it was a patch of grass” Epps said, school gardening clubs can provide many opportunities to grow your handiwork skills, as well as communication and teamwork skills. ¨A new group of leaders emerge every year, and you will notice the upcoming ones,¨ Doing after school clubs also facilitates responsibility and teamwork. Being a leader here could lead to future opportunities and positions in the future.

The impact garden club has had on school culture is also seen. It is an opportunity to bring everyone together and helps the ecosystem of central literally as well as figuratively ¨We compost them. We take what we grow

and use it to grow more, and so on and so forth,¨ Epps said.

Many different jobs are required to have a functioning sustainable garden, Garden club provides connections for students at central . It also allows students to connect in person after school hours.

“Garden club is a community,” Epps said. But also new people are required to have a functional community and to have new members to maintain the garden. ¨I advertise Garden Club in my classes and encourage students to join¨ Said Brandi Nelson, teacher at Central. Nelson also helps run the garden club and believes that ¨Garden Club is life,¨ Helping out in Central´s garden club can also make you more aware of how to sustain not just our community, but help the environment as a whole with the skills that can be learned at Garden Club. ¨I believe that there are some strong connections you can make between life sciences and gardening,¨ Teachers are also important to maintaining Central’s gardens, by helping out themselves, or nudging students to join and encouraging participation in extracurriculars ¨I also encourage students to join garden club.

The kinds of plants grown vary heavily such as tomatoes, pumpkins, hostas, cilantro, basil and other herbs, and some flowers such as marigolds, zinnias, and others. ¨Biodiversity is important for school gardens¨ Epps said.

Though Epps believes that variety is important he also believes that community is just as important ¨Our garden is for everyone, feel free to grab a tomato on your way out,¨

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • FEATURE • 21

Get That Bread: Jobs In High School

DANE SCHOLZ REPORTER

It is important to learn how to get and keep a job, and high school is a great place to start learning. A job is important to save money for things like a car and a college fund, and it gives you great experience. However, it can be hard to find and choose a job and it can be difficult to balance school and work. Because of this, you need to select the right job for your current position in school, your time spent doing extracurricular activities, your interests,

and I got to make a lot of friends,” Said Winstead.

It is good to choose a job that prepares you for your future aspirations or current activities in school. It is easy to get a simple job in fast food or moving lawns, but If you want to get better at a skill for a professional field you are interested in entering, then you may want to get a more specific job. It is also good to get a job that fits your interests and skills because it can make your work more enjoyable, and can help you find a specific field of work to focus on when faced with the many options you are presented with. Brian

are unable to manage your time between work and school, you could run far behind and fail at either your professional or academic life. Time management can be handled with a variety of different tools, such as calendars and timers. You can also work at specific times if you have days you absolutely cannot work on. Having a specific work schedule can be a helpful reference when planning activities. It can be hard to balance work and school. “...it depends on the job, and how many hours you have to work,” Said Winstead.

$ $ $ and your professional skill level. Ryan Winstead, 10 is a student who works as a lifeguard on the Springfield Park board.

“Choose a job that aligns with your skills and interests, something that connects to who you are and what you like to do,” Said Winstead.

When you are choosing a job, it is important to find a place that pays you appropriately. If you need to, you can ask your parents to help you find a job that pays well. Sometimes you might need to pass up a job opportunity because the pay is too low, and this is okay to do.

“I got a job to save up for the future,

Hayes, 9 who works at the Field of Screams; a haunted house said that he chose it because it pays him decently, and he enjoys doing it.

A job can also help you academically. Even a simple job teaches you communication skills through talking to coworkers and customers. You can learn good time management skills as well, balancing your personal life and work. A job can even help you in sports in some cases. “... it helps with communication, because you have to communicate with employers, and it can help with sports like swimming if you do a job like lifeguarding,” Said Winstead.

Scheduling your work hours can be an important aspect of having a job because if you

22 • FEATURE • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

It is beneficial to get a job in high school, to build professional ability and teach time management and communication skills, as well as help save money for important things, and help prepare you for future aspirations, and it is important to find a job that pays well and is right for you.

“I got a job because I needed something to do with my free time,” Said Hayes.

$ $ $

SPORTS RECAP

JACK WEGRZYN COPY EDITOR

The Central Boys Tennis team ended the season with an overall winning record of (20-6-1), with 16 wins and 4 losses from the Varsity Team and 4 wins, 2 losses, and 1 tie from the JV Boys. On the Varsity side, the Central Bulldogs finished 3rd in the Kickapoo Invitational Tournament, defeating Glendale with 5 wins and 0 losses, losing to Kickapoo in the second round with 4 wins and 5 losses, and finally outplaying Bolivar with 6 wins and 3 losses to claim the podium. At the Springfield Invitational Tournament, 2024 graduates Josh Kim and Pranav Mandava won 1st without dropping a single game.. The Varsity Boys finished off the season as Ozark Conference Champions and with a 3rd place finish in the Team Districts Tournament. At the Individual Districts tournament, Jack Wegrzyn, 10, and Cole Brodeur (who also graduated in 2024) qualified for Individual State in doubles along with Kim in singles, who achieved 3rd in the state of Missouri.

The Boy’s Golf team exhibited many new performances, including a hole-in-one on a par 3 hole by Aidan Gray, graduated, the first from a central player in 2 decades. The golfers competed in tournaments such as the Springfield Invitational, MSU Relays, Ozark Invitational, Ozark Conference, Districts, and eventually the State tournament in their respective class of high schools.

“Our coaches were the real stars of the season. Coach Xander and Coach White motivated us to keep on going further and told us we either give up and lose or we keep on going and start winning, obviously we chose the latter of the two. We started off the season very slow and were I believe 1-6, after that our coaches had a big talk and after that we began to win. We continued pushing and ended our regular season with a six game win streak, defeating Hillcrest in our final game,” A.J. Stanfield, 10, said about the 2023-2024 season as one of Central’s Boys Baseball players.

Despite the several injuries resulting from last year’s Girl’s Soccer season, Coach Nathan Cardoza led the Bulldogs to 9 total wins. The team started the season in winning fashion, defeating Parkview 8-0 and Neosho 6-0 in their first two matchups. They also came out on top against Waynesville, Lighthouse Sr. High, Bolivar, Joplin, Lebanon, Camdenton, and Hillcrest. At the Dixon Tournament, the Bulldogs found themselves in a draw with Dixon and Laquey, neither team out-scoring their opponent.

“I would say that our track team had a diverse team with a few individuals performing very well, while others who just came for the social aspect struggled in their races. I know that for the sprinter’s side, we had two runners (Devin and Dalvin Adams) who made top three in the majority of their events, whether it was the 100m, 200m, or long jump. I think it was Dalvin who made it to sectionals and then eventually to the state level.

On the long distance side, our best girl runner, Alex L won conference in the 1600m which was an exhilarating race as well as a school record for the event. On the boy’s side, we had high performing athletes who were running top ten highest times in school history for the 1600m and 3200m race. Though our team didn’t make it to the state, the Central Track and Field team managed to score record breaking times.”

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • FEATURE • 23

KILTIES KEEP MARCHING ON The Kiltie Corps aims to be the historic heart of Central showing PRIDE. For 99 years they have been doing their Scottish heritage-inspired dances and marches.

“We are the oldest, all-female uniformed drum and bugle corps in the United States. This is our 99th Corps, and we are excited to celebrate our 100th next year,” Coach Wildshuetz said. “We are requested for parades, reunions, funerals, festivals, fundraiser events, and many more activities. When out in the world, the Kilties are like rockstars, people love to see us and cheer like crazy.”

The Kilties Corps has a long history started by R. Ritchie Robertson in 1926. The Central Kilties are the oldest women’s Drum and Bugle Corps in the United States. They are frequently paid to perform in parades and performances around Southwest Missouri.

“We just started our Fling practice,” Eden Olson, 12, said “We have a parade this weekend, so we’re practicing for that.”

Being a Kiltie requires dedication, as one could imagine marching for miles on your toes would not be kind to your legs. Wearing upwards of 20 pounds of wool equipment in the blistering heat is difficult.

The kilties have a lot of practice and exercise.

“We have practice every day except Wednesday so 6:30-7:30 am, we do stretching and then conditioning so that’s usually like running, butt kicks, and high knees,” Bee Combest, 12, said.

“Then we run through our performance that we’re going to do for our upcoming performance.”

The Kilties are dedicated to the parades once they’ve committed to them.

“Even if it’s raining they will still have us out there performing,” Combest said “Like the Labor Day parade recently we were in our full wool uniforms, and it was hot!”

Their equipment is another factor that needs to be considered when it comes to the understanding of the Kiltie Corps.

“It’s like 25 pounds,” Olson said, “25 pounds of wool.”

The Kilties go to many parades, marching and dancing the way through the parade.

“Our parades are, what, 4 miles long?” Olson

Photo by Paige Bodnar

REESE WOOD PAGE DESIGNER

said “You’re marching and dancing and you’re playing almost the entire time” “A lot of people get weird when we say it’s a hard sport,” Combest said “But it is.”

The Corps is large with 37 members, meaning that they need multiple different leadership jobs. Needing Captains and Assistant Captains for each section. With a Major and assistant Major to lead the whole Corps. There is also a Cabinet in charge of the whole process.

“On our cabinet, we have people in charge of spirit and events and they will plan how we celebrate,” Combest said, “We try to have as many hangouts outside so we are not just working friends.”

The social scene for the Kilties is a complex relationship. With many outings to bring the Corps closer together.

“It is more common for people in the same section to be closer,” Olson said. Combest added, “Sections are more comfortable with each other, I think it is very easy for others to branch out and become friends because we do a lot of co-mingling.”

The social aspect of the Kilties allow for teaching and learning between the Kilties.

“Kilties teach each other their instruments and dances, they don’t come already knowing how to play,” Wildschuetz said, “Kilties are one of the hardest working organizations at Central. Just the practice, performance, and learning a new instrument takes months and intense dedication.”

“We have a parade every Saturday in September, October, and most of November. You can find it on our Instagram and Facebook,” Wildschuetz said.

If you want to go to view and support our Kilties you can go to the following preformances.

- Nov 2nd Willard Veterans Day Parade - Nov 9th Marshfield Veterans Day Parade - Nov 16th Ozark Christmas Parade

Photo by Emily Hernandez

24 • SPORTS • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

Photo by Emily Hernandez

Central Esports: Expansion

Rockey League Photo by Psyonix LLC

Central ESports is back with a new lab in room 209 this year, and now is a great time to join.

Central ESports has teams for many games, including Overwatch 2, League of Legends, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, and Mario Kart. Now is a great time to join, as there are openings on all teams, and they accept all skill levels.

“I don’t think a lot of students think of video games as a thing they can compete in, so they think about it as something that is downtime,” Eric Grate, English teacher, and E-Sports coach said, “and they don’t want to do it competitively or are worried that they are not good enough

Overwatch 2 Photo by Blizzard Entertainment

to do it competitively not realizing that we have different skill levels.” Coach Grate also talks about the stigma of being on the E-Sports team.

“We recognize that we are not a mainstream or as popular or as easily accepted as traditional sports,” Grate said, “but esports is something that I don’t see going away and the acceptance for it in the district has obviously grown over time.” Dalton Sly, math teacher, and Overwatch ESports coach, notes the same thing.

ABBOTT SCHMIDT REPORTER

“One big struggle of the ESports team is the prejudice, and the stereotyping, the outward appearance of: ‘You’re just sitting there playing games, you aren’t an actual activity’,” coach Sly said, “It turns out, we are classified as athletics, ESports is an athletic event. We are getting it less and I appreciate it but the first years we were offered it was very much that attitude from students and teachers, and it was very difficult to try to really just recruit anyone because no one wanted to be associated with it.” However, there are so many good reasons to join Central ESports.

“Beyond being involved with your school, we have sent students to college for esports…,” coach Grate said, “One student, the first year we had our time, he was already a well-ranked Super Smash Bros player, he ended up going on a full scholarship because he was a Super Smash Bros player.” If you want to join, there are all sorts of games you can play, at an advanced or beginner level.

“New lab is in 209, a fantastic space with so much more room for everything that we are operating this year,” coach Sly said, “Game days are Rocket League and Smash on Mondays, Beginner Overwatch on Tuesdays, Experienced Overwatch on Thursdays,” Also, the coaches are trying to get an official Apex Legends team, so that might be available in the winter. Both coaches and players expressed that what they wanted in a teammate was not skill but communication and open-mindedness.

“A good teammate knows how to take criticism because sometimes you just need a second set of eyes on something…,” Caleb Harrison, Senior, and Varsity Overwatch player, said, “You need to be open-minded to the fact that you make mistakes and everyone else makes mistakes and you need to take everything somewhat seriously.” Eli Brown, Senior, and Varsity Overwatch player, agrees.

“A good teammate is one that can take criticism, and respect everyone else on the team. Ego gets in the way of a lot of things,” Eli Brown said. Most of all, if you want to be part of one of the best teams in the region, Central ESports is your team.

“We have been regional champions three times, once for League of Legends, once for Overwatch, and twice for Rocket League. When we were regional champs in Rocket League we got to actually go to St. Louis and play the state championship in person,” coach Grate said. There are so many reasons to join Central ESports, but

there are also exciting moments.

“My most exciting moment was last year, my Junior year, after our last game of the season before state, and we had won fully flawlessly, we hadn’t taken a single loss to any team we played our coach, Mr. Sly, he stood up on his desk and gave a very emotional speech. I was very proud and very excited, that was my most memorable moment,” Caleb Harrison said. Finally, Central ESports serves as a community for students they wouldn’t normally get.

WWCoach Sly said, “ESports serves a really underrepresented population of students, that really don’t get a home at Central otherwise, we have a ton of students that aren’t in other clubs and other activities that have chiseled out a place for themselves in ESports and we are always willing and open to take them.”

Mr Dalton Sly

Mr Eric Grate

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • SPORTS • 25

Stepping With The Stars EMMA LEWIS REPORTER Entering the fourth year following their revival, Central’s Step Team has taken the student body by storm. A common fan-favorite when it comes to all things spirit, Step Team’s mass popularity inspires students to look back in Bulldog history and examine how they reached such a level.

“The Step Team started at Central around 2002,” Coach Ashley Felton, an assistant principal at Central, said.

“From what I have been told, the person who started the Step Team wanted a place where she and her friends felt comfortable. The reason why we restarted the team was because a junior found out that her sponsor did not have the time to do it anymore, so she went around asking people to be the new sponsor. Really, it was student driven. We exist because students wanted it.”

Since its reinitiation, the Step Team has grown from three individuals to ten returning members. With this increase in numbers has come consistent placement in both in-person and virtual step competitions, alongside growing public attention from Central students.

“I think everyone’s first performance, the nerves are really high,” Isabella Ramirez, 11, said. “Afterwards, though, after seeing the overwhelming support from the student body, they kind of ease away. We always try to maintain our confidence, because we know that the students are really supportive of our team!

It’s my favorite part of assemblies, being

able to get things hype and energize the crowd. It makes all the hard work and struggle worth it.”

A major focus of Central’s Step Team has been a prioritization of student engagement and school spirit, the group consistently present at a variety of events. This exchange not only benefits Central’s assemblies and games, but inspires the team to continuously improve.

“We’ve refined what our stepping looks like,” Erica Fernandez, 10, said. “Things like straightening our blades, getting the loudest claps and stomps, facial expressions, and small details are things we try to improve. Each member makes their own step and, right now, we have twenty-three steps!”

While the students have gotten to a point where they can create their own choreography, the team credits their coaches’ initial teachings as

All Photos by Paige Bodnar

the source of their success. Felton, particularly, provided much of their early knowledge, having taught the group basic steps that she learned from college.

“I could say so much about Dr. Felton and Coach Marshall,” Fernandez said. “They’re both lovely people, strict when they need to be. Dr. Felton isn’t always at practice, but it’s reassuring whenever she corrects our mistakes until we get it right. Coach Marshall is always with us, and I couldn’t be happier! She always knows what we need to work on. They both watch out for all of the members, and they commit so much for us.”

Under Felton and Marshall’s leadership, the

26 • SPORTS • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

steppers have engaged with the community in a multitude of ways. Volunteering at events such as car washes and parades, their outreach has solidified their position as a role model for other local step teams.

“I think I am most proud of the team for being such a role model for step teams in Springfield,” Ramirez said. “I believe we are the first high school step team, and so many other step teams have budded and grown since we started, which I think is so cool. We have continued to persist and uphold our reputation, so I’m proud of that, as well. We have a lot of competition accomplishments but I think the impact we’ve had on our city makes me even more proud.”

Step is an extremely dedicated group, practicing Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays until 5 p.m. The steppers remain invested in academics, allotting 45 minutes of the aforementioned practices to working on homework.

“They are seriously some of the hardest working individuals in this school,” Felton said. “They keep their grades up and they participate in a myriad of other school activities. Really, I am just proud of them. They are amazing humans.”

Dancin’ Dawgs NADIA FINAN REPORTER Central High’s PomDogs have lots of new routines for the 2024-2025 season. New routines that the captains and coach created will be performed at various assemblies, showcases, and games.

“Most of the routines we have are based off of routines we get at the Universal Dance Association Camp (UDA) that we do over the summer,” Pomdogs coach, Collyn Riley, said.

UDA is a camp that Pomdogs attend over the summer. This year they came back with 4 All American Qualifiers.

“They (UDA) give us the choreography and music, it’s up to the captains how much they use and how much they rework it,” Riley said.

The captains and coach can decide whether they want to change the music or dances to appeal more to the student body.

“Songs for the past two years haven’t been very exciting,” Co-captain of the team, Carolina Kessinger, 11, said.

The whole team gets a say in what music they think the majority of the student body will like.

They choose songs that will make the student body feel more excited.

“We want to try and hype up the student body more,” Kessinger said.

A couple songs they have planned for this year include “Are You That Somebody?” by Aaliyah and “Take Me Home, Country Roads”

by John Denver. ”For Country Roads, we just took the song the band gave us and tried our best to find that flow,” Co-captain of the team, Sophia Brown, 11, said.

“Take Me Home, Country Roads” will be performed on October 25th at a Central football game along with Bulldog Band. The captains had to adjust the routine to try and make everything flow well with the music.

“Choreographing dances is all about listening to the music and trying to find that flow,” Brown said.

Brown, Kessinger, and Riley choreographed all the dances for this season, taking inspiration from UDA routines.

“I go to a dance studio and just listen to the music, I imagine what would look best and the choreography just kinda comes to me,” Brown said. “Sometimes I know I want to go in a certain direction and sometimes I just use improv.”

“I start with base choreography and focus on the beats and accents of the music, then add some technical skills,” Kessinger said. “After that, I add more layers to make it interesting and avoid repetitiveness.”

Although choreographing styles are different between captains, they both focus heavily on the music.

“Changing dances normally depends on if there is an issue with timing or formation,” Kessinger said.

Neither of the captains nor the coach said they would change anything about the routines so far.

“I’m feeling good about this season, the team is learning new dances quickly and I’m positive that we will get to learn more routines,” Riley stated.

Routines they have planned so far include Hello Day, Homecoming, and Band Routine.

“Coach Riley choreographed Hello day, and the rest of the routines are split between the captains,”

All Photos by Paige Bodnar

Kessinger said.

They plan to perform at football games, basketball games, Tournament of Champions, and even a volleyball game.

“We have a new hip-hop routine to perform at football games and a pom dance with the color guard,” Kessinger said.

Not all routines are planned yet but there will be another hip-hop and jazz routine next semester.

“The captains and I are very excited for this upcoming season, and believe that the routines and team together will be great!” Riley said.

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • SPORTS • 27

CHEERING ON CHS GRANT PICKETT J2 REPORTER The Central High School (CHS) cheer team has worked this year to bring back school spirit. The team has been attending more and more events, promoting school camaraderie and the sports teams of CHS. “We talked about setting an intentional goal of how we are going to increase school spirit. Some of our intentions were to help promote games more and to work closely with our new cabinet to increase the spirit throughout, and so utilizing cabinet and partnering with them to get the word out to bring up the spirit,” Veronica Smith, coach and teacher at CHS, said.

Coach Smith and the cheer team have come up with ideas that they want to implement at assemblies, games, and competitions.. Smith thought of adding more school communion while at a cheer camp in June.

“We met with the company UCA (Universal Cheerleading Association), which is promoting cheerleading and trying

to increase spirit within all schools,” Smith said.

This became her goal as well, leading to new ideas for the cheer team to try out.

“I think, also in association with the cabinet, we were really trying to get the grades more involved in …the cheers that we do, And we’ve definitely changed some of the cheers ourselves to get the crowd more involved with shorter and less wordy cheers,” Scarlett Regions, 11, said.

Regions believes that the team has worked hard to keep the crowds lively. She shows up with her team to each school event wearing her cheer attire, further pushing and promoting cheerleading.

“I think that it shows that we as a school can be a community and … show up and be more serious with sports while also just being able to collaborate with other clubs and Cabinet,” Regions said.

Regions’ enthusiasm about the team shows that she takes cheerleading seriously, and wants to help make other people take it seriously by supporting their school. Regions has enjoyed her time on the team, cheering with a close group of friends and growing closer to her coach and community.

“I love my team, I think this year we have a group of really talented girls and even whenever we struggle, I feel like we all get along,” Regions said.

Selena Oghlokian, a freshman and new cheerleader on the varsity team has expressed that she really likes being on the team this year.

Oghlokian feels that her team is a group of positive and open minded people that she can trust.

“I just love coming into practice every day, and there is not one person on the team who I don’t like. I come into practice and I’m literally happy to see everybody,” Oghlakian said.

Though Oghlokian has cheer experience, this is her first year cheering for a school. Compared to the competitive cheer she did in middle school, Oghlokian has stated that her new team at Central has been much more welcoming and very inclusive. She enjoyed her time cheering at the first football game of the season, while also preparing for more to come. As for plans for the rest of the year, the cheer team has multiple upcoming events.

“So coming up really, really fast in a couple weeks on September 29th, we’ll compete in the Missouri Cheer Coaches Association. They are a traditional regional competition in Kansas City.

From the Kansas City regionals, we’ll compete at traditional state on November 2nd at Mizzou.

So we’re really excited for that as we’re getting ready for it,” Smith said.

These upcoming events are just a fraction of what the cheer team has planned for this year. Whether it’s for Homecoming, football,

Photo by Ollie Francis

Photo by Emma Gugliotta

28 • SPORTS • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

The Less Than Magical Fall of J.K. Rowling It’s surreal to think that merely five years ago I went around telling people that I used to live across the street from J.K. Rowling as a piece of trivia that I was strangely proud of. I have never read Harry Potter, nor have I watched any Harry Potter films. I have little to no relationship with the series outside reading summaries and watching clips. Despite this, I still enjoyed parading my status as J.K. Rowling’s former neighbor simply because she was J.K. Rowling.

One of the most successful authors of all time, one of the most influential women in the world, and the creator who shaped the childhoods of so many people. Nowadays, whenever I bring up the fact, it’s still a fun piece of trivia, but for entirely different reasons. What once was taking joy in how lucky I was to live across the street from such an impressive person, is now laughing bitterly at the fact that I was only a street away from such a loathsome person.

I’m not here to debate whether or not J.K. Rowling is transphobic, because the answer is obvious. The people who still claim she isn’t are either ignorant or naive. Rowling’s stance on transgender people came into the public eye five years ago when she stood up for Maya Forstater, a woman who was fired from her job for making tweets misgendering trans women and saying transitioning from male to female was impossible. Since then, she’s spread misinformation about boxer Imane Khelif being transgender and painting her as a cheat, falsely claimed that transgender people weren’t targeted by the Nazis, and donated money to organizations wishing to challenge laws that classify trans women as women.

However, simply recounting Rowling’s various transphobic actions isn’t what interests me the most about her story. What is interesting about her story is that there has been an increase in content online critical of Harry Potter, not just analyzing the story itself, but what the story tells us about J.K. Rowling as a person. While these criticisms of Harry Potter did exist before Rowling became a disliked public figure, they surged in popularity once her stance on transgender people became the main thing she talked about online. These criticisms analyze what the story has to say about societal issues and how that reflects on Rowling’s own personal beliefs, and they are often not positive.

The most popular of these pieces of content

is a video by the YouTuber Shaun, simply titled ‘Harry Potter’. The video has amassed over six million views and has a like-to-dislike ratio of over nine to one. In it, he makes several criticisms of the Harry Potter books, bringing special attention to a house elf character who becomes depressed after being freed from slavery which Rowling uses to justify why the house elves need to be kept enslaved, how the novel never truly criticizes the power structures themselves in the story and only criticize the people using the power structures, and how most of the women in the story take a backseat to the male characters, along with the generally regressive way that overweight people are presented. The conclusion of the video is that these parts of the story reflect Rowling’s own personal ideology as a neoliberal, someone who is comfortable with the status quo and only wants to work within it, not accepting any major societal change.

While your mileage will vary depending on your own beliefs, it is undeniable based on the video’s popularity and general positive reception that the arguments made in it are, to an extent, persuasive.

The conclusion can also be used to explain Rowling’s negative attitude towards transgender people, simply because she hates major societal change in general. Overall, the video paints Rowling as a person who does not see problems with the way things are and thinks that the systems that currently exist do not need to be changed, the only problem is that sometimes bad people take advantage of them. This is not the only video that comes to this conclusion, as I’ve seen quite a few that focus specifically on how Rowling poorly handles female characters, or how the ideology of the story is fundamentally submissive to authority.

I do not have a positive opinion on Rowling at all. However, I also don’t think it’s completely fair for me to judge the validity of the arguments made in videos about Harry Potter simply because I have not seen Harry Potter. What I can judge is that while these arguments haven’t done much to stifle the series’ overwhelming popularity, a significant amount of people think they’re true.

When I consider what I do know about J.K. Rowling from social media, and pair that with these critical arguments, they make quite a bit of sense to me, and I know I’m not the only one. Lifelong fans of Harry Potter have echoed these same sentiments, even though they still love the series.

The most fascinating thing about J.K. Rowling,

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to me, is that things did not have to be this way. She could’ve just continued to live out her life in her castle, making royalties from her unbelievably successful series, and would’ve gone down in history as one of the most acclaimed authors ever.

Instead, she decided to vocally fight in favor of her bigoted stance, and thus has redefined her legacy. Not just as a person, but as an author. People have gone back to analyze her stories keeping who she is as a person in mind, and criticized them based on that. These criticisms have gained popularity and approval from a large number of people. But these criticisms never would have been as successful as they are today without Rowling’s own behavior prompting people to view her stories through a different lens. Rowling’s legacy is completely unrecognizable from what it was just five years ago, and it’s all her own fault.

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • OPINION • 29

SMALL-SCALE WORLD PEACE Our culture consistently refers to “world peace” as a concept that is not only vague and nonspecific, but entirely out-of-reach. While society collectively agrees that peace and positivity are fundamentally good principles, its members often neglect to consider how individuals can contribute to such ideals. However, I encourage you to challenge this mindset. Peace can extend far beyond relations among diplomats and conciliators, the option of goodness existing even among the least influential civilians. With all that is going on the international stage, now is a more important time than ever to ask the following question; how can we be proponents of good on a small scale, within the walls of Central?

High school drama is something our readers are all too familiar with. It never seems like such a big deal, when, all of a sudden, you have so-called “enemies” at every corner. Going into a new school year, specifically, there may be preexisting feelings of resentment towards others among the student body. The world will tell you that there isn’t any benefit to forgiveness, that it’s funny to be a hater, but there’s so much more to it than that.

We aren’t meant to be weighed down by feelings of hatred - this is entirely antithetical to the idea of peace.

With my position in this magazine, I am presented with a unique opportunity. Whereas other forms of journalism involve a strict avoidance of editorializing, an opinion piece allows the author to intentionally plant their own beliefs into a piece of writing. As I weave my own views into the Central High Time’s 99th issue, I want to leave readers with the following perspective on life; everything can absolutely transform when you begin to approach all things with love and understanding. Hearing this, your mind doesn’t 30 • OPINION • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

immediately jump to the smaller issues such as high school drama, but I have found this to be one of the most relevant applications of such an attitude.

“Gossip is as old as time,” Molly Gray, sponsor of the student organization Peer Mediation, said. “Avoiding it can be difficult for anyone, especially at the high school level.

It’s furthered by social media and the ability to spout any opinion or salacious detail as fact, often without any consequence. Students can separate themselves from the ‘gossip culture’ by simply not taking part in it. We should all take a step back and pause before instantly spreading rumors and gossip.”

Reading an undeniable statement like this, it can be easy to agree without consideration of your own behaviors. Because routine gossip is so normalized in daily life, it is important to be intentional about recognizing your own faults. I myself have fallen victim to doing so, discussing the harms of gossip while simultaneously perpetuating it. Although you may already be sure of your stance on the culture of gossip, try to think objectively about how you yourself may be contributing to it. This can be difficult to discern, but it is extremely rewarding to separate yourself from these behaviors and progress towards a more mindful version of yourself.

Considering its vast implications, gossip is simply not worth it. In the grand scheme of things, it is so much more beneficial to radiate love and kindness than to engage in some brief, shallow conversation. The words said in such conversations can hold so much more weight than you ever intended, further affirming an avoidance of gossip as a useful rule of thumb to follow.

However, sometimes it’s not the little things.

Sometimes it’s not a matter of crushes or some peer insulting your hair, but actions of others that have deeply impacted you. Serious, hurtful situations can be a reality for all ages, regardless of whether or not we choose to acknowledge it. Whether it’s a matter of gossip

EMMA LEWIS PAGE DESIGNER Photo by Caption..

or personal damage, of frivolous conversation or nuclear accusations, forgiveness remains an essential part of upholding peace.

Presented with situations of shock or distress towards others actions, humans often cling to feelings of resentment. It is a defense mechanism in response to our pain, leading to short-term feelings of safety and security. Even though the world normalizes it, holding resentment towards others can often be a faulty solution.

Instead, choosing to forgive can bring closure to situations that feel otherwise unresolvable.

“The best way to deconstruct feelings of resentment is to truly listen to the other person,” Gray said. “By taking on the perspective of another we can see the reason and the why behind their actions, not just the action alone without context. Many times, the conflicts we see in mediations have deep seated origins and stem from feelings and emotions unaddressed.”

When it comes to healing the wounds of prior conflict, forgiveness tends to be infinitely more effective than holding a grudge. Whereas resentment can be a band aid solution to a much deeper issue, approaching forgiveness necessitates coming to peace with what may have happened and deconstructing previous views of the situation. At first reading, this process may sound absolutely impossible.

However, while it is certainly easier said than done, there are outside sources that aid in the rewarding road to forgiveness.

“Anytime students - or adults for that matter can come together and listen to each other’s perspectives, it’s a powerful thing,” Gray said.

“Even if no forgiveness happens in a mediation, the fact that two people are sitting down and working out their conflict in a civil, measured way, is a huge win. We need peaceful, civil

discourse more than ever in our society, and Peer Mediation helps teach that, providing a great learning experience and tool for Central students.”

Although it can be challenging to initiate the process of forgiveness, one effective first step is humanizing the individuals involved and attempting to understand where they may have been coming from. Following fallouts among peers, it can be easy to construct negative narratives of others within your head.

Looking at situations objectively and rationalizing the other person’s actions, specifically in connection to your own habits and faults, can lead to a much more accurate view.

“Students can approach situations with understanding by trying to take on the perspective of ‘the other,’” Molly Gray said. “We have become so polarized in our thinking, due in part to social media and the limited view it often presents.

Un f o r t u n a t e l y we collectively think in ‘black and white’ terms, where there is only one clear answer, when truly most situations are vastly more complicated and require patience and understanding to reach a resolution.”

Ultimately, it is essential to have hope for the end of conflict.

Things will not always remain the way they are right now, and the wounds of prior pains won’t sting so much forever.

You are certainly not alone in the road to conflict resolution, a variety of sources existing to aid in said journey. While it may be difficult, such a process is rewarding in a way that I cannot even begin to put into words. Good luck, Central students! With time, I have hope that we can collectively achieve our own versions of smallscale world peace.

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • OPINION • 31

brat; The Death of Clean Girl

LUCY CAPLINGER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

brat summer - loud music, slouchy white tank tops, and no fear of simply existing. In July of 2024, Charlie XCX, a British pop star, released her sixth studio album; brat.

Brat easily took the world by storm - it isn’t just music, it’s a cultural phenomenon. If you have never heard of it, let me give you a quick rundown on brat culture and all of the events that have led us here. Charlie XCX has been in the music industry since 2007, when her parents gave her a loan to start working on her first album, 14. Her second album and first studio hit, Sucker, came out six years later in 2013.

Charlie XCX has had songs on the charts her whole career, but brat was something completely different. It was obvious to fans that this was the kind of music she was meant to be making, with brat highlighting the best of her musical abilities.

Much more than just mainstream music, brat became a lifestyle.

Whereas most trends have a long form catalog full of commission links and need-to-buys, brat is all about authenticity. Sure, with every trend there is an all around aesthetic to follow, but for brat, it feels different. Think about last summer’s big trend, Barbie. You could not escape the color pink, the brand collaborations, and “I’m just Ken” was on repeat in everybody’s brains (and on their Spotify wrapped). While seeing Barbie in a room full of teary eyed teenage girls wearing bright pink mini skirts and feather boas is an experience I would never give up, brat serves an entirely different purpose.

I would say that all trends since the creation of social media have been used as vehicles for

Photo by Resident Adviser

Photo by @gjhhaai on Pinterest

32 • OPINION • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

Album Cover, brat, designed by Studio Offer, Inc.

capitalism and consumerism. You need these specific jeans in order to accomplish city girl, you have got to have this exact lip liner if you want to exude fall girl energy. Every it-girl is wearing these shoes, so why aren’t you?

But brat? The only thing you need is the music and to just not care. So many people can exist in this cultural space. It doesn’t matter what you look like or what clothes you wear.

Some trends feel like this exclusive club that everybody, but you, got an invite to. “Clean Girl,” one of the most popularized inventions of Gen Z, is the epitome of this. Slick back buns and dewey makeup. A simple structured light wash jean and iced matcha.

I’ve always had this inkling that the Covid-19 pandemic was the driving force behind the Clean Girl’s rise to fame. We lived in a world where, for so long, everything was a mess. Our rooms, our minds, our futures. An easy way to combat that is to act the complete opposite. Thus, our clean girl was born. Every video regarding this trend is some sort of ad for makeup or hair gel or silk sheets that you absolutely need if you want to get that effortlessly clean girl sleep.

This is true for most trends, but brat isnt asking you to buy something. brat, more than anything, wants you to exist loudly and unabashedly as yourself. Followers of brat make mistakes, they say stupid stuff sometimes, but it’s all a part of the aesthetic.

Clearly there has been a shift. Up until now, my generation’s biggest cultural footprint has been the put together clean girl look. It’s funny to me that one of the youngest generations

“You’re that girl who is a bit messy, loves to party, and maybe says dumb things sometimes. She’s honest, blunt, and a little bit volatile. That’s brat.” Charlie XCX.

has decided we are not allowed to have acne or stretch marks or two-day mascara. This huge demographic - of what is virtually entirely teenage girls on the internet - have built this box around themselves. In order to succeed in life, the clean girl needs a hair mask once a week and an everything shower. The clean girl needs pristine white baby tees and waterproofed Uggs. Clean girls do not wear bright colors, they are neutral. They are not only neutral with their clothing, but with their minds. The clean girl has no big opinions, no loud thoughts - she would never sing messily at karaoke. She is cutesy, mindful, demure.

Demure is a new word in the trend cycle. It goes along with this idea of being a clean girl, but focuses more on the mindset.

I personally am not a fan of the demure trend. Most of the media I have consumed surrounding it has been harmful and feeding into the idea that taking up a lot of space is a bad thing. I have no idea the intention that the original creator had when making her TikTok, but what it has turned into is popularizing being quiet, shy, and timid. I don’t think being demure is a bad thing, but expecting it from everyone is unreasonable.

My newest hypothesis is that the girls are ready to go feral. People are craving caring less, or giving themselves the freedom to care too much. Everyone has pimples and rolls and soon to be wrinkles, so why are we spending so much time hiding these parts of ourselves when in reality they are the norm? Being authentic is in, pretending to be perfect is out.

This isn’t to say that I don’t totally respect and appreciate the greatness in natural beauty.

I like dewey makeup and a fluffy brow. I like Sambas and Summer Fridays. What I don’t like is promoting this Brandy Melville one-size-fitsall lifestyle that, in reality, does not.

Sometimes trends manifest similarly to religions. A list of rules you have to follow, music that you can and can’t listen to, things that if you do wrong you will no longer be acknowledged in that space as the perfect (insert trend name here) girl. This comes with a uniform you need to fit in - you could spot a coquette girl, a star girl, or a granola girl in a crowded subway. brat doesn’t have any of these. In a world where aesthetics are religion, brat is a philosophy.

It’s a suggestion; be yourself.

Photo created by Lucy Caplinger with Shuffles

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • OPINION • 33

Albums of Fall JACK HERR COPY EDITOR

Above: Link to collected playlist

Autumn is an especially aesthetically pleasing season, perhaps more than its counterparts later in the year.

It is the time of pumpkins, spices, pumpkin spices, seasonal festivities, treats, and music most of all. To make sure your fall activities are synched to quality tunes, I personally have selected a few albums and consulted my fellow students to round out the list to a solid five, making sure to incorporate variety and novelty in the final selections.

The album that immediately stood out whenever I set out to write this article was not an album in and of itself, instead being a soundtrack of a classic fall film. It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown was released in 1966 and has remained a cult classic since. The movie is underscored by soft jazzy music, composed by Vince Guaraldi.

Guaraldi uses piano to create a warm and comfortable listening sensation, as you are transported to the wonderful animated world of The Peanuts. I found that this soundtrack would be excellent for studying or focusing in general, as it is instrumental, engaging, and doesn’t get old quickly. My favorite tracks on this record were Linus And Lucy, The Great Pumpkin Waltz, and Graveyard Theme.

For the next fall album, I selected a bit more of a deep cut. High Tide by Elephant Foot is an excellent, groovy, indie album from a local Missouri band. The Columbia-based group has been producing music for the past four years, yet only now have released an album including their previous singles, as well as some new tracks.

Most of the other albums on this list fall into the soft, calm, folksy, vein; on the other hand, High Tide has more

of a groove to it. The use of guitar and bass, paired with the vocalist’s gravelly voice makes this music sound reminiscent of older rock tunes, yet feels distinctly modern. Dubious and Getting On were my two favorite songs on this album, but every track on this record is a good listen.

The third autumnal album on this list comes from the musical stylings of the popular bedroom-pop artist Beabadoobie. Beatopia: Beabadoobie’s fourth album, incorporates both punchy, jarring guitar and light, airy vocals to create a truly unique listening experience. One of the greatest advantages of Beatopia is its range; and that’s part of the reason why this album is so perfect for fall, having songs for sweater weather and sunshine alike.

Beatopia could easily fit into a study playlist, be enjoyed at home, or appreciated on a morning commute. Like the other albums on this list, there are no weak tracks on this record. If I had to choose, Lovesong would be my favorite track on this album, utilizing adept lyricism and an unforgettable chorus, yet Talk and the perfect pair tie for a close second.

The next two albums on this list were selected in collaboration with two other students, in an attempt to democratize my curation. This Is My First Day at Drawing by The Slaps was suggested

by Nathan Mitchell, 12.

This album contains the folksy themes present in all the previous albums, yet has a particular charm it owes to the layering of harmonies and soft melodies. “That simplicity and calming sound are what I love to hear during fall,” Mitchell said, “That sound reminds me of nature and feels perfect during the cool weather and falling leaves”.

This album would be perfect for exploring the outdoors, visiting a pumpkin patch, or simply enjoying the natural world. My personal favorite track on this album is Jane S. Piddy, whilst Mitchell recommended Brief Conversations with Light.

The final album on this list is Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme from the hit 1960s FolkRock duo Simon and Garfunkel. This album was recommended by Grant Pickett, 9 and is a great way to end off this list. Containing a range of songs from happy to sad, through this entire

34 • OPINION • FALL 2024 • CENTRAL HIGH TIMES

album is a quiet, reflective mood. The use of guitar, harmonies, lyricism, and tempo create a unique sensation, yet when listening to each song each track remains very much part of a theme. “I think as a rock band they capture the vibe of the season very well” Pickett said.

Album Cover, Beatopia

Album Cover, High Tide

Album Cover, This Is My First Day at Drawing

Legend Takes on Lullabies John Legend´s latest album My Favorite Dream is a wonderful mix of soft pop and nostalgic yet simple lyricism. The album is Legend’s tenth release and is marketed more to children than adults. It is a set of nine almost lullaby-like songs that create a vivid picture of whimsical and lighthearted themes. This album is Legend’s first venture into children’s music and what I believe is a very strong start. When listening to the album for the first time, I found the lyrics and melodies were rather generic and unprofound.

I am not a huge fan of John Legend’s work, and this felt like another addition to a catalog of music I find boring. However, when I had arrived around the halfway point of the album and had gone to see what the idea behind the piece ultimately was, I was shocked to see that the music was made for kids. Upon realizing this, I restarted the album with a new idea of what the songs were about. Originally, I thought they were too cheesy and poppy with overused romantic love song lyrics. With my new context, I realized that the once cheesy love songs were heartfelt platonic

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family songs. These songs are meant to be sung to a child or sibling, and the album became a very consistent and heartfelt experience.

As for the actual content of the album, there are three songs that particularly stand out to me.

The first was a song called “Safe”. “Safe” is a perfectly named song. The song encapsulates the feeling of a loved one or a parent taking care of you. I felt the song had a reminiscence of Nat King Cole, as it reminded me of traditional Christmas songs and the fall. Near the end of the song, I really enjoyed the background vocals and harsh drums. The second song I found very interesting was a song called “Deep in the Ocean Blue”. This song had what I consider to be some of the best background and production on the album. Legend is accompanied by a choral background in this sea-themed melody. The song almost has a gospel tone to it. His simple lyrics about exploration are offset and contrasted by the grandeur of the instrumentation and background singing. This song and arguably the whole album proves that children’s music does not have to be simple to be understandable and good. Finally, the third song that I very much enjoyed on this album is called “Three Little Birds”. This song follows the same structure as the previous two but I feel like it does it so well that it deserves a mention. The slow

build of simplistic lyrics and melodies that transition into a bold and bright gospel sounds amazing. The song reminds me of original 2000s soft indie rock, a song you might hear on Sesame Street by a guest star. Then it becomes as big and grand as a Broadway finale.

The production of this album is what I believe makes it very special. Furthermore, the production was actually created by Alternative/Indie artist Sufjan Stevens.

Stevens has been known for creating many styles of music across his career, including Indie Folk, Alternative Rock, Indie Pop, and numerous many more. Stevens’s work on the album has really completed for me what the goal of the album was. This is a piece of artistry that is meant for kids but can be enjoyed by adults.

I did not expect to enjoy this album.

I thought it would be more of the same music that John Legend makes. I was very surprised to see that the album has a lot of soul and heart to it. It brings a feeling of joy and family that I have not heard in a while. The album could focus on making a statement or pointing out a flaw in the world. It instead is a simple and happy album that brings a feeling of comfort.

I believe my first opinion of the album was completely wrong, It was not generic or too simple. This album was happy, and I’m glad I could see that in the end.

Album Cover, My Favorite Dream

CENTRAL HIGH TIMES • FALL 2024 • OPINION • 35

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