Communicator: Volume 45 Edition 6

THE COMMUNICATOR MAGAZINE.

VOL. 45 EDITION 6, MAY 2019

All-School Photo 2018-2019

About the Cover FRONT AND BACK PHOTOS BY MIRA SIMONTON-CHAO INSIDE COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE CORON

For this edition’s cover, we present the class of 2019: goofy, silly, random and beautiful. And these images, captured under the heat of two stage lights positioned in the bustling Room 300 many know exclusively as “the journalism room,” are the most raw representation of this year’s senior class. These pictures weren’t meant to be polished, and they certainly aren’t. In the same way that the opening to “Freaks and Geeks” is forever emblazoned in the minds of Netflix bingers across

the country, so will our awkward, smiling faces — in all their flaming glory.

This collection of students, excluding the rare few we were unable to wrangle into room 300 for a personal photo shoot, have filled the halls of Community with their voices and joyous personalities for the past four years. As they move on to the next parts of their lives, we immortalize them within the pages of this magazine.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 14

Gabe’s Gap Year

Gabe Tesar shares his plans for this upcoming gap year, including traveling in Switzerland, college classes and weekend getaways.

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Abroad No More

Fiona O’Rielly spent what was supposed to be her senior year as an exchange student in Mexico. Now, she’s back to complete her final high school year with a different class.

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The Harm of College Reputations

Camille Konrad felt confident and proud of her decision to go to Western Michigan until the people around her minimized her accomplishment because of the school’s reputation.

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Senior Profiles

Eight graduating seniors reflect on their favorite memories, best classes, growth and more during their time at Community High School.

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College Map

From California to Massachusetts, a visual overview of the 2019 graduating class’s college plans for next year.

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50 Things

Fifty things students at Community High School should do before they graduate, as recommended by outgoing seniors.

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Letter from the Editors Dear Readers, At our final production in 2018, the editorial staff wrote a whacky Letter from the Editors and had a dance party to “Come on Eileen.” Now, 364 days later, we celebrated Cammi Tirico’s birthday with ice cream cake and learned how to line dance. Clearly, production hours are quite productive here at the Communicator.

We like to joke around, but as you’ve seen five times this year already, we know how to produce great editions — ones that win both a Spartan Award (state) and Best of Show Award (national).

As we sit here writing one last letter from the editors, we could all too easily look at the past four years and feel sad about letting them go. Instead, we’re looking forward: to graduation, to summer vacation, and to that first year without high school. Yes, we could be sad that the back lawn is still being constructed, or that soon we will have to say goodbye to the comfort we’ve taken for granted these last four years. But instead, we choose to celebrate all that we’ve accomplished and the bonds we’ve made.

Community’s freedom is something that people talk about frequently, but honestly, it doesn’t get talked about to its full extent.

Yes, we get to walk around downtown and buy lunch if we so choose, but we also get to explore who we are as students and people. We form relationships with our teachers that we wouldn’t have at other high schools; we get to find out what kind of students we are and take Independent Studies or college courses to challenge ourselves; we build friendships that hopefully will last for years to come.

As with past senior editions, this is dedicated to the wonderful class of 2019. This year we tried to have the entire edition focused solely on seniors or summer to shine a light on all of the different aspects of this senior class. You will find college features — where they’re going, what they’re doing and how they’re feeling. You will find opinion pieces on the pressure of college and the Common Application. You will find special art and poetry spreads by our talented seniors. We hope that this final edition of the 2018-2019 school year serves to encapsulate the personalities that make up our graduating class and the mark we have left on Community — and, likewise, Community on us.

We will reflect just a little bit on the past four years: we are so thankful to say that we are graduating from Community High School. Thank you to the teachers for making education fun (at times), and thank you to the rest of our class for making it through this wild ride together. Work hard to stay in touch with the ones who matter to you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. This next chapter of our lives is going to be crazy and hard and scary, but together, we can get through it, just like we did this one.

Your Senior Editors,

AVA MILLMAN

ABIGAIL GAIES

WM. HENRY SCHIRMER

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PRINT EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

COPY EDITORS

Abigail Gaies Ava Millman Wm. Henry Schirmer Camryn Tirico

Madie Gracey Loey Jones-Perpich Charles Solomon

WEB EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Mazey Perry

Mira Simonton-Chao Gina Liu Paige Duff

MANAGING EDITOR

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR BUSINESS MANAGERS Owen Kelley Camille Konrad Ruby Taylor

Isabel Espinosa

SECTION EDITORS Evan Ash Elena Bernier Hannah Bernstein Joshua Caldwell Jordan De Padova Atticus Dewey Dan Gutenberg Camille Konrad Zoe Lubetkin Joshua Martins-Caufield Mazey Perry Roxie Richner Andie Tappenden Geneve Thomas-Palmer Sacha Verlon Emma Winegarden Bella Yerkes

DESIGN EDITORS Ella Edelstein Isaac McKenna

VISUALS EDITORS Ebba Gurney iO Soucy

ADVISER Tracy Anderson

MENTORS Lacey Cooper Sophia Rosewarne

STAFF Luke Andoni-Sevas Sophia Berry Benjamin Cooper Leah Dame Brenan Dionne Ethan Gibb-Randall Sarah Wiest Daniel Gutenberg Hope Hesseltine Jenna Jarjoura Benjamin Kessler J Kincaid-Beal Andrew Lafferty Sophia Nunez Shea O’Brien Julian Reinhart Andrea Schnell Zachary Schueler Elijah Shore Joseph Simon Meghana Tummala Tai Tworek Cy Veilleux Nina van der Velde Maxwell Westrum

Follow Us on Social Media! @ communicatorchs @ communicatorchs @ communicatorchs Mission Statement: The Communicator is a student-

run publication and an open forum established in 1974 and created by students at Community High School. The staff of The Communicator seeks to recognize individuals, events, and ideas that are relevant to the community. The Communicator journalists are committed to working in a manner that is professional, unbiased, and thorough in order to effectively serve our readers. We strive to report accurately and will correct any significant error. If you believe such an error has been made, please contact us. Letters of any length should be submitted via e-mail or mail. They become the sole property of The Communicator and can be edited for length, clarity, or accuracy. Letters cannot be returned and will be published at The Communicator’s discretion. The Communicator also reserves the right to reject advertising due to space limitations or decision of the Editorial Board that content of the advertisement conflicts with the mission of the publication. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the journalism staff and not of Community High School or the Ann Arbor Public Schools.

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William “Rick” Singer, a businessman and a former University of Texas tennis coach, is pictured here gaining attention from media outlets after news broke of his involvement in the admissions scandal.

The Admissions Scandal Fifty individuals were charged in court for falsifying college applications and bribing university faculty members in order to gain students’ admission.

BY SACHA VERLON // PHOTO ILLUSTRATION MORRAINA TUZINSKY

With each spring comes a sense of anticipation for college-applying high school seniors; their academic careers culminate in a set of applications used to decide their acceptance or rejection to certain colleges.

That is, unless they were one of the students that had their application information falsified by their parents to get into the nation’s top colleges.

According to the Washington Post, FBI officials accidentally stumbled upon evidence of a college admissions scandal when working on an unrelated investigation last year. Titled “Operation Varsity Blues,” the investigation found that, starting in 2011, parents conspired with third-party organizations and college administrators to falsify their kids’ admissions information in order to gain entrance to top American universities, including Georgetown University, Yale University and the University of Southern California.

In an affidavit written by Laura Smith, a Special Agent for the FBI, 33 out of the 50 charged in the scandal were parents, including Hollywood actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman. The defendants were charged with a multitude of offenses, including bribing college entrance exam administrators to falsify students’ scores; bribing varsity sports administrators to inaccurately claim students as athletes, thus enabling those students to gain entrance into colleges as student 6

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athletes; and laundering money through a charitable organization to hide the source of bribe payments.

Meanwhile, other students are trying to gain admissions to colleges the honest way: through earning good grades, pursuing their passions, and displaying their best selves in their college applications.

“When someone who doesn’t care about academics and higher learning gets into those colleges when they probably had a trash application, that is completely unfair,” said Eric Hughes, a senior at Community High School.

Hughes is not surprised that the wealthy elites charged have top American universities in their pockets; in his opinion, colleges want to take any chance they can to receive endowment funds — even if it means admitting certain students over equally, or more, qualified others.

Parents indicated in the scandal used one of two “side-door” methods to gain their kids’ admissions. Both involved businessman and former University of Texas tennis coach William “Rick” Singer — referred to as Cooperating Witness 1 (CW-1) in the court affidavit — who is affiliated with the non-profit Key Worldwide Foundation (KWF) and, through controlled test centers, allowed test-takers to cheat. Singer told parents to falsely claim their child had disabilities that would allow them to take either the ACT or SAT over the peri-

od of two days instead of one and take the tests in an individualized setting. Singer would then request parents have their kids take the tests at one of two designated centers in order to have a second cooperating witness (CW-2) take the tests for them. Both locations also had proctors that were in on the scheme — Niki Williams at the Houston Test Center and Igor Dvorsky at the West Hollywood Test Center.

The second method entailed bribing college coaches to falsely claim certain students participated in the coaches’ sports. Singer told parents that they could funnel money through KWF disguised as charitable donations. He could then redirect the funds to athletic faculty at top universities, who would agree to admit the students under the athletic title regardless of their athletic ability. Because of KWF’s tax-exempt status, parents were able to transfer funds unnoticed by the federal government.

Many of the universities involved have rescinded applications that were falsified, while some are waiting to further investigate the extent to which the applicants knew about their parents’ involvement in the scandal.

Only time will tell whether American universities will change their ways and value the equal opportunity of students — or the money. C

State Champ Enduring years of difficult training, Grant Griswold lands in third place in Michigan for high school wrestling.

BY iO SOUCY

With a feeling of weight pulling down on his neck, Grant Griswold stands on the third tier of the podium. His ears bombarded with cheering and teenage boys yelling, he stands tall as he takes his place as the third best high school wrestler in the state of Michigan.

The Community High School senior has been wrestling since sixth grade at Scarlett Middle School. Initially practicing martial arts, his father pushed Griswold to at least try wrestling. Though not fully interested or inspired, he thought he’d give it a shot. “[Wrestling] sounded like a transferable skill set,” Griswold said. “It just seemed like it would be a hard sport and that it would be fun... I kept training, and I [became] decent enough where it wouldn’t make sense if I stopped.”

During the beginning of his wrestling career, Griswold experienced injuries that came from practice. With intense growing pains, a series of concussions and a sprained ankle in eighth grade, he continued to perform and push through his mishaps.

But the challenges didn’t end there. As he was apart of Huron High School’s wrestling team, Griswold had a different coach each season.

Given this inconsistency, a coach unaffiliated with Huron became Griswold’s most impactful mentor.

“The most helpful person would have to be Coach Ruffin in Ypsilanti,” Griswold said. “He definitely helped me out a lot. He has a club called Ruffin Trained. Every Tuesday and Thursday after practice, I would go other there. He would help me tighten up some holes in the game, whether it be technique or mental stuff.”

Training at the outside gym created an environment that was constant and manageable for Griswold. As every wrestler has their own techniques and style, Ruffin was able to adjust to his wrestling mannerisms. Though learning from a trained professional helps with detailed technique and moves, his father has been a mentor from the

first day he started wrestling. Previously a wrestler when he was in high school, his father had been Griswold’s constant support, unlike any coach. “[My father] saw my challenges through with me,” Griswold said.

“He’d look up YouTube videos to see if they fit to my style. Wrestling is like fighting in a way because everyone has their own style and they have their own strategies. Over time, you find your identity and your fight style.”

With his father and coaches pushing him to do his best, Griswold was able to compete at larger wrestling meets as a Huron student.

At the State championship, Griswold entered unranked. During quarter finals, he pinned two wrestlers, barely pinning the second in overtime. Moving to semifinals, Griswold faced the previous state champion. He lost by four points but earned the number three rank in Michigan state wrestling.

As if claiming the title of third best high school wrestler wasn’t enough, Griswold also broke two records for Huron High School. He is Huron’s first state placer since the 80s and got a majority number of pins against losses.

Like many high school athletes, Griswold received numerous letters and emails from college recruiters. But Griswold decided to pursue his true passion of engineering and mathematics. In the fall of 2019, he will be attending Kettering University in Flint, Mich. for mechanical engineering.

Despite his vast number of wins in this difficult sport, Griswold believes that it is best to stay humble and selfless; he isn’t one to brag about his wins or to boast about his placement.

“You shouldn’t have to talk about something you do, you should just do it,” Griswold said. “People can talk about you after you do it, [but] a global champion doesn’t need to speak.” C May 2019

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Repositioning

History

The University of Michigan Natural History Museum re-opened in its new home in the Biological Sciences Building on April 14, 2019.

BY WM. HENRY SCHIRMER AND ISABEL ESPINOSA // PHOTOGRAPHY BY ISABEL ESPINOSA

W

alking through the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History (UMMNH) as a child, senior Lydia Stevens was taken aback by the massive amounts of taxidermied animals lining the shelves of the Alexander G. Ruthven Museums Building’s second floor. She visited several times with her school, each time gravitating towards the large mastodon skeletons.

“I don’t remember the building being particularly light and friendly,” Stevens said. “It was kind of dark and cozy and homey. It made the museum a little bit creepier, especially when you’re a little kid. It was already a little bit creepy [with the dead animals] and there was this added dark atmosphere to it.”

When the museum closed in early 2018 to move into the newly-constructed Biological Sciences Building (BSB), Stevens was more disappointed than upset that she could no longer visit.

The decision to relocate the UMMNH was partly caused by the relocation of the U of M Natural Sciences Departments — previously housed in the Ruthven and the Edward Henry Kraus buildings — into the BSB. Both built in the early 1900s, the structures could no longer house the types of technology needed for scientific research and coursework. “[The Ruthven and the Kraus] just couldn’t handle the kind of science that needed to be done,” said Lori Dick, manager of market-

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ing and communications at the UMMNH. “[The move] was really all about getting modern labs for the science and research that’s going on.

As part of that, it was determined to bring the museum into the same building and have it be the public face of the research that’s going on on campus and in this building.”

Despite the relocation of the museum, the Ruthven is not being torn down; the building is currently being renovated to house senior administration offices, like those of University President Mark Schlissel.

The new UMMNH opened to the public on Sunday, April 14, 2019.

However, only half of the scheduled museum opened: the Mastodon exhibit, the Evolution: Life Through Time exhibit, the Tree of Life, the planetarium and dome theatre and a few smaller exhibits scattered throughout. The rest — Under the Microscope, Exploring Michigan, People and the Planet, and two public Investigate Labs — are scheduled to open in November 2019.

“The evolution exhibit will take visitors through time [and] through the evolution of life on earth,” said Erica Noble, a sophomore at U of M and an intern at the UMMNH. Evolution: Life Through Time begins with small organisms and early plants. From there it travels through fish and dinosaurs to mammals and finally ending with humans. The exhibit also features a new dinosaur, a majungasaurus, which has replaced the allosaurus that was

positioned anatomically incorrectly; it would have cost more to fix the positioning of the allosaurus than to buy the majungasaurus. The allosaurus was not the only dinosaur that was position incorrectly. The move to the BSB allowed museum paleontologists to reposition the mastodon bones to more accurately represent the stance and positions of these ancient beasts.

One of the major goals of the move to the BSB was to work art into each of the exhibits.

“We have a few places where we had artists come in and beef up the exhibits,” Noble said. There is a mural at the end of the evolution exhibit and an art installation named Bonaparte located near the planetarium. The side of the mural facing inside the museum is painted with an artist’s interpretation of phytoplankton — very small bacteria that produce around 50 percent of the world’s oxygen; the side of the mural facing outside the museum was constructed with paper mache by community members so that, from a certain vantage point, it forms a specific dinosaur.

The community room in the basement of the BSB hosts a mural of the Huron River that contains a cross-section of the river with a mastodon skeleton in the mud. The mural depicts the different activities that can be done near the river.

“We also expect to have more art as we [expand],” Dick said. “[In addition] to the STEM movement, there’s also a movement called STEAM where you add in the arts because you need to have a creative

mind to solve problems. It’s important to not focus on just science and technology. We’re adding the art to STEM.” Among the many new things at the museum, one of the biggest differences is that visitors could run into scientists at any point in their visit. There are two visible labs where visitors can not only look into them, but also talk to the scientists and researchers at certain times. One is the PaleoPrep lab, where paleontology staff is working on preparing fossils and bones for storage, display or research; the other is the BioDiversity lab, which works with genetics and genomes of different living things, and sequencing them as a way to learn more about them in order to understand the world and its biodiversity better.

Stevens was not able to visit the museum since its opening, due to several projects she had to complete at the end of her school year.

“I’m just excited to see what they did [with the space] and see all of the species displayed in new ways,” Stevens said.

The museum is free for families and individuals, but donations are appreciated so the museum can continue to stay free in addition to creating programs and providing scholarships for school groups to come in. C More details about the museum exhibits and hours can be found at their website, https://lsa.umich.edu/ummnh.

[The move] was really all about getting modern labs for the science and research that’s going on, to bring the museum into the same building and have it be the public face of the research that’s going on on campus and in this building.

OTHER PAGE: The Majungasaurus skeleton, located at the end of the Evolution: Life Through Time exhibit, standing among other skeletons of animals that lived during its time. The skeleton replaced the well-known allosaurus skeleton, due to it being positioned anatomically incorrectly.

LEFT: The male (left) and female (right) mastadons located in the atrium of the Museum of Natural History. They are the only pair of mastadons on display together in the world.

RIGHT: Located near the planetarium and dome theater, Bonaparte is a new art installation that depicts an artist’s interpretation of phytoplankton.

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Jada Green and Robert Maglione drew inspiration for their outfits from the Disney movie “The Princess and the Frog.�

Bella Yerkes and Sophia Rosewarne pose for the camera.

Emma Hoffman dances animatedly within a close circle of friends.

Silhouetted by colorful lights, students take to a vibrant dance floor.

Erika Cheskey chats with Logan Gorman in the midst of the dancing.

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Corinne Burgard sways to the music as she enjoys her senior year prom. Burgard is a Pioneer High School student, but came to CHS prom with her friends.

Nicole Diaz-Pezua joyously greets her friend, Noah Pike, as he arrives at Prom.

Isabel Espinosa and Aris Chalin are greeted by Dean Marci Tuzinsky at the door.

Community High School

Prom 2 0 1 9

Surrounded by students on a busy dance floor, Nic Grofsorean adjusts his bow tie.

2019 | 11for a popular StudentsMay get into formation group dance to the song “Wobble,� by V.I.C..

A Starry Night to Remember

BY LACEY COOPER AND LILY SICKMAN-GARNER

On Friday, May 3, Community High School (CHS) students gathered at Washtenaw Golf Club for a night of music, dancing and delicious food. To match the dance’s Starry Night theme, a recreation of the Van Gogh painting hung on the wall and bright lights twinkled around the edges of the room. As the students came in, talking and laughing, their pictures were taken by a professional photographer. Then, they helped themselves to some food at the buffet and began settling into seats around the large, round tables that filled the room.

The center of the event was a large, beautifully lit dance floor and a stereo blaring upbeat music. For those who needed a break from the sound and lights, there was a photo booth by the door, outside of which stood a large patio and a picturesque gazebo that looked out over the golf course.

Jada Green had been dreaming of this night since middle school.

Her green, lily-pad inspired dress was slightly unconventional: a recreation of the dress the Disney princess Tiana wears in “The Princess and the Frog,” which she found online. Her boyfriend, Robert Maglione, wore a bright green suit to match.

“She is the only black princess, and I wanted to be a princess for prom,” Green said. She teased that Maglione had left his frog mask at home.

“I didn’t forget it, I just chose not to use it,” Maglione said jokingly.

“It’s kind of tacky.”

Green and Maglione were not the only students who put meticulous thought into their prom apparel. Mary Grobosky and her group of friends had spent hours getting ready. Nicole Diaz-Pezua and Allison Garcia both chose to wear jumpsuits, wanting to dress with more sophistication for their senior prom.

“This year I wanted to be more classy because it’s my last prom,” Garcia said. “And, it feels like PJ’s.”

Soon the dance floor began to fill with beautifully clad students.

They danced and sang along to classics such as “Dancing Queen” by ABBA and “Classic” by MKTO. A choreographed dance-off got started to “Kiss Me Thru the Phone” by Soulja Boy Tell’em. Mali Chappell-Lakin, a CHS sophomore, attended the dance with her boyfriend Noah Greenberg.

“I thought it was really fun. It was really well put together,” Chappell-Lakin said. “There was also a lot of good food there. That was great, I’m a big fan of food.” Greenberg, a junior, also enjoyed the ornamentation around the room. “I liked the decoration and overall theme,” he said. In addition to the catering, students enjoyed the music played.

“It was the first school dance that I’ve ever been to that’s played good music,” Romeo Klobucar said. Also a sophomore, he attended the dance with his boyfriend Keagan Messman. Klobucar, a self-described “fashion nerd,” also enjoyed seeing the extravagant outfits. He himself sported a bright pink suit, which he believes lent him a feeling of freedom and self-empowerment.

The suit itself was borrowed from a friend of Klobucar’s, Jay Walker.

Ruby Taylor, a junior at CHS, also attended prom. “The decorations were beautiful, and everybody looked so pretty,” she said. “It was fun to see because usually I only see them in their school clothes.” She especially enjoyed dancing to a Jonas Brothers song that played.

“We had choreographed this dance to it,” Taylor said. “The song came on and we both remembered the dance...It was kind of a full circle feeling.” C 12

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Noah Pike laughs as he dances with his friends Sonja Benjamins-Carey, Samantha Ramser, and Karenna Collins-Thompson.

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iO Soucy and Nanako Fujioka show off their moves.

Sarah Levin strikes a pose.

Eve Shikanov dances with friends.

May 2019 | 13

Searching for the Classroom From Princeton University to New York City and finally to Community High School, Sarah Wiest is on her journey to becoming a teacher and putting down roots.

BY MAZEY PERRY

At Achievement First, Brooklyn High

School, a charter school on the east coast, Sarah Wiest policed. She policed a diverse group of students from many different backgrounds.

Going into the teaching job, she assumed she would be teaching kids, but instead, at the strict charter school, she ended up reprimanding posture and feet position, taking away much of what she wanted to be teaching.

Wiest is currently student teaching at Community High School with journalism teacher Tracy Anderson. She’s attending the education school at the University of Michigan, but the journey she followed to end in Ann Arbor was a long one. Her journey began in an underfunded school district in rural Pennsylvania, where her love of literature took off.

“We had a lack of funding and not a whole lot of teachers who cared,” Wiest said. “We certainly had a handful who were very passionate and I am so grateful to those teachers and owe so much to them, but none of the English teachers assigned books to read.

So even though I loved books, I never learned how to study books.”

That drive to study books is why Wiest is where she is today.

She received her undergraduate degree in English from Princeton University. From there, she moved with her friends to New York City.

“I knew I didn’t want to go into teaching right after college because I still knew I was really young, and I wanted to be a little selfish.

In teaching, you can’t be those things,” Wiest said.

Instead of going into teaching straight away, she picked up an advertising job in the city to support herself. She quickly realized though, that it wasn’t the right fit for her. For the next year and a half Wiest had several teaching jobs, none of which gave her the sense of completion that she was looking for. Until she came across a job in the city of Manhattan.

“I ended up stumbling upon a long-term sub gig at a public school in Manhattan and that made me realize that I am in love with this. I just need to be at a public high school,” Wiest said. “It made me fall in love with teaching again.”

That refound love for teaching is what inspired Wiest to attend graduate school at the 14

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University of Michigan School of Education. She started her student teaching at Fordson High School in Dearborn and received a transfer to Community High School in October 2018.

Wiest has had a positive experience at Community and has learned many things that she wants to take with her wherever she ends up.

“I really think that this school lets you be kids, which you deserve to be. It also lets you all be real people. People that make decisions about their bodies,” Wiest said. “Most high schools are not like that, and they should be.

This process of unlearning my bad habits from charter schools and seeing what it possible when you just trust a student is doing what’s best for them is really powerful.”

She doesn’t know what the next chapter of her life is going to be, but she is okay with that.

“I’ve never really had a plan. I just kind of let things happen and see where I land,” Wiest said.

She does know however, that wherever she goes she will take all she has learned at Community with her.

“Most importantly, I want to let my students make decisions about themselves and their bodies and their identity, while also giving them the support needed to navigate this weird time that is high school.” C

Absent With Disadvantages

Brian Thompson has been away from school for long periods of time, trying to cope with the disorders that make learning difficult.

BY JOSH BOLAND

S

chool Stress Disorder (SSD), something that 16-year-old Brian Thompson* has been living with for over two years. SSD is an episode of extreme stress from a school related activity which causes a person to panic or feel sick.

“I really didn’t realize it,” Thompson said. “I have had anxiety for a while. I was diagnosed in December.”

Thompson has handled SSD for a while. It has been a difficult time for him and his family. “It’s hard to accept at first, but you got to come to a reality that you may need help,” Thompson said. “You can’t always do everything yourself. Especially for me, it’s been a long journey and hard road.

In a couple of weeks, Thompson plans to attend Mountain Valley, a short-term residential treatment center for students with anxiety disorders and OCD. The center is located in New Hampshire, where Thompson plans to stay around 60 to 90 days.

“Well, since I learned I’m going to Mountain Valley, I haven’t been going to school because it’s pointless since I’m getting credits while I’m at Mountain Valley,” Thompson said. “And realistically, I stopped going to school because it would make me anxious. I’ll maybe get a panic attack in the morning and can’t always focus.”

Thompson has tried several solutions to calm his disorders. Since September he has been prescribed with anxiety medicine.

During his sophomore year, Thompson struggled with depression.

He was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). In September, Thompson was hospitalized. He spent almost a month undergoing inpatient and outpatient treatment, to help him cope with his disorder. At that time, he received a new therapist, new medicine, and a psychologist.

“The medicine certainly helped me out with the depression because my old ones, gave me random spurts where I would get really depressed for no reason,” Thompson said. “My depressions are better, I haven’t felt abnormally depressed in a while, to be honest.” Because of his depression, Thompson missed a lot of schoolwork and class. His parents became concerned for him and weren’t convinced he would change. Thompson’s grades fell. His parents decided that it was best that he focus on his schoolwork, so they told him he could not play high school soccer in the fall. Thompson has continued to play on his travel and recreational indoor soccer team.

Since his incident, Thompson has been able and willing to talk with his therapist.

“I’ve been seeing a therapist, trying to sort out my issues, and trying to work out ways I can get over anxiety like breathing, stretching, and doing simple activities that help me relax,” Thompson said. “She’s good at what she does. I’ve had some people come in. My friends come in and talk to give her an insight on my life. I think it’s helped a lot.

Obviously, it can’t cure everything, but it certainly helped me cope,” he said.

Thompson’s psychiatrist also works in the same building as his therapist. Thompson has been meeting with his psychiatrist once a week.

When his health worsens, he goes to see her two or three times a week.

Their meetings consist of checking in on his health, specifically to see if he has gained or lost weight.

Although seeing a therapist and psychiatrist and taking medicine is helping him, soccer has been his favorite activity since he began playing a little over 12 years ago.

“Soccer and playing on my phone or my computer,” Thompson said. “Those are the things I always do to distract myself. My friends also really seem to calm me down. But these also cause issues where I’m not doing my schoolwork. But if I’m doing my school work, it’s already hard enough with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and it makes me stressed out. It’s kind of a continuous cycle, that is very hard to stop. When I’m with my friends and playing soccer it’s something that I can focus on and be motivated about. It just makes everything easier for me.”

Living with SSD has affected Thompson’s education. He is in his junior year at Community High school. Since he missed so much school this year because of his SSD, his parents arranged for him to take quarter credit, meaning that he would receive half of one of the two semesters Community High has. Teachers at Community High told Thompson and his family that since he was going to Mountain Valley center for the last quarter of the school year, he would be given some help with his academics so he would be on track to graduate at the end of next year.

Leaving home for almost three months has made Thompson nervous.

“I’m not going to always have the things I want, the things that helped me relax, so it’ll be harder for me to cope,” Thompson said.

He is concerned with going so far from home but overcoming SSD is important to him.

“I think it will help me, if I don’t want to go.”

Thompson has been preparing for his future in college even though he has struggled so much attending school. He plans to finish his senior year at Community High and go to a four- year college.

“A normal year, I’d like to get back to that, cause the past two years have been on and off a lot,” Thompson said. “I’m focusing on making sure that I get through high school right now. If I need to I can always apply to a community college as long as I have my high school degree, which I’m on track to get. I may go to WCC, and there’s a good chance I could go to Eastern Michigan. If I get good enough grades I can transfer into Michigan.” C

It’s hard to accept at first, but you got to come to a reality that you may need help.

*Name has been changed to protect anonymity.

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GABE’S GAP YEAR

Gabe Tesar is looking forward to his gap year: full of adventures in Switzerland, college classes and spontaneous weekend getaways.

BY MEGHANA TUMMALA

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Gabe Tesar plays the guitar in the CHS jazz room.

Playing the guitar was something he started doing recently. He likes to play rock music and the blues. “But you can really play anything on the guitar, so hopefully I can do more when I get better!” Tesar said.

At the Hill Auditorium, an eighth grade orchestra played the Egmont Overture by Beethoven. Gabe Tesar, a cellist in the orchestra, felt overwhelmed by the vibrations of all the instruments coming together. He lost himself within the music — no longer caring how he sounded. The uplifting music carried through the audience.

Soon Tesar no longer cared what the audience thought either. He was calm. He was at peace, something he recalled doesn’t happen very often. When it does, it’s shattering.

“It’s really rewarding to put energy and creativity into something and getting better in return,” Tesar said.

Although, Tesar — now a senior at Community — is still passionate about playing music, he doesn’t know what he wants to do in college. Much like with his music, he hopes to put the energy and creativity into a great gap year.

Watching his two older brothers go through two different college experiences ultimately motivated Tesar to take a gap year before going to college. However, Tesar’s gap year is quite unique; he chose not to apply to any colleges, opting instead to go Switzerland for the year.

Tesar’s oldest brother, who is 10 years older than him, went to University of Michigan knowing what he wanted to do — a major in environmental science and a minor in statistics — which allowed him to have a straightforward college process and experience. But Tesar’s other brother, who is four years older than him, had a completely different experience. Initially he went to University of Minnesota, which turned out to not be the right

fit for him, resulting in a tough first couple of years.

“He felt like he had to go to become an academic,” Tesar said. “But that just wasn’t who he is.”

Because Tesar’s brother felt the indirect pressure to go to a Big Ten school — one of the 14 Division I schools in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic — from his friends, he ended up rushing the process, not knowing what he wanted to do. Big Ten schools are also known for their academics, which can pressure students who live in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic to attend these well-regarded schools.

But after Tesar’s brother realized that he didn’t enjoy being at University of Minnesota, he ended up going to the Institute of Production and Recording, a music school in Minneapolis. Now, he’s working in Minneapolis at a music technical institute.

“When you’re going through this whole [college] process, you need to be patient with yourself and not expect yourself to know what you’re doing right away,” Tesar said.

This is why when Tesar entered his senior year, he decided to not rush the process and did not apply to any schools. That’s when a great opportunity presented itself: His mother will be working in Switzerland for the next year. Since Tesar doesn’t know what college he wants to go to or what career he would pursue, he figures he will join his mom in Switzerland.

“I feel like you should just seize your opportunities,” Tesar said. “You shouldn’t feel like you have to go down certain pathways. I saw this opportunity and I’m choosing to see all the good things that can come out of it.”

Tesar plans on using his gap year time to not only travel but to retake some standardized tests (SAT or ACT) and get some recommendation letters from teachers. This allows him to have more time to finish the college process without having to hurry to submit his applications. But since Tesar decided to wait to apply, his senior year grades will also be taken into account by colleges. This means he couldn’t let senioritis get to him. He couldn’t slack off in his classes.

However, once Tesar is in Switzerland, he is hoping that his stay there will allow him to mature and figure out what it is he wants to do in college. He’s looking into taking some classes, specifically European history and German, at a local university. However, his time won’t be spent staying in one place; the first six months he’ll be staying in Zürich, Switzerland (German-speaking region) and the next six months will be in Lausanne, Switzerland (French-speaking region).

But other than those plans, the rest is quite spontaneous. Tesar’s mom will be working from Monday to Thursday, leaving a threeday weekend for the both of them to travel to other European countries.

“I don’t know what I’m looking forward to and that’s sort of the fun in it,” Tesar said.

“I’m just looking forward to maturing as a person hopefully, by living in a different society and experiencing different things.” C LEFT: Unlike other seniors at Community, Gabe Tesar couldn’t risk being affected by senioritis.

So this year Tesar made sure to stay on task.

“I can’t slack off in all my classes and I actually have to try hard,” Tesar said.

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Do Your Part for Mother Earth: How to be a Better Recycler Contamination is a huge problem in Ann Arbor’s recycling system, frequently hindering the sorting process and often causing an increase in products sent to the landfill. So what can you do to help? Here are five things that can’t go in the recycling but don’t have to go to the landfill.

BY LOEY JONES-PERPICH

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SOFT PLASTICS Soft plastics are any plastics that can be easily broken or crumpled into a ball, such as plastic bags and plastic wrap. These cannot be put into curbside recycling, but do not need to go into the landfill.

Zingerman’s, among other businesses, sponsors a soft plastics recycling bin from Recycle Ann Arbor; you can bring all of your soft plastics there to be recycled. Community’s “Impacting Your City” CR is working on funding to sponsor a second bin at Zingerman’s specifically for Community High students. By taking a little extra time out of your day and bringing soft plastics to a bin, such as the one at Zingerman’s, you can keep your single-use soft plastics from becoming waste.

E-WASTE AND OLD APPLIANCES Any old household appliances or other electronic waste cannot be put in your recycling bin. The elements these products usually contain — such as mercury and lead — can contaminate curbside recycling. However, they do not need to be thrown into the landfill; many parts of these appliances can be repurposed or melted down to create new products. If a product is still usable but you are looking for a replacement for your own home, bring it to the ReUse Center. If it is beyond safe use, you can bring it to the Recycle Ann Arbor Drop-Off Center on Ellsworth Road.

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS Because leftover materials from renovations or construction cannot be recycled in curbside bins, they are often sent to the landfill. However, just because they cannot be put in curbside bins does not mean they can’t be recycled! If materials are in good condition and able to be reused, they can be brought to the ReUse Center. If they are beyond use, these materials should be brought to the Recycle Ann Arbor Recovery Yard. Construction materials make up large portions of our landfills but can easily be reused and/or recycled when delivered to the proper facilities.

FOOD WASTE Food waste often contaminates items in the curbside recycling stream, which are then usually deemed unrecyclable and sentenced to a life in the landfill. By emptying food into compost containers or rinsing it out of recyclable materials, you can save recycled items from contamination and keep these materials out of the trash.

STYROFOAM LEFT: Senior Fiona O’Rielly recycles a ziploc bag in the soft plastics recycling bin at Zingerman’s.

RIGHT: O’Rielly demonstrates proper disposal of food waste by putting an orange peel into the compost. O’Rielly is a member of the Impacting Your City CR, which is currently fundraising to sponsor another soft plastics bin at Zingerman’s.

Materials such as styrofoam, packaging materials and bubble wrap cannot go in curbside recycling bins. Styrofoam is actually a common contaminant because it breaks apart in curbside recycling bins.

Bubble wrap can get tangled in machinery and delay the recycling process. If they are unable to be reused, you can bring clean styrofoam and packaging materials to the Drop-Off Station. C

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Senior Year: Embrace the Cheese, or Rush to Finish?

The phrase “senioritis” gets thrown around a lot as seniors enter their final semester of high school. But what really is senioritis?

And is it as prominent as everyone thinks?

BY ABIGAIL GAIES // PHOTOGRAPHY BY ISABEL ESPINOSA

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If you’ve been a high school senior, I bet you can close your eyes and remember what that last semester was like: the excitement of what was ahead, the sadness of leaving your childhood behind and, possibly more noticeable, the evermore-present lethargy. This lethargy seems to be the epitome of “senioritis.”

We may think of senioritis as the “disease” that causes students to slack off towards the end of senior year, to be motivated by the general thought of “Alright, we’ve done what we’re supposed to do, so we can just ‘take the foot off the gas’ and not worry so much about how our last few grades turn out.”

But is senioritis really just students getting lazy? Or is there something more to it?

Brian Williams, a Community school counselor with seven years of experience, disagrees with the traditional definition of senioritis. “[Seniors] might settle down a little bit, but they’re still concerned about their grades,” Williams said. “They want to finish up well. GPA still matters. They finish up strong enough.”

He believes that at Community, most of the seniors still finish up strong, especially if they’re headed to college — selective schools, specifically. At the end of the year, students must send colleges their transcripts once again.

If students’ grades change drastically, the school could rescind their offer. Williams also notes that there isn’t a visible difference between students going directly to college and those taking a gap year, another common senior-year misconception. These students are still headed off to college the year after, so the transcript still matters.

In the classroom though, there seems to be a difference of opinion.

“I find [senioritis] frustrating as a teacher because I watch my amazing students lose interest, lose their motivation and start really not working up to their potential,” said Community’s Anne Thomas, who teaches calculus, a class filled with mostly seniors. “I’ve seen kids that just stop attending, stop turning in work, stop studying for tests, and it can really hit hard. Especially when the weather starts getting nicer — you know, I get that, and I do have some sense of understanding. But it’s frustrating as a teacher, I have to admit.”

A factor determining the intensity of “senioritis” is whether one is motivated intrinsically or extrinsically. If motivation is more extrinsic — motivated through external factors, like college acceptance — there’s often a sense of not having to do as well if the student has already been accepted, as long as they don’t let their grades drop too far.

Extrinsic motivation may decrease after a student is accepted into college, so there’s less of a need for them to perform.

Those who are motivated intrinsically do things based on an internal reward system. Thomas’s daughter, Hannah Rubenstein, graduated from Community in 2017, so Thomas understands senioritis as both a teacher and a parent. Rubenstein was one of those students whose motivation came predominantly from within, so Thomas didn’t notice senioritis hitting her as hard.

“She cared to do well for herself, she cared to just learn things for the sake of learning things, and she always wanted to please her teachers,” Thomas said. “So although I did see her get ‘senioritis,’ I don’t think

it had the impact because she really cared about doing the work for herself.”

While Thomas did notice her daughter getting a little more relaxed towards the end of senior year and goofing around a little more, she knows her daughter always did what was expected.

This is noticeable in other students as well, Thomas points out. It’s not just her daughter that works hard and continues performing well through the end of senior year. There are many students that push past their senioritis, wanting to relax but choosing not to.

Williams, thinking back to his senior year remembers feeling done with the structured daily routine he had experienced for 13 years, which included going to school, doing homework, studying for tests, completing projects and attending extracurriculars. At that point, he said, taking a step back and enjoying the rest of the year was okay.

He now sees senioritis as more celebrating than giving up or getting lazy. His new-and-improved definition of “senioritis” would be the thought that “here’s our last few months, we’re going to finish up well, we’re going to celebrate what we’ve done.”

Community’s other counselor, Amy McLoughlin, thinks Community does a good job of saying “we’re going to celebrate in May,” while preventing the celebrations from beginning too early. Premature celebrating, McLoughlin explains, doesn’t set students up for success later in life.

Teachers at Community are able to find the balance between easing up and still pushing to finish the year off strong. McLoughlin believes that students frequently tire by the end of senior year.

“You have this idea that everything has to be As, everything has to be the most rigorous class,” she said. “So I think that, physically and mentally, students get burned out.”

The pressure to be the best and to get into the best school is not just from family and faculty; peers push each other as much as anyone else.

McLoughlin said high competition levels can lead to students burning out by the end of high school. But peer pressure is also present in “senioritis.” As some seniors miss school on the classic “senior skip day” and partake in senior pranks, they encourage their friends to do so as well.

Another facet of senioritis is dealing with separation issues: While students may be excited for leaving home and starting their next, more independent chapter, many may also be nervous about leaving the safety and familiarity of their childhood. These mixed emotions place seniors on what Thomas referred to as an emotional rollercoaster.

“There’s fear of what that next stage is going to be like; there’s also that longing to hold onto something that’s really good and has gone really well, and figuring out how you let go of that,” she said.

Parents, too, often experience their own emotional rollercoaster.

“I want to let [my daughter] go and watch the person she becomes in the world, but [I] also want to hang on and treasure those moments that [we] still have together,” Thomas said. “It’s hard. [There are] so many mixed emotions.”

The reality is you’re never coming back to high school, so why not just be all in? Be all in and even if it’s cheesy, just be cool with it. Do every senioryear thing that we have because you’ll never do it again, so why not? And I think there’s some joy in that.

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During that last semester, take full advantage of everything that we got for you. It’s the last time where you have all the built-in support and it doesn’t cost anything. Let’s just take full advantage of this. Also, be that senior, do what 17 or 18 year old seniors do, go to the events, go have fun, celebrate being with each other, celebrate being with your teachers. Really enjoy it but still push yourself and finish strong.

Williams views life as a series of transitions, including starting education in kindergarten and continuing into high school.

“Leaving high school is another one of those monumental transitions,” Williams said. “Especially now because you’re at an age where you’re potentially moving out of the house, not having that family support directly with you at all times. For some students, it’s exciting and they can’t wait. For some, it’s a little more nerve-wracking. I think it’s absolutely, 100 percent normal to feel either way. It’s a very real thing, and a very normal thing at the same time.”

While very excited to go to New York City — Rubenstein is currently at Barnard College — and experience the challenging college-level academics, Rubenstein felt strongly grounded by the end of her senior year at Community. Leaving all that behind, to go somewhere different, to start over again was hard.

“I have to say that the hardest time I’ve ever watched her was that beginning part of college,” Thomas said. “That was hard, not so much for her academically, but for her socially.”

As with many high school-to-college transitions, no two students have the same experience: Challenges could involve academics, social life, emotional changes or new-found independence.

Williams recommends a gap year if the emotional transition seems especially challenging. “[Students can] have another chance to get more confident,” Wil22

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liams said. “That’s the way I view the gap year. Then they get that experience where they’re just comfortable, having a little more self growth, finding their identity, understanding their relationship and separation from their family. Then college will be easier.”

In their junior year, students at Community are encouraged to sit down with Williams or McLoughlin to discuss their post-graduation plans. This frequently involves creating a list of colleges to apply to but may also involve preparing students for gap years or even not going to college at all.

Williams and McLoughlin handle the gap year discussion the same way they handle the college discussion: They sit down, hear the student’s thoughts (and parents’, when present) and figure out what the best option is and why.

“The gap year itself can be very different for everybody; there’s not a set definition of what a gap year has to be,” Williams said.

The approach for someone not wanting to go to college after high school is only a little different.

“College isn’t the best fit for everybody,” Williams said. “Four-year colleges might not be right; maybe it’s a two-year program, maybe an associate’s... Looking at what their interests are, what [the students’] talents are, what they can see themselves doing and then helping develop some kind of plan to get them there [is what we do].”

Not wanting to go to college isn’t always a student just wanting to be done with school, Williams explained; sometimes college is just not the right path to follow for the student’s future career.

“It could be that they want to be an auto mechanic,” Williams said.

“That might not mean you have to go to a four-year school, but maybe we can look at doing a two-year program. Or maybe just some certification and experience. That can happen at Washtenaw [Community College], for example. They’ve got incredible programs for those who decide a four-year institution isn’t the right fit.”

At these meetings, McLoughlin and Williams prompt the student to not completely give up on the idea of college but to think of other options.

“We think of it as ‘If it’s not this, but you’re thinking about this, how can we get you to that?’” Williams said.

Advice for senior year can be found in many places — online articles,

I find [senioritis] frustrating as a teacher because I watch my amazing students kind of lose interest, lose their motivation and start really not working up to their potential.

I’ve seen kids that just stop attending, stop turning in work, stop studying for tests, and it can really hit hard. Especially when the weather starts getting nicer — you know, I get that, and I do have some sense of understanding. But it’s frustrating as a teacher, I have to admit.

parents, college students, to name just a few — and vary greatly in the content. Williams, Thomas and McLoughlin have similar but slightly different advice.

“During that last semester, take full advantage of everything that we got for you,” Williams urges. “It’s the last time where you have all the built-in support and it doesn’t cost anything. Let’s just take full advantage of this. Go to the events, go have fun, celebrate being with each other, celebrate being with your teachers. Really enjoy it but still push yourself and finish strong.”

“Believe in yourself,” Thomas advises. “I really hope students have a sense of themselves and they trust in themselves.”

She also encourages students to resist the pull of social media as much as they can; it can lead to a false sense of others doing better than you or having a better life than you, especially in the early college time. When people say “college was the best time of my life,” that is often leaving out the first difficult months of college, as Thomas points out, which can be hard for many. It doesn’t necessarily mean the whole thing was perfect.

McLoughlin advises students to “embrace the cheese.” “The reality is that you’re never coming back to high school, so why not just be all in?” she elaborated. “Be all in and even if it’s cheesy — just be cool with it. Do every senior-year thing that we have because you’ll never do it again. So why not? I think there’s some joy in that.”

She recognizes that some students are dealing with tough, adultlike situations, so often events like prom or Community’s classic senior spork game aren’t as prominent in their minds.

“If you think you’re too cool for that, or just too worn out by these things… stop thinking,” McLoughlin added with a laugh.

Thomas also recommends embracing senior year, saying “when you finally, hopefully, have a strong sense of yourself and you’re in a place that you are secure in, enjoy that.”

McLoughlin cautions against rushing into adulthood: If you fly through the end of high school because you want to get to college, she said, what’s to say you won’t fly through the end of college because you want to get a job?

Williams concurred, citing field day — Community seniors’ last day of school before graduation — as an example. “You’re all just being

kids, playing tug of war and running races, just enjoying being a kid still,” he said. “Because we do grow up kind of fast, things start moving.

You’re allowed to just be a kid and do all of that stuff.”

Clarifying her earlier point of “embracing the cheese,” McLoughlin said “I’m not saying you can’t still be excited [for what’s next], of course you’re done with high school, you should be done with high school, but still stick around and be cheesy with everybody too. You don’t want to be the person that’s ‘too cool for school’ and has already moved on. Of course everybody’s in that space, but it’s the people that stay and go through all of it and love it and embrace it that are going to be successful because you learn that skill of starting something and ending something well.”

High school is tough for many, no question about it. And often, people look back and say “senior year was the best year of it all.” If this is true, why does it seem like seniors try to rush through it and glaze over all of the things that it holds in store? While understandable that students would want to skip the part of applying to college and the long wait to find out where they were accepted, listen to the people in your life urging to take it slow.

“Why are we all rushing to be an adult and have all of that?” McLoughlin wondered. “You don’t want to do that. Listen to the adults saying ‘go back!’ Don’t rush it. Slow down and enjoy this last part. It’s fun.” C May 2019

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Community High’s Gap Years Where are these students headed to next?

BY ZOE LUBETKIN // PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIRA SIMONTON-CHAO

gabe tesar “I am taking a gap year in which I am living in Switzerland with my mother and potentially my father.

We’re going to be spending six months in Zurich and six months in Lausanne. I’m going to be taking classes at a local university potentially, and maybe looking for work to do as well. I felt like I needed a break before diving directly into what I wanted to do with my life and I felt like I needed a break to sort of figure out what I’m interested in and maybe take some time to mature as a person on my own.

So far I know I’m interested in a few things; I know I’m interested in psychology and philosophy, so hopefully or possibly I would take a career path down those interests, but again I haven’t really figured out for sure if those are things I want to spend my life working on.

I will be trying to learn German. Just as sort of like a fun alternative goal to do. I speak French and English — might as well learn some German too.” C

I felt like I needed a break to figure out what I’m interested in and maybe take some time to mature as a person on my own.

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sophie lete-straka

What I would learn in those couple months that I’m going to be gone is infinitely more than I could ever learn in any college setting.

“[I’m doing] this program called ARCC. It stands for Adventures Cross Country; I’m not sure what’s the R in that. Couldn’t tell you. Anyway, for the first semester of the school year, for 90 days, I’m going to be going to Costa Rica, Ecuador, the Galapagos, and Peru and I’m going to be working with other people my age and the mentors of the program. We go to schools there and help kids… Basically you just do a lot of community service based around kids and their development, so we do a lot of work with kids in schools but we also do some homestays.

I’m not really sure how the timing works out with those four places, I’m sure it’s split up evenly amongst the 90 days that I’m there. So that’s what I’m going to do first semester, and the second semester is run through the same organization, ARCC, and it’s kind of the same idea where we’ll be working with kids and going to schools and stuff except that it’s in Patagonia and Cuba, so I’m so excited. I’m happy because the first semester is 90 days and the second semester is 90 days so I have like a nice break between the two, which I think has benefits and drawbacks. When I was first looking for gap year programs, I kind of wanted to do something that was all one solid chunk of time and not having breaks in between but it didn’t work out that way so that’s okay. But yeah, I’m excited.

I’ve known I wanted to take a gap year pretty much since the beginning of high school. Going to college right away I don’t think would be personally good for my wellbeing. I knew by the end of my senior that I would feel sort of burnt out and tired of school, but also I think with a program like this where I would be moving around pretty poor, third world countries I think… what I would learn in those couple months that I’m going to be gone is like infinitely more than I could ever learn in any college setting, classroom setting, so I think the perspective that I would gain and the relationships that I would make with those people that I’m doing the program with and the people that I’m helping in those countries I could just get nowhere else. And it’s true that I could do the same program after college, or any time in my life, but I think that doing it while I’m young and doing it before I go to college… Just having that perspective going into college I think would be really cool, really helpful. Just because this is my first opportunity to leave the home and do something outside of the state that’s substantial and helpful makes a difference. I think it’s a really cool opportunity and I couldn’t let myself not do it.” C

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Community College Athletes Six seniors continue their athletic careers in college.

BY SOPHIA BERRY // DESIGN BY LEAH DAME

M I

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University of Louisville Field Hockey

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GAIL GAIE I B S

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Swarthmore College Field Hockey

“In college, I will compete for the University of Michigan, which has been my dream for as long as I can remember. I looked at a few other schools, but in the end it came down to thinking, ‘What will I regret more? Not going to [insert school here], or not going to Michigan?’

And I just knew that I would always be wondering what it would’ve been like to go to Michigan, to achieve that lifelong dream, even though I knew I would have great experiences at these other places too.”

HE P E

“On my first visit, I was amazed with the program and the team. All of the girls were so welcoming, the campus was beautiful and I was happy being there. I’m excited to get to know all of the girls next season and make new friends. I am nervous about the transition from high school to college and the workload. I think being on a team helps me to manage my time, which is another great aspect.”

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Lawrence Tech University Lacrosse

“My advice to high school athletes would be to reach out to coaches, whether it be at showcases or tournaments or just over the phone, get your name out there and show them what you got. Don’t forget your attitude towards everyone and everything around you matters more than anything. If you’re negative or pessimistic or just mean, no college coach will put up with it.”

HE

Indiana University Field Hockey

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Y SCHIRM R N

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“One thing I didn’t realize was how difficult of a decision it would be to pick a school. When I went to visit Swarthmore, I hadn’t really heard of the school, but I ended up really liking it. The school did a good job at making sure things weren’t too competitive, which was something I was nervous about. I know that I will be getting an academically rigorous education that lets me have time for an extracurricular like field hockey.”

N WRIG

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“There were a lot of options, so I am super glad I found the University of Louisville because I felt at home when I visited there. The field hockey program and education fit perfect with my needs. I feel like I can rise to my potential on the field and in the classroom. The other field hockey girls I met on my visits made it easy to make my decision; they were all very nice and welcoming. I am most excited to improve my field hockey game while getting my education.”

University of Michigan Gymnastics

Northwestern University Diving

“Of the schools that I looked at, Northwestern is the most rigorous academic school I applied to, but I trust myself as a student and an athlete and I like to push myself in these situations. But with the amount of support I’ll get in both the academic and athletic aspects of my life, I’m not too worried about being overcome with stress. I find diving to be a good stress reliever for me. It’s fun, and I love competing. I’m so thankful I get to take this sport through my collegiate career.”

CHS’s HERD Looks Out for the Whole School

restoration

Community High School turns to restorative justice to solve student conflicts with the help of HERD, a group of CHS students trained to mediate discussions between their peers.

justice

BY SOPHIA ROSEWARNE AND CAMILLE KONRAD

School discipline traditionally goes like this: An incident occurs, principals dole out punishments, and after they are served, people move on. This approach, however, focuses on the antagonizer rather than the harm and its impact on the victim.

A new approach to school discipline (and even criminal justice) seeks to resolve conflicts in a way that considers both the antagonizer and the victim. This practice, restorative justice, focuses on repairing the harm done by allowing both parties to participate in the resolution. This may be in the form of a mediated conversation between a victim and offender, a community justice conference or a sentencing circle. Community High School has just begun using restorative justice in the form of mediated conversation. “[Restorative justice] is when you focus on who was harmed and how you make it right, whereas traditional justice focuses on who did it and how we can punish them,” said Amy McLoughlin, a new counselor at CHS this year. McLoughlin built a restorative justice program at Skyline High School, where she previously worked, called Skysquad. Skysquad has been up and running for five years and continued after McLoughlin left the school.

Now, McLoughlin has helped start a similar program at CHS called HERD, which is made up of students from all friend groups

It’s a look out for the whole school. Everyone feels like they have a say in it.

and grade levels. All of the members of HERD were nominated by a CHS staff member.

“It’s a look out for the whole school,” said Cammi Tirico, a junior at CHS and founding member of HERD. “Everyone feels like they have a say in it.”

“I want [HERD] to be a safe place. Even when it’s just stuff on Snapchat or friends having disagreements, [these problems] can be something we help talk through,” McLoughlin added.

To develop the program, HERD attends restorative justice training at Washtenaw Intermediate School District with professionals in the field and other schools who have implemented restorative justice. So far, the HERD

has attended two of these sessions, and plans to attend two more. Ten CHS staff members were trained in restorative practices as well, including both deans, the school guidance counselors and the school social worker.

Even though they haven’t completed all of the training yet, HERD is up and running.

Tirico has been a part of two circles, which stay entirely confidential.

Typically the HERD solves issues that are brought to the counselors but not to administration. Once an issue is brought to school administration, disciplinary action may follow.

The counselors and those involved in the incident decide if a circle lead by HERD would help resolve the issue.

“The people that go into circles are very open to it; they have to think it’s a good idea,” Tirico said.

Members of HERD also reap the benefits.

“Being able to solve conflicts in a healthy way is really nice,” Tirico said. “Learning about all these ways to solve conflicts between people will help me in having conflict in my own life, and to know how to handle it better.” C

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Abroad No More

BY ABIGAIL GAIES // PHOTOS COURTESY OF FIONA O’RIELLY

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After her junior year at Community, Fiona O’Rielly took a trip with a Rotary Youth Exchange program to Puebla, Mexico. Over 11 months, she lived with three different host families and went to a local high school. Now, she is back and completing her senior year before heading off to Kalamazoo College in the fall.

If you can think back to before your trip, what were some things you were nervous about? And were they as bad as you thought?

I think it didn’t really hit me until a few weeks before I left, but I was nervous about the language barrier. I’d taken some Spanish here at Community, but my first host family didn’t speak any English at all, so just trying to communicate with them about even simple things [was hard]. I was also nervous about not knowing anyone, and what to pack.

Those were the main things. The language barrier... I think my host families kind of expected it. We just used a lot of hand signals and talked with our hands. I started to understand more things before I could really start speaking. When I got there, even though I knew Spanish from taking classes, it wasn’t actually as much as I thought just because there was so much I didn’t know and they were talking so fast. I was super confused. By the end, I would say I was able to fluently speak, but not with grammar as much. That was not as bad as I thought. I got to know people really fast, so that was nice.

Were you anxious about returning to a different senior class when you came back?

Yeah. I think that was a big thing that I didn’t really think about a lot before I left. Before I left I was just thinking about what Mexico was going to be like, but I didn’t really think about what it would be like returning and how hard it would be to not be graduating with my friends. So I guess I just didn’t think about it as much before I left, but now that I’m here... definitely. Once I got back in July, it was on my mind. It’s been different [being back without them]. It’s been cool to get to know new people, but definitely a big change. Also, I would say my exchange was definitely worth it, and I had a great experience. I wouldn’t change what I did, but there are a lot of little things that I didn’t think about adjusting to.

How was it to come back to different people? What about coming back to your teachers?

It was kind of hard to make friends because it’s senior year, so everyone has known everyone else since freshman year or even middle school.

Everyone’s been super nice, and it was nice getting to know more people, but it’s definitely been different. It was also different with regards

I definitely learned a lot about the culture and about Mexico as a country, but then I also learned a lot about myself and a lot of different people from all over the world.

Fiona O’Rielly poses on a rock in “the middle of nowhere,” along mountains in the state of Cuautla (LEFT) near the volcano Popocatépetl, and on the famous Indepencia Avenue in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco (RIGHT). Through this exchange program, she got to travel to many places in Mexico, not just the city she lived in. “I have a passion for traveling,” O’Rielly said.

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to my teachers because it felt like it’s been such a long time, but then it almost feels like... long and short at the same time. One thing that was important to me was that I wanted to come back to high school before going to college. I know a lot of people do gap years, but I thought that wouldn’t be best for me because I wanted a year of classes before going to college. I think it’s been good being back into English and math and science before college.

When you were in Mexico, was it weird to see your classmates having their senior year?

I don’t know how to describe it... I talked to a lot of my friends and FaceTimed them and I’d say we kept in touch pretty well. But then it was just so weird because we’d send each other pictures, and they’d send me pictures of prom and all these things. I was really happy for them and I missed them a lot, but also I was so in my life in Mexico that at the same time I missed them but it didn’t really feel like I was missing anything. I wasn’t super sad because I knew that I would come back and do all those things. It was different to come back to high school and they’re in college. That’s what I would say is the hardest change. I’m happy that I did come back and do this year, but at the same time, I feel

I was nervous about the language barrier. My first host family didn’t speak any English at all, so just trying to communicate with them about even simple things [was hard].

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Fiona O’Rielly goes in for a high five after a soccer game in Mexico. She decided not to continue with water polo and swimming there, both of which she did at home, and instead tried soccer. “I made a lot of my friends on the team and it was also a good opportunity to continue practicing my Spanish,” O’Rielly said.

like it might’ve been easier to adjust to college right away because everything is new then. It’s weird living without my parents for a full year, and now coming back and living with them. There are so many little things that I didn’t think about.

Why do you think that this is different than a gap year?

I do know some people that did a Rotary Youth Exchange as a gap year, but one thing that was really important to me was living with a host family. I thought that I would learn a lot more of the language and the culture this way. With some gap years, you live in an apartment or a place like that with other Americans, but it was important to me to live with a family. Also, it’s nice now that because I didn’t do the gap year, I can continue Spanish before going to college. I took a U of M Spanish class first semester, and now I’m TA-ing with Laurel at Community just to continue it.

Would you recommend this program, and why?

Yes. I definitely learned a lot about the culture and about Mexico as a country, but then I also learned a lot about myself and a lot of different people from all over the world. I would definitely recommend it; it was a really good experience. I also think it’s really cool to know another language before going into college because that’s something I’m interested in continuing and studying, so to be ahead with that will be good. C

Turning an Extracurricular Into a Career Participation in the Zebrotics team provides valuable experience and skills —and it can help you earn scholarships and experience for future jobs.

BY JOSEPH SIMON

Capuano and members of the engineering department with the team’s robot. After the objective of the robotics competition is announced, teams have six weeks to design and build a robot.

Max Westrum, left, and Ned Capuano, two of the team’s seniors, at one of Zebrotics’ final meetings. Westrum is the team’s head of marketing, and Capuano is the team’s captain.

Extracurriculars are often seen as purely recreational, but some programs provide valuable experience and skills for a future career. Take, for example, Zebrotics, Community’s robotics team. Team members can have several different roles, from engineering a robot to marketing for the team.

“I joined the team to get experience for the future because I’d like to become a graphic designer,” said Max Westrum, Zebrotics’ head of marketing and one of the team’s four seniors. “I think that I’ve done a lot of good work. In fact, I think I’ve done the most work toward my career in this club… [work] I could put in a portfolio.”

Zebrotics is open to everyone, regardless of

When businesses like Ford or larger companies see that you’ve done [FIRST], they’re that much more interested in you.

their career path. Senior Ned Capuano, the team’s captain, has been a member of Zebrotics for all four years of high school, but he didn’t join strictly to gain experience. Instead, he joined simply because he enjoys robotics.

“I joined [Zebrotics] because I had been with the program, FIRST [For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology] ,for the past seven-odd years,” Capuano said.

FIRST Robotics, a robotics competition for high schools around the world, awards students college scholarships while also giving students marketable engineering experience.

“When businesses like Ford or larger companies see that you’ve done [FIRST], they’re that much more interested in you,” Capuano said.

With the seniors’ final day as members of Zebrotics inching closer and closer, they enjoy taking time to reflect on their experiences on the team.

“My favorite part of it, I have to say, is when we go and the robot works,” Capuano said, adding that he loves the feeling of being on

Westrum and members of the team’s marketing department. Though building a robot and competing in the FIRST Competition is Zebrotics’ main focus, members can contribute to the team in several different ways.

the field. “[I]n sporting events, you have that adrenaline when you’re ready to play the game… You get the same effect with robotics.”

“I genuinely enjoy meeting other people from other teams, working on building the team’s image... it really validates me,” Westrum said.

Westrum and Capuano both gained not only career experience from their extracurricular interest but also learned skills needed every day. “[You must] have a work ethic, have a vision or contribute to the team,” Westrum said, adding some advice for prospective competitive robotics team members. “Don’t just bide your time and wait for everything to come to fruition, because most likely it’s not going to without your help… You can become part of that process.” C

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After I committed to college, I found it challenging to announce what my plans were. I just wanted to be proud; I found it hard to be.

CAMILLE KONRAD on college reputations and reactions.

ARE YOU SURE?

THE ACADEMICS AT THAT SCHOOL...

...

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Since the moment I committed to Western Michigan University, I have had the prepared answer for everyone who asks what I’ll be doing next year or what college I’m attending: “I am going to Western in the fall to study special ed.”

That hasn’t changed. It is the answers and reactions I get from people that change. Some people are overjoyed, while others wince and tell me to be careful because the school has a reputation to “party a lot.”

That’s the thing about college reputations: They’re all opinions. Opinions from other people who know other experiences and other memories. It’s really hard to hear this kind of reaction from people I look up to or want to share it with.

At the end of the day, Western is going to be the school I receive my college education from, and it’s how I will start my career. Although WMU may have more of a drinking culture than Harvard or Yale, that doesn’t make where I am going to spend the next four years of my life any less important or something to be proud of.

When I hear my friends or peers talk about their plans for the fall, I am so proud of where they are going and what they are doing. At the same time, I think it’s easy to feel jealous or embarrassed when talking about the range of schools everyone is going to. I know that in the long run, I am the one that determines my future, but when I hear that WMU is “only known for its drinking culture,” it’s hard for me to imagine myself doing anything but that.

I think the thing that sparked all of this for me was the pressure of watching my peers apply and get into higher rated academic schools. I know that I chose WMU for a reason and it truly is the right fit for me, but there comes a point where it is almost impossible to not compare myself and my decision to others. I am so happy that I am able to even go to college and I know that many others do not have the opportunity or chance to get any sort of education. Sometimes it is just the hidden and unspoken stressors that I find the hardest to cope with.

For so long I have been one who is proud and confident in choices I have made throughout my life. I knew I made the right decision choosing Community as my high school, but I only knew that after spending a semester learning and growing in this school. I am in no place to say that WMU is the perfect fit for me. But, I won’t know until I go. I need time to adapt, change and focus on my future. I need to go there before I can make any judgment calls. I need people to be proud of my plan and accept and praise the choice I made for myself, and for the next four years of my life.

In order to succeed, I need to know that people close to me support my decisions. C

In Defense of

The Common App is used by

750

THE COMMON APP

BY JOSH MARTINS-CAULFIELD

I recently found out, while completing my own college admissions process through the Common App, that the process varies vastly from country to country. For example, in Brazil, students take one exam, called the Vestibular, which is the only criteria universities base their admissions decisions on.

People love to complain about the Common App, sometimes fairly and sometimes just because it can get tedious and hard. But the many options and the more “holistic” approach (which the Common App loves to brag about) the Common App features are actually fairly good ways to judge college preparedness, which is the App’s main goal. The standardized test-only process, like the Brazilian Vestibular, is much worse at achieving that same goal and can be simply unjust.

Comparing the two standardized test options in both approaches is a good way to start comparing the two general approaches. Standardized tests are notorious for their problems; the advantage they give to rich students who can afford tutors and/or better studying materials, in addition to the way that scores can be raised fraudulently (evidenced by the admissions scandal) are two examples of this.

However, there are also students who are just good test takers. It seems unfair that those talented test takers would get into better colleges

than students who are just as qualified but are worse test takers. That is why the standardized tests the Common App considers (the SAT and ACT) are only part of the process, which (ideally) equally weighs those scores with grades, extracurriculars and essays.

The Common App also replicates college-level work. College is not just about taking tests: In fact, I would argue (as someone who has taken one college course which featured zero tests) college is more about researching, writing and studying your passions. The Common App does much more to showcase those skills than a country-wide standardized test. The Common App requires a “Common App essay,” which includes many different open-ended prompts that give the student a lot of freedom. Standardized test-only admissions lack this freedom, meaning universities will miss vital information about a student.

College is also not just about school. College is where people find themselves and decide what they want to do in life. Standardized testing does not even put non-academic life into consideration; the Common App does.

In the Common App, students write about their interests, which multiple choice tests cannot capture.

Some people argue that the standardized test-only option is best because it is not sub-

colleges and universities

1,000,000

students in the 20172018 school year

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institutions outside of the U.S.

jective. In America, college admissions officers read every application and make decisions about whether each student who applied to that university meets admission criteria. Those officers are humans with emotions, which means that every application affects them differently. College admissions officers are professionals, so the intent is not to label them as biased, but they can like one essay much more than another, which means they like one application more than another.

There is a lot more space for interpretation in the Common App approach. That space diminishes if all those officers are looking for is who did better on a test.

However, I would argue that that room for interpretation is a relatively good thing, as long as it does not mean that under -qualified students get into universities over egregiously more qualified students. Life has this wiggle room, not everything is black and white, whether in a job application or buying a house. Learning this early in life is much more valuable than learning it the hard way later.

The Common App is not perfect, but it does much more to showcase skills than a country-wide standardized test. While the Common App is easy to complain about while filling it out, it is one of the best approaches to the admissions process we’re going to get. C

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Senior Poetry Two poems from seniors Thea Rowe and Nicole Tooley.

When did you write this poem?

Literally last night.

42°18’54.5”N 83°43’14.8”W

Did you start it last night?

Yes. What inspired you to start writing it?

Robert had this 30/30 assignment; I hadn’t done like five of them and so I was like I’m gonna pump these out, and so I did.

What do you find the mood of the piece to be?

Apprehensious? Is -sious the suffix that goes on the end of that word? Also excited, recognizing loss and being comfortable with it, and part of that is talking just about the loss for a sec of personal space with moving into college and things.

And then I’ll move on to the exciting news, being really hype.

Would you say that’s kind of how you feel right now, with going into college, nervous?

Yes, I’m hoping to get the nervousness out of the way.

How do you think you’re going to get the nervousness out of the way?

Well so far writing about it. I think just the natural wearing… how time wears off emotions, you know, like rocks, like smoothing rocks.

Were you in your room while you were writing? Are you going to miss your room in college?

Yes! And I think so; I’m going to miss having a room and having a space, which will probably just translate into missing the room that I have. C

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By Thea Rowe there is one dip in this bed one memory one mold it curves around my shape even when i’m not in it the air in this room does too the breeze here flows through my flesh and only mine the dust in the carpet comes from my body space on the shelves is only enough for my jarred organs here my insides don’t have to sleep inside me i could strewn the room with my guts if i wanted some nights i sleep in the middle of the floor stretch out all my limbs to scrape the fibre cross my naked skin five months and i’ll leave and this room will be a hole in this house in the shape of my body and there will be a hole in my body in the shape of this room in the shape of the act of being alone

When Davinci Drives My Car

By Nicole Tooley When did you write this poem?

I wrote that the day before Shorts on the Ledge.

I was writing it on my phone in notes as I was walking to my dance studio and it just sort of went places from there.

What did you start with?

I started with this line: “I looked out the rear view mirror of my car yesterday.” It was just a weird concept; I was thinking, when you’re driving and you see the mirror, as to whether you’re moving forward or things are falling backward. Just having that perspective, especially with the end of senior year how things are constantly changing and you’re moving on.

What were the emotions while you were writing it?

Right now the whole mood of these last few weeks of senior year, I’m a little sad but also happy in a good way. One of the lines in it is “I’m feeling heavy with the habitual in all the best possible ways” and so I think I’ve just found my groove, my place here. That’s been a good thing, but it’ll be exciting to go move forward and try new things.

What would you describe the mood of your piece is?

I think it’s content with just where I am right now, what’s happened and what’s going to happen.

What does the title mean?

I like this idea of Mona Lisa smile. I was in a dance class a few months ago and that was something she said: we were just in a pose and she was like lengthen, lengthen, lengthen, pretend you’re Davinci’s man on the floor — that image of that one guy and he’s stretched in all directions — and so that’s been an image on my mind lately. Just thinking that that was a different person who was driving my car than me. That girl who’s Davinci’s man on the floor, who’d lengthened and has a Mona Lisa smile. That’s a different person than the girl who starts at the beginning.

In what way?

I think the person at the end is more demanding, not afraid of her presence, is willing to be there.

The person at the beginning is a little more hesitant and shy and doesn’t know what to expect but the person at the end is more, just feels more comfortable where she’s at. C

I looked out the rear view mirror of my car yesterday, and everything was slipping away.

When background is the backdrop to all the backwards ways of life, contort the contorted.

Maybe we ought to remind ourselves we were always in drive.

That’s how my mama says you survive.

Perspective is the antidote to all my brain’s lies.

The rear view mirror in my car tells me: Objects may appear closer than they really are like it knows all the tricks I play on myself.

And today I’m feeling heavy with the habitual in all the best possible ways.

The sun bakes my temples.

Tells me I’m allowed to remember, Tells me you need to be in reverse to go backwards.

Common sense cost more than two cents It didn’t save me from our backyard’s fence.

Strangely enough, sitting in that car, I remember Holden and the ducks and how we’ll adapt even when we feel trapped.

I remember reading Story of an Hour and thinking we had millions of those left.

Time traveled too.

But for now, I put the car in park.

I find the back lawn’s grass feel the weight of my own mass.

And I promise you I am Lengthen, lengthen, lengthen like we are girls made of laffy taffy.

I am DaVinci’s man on the floor.

Pull me north south east and west, Command this presence.

How nice it is to feel large and demanding.

Even when I lie on the ground with my Mona Lisa smile.

Even when I drive around for a few aimless miles.

I looked out the rearview mirror of my car yesterday with a smile that stayed a little selfish and told me everything,

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‘1 Class of

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Senior Profiles

BY AVA MILLMAN AND ZOE LUBETKIN

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Lainey Queen “One of my funniest memories from Community was during forum when Tracy had us all go to the back lawn and said, ‘Everybody circle up!’ We all linked arms and she walked around the outside of the circle. Then, she pushed in Neva and pushed in Bella, and then had us all get really close together. Then she yells, ‘Fight!’ We were all so confused.

Forum Fight Club was a really great memory (There was no fighting, only laughter). Marcy has been one of the most influential people throughout my time here at Community.

I have always loved science, and she really fueled that for me because she also really loves science. The way that she teaches is so encouraging and I just have so much respect for her because she loves teaching, she loves explaining these super difficult concepts to her students and it is still really fun for her.

You can see that she is having fun doing it, which makes it better for her students and that is the mindset I like to have when learning new things. Next year, I will be going to Kalamazoo College to study environmental impact and sustainable agriculture.”

Cam Schnitzer “My favorite memory from Community is probably field day. I like running the relay races and doing tug-of-war with my forum. I am in Ken’s forum, and his forum has never won an event, like ever, and last year we finally won something. It felt so good we were all super pumped up and it was super fun! My favorite teacher at Community is Maneesha because she really tries with all of her students and she really helped me understand math.”

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Mira Simonton-Chao “I’m really excited to graduate. I’m excited to eat dinner. Not like today, but in the future.

I’m excited to cook in a kitchen that’s mine and play music and listen to NPR. I’m excited to make eggs. I’m excited to not have to wake up at 6:15 every day and go to school and not have time to eat my breakfast at my table, because I want to be more relaxed. My dad had an egg farm since I was like seven years old so my family’s just really into eggs and we eat a ton of eggs so I love eggs. Putting a fried egg on something makes everything better. Like there’s no food that you could put a fried egg on and it would be bad, I don’t think… I care a lot about my eggs. I’m very careful about how I cook my eggs. I don’t put the top on because I don’t like it when the yolks get too hard. So to keep the yolks yellow, I don’t put the top on, and I let them just cook at a low heat for a really long time. How has my life changed? I really think about the way I cook my eggs now. I do, but I care more about the little things in my life, like my family, and I’m fearful about losing my family. I’m worried about losing people. I’m more worried about my life, but not in like a bad way I would say.

I would say I’m more aware. Because I care. I care about my family, I care about food, I care about my body, not in the sense that I’m like selfish or vain, but I care about my mind and wanting to learn more but also like expand in different ways and explore.”

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Will Panitch “It is funny to think back to the person I was freshman year, I would not have been friends with freshman year me. Honestly, he was a terrible person. He was not funny and not considerate of others, and Community really helped me develop into a more thoughtful and responsible person. The fact that we are responsible for our own grades and homework and schedule really helped me mature, and it has taught me to be a nicer person in general. Just talking to everyone and having a personal relationships with so many people here has taught me that everyone is different, and you have to appreciate the differences not take people down for them. I will be attending the University of California-Berkley in the fall. One thing that Community has taught me that I will take with me to college is the importance of getting to know your teachers and professors. Having relationships with my teachers has made me realize that they really want to help and all I need to do is ask.

As for next year, it’s scary but I’m excited. It’s just, it’s a long way from home, and I don’t really know anyone else who’s going there. At the end of my decision process, it came down to Berkeley or Michigan. I almost chose Michigan because it was more familiar and closer to home. But I think Berkley will be an adventure. I know that I only have a few more months with the friends I’ve got here. So I’m going to try and make the most of them by spending as much time with awesome people here as I can. It is going to be really hard to leave, but life moves on and I am excited to see where we go.”

Eve Shikanov “One of my favorite memories at Community was my forum overnight freshman year. It was at someone’s house, and it was really fun. I think it was memorable because being a freshman, I was looking up to all these cool sophomores through seniors. They were all just so nice. I was so lucky with the forum that I got, because I was originally supposed to be in West forum, but they had an overflow of kids. So, I ended up transferring into the Strassel forum, which is now the Kilgore forum. I was really lucky to have such accepting seniors, and since then I feel like I’ve become them a little bit. After people in the forum graduate, people say things like I miss this person or forum isn’t the same without that person. I feel like I am going to be missed next year, which makes me feel like I have completed my goal of being a good upperclassman. I feel like I have left my mark on the community of Community. I have connected with so many students and teachers here and it is going to be hard to leave. Next year I am going to Michigan for engineering.”

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Leah Fleming “Even now, I’m not even looking forward to college necessarily, I’m looking forward to the 10, 20 years from now where I have a steady job, I’ve got my wife, I have like a really nice big dog that’s like super furry and sheds everywhere, and I want like a cozy house, not too small not too big, like I’m already sort of looking forward to the drudgery of life in a way. I’m looking forward to being comfortable. I feel like all of adolescence is being desperately uncomfortable, so I just sort of want that. I already want to be middle-aged, kind of going gray, take my dog for walks, just boring stuff mostly. I’m lame, so I’m not looking forward to drinking in college or anything, I’m just looking forward to being married, having a mortgage, walking my dog. I’m going to start with making oatmeal for breakfast; I remember being super young and my dad would always make that for us and put brown sugar in it and little bits of apple and stuff so that would kind of be like the ideal breakfast and just sort of sitting, drinking coffee. I’ve never had coffee really, I don’t know if I’d be into it, but that’s sort of part of the image you know what I mean? Steaming mug of whatever. Just sort of sitting at the dining room table with her, the dogs being annoying, my dog always does that, she’s always resting her head on your thigh, looking up at your food.

Just having that time in the morning to sit, leaving for work, sun’s coming up, sort of that new light, and everything feels calm in that moment. You have everything you need in that moment… And then you go through the day and at lunch I’d think about my parents or my brother or whatever he’s up to, walk around town – I love taking walks. Literally the best. And you just sort of go through the day and you get home maybe it’s dark out but you take your dog out, you see the sun go down, stuff like that. Watch whatever the hot new show is in the future, I don’t know. Game of Thrones for 20 years from now. I don’t want to get too sappy.”

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Nicole Tooley “During my time at Community I have learned that Community is a place where you can really try anything, and get involved in anything. I think it took me a while to figure that out and realize that there’s nothing to be shy about or scared of. I’ve tried new things here, like getting up on a stage. My senior year was really the first year that I got on stage to read poetry and started going to slams and doing the spring readings. I had never thought to do poetry readings my freshman, sophomore and junior year, and now that I did in my senior year, I wish that I did it earlier. In general, Community has given me way more opportunities to find new passions than I had expected. I have been a dancer since I was little, and it has always been my outlet. I think that everyone needs an outlet. For some people it is music or sports and for me it has always been dance. When I am dancing, there’s much to be focused on, physically, with where are your feet placed and how is your body aligned that you can’t think about anything else. It sort of gets me out of my own head for an hour or two and lets me just be in the moment. I think that it is really good for my body and mind when I need it most. Looking back, I never thought high school would have been so enjoyable. I have really loved my time here and it is going to be really hard to say goodbye to my teachers and my friends, but I am really excited for the next four years too.

I think that Community is the kind of place where even when you leave, you never fully say goodbye.”

Nic Grofsorean “Something about Community that has always been cool to me is that I feel like I’m kind of friends with all my teachers. In Ecology club, every year, we go up north. This past year, I was finally able to go. There is a talent show that we have as one of the nighttime activities, and me and Ed as our talent sang a spin-off of Take Me Home Country Roads.

We called it Take Me Home Snowy Roads: That is a good example of the relationships that I have with my teachers. I’ve never really properly skipped a class, and for the most part it’s just because I enjoy going to class and spending time with my teachers. I feel like I’d be disappointing them if I didn’t show up. I feel like at any other school, I might not care as much as I do here. One thing I am going to take with me to Grinell next year is that you have to approach every person you meet with an open and accepting mentality and be ready to work with them in a way that compromises between both personalities.”

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cutest couple that IS 42

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#SEN19R MOCK AWARDS Based on 96 responses. Check out the rest on chscommunicator.com!

Class Heartthrob Grant Griswold

Most Likely to Be Dictator of the World Eric Hughes

Best Bromance Cam Schnitzer and Linus Brush-Mindell

Best Friends With Kevin Shannon Thomas

Most Likely to Cheer You Up Nic Grofsorean

Can’t Stop Talking About CET Phoebe Bolz

Cutest Couple That Never Was Aviva Satz-Kojis and Sophie Lete-Straka

Most Likely to Order a Greg-wich Caryne Cristiano

Cutest Couple That Is Andrea Schnell and Jonah Eichner

Homebuilding Hunk Blake Turner

Most Likely to Drop a Successful Mixtape Logan Gorman

Worst Dunker on the Basketball Court Talin Khanna

Most CRs/Independent Studies/Free Blocks (Never at School) Sam Ciesielski

Most Likely to Show Up Late With Sweetwaters Claire Middleton

College Calculus Master Ben Clingenpeel

“Can I Interview You For The Communicator?”

Isabel Espinosa

Where Did You Learn How to Park?

Betoul Ajin

“I’m a Student-Athlete” Minna Tremonti

Most Changed Since Freshman Year Allison Garcia

Most Likely to Raise Hand in Class and Ask What is Going On Elijah Shore

Double Agent (Non-Community Student But You Would Never Know) Isa Grofsorean and Delaney Mohney

Best Nickname Mackenzie “Quigs” Quigley

Most Likely to Sleep in Their Car During

Most Hair Transformations

Their Free Block Mary Grobosky

Skye Gamzu

Class Clown Terrence Vick Most Likely to Be Famous Aris Chalin Most Accident-Prone Lainey Queen Most Likely to Be Heard From the Other Side of the School Eve Shikanov

Most Likely to Save the Planet Elena Bernier Would Be Prom King and Queen Camille Konrad and Francisco Fiori Most Likely to Have a Yerba Mate Aviva Satz-Kojis Most Likely to Win the Spork Game Miguel Clement

Most Selfies in First-Floor Mirror Eleni Tsadis Style Icons Nanako Fujioka and Mira Simonton-Chao Most Likely to Trip at Graduation Lanie Chagnovich Cajun Fries Fiend Ellie Vandermark Took Personal Fitness the Most Times India Thomas

President of the Most Clubs Julia Ammer May 2019

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MICHIGAN University of Michigan Josh Martins-Caulfield Sophia Rosewarne Abigail Gaies Phoebe MeLampy Sacha Verlon Leah Fleming Jonah Gutenberg Gina Liu Eve Shikanov Mira Simonton-Chao Lydia Stevens Juliette Snyder Emma Zielinski Aviva Satz-Kojis Eric Hughes Francisco Fiori Meghana Tummala Ella Edelstein Nicole Tooley Aaron Von Bargen Emily Lancaster

Western Michigan University Nico Bachman Katie Parr Camille Konrad Madie Gracey Aris Chalin Linus Brush-Mindell Kalamazoo College Lainey Queen Claire Middleton Ellie Vandermark Tolkien Bagchi Fiona O’Reilly

Grand Valley State University Emily Haddrill Wayne State University Julia Babaev Hope College Alex Cunningham

Adrian College Mary Grobosky

Michigan State University Abby Roberts Robert Morton Jennifer Krzeczkowski Kaitlyn Stout

Washtenaw Community College iO Soucy Emmett Huhn Eleni Tsadis Ari Barajas Ava Esmael Cj Fulcher Maxwell Westrum Kaili Brooks Jonathan Corcoran Vladimir Kuklev

Lawrence Tech University Stephen Wright Terrence Vick Ferris State University Blake Turner

COLORADO

CALIFORNIA

University of Denver Marika Chupp

UC Berkeley Will Pantich

UC Boulder Sam Ciesielski Emma Winegarden

UC San Diego Anna Dinov

UC Denver Madeline Jelic

KENTUCKY

Regis University Maddie Ohye

University of Louisville Minna Tremonti

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Next year, the class of 2019 will be spread out across the country, and a few students even outside of the U.S.! This map shows plans and destinations for college and otherwise. Good luck seniors. You will be missed!*

Eastern Michigan University Mackenzie Quigley Jeff Burris

Kettering University Grant Griswold

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Colorado Mountain State College Cam Schnitzer

PENNSYLVANIA University of Pittsburgh Lanie Chagnovich

Swarthmore College Andie Tappenden

Carnegie Mellon University Callum McCullough *This map includes information from all seniors who participated in our survey.

Senior Map

BY ISAAC MCKENNA AND MAZEY PERRY

D.C.

GAP YEAR Sophie Lete-Straka Logan Gorman Quinn Perkins

Julian Seeburger Gabriel Tesar David Thierbach

Georgetown University Ben Clingenpeel

CANADA McGill University Miguel Clement Zoe Lubetkin

IOWA Grinnell College Nicolas Grofsorean

MINNESOTA Carleton College Elijah Shore

MASSACHUSETTS Massachusetts College of Art and Design Chloe Di Blassio

VERMONT University of Vermont Katherine Wys Elena Bernier Landmark College Spencer Morgan Middlebury College Ethan Kahana

ILLINOIS DePaul University Carter Phillips Shannon Thomas Daniel Giampetroni Columbia College Chicago Emma Hoffman

Loyola University Chicago Andrea Schnell Northwestern University Wm. Henry Schirmer Julia Ammer

INDIANA University of Notre Dame Ava Millman Indiana University Jackie Mortell Bella Yerkes

NEW YORK Pratt Institute Skye Gamzu The New School Jonah Eichner

OHIO The College of Wooster Isabel Espinosa Mike Paskus Quincy Jenkins Youngstown State University Hunter Guyer University of Cincinnati Isobel Roosevelt May 2019

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THE ESSAY With anywhere from 100 to 650 words, a senior is tasked with conveying who they are.

The essay is a person’s chance to provide an admissions board an image, deeper than numbers and grades, to tell a story. Whether funny or sad, each and every essay holds emotion because it is the writer’s chance to tell a school about something that matters to them.

Here, we have compiled some of our favorite essays from Community seniors.

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NICOLE TOOLEY — COMMON APPLICATION Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

It comes every month covered in stickers. The neon labels marked fragile are its antibodies making it immune to destruction on its way to my front porch. I slice the cardboard box open.

My palms cradle each glass vial from the box with care. “Liquid gold,” my doctors call it. I attach a 20-milliliter syringe to the top of a vial and watch as a stream of clotting proteins and plasma funnel in. The buoyant bounce of my green veins emerges as the tourniquet chokes my bicep. I steady the needle for its airplane landing. Descending. Descending. Touchdown.

I push the medicine in. As each minute passes, one milliliter drips into my bloodstream; the slow process reminds me of restless hours in the hematology clinic.

20 milliliters My fingers digested the time by flipping through the same pile of waiting room magazines, but it all grew old. My eyes scanned the room. Tacked to the bulletin board under “Adoption Opportunity,” the flyer read, “Luke is a 13-year-old boy from China who has been diagnosed with Hemophilia. Help give him the treatment and permanent family he deserves.” The grainy picture of his bruised head was sure to scare any prospective parents away. My eyes drifted from the sign. . . it scared me too.

15 milliliters The first time my friend had asked me, “Can you bleed to death?” I laughed a simple response “No,” not realizing this was dependent on my $50,000 box showing up every month. The sheer cost of it all never fully settled in. But my mom always found a way—even when frustration consumed her after spending hours navigating health insurance plans, even when the medical-bill monster devoured our kitchen floor.

“Everything will work out” meant everything will work out.

10 milliliters It was hard to believe those words the first time I held a 25-gauge

needle between my 13-year-old hands. The hands I carry now are stronger, but they still fumble. After many missed attempts, I was covered in every superhero band-aid made in existence. The ridiculousness of it all made me laugh just long enough so that I could go at it again. I would get it. . . eventually.

5 milliliters And when I did, I would be able to attend dance classes, run around, go to school. I would get to do it all. Never has my bleeding disorder threatened to strip away every sunrise and sunset I called my own— and maybe I had taken that for granted.

0 milliliters The plunger goes no farther. My body has been nourished, but a new consciousness I gained from Luke propagates through every capillary in my head. A consciousness that sees how debilitating lack of access to life-changing medicine can be on a person. A consciousness that sees an impassable monetary mountain imposed by a system. If asked whether he could bleed to death, Luke’s answer “Yes,” was just as probable as my instinctual “No.” While my mom’s arms embraced me, such maternal love remained absent for Luke. I danced across stages.

He remained immobile. But that’s not to say his future also has to be static. I see the chance for a community to change.

I start in little ways. By voicing my concerns to legislators surrounding repeals on statewide Children’s Special Health Care, I attempt to put a face on the issues as Luke has done for me. While working on an advisory council for an adolescent health initiative, I tell them my story.

I tell them Luke’s story.

For I hope that in the near future the drops of liquid gold, of a healthy life, may rain upon everyone—without regards to wealth, condition, or location. Even though Luke is oceans away from Michigan, I hope one day he too will feel that cool rain trickle down his cheek ailing every bruised bone in his body.

He deserves that. We all deserve that.

SOPHIE LETE-STRAKA — BARNARD COLLEGE Pick one woman in history or fiction to converse with for an hour and explain your choice.

What would you talk about? (100-250 words) My grandmother, or Lola, as we called her, always lived life with intention and an infectious energy. When I was a young child, she would sit on the floor with me and my crayons and get lost in the pads of newsprint. While I aimlessly made scratches on the paper, she would watch me and what I was creating, finding meaning in my scribbles.

She would shriek in awe as she saw something within the wax marks — a rose, a spiral, a figure — and explain to me that, without a doubt, the art showed my creative depth and intelligence. I am often reminded of her while looking at her art. Canvases, most longer and wider than I am tall, cover the walls of my home. Sometimes fluid, seemingly end-

less strokes of earth tones, and other times harsh shapes of vibrant colors, her art has always been something I’ve wondered about. If I had an hour to talk with her again, I would ask her about her life. I would ask her about the stories and ideas that inspired her art, the shapes and the lines that I’ve spent my whole life admiring. I would also tell her about my life and its current confusing scribbles. In her unique way, she would interpret and explain, in abstract phrases and sentences, by creating a verbal painting. And though this alone would perhaps take up most of the hour, she would, I’m certain, make sense of them.

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EMMA ZIELINSKI — DEPAUL HONORS COLLEGE What book should be required reading for students in the Honor College?

I found a photograph on my father’s nightstand four days after he died. In the picture, I was four, my sister was seven, and my father was smiling behind us next to my grandparents. It was on the left side of his bed, where he slept. It was the last thing he saw before he went to bed and first thing he saw when he woke up. I gave my grandma that picture before she moved back to Poland because she was starting to forget what he looked like. I didn’t want her to forget his face, mine, or my sister’s. A photocopy of that photograph is on my nightstand, on the left side of my bed where I sleep.

I couldn’t give away my father’s ring or his leather jacket. His green sweater is still hanging in my closet. Sometimes when I am cold I wrap the jacket around me. It used to smell like him. His wedding ring is on my necklace. I twist it around my finger when I’m nervous or solving a problem. He used to make a funny face and say, “Let’s put our heads together.” I can still feel his forehead against mine. The ring is always on my neck. Weeks turned to months turned to years and there I was still thinking of him.

The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion’s memoir, recounts her grieving process after the loss of her husband. Reading the book was almost like looking in a mirror. Years after my father’s passing, I remembered dark nights I spent crying. The feelings of frustration that I had not “overcome it” yet. Didion’s words brought this overwhelming sense of relief. Her words whispered to me: You are not alone. Just as I had to sort through my father’s belongings, Joan Didion had to clear the shelves of her husband’s shoes: “I was not yet prepared to address the suits and shirts and jackets but I thought I could handle what remained of the shoes, a start.

I could not give away the rest of his shoes.

I stood there for a moment, then realized why: he would need the shoes if he was to return.

The recognition of the thought by no means eradicated the thought.”

(37)

My dad’s shoes were still on shelves in his closet — held together by little clips. After he died, my life came to a halt. I stopped doing homework; I lay in bed for hours with the blinds shut. When I was young, I knew my father needed me. My sister came into my room one day and opened the blinds. She told me I had to get up. I told her that no one needed me; I wanted her to tell me that she needed me. Instead, she held my hands tight and said, “You need you.” Looking into her eyes, I knew she was right. I had to stop lying in bed; I had to stop staring at old pictures. I went to his grave. I was fourteen. I brought red roses. I told him that I was sorry for not being there when he died. I told him that I would take care of my family, for him. I was fourteen years old, and I had a new responsibility. Didion comes to the same conclusion towards the end of her memoir, over a year after her husband passed away: “I also know that if we are to live ourselves there comes a point at which we must relinquish the dead, let them go, keep them dead. ” (226) In the last few pages of The Year of Magical Thinking, Didion lets her husband go. I never felt that sense of clarity after my father passed away. Reading her words allowed me to breathe. I was there with Didion; she brought me to a place of acceptance — even peace. There are 66 years, 11 months, and 22 days between Joan Didion and me, but at that moment, the two of us were the same.

Having experienced death is not a prerequisite for appreciating this book. The reason this book should be required reading for Honors students is that grief and loss are ubiquitous emotions that come when one loses a part of oneself. They come from all experiences of loss, be they the loss of youth, a dream, or even a limb. This book can bring readers some sense of hope — some sense of closure that comes from letting that part of yourself go. Everyone deserves that. All this in mind, I cannot think of a book that we need more than hers.

MIRA SIMONTON-CHAO — GEORGETOWN COLLEGE What does it mean to you to be educated? How might Georgetown College help you achieve this aim?

In my town, education is often measured not in terms of intellect or actual knowledge but by a person’s wealth, race, and social prestige.

The labels of educated and uneducated are based on stereotyping and prejudice. The educated are not the smartest, deepest thinking, most culturally learned people in the room, but rather those who have been given, since birth, the support and resources they have needed to succeed. But success itself is subjective. In my hometown of Ann Arbor, and I’m sure in many other places across the country, success is a high test score and the admission into a prestigious well-respected school.

Success is measured quantitatively — by your AP Test scores, your class ranking, and your annual income — and the same is true for education.

But one’s education isn’t quantitative. It’s qualitative.

It is the summation of years of fervent studying, hard work, and drive. Our education system gives us as much as we put into it, and, because of this, no matter what schools you attend, what rankings you

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receive, or what percentile you are in, to me, the quality of being educated is synonymous with being a hard worker. An education is not fully appreciated or utilized if it is not being met with an absolute drive for learning and the furthering of one’s own intellect and knowledge.

So often times we give the label of “educated” to men and women that have, for their entire lives, been given the support and resources to succeed. These are people that have had the rare ability to skirt through life without having to fight for themselves. But education is so much more than that. To be educated is to be willing to expand far beyond the confines of the classroom and acknowledge the necessity and importance of working hard; it means being prepared for the real world and all of the problems it may throw at you. It means having learned not just about things like derivatives and the many uses of a semi-colon but also cultural relativism and what it means to be a good person.

I am applying to Georgetown College because I am confident that

I will be given an education that is tailored not for quantitative success but for real-life, real-world achievement. I know this because of Georgetown’s core requirements: a selection of required classes that, with their variety, breadth, and depth, will prepare me for the profession of my choice but also make me into a well-rounded and engaged citizen of the world. With Georgetown’s strong political science program and my strong interest in American culture, I hope to dual major in both of these subjects while simultaneously taking classes in mathematics and philosophy. Georgetown’s core program will prepare me for anything the future may throw at me while also allowing me to explore my own passions and interests.

To me, success is not measured by an income or a status; success is the product of meaningful, ethically fulfilling, and engaging work. And

to find this success I am so eager for, I need to be educated: a quality that is shown not through a prestigious degree but rather a fervent passion and appreciation for learning and education as a whole.

Located within the depths of Washington D.C., Georgetown has countless opportunities for internships in a wide variety of professional fields. I am a strong believer in hands-on experience and know that Georgetown would give me the support and space to learn inside and outside of the classroom through internships, study-abroad, and a strong community-outreach program.

Georgetown is a place of all-encompassing and vibrant learning. It produces passionate, educated, and creative individuals that, in turn, go out into the world and make real, influential change. For this exact reason, I know that Georgetown is the place for me.

JULIA AMMER — RICE UNIVERSITY There is a breadth of intellectual opportunities here at Rice. Further explain your intended major and other areas of academic focus you may explore. (150 word limit) It’s fascinating to think about everything that is happening in my body at any given moment. My cells are dividing, my heart is beating, neurons are firing. . .the list goes on. The human body astounds me, but what excites me even more is that there’s still so much to learn about the underlying biological mechanisms that enable these processes. I want to spend my life discovering, and a major in Biochemistry and Cell Biology would help address that goal.

I also recognize the immense need for creating the conditions in which human bodies work best—that is, improving global health. For this reason, I am also highly interested in a minor in global health technologies and the Rice-UT public health scholars program. The multidisciplinary natures of these programs would teach me to tackle global health issues from diverse perspectives, which is crucial in progressing toward a healthier, more equitable world.

ELIJAH SHORE — COMMON APPLICATION Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

“How do you allude to a previous statement in an essay?” The question my teacher Matt gave the class seemed simple, but I slumped farther into my chair to avoid being called on. Matt picked another student who had their hand raised; I sat back up straight. I was safe, for now.

For my first two years in high school I avoided speaking whenever possible. Anytime I went to a restaurant I asked someone else to speak for me or just pointed at what I wanted. I told teachers in a matter-of-fact tone that I couldn’t do presentations in class, as if doing so would cause me to wither up and melt away. I always needed to “use the restroom” whenever I thought I might have to introduce myself. I dodged speaking at all costs, preferring to stay silent rather than risk people finding out about my speech impediment. I always thought that I still had time; I could wait to fix my speech. During sophomore year, however, things changed. I decided that if I ever wanted a high quality of life, I needed to be able to speak. Communication is key in both jobs and relationships, two things I knew I wanted as a young teenager.

I began practicing the speech techniques that I had been told would improve my stutter. I practiced over and over again whenever I was by myself, and I began to think about my stutter all the time. Not only did

my stutter not get any better, things got worse. Stutters are exacerbated by stress and anxiety. Because I was so worried about my speech, that very worry hindered my ability to communicate.

I remember a particularly bleak night, when my stutter felt especially crippling, when every word took a sentence to say. The past couple of weeks had been brutal; my speech practice continued not to work.

During a time of great hardship, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said: ”The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” I was facing one of the greatest hardships of my young life, and for me, fear manifested itself physically in the everyday struggle of trying to get a word out.

I felt fed up and frustrated. It was late, one o’clock in the morning.

My body felt as trapped in my house as the words in my mind. I went outside; the brisk air enveloped my skin. I didn’t know where to go so I just kept walking, eventually coming to the neighborhood woods.

Those woods had developed a reputation for being dangerous. Several people have been attacked there, especially at night. The trees loomed over my head like a soft rain, gloomy and mysterious. Angry and discouraged, I ran into the woods. I flew down the dark path, which subsumed me in its isolation. I was truly alone, running my heart out. I was being uncharacteristically rash and stupid, but I finally felt free.

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When I go back to that day I realize it didn’t change who I was and how I thought of my speech, but it sparked the idea that I needed to finally go and get extensive help. I felt that if I deprived myself of the help I needed I would be doing myself a great disservice. The next day I signed up for two intensive stuttering clinics which focused not

on avoiding speaking, but mentally preparing myself for conveying my thoughts in the real world, stutter or not.

Six months later, I was back in English class. “How do you start a success story?” Matt asked enthusiastically. My hand shot up. Matt called on me. “Y-y-you write about a very l-l-low point in your life?”

GARNET BERNIER — UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO Describe a moment when you challenged a belief or idea.

An older woman dressed in an elegant brown coat stands on a wood platform. Power drills, hammers, extension cords, and a pair of 2x4’s lie in a sprawling array at her feet, and to one side of the platform, two men work on raising the wood frame of the first wall of a house. Her eyes stare directly into the camera.

The woman in the photo is my grandmother, for whom my parents constructed a mother-in-law apartment onto the back of our house. Its exterior unassumingly copies that of the architecturally plain colonial onto which it was added. A row of windows line its south side, shaded by an outstretching roof from the Midwest summer sun and the heat which bears down from it as if coming from the car engines on which southeast Michigan was built. To its north stands the workshop and garage designed and built by my father, and with its size and shape, it also imitates the plain colonial.

I recently found this photograph while clearing out boxes from a closet in my house, and while examining it, I realized that my views on architecture and what it defines had undergone a profound shift.

For most of my life, the apartment and the workshop had no significance to me. My fascination with architecture may have ignited within their walls, but as this passion developed and expanded, it skipped over my literal and geographic home. With my eyes set on faraway cities and larger-than-life “starchitects”, architecture became shiny, glass and metal skyscrapers that anchored a city’s skyline and climbed above the clouds; architecture became the iconic houses built on top of waterfalls or spiralling museums inserted into the spirited fabric of a metropolis; it became the bookends to styles and movements which I could barely define but which I assumed were important solely based on their popularity. After the common question of “Which city’s architecture do

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you like?”, I would quickly reply with “New York or maybe Chicago.”

In her last years of life, my grandmother moved from our house into a nursing home, and in her absence, I began to see the apartment fill new roles my life. We wheeled our piano in, and the space transformed into a venue for whichever musical pursuits I was exploring; during my father’s campaigns for local board of education, the apartment converted to a political base of operations for his running-mates and volunteers; when a friend of my family struggled to find a home in the steadily rising housing market of our city, we considered housing her in the apartment.

At first, I observed these events with a passivity, seeing each as an unconnected, stand-alone experience. But with time, I began to develop a mindset more focused on place and environment, and I recognized a truth which undermined whatever previous notion I had of what architecture was: the architecture of the place I call home may not be internationally recognizable or structurally ingenious, but this does not take away from its significance. It displays the vernacular architecture of the region in which I grew up: its architectural traits and characteristics–the oak used in its support beams, the window placement and roof structure–and the roles which the architecture has begun to play in my life an those of others, all reflect its environment.

When asked which city’s architecture I like, I still respond with Chicago and New York, because I do believe that they are relevant, but I also add that I am interested in vernacular architecture–the architecture which reflects a community and its experiences. The significance of a building is not limited to merely its aesthetic design or its place within architectural history; equally important are the ways in which the building is used and the stories and dreams on which it was built.

TOP LEFT: Bees surround their all-powerful queen in the night’s opening play.

TOP MIDDLE: Jeff Burris plays the part of a frat boy who causes an apocalypse.

TOP RIGHT: Bao Polkowski inspects a suspicious egg, playing the role of Detective Ace Gold.

BOTTOM LEFT: M.C Nic Grofsorean introduces the night’s performances.

BOTTOM MIDDLE: The cast of “Pappa Pia,” the night’s closing performance, dance onstage.

A Final Curtain: Seniors in Just Desserts

BY CHARLES SOLOMON // PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MARGIE MORRIS

On April 27, Community Ensemble Theater (CET) put on their last show of the year. Called Just Desserts, the show is a 24hour theater production; written, rehearsed and performed for the public all in a little over a day’s time. Almost everything, including directing, writing and tech, is done by students.

Just Desserts in its current form was first put on four years ago. Since then, it has become a staple as the last show of each year. Besides being fun, Just Desserts is made all the more special by the many seniors for whom this is their last CET show.

“Some of the seniors have opportunities to take leadership roles, directing and writing scenes,” said director Quinn Strassel. “It’s a beautiful thing to see how they’ve grown, and to watch them take on leadership and know that they could really do this in the real world someday.”

For a few seniors, Just Desserts is their only CET experience, as they want to experience the program before leaving Community.

“I feel like [not doing CET all four years] made Just Desserts this year that much more enjoyable,” said first-time CET participant and senior Eve Shikanov. “Because it was a new experience, and I got to sort of go out

with a bang with all my friends.”

Many other seniors who participated in Just Desserts, however, have been involved in the extracurricular all four years of high school, which made Just Desserts a particularly emotional experience.

“I mean, [have you] ever watched a Netflix show and been so invested in this show?” said senior Jeff Burris. “And then [you] hit the end of the show. And then you kind of got that gray zone, where you just don’t really know what to do it yourself, you just kind of lay in bed and just kind of look at your floor. That’s kind of where I am right now, because I’ve been watching the CET show for four years.

[Now] it’s done; there are no more episodes.”

For many of these CET seniors, the club has been more than just a fun extracurricular, shaping friendships and personalities. “[Because of CET] I went from a freshman who was not capable of doing many things into the senior who is directing the show,” said senior Aris Chalin. “I never thought that would be possible for me, and if I [had] continued with the organization I was doing theater with before, I don’t know if I would have had this trajectory and found this self-confidence.”

“[CET is] how I met all my people that I still talk to today,” said CET President Andrea Schnell. “CET helped me start up a community.”

The student community, besides being part of the organization’s name, is also what seniors identified as one of the most special parts of the group. “[What I like the most] about CET specifically is the family aspect,” Burris said. “Instantly, you walk into that room, and you have people who are always going to be there for you. No matter what.” “[CET is] special because it’s run by kids,” Chalin said. “It allows students to take a part in the driver’s seat, and have this role that is unlike any other organization.”

This aspect of community in CET, coupled with the more tangible skills it teaches, such as acting, professionalism, self-confidence and time management, truly shapes and changes the lives of those who have been a part of it.

“CET has been a life-changing experience for the better,” Burris said. “I would be much lesser of a person without it.” C

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LETTER

HOME Three Community alumni reflect on their first year after graduating last spring and give advice to soon-to-graduate seniors.

BY ABIGAIL GAIES // PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARY DEBONA, ISABEL RATNER AND SAM URIBE

During the summer after my freshman year of high school, my family did a road trip through some national parks out west. On our way back, we drove through the Upper Peninsula and spent a few nights in Marquette. I fell in love with the area, even though at the time, I hadn’t even seen the half of it. I remember asking my parents if we could drive through NMU’s campus. Since then, I always had this gut feeling that NMU was the school for me.

I decided to study environmental science because I want to work for the National Parks Service after college.

One of the first things that I noticed when I got here is how nice people are here. I’ve made a lot of friends because they invited me to go on a hike or camping or climbing with them or something; it’s kind of hard to not end up bonding pretty hard with the people you’re around when you all eventually end up trying to figure out how to deal with some difficult situation that is presented up by the outdoors.

I was pretty nervous to go off to college up until the point that I actually got here. I loved Ann Arbor and didn’t really want to leave. I’m glad that I grew up there, but I have been so glad that I decided to go out of my comfort zone by going off to college somewhere that is decently far away from home. I’m lucky that the place where I decided to go to college turned out to be my happy place. Of course there are still stressful and hard times, but I don’t think I have ever felt this overall happy and content before.

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Community prepared me for life after graduation in a lot of ways, but I think that one of the most important would be how open-minded it made me. I have met a lot of people from a lot of different backgrounds here, and I don’t think that I would have had the ability to attempt to see things from their perspective as well if I had not gone to Community and a diverse school district like Ann Arbor Public Schools. Being on the staff of The Communicator has also helped me endure late nights spent studying or working on papers, because it’s kind of like production, except for the part when Tracy orders pizza and we all watch the sunset from the third floor of Community.

Once (if) you leave Ann Arbor, no matter how hard you try, you’re never going to be able to accurately describe Community High to people who aren’t from here. But more seriously, a lot of the concerns that you might have right now about college won’t be relevant once you get there. You have to remember that you are going to be surrounded by a bunch of people who all share a lot of the same concerns as you. One of my concerns when I chose to attend NMU was that it wasn’t a prestigious or big university. Since then, I have realized that college is a lot less about where you go (in terms of its status on Forbes) and more about the opportunities that you get when you are there. I love that I go to a school with so many research opportunities, with a good relationship with the community around it, and for the most part, fairly small class sizes. C

The summer after graduating, I worked in Ann Arbor. At the end of August, I moved to Colombia to stay with an aunt and I stayed until January. I took a few classes at one of the universities, but it was very relaxed, nothing super serious. I took two music classes and then I took a pre-med class because I’ve been thinking of maybe going into medicine. I’ve wanted to learn a new language [in addition to Spanish], so I learned French. It’s basically been more about structuring myself and — it sounds super corny but — getting to know me more and having time for myself, which will help a lot going into college. I just did it to stay in the motion of school and keep learning. I traveled a lot there. I visited family because all my family is down there. Then I came back to the U.S. for two weeks, and then I headed over to France, which is where I am right now.

I’m in Montpelier, which is a city in southern France, close to the Mediterranean Sea. I’m studying in the mornings until around 1, and then I just get to do whatever I want to do after. It’s nice.

I’ve wanted to do a gap year since I was in seventh or eighth grade because I’m almost a year younger than most people in my grade, so in my head, I’ve always been like ‘I have to have that extra year before going into college.’

I never knew exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to take some time off from school, travel, learn something new.

I would 100% recommend doing a gap year to anyone that has the time and money. It’s completely worth it. It gives you some space for perspective before going to college.

Being basically on your own in another country is eye-opening to people who have never had anything like that.

My motivation to learn has definitely increased. This time here has given me space to try to follow my curiosities and give me time to find what I enjoy, so now I’m motivated to really dive into something that I want to learn about. I think if I would’ve gone straight from high school to college, it would’ve just felt like learning because I have to learn, because I

have to get good grades or whatever. But taking this gap year has given me some space to really get perspective on what I want to do and what I want to learn.

Music is one thing I would say that has been difficult. I definitely was not doing it here to the level I was in high school. In high school, where I was pretty involved. My music classes made me feel like I was pretty integrated in the music world, but not as much as I could’ve been if I was in college right now. I would say for someone who wants to go into the music world and wants to study music, a gap year — if you’re not doing something specifically music-related — can be very difficult to follow through. Music is something that you have to do every day, you have to practice your instrument every day, you have to do it every day. If you lose that, it can be difficult. I’m not doing an instrument-based major, so I’m relatively okay with that. I’ve still been practicing and trying to do as much music as I can. But it’s not the same thing as you would have if you were at an institute or something.

At Michigan, I’ll be doing a dual-degree in music production and maybe biopsychology cognitive neuroscience at LSA. It’s going to be a lot. I don’t know if that’s actually what I want to do, but it’s a start. The Honors Program I’m also doing is like more intense classes, and they have some resources that help students. If you follow that for all four years, you graduate with a degree that says ‘honors graduate.’

Something you learn out here is self-motivation and self-discipline because if you want to get anything done and if you want to do anything, you have to do it on your own. I honestly didn’t really have many responsibilities other than what I wanted to do. That can go both ways for people, it could either be very bad or it could be very good. If you’re able to find what you want to do, if you have some sort of responsibility for yourself, if you’re able to self-motivate, then I think that liberty is very, very good. C May 2019

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Freshman year is a lot; I didn’t think it would be this hard. People here are really themselves, and they’re really individual and independent, they have their own interests and don’t want to be like everyone else, which is a weird vibe, but it’s what I’ve always wanted and why I wanted to leave Community by the end. But once I was here I realized it’s hard, because if you’re still figuring yourself out, it’s hard to “be yourself.” I still am figuring that out every day, and that’s my main struggle: I feel really unsure of myself and trying to figure out who I am. It gets better when you find people who show you what parts of yourself are the most you. My closest friend here brings out a certain side of me that I really love, my confident side. That side of me isn’t always out with every person, but that’s something I know I like, how she can make me feel.

We just clicked, I don’t know how to describe it. We went through a lot first semester; we had things we needed each other for, which got us close quickly. I wouldn’t have gotten through that semester without her. And we’ve met other people who know each other and now we’re all friends. You just make friends by following up. I just try to follow up with the people who seem to enjoy being around me. Just go get coffee with someone and talk and see if you click. I never really know what I’m doing, I try just to show someone that I want to spend more time with them and hope they feel the same way. And you need to get involved in things as soon as possible. Second semester I was in a play, so I’m friends with all those people.

I just kind of did [the play] because I needed something to do, but I got so much out of it. It was very different from CET: It was all student-run and pretty much only first-years except for one person. It was similar in the camaraderie and it was a supportive group, but it was very small, maybe seven of us in the cast and a director, assistant director, stage manager. It was such a good way to meet people. It was lovely.

When I first got to Oberlin I didn’t find anything to do because I didn’t really look. I was having the worst time; I was so unhappy, just for a lot of reasons. It’s so hard to transition. I don’t think realistically you can transition smoothly to college. I don’t think the

first year is good for anyone, and when people say their first year was perfect, they’re lying to themselves. I know it’ll be amazing, but it just isn’t at first. I think next year I’ll really start to settle in, but it’s not perfect right away.

You have to adjust for a while, for me probably this whole first year is still adjusting. The beginning is really hard, but second semester went by more quickly, which was a good sign.

I wasn’t dreading the whole thing.

Honestly, no matter what high school you went to, I don’t think you’re going to be prepared for what college is like as a whole. Some things can set you up better: I think Community taught me how to form relationships with my teachers, reach out for resources and help, how to be curious, take charge of your schedule, going after your passions, things like that.

Community prepared me as a person really well and gave me strong roots to grow from.

Academically, college is of course harder, but it should be harder than high school. There’s no busy work, ever. Everything you do is for a reason, which I like. High school shouldn’t be like college, and I’m glad it wasn’t. You should be growing as a person and figuring out what you love to do. It’s not the time for you to work your hardest, that should be college. You’re going to be ready for college. You got in, they want you to come. So many people do so much better in college. It’s so much more purposeful and you can make things work better with who you are. That’s how education should be.

I do miss the people from high school.

Take advantage of the group of people being together, and the people you really care about. Take those minutes to talk to people in your grade that you haven’t before; I felt I knew everyone’s name, but there were people I could’ve appreciated more. Give back to Community what it gave to you, and don’t be ignorant. Be nice to your teachers, they sacrifice so much for you and support you so much. Just show them how grateful you are.

Bring some of the high school energy with you — not the weird stuff, but the happiness and the freedom and the focusing on your friends instead of just your future. I miss how free and happy I was in high school. You feel that it’s never going to end, but it does; don’t take that for granted. C

CHS Student Researches in the Lab

Senior Julia Ammer interned at a cancer biology lab, not a common occurrence among high schoolers.

BY MORI ONO // PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. KATIE BASHAM

One morning, in the spring of her sophomore year, senior Julia Ammer stepped into the University of Michigan’s Hammer Laboratory on a field trip organized by Marcy McCormick. There, the group dissected a mouse and ran gel electrophoresis, a process that lines up DNA according to size. Ammer’s interest in cancer biology and conducting research spurred her to follow up with the lab.

At the time, she had little prior knowledge of adrenal cancers, the focus of the Hammer lab’s research. While cancers of the adrenals — small glands that sit on top of the kidneys and create a variety of hormones — are particularly deadly, their rarity means the field of research is relatively new.

“I’ve had a lot of family members affected by cancer, but I also have always been interested in the human body,” Ammer said. “After taking Biology 172 at University of Michigan, I became more interested in the cellular mechanisms, so zooming into the human body on a smaller scale. I think for me, what makes it so interesting is that it is all happening in human bodies.”

Ammer found cancer to be a particularly interesting example of when biological mechanisms go awry. She also stressed the importance of cancer from a public health standpoint; one in three women and one in two men in the U.S. will be affected by some form of cancer in their lives.

After doing a CR class with a Hammer Lab graduate student during the fall of her junior year, she reached out to Dr. Gary Hammer, who leads the Hammer Lab, once more. Even with the connection gained from the class, Ammer still expected that getting a position would be difficult. “[High schoolers] really are at the bottom of the food chain,” Ammer said.

Despite this, one of the postdocs offered to mentor Ammer, starting the following summer. In the lab, Ammer’s main role assisted her mentor through genotyping and staining. In genotyping, the process of determining differences in genes, she found if a gene has been “knocked out” — or switched off

— in lab mice. After this, her mentor would be able to examine a mutation in the ZNRF3 gene, frequently found in adrenal cancer, and determine what happens to mice that have or do not have the mutation.

Staining uses special dyes to boost contrast, making the components of a cell easier to see. Thus, researchers can more easily see what is happening inside the adrenal gland. Such stainings provide the evidence to support one of the lab’s hypotheses — that adrenal tumors go through a transition stage — by marking specific proteins that show the transition occurring.

Ammer also designed experiments at the desk, along with taking and examining images. Doing these tasks can become quite repetitive. However, she realized that the work was all worthwhile; what she was doing contributes to something greater — better outcomes for patients.

“Instead of just treating one patient like a doctor does, we’re working to develop treatments for hundreds and hundreds and even thousands of patients,” Ammer said. “To know that you are making a large impact on people that are affected with cancer is really, really special.”

In her time at the lab, she learned at depth about science and adrenal biology but also about the research process as a whole. The experience has exposed her to a greater understanding of daily life in the lab and the profession. While doing research as a high schooler may seem difficult, it is certainly doable.

“It’s really just going to take persistence and finding the right people to work with and finding the right mentor,” Ammer said. “If the first person you reach out to or the first lab or professor doesn’t say yes, that’s okay. You’re lucky, especially in Ann Arbor, to live in a research-abundant place. I would really recommend reaching out to as many people as you can, and eventually somebody will say yes.” C

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50 BEFORE YOU

GR

E

THIN

1. GET A PARKING TICKET

UAT

GS

AD

T

O OD

“Fun fact: I still have an unpaid parking ticket from during “Disaster: The Musical” that I have not paid. I don’t think I should have it because I parked in the lot on the weekend not knowing we don’t own our lot.

What school doesn’t own their lot?

What does that even mean?”

BY MORRAINA TUZINSKY AND MAZEY PERRY

- BETOUL AJIN

2. PARTICIPATE IN THE SPORK GAME

“One time I went home in between lunch and choir. Then I drove to Pioneer and I go to get out of my car and I [realize] I forgot my spork. I was like ‘Mom, I’m turning around. I have to go home.’ She said ‘Okay, drive safe.’ So I yeeted on out of there, and I was so late to choir... no one in choir had a spork but I needed it just in case.”

- LANIE CHAGNOVICH

3. COLLECT BENTHICS “I got to play in the river!”

- NED CAPUANO

4. BUY A DRINK FROM SWEETWATERS

“Jasmine iced tea with sweetener and light ice.”

-MADIE GRACEY

5. DONATE TO FOOD GATHERERS “My sophomore year, Ed said he would dye his hair pink if we raised enough money for Food Gatherers.

[The dye] didn’t end up working because he didn’t bleach his hair first, so it was this weird dark purple.”

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Senior Showcase

- HENRY SCHIRMER

6. Field day

35. Go into the teacher workroom

7. Play frisbee on the back lawn

36. Cry at registration

8. Win a FOScar

37. Get sent to the back of the line at registration

9. Go down to the basement 10. Do a C.R.

38. Take a nap in Personal Fitness

11. Buy a snow cone from The Farmer’s Market

39. Go to Commstock

12. Share food with Steve

40. Take a class with Judith

13. Park in the back lot

41. Come to school on the weekend

14. Use the second floor Kerrytown bathroom

42. Go to a jazz concert

15. Take a first floor mirror picture

43. Be in the front of the all-school picture

16. Get quoted in The Communicator

44. Watch “The Godfather” with Steve

17. Watch Courtney prompose to Liz

45. Be buzzed in by Jefferson

18. Get yelled at by Kevin

45. Go to a Poetry Slam

19. Eat lunch on the back lawn

46. Take Film Lit

20. Go to CHS Prom

47. Take Journalism

21. Go to the Halloween Dance

48. Get pushed down the hall in a chair

22. Ride in the elevator

49. Take a nap in your car

23. Go to a CET production

50. Eat at the classic Community places:

24. Join a club

a. Sparrow

25. Watch the sunset from the third floor

b. Monahan’s

26. Play the hallway piano

c. The Lunchroom

27. Walk to Traver Creek

d. No Thai!

28. Do a forum overnight

e. People’s Food Co-Op

29. Watch “GATACA”

f. Ahmo’s

30. Make soap

g. Teriyaki Time

31. Dance with Judith 32. Swing on the front lawn 34. Take a nap on the ledge May 2019

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O

PR OM When Mira Simonton-Chao went to Treasure Mart to look for scarves, she didn’t expect to find a prom dress. She was downstairs, admiring the collection of “crazy scarves,” and happened to notice the dress on a hanger. It looked baggy and weird to her, but the friends she was shopping with pressured her to try it on anyway. She slipped into the old-fashioned, ruffled black dress and realized: She actually liked it.

Simonton-Chao had been shopping around, trying to find a dress for her senior prom for a while. She knew she wanted a sustainable dress, something made from eco-friendly sources that reduced waste. However, she soon ran into a problem: If she were to buy a dress from one of the shops she had been looking at, such as Reformation or Fame and Partners, she would most likely have to drop between $200 and $300.

“I don’t spend that much money on my clothing, ever,” Simonton-Chao said. “The majority of my clothes I get from thrift stores or I get from my friends and family. So I just decided that I wanted to buy my dress from a thrift store. I was vaguely looking for a dress whenever I happened to be in a thrift store or a vintage store.”

She liked the black dress from Treasure Mart enough to spend $15, a price that seemed small compared the hundreds of dollars she would have had to give up to buy a new dress. She was satisfied; she had found a dress more

personally appealing than the one she had bought from Windsor last year, which she defined as “mass-produced fashion.”

“My idea of mass-produced fashion and fast fashion has definitely changed, so by buying something that’s not only a vintage piece but also a sustainable purchase, it’s not wasting materials,” Simonton-Chao said. “Especially since a prom dress is literally something you’re going to wear once in your life.” Simonton-Chao plans to donate the dress to Salvation Army after prom.

Elena Bernier was shopping online when she discovered the Australian store Billy J Boutique. After scrolling for a while, a dark blue, floral, off-the-shoulder dress caught her eye. She liked that it was casual and made of light cotton; it reminded her of her love for nature and the environment. She decided to order it to wear to her senior prom.

When it arrived, she knew she loved the dress. She felt like it suited her; it combined off-the-shoulder and a floral print, two of her favorite fashion elements. It was casual enough to wear to a summer wedding, but dressy enough that she felt comfortable wearing it to her senior prom.

“I feel like it’s an expression of myself,” Bernier said.

“Last year I just got a generic dress and I was like, ‘this is okay,’ but with this dress, I get to express myself. I feel like myself.” C

BY EBBA GURNEY AND LOEY JONES-PERPICH

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Senior Art Portfolio BY iO SOUCY

“UNFINISHED”

Two figures lie facing each other, surrounded by colors pouring in from all sides. In collaboration with Zoe Lubetkin, they weren’t worried about mixing mediums and experimenting with colors, shapes and textures. Working during school hours gave the two time to work in depth and to experiment together.

Mira Simonton-Chao

With a flat paintbrush in her hand, Mira Simonton-Chao creates stroke after stroke of colliding color with acrylic paint that overlaps oil pastel and 3D material. In Community’s Advanced Art Portfolio class, she collaborates with her classmates to create mixed media canvas paintings every other week.

Art has been a large part of her life, stemming from when she was around six or seven years old and used to take art classes at Steiner. Through those classes, she was able to explore the world of artistry and began to think like an artist.

During her high school years, she was introduced to photography, most interested in film photography. Throughout her years of creating art, Simonton-Chao believes that being able to express emotions through art is a skill that she is lucky to be able to practice.

“It’s kind of an escape for me,” Simonton-Chao said. “I feel like I have a lot in my head that I don’t really understand.

Art is a way for those thoughts to come out in a completely natural form and I 60

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don’t have to think about it having to make sense.”

When in the process of making art, there isn’t a lot going on in Simonton-Chao’s brain. As she uses art as an escape, it is common for her mind to become immune to things around her. Her mind usually wanders around the subject of color. Not necessarily what colors pair well together, but what colors work best together to her.

“I always have this process of focusing inward with color then working my way out,” Simonton-Chao said. “I really like to draw faces because they have movement. I’m pretty much always thinking about movement and color.”

After high school, Simonton-Chao plans to continue making oil pastel faces and multimedia paintings. Though she is comfortable with her own style of art, she is not afraid to go outside of her comfort zone with figure drawing and sculpture. As art is a large part of her life, losing touch with that side of her would feel unnatural and unfamiliar.

Senior Showcase

“FOR ANDIE”

Geometric shapes and colors create a facial resemblance with oil pastels and acrylic paint on top of an already existing print.

While having a unique and distinguishable art style, Simonton-Chao commonly works with bright colors, defined shapes and prominent facial structure.

“SKYLINE”

The skyline, with a Ferris wheel and several highrises, contrasts the Chicago sunset. Though unable to take much time for photography when visiting Chicago, Rodgers was still able to capture this shot walking along the pier.

Rogers believes that living in a city helps with finding unique places hidden from tourist areas.

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Rogers’ photography routine was simple: hang out with friends, go to a new area to capture photos of buildings or his friends, repeat.

He was out capturing photos at least three to four times a week. Yet, at the end of his junior year, his passion for photography decreased as inspiration became harder to find. This was not because of disinterest in the medium, but because of the repetition of photographing the same city for three years. He was beginning to feel as if there was nothing new to capture, that the Ann Arbor skyline was practically on everyone’s iPhone camera roll.

“Ann Arbor isn’t a huge city with big buildings or anything to really explore,” Rogers said. “It got boring, and I wasn’t able to achieve some of the photos I wanted...I wanted to capture cityscapes or urban exploration pictures.”

With his waning interest in landscape photography, Rogers turned to portraits. He hadn’t practiced portraits much before yet found an element of

comfort and connection with his subjects.

“Portraits definitely express more emotion than landscapes,” Rogers said. “They’re more fun, and you can build more of a connection with the people you take pictures of.”

Rogers is now enrolled in Advanced Art Portfolio, a class at Community that focuses on strengthening the artist’s skills while introducing them to new ideas and mediums. The class challenges him with figure drawing and pen sketching, mediums that were previously unfamiliar. Though hesitant at first, Rogers now has the foundational skills of any artist in the making, whether he considers himself one or not.

“I consider music to be art and I also consider photography to be an art to me,” Rogers said. “I feel like ‘Artist’ is such a cliche name. I’m just doing what I like to do. ‘Artist’ is such a cliche name. I’m just doing what I like to do.”

“BOUND”

A figure stands in a forest clearing, bound at the hands and body, head covered. Rogers’ photography interests were at its peak during his sophomore year with him getting inspiration from around him. “Sometimes I’d get inspiration from Instagram, sometimes I’d just come up with ideas while thinking because I cared about the art and it was important to me,” Rogers said.

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“WOMAN IN THE LAKE”

Using the mediums watercolor and gouache, this art piece captures Barajas’ patience and ability to execute color coordination and precision.

Though pressed for time to finish the painting, she couldn’t be happier with the results.

“When you see watercolor, it’s usually very transparent and used to create more dreamy pieces. But I think that the way that I used it was that it was layered a lot more than I’m used to seeing.”

Ari Barajas

Having learned strict technique, Community senior Ari Barajas was not one to experiment with her art. She stay safe, using watercolor and gouache that simply could not capture her emotions like she wanted. This left her feeling uninspired, in need of something new.

More recently, Barajas has been exploring new styles and mediums. In the Advanced Art Portfolio class at Community, she has tapped into her artistically fluid side, with help both from her classmates and from oil pastels and charcoal.

“Recently I’ve been with people who are much more loose,” Barajas said. “Being loose has allowed me to bring more of my raw self into the artwork instead of paying attention to only proportion and color theory.”

Second semester gave Barajas an opportunity to work long-term with a completely foreign medium: sculpture. Exposure to

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sculpture has been both challenging and eye-opening. Barajas has created several mugs and a large pitcher.

As Barajas wraps up her four years at Community, she stands by the belief that exposure is what makes an artist who they are. She believes that exposure introduces new mediums and styles that one wouldn’t have thought to work with before; exposure gives artists a chance to create outside of their comfort zone. To Barajas, that is what her senior year was all about. “[More exposure means] you’re on the road to becoming a better artist,” Barajas said. “You have this sense of satisfaction knowing that you started something new and you finished it by yourself. I think that as much as I complain about how difficult a medium may be or how many hours I put into a piece, I appreciate it in the end.”

Senior Showcase

“FIGURE ONE”

In charcoal, a figure faces away from the artist, emphasizing body curvature and shape. Steve Coron, who teaches Advanced Art Portfolio, encourages students to participate in weekly/biweekly figure drawing sessions with students as the models.

“MUSIC”

Zoe Lubetkin

Collage, digital art, oil pastel, acrylic, you name it and Zoe Lubetkin has created with it. As a multi-medium artist, Lubetkin started creating serious art in middle school with mainly focusing in on line drawings and simple sketching.

Since then, she has excelled in several mediums across the board. Though she is knowledgeable in several mediums, being careful and cautious has never been a large concern.

“I don’t plan at all,” Lubetkin said. “I’m very impulsive so I just do things and then later think, ‘oh I shouldn’t have done that,’ especially when I’m painting. I never draw anything out before which sometimes works out because I make it work out through sheer power of will.”

As planning and outlining are not her forte, inspiration is not hard to come by. Though finding inspiration in many places, her main source comes from her friends and music. With art inspirations like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Alec Redding and Mira Simonton-Chao, Lubetkin finds her style intertwining with their stylistic choices. Feeding off their energy gives Lubetkin time to reflect what her style means to her and how she can grow as an artist.

of Chicago, she was asked to create an art or writing piece that would be used to reflect her personality for the next four years at the school.

Inspired by a piece she saw at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, she decided to create a digital piece. On blank sheet music, there is a face that is formed by points on the sheet music. While the majority of the dots are unscripted, the blue notes that follow the side of the face are base notes to Pachelbel’s Canon in D. This song has meaning to Lubetkin because like her father before her, she learned to play this piece on the cello.

“With pointillism we create beauty out of nothing but points on a page,” Lubetkin said in her creators statement about her art piece.

“With music we take points, place them between five lines and four spaces and turn it into joy. We balance the static nature of art with the movement of music, an undercurrent of life.”

Lubetkin will be attending McGill University in the fall to study international relations and to minor in French. Blessed with the ability to find inspiration around her, Lubetkin will continue to create artwork and will continue to find new

Through her college application process, one of Lubetkin’s applications stood out above all of the others. For her application for University

ways to develop her art style in her new environment.

Several points on sheet music form a portrait with blue accents on the left side. Lubetkin created this piece for the University of Chicago application, as you had to create an art piece or writing piece that would represent you for all of your years that the college.

“The eight blue dots on my paper are the root notes to Pachelbel’s Canon in D; the F# is the only indication of the key. I played this piece on the cello, as did my father before me, and those are the only notes that grace the strings for the entire piece.”

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“THREE FIGURES”

Three similar figures stand close together as they begin to droop going left to right. Edelstein recently has been experimenting with painting, most commonly using acrylic to create facial features or body figures without a life model.

Ella Edelstein When she was seven or eight years old, Ella Edelstein worked with an old sewing machine to alter her old clothes into new items or to create new clothing all together. As she got older, she lost touch with creating and altering clothes and focused mainly on creating portraits with acrylic or oil pastel. As Community art teacher Steve Coron found a large amount of fabric in the school over spring break, Edelstein took it upon herself to get back to her artistic roots and to practice her seamstress work once again.

Since finding the fabric, she has been able to produce a pair of pants, a hat and more since the beginning of second semester. Though she works primarily in her art class on her seamstress work, she is hesitant to call it art due to there not being a lot of meaning behind the piece.

“They don’t have particular meaning in the way you’d think art does but I mean, I did create them for an aesthetic 64

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purpose and I was mindful as I was creating [the pants],” Edelstein said. “It’s really hard to say if something is created for a purpose or to just look good.”

Alongside working with clothes, Edelstein has had the opportunity to work with charcoal and oil pastel more in her Advanced Art Portfolio class. As the class requires figure drawing as part of the curriculum, she has been able to further her skills of drawing from real life.

When generating work, she is able to go in with a clear conscious and build off of new ideas as she goes.

“Usually, I can imagine how I want something to look and sometimes it doesn’t end up like that necessarily,” Edelstein said. “Sometimes I go in thinking about nothing and think of new ideas as I go and change things. I guess I don’t really think about it too much but I kind of like that.”

Senior Showcase

“FIGURE DRAWING”

Created with charcoal, the model sits with her back straight and unmoved for 20 minutes as Edelstein draws every curvature and feature. Though having figure drawing not being her main art focus, she has been able to excel in the style for the second semester of Advanced Art Portfolio.

“COLLAGE”

A prominent torso and two legs emerge from a page of sharp cut images of textures and earth toned images. Since taking her first art class during semester one of senior year, Chupp has been exposed to styles and mediums new to her.

Marika Chupp As she was enrolled in her first art class in the beginning of her senior year, Marika Chupp was a bit nervous. Due to her not having taken an art class before, she hadn’t been exposed to the kinds of art styles and mediums like her friends had been. Staged figure drawing and art in a class setting was a new concept to practice but she was ready for the challenge.

As second semester comes to an end, Chupp has been eager to work with any medium in reach. The duration of her art class has introduced her to other classmates styles she wouldn’t have discovered otherwise.

Ranging from charcoal to watercolor, she has become inclusive and accepting of any and all art styles.

“This art class forces me to challenge myself artistically,” Chupp said. “This class forces me to keep working on my artistic side. Even if it feels all of [my] work is nothing and I’m tired of looking at it, I need to keep working on it to get inevitably better.”

As she works to develop her artistic identity, being around her artistic friends helps motivate her to be constant with her artwork. Being sur-

rounded by those who are interested in the same kinds of art that she is makes it easier to envision her future with artwork. She takes inspiration from her closest friends and how their styles have developed over the years.

Some of her closest friends are artists who have been creating for several years and who have been enrolled in art classes before.

“Being around [artistic friends] makes me realize that you can be good at art if you work really hard at it,” Chupp said. “Being able to connect the artist to their artwork and what you know about them is very special to me. I know that to another artist, the stuff that they produce feels the same why my art feels to me.”

As she continues to grow artistically, Chupp hopes to experiment with future mediums and to collaborate in art with those around her. She has discovered how much art means to her through taking this art class and would be upset with herself if she lost that side of her.

“BLUE AND RED”

A crosshatched blue figure stands brightly out against a red textured background.

Chupp has been creating art for many years, being able to comfortably create art in several mediums including college, acrylic, ink and charcoal.

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Maika and Kaili A note on sisterhood: Is style hereditary?

By Mira Simonton-Chao

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Senior Showcase

Maika Brookes “Style is whatever you like and makes you feel comfortable. I like to be mildly uncomfortable at all times. It keeps you on your toes; it keeps you fun. I like to take myself outside my comfort zone. I know a lot of people don’t feel comfortable showing their bodies because of self-conscious reasons. I used to be really selfconscious and I used to care a lot about what people thought of me — and I guess I still kind of do — but I got to a point with myself and my body where I just don’t really care what people think of my outfits.

I really only care about what I think. And if I think something’s ugly, I’m not going to wear it.”

Kaili Brookes “I think that we put so much emphasis on the word ‘style’ because everybody wants to be original; everybody wants to be memorable. But honestly nobody’s original. I don’t think it’s really possible to be [original] at this point in time. because everything’s been done so many times before. But it’s still possible to look nice.

I think that if you feel good about yourself, you’re going to dress in a way that makes you feel good. I wouldn’t say that I’m confident; I’ve just stopped giving a heck. It’s not that I’m confident; it’s just that I really couldn’t care less. I think it helps to just stop listening to other people. I was really emo in middle school, and that definitely didn’t look good, but I did not care. I was definitely very self-conscious, but I figured if I dressed in a way that distracted people from what I looked like it would make me feel better. But it didn’t. I just felt fat and emo. I definitely didn’t used to act like I do now.”

RIGHT: Kaili wears a red tubetop paired with navy pants and a statement over shirt, one borrowed from her dad. Her closet is full of pieces like these — ones borrowed and traded from family members and integrated into her closet and own personal style.

BELOW: Maika (left) and Kaili (right) show off a varied collection of jewelry, from Kaili’s septum piercing to Maika’s thin chain.

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Maika “[I get most of my clothes from] thrift stores. I just think buying expensive clothes is kind of unnecessary because a lot of them aren’t sustainable. You could just go to a thrift store and find the exact same thing for a lot cheaper and a lot better for the earth. But at the same time, I do sometimes shop at places like Forever 21, but I mean who doesn’t like cheap clothes? They’re cheap, and they’re trendy. I feel like that is really important when you’re a teenager — your appearance.

At least for me personally, if my outfit isn’t good, I sort of feel like crap for the rest of the day.”

Kaili “I don’t buy from stores like that really. I get most of my stuff either from family members or from thrift stores. I just think that you can find a bigger selection, and it’s also a sustainability thing. I just think there’s so much clothing in the world already that we really don’t need to produce the amount that we do. I don’t take issue with higherend fashion because they don’t make a whole lot of it, so it’s more friendly to the environment than, say, ASOS or H&M or something like that.“ Kaili “[We get our views on sustainability from] our mother. She doesn’t buy new clothes, [and] if she buys something new, she wants it to last. So a lot of her clothes are from the ‘90s and early 2000s and stuff.”

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Senior Showcase

Maika “I think I get a lot of inspiration from Kaili, because I wear a lot of her clothes. Also my friends outside of Community. We get a lot of clothes from our friends. We have a couple friends that we’re really close with, and we basically just share closets. We’re with each other all the time. The blue sweater I was wearing, I do not own that. It’s my friend Seth’s.”

Kaili “I get a lot of my inspiration from New York fashion blogs, and I tend to just throw shit together depending on what I feel like that day.

I wouldn’t say that I’m inspired by anybody, but my style is similar to other people’s.

I steal my dad’s pants a lot. I don’t really get inspiration from my dad’s fashion, because he looks like a lumberjack. He has really nice pieces, but he’s just not really sure how to put them together. I do get a lot of inspiration from my friends, but I don’t let them know that.”

LEFT: Maika contrasts a pair of bold orange earrings with a sweatshirt borrowed from her friend Seth — a Libra, as Maika later notes.

MIDDLE: Kaili shows off her shoes on the stairs of Community High School as Maika observes.

LEFT: Maika and Kaili link arms in a complicated back stretch while showing off their shorts and jeans.

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connectwithchristian.com MOST FINANCIAL COMPANIES FOCUS ON YOUR INCOME. WE FOCUS ON YOUR OUTCOME. Jeffrey Cohen, MBA, CLU®, CFP® Wealth Management Advisor (734) 323-7421 jeffrey-cohen.com

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05-4012-1 © 2018 Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (securities), a subsidiary of NM, broker-dealer, registered investment adviser and member FINRA (www.finra.org) and SIPC (www.sipc.org). Jeffrey Charles Cohen is an Insurance Agent(s) of NM. Jeffrey Charles Cohen is a Representative of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company®, (NMWMC) Milwaukee, WI (fiduciary and fee-based financial planning services), a subsidiary of NM and federal savings bank. All NMWMC products and services are offered only by properly credentialed Representatives who operate from agency offices of NMWMC. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.

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Thank you for making our magazine and website possible.

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EAST LANSING, MI — The Communicator staff celebrates their arrival to the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association’s (MIPA) annual Spring awards ceremony. The staff was awarded a Spartan Award, over 60 individual awards. In addition, senior Henry Schirmer was named All-MIPA designer of the year, senior Ava Millman was accepted to the 2019 MIPA journalist staff and the CHS deans were named Administrators of the Year.

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Senior Soundtrack A look at the influential and loved music released throughout the class of 19’s high school years.

BY ANDIE TAPPENDEN

FRESHMAN YEAR 2015 - 2016 “I remember beginning of freshman year the song that was everywhere, it was all over Twitter, it was all over the radio, was ‘Hotline Bling.’ And I remember my promposal to my best friend was a parody of ‘Hotline Bling:’ In Matt’s room, it was ‘Will you be my Hotline Bling to prom.’ It’s a song we really bonded over; we would always listen to it while we drove over to Pioneer. Whenever I listen to that song, it takes me back to being fourteen years old and being completely different and having a lot of fun.”

- Francisco Fiori

Hotline Bling by Drake

Formation by Beyoncé

Release Date: Feb. 6, 2016

Release Date: July 31, 2015

The song Beyoncé performed at the 2016 Super Bowl, ‘Formation,’ was the first song to be released off of her album ‘Lemonade,’ which she created an entire movie for with music videos to each song on the album.

SOPHOMORE YEAR 2016 - 2017

“When [blond] came out, I hadn’t really listened to his other album too much, but then I heard this one and I was like, I can vibe with this. I listened to [Solo] and it really stuck with me. The producing in it is very low-key, and it’s very focused on just his voice. I love people who can sing really well and who can do runs; he shows it off in that song, and I really like it.” - iO Soucy

Solo by Frank Ocean

Release Date: Aug. 20, 2016

Radio by Siven Esso

“Sophomore year, the album I was listening to on loop was ‘Joanne’

by Lady Gaga. That was also such a different step for her. It was one of those albums where I just couldn’t skip a single song — everything flowed so naturally. You think of Lady Gaga you think of huge costumes, big stage, big presence, but that album is much more personal, down-to-earth.” -Francisco Fiori

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Release Date: Aug. 31, 2016

Joanne by Lady Gaga

Release Date: Oct. 21, 2016 Senior Showcase

“It’s a really good song, and it exposed me to an issue in the music industry that I wasn’t aware of just how controlling the radio industry is, and how they make artists conform to certain music styles and personalities. It sounds a lot like a pop song, I think maybe some of that is because it’s parody of the songs that the radio industry is trying to make but yeah, I like it.” - Aaron Von Bargen

JUNIOR YEAR 2017 - 2018

HUMBLE by Kendrick Lamar

“For [my] elite small group hip hop [dance], we did a mash-up of Kendrick Lamar songs and “HUMBLE” was one of them, and it was the most fire dance. I’m personally not a rap person, but after listening to Kendrick, I started getting more into his music and the people he’s influenced by. It’s a completely different world of music. Overall the message of the song is really good… what’s the line… it’s something about being fake, it’s like ‘give me something natural’ and he’s commenting on how everything is so superficial now, and he doesn’t want all the superficial photoshopped photos of people, he wants to see what people actually look like inside and out.”

- Eve Shikanov

Release Date: July 31, 2017

“When I think of junior year, especially the end of junior year, I think of the Rosewood album. They did a lot of shows including Top of The Park, and it’s definitely one of my favorite concerts I’ve been to even though it’s local, because their energy is so infectious, and the crowd is all so hype because we know them. I think it’s really cool to hear this music live and know that this is coming from people your age and know that music production like that is accessible. They’re just so good. I never save albums on Spotify, but I have all of this saved. My favorite song is ‘Dance No More.’ It starts out with a rap verse and then goes into the R&B that they’re known for and it’s a cool contrast and the crowd always goes insane, and when I’m in the crowd, ugh I love it.” - Zoe Lubetkin

Dance No More by Rosewood Release Date: June 2, 2018

“[Honesty] is very soothing and calming and something that’s not too much. It’s not too upbeat, but it’s catchy enough to listen to it and not get bored of it; I’ve been listening to it like a hundred billion times, and I still like it. Usually I get bored of songs pretty quick, but I’ve been still listening to it. It’s one of those songs where you’re listening but also thinking at the same time. I’ll just walk and listen to it; it just puts you in a thinking mode of what they’re talking about.” - Nana-

SENIOR YEAR 2018 - 2019

The most popular song off of Mac Miller’s ‘Swimming’ album, which was released one month before Miller died from an accidental overdose, ‘Self Care’ is ‘a depart from his previous sound and goes into a more retrospective nature.’ - Zoe Lubetkin

Honesty by Pink Sweat$

Release Date: Aug. 3. 2018

Lil Nas X’s song ‘Old Town Road’ was initially removed from Billboard Top Country chart for being too close to rap to be country, bringing light to the conversation of historical repression of black artists in the Country genre. After recording a remix with Billy Ray Cyrus and being re-added to the Billboard Country top 100, ‘Old Town Road’ became, at one point, the most listened to song in the country.

Self Care by Mac Miller

Release Date: July 13, 2018

Old Town Road by Lil Nas X Release Date: Dec. 3, 2018

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Changing Tastes

Three CHS seniors reflect on how their music tastes have changed since freshman year and who influenced them.

BY ZOE BUHALIS // PHOTOGRAPHY BY GENEVE THOMAS-PALMER

ARIS CHALIN

“When I was in middle school, my dad really influenced me with his musical knowledge. He’s a huge music person and I was listening to a bunch of classic rock: Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, The Kinks and other groups like that. Then, when I was in high school I started exploring jazz because of my involvement in the program here. It completely terraformed whatever I had been listening to. I just became obsessed with jazz, that was my new thing. After freshman year, Clarence Collins III influenced me by showing me a bunch of hip hop, rap, the fusion between hip hop and jazz and experimental electronic music. I remember sitting on the first floor [in sophomore year], Clarence walked up to me and put headphones on my ears, like assaulted me with some musical endeavor, and he put on Hiatus Kaiyote. I would definitely have to say Led Zeppelin was my favorite freshman year ­— they were so seminal in my upbringing. But now I would say my favorite is still Hiatus Kaiyote because I was influenced so much by Clarence showing me that music. I still listen to everything. I think it’s important to listen to all kinds of music.”

EMMETT HUHN “In freshman year my music taste was largely that of my parents: Tori Amos, the really out there Fiona Apple songs and Jack Johnson. Over the course of high school, the people I was around influenced my music taste so it went to more pop as well as some K-Pop and J-Pop. Junior year I got into a little bit of my own thing with Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers who I love, but that was my only real departure from my friends. I was walking home from a CVS and I had just got a new pair of headphones. I was like ‘I do jazz I should listen to jazz.’ The song “Nardis” came on and I had to stop in my tracks for a minute and was like, ‘Woah that was a really good song, I need to play more of this artist.’ Now it’s all sort of a mixture of things I listened to prior. My favorite artist freshman year was probably Jack Johnson. This year I feel like I would regret not saying Bill Evans because his music displays such an understanding of music as an art form that I have not heard any other artist express.”

EMMA ZIELINSKI

“I had very singular tastes when I was a freshman; I hadn’t been exposed to a ton of music. I had a few bands that I stuck to all the time that pretty much all sounded the same. I definitely have a much wider taste now because I’ve been exposed to so much more music. I’ve met a lot of new people who have really strange tastes in music and [who listen to] music from really out there bands that I’ve never heard of; I love it. Now I have all this different music to choose from. There’s just so many different types of music and there’s something different about every kind. Freshman year I really liked Børns, X Ambassadors and Calvin Harris, but I was also into Weezer and Red Hot Chili Peppers which is how my sister ‘Knew I could be saved’. Now I don’t have a favorite, I love all different kinds of music depending on my mood, the feeling, even the weather. I like the Rolling Stones, Neutral Milk Hotel, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. My sister had a huge influence on my music. In 9th or 10th grade my sister took me on this really long ride down Huron River Drive, and she played me the album “Interthestellars” and the song, “Brilliant.” I just wanted scream I loved it so much. She was laughing because she knew that I would like it but I think the reaction that she got was just hilarious. I laugh about that now, I was such a dork.”

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Books

I, Claudia AUTHOR Mary McCoy MAIN CHARACTER

Claudia

REVIEW BY Charles Solomon

The mysterious, almost austere cover of “I, Claudia,” coupled with phrases on the inside cover like “Imperial Day Academy” and “tyrants waiting in the wings” prepared me for a story set in some dystopian world, some sort of government school story in a country controlled by some kind of regime. But contrary to this expectation, “I, Claudia” turned out to be a more realistic fiction school story, full of political ideas and satire.

“I, Claudia” chronicles the exploits of a high schooler Claudia, a student at the prestigious Imperial Day Academy. The novel takes the form of Claudia’s long and mostly chronological responses to a rarely seen interviewer.

The story begins shortly before Claudia’s entrance to Imperial Day, introducing us to Claudia, her sister Maisie and her sister’s friends.

All are members of Imperial Day’s prestigious Honor Council, which votes and enacts punishments for students’ transgressions. Imperial Day also has a Senate, which votes on and organizes school events like charity drives and

dances, but is much less powerful than the Honor Council.

Claudia is reluctantly sucked into the Senate — and Imperial Day’s world of politics — at the end of her freshman year, when she is elected one of the next year’s Sophomore Class representatives. But early her sophomore year, when an embezzlement scandal leaves the Senate confused and leaderless, she and her friend (and a fellow representative) Hector must step up as vice president and president of the Senate and enact real change.

In Claudia’s junior year, Cal Hurt is elected Honor Council President. Cruel, manipulative and violent, Cal quickly takes over the school. The sycophant Honor Council swiftly punishes anyone Cal dislikes. Claudia and Hector do their best to try and stop him, but Cal seems unstoppable. As Claudia scrambles, she is faced with the question: Does power corrupt even the best, given time?

Overall, I felt this was a good book. I felt it was a reasonably fair depiction of politics, especially recently, sad though that may be. I also felt that the characters were well-imagined and complex, with realistic motivations and ideals. Finally, I liked the included at the end of the book, short transcripts of interviews with other notable characters, most of whom contradicted Claudia in one way or another. These contradictions made one wonder if Claudia might be lying at times in her narrative, and I enjoyed trying to guess where and why she might not be telling the truth.

On the other hand, there were some things I was less sure about in the story. Near the beginning, a fortune teller told Claudia not to go to Imperial Day. Personally, the whole scene seemed somewhat random in this story. The ‘prophecy’ told was not quite fulfilled and was not referenced enough later in the book. I also thought the idea that the prophecy in the school records was unnecessary and slightly odd.

“I, Claudia” should appeal to many readers.

Though at its baseline a school story and realistic fiction, the book is more deeply political commentary. Anyone who enjoys realistic fiction or school stories should enjoy this book, as well as anyone who enjoys political satire. Even if you do not think you enjoy those genres, you should try this book. A Michael J. Printz Honor Book, “I, Claudia” is an insightful and deep read. C

WHAT TO READ NEXT For more books featuring similar themes and ideas, look at these titles. If you enjoyed “I, Claudia,” you might enjoy these books also!

ANIMAL FARM GEORGE ORWELL A biting political satire of Communism and the Soviet Union.

THE OUTSIDERS S.E. HINTON A teenager finds himself in a conflict between two gangs separated by class.

THE LORD OF THE FLIES WILLIAM GOLDING Kids stranded on an uninhabited island struggle to survive and develop a culture.

SMALL FRY LISA BRENNAN-JOBS Brennan-Jobs discusses navigating the complex worlds of different homes and schools.

CATCH-22 JOSEPH HELLER A chronicle of a WWII bomber pilot’s exploits that harshly criticizes war.

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BY SACHA VERLON

A

aron Rogers finds inspiration in the streetstyle rocked by Korean Pop — or K-Pop — bands.

Above, Rogers keeps his clothing minimal by wearing neutral tones, spotlighting the details in his jewelry. His thin line glasses from Eyeglass World complements his silver earrings, whereas the gold chain provides a bit of contrast while still flowing with the outfit. The rips in his Abercrombie jeans gives Rogers an edge that juxtaposes the cleaner elements of his outfit.

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C

arter Phillips likes to watch YouTubers such as Teaching Men’s Fashion and Alpha M for style tips. Above, Carter blends fashion and function with a Patagonia down-vest layered over his long-sleeve thermal, giving his outfit depth and keeping him warm in the awkward, spring-butnot-really-spring weather. His jeans, which he bought from American Eagle, were self-distressed and are pin-rolled at the bottom in order to taper his silhouette and complement his slim Puma sneakers. His Fossil watch adds just the right amount of dapper to his look.

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1000 Words BY iO SOUCY

On a cold December evening, Cal McCullough and his friends were in Jonah Eichner’s garage. The group of friends sat around in a circle eating food, telling stories and making each other laugh. After food, they decided to walk on the train tracks by Barton Dam. Experimenting with a 30 second exposure time, McCullough caught his subject, Clarence Collins lll, flicking a lighter that illuminated Collins’ face. In the background, on the left-hand side, you can see Jonah Eichner and Blake Turner on the edge of the tracks.

When capturing this photo, McCullough has only one intention: to practice long exposure. The prominence of Clarence’s face was not McCullough’s original vision, yet the photographer couldn’t be more happy with how the photo turned out.

“The rest of the photo is so blurry, which adds this cerebral, dreamy effect where the focus is on Clarence’s face,” McCullough said. “When you’re dreaming, you really only remember one thing from the dream. In this case, that’s Clarence. I also really like how Clarence’s body is cut off at the light streak.

It wasn’t intentional at all, but I’m really happy with how it turned out.”

McCullough has been doing serious photography since his sophomore year, when he took Steve Coron’s film photography class. During that time, he was able to explore what it means to work with film photography and what goes into the process of developing and printing photos.

However, in more recent months he has been capturing digitally, mainly using his phone camera. McCullough has had the privilege to capture photos with a Leica summilux lens f1.6 27 mm prime lens, giving him a professional finish without having to bring a large camera everywhere he goes.

Since McCullough’s beginnings with photography, he has gone through phases of interest: portraits, black and white, long exposures, bright colors. Yet one thing has stayed consistent: people. He believes that capturing images with humans — more specifically his friends — displays more elements of emotion and empathy to the audience.

“I feel like a lot more becomes involved if there is a human figure in the image, because it is a lot easier to empathize with somebody than something, even when the something is very artful and the somebody isn’t,” McCullough said. “I’d like the audience to have that kind of empathetic reaction.”

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Our Turn: On Seniors

BY MAZEY PERRY

“I’m going to the University of Michigan next year, and I’m living off campus with some friends in Ypsilanti. We’re getting a house. You don’t have to live on campus at U of M and it saves a lot of money not to. I didn’t really want to go to U of M at first, so it’s how I am doing “the college thing” on my own terms. U of M was the only school I got into and I actually think, had I gotten into other places, [still] I would have picked U of M. I don’t have a good reason for really wanting to go, but it’s a good school and it’s cheap. I get to stay close to my family and that makes me happy. I wish U of M was a little more flexible, but I think it will be okay. I am getting a lot more excited about it though. I’m so excited about my house. It’s really big and it’s in Ypsilanti close to downtown.”

- Mira Simonton-Chao “I am going to Northwestern and it’s going to be really exciting. I am going to be on the swim and dive team. I love Chicago and I am just really looking forward to it. As an athlete there is a whole recruiting process you go through and so this fall I took five official visits to five different schools. I ended up choosing Northwestern. I’m going to be studying engineering. At the moment I’m thinking environmental or biomedical engineering. I’m just going to have fun with it.”

- Henry Schirmer

“Next year I am going to Loyola University in Chicago and I am going to study theater. I am very excited and Chicago is just the place to be in theater right now. I first got into theater in middle school, and were required to do a Shakespeare play and I thought it was going to be the worst thing ever, but I ended up playing a lead and really liking it. Next year I’m going to be living on campus on my own so that should be exciting.

I have one friend from a theater camp going, and I know a lot of people going to Chicago next year. I’m also really excited to meet new people too though. I am really nervous but also excited so I think it will balance out.”

- Andrea Schnell 82

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The Communicator Magazine

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Constant

ONETHING LAST Jonah Eichner

Community High School senior reflects upon the last things he experienced.

What was the last thing you ate?

Two bites of this really bad pizza that I got from a kid in my jazz class.

What was the last song you listened to?

“What Can We Do” by Anderson Paak and Eight Dog.

When was the last time you cried?

The last time I cried was the other day when I was in bed watching, I was very sick, and I was watching this documentary about weed in America. There was this guy who was in prison for 14 years, that was his mandatory minimum sentence, and he had $5 worth of weed on him and he got sent to jail. His sisters were seeing for the first time and I was bawling; it was so sad.

When was the last time you went to the doctor?

Two years ago. I’m actually really overdue.

When was the last time you yelled?

I’m teaching a jazz class right now and they are very bad at staying on task so I have to yell at them pretty frequently.

When was the last time you danced?

Just now, I was listening to these jazz kids play and danced along.

When was the last time you shook someone’s hand?

That last time I shook someone’s hand was [when I met] Sean Dobbins. He’s a drummer and came into our class and I wanted to say, “Hello Sean Dobbins!

What was the last video you took?

It’s a video of me singing a melody that I thought of in my head when I was on a walk.