The Triangle, Issue 4, Vol. 102

GIVING BACK

TRI NGLE

THE

Columbus North High School • 1400 25th Street, Columbus, IN, 47201 • Volume 102 Issue 4• December 16, 2022

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EXECUTIVEBOARD Ananya Adur Kaitlyn Ayers Abinaya Ganesan Ananya Ramanujapuram Addy Rogers INDEPTHEDITOR Abinaya Ganesan COPYEDITOR Alexandra Osburn SECTIONEDITORS Natalie Brown Paula Ramos Perez INDEPTHTEAM Alexandra Osburn Ajay Singireddy Jasmine Yang PHOTOEDITORS Novah Ulm Grace Wheatley ARTDIRECTOR Carson Embree STAFF Aidan Brown Jocelyn Aguilar Irvin Castaneda Ivy Davidson Ram Gowda Abigail Grider Aleigha Hill Abigail Lovins Izabelle Munn Meghana Penmathsa Alice Pisoni Benjamin Psota Sylva Sasse Abigail Smith Deshna Venkatachalam Lydia Weed Zoe Wheeler

ADVISERS Roth Lovins Rachel McCarver

Editorial Policy The Triangle is the designated forum for student expression at Columbus North High School. The student staff chooses all content.

Signed columns published in The Triangle express the writer’s personal opinion and not the views of The Triangle, student body, BCSC, administration, board of trustees or faculty of Columbus North.

The Triangle practices ethical journalism by providing balanced and fair coverage as determined by community standards. The Triangle strives to achieve 100 percent accuracy by checking sources, spelling, and quotes and attaining multiple sources.

The Triangle encourages letters to the editor, but reserves the right to reject them for reasons including but not limited to lack of space, multiple letters of the same topic and personal attacks contained in the letter. The Triangle will not edit for content, but reserves the right to edit for grammar and length. Letters should be submitted to room 1507 or sent via e-mail to administrator@cnhsmedia.com. All Letters much be signed by all persons involved in writing the letter, which the staff will check for validation. A letter sent via e-mail must be validated with a signature from the writer before The Triangle will publish it. If responding to a publication, letters must be turned in within one week of that publication’s distribution.

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NEWS

WORLD CUP VIEWS HIT ALL TIME HIGH

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HOLIDAY FESTIVITIES TAKE PLACE ACROSS THE COMMUNITY

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Interesting facts and student opinions about the 2022 World Cup

Students contribute to holiday events, including the C4 light display.

C4 ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS SIMULATE FUTURE BUS STOP DESIGNS

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OPINION PRIME TIME TROUBLES

How Amazon Prime has Ruined the Thursday Night Football Experience?

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TWITTER TAKEOVER

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WATCHING WEDNESDAY

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WAKANDA FORVER

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Chaos ensues as entrepreneur Elon Musk takes over teh scoail media platform The new revival of an old franchise that’s taking social media by storm The new Marvel Movie, A tribute to Chadwick Boseman

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WE CANT’T DO IT WITHOUT YOU

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A VERY ELFY MUSICAL

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BALLET BEGINNINGS

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Student Assembly members gather together to collect cans and distribute them around the community

North Drama captures the Christmas spirit in this year᠆s musicals

Putting their skills to use, North students render realistic design solutions

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STUDENT LIFE

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Starting in December, the annual Nutcracker Ballet is being performed by Dancer's Studio Inc.

SPORTS

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CASHLESS SYSTEM AT SPORTING EVENTS

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NORTH ON ICE

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BASKETBALL BEGINNINGS

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The athletic department is changing their payment method from cash to digital starting in the new year Athletes discuss the mental and physical aspects of ice sports

North girls basketball team discusses their mentality as they dive into the heart of their season

INDEPTH

ONLINE PREVIEW

GIVING BACK Students find opportunities to give back to both the school and Columbus communities through senior projects

Scan with your iPhone camera (Snapchat, too) to be linked to all of CNHS Media's socials.

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START OUT SMALL The Triangle staff discusses how your involvement can make a difference

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tudents are fortunate to have built-in opportunities for aiding the community through both senior projects and service learning hours. These are amazing ways not only to prepare for graduation, but also to take those first steps toward making a difference in the world. Your efforts don’t have to stop there, however.

Outside of these programs, there are several easy ways that students in all grade levels can bring their talents to the issues they are most passionate about.

Volunteering your time to help charities is a great way to make a difference. Just volunteering for a couple hours can both result in a lot of beneficial work for the organization and be a rewarding experience for yourself. While helping out, you learn skills that can better prepare you for your

future and future career. Charities are always needing volunteers and you can choose something you’re passionate about to truly feel yourself making a difference.

In addition, donating money to charities doesn’t go unnoticed.

People coming together to donate small amounts of money can make a significant change in the organization.

Even if your circumstances make it difficult to volunteer your time or money toward a service organization, there’s still another way you can contribute. Raising awareness about the issues that are important to you can be done at any time and from virtually any place. In many cases, the long road to change starts with just becoming conscious that an issue exists. You can talk to your classmates and teachers about it, research it on your own, and even post about it on social media

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if that’s your style. Either way, just lending your voice to an issue or a movement can draw many others to it. You can also participate in advocacy groups that exist to do just that. Vocal support for a cause can be just as helpful as direct volunteer work in the long run.

Examples of how to be effective agents of change exist all around us. Many times, we think of world leaders, presidents or politicians.

But just as inspiring are the examples of activism that can be found even within the walls of the school. Consider the service projects of the students profiled in the cover story and the effects that they will have. How much could those benefits be magnified if we engaged similarly with the community throughout our whole time in high school?

WORLDCUPVIEWSHIT ALL-TIMEHIGH

Interesting facts and student opinions about the 2022 World Cup

by Benjamin Psota design by Carson Embree Argentine soccer fans celebrate the victory of their team. Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dec. 13, 2022. Photo

by Florencia Martin/DPA/ ABACAPRESS.COM

“This year I would like to see Messi or Ronaldo win the World Cup so they could help cement their legacy as the GOATs of soccer, however, I feel as though Brazil might win, as they are the favorite. I also want the U.S. team to go as far as they can, but they will most likely fall short fairly early on.”

sophomore Benjamin Stevens

“I think that Christiano Ronaldo should not play another minute in this world cup. He is far from the same player who he used to be. His physical tools were what made him such a good player, and he doesn’t have them anymore. Portugal

has better options. Next, I think that the USA needs to get rid of their head coach and find someone new. Although the USA did make the round of 16, their per formances throughout the tournament were far from inspiring.”

freshman Leo Iorio

2018WorldCup

• Drew in over 3.5 billion total viewers • On average, there were 161 million viewers per game

20WorldCup

• Expected to have over 5 billion total viewers • Averages out to have over 227 million viewers per game

FOOTBALL FIELD

SOCCER FIELD

Length: 120 yards (360 ft)

Length: 120 yards (360 ft)

Width: 53.3 yards (160 ft)

Width: 75 yards (225 ft)

Sources: sportsfieldmanagement.org, th18.com, NBC Sports

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HOLIDAYFESTIVITIESTAKE PLACEAROUNDTHE COMMUNITY

by Lydia Weed photo by Abby Grider

Students contribute to holiday events, including the C4 light display

by Lydia Weed

“I hope that we promote and raise money for Love Chapel, and get lots of donations.” juniorManasiIndalkar

One part of the C4 display, the C4 logo and red bridge, is lit up at night.

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n September, the city of Columbus found out the Festival of Lights parade would no longer be taking place. However, there are still other celebrations happening throughout the city.

Taulman Farms will host its annual light display, Columbus Country Christmas.

Visitors can drive through two miles of Christmas lights, see reindeer and even ride in a horse-drawn wagon. Until Dec. 22, the Bartholomew County Historical Society will have a historical Christmas tree exhibit in its downtown museum. Other Christmas art pieces made by local artists will be featured.

One holiday tradition here, the C4 light display with Christmas music, features Columbus landmarks such as the courthouse and the iconic red bridge. C4 teacher Michael Paprocki talks about how he started working on this project and how his students contribute.

“I started five years ago, when I first came over to BCSC,” Paprocki said. “They handed this project off to me. I didn’t really know much about it, so I got with the construction class. They’re the ones that dig the holes, set the posts and put up the big structures that everyone can see.”

C4 networking student and junior Manasi Indalkar discusses her favorite part of working on the C4 light display. “[My favorite part is] stepping back and looking at it and seeing how much progress we have made,” Indalkar said.

Those driving past the display will see a monetary collection box among the lights.

Indalkar has goals for how it will positively impact the community.

“I hope that we promote and raise money for Love Chapel, and get lots of donations,” Indalkar said.

ARCHITECTURE STUDENTSDESIGN BUSSTOPS

by Paula Ramos Perez design by Ram Gowda

Putting their skills to use, architecture students render realistic design solutions through Enscape to simulate a realistic appearance. Junior Grishma Pitkar, who designed a studio for the project, looked beyond the subject at hand and found value in her design. junior Grishma Pitkar “The purpose of this project was to understand the importance of utilizing space in an efficient way,” Pitkar said. “We had limited space, and in that [space] we had to design a studio that would fit an architect’s needs.”

Inspired by industrial architecture with a blend of modern elements, Pitkar’s design photo by Jocelyn Aguilar involved various highs and lows.

“The hardest part was probably deciding the layout of my studio imulating reality, students push and what components I needed to include,” creative boundaries to new Pitkar said. extremes in the C4 Intro to Despite this, Pitkar was able to look on Architecture class. In a recent the bright side and take something away project, students put together from her learning experience. designs for local bus stops and studios.

“The best part was definitely rendering Using the software Sketchup Pro, students created designs and rendered their products and experimenting with different materials

and designs,” Pitkar said.

Senior Jessica Meza went a different route and created a bus stop for the project.

“My design was inspired by the classic Columbus C, as well as the benches at the Parkside Elementary playground,” Meza said.

In her research for inspiration, Meza looked for specific aspects to incorporate into her design.

“Before I began, I went to Google and looked at bus stop images for inspiration, taking into account which aspects of each I liked or found unique, ” Meza said. “After that, I sketched some possible options with paper and pencil until I had a design I liked.”

Despite experiencing difficulties with software, Meza was able to produce a product she was proud of.

“I was surprised by how well my project turned out,” Meza said. “I enjoyed going home and showing my parents what I had made.”

Sketchup Pro

“The best part was definitely rendering and experimenting with different materials and designs.”

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was the digital software used to make these architecture designs possible Two Weeks is the typical time architecture students have to complete these projects

senior JessicaMeza

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PRIME TIME TROUBLES

How Amazon Prime has Ruined the Thursday Night Football Experience

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f I were to tell you a prime time football game is on, chances are that it would be accessible to as many people as possible because it’s such a large event.

This was the case with the NFL’s old format for one of its weekly prime time games, Thursday Night Football. FOX Sports streamed the weekly event until Amazon Prime Video bought the rights to the event. Since then, Thursday Night Football hasn’t been the same.

One of the major issues that I have noticed with Amazon taking over is that viewers must have an Amazon Prime account to access the games. This has made it difficult for some viewers to get their football fix because they don’t have access to an Amazon Prime account, whereas before, if they had any cable TV provider, they could watch the game.

Another noticeable difference is that I

feel there isn’t as much hype around the games as there used to be. Usually the game would be advertised everywhere, whether that was in commercials or on social media posts, but now it almost seems forgotten. Unless one is an avid football fan, I feel like they may never know that there was any Thursday Night football at all.

One last crime, which may be the worst of all, has to be the announcers.

Now the crime being committed isn’t the announcer himself, it’s how he was stolen from one of the greatest spectacles in sports, Sunday Night Football, to the now low-level Thursday Night Football. His name is Al Michaels, and he is my favorite announcer in all of football, but ever since Amazon stole him, I haven’t often listened to him kill it in the booth since.

by Ben Psota

TWITTER TAKEOVER

Chaos ensues as entrepreneur Elon Musk takes over the social media platform

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eloved for its plethora of memes and niche internet fandoms, Twitter is a wellknown and widely used platform in today’s age.

However, the social media platform is undergoing radical change as billionaire Elon Musk buys the company for a whopping $44 billion.

Musk’s control of Twitter comes after his strong claims that Twitter does not live up to its potential as a platform for free speech. Shortly following the acquisition of the company, Musk planned to revitalize Twitter by eliminating spam and drastically altering its policies to remove only illegal speech.

Since the deal on Oct. 27, many of the company changes made by Musk have been alarming for employees and users alike. From a wave of immediate

layoffs, reinventing Twitter’s verification system and flows of employee resignations, many question whether the remaining staff will be able to keep the now 16-year-old company afloat.

Musk is also under fire for the resuscitation of many hate speech accounts and an alarming surge in hateful speech on the platform.

According to the New York Times, recent data has documented that hate speech has exploded on Twitter in the first two weeks since Musk took over. Researchers noted that “they had never seen such a sharp increase in hate speech, problematic content and formerly banned accounts in such a short period on a mainstream social media platform.”

by Paula Ramos Perez

WATCHING"WEDNESDAY" The new revival of an old franchise that’s taking social media by storm

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hen season 4 of Stranger Things came out on Netflix, you couldn’t go through social media without seeing something about it. It’s the same for the platform’s new show, “Wednesday”, released Nov. 23 and is already number one on Netflix. Within a day, there were people on my social media talking about season two, which is scheduled to come out in Jan. 2023. This was revealed in a social media post by actress Jenna Ortega, who plays Wednesday Addams.

“Wednesday” does an amazing job at bringing the Addams family into the modern day. I don’t know much about the Addams family, but I know that the original show is very popular, and there have been so many recreations of it that it’s amazing.

I think Jenna Ortega was the best possible actress for Wednesday. The energy she put into the lead role was amazing, as was the way she watched the old shows as research. She became an Addams family

super fan, learning everything about them so she could be the best Wednesday possible. In an interview, she said she once stayed up all night studying the old Wednesday dance moves to make up the perfect dance for the show. That ended up paying off very well: the dance is now worldfamous on TikTok. They did one of the best jobs I’ve ever seen at including the old Addams Family shows, with the addition of modern technology. This continuity goes so far as to have the actress Christina Ricci, the old actress for Wednesday Addams in the original show, play a character named Mrs. Thornhill. I won’t spoil it, but this character definitely makes an impact on Wednesday Addams.

The show is incredible, and I can’t see where the show and its actors go from here.

The show has one of the best groups of actors I have ever seen, and I bet we’ll see a lot more of them now. I would definitely tell you to give this show a watch if you haven’t yet, it’s well worth it.

by Zoey Wheeler

WAKANDA FOREVER The new Marvel movie: A tribute to Chadwick Boseman

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he end of 2022 is jam-packed with great movies in theaters, including the sequel to Black Panther, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.’ No movie is perfect, but I think this movie was pretty close to it. It was a perfect sequel to the first Black Panther film and a perfect tribute to Chadwick Boseman. It showed the grief for him, but the mourning didn’t overshadow the entire film. It gave just the right amount of tribute to Boseman while still allowing the female cast to take charge and lead the movie.

It is hard to compare the first movie to the second because they are both so different. The first Black Panther was a fantastic movie and one of Marvel’s best films. It introduced us to a whole new world, but Wakanda Forever has beautiful cinematography, and the all-female

cast makes the film very influential and noteworthy.

The director, Ryan Coogler, did a fantastic job balancing when to have funny moments and sad moments. He also did a great job adapting to Boseman’s death, because he already had the script written before the actor’s death and had to completely change the film. There was a major emotional undertone to the film because of Boseman’s death and how different characters were affected by his death. I especially liked how the movie showed everyone’s point of view and how each person with a relationship to him coped with his death. I think the reason why the film is so great is because not only are the fictional characters mourning the Black Panther, but so is the real world.

by Ivy Davidson

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GIVINGBACK 4

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Students find opportunities to give back to both the school and Columbus communities through senior projects

by Alex Osburn, Ajay Singireddy and Jasmine Yang

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PROJECTS INACTION

I want to make sure that no parent has to lose a child to congenital heart disease and no student has to lose a friend, especially when it can be so easily prevented.” seniorLukeSequeira

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n order to graduate, students must complete 10 hours of service learning. In order to maintain membership status in the National Honors Society, members must volunteer for eight hours per semester. In order to make a positive impact in the community, clubs such as Key Club, Environmental Club and Conservation Club give members opportunities to volunteer. For students here, emphasis is placed on building healthy relationships by giving time and service to others both in and out of the classroom.

One opportunity that seniors have to give back to the community of Columbus is through their senior project. Senior project coordinator Erin Miller describes how senior projects aim to impact those in the community.

“The goal of senior projects is for students to give back to the community in some form, in some way,” Miller said. “A lot of times students will choose an organization that means something to them, that is meaningful to them. They want to give back, they have a purpose for it, and a passion. That’s another part of the goal — we want the students to feel passionate about the project that they choose and their way of giving back to the community while also learning a lot of positive good life skills along the way that they can use post-graduation in their future plans.”

One senior project that embodies this community service aspect is that of seniors Luke Sequeira and Zach Horn. They are using this opportunity to inform people in the community more about health issues that might never be noticed.

“I’m trying to spread awareness about undetected heart conditions and get more students in our county screened,” Sequeira said.

When doing preliminary research for the project, Sequeira found daunting facts and statistics about heart health. This helped further motivate the pair to choose this project.

“Sudden cardiac arrest has been one of the leading causes of death in schools for many years and I’ve heard tragic stories from many people as I was researching this project,” Sequeira said. “I want to make sure that no parent has to lose a child to congenital heart disease and no student has to lose a friend, especially when it can be so easily prevented.”

In order to start organizing the necessary materials and space for the project, Sequeira contacted organizations and foundations in the state.

“I started by talking to some Indiana foundations that offer heart screenings like the Zac Magno Foundation and the Play for Jake Foundation,” Sequeira said.

“I worked out logistics with them and reserved school facilities according to the equipment they had and the space needed to conduct the screenings efficiently.”

Beyond just working with organizations in the state, Sequeira has had the opportunity to work with a professional in another country. As a result, Sequeira’s overall interest in cardiology grew, showcasing how senior projects can incorporate student’s passions.

“Oncology has held my interest for a while but this summer I wanted to broaden

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Senior Siri Poludasu

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Senior Luke Sequeira stands by an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), a tool that can be used to resuscitate those whose whose hearts have stopped beating momentarily.

English teacher Kelley Culp teaches her advisory class about the dangers of fetanyl. The advisory presentation was created by senior Siri Poludasu as part of her senior project.

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A student uses the Pear Deck interactive slides that accompany Poludasu’s project.

photos by Novah Ulm and Grace Wheatley

my horizons, so I teamed up with a cardiologist in France to work on a research paper that analyzed how gene therapy could be used to treat some of the most common arrhythmias,” Sequeira said. “Since then I’ve found cardiology incredibly interesting and I knew that I wanted to help my community learn more about heart conditions for my project.”

The ultimate goal of this project is to inform students here more about heart health as well as provide opportunities for students to get tests done that they may not be able to acquire otherwise.

“My project would help educate students at my school about the dangers of undetected heart conditions and would also provide upwards of 200 students with in-depth heart screenings conducted and reviewed by pediatric cardiologists,” Sequeira said.

While this project is focused on educating students on physical health, senior Siri Poludasu’s senior project is creating advisory lessons to educate and empower students with the tools to navigate substance abuse and mental health. These presentations started in October and will be presented to advisory classes roughly once a month until the spring.

“What I’m planning on doing is using this presentation as a resource for those that are struggling with substance abuse or poor mental health in general-

to go back to and look at,” Poludasu said. “I always have a list of resources at the end of my slides that are usually the same, unless I’m talking about a different topic, just for people to go back to and look at those, so if they feel uncomfortable talking to people they could go to do it on their own. It’s more of an indirect way of talking to someone else.”

Poludasu was able to work with one of the teachers that makes the advisory lessons. and with her guidance was able to help bring a student perspective to the advisory lessons.

“My mentor works here in the counseling center and she usually makes the advisory lessons or monitors them to make sure they’re good enough to be presented,” Poludasu said. “She’s been helping me make those. They’re not that bad to make, it’s more just finding what people would want to learn about and what would be more relatable.

The reason why I was allowed to do them was because they wanted more from a student perspective.”

Poludasu’s senior project is also her Biomedical Innovations Independent project for her fourthyear medical class. This dual perspective allows her to learn more about the impacts of substances and mental health on the human body

STEP FORWARD

Source: UT Magazine

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in

adults in the US volunteer year-round

50%

volunteering increases during November and December

while sharing important resources with other students.

“I get to focus more on the medical aspect of substance abuse and mental health and how that can affect your actual physical well being,” Poludasu said. “It was really important for me to also learn about that because we’ve been through quarantine a couple

“

It was really important for me to also learn about that because we’ve been through quarantine a couple times, which can take a toll on people. senior SiriPoludasu

senior Siri Poludasu

senior Destiny Hayes

sophomore Harshini Vemavarapu

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Q A &

Sophomore Harshini Vemavarapu shares how she contributes her time and talents to CSA Lincoln Elementary School.

Q A

:What do you do to help out at Lincoln? : At Lincoln I help the younger kids on the robotics team. I help with mostly everything, such as listening to their presentations or helping them come up with ideas.

Q A

: What inspired you to start helping out at Lincoln? : I was inspired to start helping out there since the team needed extra help since they had no volunteers. I’ve been doing robotics since third grade, so I thought I’d have the experience to help out.

Q A

: What do the students gain from your volunteering? : Volunteering helps me encourage children interested in continuing in the STEM route so they can pursue it in the future.

times, which can take a toll on people. It’s important to tell others how getting into substance abuse can really harm you and put more emphasis on the why rather than just saying it.”

While Poludasu’s advisory lessons benefit the entire school community, senior Destiny Hayes has created a project that gives back to the Life Skills department.

“I’m implementing a reading program for special needs kids, and then I’m going to teach them life skills based off of those books I buy,” Hayes said. “I’m also raising money for [part of my project] and my goal is $250. What I decided to do was buy the books, and then I’ll make lesson plans for each week and create activities for the kids after I read the book.”

When creating this project, Hayes found ways to leave an impact even after her project is done.

“After I’m done with my lesson plans I’m going to donate the books to the special needs hallway to their

It’s really important to show that we’re trying to include them rather than them being secluded in their own hallway and to certain tables.” senior DestinyHayes

reading classes,” Hayes said. “I’m also going to be helping the special needs kids learn life skills. There’s a lot of new special needs kids this year and they’re having a hard time adjusting to their new environment.”

Hayes felt inspired to do this project because she has personal connections with these students.

“My mom worked with special needs kids and I’ve just felt a real connection with them,” Hayes said. “They understand me and I understand them and I’ve made real connections with all the kids here in a short time. I’m not completely sure how I do it, but I enjoy helping them and helping people is something I enjoy.”

One goal of this project is to help build relationships between the diverse groups within the school.

“It’s more to show that kids like us, to say in that wording, we’re thinking of them as people and not just kids that are thrown in our school and are in a program here,” Hayes said. “It’s really important to show that we’re trying to include them rather than them being secluded in their own hallway and to certain tables.”

WECAN 'TDOIT WITHOUTYOU

Student Assembly members gather together to collect cans and distribute them to places around the community

by Deshna Venkatachalam design by Irvin Castaneda

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very year, the Student Assembly organizes a can drive. This event allows the school to connect with and give back to the community. Senior Izzy Larken shares how this event begins.

“This event, we kind of prepare for it all year and start actually working on it in November and December,” Larken said.

The first collect and then comes counting and distributing.

“We keep them here and count them.

On the last day before break, we will take them to different families,” Larken said. “This year, we’re trying to focus on BCSC families, so we reached out to different schools in BCSC to get a list of families.”

Senior Leah Hartwell explains the importance of this annual event.

“This is important because it is a great experience for a lot of students.

It also shows the community coming together for the greater good,” Hartwell said.

photo by Jocelyn Aguilar

Student Assembly has collected cans for many years, and Hartwell explains her goals for the number collected this year.

“Our record was 20,000. I want to get close to that this year, and we’ve already collected a lot of cans, so I’m thankful for that. I hope that we can collect over 10,000 cans,” Hartwell said.

Apart from helping others, Hartwell explains her favorite part of Can Drive.

“You get to spend a lot of time with your friends. Whenever we’re door hanging, we get to go with friends, and also during can collection,” Hartwell said.

While Hartwell enjoys the time spent working on the event, Larken’s favorite part is the joy it brings to others.

“I love Can Drive Day because it all kind of comes together, and you get to drop off the cans to the families.

Usually, they’re home and you can kind of see their reaction,” Larken said.

CANSSTATS

Information on the Can Drive and the process of collecting

5500+ Houses Served by this event

10K-12K Cans Collected by the drive

75 Hours

are spent on this event after school

AVERYEFYMUSICAL

North Drama captures the Christmas spirit in this year’s musical

by Natalie Brown design by Abbi Lovins photos by Novah Ulm and Grace Wheatley

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lf opened on Dec. 9 to a full house, filled with holiday cheer. Buddy the Elf, played by Ben Richards, made the show come alive with his four years of experience as an actor with

drama.

“I really enjoyed learning and running the songs. Especially the ones with a lot of pizzazz, because it’s just fun to put my heart and soul into a song,” Richards said.

“I enjoy Buddy’s ability to transform a place or person from a gray lifeless void into one full of Christmas cheer and color. It’s a lot of fun to do and to see that

transformation.”

Junior Joe Del Genio has been involved in theather productions before but this is the first time being a stage manager.

“This show was my first time stage managing, so I got to have a bigger part in the decisions and planning that went on backstage,” Del Genio said. “The most difficult part of the show was planning how set pieces sit backstage to ensure that they got on stage at the right time, and weren’t blocking other pieces.”

The show had a cast of over a hundred, including community members, and the

Top: Senior Ben Richards dressed in his elf costume he wore at the winter musical.

Bottom left: Junior Caroline Andrus and junior Austin Clark discuss their characters’ upcoming book.

technical demands of the show were high.

“I had to mark down the light and sound cues in my script and tell the light and sound managers when to go. That part was very difficult because the actors had a difficult time keeping quiet backstage,” Del Genio said.

Despite Del Genio’s difficulties with learning how to stage manage the show still went on.

“The lights and set pieces in the show worked with the actors to create an atmosphere that truly brought out the Christmas spirit.”

Middle: The Macy’s workers get prepared for Santa’s visit.

Bottom right: Senior Molly Hotek contemplates her new step son’s arrival.

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BALLET BEGINNINGS

Starting in December, the annual Nutcracker Ballet is being performed by Dancer’s Studio Inc.

by Izzy Munn design by Sylvia Sasse

“I’m very proud of this season, and I feel like I’ve pushed myself,” said Fay. “It’s a good conclusion to the work I’ve put in for the past 12 years and everything I’ve worked toward.” seniorIsabelFay

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s the holiday season approaches, so does the performance of Tchaikovsky's “The Nutcracker,” performed

by Dancer’s Studio. With the ballet’s opening night drawing closer, the dancers are preparing and practicing for the recital non-stop. From Dec. 17-18, performers are adding the finishing touches to their final product. One of these performers is sophomore Sasha Varchenko.

“If I had to describe the show in one word, it would be ‘amazing,’” Varchenko said. “Even in the chaos of what leads up to the show and what happens backstage, when you step on that stage, it feels as though everything pays off.”

Varchenko has practice for “The Nutcracker” every Saturday, as well as choreography practice throughout the weekdays. Although the practices and lead up to the show are overwhelming and stressful, Varchenko always tries to find joy in what she’s doing.

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“I tend to get really overwhelmed leading up to the shows because of the pressure of wanting to be perfect for the show and, of course, school,” Varchenko said. “I try to have the mentality of enjoying the moment and being strong enough to power through the hardships.

I try to find the joy and happiness in it all.”

Another student performing in the show is senior Isabel Fay. She is playing multiple roles in this year's production, portraying the “Crazy Aunt,” as well as a snowflake, followed by a duet titled “The Arabian Coffee Dance.” “[The casting experience] was extremely unique this year,” said Fay. “My director talked to me, and asked what I would like to do, and I gave her a few ideas. She came back with the Arabian Coffee Dance, which I thought was a great idea.”

Fay has been dancing for nearly 15 years, and she is finishing out her final year with Dancer’s Studio with her twelfth “Nutcracker” performance.

bigail Grider

“I’ve been working really hard to push myself because there's not any older kids or people my age, so this performance, I’ve been working on self-motivation, which has helped my dancing a lot,” Fay said.

With only a few more weeks until showtime, Fay and her teammates are making final preparations for their performances.

“We’ve been talking about how we only have two weeks left, which is nerve wracking, but it’s also sort of sad,” Fay said. “I’ve done this for so long, and now it’s going to be over, but I’m still excited and ready.”

Although things are coming to an end with Fay’s “Nutcracker” career, she is still proud of everything she has accomplished with her time working on the show.

“I’m very proud of this season, and I feel like I’ve pushed myself,” Fay said.

“It’s a good conclusion to the work I’ve put in for the past 12 years and everything I’ve worked toward.”

CASHLESSSYSTEMAT ATHLETICEVENTS The athletic department is changing their payment method from cash to digital starting in the new year “We spend a lot of money each year buying paper tickets that just get torn and thrown away, and we feel like that money could be better spent towards our student athletes,” Perry said.

There are fewer issues when leaving the cashless system and going fully online.

“Our ticket takers aren't giving back the wrong change and we don't have to worry about counterfeit bills, so there's a lot of security and human error issues that we can avoid,” Perry said.

When the system goes into effect in January, there will be three methods people can use to get into an athletic event.

“They can either buy their tickets at home and bring in a printed copy of that, buy them online with their smartphone and have it waiting for them in their email, or they can bring a credit or debit card to the ticket gate and buy it right there,” Perry said.

The public has given feedback, and there has been some kickback to the transition.

“People are reluctant to change.

Anything new always causes ripples, and we know it's going to be new, but once they have done it a couple of times we think it's going to be a pretty easy system for them to use,” Perry said.

The athletic department is hoping people will move to the all-sports pass because of the change.

“Financially, if people are going to come to a number of events, the allsports pass is definitely more financially beneficial to the patron, because then

photo by Meghana Penmathsa

S

tarting on Jan. 10, all tickets to athletic events will be digital.

North is joining the list of Indiana schools that have gone fully digital with their ticketing system, according to Assistant Athletic Director Jason Perry.

“A lot of schools around Indiana have gone cashless, and so we feel like we are a little bit behind in getting there. Many of the schools that we compete against in all sports have gone completely cashless,” Perry said.

There are a number of reasons behind the athletic department’s transition into paying online, including the fact that people don't carry much cash around anymore.

“We kind of live in a cashless society, we are heading that direction, and so we have a lot of patrons who get frustrated when they come to the gate,” Perry said.

The athletic department has noticed schools they compete against have a cashless system.

“People are used to paying with credit card or having already pre-bought their tickets, because they do that at other schools, and they get here and we are cash only and they have to run to an ATM machine,” Perry said.

It takes a good amount of money each year to keep the cashless system running.

by Ivy Davidson design by Abby Smith

WAYS TO PAY Bring a card to the ticket gate to purchase a ticket.

Buy online and wait on an email to show that you successfully payed for your ticket.

every time they come to a game they've already got a ticket waiting for them,” Perry said.

Accessing the ticket buying platform will be made as convenient as possible.

“The most efficient way for a patron to come through our gates is to buy their ticket in advance. “The links will be all on our website, and we will also post them on Twitter and our Columbus North Athletics app,” Perry said.

Perry thinks the new cashless system will be worthwhile, despite the hurdles.

“The most efficient way for a patron to come through our gates is to buy their ticket in advance,” Perry said. “We are moving into more and more areas where cash is just not going to be used very much anymore, and so we need to stay with the times.”

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NORTHONICE

Athletes discuss the mental and physical aspects of ice sports

by Deshna Venkatachalam design by Aidan Brown

T

he Hamilton Community Center “People also run behind the scenes to and Ice Arena is home to the get scores and make sure they get all the ICEMEN and Lincoln Skate technical scores.”

Club. Both teams compete, but Schmelz has skated for 13 years and has they differ in skills. While hockey noticed some important physical aspects is about using sticks and pucks, figure that go into this sport. skating is about the spins and elegant technique.

Senior Kathertine Schmelz “One of the most common explains her part as a jumps is the axel, it's one of the member of the Hamilton Ice Arena. biggest milestones in a figure “I’m a part of the skater's career.”

Lincoln Skate Club, which is for anyone that is in seniorKatherineSchmelz school. I’ve also started a high school skating team, which is just for high schoolers,” Schmelz said.

“As you skate, you sort of build up Schmelz explains how competitions work more muscle, but doing weight lifting on as a figure skater. your own is kind of beneficial. You can get “There are different programs, like with higher jumps, stronger spins, and prettier music or without music,” Schmelz said. positions that way,” Schmelz said.

Junior Alex Clark, a member of the ICEMEN, explains that strength training is important for a hockey player as well.

“You have to be strong to withstand the aggression of the sport, but you don’t have to be unworldly strong,” Clark said.

While sports are all about getting physical, mental struggles can be a barrier for the two athletes.

“To me, I personally struggled with comparing myself to others,” Schmelz said. “You have to sort of figure out how to not view their progress as something you can’t do because it’s their progress and not yours.”

Clark explains the effects of pressure on an athlete and how the strong bond on his team helps combat that.

“A lot of players feel like they have pressure on them to play well,” Clark said.

“My team is like a big brotherhood, so everyone around you is super supportive.”

AXELIN4STEPS Spring off

One and a half rotations

Free leg and arms go up together

Stick the Landing

photo for the Triangle Katherine Schmelz after winning several events at the Battle of the Blades in Fort Wayne

BASKETBALL BEGINNINGS

Athletes on the girls basketball team discuss their mentality as their season starts off

by Izzy Munn design by Carson Embree

Sophomore Anna Halstead practicing before a home basketball game against Franklin Central.

photo by Alice Pisoni

W

ith the sound from the crowd, the music from the speakers and the illumination from the spotlights, the women’s basketball team takes the floor ready to play. Freshman Miley McClellan is one of these players, and she is launching her career with a starting Varsity position.

“Since the beginning of the season, I have been building strong relationships with my teammates and coaches,” McClellan said.

McClellan has been playing basketball for nearly six years, starting by watching her sister play and practicing with her parents in their driveway.

Although she has come a long way since the third grade, McClellan still has new aspirations and goals to reach this season.

“This year, I would like to continue building relationships and work on communicating effectively with the team, on and off the court,” McClellan said. “As a team, we want to beat the teams that we ‘shouldn’t beat,’ as well as take down our rivals and win a sectional championship.”

Another player on this year's girls’ team is sophomore Anna Halstead. Playing over 10 years in total, Halstead understands

the game more than the average person, especially what it takes to play.

“It’s tough both mentally and physically, you just have to make sure you have a good mindset,” Halstead said.

This is Halstead’s second year on the team, and over the past two years, her relationship with her coaches and teammates has increased along with her skills.

“I have good relationships with my teammates, which is one of the fun parts,” Halstead said.

Senior Kayla Jones has been working this year to help lead her team to a successful season.

“My personal goals for the season are to play my hardest every time I step on the floor, and to play with confidence so that I don't regret anything,” Jones said. “As for our team goals, I would like us to have a successful season with a winning record, to win a conference and to have fun.”

As a senior on the team, Jones’ position as a leader has increased significantly as opposed to previous years.

“I will try my best to be a good leader by example,” Jones said. “[That way,] what us leaders do, the team will follow, and we can all achieve our common goals.”

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