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ENERGIZED
Caffeine: how it helps and how it harms
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CLIMATE CHANGES
Students discuss what they think about climate change and how it affects them
by Cassie Osburn design by Maddie Williams
Hurricanes. Droughts. Wildfires. Many extreme weather events have been at least partially attributed to climate change, including the winter storm in early January that caused Columbus to get almost ten inches of snow in the span of two days. Senior Roma Sriram comments on some changes to local weather she’s noticed in the past few years.
“Five years ago, we had a pretty heavy winter, but I feel like this year it’s definitely more exacerbated than previous years,” Sriram said.
Junior Ava Bennett also thinks that this year’s winter weather seems a bit different.
“Originally, it was so hot and we didn’t get snow for a long time,” Bennett said. “Now, the insane change in weather is difficult for me to swallow.”
Environmental Science teacher John Murphy explains that the sudden shift in weather Bennett described might be attributable to climate change.
“Regionally, it may be different, but one of the things that evidence has suggested is that climate change, when it’s happening, you’ll get violent swings in weather,” Murphy said.
He also acknowledges that not everyone agrees on the topic of climate change.
“I think, more so the way it affects people right now is the controversy on if it truly is happening,” Murphy said.
Some, like Bennett, don’t have very strong feelings on the issue.
more serious issue.
“I think, as a society, we need more awareness about the issue,” Sriram said. “It’s not really given as much importance.”
For students who are worried about how climate change may impact the world, Murphy has some suggestions.
“Get information,” Murphy said.
“Connecting with nature is a very, very effective way to make sure that you’re in touch with those values and the environment.” senior Roma Sriram
“Go to things like NOAA and reputable sites and make your own decision.”
your teeth,” Sriram said.
Additionally, Sriram advises not to think too negatively.
“The thing that I see is that a lot of students believe ‘I’m just one person, I can’t really make a difference,’ but I feel like that mindset should be avoided,” Sriram said.
Along with conserving resources and staying positive, Murphy recommends taking action in the community as well.
“As you get older, reach out to your representatives and make sure that they know you think it’s an issue,” Murphy said.
Sriram believes that students who wish to make an impact should do as much as possible to lessen their environmental impact.
“I don’t really have much of an opinion because I feel like it’s tailored a lot to politics nowadays,” Bennett said.
Sriram, on the other hand, considers climate change a
Sriram elaborates on some other ways students can help the environment.
“Make sure that you’re not using too much energy, whether it’s turning off the lights or making sure that the faucet isn’t running when you’re brushing
“Changing your lifestyle to make sure that you’re doing the most you can and recommending that to any friends or family members does make an incredibly big difference,” Sriram said.
photo by Maddie Williams
春节: SPRING FESTIVAL
Students and staff discuss how they celebrate Chinese new year in their homes and classrooms.
by Brooklyn Hurt design by Bella Herbert
The Earth passes a full rotation around the sun. It’s time to celebrate. Jan. 1 is the start of the new calendar year for Americans, but there’s a bigger celebration to mark a new year on its way, the Lunar New Year. Chinese teacher Miah Nickerson explains what marks the start of the Chinese spring festival celebration Chunje.
“The Lunar New Year is the New Year’s celebration in China, and some other countries where there’s a lot of Chinese people living,” Nickerson said.” It’s more so known as the spring festival because it is the start of spring according to the Chinese lunar calendar,”
Just like American New Year, Nickerson says the holiday is a time to set goals for the year to come, and celebrate.
“It’s a day where people try to set intentions for the new year,” Nickerson said. “People will clean their house, and buy new clothes. It’s also really fun when everybody makes dumplings together. And then as you’re waiting for them to cook, you’re just sort of hanging out, maybe playing games, eating together as a group. Whether it’s your friends or your family, it’s a really big part of the celebration.”
Making dumplings happens to be Junior Carrie Wang’s favorite part of the celebration.
not the case in America, so I have a lot less time to enjoy the Lunar New Year celebrations,” Wang said.
However, she thinks the Columbus Chinese Association does a good job bringing the celebration to Columbus.
“The Columbus Chinese Association does a really good job of putting together a celebration every year, but of course, it’s not nearly as big as celebrations in China,” Wang said.
Sophomore Richard Sun explains the event’s festivities.
Filled
Firecrackers
With over a billion being bought during Chinese New Year, firecrackers are a sign of prosperity
“My favorite tradition is eating dumplings at midnight,” Wang said. “It’s tradition for the entire family to gather after dinner and make dumplings until midnight. I’ve made a lot of good memories while making dumplings with my family, so that’s definitely my favorite part of Lunar New Year.”
Dumplings
Also known as jiaozi, they are shaped like ancient gold or sliver ingots, they symbolize wealth and prosperity
The holiday is two weeks long, although those in America don’t get to celebrate for as long, Wang describes.
“People in China get about two weeks off of school and work, but that’s
“Columbus’s New Year event is a spring gala based on the one back in Beijing,” Sun said. “The spring gala is usually held the weekend before CNY. It is usually a large gala with dances, cultural performances, and activities that showcase Chinese and other Asian traditions. After that, a banquet is then traditionally hosted.”
This will be Nickerson’s first year going to the event as she tends to only celebrate during her classes’ yearly party.
“Our class will have our own Lunar New Year party,” Nickerson said. “That’ll be next week on Wednesday.”
Nickerson explains how she and her class celebrate.
”We have a lady from Northside Middle School,” Nickerson said.” Her name is Mrs. Gonzalez.
She actually studied calligraphy so she’s gonna come in and teach us how to make these poems. Eating dumplings is also a really big tradition on New Year, so we’ll make some dumplings, or at least eat them.”
She decorates the room whether it’s with store-bought or handmade decorations the
students make.
“People will make decorations,” Nickerson said.” If they are really good at doing calligraphy, they’ll write them themselves, and the classes are gonna help me hang all of this stuff up.”
Nickerson’s students get to celebrate both Chinese and American New Year as well as other students like Sun.
“I personally celebrate both,” Sun said. “American New Year is more about social gatherings and personal goals, while Lunar New Year is more family-oriented and rich in tradition.”
While America has its own way of celebrating its new year, Wang thinks the Lunar New Year is better, and overall more meaningful.
“I definitely like celebrating Lunar New Year more, since it feels a lot more meaningful to celebrate, and I really enjoy all of the traditions,” Wang said. “Lunar New Year is very important to my family. We make sure to celebrate every year, despite living in the U.S., where it’s not as common to celebrate.”
Red Evenlope
with money, they are generally given by elders and are given for luck and to ward off bad spirits 春
Snakes
2025 is the year of the snake, it symbolizes wisdom, intuition, and transformation
TIKTOK BACK AFTER SHORT BAN
After 12 hours, TikTok returns with message crediting President Trump for its return by
Mia Bowers design by Alexa Lanam
On Jan. 19, a nationwide TikTok ban was set in place.
Although the ban only lasted a few hours, at the time President-elect Donald Trump, pledged that he would sign an executive order to delay the enforcement of the ban. Students still had opinions on the ban and the reasons causing it. Junior Abilene Rust, who was interviewed before the ban, had ideas of how it would affect students.
“I think students will spend less time on their phones in class so they will pay more attention to the work they were assigned,” Rust said.
Sophomore Austin Kirr was interviewed after the ban.
“I was pretty unbothered by the ban, especially since it was so short-lived,” Kirr said. “I think the ban was a big deal to those who are addicted to TikTok.”
When the app was down, users received a message on the screen saying, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S., unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!” After about 16 hours, the app was back with a message saying, “Welcome back! Thanks for your patience and support.
As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!”
Congress originally wanted to ban TikTok for reasons concerning national security according to CBS News.
“It’s not just a national security threat, it’s a personal security threat,” Senator Josh Hawley said.
All social media apps, carry your personal information, but TikTok was the only one getting banned.
“I think the reasoning for banning this app is valid, but I also think it is valid for all social media,” Rust said. “I don’t understand the point of just banning TikTok.”
TikTok has also been considered a source of inaccurate information.
“You can post a video about something, and you can’t comment links or cite your sources, so you can say something false and everyone will believe it,” Rust said.
Misinformation is very easily spread on the app.
“Donald Trump started the problem in the first place, just so he could bring the app back and get people on his side, but the truth is, he just wants misinformation to be spread,” Rust said.
Another argument is that the TikTok ban
is a violation of First Amendment rights. TikTok became a place of work for many. Influencers created careers off of TikTok and the ban scared many of them.
“I’ve detached from the career aspect of losing this app, but emotionally, I’ve just been thinking about how many phases of life I’ve gone through on here [TikTok],” influencer Lexi Hidalgo said.
For others, TikTok is just another social media app.
“Me personally, I don’t care that much about the ban, and I am not going to be too upset if the app is gone for good,” Rust said. “I know that for other people, TikTok is important. People build careers off of TikTok, so I feel for them.”
photo by Rue Payne
PLANS START TO FORM FOR DOWNTOWN
Downtown 2030 promises to deliver a fresh take on the city’s downtown
by Colin Amini design by Caeden Sych
The city of Columbus is embarking on a new era of the city’s downtown with Downtown 2030, a project designed to create a strategic approach to downtown development. According to Ike DeClue, Executive Director of the Office of Downtown Development, the project comes as a response to changing economic and social conditions that have changed the way people interact with downtown.
“There was a previous plan called the Envision Columbus and it was finished in 2018,” DeClue said. “The issue was, it didn’t age real well because COVID-19 hit and things obviously changed quite a bit. A lot of what came out of Envision Columbus all of a sudden was quickly out of date, and so the city realized that we needed to come up with a new kind of master plan for downtown.”
DeClue added that the project is more committed to cohesion and synergy than in the past.
“Instead of working from property to property, [we] think about something that has more of a strategy to it,” Declue said. “It’s a strategy versus we’re going to throw spaghetti on the wall over here. We’re going to try this over here, or this here. The end goal is that you have multiple projects in multiple locations that are all working with one another, as opposed to independently.”
Project manager Bonnie Boatwright added to this idea, and spoke about the importance of planning.
“The city and partners within the city own a lot of spaces downtown that are not filled,” Boatwright said. “Nobody wants to just stick a store somewhere. They want an overall plan. So we’re looking at a lot of developers and a lot of business owners or land owners. They kind of want a comprehensive plan before they start making decisions.”
Boatwright described how the plan could change downtown, and allow new businesses to enter.
“One of the goals for the urban planning consultants is to help us create a downtown where the current businesses can thrive and that new businesses will want to come in,” Boatwright said. “They [want to] see downtown Columbus as a good place to
be in order to have a thriving business. We want to create the conditions for our current business owners, but also attract potential business owners as well, like more restaurants and more things to do downtown.”
DeClue explained how the plan could change how high schoolers interact with downtown.
“Let’s say we brought something like duckpin bowling or we had live music that was accessible to teens and adults alike. Now this is bringing a new audience downtown,” DeClue said. Declue mentioned that one challenge has been in gathering diverse community input, and ensuring they hear from a range of voices.
“We tend to get the input from the same kind of people over and over,” DeClue said. “A lot of times it’s the people who are already using downtown or whatever the subject may be. So I think it’s challenging to find the people who don’t go downtown.
Why are people who live on the East side of town, why do they choose not to come downtown. So getting new voices in the mix is always a challenge.”
For community members looking to get involved, the Downtown Columbus 2030 website offers opportunities to take surveys and find information on upcoming public workshops.
“We would really like for people to take a look at the website, fill out the survey. That’s really important,” Boatwright said. “I think it’s fun to see the community coming together, though. I think we all agree we want to improve downtown, [and this is how].”
VIDEO EXTRA
AREAS AFFECTED BY DOWNTOWN 2030
DREAM IN COLOR
As the show choir teams enter their comp season, excitement rises for the upcoming challenge by Clarie Rawlings design by Bella Ruiz photos by Lois Guest
Ablend of voices, a mix of colors and costumes take the stage as North Stars and Vocal Pointe enter their competition season.
Show Choir Director Eleanor Kopp described how the show changes each competition.
“Now that the season is underway, our groups are focused on implementing judges’ feedback from week to week and elevating our shows to the next level,” Kopp said. “While competition is exciting and trophies are rewarding, our goal is to make each performance the best it can possibly be.”
Senior Kate Franklin spoke about what the show choir community means to her.
“I love getting to sing and dance, but the community that being a part of Show Choir is invaluable to me,” Franklin said. “The relationships that I’ve made mean so much to me, and being able to do something that I love some much with people that I so deeply care about is an amazing opportunity.”
Junior Bella Zigler added how working together influences the success of the group.
“We, as a team, are looking forward to going up against big schools and placing
or even bringing home trophies back to Columbus North and we, at the least, look forward to working with one another to try our very best up on stage,” Zigler said.
Kopp explains her role as choir director.
“Being a show choir director is a lot like coaching an athletic team,” Kopp said. “Beyond teaching the material, my most important role is motivating the groups to challenge themselves and work together as a team. Growth in our focus and teamwork directly impacts their onstage performance.”
Senior Henry Manzilla spoke about how for him, Vocal Pointe is an opportunity to express himself.
“For me, [Show Choir] means expressing myself,” Manzilla said. “I like music. I have been involved with [music] since elementary school and just being in VP, being able to dance and sing with all my friends, it’s really quite freeing.”
Franklin described what a typical practice is like.
“We always begin our practices by stretching and warming up, then we do a run of the show,” Franklin said. “After that the dance captains and our director, Ms. Kopp,
pick parts of our show to clean and work on. This can include working on a section of vocals, checking foot work in a dance break, making changes or edits to the choreography, and many other things. At the end of practice we often have a short conversation to review practice and talk about what is coming up in our season.”
Manzilla described pre-show traditions before competitions.
“We have this little tradition where we would go backstage and everyone in VP would huddle up and we would chant “Go VP, GO VP GO!” and it all gets us pretty excited for the show,” Manzilla said.
Kopp explains how the team recognizes their success.
“When we make it to finals at a competition, everyone gets glitter for a little extra sparkle onstage to celebrate,” Kopp said.
Zigler added that she feels that the hard work is worth it.
“It overall has taught me to endure through long hours and hard work because it is truly all worth it in the end,” Zigler said.
1 2 3
4 5 6
Alex
North Stars dance in the preview show. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Senior
The
Senior
7
8 9
Short-Duncan and Jimena Puente pose in the North Stars show.
Natalie Cantu performs in the North Stars show.
Senior Sarah Gross and Junior Cage Elliot pose in the Vocal Pointe show.
Junior Cage Elliot performs in the Vocal Pointe show.
North Stars start their performance at the Preview Show.
Aldo Ramos and Gage Ingram vocalize during the ballad portion of the Vocal Pointe show.
Ava Burbrink performs a solo during the North Stars ballad.
Sarah Gross danced in the Vocal Pointe performance.
LET’S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS
Students Discuss What Exactly DECA is and What They Do Within the Club
by Gabe Manning design by Aidan Brown
Business is competitive, and every business has its way of competition. In the case of high school business clubs competing against each other, it is no different; proving and showcasing you have the proper credentials to manage a business. Senior Anushka Damle, who is president of DECA, explains what the club does.
“DECA is a business competition club with multiple different events,” Damle said. “Members can compete at District, State, and International levels.“
Junior Noah Dornfeld tells how DECA prepares for competitions.
“[At competitions] we are doing role play, so we don’t have to bring anything prepared for the competition, but we are going to study the past role plays and do practice tests,“ Dornfeld said.
Dornfeld explained in further detail how past experiences and competitions can benefit present day competitions by doing practice tests.
“The practice tests are to study for the real test, which you take prior to the competitions and is worth half of your score, “ Dornfeld said.
For competitions, there are three main levels throughout the year.
“The first [competition] is Districts in January, then State in March, and the International Career Development conference in April.” Damle said.
Damle explained more about the specifics of each DECA competition.
“To advance to each next level of competition, you must qualify at the previous competition, placing in top two, or top three in your event,” Damle said.
DECA CLUSTERS,
Within the competitions, there are 25 different divisions to test various businessrelated skills. Junior Ayla Glick described her event, and how she prepares for competitions.
“My event is Hospitality and Tourism Team Decision Making,” Glick said. “To prepare for the event, my group and I go over prior role plays and study the performance points given by DECA.”
Damle described how DECA events are judged and scored.
“In most events in DECA, members will receive a scenario during their event that they will prepare and present information to a judge displaying their business knowledge,” Damle said. “Their score in that roleplay will then be combined with a test score on whichever business sector their event falls within.”
Damle added that the club meets to discuss upcoming events.
“We meet around once every month to discuss competition logistics, coach members through event information and answer any questions people have,” Damle said. “Most meetings are oriented around specific upcoming events, such as event selection, the recent District competition, and State scheduling.”
Damle explained that DECA is a club for everyone, regardless of what classes or pathways students are in.
“You definitely do not need to be in a business class to take part in DECA,” Damle said. “If you are interested in joining next year’s DECA team, talk to Mr. Campbell in room 2420 and lookout for next year’s callout meeting information.”
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
CULTURAL SHOWCASE
Students put together projects about their language classes culture
by Chloe Feliciano design by Gabe Marsh
Q: What is your project?
Lou Grafleman: “Our activity for Rwanda is a high jump. We’re going to have meter sticks taped to the wall and you’re going to have to see how high you can jump, and we’ll mark how high you get, because the highjump is a very popular in Rwanda. [For our food], we have dried plantain chips to eat when you come to our booth.”
Katie Carnes: “One is traditional foods from Japan, and the other is a project on chichen itza and one of the historical games they used to play there. I like my Spanish project more, because it’s a bit more developed [than my Japanese one].”
Q: Do you recommend taking your language?
Grafleman: “I absolutely recommend people taking French. We live right next to Canada, and there are a lot of French speakers in Canada. It’s very common in most of Africa, and widely spoken in Europe. I would recommend it, it’s a very fun language to take.”
Carnes: “[I recommend both.] I would say Spanish is more useful for day to day, but Japanese is really cool. I’m in Spanish four, so short conversations could happen. I’m in Japanese one so I don’t know much of the language [yet.]”
NUMBER OF STUDENTS OF STUDENTS IN A WORLD LANGUAGE
14
Q:Are you competitive about this?
Grafleman: “I think it would be really cool to win. I think we have a good chance, we have a fun activity. I think the competitiveness of it will draw people in. But there are some other really good French booths, so we’ll just have to see.”
Carnes: “Yes and no. It would be nice [if we won], but if it doesn’t happen it doesn’t happen.”
Q: What is your country?
Grafleman: “My country is Rwanda in Southeast Africa. We all got to draw out of a hat to choose our countries. I was kinda hoping for Belgium. I know that’s a basic French speaking country, but I don’t actually know too much about it.”
Carnes: “I did one [project] on Mexico and one on Japan because I’m taking two languages. I decided to choose Mexico based off of one of the seven wonders, which is the Chichen Itza based in Mexico.”
photo by Lois Guest Students learn about German culture at a booth at Culture Fair.
OPINION POGUES 4 LIFE
Despite the applaudable plot twist that led to the ending of the show, was it really necessary to let JJ die?
Even though fans have been speculating that offset drama caused Pankow to recede from the show, the cast directors have clarified that they knew one of the Pogues was going to die eventually. Whether Pankow left due to uncomfortable rumors, or to a planned write-off, the decision to kill JJ Maybank was not an intelligent one. Outer Banks can be dark, as the show is basically six teenagers who are constantly fighting for treasure, homeless, broke, running against the law and doing their best not to get killed. JJ was the character that gave us a sliver of hope; he was funny, lighthearted, loving, and an amazing friend. Without his goofy personality, Outer Banks will resume a dark state, without much of the positive vibe. After losing a friend, the Pogues predictably won’t be their usual selves.
Season five almost accurately predicts a chase between the Pogues and Groff, not only for the treasure, but also to avenge the death of JJ Maybank. Speculations also include the idea that Pankow will make a cameo through a sort of dream or vision. Despite his death and disposal
Netflix’s Outer Banks should not have gotten rid of JJ Maybank by
Claire Rawlings
of his character, he continues to make his mark. While it remains unsaid, fans could argue that John B was the sort of “ringleader” of the Pogues and the first three seasons seemed to highlight his adventures with his friends. However, in Season four, after he bet the last piece of El Dorado gold, JJ Maybank became the one to highlight upon. The rest of the show features many plot twists to make him even more favored. It’s possible that Maybank was featured to make us even more attached, so when his death comes in the last episode, it was even more of a stab in the gut.
The directors wanted us to mourn for this comedic character.
For me, I know that JJ was supposed to get shot before I finished watching the season, but that didn’t get rid of the hope that we all had that it was all a lie, and JJ would survive. Sadly, it wasn’t a lie, and the beloved JJ Maybank got stabbed and killed by his own father. Despite only one character being terminated, the other characters won’t be the same. At the end of the show, Kiara was very bitter and angry, and the next season predicts her wanting revenge, along with John B. who lost his best friend.
In the end, JJ Maybank didn’t deserve to be eradicated from Outer Banks, and consequently, the show will never be the same.
Captain America has been beloved among superhero fans for decades with the first comic that came out back on December 20, 1940, by Timely Comics, a corporate predecessor to Marvel. Nowadays, with the first Captain America movie in theatres since the release of Captain America: Civil War on May 6, 2016, fans worldwide have high expectations. Captain America: Brave New World comes out on Feb. 13 this year and has a run time of 1 hour and 58 minutes. This movie shows Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) who finds himself in the middle of an international incident after meeting with President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford). Viewers soon discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red. Wilson becomes an image of who Captain America is while representing the hope and triumph that the superhero thrives on, and there is no doubt that Wilson will bring both of these traits to the table in the movie. Anthony Mackie also stars in Marvel’s hit show Falcon and the Winter Soldier. That gives viewers a better perspective behind his story and why Steve Rogers chose him to be Captain America. Even
OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN
Why Anthony Mackie will make a great Captain America in the new film replacing
Chris Evans
by Owen Grimes
though Wilson is not bullet-proof or an invincible demi-god, he is one of the most fearless mortal heroes in Marvel, making him extremely different from other heroes with all kinds of powers At the end of the last Avengers movie (Endgame), viewers see an old Steve Rogers pass on the shield to Wilson, who doesn’t initially accept it, but then Rogers eventually talks him into it. The point is that Rogers knew that Wilson was worthy of the shield for his bravery and sacrifice. It became an important moment, as Rogers personally passed on the title of Captain America. As Wilson faces mental and physical challenges in his future battles or fights against evil for the greater good, the next Captain America will be born, bringing peace and prosperity to not only America but the world Anthony Mackie recently told the media that “Captain America represents a lot of different things & I don’t think the term ‘America’ should be one of those representations. It’s about a man who keeps his word, who has honor, dignity, and integrity.” Proving that Captain America doesn’t just represent the stars and stripes, but represents something bigger than oneself.
The new show Happy’s Place, starring Mellissa Peterman and Reba McEntire, and other cast members from the hit early 2000s show Reba, is leaving fans disappointed, and begging for a reboot. The old cast isn’t preoccupied with other projects at the moment, leaving them the time to become main characters again, instead of just guest stars. Steve Howey hasn’t been occupied with a large project since playing Kevin Ball on Shameless and is even rumored to become a main Happy’s Place character. JoAnna Garcia, who played Cheyenne Montgomery, just stopped working on Sweet Magnolias back in June 2024. Writer Kevin Abbot is trying to get her on Happy’s Place since she’s no longer busy with bigger projects. “Steve’s our first one up, and we’re trying to figure out how to bring JoAnna in,” Abbot said. It just makes no sense why the cast is all back together, or available to film, but can’t do a much-wanted Reba reboot. Some could say the reason for a reboot not happening is because they don’t have Kyra or Jake. While Scarlet Palmers gave up acting, and Mitch Hollman hasn’t appeared in anything since 2018 the show wasn’t ever centered around them. Everything seemed to revolve around Reba taking care of Cheyenne and Van’s problems. Although now, they would be much older adults and probably taking care of themselves better. So the reboot could focus on Cheyenne, Van, and their two kids; Elizabeth, and the son Cheyenne was pregnant
THE QUEEN NEEDS HER CROWN WE WANT REBA
The early 2000s cast of Reba is back together, but not for a needed reboot
by Brooklynn Hurt
with at the end of season 5.
A possible reboot would have the fans to be watched and successful with 8.7 million viewers tuning in for the finale in 2007, and an average of 3 million viewers per episode according to Rating Graph. According to Google reviews, people even liked Reba more than Happy’s Place with a 3.1-star rating compared to Reba’s 4.6-star rating. Fans were so excited when ads for the new show Happy’s Place were released because some confused it for a Reba reboot and rumors of a reboot were also started. Many were extremely disappointed when they found out it was a whole different show. Some even decided to give Happy’s Place a chance, and were then more disappointed.
A possible issue is the idea that the reboot would be as good as the original. I think it would still be very successful and get fans super excited. People crave that early 2000s nostalgia. After all, isn’t entertainment about giving the people things they want to see? “We want a Reba reboot” we’ve all been chanting in unison. Unfortunately, fans have been left unheard and left to the mercy of Kevin Abbot. Subjected to his unwanted idea to bring all the old cast back together on a completely different and irrelevant show instead of giving the people what they’ve been begging for. All fans can hope for now is that someone in Hollywood will find their brains, and give us our reboot.
Dolly Parton, Miss “Backwoods Barbie,” has been in the industry for close to 70 years now. She is experienced in her field, and with her experience, she’s become more and more successful. She has been recognized for many of her accomplishments but The Queen of Country Music needs more than just her flowers, she needs her crown. She needs to be recognized for the immense amount of businesses Parton’s name is linked to. Newer generations of singers have been rising in popularity but don’t have the business logic and the marketing team quite like Parton.
Parton launched her first mainstream business in 1986 with the grand opening of Pigeon Forge’s own “Dollywood”. Since 1986, she has grown the “Dollywood” experience with her own water parks and resorts. In 1995, though, Parton started the “Imagination Library;” mailing free books to children from birth to when they finish school. She owns multiple dinner shows in Pigeon Forge as well, “The Dolly Parton Stampede” and “Pirates Voyage Dinner and Show.”
Parton has been in her prime the past three years. In March of 2022, Parton released her collaboration with Duncan Hines; “Baking with Dolly.” Selling cake mixes, brownie mixes, icing, and cooking utensils alike. Later in August of the same year, Parton began her dog clothing business, “Doggy Parton.” In October of that same year, 2022, she released her book “Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones,” where she discussed every single outfit that
Dolly Parton has been pulling out all the stops, one business at a time
by Gabe Manning
made Dolly the shining star she is. The book is over 336 pages long.
Last year was her most hectic year ever, starting with the release of her party supplies company, “Celebrate with Dolly” in June. Weeks later, Parton would announce the biggest opportunity she has received, a biographical Broadway musical about her life and career. “Dolly: An Original Musical” is set to be first performed at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville Tennessee later this June.
After her announcement for her musical, Parton got right back down to business releasing her makeup company “Dolly Beauty” in August of 2024. Still in 2024, Parton would release her cookbook, “Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year of Meals” alongside her sister, Rachel Parton George, in September. With her new cookbook making its rounds in bookstores around the nation, Parton began her exclusive wine company “Dolly Wines” in September.
Dolly Parton’s music industry gain has never strayed from brilliance and neither has her business ventures. The queen has never failed to make money by simply making others happy and entertained. She deserves not just awards for her incredible songwriting talents but also be seen for her incredibly successful brand she has created. We will have to see what more she has to offer us in 2025.
CAFFEINE CULTURE
The
Triangle staff discusses the societal pressures behind
Caffeinated drinks are everywhere. Whether students drink them to wake up in the morning, as a midday pick-me-up, or to prepare for a long night of studying, caffeine consumption is popular among students.
According to a study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, 83 percent of teenagers have at least one caffeinated drink a day. Although this percentage has been stable, according to the National Institute of Health, energy drinks and soda make up a larger percentage of the intake of drinks. This can be dangerous because energy drinks tend to contain more caffeine than coffee or tea.
The larger issue though, is why students are consuming more caffeine. One hundred percent of the Triangle staff agree that caffeine overconsumption has been normalized by society. For
so many people, caffeine is a normalized part of their daily routine. Whether it be stopping by Starbucks in the morning, making coffee at home, or picking up an energy drink, it’s not hard to rack up hundreds of milligrams of caffeine per day.
Alani Nu, Celsius, and Prime energy drinks all have 200mg of caffeine. A Venti Starbucks Pike Place Roast has 310mg, while Dunkin’ Coffee has 210mg. A normal serving of Folgers coffee has between 120-160mg. All of this to say, caffeine is everywhere.
Students need energy to succeed in academics, athletics, and all other parts of daily life. This energy is supposed to come from healthy habits from sleeping, eating, and doing proper self-care, but often gets lost in the balance. The National Sleep Foundation recommends teenagers get 8-10 hours, but according to the Nemours Foundation, the average high
the use of caffeine
schooler gets 6-7 hours of sleep. This disconnect is a big reason for the need for energy. Student’s evenings are filled with studying, sports practices, and extracurricular activities, not time for self-care. Even if caffeine provides students with the energy they need to stay awake, it cannot sufficiently replace healthy habits and routines.
The rise in energy drink consumption can also be related to marketing and social trends. 61% of the Triangle staff believes marketing influences which caffeine products they consume. Marketing relies on trends, and brands such as Alani Nu, Prime, Red Bull, and Celsius all follow close social media trends to promote their products. Alani Nu has partnered with celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Brittany Mahomes, Megan Moroney, and more to promote their drinks, and sometimes even work to create new flavors. Prime was
created by boxers and internet personalities KSI and Logan Paul, who use their followings to advertise their drinks. Red Bull is famous for sponsoring athletic organizations and competitions such as the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team, motocross, surfing, skating, skiing, and snowboarding events.
For decades, caffeine products such as coffee and tea have been normalized parts of people’s daily routines. As trends and consumer preferences change, that need for energy isn’t going away, but how people get their energy is changing. Energy drinks are on the rise, both because people need the energy in their daily lives, and want the drinks because of successful marketing campaigns. All this energy is great for busy students, but only time will tell what the effects of so much caffeine does to the body. After all, an energy drink a day keeps the drowsiness away.
COMICS BY CLAIRE
Sophomore Claire Rawlings illustrates the effects of caffeine on teenagers.
ENERGIZED
Caffeine, how it helps and how it harms by Annie Green, Cecilia Guiterrez design by Stella Gaylord, Sarynel Barbosa Kuilan
As some may struggle to stay awake during the day, many will reach out for some form of caffeine. Whether it be an energy drink or a cup of coffee, caffeine takes many different forms, with a variety of flavors appealing to different audiences. With all of these choices, caffeine is readily available for any student.
On paper, students seem to be the audience that would benefit from that extra boost caffeine achieves. From late-night study sessions to early morning classes, caffeine achieved through coffee or energy drinks offers a boost in energy. Junior Kanav Mehta provides insight into the why behind her energy drink habits.
“During AP week when I’m studying all night or like every other day, I do drink a lot of caffeine to stay awake,” Mehta said.
This is a true statement for many students. School affects sleep, and sleep affects school. As students struggle to stay awake, many rely on a source of energy that keeps them alert: caffeine.
“On nights that I stay up all night I will be drinking like 800 mg of caffeine,” Mehta said. “It makes me feel good.”
She spoke about how much caffeine she consumes on a daily basis.
“I feel like it is from a lot of Starbucks refreshers, like the pink drink which has caffeine,” Mehta said. “I think that’s like 120 grams, but I also occasionally drink
energy drinks, which is like 420 milligrams. On an average day usually like 100 to 200 milligrams.”
Mehta also said how she enjoys the taste of the beverages she consumes, not just the need for caffeine.
“I love my Starbucks drinks,” Mehta said. “I just like drinking them. I drink them because I like the way they taste. I’m not really using it for caffeine.”
According to livescience.com, “Caffeine is
said.
Thornton described how caffeine affects his body.
“Mentally it has impacted my health by making me less tired and physically as far as I know it hasn’t impacted me,” Thorton said. “Just a higher heart rate.”
While caffeine can make you feel more awake, increase in caffeine consumption can lead to various health issues. According to UC Davis Health, caffeine has multiple side effects, such as promoting the release of noradrenaline and norepinephrine, which are known to increase heart rate and blood pressure.
According to UC Davis Health, “For most people this is well tolerated, but for others it may lead to palpitations or extra beats from the heart.”
According to the Food and Drug Association (FDA), “A systematic review associated with caffeine intake by the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences confirmed the safety of the 400 milligrams a day level for most adults.”
Freshman Indi Meshberger shares her experience of these caffeinated side effects.
“The most common side effects for me are being kinda jittery throughout the day and losing my appetite,” Meshberger said. However, caffeine consumption is not something just limited to teens. According to ncsolutions.com, 97 percent of adults in America have consumed caffeine in their lifetime. Whether it be from soda, coffee, or energy drinks, 3 in 4 Americans start their day with caffeine, and 1 in 4 believe they couldn’t go a day without it. Gen Z is also more likely to reach for the Red Bulls, Alani’s, and more, as 40 percent of Gen Z consume energy drinks compared to 13 percent of millennials, 7 percent of Gen X, and just 3 percent of Baby Boomers.
“I mainly use caffeine to wake me up when I’m feeling tired, or to just give me an extra boost of energy to get through the day.” freshman Indi Meshberger
absorbed into the blood and tissues within about 45 minutes of being consumed. But it takes much longer than that for the body to break it down and clear it from a person’s system.”
The article also stated how, “It can take up to 12 hours to clear caffeine from the body, the drug often wears off when a person is almost ready to go to bed.”
Senior Justice Thorton consumes caffeine to help him throughout his day-to-day routines.
“I use caffeine to stay up to do homework and so I don’t fall asleep in class,” Thorton
But what if you try to stop this caffeine consumption? It may not be that easy.
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), while consumption is safe in moderation, some people can “become dependent on the drug and are unable to reduce consumption despite knowledge of recurrent health problems associated with continued use.”
The World Health Organization also defines caffeine dependency as a clinical disorder.
Sleep is important, and while most will reach for a caffeinated beverage to wake up and get that boost, it may do more harm than good. But the caffeine may just be what is creating this problem, as pediatric doctor Cheryl Harris believes.
“The main one is when people come in and they’re not sleeping well,” says Harris,
Different caffeinated drinks in a local grocery store.
photo by Stella Gaylord
OTHER EFFECTS
How does caffeine actually effect the body?
INCREASED HEART RATE
drinking caffeine releases noradrenaline (neurotransmitter) and norepinephrine (neurotransmitter and hormones) that can increase heart rate and blood pressure.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
It could cause the adrenal glands that release more adrenaline that causes blood pressure to go up.
INSOMNIA
consuming caffeine affects the brain by blocking adenosine receptors (a sleep-promoting chemical that the brain produces during waking hours)
ANXIETY
Caffeine can effect the central nervous system causing the body to produce and release adrenaline.
JITTERS
Since caffeine is a stimulant that can make you nervous, anxious or it can boost adrenaline levels.
UPSET STOMACH
Consuming caffeine increases the contraction of the muscles that propel contents in the gastrointestinal tract (the stomach and the intestines)
NAUSEA
Caffeine can cause jitteriness and anxiety.
HEADACHE
Caffeine can narrow blood vessels that surround the brain.
multiple statistics about the consumption of caffeine. The article stated how long caffeine lasts in the human body, “It takes about 30 to 60 minutes for caffeine to reach its peak level in the blood. The body typically eliminates half of the drug in 3 to 5 hours, and the remainder can linger for 8 to 14 hours.”
The website also states that caffeine is a substance that, like most substances, can be abused by saying, “It is important to remember caffeine is a drug, and with any drug, the withdrawals are hard.”
Dosomething.org shows numerous side effects to the consumption of caffeine, “expect an inability to concentrate, headaches, and even flu-like symptoms if you plan on giving it up.”
While these claims may make it seem as if caffeine is the worst thing a person could ever consume, it truly is all about moderation. But, some Americans may have a problem with knowing your body’s limit to inducing caffeine.
caffeine is everywhere. From your phone screen to the grocery store, caffeine finds its way into your day-to-day. Dr. Harris attributes part of this to “false marketing” as she puts it.
“Labeling and marketing, they fall for it,” says Harris, “falling for the marketing, but then you get addicted.”
Grocery stores have a wide array of options for energy drinks and coffee flavors. From the darkest of brews to the fruitiest of flavors, there is something for almost every consumer out there. But what about those who don’t consume these forms of caffeine?
With advances in the food world, caffeine can be found in the most unexpected of places, making it even harder to escape from. Gum is a common caffeinated alternative, with flavors ranging from mint to cinnamon, offering to wake up those who chew it. There are also caffeinated jelly beans, which may be less common but are still a caffeinated choice. If you look around, the most random products that the average American uses can be induced with caffeine. It seems that if you can think of it, it’s
probably been caffeinated, which could make one question just how much caffeine is present in our lives.
Caffeine is also not just in your cups or candy, it could also be in your beauty products. According to livescience.com, caffeine has made its way into bath soaps that claim to wake you up in the morning. A quick search online will yield several upon several results for caffeinated soaps and body washes.
James Lane, an emeritus professor of psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine wrote in his article, “although caffeine can be absorbed through the skin, it’s doubtful this soap will improve alertness during the day.”
Along with body washes, you can even find shampoo that is caffeine-infused. These caffeinated self-care items claim to thicken and stop hair loss, although
these claims may seem more fiction than fact. According to the NIH, it is a fact that caffeine can strengthen hair follicles, but it’s not proven that caffeine in soaps can prevent hair loss.
These caffeinated alternatives may just show how present caffeine is in our everyday lives. With these promises, one could find caffeine in the seemingly most random places.
It’s in human nature to wish to be alert, awake and energized and so naturally, society relies on caffeine consumption. Even though moderate caffeine consumption is mostly safe, with the presence of so many choices, it’s important to remember what options other than caffeine are available. A healthy life is all about balance, so indulge from time to time, but beware of the addictive allure of caffeine.
NUTRITION LABEL
According to researchers at the National Library of Medicine, the recommended caffeine dose for teens is 10 mg which is the same as drinking:
VIDEO EXTRA
Scan with your iPhone camera to see more coverage of caffeine addiction from BNN from reporters
CAFFEINE COUNT
Mia Bowers and Gabby Revell
PINNING DOWN SUCCESS
by Colin Amini design by Caeden Sych
The whistle blows, the crowd roars, and in minutes, months of preparation are put to the test. But before a wrestler steps onto the mat, there’s a routine of weight cuts, conditioning, strategy sessions, and nutrition plans to work with first. Girl’s wrestling coach Lindsey Prozanski explained what she believes to be factors of success.
“Mental is just as important as physical,” Prozanski. “Technique and conditioning are important, but if you’re not calm and composed before your match you’re not going to have the mental toughness to succeed. Confidence comes from focusing on our effort, attitude and aggressiveness on the mat.”
Boy’s wrestling assistant coach Taylor Decker shared his beliefs about consistency with training.
“Athletes thrive with consistency,” Decker said. “Our practices are structured almost the exact same way each day, so that athletes know what to expect. Winning and losing in wrestling can be decided by a split second reaction.”
Senior Justice Thornton added that for him, staying composed is key.
“In wrestling, you want to be calm; you don’t want to be emotional,” Thornton said. “If I’m worked up, I am overly nervous and I wrestle nervous, but if I’m calm I wrestle confident.”
Beyond technique, weight management plays a role in training. Boy’s assistant coach Adam Wolka explained how weight management can affect performance.
“The weight cut plays a huge role in your performance,” Wolka said. “We encourage our wrestlers to eat a healthy diet throughout the season. If you’re conscious about your weight early and progress naturally, you’ll be better prepared than those that have to cut a lot of weight a day or two before competition.”
Thornton explained his experience with cutting weight.
“I hate cutting weight, and I will dread it if I’m over [weight] the day before,” Thornton said. “Preparing for wrestling duals or tournaments is
How the wrestling teams get ready to dominate the mat
decently difficult but to add cutting weight to it makes it so much worse.”
To ensure safety, teams monitor weight changes through official guidelines.
“At the beginning of each season, the IHSAA requires each team to complete a body fat test and a hydration test,” Wolka said. “Based on those numbers, coaches are given a report that tells us how much each wrestler can lose each week and what weight classes they’re eligible to wrestle. Our wrestlers weigh in before and after each practice, and based on those daily weights, we have conversations about what our athletes need in terms of diet or exercise.”
Thornton shared how he manages his diet.
“For the most part, my diet is clean [and] I watch my calories and all the non-natural foods and what’s in them,” Thornton said.
Wolka explained various pre-meet rituals and traditions.
“The entire team does a breakdown before practices/meets where they remind themselves to be thankful for the opportunity to wrestle, be aggressive and confident, and not to give up,” Wolka said. “The guys have pre-match rituals, whether it be handshakes, certain movements, or buzz words.”
Thornton shared his own approach to preparing for meets.
“The night before, I’ll relax, try to heal up my body as much as I can, and get a good eight to nine hours of sleep,” Thornton said.
Prozanski explained her belief in using affirmations.
“We have mindset principles that we include at the end of practice or before a tournament,”
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) approved the “three-point takedown.” When wrestlers perform a takedown they would originally be awarded with two points. With this change, wrestlers will now be awarded three points.
Prozanski said. “I am thankful for the opportunity to wrestle. I am aggressive and relentless. I have confidence in my abilities. I never ever give up. This helps remind ourselves of our team goals on a regular basis. We can’t control the outcome of a match, but we can control our mindset.”
Prozanski shared how she coaches during meets.
“Every single match I celebrate their growth and strengths and remind them of where they need to work more.” Prozanski said. “Wrestling teaches resilience in that it’s not just about wins, but pushing past what we think we are capable of and working towards getting better each day.”
Thornton added that for him, commitment extends beyond competition.
“I stay motivated throughout the hard things because I find that it’s what pushes me to be the best that I can be,” Thornton said. “I celebrate my accomplishments by getting a cheat day of eating something not so clean for my diet, [but] then it’s right back to putting in the work.”
photo by Jaedyn Greenlee
Junior Nolan Riley stands after a victory
FULL COURT COLLABORATION
Recapping the girls basketball season and looking forward to next year by
Gabby Revell design
Five players on the court. Nine girls on the bench. Together, one team. According to sophomore Ava Wilson, teamwork was a key difference that led to the girl’s basketball team’s success this season.
“I think we’re on the same page more than we were last year,” Wilson said. “We have better energy, a better attitude, and more intensity during games.”
This has been Wilson’s second year getting varsity minutes.
“I wanted to do more for the team,” Wilson said. “I’d come off the bench so I just wanted to add more. Defensively get steals, increase my stats, just have a higher, more important role for the team.”
Sophomore Kaylie Harmon shared Wilson’s fervor to add to the game.
“A personal accomplishment I am proud of is my assists from last year to this year,” Harmon said. “This year I am able to find my teammates a lot better and get them in situations where they can score the ball.”
Harmon led the team in assists this season, averaging 3.1 per game.
“I think at the beginning of our season we were a little questionable and didn’t know how to play with each other, but we quickly found each other’s strengths and worked hard to play well together,” Harmon said.
Similarly, senior Sydney Johnson was unsure of how the season would go at the
by
Jaedyn Greenlee
beginning.
“I feel like this season we’ve had a lot of ups and downs, but I think that we’re playing more together, especially these past few weeks, and I think that we’ve had to play more together,” Johnson said.
Junior Kenna Conrad shared the idea that the team took time to really become a team.
“I feel like at the beginning of the year, we kind of struggled to work together as a team,” Conrad said. “At the beginning, you’re just trying to find a pecking order and then we kind of came together and now we play as a team and look out for each other.”
The girl’s basketball team placed second at conference.
“We all had better team chemistry,” Wilson said. “I think we enjoy being around each other more than we used to. We all get along better.”
With the season coming to a close, players began to change perspectives.
“I feel like I have a mental clock in my head,” Johnson said. “Every practice, every game, you’re just like counting down. It’s sad, and it just makes you want to work harder and play harder, because it’s almost over.”
Wilson spoke about how the dynamics of the team shifted throughout the season.
“We all had better team chemistry; I think we enjoy being around each other more than we used to,” Wilson said. “We all get along better, we’re all friends outside of
GIRLS BASKETBALL STATISTICS
North Wins North Losses Season IN Ranking
Sophomore Ava Wilson eyes down the defender from Terre Haute North.
photo by Lou Briand
RESILIENT IN THE RINK
Ice sheds off the floor as the blades of the skates travel around and out of the tight intersections. Players to tussle with one another, competing for the puck, right before the electrifying crowd stands up in roar for the home team as they complete the ultimate goal. Senior Noah Marsh spoke about his thoughts on the upcoming state JV tournament.
“I feel ready for it, a little nervous because our team has been up and down,” Marsh said. “But with how we have been playing recently. I feel like we have a chance during the state tournament, just have to show up with our full power.
Marsh spoke about the
different teams he has played hockey for.
I have only been playing hockey for 5 years, maybe 6,” Marsh said. “I started with a house league, parks and rec, and 1 year of travel. I stopped for 2 years and then returned in my junior year of high school to play with the Icemen.”
Junior Cole Finney described personal experiences from the season.
“We went to a tournament in Owensboro and we lost in the final, and although we lost, we learned a lot from that because it was our first real loss of the season,” Finney said. “Coming out of that game, we learned and took a lot away from it, and now we are a lot more prepared for
Varsity and JV Columbus Icemen explain season goals and updates by Owen Grimes design by Gabriel Carrillo
the state tournament because we have had adversity earlier in the season.”
Senior Calijah Kenny shared how training for hockey is different from other sports.
“It takes a lot of training to get into the sport off and on the ice,” Kenny said. “The fast pace and knowing where to be and when to be can be difficult to comprehend when you’re doing it for the first time.”
Marsh described what he believes are the challenging aspects of hockey.
“The most difficult part is the skating and the speed,” Marsh said. “Hockey goes a lot faster than a lot of other sports and also the hitting, it’s like football you always have to get back up.
Kenny spoke about the ways the team prepares for games.
“We prepare before going into games by focusing on the importance of the game, and not getting off-topic and talking about the games,” Kenny said.
Marsh explained more about the preparation process.
“We have two practices, this one on Monday and one on Thursday,” Marsh said. “For Thursday practices sometimes we will watch a film for the upcoming game. So the team we’ll play against but then before a game, we will all stretch and all go to the locker room and get ready in there as a whole team.”
HOCKEY HURTS
A study done by The National Intitute of Health shows the injury rate for each body part for Junior Hockey out of 1000 injuries.
photo by Gabriel Marsh
SETTING UP FOR SECTIONALS
As sectionals approaches, winter sports teams prepare for sectionals
by Mia Bowers design by Addisyn Pulley
Winter sports are near the end of their season, but before they end, the teams proceed toward their
Sectional competition. Gymnast junior Hannah Perry has been preparing for her competition by practicing throughout the week.
“We practice 5 days a week,” Perry said. “We do Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings. During practice, we are focusing on things that we have fallen on the past couple of meets.”
Sophomore wrestler Cohen Long has also been consistently training for his sectionals competition.
“The team and I are training every day and perfecting our technique in order to prepare for sectionals,” Long said. For wrestling, sectionals are the very beginning of the journey to state.
GOING THE DISTANCE
A
“After sectionals is regionals, semi-state, and then state,” Long said.
It is a similar process in gymnastics.
“Advancing from sectionals to regionals and from regionals to state is what makes sectionals so important,” Perry said.
Sectionals could be a factor that goes into the stress that some student-athletes face, but senior diver Kristin Waite tries to avoid worrying about it.
“Sectionals hasn’t played any part in my mental health because I know that I am going to do my best and that I shouldn’t stress about the things that I can’t do, and I should focus on what I can do,” Waite said.
For the men’s swim team, they are also practicing consistently to prepare for their sectional meet.
“We have been having hard practices but soon we will start tapering,” Junior swimmer Harshith Devaguptapu said.
During the swim, Devagupatpu focuses on how he is swimming.
“I am constantly focusing on my technique,” Devaguptapu said.
Waite is thinking of similar things.
“When my meets are happening I am thinking of all the corrections I have been told and all the mistakes that I can fix,” Waite said.
For some athletes, sectionals can be a stressful time because of the added pressure they bring to the table.
“Sectionals has added pressure because it’s win or go home,” Long said. “If you don’t advance to regionals then your season is over.”
With this pressure, fan support can be beneficial, especially to Perry.
“The more people we have watching us compete just shows how much our sport means to other people, like our families and friends,” Perry said.
For others, such as Long, fan support doesn’t play as big of a role in his performance.
“Fan support is always great but it’s not the most important thing because while you’re wrestling everyone else zones out of your mind,” Long said. “A lot of the time during matches there isn’t much going through my mind, wrestling is so much different than any other sport because you don’t have time to think. By the time you think of something the opportunity is already gone.”
Many athletes use sectionals as a time to test their skills and reflect on their seasons.
“Overall, sectionals are a pathway for athletes to further succeed and test their abilities,” Devaguptapu said. “It is our last chance to get to state and to swim in our last meet.”
photo by Mila Esposito Junior Hannah Perry performs on the beam.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
A list of different places students can volunteer at.
by Maia Jamieson
Humane Society
Love Chapel
Salvation Army
Millrace Marathon/Fun
Runs
Hot Meals
Recovery Cafe Columbus
Book Buddies
San Soucis
Columbus Regional Hospital
Public Library
Anchor House
Turning Point
Key Club
Environmental Club
Columbus Animal Care
Services
North Game Concessions
New Life
Mother’s Cupboard
Start a Non-Profit
Community Center of Hope
Foundation For Youth
United Way
“My church offers volunteer opportunities mostly in the mids ministry and youth ministry. Someone could volunteer by talking to the children’s ministers or by signing up to provide meals at youth.”
senior
Olive Mantooth
“I’ve worked at the concessions stand and Mother’s Cupboard. At Mother’s Cupboard, we make hot meals for family’s that need it. You can get in through the Salvation Army or New Life.”
sophomore
Sebastian Jackson
“You can kind of volunteer at Sans Souci when you want. Its helpful for getting National Honors Society hours. A task you can do is sort through the donations.”
