Common Sense Volume 22 Issue 2 November 8, 2021

Common Sense Millard South High School • 14905 Q St. • Omaha, Neb., 68137

November 8, 2021

Volume 22 Issue 2

No more ‘go days’

Sutfin announces plan to retire Maddy Leland Editor-in-Chief

After a long run, Superintendent Dr. Jim Sutfin is retiring. With spending more than 25 years in the Millard District, he is finally parting ways.

Millard staff received an unexpected email following the October school board meeting. Sutfin released his statement that he will retire at the end of this school year.

He wrote, “after 33 years in the education field, it is time for me to step aside and find a new adventure.”

This announcement came as a shock for most Millard staff, but it wasn’t surprising for Bradley Millard, one of Millard South’s assistant principals.

“I wasn’t expecting it, but it’s not surprising...this last couple years has been a very rough time for superintendents across the nation.” Millard said the work Jim Sutfin has done for the district is admirable considering his heavy involvement in Millard since his youth.

Sutfin has been involved within the Millard community since his high school years, where he attended Millard High from 1981-1985. If you look close enough, you can still see the legacy he left behind in the halls of Millard South. Thirty-six years later, the name Jim Sutfin is still plastered on the wall for his achievements in track and field, where he remains unchallenged for his times in the 100m and 200m dash.

For students, he wasn’t just the superintendent. He was also the caller of our snow days, the one we bullied relentlessly

on Twitter, the one who led us through a pandemic and made sure we got out ok. He was goofy, kindhearted, and compassionate about his students.

“I’m kind of sad,” said freshman Max Leland. “He started right around the time I started school...

He’s been a constant in my life.”

But Leland says the memories he has of Sutfin coming into his classroom and interacting with the kids are some of his favorites that he’ll look back on in the future.

Although Sutfin is best known to current students as their superintendent, Sutfin also taught Advanced Placement Biology at Millard West where he also served as the Student Council Sponsor and an assistant track coach. From then on, Sutfin held many positions within MPS such as an assistant principal at Russell Middle, principal at Central Middle, several positions in the Human Resources department, and overseer of District Activity, Staff Development, and Student Service programs.

As superintendent, Sutfin saw the ushering in of 1:1, the addition Superintendent Dr. Jim Sutfin meets with elementary students at Reeder Elementary in January of the Early College Program at 2020. Photo courtesy of Millard Public Schools Communications SHS and of course, led the district through the challenges of operatlevel, Millard said. district’s ability to replace Sutfin. “We have ing a school district during a global “Dr. Sutfin knew Millard...not knowing a great district, so we’ll always be able to pandemic. who [is taking over] is the big question.” roll and keep moving forward.”

The transitional phase will be a chalMillard said he has no doubts about the lenge, especially at the superintendent

Students spend more at the pump as gas prices climb Bergan Simmonds Covid-19 pandemic. OPEC cut back on production when de Photo Chief mand was lower and hasn’t increased production even though

demand is back up. In addition, labor shortages across the na As drivers watch the numbers tick up on the gas pump tion and an inability to not only pump essential materials for this fall, they may have noticed they’re spending more per gas out of the earth but also transport said gas across the nagallon than in the past. For many, this tion have contributed. gas price hike has taken a toll on daily With such a shortage life and has led to drivers conserving of essential workers gas or often choosing not to drive. such as semi-truck

”Before this price increase, I was drivers, factory line, already fairly careful with how much and refinery workgas I use, but now that it has gone up, ers, gas companies I really have to pay attention to it,” just can’t keep up. senior Travis Cloyd said.

This has caused the

Because Cloyd participates in national average gas many activities such as cross country, price to grow from marching band, and clubs, this leads to $2.14 per gallon him having to be in a lot of places and last year to $3.40 use a lot of gas. Like many, this has per gallon currently made travel harder for Cloyd. according to AAA.

“Of course I can’t just choose Omaha’s gas prices Senior Travis Cloyd fills his Toyota with gas to not get gas, no matter how much I are averaging $3.20 at the Casey’s on Harrison. Photo by Vivian procrastinate doing it,” he said. per gallon, up from $1.98 this time “Overall gas prices rising has just Kaldahl last year. made me more upset with the system.

With the gearing up of the US For everybody working a 9-5 job and living a normal life, economy after the pandemic, it is natural for these prices to it has made meeting needs more and more difficult,” Cloyd be high. said.

You may be asking yourself, “how are prices even de This frustration has left many asking why gas prices are termined?” Vanessa, the assistant manager at the Kum & Go so high. One reason can be directed back to the devastating on 144th and Q, says prices are sent down from the corporate

office to individual gas stations. The prices that the corporate office sends down are based upon factors such as how much gas stations nearby are charging, how much fuel the gas stations have on hand, and how often they are getting it from their suppliers. This number can even be affected by how much crude oil gas companies can pull from the Earth. With this in mind, the shortage of workers and decreased ability to get fuel to the gas stations is making it hard for companies to keep prices down. Vanessa even went on to say that the increase in prices has not had an increase in profit gas stations are taking in, showing that they are trying to keep these prices as low as they can.

The panic that this price spike has caused is hopefully short-lived, though. In June the US Energy Information Administration predicted that crude oil prices would stabilize mid-year now that global economic concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic have begun to ease.

everybody working a “ For 9-5 job and living a normal life, it has made meeting needs more and more difficult.

–senior Travis Cloyd

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SpongeBob SquarePants Nov. 12-14. Phoenix Nehls, Focus on consumerism and fast fashion. Art by Lexie Avari Geppert, and Katalin Jeffries rehearse. Photo Smith

by Jennifer Castle

Pages 8-9

Junior Brock Murtaugh runs for a 1st down. The Pats end their season, making it one for the books. Photo by Ally Seevers

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How do you like your coffee? Iced or hot?

News 11 • 8 • 2021

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‘Are you ready kids!?’

SpongeBob SquarePants takes the stage ture.

“One hundred percent, within There always my own opinion and seems to be some sort (what) I hope is the of hustle and bustle in opinion of the majorSouth’s fine arts departity of the department; whether it be a ment, roles should new choir performance, be given based on a band fundraiser, or performance, what an orchestra concert. an actor brings to the This time however, table not necessarily the theatre section is their gender presentathe one shaking things tion,” she said. up. This year’s fall

Finally Mrs. show, SpongeBob Baker, the theater SquarePants: The Musidepartment head, said cal, is inciting conver“No, I don’t think that sations over the amount it will be as comof gender bending. This mon, because writers is the first show where usually construct their a majority of the main characters and their characters are played by plots very specifipeople of non-traditioncally, just like some al gender. writers choose their “I don’t think words and notes careit matters what Senior Irene Hawkins, who plays Squidward, sings a solo in the opening number of SpongeBob the Musical where the audience is intro- fully. So playwrights most of the duced to lead cast members. Patrick is played by sophomore Robbie Rohlfs and SpongeBob is played by junior Phoenix Nehls. Photo by choose that gender characters were Jennifer Castle for a reason, usually, cast as, as long but there are more nal director, composer and producer about how this show as you can sing the vocal part,” said Jude Maiorca, is ideally cast completely gender blind,” Nehls said. modern scripts, like SpongeBob, it doesn’t matter because a senior playing the role of the mayor of Bikini they are cartoon characters.” In response to being asked

“Although the roles of, say, Patrick and SpongeBob Bottom. He also noted gender conforming casting can about the future of gender bending as a whole. They said were written with male performers in mind it was the be quite hard with the lack of male theater participants in intention to have it be open to any one, and in our show we that authors have started specifying what characters can be the department. “When there’s like four guys auditioning cast not as written in their scripts. took full advantage of that,” she said. for this show, and the cast is mainly traditionally cast (as)

“A lot of students don’t realize, and teachers as well,

Nehls said she regards the ability to play characters guys, it’s hard,” Maiorca said. that aren’t normally her gender as an enriching experience. that we need permission from the author and the publisher

Junior Phoenix Nehls, playing the part of SpongeBob, to cast students other than their gender as written. You “I speak as the actress playing SpongeBob, and it’s is deeply entrenched in the theater department as well as definitely been a very enriching experience to get to not be have to actually write (to) the publishing company and the its governing body, Drama Board. When asked about the trapped in the box of playing only female roles and getting author to get permission to do that, it’s a violation of copygender blind casting Phoenix said that: right laws (to cast non-gender conforming without express to play a traditionally male role,” Nehls said.

“Within the script itself there are notes from the origi- She said she hopes for more gender bending in the fupermission),” Baker said.

Laddie Wilken Staff Reporter

School struggles with sub shortages Josh Andrews News Editor

We’ve all had subs- you walk into your classroom and you see some typically older person you’ve never met before and will probably never meet again behind the desk your teacher usually occupies. Some are better than others but you usually end up with a more relaxed period than usual. Now there’s a problem. Maybe you’ve seen it firsthand.

Maybe you saw a familiar face from around the building teaching in a classroom that isn’t theirs. This is because of the recent sub shortage. Fewer and fewer people want to do substitute work, to the point where there just aren’t enough to cover the amount of absences in the building.

“I have to start every morning trying to fill subs for teachers here in this building,” said Tracy Hancock from the Registration Office. Hancock says the problem started during Covid pandemic, but like in many other areas of unemployment, the job openings aren’t being refilled.

Hancock said she believes one of the main reasons subs are less willing to return now more than ever is the changing technological landscape. As many substitutes are retired teachers, Hancock said, they’re accustomed to an older style of teaching.

“More is required of the subs with Google Classrooms and laptops… technology has changed,” she said.

“I never know when I come in exactly which teachers I’ll be subbing for,” substitute teacher Vickie Weidenhamer said. “When a teacher has a planning period, I’ll be asked to sub for someone else during that time,” she said. Due to Weidenhamer’s recent retirement from teaching full-time, she said she knows the other side of the problem.

“I would come in sick some days, because I didn’t know if my kids would get a sub if I wasn’t there” she said.

To combat this problem, the district is instituting incentives for substitute teachers. For Mondays and Fridays, the two days with the most absences, anyone who substitutes is entered into a raffle. Despite this, the shortage persists and the school board may consider other solutions in the near future.

Athletic Trainer Deanna Stickney: the tape that holds teams together Vivian Kaldahl

Staff Reporter

“Stick...Your son dislocated his finger” UNO grad student Nick Edwards called out in the training room on a busy Monday afternoon. Sure enough, freshman Trevor Stickney had dislocated his pinky finger. His mother and head athletic trainer, Deanna Stickney, put his pinky back in place, got him an ice bag, and sent him back to practice.

This is Stickney’s 14th year as a teacher and athletic trainer at Millard South, three years before that she was at a smaller school south of Millard.

“I’ve always been interested in medicine,”Stickney

said. “I was going to be a nurse, but my mom didn’t want me to do that,” she said. “I’ve always liked sports, so I decided that athletic training was a good mix of those things.”

A typical day for Mrs. Stickney is teaching during first, second, and third block. Then heading to the training room until practices and games are done. “Obviously Friday nights are later than most days,” and they will continue to be Stickney’s longest day of the week since the Patriot football team is making their way through playoffs.

You never know what the training room will look like on any given day. “It depends on the day. Sometimes it’s just a few kids who need minor things, and then other nights, like game nights, it’s super busy because there are more people, more taping, and more treatment that needs to get done, trying to get everybody ready for the game,” she said.

“When it all clicks,” is what Stickney says is her favorite part about teaching. The moment when students realize, “Oh my gosh this all makes sense now because all of these things go together.”

Stickney says her favorite part about athletic training is “obviously it’s fun being at the games, but I really enjoy getting to connect and interact with students on a different level than you normally would.”

Senior athlete Easton Thomas has been seeing Mrs. Stickney for injuries throughout high school. As a baseball player, “Stick has helped with so many things throughout my years at Millard South.” Recently, he has been going for issues with his bicep. Thomas said “My favorite part about the athletic trainers is that they are willing to do whatever they need to make sure that you’re able to perform at your best.”

Senior athlete Easton Thomas visits Deanna Stickney for his bicep injury. Stickney assessed his bicep and later hooked him up to estim treatment. Photo by Ally Seevers

News 11 • 8 • 2021

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Opinion 11 • 4 • 2021

H20 is the way to go

Being told to “drink water because it’s good for you” is practically a meme at this point. Young people aren’t really receptive to repetitive badgering, and the fact of the matter is that you can live a long and happy life while drinking sodas and juices. So, my goal here is to speak from the perspective of relatable experiences and benefits, as we’re all made aware of the actual science. Hopefully this will be a case in favor of switching to water that doesn’t feel condescending.

Entering high school, I found myself in a situation where water was pretty much all that there was to drink, and even now that I have plenty of options, I still haven’t strayed from drinking water. Nowadays I just drink a can of soda every other night or so with my dinner. I’m aware that this is still more soda than your doctor would recommend, but if you go to that from drinking something other than water every single time that you’re thirsty, it’s a significant improvement. I’d say that the rule is: minimize the amount of non-water beverages that you drink up until the point where you feel like you’re not enjoying life as much.

There is a stigma against that mindset, but honestly if your enjoyment in life comes at a reasonable and moderate compromise of your health, go for it. I will say, however, that the benefits to drinking water hardly make it a sacrifice.

One of the first things that I learned before switching was that water can help with bad breath.

Not always, but sometimes bad breath is the direct result of dehydration. That’s where morning breath comes from: your mouth dries out while you’re sleeping. There was one time when I couldn’t get an awful

The benefits of introducing water into my daily routine

taste out of my mouth, and I could tell that if I talked to anybody then they’d smell it. I tried everything from mints, to candies, to eating salt. It all just added more aftertastes to my mouth. I ended up Googling it, and found the result that I may be dehydrated and should drink water. I drank a swig of water, and instantly every bad taste in my mouth was purged, and the good-smelling flavors from the things that I had been trying previous were activated!

Water is also an appetite suppressant, meaning that if you get into a habit of drinking it with your dinner, you’ll feel full faster, meaning that you’ll eat less.

If you eat less, then not only is that a potential benefit for weight loss, but you’ll also have more leftovers for later.

Another side effect of drinking plenty of water was that it showed me just how much fluid I was drinking before. Those of you who only drink soda or sports drinks probably don’t realize how much more often you’re feeling thirsty and having to take a drink.

Or an even more relatable scenario: You can’t save it for later or it’ll get flat, so you have to rush to finish it while it’s still cold. Water doesn’t have that issue because you can drink it warm and have it be tolerable, or you can just re-chill it with no decline of taste. If you drink water for long enough, then from my experience you’ll start to turn to water when you’re actually thirsty, and other drinks become what they should actually be: treats. Water feels cleansing, but sugar lingers. Good tastes are always welcome, but having a clean mouth that tastes like nothing by the middle of the day is surprisingly pleasant.

As a high school student who can probably get away with drinking more than you will be able to as you get older, I’m not discouraging you to drink what you can and want. The tactic that I will confidently recommend is to drink your other beverages at certain times of day, with a frequency that allows for exceptions. If you like to start your day with a cup of coffee, then start your day with a cup of coffee. Just don’t keep drinking coffee for the entire day until bed.

You’ll end up appreciating your daily cup of coffee a lot more!

Darian Pierre Online Editor

One man’s trash is another’s treasure

My dad has a pretty hard job. He’s a maintenance manager for an apartment complex, which means whenever someone’s toilet, refrigerator, or the most dreaded of all, AC breaks, he’s the one that has to fix it. His job isn’t the most fun thing in the world, especially at 2 am when he has to leave because someone’s sink broke, but there’s still some benefit to his labor besides the obvious paycheck.

His job brings some funny perks that you wouldn’t quite expect, such as being able to take home the cool stuff that people leave behind when they move out.

I tend to come home to random things quite often, especially during springtime when most people make the big decision to move. Useful or not, cool or strange, we’ve collected plenty of fun things over the years. In the past I’ve received a pack of waterproof playing cards, an entire set of ‘Harry Potter’ movies, and so much more, that to be completely honest, I can hardly recount at the moment.

During the course of the past year he’s brought home not only a boombox, but also a Walkman, a binder full of clas-

sic computer games, and a brand new, never opened, wooden desk that now resides in my bedroom. Of course, a ton of the stuff he finds is broken, or in other words, left behind for a reason, but usually we can fix it or give it a new purpose.

Speaking of being left behind for a reason, the boombox that my dad brought home had the ability to play both CDs and tapes, as well as the obvious radio feature, but unfortunately the tape part didn’t necessarily work. The rewind and fast forward features were less than desirable, as in, they weren’t able to rewind or fast forward at all. It also had a broken antenna which made it harder to listen to the radio, but it had amazing sound and bass, so instead we just took the old CDs we had in the house or in my car and listened to them in the living room whenever we could.

Along with the things he brings home for me, there’s also the occasional lawnmower or picture frame that he brings home for my mom or himself. He doesn’t tend to find as many things that my mom would like or use, but usually

when I get something she ends up using it too. When he brought home the ‘Harry Potter’ DVDs, me and my mom watched through all of them and then moved on to the other random DVDs that came with it, such as the entirety of the 90s sitcom ‘Friends’, and the random Disney movies we had found.

Unlike me or my mom, my dad finds stuff like tools and other equipment in garages and or other storage spaces that people left behind, usually just because they’re old or not worth all that much.

Recently my dad brought home an electric lawnmower that he’s been using and loving. It’s a lot different than his old ones, but he claims that it works better.

He’s added tons of tools in the past as well, but I’ve never been quite sure as to why since most of them are dirty and he already has some that are basically the same, but I stopped asking why a long time ago.

I think it’s sort of funny to receive these things that the previous owners thought were less than desirable and give them new life. It feels sort of weird to

Joni Beauchamp Opinions Editor

reuse things from these strangers, but you know what they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Common Sense Common Sense is the official publication of Millard South High School 14905 Q Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68137. School district guidelines determine the suitability of advertising content. To place an ad or inquire about rates, call (402)-715-8363.

Common Sense is a monthly publication produced in Room 130. Common Sense uses desktop publishing hardware and software: Apple computers, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Google word processing software. Printing by White Wolf Web in Sheldon, Iowa.

Letters to the editor are encouraged. All letters must be signed with the student’s first and last name, grade, then submitted to Mrs. Kaldahl. Unsigned letters will not be published. The staff reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, length, and clarity. Letters of profane nature or other infractions of school or district policy will not be published.

Editor-in-Chief Madeline Leland

Features Editor Sydney Mejia

Photo Chief Bergan Simmonds

Opinions Editor Joni Beauchamp

Chief Graphic Designer Sam Tews

Entertainment Editor Lauren Rayner

Online Editor Darian Pierre

InDepth Editor Joseph Kaipust

Social Event Coordinator Brianna Strudthoff

News Editor Josh Andrews

Social Media Editor Lexie Smith

Business Manager Haley Johnson

Sports Editor Ally Seevers

Staff Illustrators Keely King Lexie Smith Joni Beauchamp Staff Secretary Turner Wittstruck

Distribution Manager Vivian Kaldahl

Staff Reporters Laddie Wilken Gabe Medina Haley Johnson Faith Wehrspann Vivian Kaldahl Brianna Strudthoff Darian Pierre Turner Wittstruck Adviser Christine Kaldahl

Conscious Consumerism

From the runway to your closet, but at what cost?

Art by Lexie Smith

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Mass production creates mass destruction Lexie Smith Illustrator

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ast fashion is a term used to describe clothing designs that move quickly from the catwalk to stores to take advantage of trends at the cost of our environment. This business style is heavily apparent in clothing brands like Forever 21, H&M, Zara, Shein, etc. Fast fashion has been a hot topic in recent months due to an increase in the popularity of sustainable and second-hand fashion.

Fast fashion allows for affordable prices on clothing, accessories, etc. Many times, the instant gratification of a five dollar tank top delivered straight to your house is offered digitally, making shopping from bed addicting. Fast fashion’s mainstream appeal caters to all of the microtrends which may be popular at the time. Trends move fast and so does fashion. Microtrends come and go, leading to the discarding of the old clothes purchased to make room for the new trends and latest fashion musthaves.

While being convenient for the buyer, fast fashion poses many issues for the environment and those who participate. Fast fashion is often made possible by the employment of low-wage workers who are given unsafe work conditions.

Companies utilizing this manufacturing style exploit workers who are frequently outsourced from less developed countries to produce up-to-date and on-trend appealing fashion for the masses. Not only is fast fashion harmful to workers, but it is also harmful to the environment and our limited resources. The processes used in this style of manufacturing produce extreme amounts of carbon emissions, textile waste, and waste from plastic packaging.

The most impactful waste contribution, however, lies in the industries use of water. According to Earth. org, “The fashion industry is the second largest consumer industry of water, requiring about 700 gallons to produce one cotton shirt and 2,000 gallons of water to produce a pair of jeans.” The sheer amount of water needed to produce every article of clothing globally is

even harder to quantify or picture. Most of that water also ends up in streams or ditches, because of textile dyes polluting it past the point of consumption or reuse.

As fast fashion increases the occurrence of production, it also increases pollution in our water, land, and air. It’s not hard to see why, according to the Princeton Student Climate Initiative, “The fashion industry is currently responsible for more annual carbon emissions than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.”

Despite its environmental impact, the popularity of fast fashion has created a sense of disposability in the minds of many teens and young adults today.

Many people will spend money on a “Shein haul” to fit the latest Tik Tok or Instagram and Pinterest trends but end up donating or throwing them away after the trend has ended. Lots of these clothes will end up in landfills or thrift stores. Regan Wittstruck, a Goodwill employee and senior at Millard South had lots to say about fast fashion in the thrift world. “We can only take in so many donations at the Goodwill. This means that the more clothes that you donate of low quality, we have less room for good clothes that we can take for those who need them.”

The appeal of fast fashion is widely understandable. However, in recent years, there’s been a rise in consumer support for small businesses, ethical fashion, and second-hand clothing. These options are better for not only the consumer but also the environment.

Including things like recycled materials in the product itself and/or in packaging and the appeal of ethically sourced products has caused a more recent boom in the popularity of small businesses, ethically sourced or “green” companies.

Environmental and climate concerns have peaked in 2021 with the release of a new climate report not-

ing that current efforts to stop global warming aren’t enough. People have scrambled to lessen their individual impact on the globe and rallied against fast fashion corporations. If the industry maintains its course, an increase of 50% in greenhouse gas emissions is expected within a decade.

Companies like SHEIN and Urban Outfitters have done little in recent years to improve their production and distribution. Chinese brand SHEIN, adds 500 products to its website each day, at very cheap prices.

Customers do not have access to information about the brand’s supply chain and where its suppliers are located.

In complete contrast many companies have tried to move to more affordable prices and items that are more planet friendly. Fabletics, an athletic company by Kate Hudson, makes quality products that are more budget friendly. With bundles starting at fifty dollars, people are more willing to pay for the quality. This same company has a line of leggings that are biodegradable after 10 years, which can please those who are looking for that eco-friendly edge.

More companies are following this path by creating products that have eco-friendly materials and promote them as biodegradable. Although some companies are taking this important leap, there are not enough of them to truly make an impact. All of these big name brands aren’t making the strides they need to truly make a difference.

Fast fashion, although fun to participate in, is a highly dangerous game companies are playing. From creating outrageous shopping standards (low price/low quality), to harming our environment; fast fashion has got to go. Become an informed consumer and help do your part to lower these standards and help save the planet and your wallets.

Donations go from Goodwill to landfill Turner Wittstruck Staff Reporter

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ith over 3,300 stores between just the US and Canada, it’s entirely likely you have some childhood memories of following your mom into Goodwill. You probably strolled right down the isles, surprised by the sheer amount of varied items available to toss into your cart. The crazy part, though, happened on your next trip, when you discovered an entirely different store of clothing, toys, and knickknacks to be found-- it was magical, I’m sure. With the rate at which thrift stores and donation centers like Goodwill are able to pump out and sell clothes, it seems easy to assume they must be utilizing all these donations to the highest level, right? Well, not exactly.

As a Goodwill employee myself, I can’t pretend the process from the donation door to the racks at your local Goodwill is some speedy little set of steps. The average thrifter would assume they can donate a bag of clothes, and see those pieces on the sales floor not long after. This isn’t always the case, though.

The “process” often becomes a journey.

That bag of clothes may start off as a donation right here in Millard, and can still somehow end up on the other side of the state.

Goodwill’s clothing (softlines) process includes sorting through the clothes, selling some of what’s worth keeping, and sending the rest of the good stuff back to the warehouse to get sent off to other stores. But what happens to the clothing that doesn’t get sold?

Similarly, what makes it to the floor and doesn’t sell after a certain amount of time will get another shield life at a Goodwill Outlet. Here, they’re able to sell this clothing by the pound, which heavily encourages the hardcore thrifters driving out to these locations to buy in mass, allowing the clothing to avoid any further processes by that much longer.

Unfortunately, plenty of the remaining clothing either doesn’t meet standards to make it to the Outlet, or doesn’t sell after getting there, leading to the (potentially) final send off: textile recyclers.

These organizations allow for an average 45% of the clothing sent off to still get resold into the US used clothing industry, or sent overseas into markets with higher demand. Even that isn’t ideal though, as reselling only encourages the cycle to continue, and utilizing foreign markets severely hinders their textile industries, robbing locals of these jobs. The devastating impact this can have on the economies of these third-world countries is little-known, but huge nonetheless.

What these textile recycling places can’t resell ultimately gets “salvaged”. When softlines get salvaged, they get used in new ways; like ripping the clothing apart for fibers to be used in furniture, or cutting the pieces into rags for industrial use. At least, most of it ends up there.

Five percent of the clothing that makes it to the donation center will jump through all these hoops and still end up in landfills.

Goodwill’s hand is forced, contributing to the huge amount of clothing sent to landfills each year, simply because they can’t get rid of it all quick enough.

In 2017, a combined 11,150 tons of clothing and linens ended up in landfills. While Goodwill may have only been a small percent of that massive 22.3 million pound problem, it all adds up quickly. This is due to the overconsumption that resulted from fast fashion’s fittingly-speedy take over of the world’s markets.

After seeing all the complications in the process and possibly feeling partially at fault, you may be asking yourself: “How can I help lessen my impact? Should I even be donating my clothes at all anymore?” The answer really is simpler than you’re likely thinking: just don’t buy as much. If you avoid making unnecessary clothing purchases, you’re saving yourself and the planet the trouble of trying to toss it later. That’s not to say you should feel guilty anytime you wanna go shopping for something new, but you’ve got to remain environmentally conscious, and be honest with yourself. Is that shirt going to offer you years of wear down the line, or did it just fit the trend you wanted to emulate for a month? It sounds pretty ridiculous, but with the means of purchasing clothing becoming so quick, easy, cheap, and universally available, the waste adds up quickly to become an astonishingly big issue.

Fast fashion from behind the counter Haley Johnson Staff Reporter

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lthough retail companies don’t hide it, the stores you’re getting your clothes from don’t show you behind the scenes. Fast fashion companies like GAP INC. have been feeding into toxic consumerism for decades. GAP INC. has six primary divisions; Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Intermix, Hill City, and Athleta. Seeing the ins and outs of a fast-fashion company changes how you view retail and gives you insight into the impact brands have on fast fashion. You begin to recognize the problem with people’s views on the value of clothing.

Senior Irene Hawkins is a senior lead at the Village Pointe Old Navy and has worked there for over a year. Irene says, “as an old navy employee, I see a lot of fast fashion.

This summer, for example, we got a LOT of terry cloth items of clothing, like hundreds of units of terry cloth styles, and we have an overwhelming amount left on clearance.” Every Monday and Friday Old Navy gets hundreds of new products in, and like clockwork, customers buzz around the store picking up the latest trends. The idea of picking up trends and then getting rid of them months after is becoming the new norm for American consumers.

Retail employees watch styles that are only popular during one season sit in the clearance section for the next few months after. The price of these temporarily trendy items slowly dwindles to nothing until someone finally purchases it. Gretna Old Navy store manager Kaia Sullivan says, “I think working in retail has made me more selective with what I buy. It’s eye-opening to see how quickly styles change and how fashion trends come and go and how some things stay consistent.” She says being around fashion every day has helped her become a smarter shopper. Those who aren’t attentive to the way retail works often get persuaded by social media and influencers of today. You could see a trend on Pinterest or Instagram, three weeks later, it would be in the store.

Hawkins says “I feel like I have never realized how fastly fashion really comes in and out.”

Only a few select items remain consistently in the store. This cycle of new emerging trends, mass producing them, and then their inevitable social death, polluting thrift stores and second-hand shops.

Although Old Navy’s products are not necessarily of bad quality, they’re still made unsustainably. Making clothes quickly and cheaply in other countries promises customers the latest styles at low prices. When looking around the store, you’ll find that over half of the merchandise is made in Vietnam. The other half is produced in countries like India and China. Outsourcing the Production of clothing saves fast fashion companies like GAP INC. lots of money. These companies can sell clothes for so cheap because they’re paying less for the production.

Producing clothes in these countries leads to environmental and economical problems over there and here at home.

In addition to having more affordable clothes, having weekly deals and super cash persuades customers to keep coming back.

Retail companies can dictate the minds of their customers. If you see that a shirt you like is 40% off for today only, you’re more plausible to buy it. Was it a necessity? No, but many consumers have developed a provisional mindset when it comes to what they put in their closets.

“I see people who are just looking to kill time and spend money," Hawkins said. "We rarely have people who are shopping for necessity.” Every customer that goes through the checkout line gets bombarded with deals and programs. “Do you have a loyalty account with us?” “Let’s get you signed up!” “Are you shopping with an old navy card today?”

“It’s 40% off your purchase if you sign up today!” “Don’t forget to come back and spend your $60 super cash at the end of the month!”

By the end of the first week, you memorize the phrases. Employees are given daily goals and prizes for how many people they sign up for cards and loyalties. At this point cashiering is like a game of how many points you can get by the end of the day….they also have a scoreboard…I mean “store success tracker.”

The company pressures employees so much for these sign-ups because it keeps customers coming back. The more you spend, the more coupons you get, the more you “save.” Programming the minds of consumers is a problem that is only getting worse as technology and marketing advances. Commercials, sales, social media, all of these follow us around 24/7 telling us to “Buy! Buy! Buy!” Convincing us to purchase things we don’t need. Present generations are developing irresponsible buying habits, giving into a corrupt system.

The fast fashion industry is booming, and the morals of these companies are left unchecked. If this practice continues to grow in acceptance, it can destroy our planet, economy, and lifestyle. With companies worried about profit, and consumers concerned about getting the best deals; they often forget that trends don’t last and that overproduction will be an issue in stores and our environment.

7

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Sports 11 • 8 • 2021

8

#16 underdogs deliver suprising blow to #1 Patriots Ally Seevers Sports Editor

At 7 p.m. on Oct. 29, the Patriots were 9-0, the number one team in all of Nebraska, on the road to bring home their first state championship title in 12 years. Three hours later, the Pats were 9-1, ending their season with a loss to the #16 seed Omaha North, 49-42.

Going into the playoffs, Millard South was undefeated, something they hadn’t done since 2009, when Millard South beat out Millard West, 45-17, in the championship game at Memorial Stadium.

“It felt good,” senior Justin Gassaway said, “especially to see all of our regular season work pay off, going 9-0 was pretty cool.”

Having a perfect record was no easy task. Early in the season, the Patriots destroyed #5 ranked Elkhorn South, 33-7, showing dominance early.

The following week, Millard South proved they own ‘Q,’ beating the kitty-cats 46 to 7. With touchdowns from all over, including sophomore Nolan Feller, the Patriots displayed a certain depth like no other, giving hope for years to come.

In the week after that, the Patriots took on the then, top-ranked Bellevue West in Bellevue. With a touchdown early in the first quarter by senior Christian Nash, the Pats put themselves on the board first.

The Thunderbirds answered back, tying the score at 7-7, then at 21-21. But with two more touchdowns for Nash, and a huge interception by senior Jake Gassaway, the Patriots put themselves on top, 42 to 21, ultimately limiting the now #2 team to 28 points to our

42.

“It felt amazing, beating Bell West,” junior Bryson Zimmerman said. “One of the best feelings this year was to beat our best opponent.”

With this commanding of a win, Millard South was now the number one team in the state.

The Patriots continued their campaign, beating Omaha North, Lincoln Pius X, and Fremont.

Even when starting quarterback, senior Gage Stenger, was benched with an injury, junior Cam Kozeal stepped up in his place, passing 7 touchdowns and running in 3, bringing home the perfect regular season record.

“When you’re stepping in for the best player in the state, many things are expected from you,” Kozeal said, “but you have to be a leader and perform to the best of your ability.”

While the Patriots were unable to make it past the round of 16, losing a heartbreaker to Omaha North, a team they previously beat earlier, this season will be one to remember.

In the game against Omaha Burke, Christian Nash had over 200 rushing yards, averaging 122.2 rushing yards per game.

“I was so happy when Kintzle announced I had rushed over 200 yards,” Nash said. “Rushing for 200 yards was always a top goal during the season because I cam close twice before.”

Junior Simon McClannan was also named the #1 kicker in the state, #3 in the nation.

With that, this team has incredible depth and talent.

They’ll be back next year, ready to finally take what is rightfully theirs.

Fight until the end Patriots district runner-ups to Elkhorn South Ally Seevers Sports Editor

The Millard South girls volleyball team competed at the district tournament last week, seeking their first state experience since 2019.

In the first round, the Patriots beat out Lincoln North Star in three straight sets, moving on to the district final against Elkhorn South.

“It felt great, beating North Star,” freshman Sierra Pokharel said. “That game was one of the best our team has played all season and it showed. We knew we couldn’t overlook North Star and we didn’t. We showed up to compete.”

Elkhorn South, ranked #4 in Class A, is strong allaround, averaging 13.1 kills per set and 2.1 blocks per set, but Millard South put up a fight, averaging 8.7 kills.

Senior Emily Hagedorn had 8 kills in that game, something that is a feat in itself.

“Getting any kills against Elkhorn South is so dif-

ficult,” Hagedorn said. “They have such a great defense and they are just a well-rounded team, but if you strategically place the ball, that’s where you get your kills.”

The girls were able to push the Storm in the third set, forcing the deuce, ultimately losing 27-25.

“It was intense,” Pokharel said. “Neither team was going to give up and we proved that we are right there with a good team like Elkhorn South. It meant so much to be able to compete with a great team, and our fight definitely showed, especially in the third set.”

While the girls may have lost, they put their all into that game, fighting until the very end.

“During that last set, I think we were all on the edge of our seats,” Hagedorn said. “I’m so proud that our girls didn’t give up. We really gave it our all. We knew that this game would be a challenge, but we all played our hardest and we played as a team.”

This team has been through it all this season, but they gave it their all, going out as a team.

Runner finishes at the line Ally Seevers Sports Editor

On Oct. 14, senior Madeline Kunz sealed the deal, qualifying for the state tournament 4 years in a row,

Growing up running with her dad, Kunz said she joined cross country because it was something fun she and her dad could bond over.

“I first started running around 5th grade,” Kunz said.

“I have always been super active and I used to run with my dad. He would sign me up for little races here and there, and soon, I started running in middle school. It was always fun for me because it was something I could do with my dad. He was always there and excited to watch me run, which made me excited too.”

Starting running at a young age, coming into high school as a 2-time MPS Middle School District meet champion in the mile, Madeline set the bar high for the rest of the incoming freshmen.

Running varsity all four years, with a 7th place finish at the district meet, Kunz became a 4-time state meet qualifier, the only person to accomplish such a feat in the ‘22 graduating class at Millard South.

“It means a lot to me, qualifying all four years. I am very proud of myself,” she said. “I am very grateful for everyone who was there for me and helped me get there.”

At the meet, Kunz finished 43rd overall, the best she’s ever placed at the state meet.

As she sprinted in towards the finish line, Kunz was cheered on by her fellow teammates, coaches, and family.

“It meant a lot that so many of my teammates could make it to watch,” Kunz said.

“I know both Dalton [Heller, the other state qualifier] and I were excited to have everyone cheer us on. They were always there and very supportive.”

“I am definitely going to miss my teammates Senior Madeline Kunz runs in the State and coaches,” Cross Country meet at Kearney Country Club. To qualify for the meet, Kunz ran her Kunz said. best time of her career for a 5k, a 20:28.1, “It’s such a punching her ticket to state. Photo courtesy fun family of PrepRunningNerd environment and it’s something I wish I could have forever, but the memories will always be there.”

Want photos from any of the Patriot events?

Follow our student photographers on Instagram!

Ally Seevers - @allykristinephotos Haley Dougherty - @haleymayphotos Jennifer Castle - @jennifercastlephotogpraghy Haley Geringer - @geringer_photography Sophomore Camille Renken smiles after one of her 4 kills in the district final against Elkhorn South. Renken ended the season with 125 kills, 63 digs, and 38 blocks. Photo by Ally Seevers

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Sports 11• 8 • 2021

11

Patriots take district title Ben Bartholow Staff Reporter

After an exciting regular season, the Patriots softball team came into their district A-5 tournament as the top seed, followed by Millard West, Omaha Burke, and Omaha Central. The Patriots easily handled Central, but then ran into some trouble against Millard West. The Patriots ended up losing that game 10-2. This pushed the Patriots to the losers bracket, being out of state contention if they lost one more.

Undeterred by their defeat the day before, the Patriots moved to play Omaha Burke to get to the district finals. After giving up 1 run, and being shut out, the Patriots came into the top of the 7th inning down 1, and not having any luck from the plate. Luckily, seniors Jalyn Noelle and Taylor Hrabik got the Patriots going on their 7th inning scoring spree, eventually putting up 7 runs over the Bulldogs, which was enough to win that game.

The Millard South girls softball team celebrates its district championship, coming back to defeat Q-Street rivals, Millard West, 10 to 8.

“During the first game, we heard that the top overall Photo by Ally Seevers class A seed (Gretna) was losing at their district. That took the wildcard out of the equation. Knowing that made The Wildcats were unable to tie up the game, allowing pete for a title.” our focus laser sharp,” said head coach Steve Kerkman.

South to make it to a winner takes all final game against

The Patriots played their hearts out, yet they fell

The team headed into the final against their Q-street the Cats. short, dropping a game to Millard North, then beating rival Millard West with their work cut out for them.

This final game was a much higher scoring affair, Papio LaVista South and then losing to Papillion LaVista, “We knew we had to win to keep our season going,” said as the Patriots are used to. Off of Nevaeh Williams’ 2 ending their 2021 campaign.

Kerkman. homeruns, the Patriots propelled to a 10-8 final,

The seniors Taylor Hrabik, Jessie Bestenlehner,

Playing with a taking the district title. After taking the District Maddie Gerace, Jayln Noelle, and Maddie Carley all are chip on their shoulder, A5 title, the Patriots headed to their 21st state going to be missed as their impact on the program has the Patriots started the championship, 2nd most, only to Papillion LaVbeen immense. game giving up one ista.

“They [the seniors] were amazing,” Kerkman said. It run in the first inning,

“Winning districts was an exciting and wasn’t just on the field however, “They were great leadwhich they later got exhilarating time,” Rodenbiker said. “No words ers and great student-athletes,” Kerkman added. back. Tied, the game will ever do justice to the feeling of raising that

Although the Patriots did not go on to take the state went into extra innings, District Championship plaque.” title, they did play to the very end, finishing off an amazwhere both teams “It was really difficult to come back down after ing season, going 23-12, and winning the District A-5 traded scores, bringing districts and focus on the state tournament,” title. the game into the 9th Kerkman said.

Looking back over the season, Kerkman said there inning. Catie Roden Coming into state, the team knew it were many favorite memories. The big wins, the comebiker started off the would be tough to continue playing hard like they back victories, and even their book study during the suminning by delivering a Junior Andrea McGargill pitches in the game had against West. Kerkman knew that the hard mer were among his favorites. big blow to the Wild- against Millard North. McGargill was the winning work hadn’t ended though, as the teams in the “Hopefully these memories will stay with the players for cats, as she hit a 2 run pitcher in the district final game against Millard state tournament were just as tough. the rest of their lives,” Kerkman said. homerun, advancing to West, allowing only 2 hits. Photo by Ben Bartholow Kerkman had to remind the team: “there were 4-2. many teams who were just as good as us who “It was a surreal feeling,” junior Catie Rodenbiker said. didn’t qualify and have the opportunity we had to com-

Seniors serve for the last time

The seniors ended their season at the state tournament at Koch Tennis Center, most putting their racquets down for the last time.

“I’m gonna miss just getting to play com With the end of another tennis season petitively the most,” Thomas said. “Tennis is comes the saying of good-byes to the seniors. my only sport and I don’t plan to continue in This year’s graduating class consisted of 6 college so this was my last ever competitive boys, bonding like brothers over the sport. sport season. I’m gonna miss that gameday

“My favorite part has definitely been the feeling.” opportunity to be on a team While and to have a group of guys these guys that got your back with anymight not play thing,” senior Ben Thomas tennis ever said. “There’s nothing else again, they like that feeling.” will be broth Playing together for ers for life, so long, these guys have creating bonds become family, growing that will last a together both on and off the lifetime. court.

“It feels

“It’s awesome,” Thomlike a famas said. “Getting to grow ily, going to both on and off the court practice knowwith them has been amazing ing it’s going and its been super cool to Senior Eli Burbach give a forehand in the match see everyone’s progression against Creighton Prep. Eli played #1 doubles with to be a good time with the throughout the years.”

Drew Devries. Photo by Ally Seevers boys,” senior

“My favorite part about Bradyn Bode the Millard South tennis said.

“It feels great knowing I have these guys program was my teammates and how fun by my side.” practice was,” senior Wyatt Williams said. “It was fun to watch them grow and improve as players.”

Ally Seevers Sports Editor

And she does it again Senior qualifies for the state tournament Ally Seevers Sports Editor

In August of 2018, Ella Haakinson made her debut for the Patriots, starting as a little freshman on varsity. Now she’s a two-time state qualifier and one of the best golfers the program has ever had.

At the district tournament at Stone Creek Golf Course, Ella qualified for the state tournament as an individual differential qualifier.

Compiled throughout the season, her handicap score was among the best in her district, earning her a spot at state.

“It meant a lot, qualifying for state,” Haakinson said. “Towards the end of the season, I was in a golf slump and didn’t even know if I was going to make it again, so hearing I did was a huge relief.”

Tying for 32 out of 72 girls, Ella ended the state tournament with a gross score of 179, placing higher than she ever imagined.

“My favorite moment was seeing how well I placed after the first day,” she said. “I did way better at state this year than I expected, so that was very exciting.”

Ella concluded her time as a Patriot golfer with one of her best rounds, imprinting her name into the history of the Millard South girls golf program.

“What I will miss the most is the practices with all the girls after school,” Haakinson said. “I’ve loved the team and the connections I’ve made while playing a sport I love and getting better throughout the years.”

For more sports articles, go check out our website wearemillardsouth.com

Entertainment 11 • 8 • 2021

10

Dune delivers on all fronts Lauren Rayner Entertainment Editor

After almost two years of anticipation and delays, Dennis Villeneuve’s retelling of the classic novel Dune was finally released to theaters and HBO Max. With such a star-studded cast, (Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, and more), many people, including me, had high expectations for it, especially after hearing nonstop hype and discussion about the film online. Going into a blockbuster that is receiving large amounts of praise is always a bit nervewracking. I spent time questioning if it was going to be overhyped or justifiably praised. After all, I did not want to be left disappointed after such a long period of time. Rest assured, I can safely say that Dune is absolutely worth the hype, and subverted my expectations.

Without giving too much away, and to put it as simply as possible, Dune is an action-packed sci-fi flick that tells the story of Paul Atreides, played brilliantly

by Timothée Chalamet, and his journey alongside his family to the desert planet Arrakis, a significant planet due to its valuable “spice.”

There they encounter the native inhabitants, the Fremen, while Paul slowly comes to terms with his newfound power and responsibility to look after the future of the universe and all of its people as heir to his father.

As mentioned earlier, Chalamet delivers an engaging performance as always, and stellar performances follow suit with Jason Momoa, who plays swordmaster Duncan Idaho, and Rebecca Ferguson, Paul’s mother. Besides solid casting, it is hard to

not talk about the magnificent production design of Dune. The planet you are invited to is cold, dark, and beautiful, yet eerily realistic. Dune without a doubt succeeded in worldbuilding with its scenery and equally perplexing characters. I thoroughly enjoyed being thrown into a hypnotic whirlwind of endless sandy hills and dystopian castles. It was nothing but 100 percent immersive.

rings true for the film on so many levels.

Each shot was purposeful and cohesive. It genuinely had me giddy seeing flakes of sand sparkle across the actors in scenes, and stomach-dropping sinkholes that made you question how such an ambitious idea could be executed so well and look as sensational as it does.

Admittedly, I went into the movie

Being back in the movie theater with the pounding score by Hans Zimmer blasting in the cinema speakers had my heart racing. I highly recommend seeing it in theaters in order to really get the full Dune experience. I was really happy to be back in front of the big screen and feel the exhilaration of the movie with others. One of the biggest pieces of praise I have for Dune is without a doubt the cinematography. The cliché, “Every frame was a painting” just

pretty cold, having not read the book or seen the first movie released in 1984. Even for someone like me who is not particularly a science fiction fan, I found plenty to admire about Dune. There were parts where I felt confused or like I wasn’t smart enough to understand what was happening, but it didn’t even bother me that too much, as I was able to sit back, relax and put the pieces of the puzzle together as the movie continued. Even if you get lost in the plot,

the overall feel of the movie is too good to let it distract you too much. I never stopped feeling entertained.

Throughout the whopping 155 minute run time, I was completely mesmerized.

As grand and often outlandish Dune is, it takes its time. I was actually shocked when the movie ended where it did, as it left on a pretty ambiguous note. It seems like at least a sequel is inevitable, due to not only the story just beginning, but due to the acclaim and box office success it is has received so far. The ending of what’s looking like the first part of a potential saga ended in a grand, monumental way, but still left me hungry for more, which is actually pleasing. For example, the character Chani, played by Zendaya, was not properly introduced until the last portion of the film, so I am looking forward to seeing more from her perspective in the future and getting some unanswered questions the movie left us with hopefully answered later on.

Dune is simply exciting to look at and experience. A compelling, futuristic epic is exactly what we needed in the current movie landscape, especially from Villeneuve.

You will have a guaranteed good time if you understand every detail of what is happening on the screen or have little knowledge of what is going on at all. I firmly believe it is a must-see with so much saga-potential in its variety of characters and nonstop enthralling visuals and music.

I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, having a blast, and I can not wait for what’s next.

Metroid’s return is anything but dreadful Joseph Kaipust InDepth Editor

Nintendo’s Metroid series holds something of a legendary reputation. Its protagonist Samus is widely recognized. Games like Super Metroid and Metroid Prime are frequently mentioned in conversations about the greatest video games of all time. It’s half the namesake of the popular Metroidvania genre. But that being said, four years ago, Metroid was all but dead. The last critically well received entry in the series was Metroid Prime 3 from 2007, and the last mainline entry in the series was Metroid Fusion from 2002. Around 2007, a new Metroid game called Metroid Dread was in its early planning stages. However, due to the dwindling sales of the Metroid series and the limitations of the hardware, the project was canned. In the ten year period of 2007-2017, the series received nothing from Nintendo but two critically panned spin-offs and pure neglect. In 2017, however Nintendo hired Spanish developer MercurySteam to remake Metroid II (1991). Impressed with the quality of the remake, Nintendo saw fit to hand MercurySteam the keys to Metroid franchise and hired them to pick up where the Metroid Dread project left off on new hardware. And so, after a fourteen year dry spell for the series, Metroid Dread, the next mainline Metroid, has been completed.

Metroid Dread once again sees the player taking control of bounty hunter Samus Aran as she explores a mysterious alien world. This time around however, controlling Samus has never felt better. Dread’s movement feels fluid and precise, owing to MercurySteam’s fine tuning of Samus’ speed and weightiness. While Dread still features lots of backtracking, a Metroid staple that often turns away newcomers, the new twitchy control scheme allows players to blow through already explored areas quickly.

Dread’s movement also improves as the game progresses and the player receives power-ups like the Space Jump and Speed Booster.

As with every other gameplay element in Metroid

Dread, the game’s combat feels very refined. Dread distributes a roster of seven well-designed bosses across the planet ZDR that players will face periodically throughout their journey. Many of these bosses are fairly difficult and will take players several tries to defeat. However, due to Dread’s generous checkpoints and responsive controls, fighting these enemies over and over again never feels frustrating. Instead, the game’s bosses are a unique challenge that feels very rewarding to overcome. One area

where Dread’s combat fails to impress however is in some repetitive mini-boss usage. The player is asked to fight one particular mini-boss, the Chozo Soldier, on five different occasions. By the fifth time around, combat with this enemy feels like more of a chore than anything.

Dread notably tries to innovate on Metroid gameplay by introducing stealth elements. Throughout the game,

players will encounter sections of the map guarded by robotic enemies called the E.M.M.I. Since Samus’ weapons are ineffective against the E.M.M.I, players are instead forced to sneak through these zones, trying to avoid confrontation with the E.M.M.I. These stealth sections mostly stick the landing. Evading the E.M.M.I requires players to use a combination of patience and quick thinking, and feels very rewarding when pulled off successfully. The main issue presented by these stealth sections is that they detract from the visual identity of the areas they inhabit.

Each area in Dread has its own unique visual identity, but then has an E.M.M.I zone inlaid in it. Each E.M.M.I zone has the same mechanical, factory-like aesthetics. The result is areas like Cataris, which tries to develop a fiery lava cavern aesthetic, but has around half of its area taken up by an E.M.M.I zone. In the end, areas like this struggle to develop their desired visual identity when they have a minority of their own area to work with.

Beyond this limitation, however, Metroid Dread’s overall visual design thoroughly impresses. MercurySteam’s art direction and lighting makes exploring ZDR a visual treat, with some particularly beautiful areas like Ghavoran.

Another area where Dread notably falls short is in its music. Dread’s soundtrack forgoes the more melodic, atmospheric tracks that games like Super Metroid and Metroid Prime use to build immersion. Instead, Dread employs more understated ambient sound assortments for players to listen to while exploring the planet ZDR. Dread’s music certainly has its moments, like building tension with creepy, robotic clicking while in E.M.M.I zones and a few standout tracks like Cataris and Ferenia.

That being said, Dread’s soundtrack doesn’t quite reach the heights of previous Metroid games.

All in all, Metroid Dread stands as an excellent return for the series. Despite the variety of studios that have done their take on the Metroidvania style of gameplay in recent years, Dread holds its own and is definitely worth the time of any fan of the genre.

Entertainment 11 • 8 • 2021

11

Maltese is back with his newest masterpiece Matt Maltese’s new album delights with a more mellow take on his signature sound

Finding his own ounce of fame on the social media platform TikTok in 2020 with his song ‘As the World Caves In’, off of his sophomore album, ‘Bad Contestant,’ released in 2018, Matt Maltese, a British Alternative pop singer finally releases his newest project, ‘Good Morning It’s Now Tomorrow’.

His mellow, minor scales align beautifully with his endearing ballads, but this time, with a more pronounced British accent. In his past work, Maltese has generally stuck to a particular format, singing from the bottom of his heart, whether with a fun tune in the background or a mature instrumental track, he makes it his own.

Throughout ‘Good Morning It’s Now Tomorrow,’ Maltese begins to journey through a more humiliating sense of self, showing a more humorous side to the pain he so often writes about. Exploring this side of himself, he sings about things that seem to fall in line with the rest of the music industry, such as love or heartbreak, but are truly about something else, whether more serious or more silly.

While many of his songs are truly about what they sound like in the lyrics, Maltese has admitted in the past to his lyrics being deceiving and not about what you’d expect. On his TikTok account, Maltese admitted that songs such as ‘As the World Caves In’, were not about a significant other, but rather about his pet cat. This TikTok opened a floodgate for his fans to suspect other songs were not what they seemed to be. Looking up his songs online, you’re bound to find speculation that something is not about what it seems.

Unlike the rest of his discography, ‘Good Morning It’s Now Tomorrow,’ whether it’s because of how new it is or not, has not quite been analyzed to that extent of finding meaning in a pet cat. The record instead is much more mellow and doesn’t include the expected heart wrenching topics as we’ve heard before from Maltese. Instead of just telling tales about the world’s end or the loss of a loved one, Maltese sings of feeling like the perfect match with another, or in his case, being their left shoe, as well as the end of that love and the emptiness that uniquely lingers.

The beginning of the record feels like a continuation of the same love song, while the closing act feels

Babysitters Beware: Halloween Kills Sydney Mejia Features Editor

If anybody knows anything about slasher films, it is that Halloween has been one of the most popular of all time.

There are now a total of 12 movies in the franchise, and the newest addition, Halloween Kills, is definitely one of the best.

This franchise can get a bit confusing as there are 5 different timelines amongst those 12 movies. Weird, right?

But good news for those of you newer viewers, you only need to have seen two of those movies: Halloween (1978) and Halloween (2018).

The movie picks up at the exact moment it was left off in 2018 where Laurie Strode alongside her daughter Karen and granddaughter Allison had left the ever so famous Michael Myers in the basement of her burning house. As they drive away in the back of a pickup truck, we see that a group of first responders are on their way to put out said fire. We of course discover that Michael Myers has yet again managed to survive in a burning building and you can take a wild guess as to what the fate of those firefighters was, but I can tell you that it was not good. Throughout the film, we see the town of Haddonfield, Illinois get together to try and finally put an end to what has been haunting them for 40 years.

Halloween Kills certainly lives up to its name as there are plenty of kills and they are quite gory. It left me a little disturbed at times, but personally I think that is a good thing for a movie such as this one. It is also important to note that this was the middle part to a trilogy, so

there is still another movie set to come out, hopefully by next year.

With that being said, I can tell you that we are left with one heck of a cliffhanger at the end of the film. The ending scene was built up like crazy, just for it to have an abrupt end and leave viewers with several questions as to what will happen next. For me however, it is just another thing to look forward to for the franchise and hopefully it will come with an interesting resolution.

One of the best parts of this movie that I was most looking forward to after seeing the trailer was that we have several returning characters from the 1978 film. While not all of them were portrayed by their original cast members, it was still very exciting to see some of the children grown up and face their enemy once again.

There was also a very surprising, but very exciting cameo towards the beginning of the film, but for the sake of returning viewers, I won’t spoil who it is. Also, a huge shout out to John Carpenter’s outstanding soundtrack because it really made the movie even better.

I walked into this movie both extremely excited for my love of the Halloween franchise but also a bit apprehensive due to some of the critics reviews. But I can honestly say that I am thoroughly impressed with the outcome of this movie. It welcomes new viewers and nods to the originals for those longtime fans of the franchise and I believe that it has something for everyone who loves a good horror movie. I highly recommend going to see this one in theatres for the full experience, especially if you are looking for an intense and thrilling Halloween movie.

empty, but not in a meaningless way. He states that he feels that he wants what he can’t have and doesn’t want what he can. How endlessly depressing is it to never feel satisfied? It’s a theme in all kinds of media to have this lifelong dissatisfaction, so why not sing a ballad about it. A challenge that Maltese takes on quite often.

Overall, the record is still quite similar to his last projects lyrically and even musically. While variation is usually expected of an artist, if you find something that works, why take a chance and mess it all up? It’s what he’s good at, and what fans expected, but it’s not all the same.

Instead of the intensely melancholy vocals and background track that usually lines a Matt Maltese record, he employs a more sinister tactic; fun and lighthearted instrumentals and insanely heart wrenching lyrics. His lyrical and musical growth shines through on this record, but it’s not surprising how successful he’s been during the early ages of his career considering that he probably inherited all of his talent from his parents.

Hailing from Reading, England, Maltese is the only child of an ex-Opera singer, and started writing music when he was only 14 years old. It’s almost like he was born to sing. While he may not be a male Adele by any means, that’s not to say that he’s not extremely talented in his own right, and this record only goes to show just how talented he is.

Iced or Hot Coffee?

Gabe Medina Staff Reporter

Students overwhelmingly take their coffee with ice

Whether it’s because you barely slept the night before, a busy day ahead, or you are just plain tired and falling asleep, coffee has always had everyone’s back.

Whether it’s a latte, an iced coffee, or just straight black hot coffee, millions of people worldwide flock to their local coffee shop daily to get this caffeinated drink to help start their day on the right footstep. With the introduction of iced coffee, that has taken the younger population by storm, this has sparked a very controversial debate, and we sought our fellow students to answer the question on which is better coffee, hot, or iced.

The concept is simple, an iced coffee is any coffee you can find hot, but made with ice. Everything from Lattes to cappuccinos and macchiatos, that you find made with steamed milk, can be done with just cold milk and ice.

It’s a nice way to keep cool in the summer, while hot coffees are a nice way to stay warm.

According to a poll done by the Common Sense, 60.5 percent of people preferred iced coffee over hot. That’s a huge difference from the 15 percent of students who preferred hot coffee, but what makes iced coffee superior to hot coffee?

According to senior Macy Pearson “I like ice coffee a lot better because it lasts a longer period of time and you don’t have to wait for it to cool down to drink.” Generally as the weather gets colder, more people will start ordering warmer drinks, and when it starts turning summer, people start getting the cooler drinks, with 24.5 percent of people admitting to liking both.

Hot coffee has been usually associated with the older population, since ice coffee was not a thing back then, nor all the variety of coffee shops available today. Whether you like the warm sensation of hot coffee or prefer a nice, iced drink, at the end of the day they all achieve the same goal, to wake us up and start our day the right way.

Graphic by Haley Johnson

Joni Beauchamp Opinions Editor

Source: Common Sense Poll 148 surveyed

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Top: Senior majorette Damiana Curtis performs during the pregame show. Photo by Jennifer Castle Rehearsing for SpongeBob The Musical, junior Phoenix Nehls portrays the main character SpongeBob SquarePants. Photo by Jennifer Castle Middle: The student section lets streamers fly after the opening kickoff of the Millard South vs. Millard North varsity football game.

Photo by Bergan Simmonds

Photo Essay 11 • 8 • 2021

FA LL RU N D OW N

Bottom right to left: Senior setter Mikayla Fleming celebrates a kill by teammate Emily Hagedorn in the district final vs. Elkhorn South.

Photo by Ally Seevers Receiving her certificate, senior Nespa Gurung is officially inducted in the National Honor Society. Photo by Christine Kaldahl Playing in the pep band, senior Grace Fetger watches for direction. Photo by Jennifer Castle