College?

Affordable holiday gifts for teenagers

By KAITLIN SWIFT ‘24 Staff Reporter

Senior year. The moment your high school career has been leading up to. It’s your fi nal year of high school before going out into the world and dipping your toes into the huge pools of opportunity laid out for you. Eighteen months of virtual schooling defi nitely changed things for students. Colleges have changed their requirements, and students as a whole don’t feel as motivated as they used to. So, do seniors feel prepared for college? “I feel prepared for college, but my transcript unfortunately suffered in the past year. Dealing with mental health and grades in the midst of the pandemic was diffi cult” said a source that wished to remain anonymous. “My grades junior year fell, and I didn’t feel motivated to get them back up,” said senior Giuliana Bruzzese. “We used to complain about going to school. I remember wishing I could just stay in bed all day. After doing that for a year, I never thought I would be happy to wake up at 6:30 to come to Eastern,” said senior Tiana Cyrelson. “Online learning gave me a break from the academic rigor of school,” said senior Jane Trauger. “There’s nothing worse than being a senior and realizing how much I could have done but didn’t. I’m still trying to come to terms with that, while still trying to be grateful for what I have in front of me,”said senior Ebony Riley. Virtual learning defi nitely had a large impact on the class of 2022. It provided a break from the academic structure of a regular school year. But are only 2 full school years in the classroom enough to prepare seniors for college? “I feel like college is going to be way more stressful than high school,” said senior Katie Smith. “I meet most of the college requirements, but the whole Common App process was a bit confusing,” said senior Nick Vitale. “I don’t feel very prepared at all to be completely honest. But then again, I don’t see how high school can fully prepare me for an independent life when we’re still minors. I guess not being prepared is all part of the fun that comes with going to college,” said senior Antonia Zong. “ I’d like to think I’m prepared considering I have an older sister who went to Eastern and felt the rigor she was exposed to really helped her in college. However, while I feel very academically prepared for college, I feel very emotionally immature in the sense that I learned how to cope with stress and manage my

time indirectly—outside of school, on my own—rather than receiving that important information from the school” said senior Arianna Morales. “It’s interesting “I don’t see how high school can how Eastern emphasizes social emotional fully prepare me for an indepen- learning but I’m not sure how that idea’s being readily applied in classrooms.” dent life when we’re still minors. The interruption of the pandemic made I guess not being prepared is all students feel less prepared than ever for part of the fun that comes with college. COVID-19 has truly changed the high school experience for the class of going to college.” 2022 and all of the future classes to come. “There were a ton of things I could’ve done, but they got interrupted by covid. I’m just glad that I have this last year in school, even if it wasn’t what it used to be,” said Riley. “I’ve built some of my closest friendships at this school, and made great memories along the way. But what comes to

From left to right, Seniors Lauren Kenselaar, Chloe Spence, Sarah Geary, Katie Smith, Nick Vitale, Giuliana Bruzzese, and

Cailyn Gallagher eat lunch in the Senior Courtyard.

Photo by Tiana Cyrelson ‘22 mind fi rst when I think about my high school experience is how much I’ve studied,” said Zong. “Online learning burdened me with much stress and even borderline depression; overall it ruined the idea of the high school experience,” said Morales. The class of 2022 has arguably been the most affected by the pandemic. They only fully got to experience their freshman and senior year, virtual learning gave them a lack of motivation, and colleges have lessened their requirements to accommodate for the unprecedented circumstances of our modern world. The class of 2022 will defi nitely be one to remember, and a refl ection of how the world we live in today affects the high school experience for students to come.

By JORDAN KRAMER ‘24 Staff Reporter

Gift giving for the holidays has been around since the early 1800s. Many people believe the more expensive the gift, the better. However, I believe this is untrue. Meaningful gifts can be found at any price, and, oftentimes, the more personal the gift is, the more sentiment the gift receiver will feel. Teenagers want to give gifts for the holidays, but they want to do so in an affordable manner, which may prove challenging. On the other hand, some might be looking for things to put on their gift wish-list that won’t cost too much money. To help, below are gift options that cover different price ranges and interests for all teenagers. The weather is progressively getting colder, and hats or scarves would be very much appreciated. Affordable ones can be found on Etsy, and you’ll also be supporting a small business! Over quarantine, some people took up the hobby of knitting, so hand making the hat or scarf would be extra special. Gifting a favorite book is very personal, and the gift-receiver will know it’s going to be a good book. If you want to take the gift to another level, annotating the book before giving it to them will allow the receiver to understand all your thoughts and opinions on the book as they are reading, making the gift even more personal. Vintage clothing has been trending for a few months now, and if you or other teenagers are fans of that, it makes for a good gift. Vintage pieces that most teenagers will enjoy are band t-shirts, and those can be found on websites such as BeyondRetro and OldSchoolTees, or stores like Target and PacSun. However, if you know that you or the gift receiver wants a certain type of vintage article, a great place to look would be at thrift stores or websites like Depop. This will keep the cost low and can allow for great gems to be found. Another trending item among teenagers now are tote bags. They come in all different patterns, and can be found in many stores. The place you’ll fi nd the biggest array of bags is on Etsy, but it is very easy to DIY. Just grab a plain tote bag and some paint, and you can design it personally for the gift-receiver! Self-care is extremely important to practice, especially with the mayhem that ensues during the holiday season. From gifting facemasks, nail polishes, wellness journals, blankets, and more, the options are endless. Since there are so many different items, you can buy under the theme of self care and spend as little or as much as you want. Amazon and Target house many of these self care items, but certain ones can be handmade, such as making a candle or a dessert. Lastly, an underrated gift is simply taking out your friend for dinner or to see a movie. Spending time with friends and family is what the holidays are about, and giving someone a fun experience is both special to them and to you. Even just staying in, renting a movie, and ordering dinner is very thoughtful, and your friend will appreciate it. A pair of new shoes or the latest videogame are all typical gifts teenagers ask for year after year. This holiday season, it’s time to spice up what gifts to give, and what to ask for! Many teenagers prefer meaningful, personal gifts over extravangant, expensive ones. Graphic by Jordan Kramer ‘24/Canva