Future Black Leaders meet in the library on Aug. 24 to discuss future events for the club and what they are looking forward to.
Bring Change to Mind members meet on Sept. 7 to create teacher appreciation bags with candy and positive notes.
04 Glow in the Park
06 Andretti HQ
08 False Freedom
10 Labor Unions
12
13
14
15
Theater Director
Proposals
16 Committing to College Sports Sports
18 Behind the Scenes Football
19 Managers for Boys Soccer
20 Tiger Cage Spirit
22 Dance and Cheer Differences
24 Girls Golf
Cover by Malak Samara.
Cover photos used with permission of Renee Isom and junior Vince Dieu.
Dancing the night away by Online Editor Madelyn Lerew and Reporter Ellie Payne
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Jakob Polly
Parks hosted its annual Glow in the Park event on Saturday, Sept. 17. Participants experienced a free, fun lled night of dancing, while being splashed with glowing neon paint. However, this year, they added an exclusive 21+ event that preceded the regular family night on Friday, Sept. 16. is new event required attendees to make a $15 purchase in advance, or $20 the day of the event.
e event consisted of performers and plenty of volunteers who all worked together to make the event enjoyable for the participants.
e performers from 317 Street Dance Academy, a local dance business, danced on the stage and helped engage the crowd.
Adam Wagner works with the Fishers Park and Recreation department and is the event coordinator for Glow in the Park.
“[My favorite part is] when the black lights come on and all the lights turn on,” Wagner said. “And then as soon as the paint starts spraying, people go crazy and everybody’s excited.”
With a large number of people attending Glow in the Park, it provides an opportunity to connect with local citizens.
Sophomore Ava Stiefel took part in Glow in the Park last year.
“I thought it was a very fun way to come together as a community,” Stiefel said. “It was
lots of fun and you got to be with your friends.
For some guests, the crowd and loud music can be too much. To help with this, Glow in the Park had a sensory friendly zone, where participants could go to have a less crowded environment. Last year, there was a sensory zone, but this year it was a whole separate area that was further from the stage.
“[ e sensory area is] more spatially friendly, where people aren’t actually bouncing o each other, but a little more spaced out,” Wagner said.
Freshman Jacob omas also attended the event the previous year.
“It’s very easy to lose [your friends] in the big crowd of people,” omas said. “If you’re hanging out with friends, go in the line at the same time or a little earlier, so you’re already in [the event when they show up].”
is year an additional DJ was added to the mix to have a total of two DJ’s at the event to allow them to play o of each other.
e performers made use of the stage’s catwalk to excite the crowd.
“We’ve added additional pieces to the catwalk, so instead of just the main catwalk, we actually have a tee at the end,” Wagner said. “So it gives [the performers] a little more walkway to work with and kind of get out amongst the crowd and to be able to spray the paint
even farther this year.”
Glow in the Park tries to continuously improve each year, as demonstrated by the many changes the park has made to create a more inclusive and enjoyable event. Other students are excited about changes to come in the future.
“Fishers is starting to grow bigger and bigger as a city with all [of] their apartments … to have more of a populated city. So [adding the 21+ event] makes sense to me,” omas said.
e new 21+ event allowed adults to come together to party and have some adult beverages.
“We thought ‘hey, if we’re gonna do this [family night event], let’s try an adult night as well,’ to kind of o er almost a date night type experience that the kids can stay home or be babysat,” Wagner said.
Whether participants went to the family friendly night or the 21+ night, both parties got covered in glowing paint and made memories to last them years.
“ e most fun part of running [Glow in the Park] would be the pictures that come out of it,” Wagner said. “I tend to kind of run around and make sure everything’s running properly, but I get to sit down a erwards and see the faces, the smiles.
e pictures that come out of [Glow in the Park] are usually phenomenal and really catch the experience well.”
Sept. 18, 2021.
Participants enjoy the Glow in the Park event. Photo was taken on Sept. 18, Photo courtesy of Ashley Elrod, 2021.
Be sure to wear a white shirt to make the glow shine.
A plastic bag is useful for protecting your phone.
Bring towels for a er the event.
Wear goggles to protect your eyes. Design by Lainey Akins.
Glow paint gets shot into the crowd. Photo was taken on Photo courtesy of Ashley Elrod.
Participants of Glow in the Park stand in front of the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater stage. Photo was taken on Sept. 18, 2021. Photo courtesy of Ashley Elrod.
Andretti Global announces plans to move new racing headquarters into city
Indianapolis has had a connection to racing almost as long as cars could be considered fast; however, Fishers, its neighbor, lacks much of a racing scene. This is set to change throughout the coming years, as Andretti Autosport plans to move its headquarters to the city. Former racer Michael Andretti, the team’s owner, has announced a facility set to start construction later this year.
“People from Indianapolis and Anderson love racing, but they’re bringing it here,” senior Bracken Hodgin said. “[Fishers’ racing culture will be] pretty cool,”
There is a lengthy chain of events that led Michael Andretti’s team here. According to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s website, an impressive automotive scene was growing in early 20th century Indianapolis, yet developed roads and methods to accurately measure a car’s quality were lacking. As such, in 1909, the two-and-a-half mile-long Indianapolis Motor Speedway was built from the mind
of Carl G. Fisher. By 1911, the first running of what is now known as the Indianapolis 500 (Indy 500) took place. After World War II, the Speedway traded ownership to the hands of the Hulman family, restoring it and growing the 500 into the prestigious mega-event it is today. In Indiana, the event is massive every year, and many of the millions who attend the race or watch it live are not just racing fans, but residents of the state itself.
“I have watched racing since I was a toddler, because my dad would have it on the TV whenever there was an Indycar race happening,” junior Mike Dowd said. “I’ve been to the 500 (with the exception of 2020) every year since 2016.”
In the 1940s, the same decade that saw the Speedway’s restoration, a then-unknown Italian named Mario Andretti and his brother Aldo were born. According to his official website’s biography, Mario spent the first 15 years of his life in Italy as their
family awaited US visas. A year before they moved, he and Aldo witnessed the 1954 running of the Italian Grand Prix, and from that day onwards, Mario’s destiny had been set. Once the move to Pennsylvania had been made, the brothers got into the local stock racing scene by building their own car, and from that point he would grow into the racing legend now known today.
During his nearly 40-yearlong career, Mario had cemented himself as an Indy 500 winner. His oldest son, Michael Andretti, however, was not nearly as lucky. Although Michael had started the race 16 times, leading the pole in nine of them, the actual victory had somehow slipped away from him. In 1989, he was leading and lost the engine. In 1991, he passed Rick Mears late in the race for the lead, only to get passed back a lap later. Most painful of all to Michael, in 1992, his father Mario and his brother Jeff suffered crashes during the race and
IMS is constructed. By 1911, the INDY 500 is born
IMS IS restored following wwii
Mario andretti begins his family racing dynasty
Emerson Elledge elledeme000@hsestudents.org Tanner Guillot guilltan000@hsestudents.orgown passed Mario
Michael’s car eventually fell to a faulty fuel pump. He would retire, never having been in Indianapolis’ victory lane, in 2007.
Perhaps the wound healed for Michael as a team owner. In 2003, Michael became the coowner of Andretti Green Racing, and in 2005 and 2007 two of his drivers, Dan Wheldon and Dario Franchitt, respectively, would take the team to Indy 500 victories. In the present, Michael owns Andretti Global, and its subdivision, Andretti Autosport, currently stationed in Indianapolis. Michael has lived in Fishers for years and plans to move the company’s headquarters away from Indianapolis itself and closer to home, starting construction on a Fishers headquarters this fall. Set to be complete by 2025 and 575,000 square feet in size, the building will be a $200 million undertaking. Andretti plans to locate the facility alongside the Nickel Plate Trail, in close proximity to the Metropolitan Airport, and will include a museum and amphitheater alongside the race shop.
“[The Andretti headquarters] is a great idea because it will help revitalize the southwestern
side of Fishers,” Dowd said.
Fishers has seen significant growth throughout the 21st century, but it has caused the city’s overall culture to frequently shift in recent years. It is notable that Fishers has won the attention of many unique businesses, which add appeal to the city and provide its residents with both historic and fresh activities, such as the Nickel Plate Trail and the District it is named after. In its proximity to Indianapolis, Fishers does see some excitement for the Indy 500, but it will likely develop a sizable racing culture with the introduction of the Andrretti Headquarters.
“Bringing racing to Fishers [is great] because, really, that’s a culture ‘outside’ of Fishers,” Hodgin said.
Popular businesses not only affect culture by providing an activity for consumers, but also by providing jobs to the citizens of the city. In addition to the aforementioned growth of Fishers, only recently has a recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic begun. Therefore, worthwhile jobs are needed more than ever, which is why Andretti’s Headquarters being slated to create 500 jobs is
significant. 500 is a number that would make Andretti Global one of Fishers’ top employers, matching Topgolf. “[The headquarters] will be helpful especially [because] there’s still so many people trying to recover from COVID, not having jobs,” senior Grace Grudzien said. “Even though a lot of jobs are available now [with everything] opening back up…people are still struggling with getting that motivation back to go and find a job. So I feel like maybe something like racing and cars can interest people.”
Overall, not only does Andretti Autosport’s upcoming headquarters represent over a century of racing history, tying together two lengthy legacies, but it will be one of the largest and most beneficial projects in Fishers’ history. Racing culture has had a leg in Indianapolis for longer than Fishers High School itself, and now Fishers gets to play a part in this legacy.
“I love attending the Indy 500 because the energy, excitement and buildup of the race is exhilarating,” said Dowd. “The sport is great to watch, because it is very unpredictable and something new happens every race.”
Michael finally wins INDy, as a team owner. He shortly moves to fishers.
As the school year begins across America, there has been an increase in con icts over what should and should not be showcased, talked about and done in schools. In Texas, some students walk into a school lled with signs that have ‘in God we trust’ plastered all over them. ose who believe in a di erent God or do not believe in one at all, feel a sudden sense of discomfort and exclusivity.
“Schools are supposed to be completely neutral grounds where the main value and the only value really should be education for all students,” senior Lauren Hobson said. “Not religion, not trying to indoctrinate you. None of that.”
Recently, headlines such as ‘Florida Gov. DeSantis leads a nationwide shi to politicizing school board races’ and ‘An activist plans to test Texas’ ‘In God We Trust’ law with signs in Arabic’ have been popping up in the news. Most have shown debates about rights that are being taken away in predominantly school settings, but also in America as a whole. Many of these issues have gone unnoticed by those who do not have a passion for news or are not a part of a current issues class. Sophomore Ruba Alzahrani believes that staying up to date with the news is vital to knowing what is going on around the world and how it can a ect each individual.
“Keeping up to date with things really can help somebody understand the world better right now,” freshman Eddison Durante said. “Being able to keep in touch with everything that’s going on and
watching the news every night is important.”
Moreover, Alzahrani has grown to gure out that the most fundamental thing a person can do to protect their rights is to know what they are in the rst place.
While racism has always been a problem in America, people’s ignorance of their constitutional rights feeds into it.
“ e bill of rights is a good bill if people actually followed it,” Alzahrani said. “ For example, [there is] freedom of religion. However, people get killed and harassed if they don’t follow a certain religion in [America].” roughout the years, factions and a growing passion for certain political parties have in uenced the laws and news more than anything.
“[ e American system] is de nitely skewed so that it’s more of just a political party debate at this point,” Hobson said. “It really just comes down to a battle of political ideologies and not actually caring about the issues at hand and more so just pushing largely funded political organization’s agendas. As the world modernizes and progresses into the future, interpretations of what are and are not rights start to evolve.”
It is problems such as prioritizing political views over the needs of U.S. citizens that allow for laws such as the ‘in God we trust’ law to be passed. e law was passed in many states, but more speci cally, it was passed in Texas in 2021. It requires schools to put up any signs that are donated to them with the saying ‘in God we trust’, the American ag and the Texas ag.
“I do not truly understand why they made that law,” Durante said. “Not everybody follows that religion and believes in God, there are plenty of students and families. Having [the signs] up around the school doesn’t make sense when people may or may not follow that religion.”
Not only do the signs create a sense of exclusivity for those whose views do not line up with them, but it also showcases contradictions to what America preaches and was built on. is includes diversity, opportunities for all and acceptance of everyone’s beliefs.
“Christianity seems to be the main value of much of America, rather than education,” Hobson said. “It shows prejudices are still ingrained in America and that [people] are disregarding what the foundational values for America initially were.”
One of the foundational beliefs that the ‘in God we trust’ law seems to come in direct con ict with is the concept of separation of church and state. is means that under the U.S. Constitution, it is forbidden for states to create laws that favor certain religious viewpoints in order to preserve the freedom of religion.
“If you’re putting ‘in God we trust’ in schools, especially public schools, that is already integrating church back into the state,” Hobson said. “So, I nd it very interesting that for [in God we trust] signs donated that they are immediately supposed to be put up.”
Due to the sudden media and news revolving around the law being passed, it is common for students in di erent states to worry
about the law being implemented into their school district. For Durante, they have always seen school as a space for people to strip their religious beliefs away and be present with people who have beliefs on di erent sides of the spectrum. erefore, adding the signs to FHS would remove the sense of community the school has built.
Alzahrani, on the other hand, said that she, personally, would not have a problem with the signs since her beliefs line up with them. However, she expressed that she was more concerned for those who would stop considering school as a safe space because of the sudden push for the belief of God.
“I would not be happy about that at all,” Hobson said. “If ‘in God we trust’ signs were put up in FHS, I would immediately le complaints to the school board because that is not how our public school system should be running.”
Recently, Srivan Krishna, an activist, decided to test the ‘in God we trust’ law by donating two signs that followed all the requirements but had slight changes that catered to di erent groups of people. e rst sign had the message translated into Arabic and the second sign had the LGBTQ+ ag as the background.
“If you’re trying to test the government, that is de nitely the way to do it,” Durante said. “I feel like that was de nitely a smart [way] to see what they would do about it and what their reaction
would be.”
ose two signs were chosen, in particular, to challenge the indirect indoctrination of Christian beliefs that are portrayed through the original signs. According to Hobson, Christian values do not accept LGBTQ+ members and do not accept a language that represents a di erent religion.
“[Krishna] submitted the Arabic sign because people have this picture printed in their minds that all Muslims are just terrorists and Arabic is the language of the holy book in Islam,” Alzahrani said. “For the LGBTQ+ one, a lot of conversations have been going on around the world about the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.”
On Aug. 31, the school board that Krishna had tried to challenge rejected his donations. eir reason was the schools already had enough donations and did not need anymore. What most activists found confusing, however, was there was never a quota put onto the law. Both Alzahrani and Durante believe that the districts’ response was a way to divert people’s attention from the fact that they did not want to showcase signs that promoted di erent beliefs in their schools.
“I think it’s very interesting that both of those signs, one of them not being in English, and the other one being a minority, were both rejected,” Hobson said. “Even though those signs were being donated to the schools under the same conditions [as the original ones].”
When Krishna decided to
challenge the law by donating both of the ‘unordinary’ signs and speaking out about the rejections of those signs, he was exercising his right to peacefully protest.
Hobson believes that in doing so, he is ensuring that American principles are truly being upheld and preventing corruption.
“I feel like there are so many people who aren’t accepting of religion, supporting a group or protesting,” Durante said. “However, if it’s in the Constitution [like] the freedom of speech, the right to calmly protest and the freedom to practice any religion then that’s all legal.”
e long-term negative e ect that the ‘in God we trust’ law and rejection of certain signs leaves is the doubt that America truly believes in diversity as one of its main foundations. According to Alzahrani, the Arabic and LGBTQ+ signs needed to be accepted in order to send a message to American citizens that all people of di erent backgrounds are welcomed and encouraged. Instead, the law does the exact opposite by solidifying people’s beliefs that America preaches false inclusivity.
“By picking and choosing which groups of people to accept, prejudices are being furthered,” Hobson said. “Such is the case with the ‘in God we trust’ Christian law and rejection of non-English languages and minority groups.
is law once again showcases the true reality of America, where not all people will receive the same quality of life.”
Design by Malak Samara.
Jakob Polly pollyjak000@hsestudents.org
On Dec. 9, 2021, amid poor working conditions and pay, a group of baristas at a downtown Starbucks in Bu alo, NY voted to unionize. is vote, being a catalyst for further union e orts, received national media attention. Nine months later, over 150 Starbucks locations across the U.S. have now voted to unionize. ese e orts have caught the attention of Starbucks corporate, who, according to the National Public Radio (NPR), has been accused of union busting, with Starbucks most recently refusing to count mail in ballots in regards to union membership.
Union crackdowns such as this are certainly not novel nor infrequent, with Amazon similarly cracking down on organizing e orts a er a warehouse in Staten Island voted to form a union earlier this year. Given this organizing fervor, students such as sophomore Nate Oldham, a former Dunkin’ employee, believes it is best that this trend continues.
“I think it’s great that they are unionizing,” Oldham said. “It’s really sad what they’re doing to their employees… but at the same time it’s helping bring a lot more attention to the issues that workers and employees of these large establishments go through.”
Similar sentiments are shared
by other students, such as Starbucks employee and senior Sophie Wilkinson, who believes that unions serve a much needed purpose in society.
“If unions are even forming in the rst place, there’s obviously a problem that needs to be addressed,” Wilkinson said.
With union membership in the U.S. having peaked in 1979 at 35%, membership has been declining ever since. According to e Encyclopedia of Strikes in American History, the stark decline in membership came from a general rise in Cold War neoliberal policies, which ultimately culminated in the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. Nowadays, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that only 10.3% of American workers belong to a labor union. is trend has even come to a ect local labor unions, such as the Hamilton Southeastern Education Association (HSEA), an organizational body that represents teachers in the HSE school district. Despite belonging to the HSEA, history teacher Jenna Pritchard believes that they could do more.
“ ey do collective bargaining,” Pritchard said. “ ey bargain with the corporation for salary and retirement and health insurance… but it has no teeth because Indiana is a right to work state.”
I think regardless of whatever job you work, [belonging to a union] is important,”
sophomore Nate Oldham said.
Page 10 Tiger Times September 2022 “
Like many other states, Indiana has outlawed mandatory union membership under so-called ‘right to work laws.’ Unlike teachers who remain largely unionized despite these laws, teenagers are o en le with little protection in their workplaces, which remain largely unorganized. While working at Dunkin’ in eighth grade, Oldham said he felt very unjustly treated.
“When you’re 14, you [are not legally allowed] to work past seven, but they didn’t care about that,” Oldham said. “Sometimes it would be a school night and I’d be there until 10:00 p.m.… I couldn’t go home until I nished everything.”
Although many may have negative feelings towards their workplace, some, like Wilkinson, do not feel that they have been targeted as a student.
“Everyone is so helpful and genuine,” Wilkinson said. “I’ve heard that other locations
run very di erently from ours, but it all comes down to management.”
A er having become a teacher, Pritchard believes that belonging to a union has changed how she views labor as a whole.
“Growing up… I thought of [union workers] as car manufacturers and electrical workers. I never was in one until I started teaching,” Pritchard said. “I see the advantages of bargaining. If you have an issue [the fact that] they will stand up for you, I think, is really important.”
Similarly to Pritchard, Oldham feels that unions should play a bigger role in the modern workplace, especially in light of recent organizing e orts.
“When you’re already struggling in life, and your only source of income is essentially bullying you, to have that union is something that I think is essential,” Oldham said.
Starbucks workers rally for better working conditions in Seattle, Washington on April 23, 2022. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Infographic by Jakob Polly.
The new FHS theater director, Emma Rund, has begun to leave her mark on her students by introducing them to new opportunities and experiences. She does this by running her theater closer to that of a community one and creating strong, lasting connections.
“I [was a part of] theater in high school, then I decided to major in it in college,” Rund said. “Now I teach theater. I was born to be on the stage.”
With her parents involved in the theater for over 20 years, Rund has grown up being surrounded by Broadway shows and performers. Additionally, her father was the theater director when she attended FHS, so she understands the needs of eater Fishers and how it should be run. Her commitment to performing has fueled her passion, providing a positive experience for the students she teaches.
“She has much more of an understanding of the generation in high school,” junior Katelyn King said.
Compared to the previous director, the age gap between
Rund and her students is smaller, which helps them connect. is allows Rund to relate to her students, which provides better help and guidance for them in the future.
“ ere are more equal opportunities,” said sophomore Sabrina Mari Alberty. “She hasn’t had any previous experience casting any of the students, so it is based [on] rst impressions.”
Like any teacher starting out at a new school, Rund does not know the students’ skills yet, which Mari Alberty believed she made bene cial
for the casting process. While running auditions for the fall musical ‘Legally Blonde’, she had to make casting decisions based solely o of their performance and not their previous relationship with the director.
Instead of primarily doing a singing and dancing audition, she added a separate dance call and had everyone prepare a monologue. While this was more di cult than what returning theater students were used to, Mari Alberty understands how Rund wants to see the acting abilities of those auditioning.
“I run my theater more like a professional theater,” said Rund. “I know that they’re high schoolers, but I want to teach them how theater runs outside of a high school setting.”
Rund values informing cast members of her vision for the musical and how it will be run. is allows her students to be able to understand and learn the process clearly.
“I think that it’s a great new change and that eater Fishers will really bene t from the change,” King said.
New theater director sparks change in the program Directing a new teacher
Ameera Tai taiame000@hsestudents.org
Design by Ameera Tai.
Nearly eight million high school students in the U.S. participate in high school athletics, but only 6% of those students go on to play for college teams according to e National Federation of State High School Associations. Every year, students at FHS put in grueling hours before and a er school to be a part of that 6%.
“What [college] coaches are really looking for is people of character, people that work hard, people that are team players and team committed,” swim coach Joseph Keller said.
College scouts come from across the country to evaluate athletes’ performances at games and meets. According to Keller, college scouts can start communicating with students as soon as their sophomore year.
“It was probably my sophomore year,” senior Carson Dunn said. “I was just going to some showcases
and some colleges started reaching out.”
Dunn committed to Indiana State University in June this year to play football. According to him, this is a dream that he has worked hard towards since he started playing football as a toddler.
“I’ve just been working my tail o and keeping up with my grades,” Dunn said. “Academics come rst.”
For some athletes, getting a recruiter’s attention can be di cult. Standing out and working hard is important for students interested in playing college sports.
“It’s a hard period of time to get recruited,” Dunn said. “A lot of kids might get some o ers or more interest before you, so you have to stick with it.”
Like many other college-bound students, o entimes student athletes cross their ngers to hear from their favorite universities.
Senior Jojo Ramey is no exception.
“[University of] Florida has always been one of my top schools,” Ramey said. “When they reached out to me, I was so excited.”
Ramey is committed to the University of Florida for swimming. She is currently on the USA National Swim Team and placed sixth in the 2021 Olympic Swim Trials.
“I would have to sacri ce some things like social life,” Ramey said. “I went to go see a nutritionist and then I did extra weight training.”
Ramey attributes her success to her excessive training and unbeatable times. Her payo has been achieving something that she thought was a fantasy.
“It’s just a dream, but then a er I had a breakout, I was like, okay, maybe this can be a reality,” Ramey said.
QR code to NCAA recruiting fact sheet. Senior Jojo Ramey getting ready to compete in Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska in June of 2021. Photo used with permission of Jojo Ramey.While many students who can drive see cars as just a tool to get from point A to point B, others take pride in their wheels. Maybe it is the engine under the hood, the features the car contains or the story behind it. For these students, their car is more than just a machine.
Senior Tony Crane’s 1994 Ford F-250:
e Ford F-series of trucks has been the best-selling line of pickup trucks in America since 1977. For senior Tony Crane, it is the engine that sets it apart: a 7.5-liter gas-powered V8 that can get even the toughest of jobs done.
“I like how reliable it is,” Crane said. “It has one of the biggest engines Ford has ever made and one of the most reliable.”
e Ford F-series is well known for being a leader in towing and payload capacity, mainly because of their big engines. While larger engines may pull more weight, their downside is their poor fuel economy.
For Crane, better fuel mileage is something he wished he had. When asked, he put it frankly: “It’s bad on gas.” With gas prices at an all time high, there is likely some pain at the pump.
Cars are not cheap, and therefore are o en personal to their owner. erefore, people o en forge bonds and memories with them.
“[When] the auction came up to purchase it, we decided that it would be the vehicle I drove for the rest of high school,” Crane said. “It holds a good amount of sentimental value.”
Senior Xavier Woodard’s Jeep Wrangler:
Although originally just a title for a 4 by 4 military vehicle, Jeep has turned into one of the most popular American car brands, thanks to the Wrangler: an o -road SUV with plenty of customization. As a jeep driver himself, senior Xavier Woodard loves one particular aspect: the ability to take the top o .
“Having the top o is nice, especially going home when it is hotter out,” Woodard said. “I have a rag-top, so it is so and easy to take o and on.”
So when the weather doesn’t pan out, he does not have to worry. When shopping to buy a Jeep, make sure to check the model and features each vehicle has. e Wrangler comes in many di erent styles and trims, making it easy to pick the wrong one.
Because the Jeep Wrangler pays homage to military vehicles, it contains some unique features. “It has manual windows so you have to roll them up and down yourself,” Woodard said. “ e doors come o pretty easily.”
Senior Landon Norton’s 1975 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442:
Although the Oldsmobile branch of vehicles dissolved in 2004, the brand lives on
in spirit, thanks to their memorable line of muscle cars. Of their lineup, the most mainstream was the 442, a highend model of the Oldsmobile Cutlass, which is senior Landon Norton’s vehicle of choice.
But what does the number 442 mean? As a driver of a 1975 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 himself, Norton explained: “442 stands for four barrel carburetor, 4 speed transmission, and dual exhaust.”
e ‘70s were a di erent time in comparison to today, as American manufacturers continued the trend of roomy interiors with sometimes quirky gadgets. As such, Norton’s cutlass contains some distinct interior features, including the seats and lights.
“ e backseat is a bench that can t three people,” Norton said. “ e front seats are bucket seats that turn up to 90 degrees towards the door, and the overhead light inside, along with the lights along the dash shine the color blue.”
However, sometimes old cars lack the features new cars have. For Norton, his only wish would be a working air conditioner, noting that sometimes he has to crank the windows down to cool o . Despite the inconvenience, the car holds a special place in his mind.
“My vehicle is special to me because it was gi ed to me by my grandpa, and it is a really cool car to have as my rst ride,” Norton said.
The abbreviation for V8 notes the position of the cylinders in the engine and how many cylinders are present.
For example, Crane’s F-250 contains eight cylinders aligned in a “V” pattern. Graphic used with permission from Wikimedia commons.
Jeeps are so iconic in American culture that they do not put any emblem or logo on the front. Photo from Pixabay.
Although many muscle cars with numbers refer to engine displacement, the 442 has meanings behind each number. Graphic by Alex Duer.
towleros000@hsestudents.org
AsSeptember starts up, high schoolers from all grades alike start to think about how extravagant their homecoming proposal should be. Some opt for a simple poster with a pun that alludes to asking their date to prom. Others go for a more laid-back approach and simply ask their date one on one. All of those di erent ways are trying to accomplish the same goal: having a partner for homecoming.
On Friday, Aug. 26, junior Delaney Grider was asked to homecoming before the rst home football game of the year. She was proposed to with a poster from her boyfriend right before they headed to the game. Her post on social media reminded Fishers High School students that homecoming is fast approaching.
“I knew he was going to ask me because [he] and I have been dating for a year and a half,” Grider said. “So it would be kind of weird if he didn’t ask me.”
Homecoming proposals have been an annual tradition for relationships at FHS for years. Originally, though, the rst homecoming is claimed to have happened at Missouri University in 1911, according to a Vice article posted in 2015. e tradition then spread across the country.
“I think homecoming proposals have always been a big deal but are de nitely more prevalent in our generation,” Grider said.
e rst ever journalized proposal for a dance was written in 2001 by Dallas Morning News, according to the Washington Post.
us, the popular over-thetop homecoming and prom proposals being posted and written about in newspaper articles across the country were born. Some couples, however, are not doing outrageous homecoming proposals and keeping their proposals on a low pro le.
“I think [homecoming proposals] are pretty cute,” junior Kadance Wheeler said. “I wish mine would’ve happened in a [cuter] way.”
e proposal Wheeler received was di erent from Grider’s because Wheeler’s boyfriend goes to a di erent school.
erefore, the proposal did not consist of an extravagant proposal like a surprise poster or gesture.
“We were watching TikTok and [a] video about prom,” Wheeler said. “He asked me if I wanted to go to prom with him[and I said yes].”
For couples across the school, homecoming proposals at FHS have become an annual event for many years. Many students want to make their rst or last homecoming a success with a big proposal. Some may not think it is a big deal and decide to opt for a smaller proposal.
“I think they are a cool [and] creative way to ask someone to the dance,” sophomore Timmy Lawrence said. “ ey are not
for everyone, but for the people that do like to do that type of stu , it’s a great way to show that you care and want to go to the dance with someone.”
Juniors Delaney Grider and Ryan Mitch pose for a photo a er Mitch proposed to Grider. Photo used with permission from Delaney Grider.Hamilton Southeastern schools adds new section to student handbook
Veda Thangudu thangved000@hsestudents.orgThe Hamilton Southeastern schools’ handbook committee works on updating the student handbook every year to make changes that strive to make the school community a better space for students and staff.
are doing a better job as a society [and] learning community of understanding that there are various perspectives [as well as] lived experiences that people encounter,” HSE’s chief equity and inclusion officer Dr. Nataki Pettigrew said.
1. HSE board of trustees as they discuss various plans for the district, on Sept. 15. Left to Right: Janet Pritchett, Julie Chambers, Yvonne Stokes, Sarah Donsbach, Sarah Parks-Reese and Suzanne Thomas.
Photo by Veda Thangudu.
“We make changes to the handbook in lots of ways every year: adding or deleting, to make sure we’re constantly trying to create an environment that’s the best for our students,” HSE board of trustees president Julie Chambers said.
As a part of that process, one of the changes made for this school year was regarding microaggressions and how they shall be addressed in the school setting. According to Oxford dictionary, microaggressions refer to statements, actions, or incidents regarded as instances of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority.
On June 8, the student handbook update was approved in the HSE school board meeting, with a vote of 4-3. The rule went into effect on Aug. 5. “When we first received drafts of the handbook from schools, microaggressions were listed as a potential consideration for handbook change,” Dr. Pettigrew said. “The discussion around microaggressions came from the students who participated in providing feedback for the handbooks suggesting to their administrators that microaggressions are a problem in the schools that needs to be addressed.”
a microaggression might not intend to be biased, the school “recognizes the responsibility to educate students” on biased perceptions, for which issues regarding it “may be addressed through restorative conversations” led by school staff members, “rather than punitive measures.” Re-occurrences can lead to consequences of inappropriate conduct, as defined in Section 28.
“I like how there’s an emphasis on how there’s no actual punishment,” senior Sujood Abdalla said. “Rather, it’s a restorative conversation.”
“I think post George Floyd, we
The handbook’s section states that while the board understands that individuals communicating
Although administrators are emphasizing education rather than punishment, repeated offenses will cause measures to be taken and consequences will be faced. According to Dr. Pettigrew, the goal of the section is primarily geared towards promoting better understanding the impacts of microaggressions and allowing for growth mindset takeover.
Page 16 Tiger Times September 2022 Background: HSE emblem printed on table covers at board meeting. Photo by Veda Thangudu.
“It’s not meant as a punishment, it’s meant to be able to have those discussions when things arise,” Chambers said.
The idea of including a section in the handbook dealing with addressing microaggressions was started by the student body.
Students grades kindergarten to fifth raised concerns about facing microaggressions in the school community. After being brought to the administrators, it then became a topic of discussion in the handbook committee.
“[Student voice in the crafting of the handbook] absolutely matters,” Chambers said. “It’s really a collaboration between the students and our staff.”
Dr. Pettigrew believes that student voice makes an influential impact on how a certain part of the section is perceived by students.
“What gives me hope is that this was student-led,” Dr. Pettigrew said. “Students are acknowledging the challenges in their buildings. I hope that knowing that this came from the student body, there would be an understanding that this is important to the students and their experiences in school, and that adults would understand that microaggressions are taken seriously.”
According to Chambers, being educated means knowing how to participate and have a voice in the community. She says a student will not learn to have a voice out in the world if they do not have a voice in their school, therefore emphasizing the importance of being able to express their thoughts within the school community. Developing the same idea, Dr. Pettigrew thinks learning how to express one’s thoughts effectively is not only important in society, but also the ultimate goal of education.
“[The] handbook [update] really says to me how we can
usher in humanity, empathy, dignity and a better way to communicate, collaborate and talk to each other [in the school community],” Dr. Pettigrew said. “I think that really just goes in line with what an education should achieve.”
Not everyone can achieve that goal in their first try, but both Chambers and Dr. Pettigrew believe that it is more important that they acknowledge and learn from what caused harm.
“This is really just to help educate,” Chambers said. “These can be difficult topics to discuss and new for a lot of people, myself included. I’m always learning. Sometimes I may do or say something that I don’t intend to hurt another person, but if they tell me, I can learn and do better next time.”
Microaggressions can be intentionally hurtful, but that is not the case every time. Even when it is not out of ill will, the impact of them should not be dismissed, according to Dr. Pettigrew.
“It’s important to have conversations [regarding] implicit bias, even when there’s no bad intention behind any commentary,” Abdalla said. “The conversations need to be held about why it’s not appropriate.”
According to Dr. Pettigrew, microaggressions affect people in the long run, especially if encountered multiple times. This can lead to a significant negative impact on the person’s mental health and well being.
“[Someone] described [microaggressions] as a million cuts over time,” Dr. Pettigrew said. “It may be a small cut today, a small cut tomorrow, but collectively a million cuts over time. They do harm people.”
Dr. Pettigrew acknowledges that when microaggressions occur and remain unchecked, it can contribute to students being depressed, having anxiety and
lower self esteem. Being a home to a very diverse student body, addressing microaggressions is more important at HSE.
“A lot of the students at Fishers are part of marginalized groups that are affected by microaggressions. I think it’s important for them to feel [that] that type of comment isn’t acceptable [it will be addressed], and that the people making those types of comments are being held accountable,” Abdalla said.
Dr. Pettigrew encourages staff and students to consider how words are framed in a way that they can cause harm and what can be learnt from that.
“As a parent, I understand that my words are impactful with my own children,” Dr. Pettigrew said. “As a former teacher, I understood how my words could be impactful to my students. As a former principal, I understood how my words can be impactful to my teachers and students.”
Chambers believes that the staff members of HSE schools work hard to empower students to speak up when they notice something that needs to be addressed. Furthermore, Dr. Pettigrew believes that the staff does a good job dealing with microaggressions, and the handbook update will support them in the process.
“If there was concern about how to address microaggressions, this handbook change allows adults to see that we have the power to address them, [along with] the support from the district [and] the board,” Dr. Pettigrew said. “I appreciate that there was a space available for students to share their concerns and felt comfortable in doing that. I appreciate the students for advocating, not just for themselves, but for their peers, so that we can all have the very best academic experiences possible.”
Every year, thousands of football fans gather at Fishers High School’s stadium to watch their team go to battle. With game day festivities beginning at 3 p.m. and lasting into the night, fans can spend their Friday engrossed in football.
Without the people working behind-the-scenes, the event is non-existent. Volunteers devote their time through the pregame tailgate to the post-game aftermath. Vice President Joe Dunn of the football booster club, the Gridiron, is one volunteer who devotes his time to game days, starting with the Tiger Town Tailgate.
“Thursday night we close off the parking lot so it is reserved for that next day’s home game, and so that we do not have just anybody parking there,” Dunn said. “The [tailgate] setup is between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., so some of us have to get there early to let people in.”
The tailgate is a new addition to the game day festivities. According to Dunn, it was started by the Gridiron club to elevate school unity and cultivate a better game day experience.
“Once the athletic directors said it was something we could explore, I really focused in on getting our Gridiron board to like the idea; and then going to cheer, band, PTO and those types of groups, to make sure we were working together, and it would be something everybody could rally around,” Dunn said.
The club has also worked behind-the-scenes to help the football team and staff be ready on game days.
”Some of the other things
that kind of go unnoticed: 150 football players in the program, they eat a lot,” Dunn said. “There are a lot of meals, a lot of snacks, a lot of hydration…there are a lot of Powerades, water, that kind of stuff.”
Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) President Sheryl Fox has also worked behind the scenes on the event and volunteers her time at the tailgate by helping with concessions.
“Our concessions managers typically show up at about 3 o’clock to start preparations for the home and the away concession stands and we will just start setting up the tables,” Fox said. “Outside there are the coolers that we have to get filled with ice from in the kitchen area, and that is a collective effort.”
As a former Gridiron club member herself, Fox said the result of PTO and Gridiron club joining forces to improve the tailgate was exciting. A new tailgate fundraiser was one of the results of this collaboration.
“The Gridiron worked with PTO and came up with an idea to provide a special meal deal where you get some type of food and beverage for a special price, and it is going to be offered at a special, different concessions table during the tailgate,” Fox said.
When the pre-game festivities are complete, other volunteers help fans into the stadium. FHS front office staff member Lisa Abel has spent the past four years assisting with this process -on the visitor’s sideline.
“We use an app called Event Link. The families of the opposite team can go on Event Link and buy the tickets,” Abel said. “If
they do not buy the tickets prior to the game there is a QR code that we have sitting out in front of the visitor’s side that they will scan, and they can buy the tickets that way. Or, the ticket takers also have Apple Pay…they can use that to buy a ticket as well.”
With the ticket purchasing process taking place solely online, sometimes Abel’s job consists of more than just giving the green light to enter the stadium.
“Sometimes [attendees] say they purchased a ticket but then they can not bring it up on the Wi-Fi, or they can not get Wi-Fi out there. With that app, you can look up the name of that person and verify if they already bought tickets,” Abel said.
For Abel, the fans are what make the job worth it. For Dunn and Fox, they hope that each of their behindthe-scenes work will continue attracting fans.
“For our first home game, to see that there was no room in the stands for anybody else, I can not remember the last time I have seen that,” Fox said. “I think the credit goes to the tailgate and the Gridiron for how they are just really trying to push the community to come together and get school spirit to support the team.”
PTO members prepare to hand out candy to tailgate attendees at the Fishers vs. Noblesville football game on Sept. 2. Photo by Sophia Krueger.This season, seniors Noah Rowland and Rami Kawar are filling new shoes on the boy’s varsity soccer team at Fishers. The two boys have been players for the team in previous years, however, this year they took on the roles of team managers.
“We haven’t always had managers,” varsity boys soccer coach Philip Schmidt said. “During COVID, we went without managers just to kind of decrease our numbers. We wanted to keep the boys in the program, so we asked them if they would be managers.”
With knowledge from being on the team and of the sport in general, the boys have done what they can to help the team with everything they need. They have been working as hard as managers as they did when they were players.
“Having managers on the team is helpful,” Coach Schmidt said. “Especially when you have good managers that know the game and can run the tape or camera one day. They will run an errand for us. A lot of times, they are helping us with a drill. Having managers that support the team and support the coaches is a great asset for the program.”
In addition to their knowledge, the two boys have worked to
continue their relationship with the team even if they are not out on the field with them. Although this is freshman Brady Grace’s first year on the team, he’s been able to get to know and work well with the senior managers.
“They know everyone that was previously on the team,” Grace said. “They can get along with everyone, and they know what everyone’s needs are and how they can work with everyone.”
The biggest reason the boys were offered their roles as managers is because this is their final year with the team. Giving them their last year on the team was essential to the program.
“We’ve treated them just like any other senior in the program,” Coach Schmidt said. “They are important to us, and they are great kids. They are treated equally and interact with their teammates no differently than the players.”
Sophomore and varsity soccer player Caleb Hernandez had not been on a team with managers before this season and has seen the large impact they have had this year.
“They know how things work, so that takes the stress off the coaches,” Hernandez said. “They really do make a big difference.”
The team’s managers do not only support the players during practices. They are open to helping the program and coaches in any way they can.
“Our managers help the coaches with anything they need them to do or help them prepare for our games,” Grace said. “They share any news we need to know. One of our managers also takes pictures for us.”
Another benefit the team has noticed is that the managers can step on the field if necessary. The boys know drills and can also help the players warm up.
“They fit in great with our culture,” Coach Schmidt said. “They’re good friends with most of the team, which adds to the locker room. They are good players, so they’re able to help and fill in when needed from time to time.”
The support the managers have added to the team has also removed stress on the coaches and players. If they continue to have managers in the future, Noah and Rami will be leading examples.
“Rami and Noah are role model managers,” Coach Schmidt said. “They’ve done a great job. It’s not an easy role for somebody to fill, and we have a great appreciation for Rami and Noah.”
No matter the record of the team or the chance of winning, the ‘Ti ger Cage’ is almost always packed, with much of the credit going to the senior spirit leaders.
The selection process is quite simple; the previous year’s lead ers choose the juniors who they feel showed the best school spirit throughout the year. From there, the first chosen members recom mend who should fill out the rest of the squad.
“Kevin McGuire was chosen and recommended me to fill in one of the open spots,” newly selected spirit leader and senior, Devyn Thornton said.
Bradley, Devyn Thornton and April Brownwell.
“I met some new people and they’re really such a joy to be around. [We] just get along so well and I love it,” Thornton added.
This group does not just get along well, they are trying to change the past narrative of the ‘Tiger Cage’ only show ing up to football and boys basketball games.
“We are doing so much more than just going to football games already,” Thornton said. “We have been going to every girls’ volleyball game, boys soccer games and girsl soccer games. We have been making sure to recognize every sport and once basketball season starts,
“I feel like the spirit leaders every year do the best they can,” said sophomore Madison Eberle. “Especially Devyn Thornton and April Brownwell, they are doing a great job, so shout out to them.”
Even with the praise for the new spirit leaders, they are just a fraction of the entirety of the student turnout to each game.
“I feel like the people in the student section, not the spirit leaders, just need to get more hyped.” Eberle added. “The spirit leaders are doing their job, we’re just being a dead crowd.”
However, if the “dead crowd” is good enough to hold the top spot for Antho ny Calhoun’s weekly student section rankings, then the spirit leaders must be
The Tiger Cage fans sway back and forth during a 49-25 rout of Noblesville on Sept. 3. Photo used with permission of Austin Wilson.doing something good.
While some may think it is just a friendly competition to get the local news station some extra viewers, just take a look at the trophy case outside of the main gym. There you will find the trophies Fishers athletics has won for football, basket ball, baseball etc.
What pops out as one of the biggest trophies in the case are the spirit award trophies, not the team trophies. How ever, some may notice the most recent spirit award is dated back six years ago.
Whether bringing back the banner and spirit award is in the future or not is unknown. What is known is that the energy given by the Tiger Cage is most definitely felt on the field of play.
“Running back to the sideline after a score and the student section just erupted, it gets you pumped up and then you pump up your teammates on the sideline,” junior tight end Joel Gates said.
The ‘Tiger Cage’ has a huge impact on everyone involved in the gameday experience, regardless of the sport. The 2023 spirit leaders will continue to help set the tone for future games to ensure enthusiasm throughout the ‘Tiger Cage’ and that everyone enjoys their time to their fullest ability.
The spirit leaders hype up the Tiger Cage during a 3-2 girls volleyball loss vs North Central on Aug 22. Photo used with permission of Austin Wilson.
The Tiger Cage cheers on the girls volleyball team during their 3-0 defeat during mudsock on Sept. 8. Photo used with permission of Austin Wilson.
OnFriday nights, the dance team and cheer squad pump-up the Fishers High School varsity football team during their home games. e dancers and cheerleaders have the responsibility of upli ing the crowd and continuing to stay positive and hopeful for another win in the Tigers’ record. ere were many students in the stands, including junior Wangechi Mwangi, who spoke of the dance teams.
“[ e dance team] hypes everyone up at hal ime,” said Mwangi. “Especially when we are losing, [the dance team] gets everyone excited again.”
e cheer team is more structured and brings the energy level up by cheering loudly and getting the audience to participate in the fun, interactive activities that include clapping, cheering phrases, stomping and arm/hand gestures. Principal Jason Urban talks about how pleased he is with the student section’s participation.
“I’m really proud to see our entire school community and school spirit on display every Friday night,” Urban said.
While the two organizations value getting the crowd hyped up, they do so in di erent ways. e dance team is responsible for one fraction of the hal ime, in which they perform a fast-moving, hiphop/pop dance routine.
Junior and varsity football player Brady Wolf also saw the di erence in energy from before hal ime to a er it. is may be due to the popular song choices
that go with the dance team’s performances.
“I think [the dancers] bring a lot of energy and get the stands back on their feet,” said Wolf. “[ e audience] then gets us excited to get back on the eld.”
Meanwhile, the cheer squad is responsible for leading and maintaining the energy that the crowd feels and radiates.
is happens by leading chants, throwing merchandise into the crowd, tumbling and smiling throughout the majority of the game.
“Cheer is more crowd leading and takes more leadership skills,” junior cheerleader Jenna Gehlbach said.
Cheerleaders also found themselves to be important to the game because of their involvement with the crowd and their ability to feed o of students’ energy, as said by Gehlbach and junior Madi Young, who is on the cheerleading squad with Gehlbach.
e cheerleaders are always trying to get everyone involved with the chants, while the dancers are solely there to bring the energy up following the rst half. However, it is agreed that both groups are equally successful at keeping the vibes of the game high and happy.
“[ e dancers] are so good,” Mwangi said. “I love the dance team so much. ey have such great style and the songs they pick are just so modern.”
e dance team is also seen as an activity to appeal to the students that do not have the
“My favorite part about cheer is that when they run around with the ags,” junior Benjamin Miller said.
desire to be involved in the other options that are available for participating in football games.
Junior Bella Weir, a regular football game attendee, supports this claim.
“I think that the addition of the dance team is good for the people that want to be involved and out on the eld, but don’t have an interest in football, band, color guard or cheer,” said Weir.
Overall, the dance team and cheerleading squad are two groups of people that are hyping up the crowds in di erent ways.
Ultimately, the school’s spirit and energy is controlled by these two groups, and this brings much pride to most of the student body.
“I think that both activities/ teams are bene cial because I feel like they make a football game, a football game,” Weir stated. “I think that they are [important] to have for the students who are interested in them.”
1. Sophomore Sloan Ferguson cheers for the football team as the players move towards the end-zone on Friday, Sept. 2, during their game against Noblesville High School. Madelyn Garber. 2. Freshman Chloe Begley dances in a pop style routine to the song “Butter” by BTS. Photo by Kailey Santiago
“My favorite part about cheer and the dance team, is their energy and e ort given,” junior Vince Dieu said.The dance team performs their hip-hop dance routine to a remixed version of “Low” by Flo Rida, on Friday, Sept. 2 during hal ime. This was their second performance of the season. Photo by Madelyn Garber. Photo by
Girls golf team talks about the inclusion of one another
Ellie Payne paynenic002@hsestudents.org
Thegirls' golf team is as close as a family. ey are not split into separate subgroups compared to previous teams.
“I feel everyone has become friends, and no one is le out of things,” said JV freshman Tori Klinker.
e team also emphasized the fact that they make an e ort to hang out and maintain relationships outside of the sport.
“We will go to get ice cream… and the majority of the time a er golf practice, we’ll go get slushies,” said varsity senior Kristi Lilek.
ey feel that the positive energy their teammates bring to the table a ects their performance.
Head Coach Danny Smith agrees with the team on this aspect.
“It’s de nitely been a positive...because they’re all cheering for each other,” said Smith.
Lilek also discussed how the
team has helped her improve as a person.
She explains the bene ts it has given her.
“I feel it’s helped me be a leader… and I feel the freshmen and sophomores look up to us,” said Lilek.
e underclassmen also feel the e ect of that as said by Klinker.
“I feel everyone has become friends and no one is le out of things,” said Klinker.
Some members of the team talked about how the golf team has helped them develop as a player.
“I feel it has helped me realize it is both an individual and a team sport,” said Klinker. “You can’t blame anyone for your performance, but the performance of everyone on the team matters towards the score.’
Both Lilek and Klinker revealed that they have had a passion for golf starting at a young age. ey both began the sport due to their family's encouragement.
“I joined because I have played golf for a long time,” said Klinker. “My dad wanted something to do with my brother and I, so he chose golf.”
Lilek gained con dence from joining the golf team in high school, but golf in her family goes back two generations.
“My grandpa was a really big golfer, and so was my uncle,” said Lilek. “My mom signed me up for golf, like little camps or lessons, which were on Tuesday nights.”
Coach Smith discussed why he decided to coach the girl’s golf team. He has been coaching girls golf for 12 years and has played recreationally for 35 years.
“I love golf, I was already the assistant coach for the boys, and I felt it would be a great transition for me to jump in and try and help build the Fisher’s Tigers girls golf program,” said Coach Smith.
e girls' golf team will always be excited for when Coach Smith will do a cartwheel every time they get a birdie.
e girl’s golf team will go to sectionals on Sept. 19, 2022.
Senior Kristi Lilek takes a swing at practice on June 2. Photo used with permission of Kristi Lilek.Visability present problems for people with disabilities
Katrell Readus readukat000@hsestudents.org
CP refers to a group of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood due to abnormal brain development. The condition permanently a ects body movement, muscle coordination and balance.
The ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability in employment, state and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation and telecommunications. It also applies to the United States Congress.
Disorders that a ect the brain & nerves throughout the human body and the spinal cord.
A form of bias that occurs automatically and unintentionally.
Explicit Bias: Aknown and accepted bias by the bias holder.
A person ot having any physical impairment.
Ihavedepression, anxiety and Cerebral palsy (CP). ese conditions are manageable most of the time, but when any of the three, if not all three together, become immense or particularly abrasive, no one can assist or understand without extensive explanation on my part.
and other mental health ailments provides a clear path to discount them as real issues despite their overarching e ects.
is same logic can be applied to mild forms of neurological disabilities such as CP, in my own case. e mildness of my speci c experience with the disorder is one that can easily be disguised and/or misinterpreted as an injury. is again presents me with an issue, the same one faced by many with an invisible or less apparent disability: dismissiveness and bias.
is inevitable explanation is an unpleasant e ort that o en becomes more work than it is worth. Because of this, I o en shun the idea of visibility, the idea that people could or will learn or nd out about these unfavorable aspects of my life. However, this very same lack of visibility with all three disabilities has continued to become a recurring issue.
Depression and anxiety became psychiatric disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 due to the fact that these mood disorders are known interferences with daily activities, which may include a person’s ability to work.
e invisibility of these speci c psychiatric issues makes accommodations, support and advocacy di cult.
Mental illness comes with very real and painful feelings, but the fact that these feelings are internal and in turn inevident to any and everyone other than the individual su erer factors into the stigma around the illnesses. ey are easily and o en seen as gments of an attention-seeking mind feigning for the pity and presence of others.
An alignment and presentness of speci c signs and symptoms are o en used to recount or explain a clinical condition, illness or disease. However, these terms, though they are o en used interchangeably, are very di erent according to retired Stanford-trained physician MD William Lynes in his article “ e Invisibility of Mental Illness.”
A sign is something that is measurable, something that can be seen or accounted for. Signs di er from symptoms in that they are con rmed by a patient’s clinician.
Examples of signs include temperature, pallor, heart rate, blood pressure and others.
A symptom is something that is described by the patient, such as nervousness, pain and others feelings. Symptoms cannot be seen or measured, but rather must be relayed to the observer. Mental illnesses lack true signs furthering the stigma that follows it, and allots for the disrespect and regard it receives. e lack of outright de nitive evidence to prove both depression, anxiety
A 2007 study found that preference for people without disabilities compared to people with disabilities was among the strongest implicit and explicit biases across the social group domains, with age being the only category showing more implicit bias. Notably, 76% of respondents showed an implicit preference for people without disabilities, compared to 9% for those with disabilities. Even test takers with disabilities showed a preference for people without disabilities. is culturally accepted bias has created a breeding ground for those with them to hide or deny them. In my speci c case, because most people do not register the signs they see in my appearance and gait as those of a disability, they o en become dismissive and unaccommodating of these signs and the actions I take to manage them, seeing them as laziness or blatant lies.
Newer data and commentary from Tessa Charlesworth, a postdoc in the Department of Psychology, says that “Implicit bias can change. But so far, it’s only changed for some groups.” She acknowledges that it has changed, as far as sexuality and race-based bias, “pretty dramatically” with sexuality biases dropping 64% over 14 years, but it has not budged at all when it comes to disability, age or body weight bias. Disability bias over 14 years has only shi ed by 3%. e disparity between the change in other forms of bias and the stability in disability bias is massive.
According to FHS Exceptional Learners Resource Teacher Caitlin Crecelius, the stigma around di erent disabilities di ers due to misunderstandings among ablebodied people.
Most individuals have an image of what speci c disabilities look like already in their heads and that is what they expect to see. is causes stigmas to be di erent for each disability because people are expecting individual groups to act exactly the same instead of understanding that while the diagnosis is the same, it can show up di erently for each individual person.
Society has decided that visibility equates to validity and that those with conditions and/or disabilities that do not match that of what the image of a disabled person is supposed to be in their head are being untruthful or hyperbolic. is awless notion creates a dangerous and damaging narrtive that threatens the safety and security of a group of people already forced to ght a war, a war with their own body and mind.
Price tag on music education makes it inaccessible for students.
Arranged by Madelyn Lerew lerewmad000@hsestudents.orgMusic has always been an escape for me, whether I am creating it or listening to it. I have been extremely lucky to be provided with the resources that have allowed me to develop this passion. As a low brass player, my instruments have always been expensive, but between school rentals and my parents being able to a ord to buy me a trombone, I have always had an instrument to play. is is not the reality for all students who have a lower socioeconomic status or are
in a school district with a poorly funded music program. is is why it is necessary to invest more money into our ne arts programs and allow more students the opportunity of participating in band and orchestra. Music is an elective regarded as non-essential towards preparing you for your future. e Indiana core 40 diploma requires no ne arts credits to graduate, and the academic honors diploma only requires two. Music should be of
higher importance when receiving credits for graduation. According to a Penn Medicine news report, playing an instrument helps to keep your brain healthy by engaging major parts of the central nervous system and tapping into the le and right sides of your brain. Students should be encouraged to participate in music classes rather than it being treated as extra for those who can a ord it.
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Not only does music engage your brain and help keep it healthy, but it can also improve test scores. A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience that focused on a music program in Los Angeles, California showed that kids involved in this program scored higher on reading tests and had a 43% higher rate of going to college when compared to their peers not participating in the program. Music is so important because it helps students achieve
quality of their musicianship go up is more rewarding than an A on a math test. erefore, providing opportunities
Involvement in music extends outside of class, with our school o ering di erent extracurricular music programs.
Two of the biggest, and most costly programs, are Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) solo and
ensemble contest and marching band. Both programs allow students to better ne-tune their musical abilities as well as receive a score for their performance. Despite the bene ts of participating in these programs, many students will nd themselves priced out of even registering. e cost to participate in one year of marching band at our school
is $850. ISSMA, while signi cantly less costly, also requires payment, with solos at ISSMA contest being $15 and ensemble fees being $7. Included costs of ISSMA are buying the music to perform and hiring a piano accompaniment
Students’ learning environment is greatly improved when they are given the freedom to have artistic creativity.
While core classes such as math, English and science are important, they need to be well balanced with other classes that inspire creativity in students. By providing more funding to school music programs, we allow more kids the opportunity to be creative and expand their horizons.
Page 26 Tiger Times September 2022 where students can see themselves achieve goals helps keep them engaged in their schoolwork.
Performative activism causes more harm than good, letting ‘allies’ o the hook when it comes to actually progressing the movement at hand. is can be seen most prevalently with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. In 2020, a er the death of George Floyd, there was an in ux of information being spread over social media, through webinars creating constant media coverage but today there is little le to be seen. e conversation around topics like this, around topics deemed as Black issues, have fallen out of white vocabulary, like a trend falling out of style.
is type of activism can be characterized as instances of shallow and/or self-serving support for social justice causes. e title of preformative activism calls for a distinction between what is said by these supposed supporters and what they actually do.
Writer Tre Johnson, who is
publishing a book on the topic in 2023, calls out an important example of preformative activism in one of his latest articles. In his article, Johnson argues that reading is one of the most commonly used tactics that performative allies use to combat racial discrimination. His article points out that while the information to be gained from these books is important, these book clubs dwindle into false promises of change as well as self serving white guilt.
is type of activism is never as helpful as it can appear to be. When it comes to movements like BLM, you cannot merely gather in groups with other white people to chat about Black pain in a generalized and grossly oversimpli ed sense. To learn to be more than a preformative ally, it is important to not only think of a situation in a third person perspective, but to also listen and learn from those a ected.
Use your privilege of being outside of the situation to step up and bring in more outside support, while also being careful to not step on the toes of those who actually experience the situation at hand.
e advice you hear might seem confusing or appear to juxtapose other advice on what white people should do. While it may be frustrating to be told to step up, then to step back; to read, but to listen; to protest, but not overshadow Black protestors. It may very well feel contradictory at times, but you will gure it out. We always do. Black people have always been and will continue to be similarly exhausted. Having to make the case for why they deserve a job, for happiness, equality, justice, for freedom, has made us dizzy. Yet somehow we have managed to walk straight a er all these years of injustice and false promises.
Whiletalking with your friends about your last math test and about how you really do not want to go to work tonight, you step into the cafeteria and see two uniformed men, whose personas only encourage violence and toxicity, bark out orders to adolescent boys struggling to do a pull-up. ey tell you that this is how you can be strong, this is how you can prove them all wrong, assuming that you fall into their predetermined demographic of needing help. e military preys on young high schoolers in an e ort to popularize their community.
e military was once the allAmerican poster child for Aryan ideals but has evolved into a taste of what America actually is, with a hint of all the diversity America has to o er. is image remains problematic as the military still holds the traditional values of the past. e army, for example, has a higher percentage of Black women when compared to the civilian workforce. is, however, does not mean that the military is a safe place for minorities. It was only 12 years ago, in 2010, that the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy was repealed, and transgender individuals were not allowed to serve until 2016. In fact, during the Trump administration, transgender individuals were once again barred from military service and it was not until Jan. 2021, that they were allowed to serve again.
In certain individuals’ eyes, the military takes on a fantastical dream-like persona. A light at the end of the tunnel that acts as the solution to all your troubles, but this is not the case. e academic journal ‘Psychiatry: Interpersonal & Biological Processes’ conducted a study nding that risk-taking and school misbehavior were signi cant indicators of military enlistment in high schoolers. Some may view this as a good thing, nding the logic that the military will x them and implement discipline in their lives, but that is not the only thing it could do. e military has the potential to exaggerate these traits in adolescents by providing an environment that encourages “brave acts of heroism” that will inevitably cause harm. Instead of drawing teens away from situations that cause impulsive thinking, it pushes them toward them.
e sickly sweet lure of the military’s fruit may be too much for a young adult to handle and far too easy to give in to, but a er the rst bite, reality sinks in when the burden of knowledge actualizes. e military o ers a plethora of bene ts, all further enhancing this fantasy. e most tantalizing and well-known of these bene ts is the o er of free or reduced college costs, as well as essentially guaranteed lifetime employment. e post-9/11 GI Bill covers college in-state tuition, the cost of in-state tuition at an out-of-state institution or the
maximum national average of tuition at a private school. is is an amazing bene t, as most high school students have no choice but to take out student loans in order to cover tuition. Staying in the military also has the perk of retaining stable employment for the entirety of your career as the military does not undergo the same nancial troubles that a business does. ese bene ts are what can make it so hard for students to not seriously consider the possibility of joining the military.
Once you get out, you are never truly free. If deployed, the experience of ghting in an active war zone is something that might never leave you. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran A airs, 11-20 out of 100 people that fought in the Iraq War su er from PTSD. is means that if not you, then someone who you grew close to during your deployment together most likely will go on to su er from this.
e military is not a safe haven for teens coming out of high school, and it should not be treated as such. e impacts of enlisting go much farther into your psyche than one could possibly imagine. Keeping military recruiters out of high school cafeterias is not something that we should start thinking about, it is something that should have happened a long time ago.
Infographics by Emerson Elledge and Madelyn Lerew.
Being inclusive can mean different things to different people. To some, it means understanding every point of view and ensuring all are comfortable with being who they are in any space. To others, inclusivity can mean equal opportunity and diversity. According to Cambridge Dictionary, inclusivity means “the fact of including all types of people, things or ideas and treating them all fairly and equally.”
As the years go by, it has been extremely apparent that the school is attempting to improve and progress by embracing and meticulously incorporating diversity while also understanding it more.
The best example of this has been previous events the school has implemented. The biggest one was the International Fair that took place March 18 in the 2021-22 school year. The fair allowed for students from all backgrounds to showcase a bit of their culture, whether that be through a poster, food or performing. After that, there was also a culture day where students could wear their traditional ethnic clothes, normalizing the diversity in our school and making
it more apparent.
Moreover, extracurriculars such as Future Black Leaders (FBL) and Student Alliance for Equity (SAFE) work each meeting to make the environment at school, and in our community as a whole, to be more accepting.
Earlier in the issue, the addition to the student handbook about microaggressions was covered. The section mentioned how microaggressions that students partake in would be handled. This change showed the student body that the school does recognize exclusivity towards minorities and they are taking initiative by proactively combating it.
Why might all these additions, extracurriculars and inclusion be important, however? According to the Open Society Foundation, including diversity can help increase unique and important contributions in a classroom setting. Since every student may have a different worldview or lens, they can input their personal experience in conversations and topics that others would otherwise not know of because they would not experience it. This, in turn, provides better quality education for students due
to the fact that they are able to see a narrative from multiple points of view.
Additionally, because of inclusivity in a school setting, it enables the development of social relationships in a beneficial way. Open Society Foundation found in their studies that since schools, for the most part, provide a child’s first interaction outside of their family, inclusivity allows them to respect and understand diversity and how to combat discrimination. When education is more inclusive, it opens up the concepts of civic participation and community.
While it may seem like America may be going backward when it comes to inclusivity, as previous coverage over Roe v. Wade and other laws that are being implemented have made obvious, school can be a place to combat that. It can be a safe space where students can feel seen and heard and escape from the deteriorating equality they may be feeling outside of school. Most importantly, the younger generation can hone those skills of inclusivity and equality and one day apply those to the world such as passing new laws, acts and creating movements.
Students in math teacher Sarah Riordan’s employability dress up in red to show unity and inclusivity in FHS. Photo used with permission of Lisa Abel.Tiger Topics Tiger Times is the official monthly newsmagazine of Fishers High School. It is distributed free to approximately 3,700 students and over 300 student personnel. It is designed, written and edited by students.
Opinions expressed in the newsmagazine do not necessarily represent those of the adviser, administration or staff.
Letters to the adviser may be submitted to A218, and must contain the writer’s phone number for verification. Letters to the editor will not be published anonymously. If there is any incorrect information, corrections will be made in the next issue.
As the student-run newsmagazine of FHS, Tiger Times is dedicated to providing the staff, students and community of FHS with a timely, entertaining and factual publication once a month by means of public forum. In publishing articles that students enjoy reading, we are furthering both educational experience and the expansion of FHS culture. The staff works to create a sene of unity and awareness and allow the students of FHS to have better insight to the world around them.
Down:
1.Damp state of being
2.An immense state of shock
3.Tragic death that inspired a large social media activist response
4.Cowboy greeting
6.Benefit or advantage enjoyed by a specific group or person
8.Known for causing mischief and the phrase “meep meep”
9.Uses the tool collective bargaining
12.Made by an animal covers trees
13.Schmooze
16.FHS mascot
18.Tropical tree, body part
5.Negative or unfair assumed beliefs
7.Fictitious author name
10.Instance of indirect, subtle or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized community
11.Tool, visual encounter
14.Dinosaurs of the music industry
15.Passed down through generations
17.Greek mythology figures and artists’ inspiration
19.‘In God we trust’ state law
