Garden City Echo Spring 2023-24

Table of Contents

Editors-in-Chief

Emma Rathgeber

Elaine Wang

Cover Art

Shujin Chen

World/National News (page 4)

Hunter Maguire, Editor

Elaine Wang, Editor-in-Chief

Community/School News (page 14)

Emma Rathgeber, Editor-in-Chief

Student Spotlight (page 23)

Emma Rathgeber, Editor-in-Chief

Reviews (page 25)

Maria Gaztañaga, Editor

Faculty Advisor

Mr. McAuley

NOTE: The opinions expressed in the following articles do not represent the opinions of the administrative staff at GCHS, merely those of the writers themselves.

A Note From the Editors

Dear Readers,

As May’s flowers are starting to bloom after April’s showers and AP season is kicking into high gear, we are delighted to present to you our Spring Edition. We know many are swamped with work, but we hope the latest edition of ECHO offers everyone a break from studying.

This edition encompasses a variety of topics, as always: articles in our World News section cover everything from the awards season of early 2024 and the actors’ strike to political turmoil in courts, on ballots, and on college campuses. We’ve also included an update on the status of NASA’s highly anticipated Artemis missions. In our Community News section, we spotlight one of GCHS’s up-and-coming clubs, the TV and Digital Media club, provide updates on new building plans, and highlight exciting events from earlier this year. Our tradition of interviewing the winners of the Interscholastic Quiz Bowl Tournament continues this year with a Q&A in our Student Spotlight section. The Spring Edition wraps up with reviews on movies and games, featuring the latest The Hunger Games movie and a new update on Genshin Impact from “Saber”.

We wish everyone good luck on their APs and final exams!

Sincerely,

Emma Rathgeber and Elaine Wang

Double Strikes Hit Hollywood

by Isabella Fuertes

In 2023, the entertainment industry was shaken by a series of strikes, as hordes of actors and writers ceased work in protest of Hollywood conditions On May 2nd, members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) began striking to demand higher wages and legal protections from the effects of artificial intelligence (AI). In late June of 2023, members of the Screen Acting Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) joined screenwriters on the picket line. It had seemed as though talks by actors part of SAG-AFTRA with Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) were going smoothly, and things were going well However, talks fell out, and the actors decided to strike. This marked the first prolonged actors' strike in Hollywood since 1980.

Pressing issues that disrupted negotiation talks were basic pay, streaming residuals, and the growing prevalence and potential dangers of AI Union leaders contacted studio heads such as Netflix Chief Executive Ted Sarandos, worddd

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, and Walt Disney's co-entertainment chiefs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman, hoping to gain support for their cause and help move negotiations along. However, their attempts were in vain, and the actors involved faced industry backlash Disney head Bob Iger, for example, asserted that actors and writers in the strike were "not being realistic” in their demands, claiming that drawing out negotiations "will lead to financial hardship for countless thousands of people ” Entertainment leaders such as Iger implored SAG-AFTRA actors to take the deal proposed by AMPTP, but members of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA charged that companies like Netflix, Disney, Warner Bros, Paramount Global, and Sony Pictures Entertainment were being unrealistic, expecting actors not to respond as streaming services deteriorated Hollywood working conditions Fran Drescher, SAG-AFTRA’s president, declared that actors were "in jeopardy of being replaced by machines and big business.” With this pronouncement, striking commenced, and scripted film and television production abruptly came to a halt A-list actors such as Meryl Streep, Amy Schumer, Jennifer Lawrence, and John Leguizamo rallied in support of strikers, insisting in a letter that SAG-AFTRA union leaders persist in tedious discussions until a "transformative” deal was yielded.

Courtesy of variety com

Economic effects of the strike included a total of about $6 million in lost income and business impacts in California and other production heavy states such as Georgia and New Mexico The strike had a painful impact on families who relied on entertainment wages, and many writers were forced to use WGA loans or personal savings to make ends meet As a result, talented actors may have left the industry for other fields of work due to financial concerns. This mass loss of talent could impact the industry in future years.

On September 27th, 2023, WGA members voted strongly for a new contract, ending their 148 day strike. As for SAG-AFTRA members, a tentative deal with the AMPTP, representing all major Hollywood producers, was agreed upon on Sep. 24th. Ultimately, SAG-AFTRA reached an official agreement on November 8th, 2023, ending their 118-day strike.

Courtesy of variety com

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher speaks passionately about the strike Courtesy of hollywoodlife com

Courtesy of variety com

Everything You Missed From the 2024 Awards Season

By Hunter Maguire

Golden Globes

The entertainment industry kicked off 2024 with the Golden Globe Awards on January 7th, held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.

Since 2021, the award show has been embroiled in controversy due to accusations of corruption and discrimination among its former voting organization, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. This year’s revamped show aimed to restore the organization’s legitimacy as an award ceremony

Succession, Jesse Armstrong’s television drama portraying a conservative media dynasty’s rise and fall, won big It received the Best Drama title as well as individual wins for Sarah Snook’s and Kieran Culkin’s performances as adult children of the family patriarch.

A lesser known television program, Christopher Storer’s The Bear, also received numerous awards, winning Best Series, Best Actor, and Best Actress for the Musical or Comedy category. Featuring Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri, The Bear depicts Allen White as a New York-based chef returning to Chicago to take over his brother’s struggling Italian-American sandwich shop

Oppenheimer, a Robert Oppenheimer biopic directed by Christopher Nolan and featuring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, and Matt Damon, swept the Awards’ film accolades, receiving Best Actor, Supporting Actor, and Director in a Motion Picture.

Killers of the Flower Moon, directed by Martin Scorcese and featuring Robert DeNiro, word

Leonardo DiCaprio, and Lily Gladstone, received Best Actress in a Motion Picture for Gladstone’s portrayal of Mollie Kyle, a survivor of the Osage oil murders Gladstone’s win is the first, and so far, only, by an Indigenous American actor or actress in the Golden Globes’ history

Emmy Awards

The Emmys, an award show honoring excellence in television, took place on January 15th of this year

Again, Succession and The Bear took home numerous awards, each winning six Emmys in the drama and comedy categories, respectively. And again, Succession cast members Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin were granted Best Lead Actor and Actress in a Drama The series also won the award for Outstanding Writing and Directing Simultaneously, The Bear received honors for Supporting Actress (Ayo Edebiri), Lead Actor (Jeremy Allen White), and Outstanding Writing in a Comedy

Netflix’s Beef, a limited series chronicling an episode of road rage gone wrong, earned five Emmys, foremost among them Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. Performers and hosts from Abbott Elementary, The White Lotus, Last Week Tonight, Dahmer, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and The Daily Show also secured various awards on Emmy night

Grammy Awards

The most recent Grammy Awards were presented on Sunday, February 4th at the Crypto.com Arena in Downtown Los Angeles. The

The Daily Show host Trevor Noah hosted the Awards, and almost seventeen million Americans tuned in to watch, marking the event’s highest viewership since 2020.

Taylor Swift’s presence seemed to dominate the evening. Cameras panned to her constantly throughout the Grammys, and her tenth studio album Midnights won both Best Pop Album and Album of the Year. In controversial moves, Swift took the stage during her first award speech to announce another upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department, and seemed to ignore Celine Dion as she accepted her Grammy word

for Album of the Year However, a moving performance by Joni Mitchell (“Both Sides Now”), a tribute by Annie Lennox to Sinead O’Connor (“Nothing Compares 2 U”), and a Luke Combs and Tracy Chapman duet (“Fast Cars”) served as touchstones of the event’s authenticity and longevity.

Additionally, artists and groups like boygenius, Billie Eilish, Victoria Monet, SZA, and Killer Mike were honored with multiple Grammys in what shaped up to be a memorable night

Courtesy of thegoldknight com

NASA Delays Artemis Missions by One Year

By Emma Rathgeber

In early January, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced delayed launch dates for the upcoming Artemis II and Artemis III missions The missions were originally planned to launch in late 2024 and 2025, respectively, but are now projected for September of 2025 and 2026.

Artemis II & III are each one of four main missions in the Artemis program, which aims to establish a permanent human presence on the moon. Artemis II will be the second test (after 2023’s Artemis I mission) of NASA’s Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. The mission will send four astronauts 3 American, 1 Canadian in a slingshot-like trajectory around the moon. Excitingly, Artemis III will actually put astronauts on the lunar surface, near the moon’s south pole. Artemis IV is still on track for 2028, and will send astronauts to assemble the Lunar Gateway a space station that will orbit the moon.

So why the delay? NASA’s deputy associate administrator Amit Kshatriya reports that concerns regarding the Orion spacecraft’s life support system were the main cause for delay. According to Kshatriya, valves that were supposed to be installed in the system failed testing Life support systems are a vital component of manned missions, as they allow astronauts to stay alive on board a spacecraft by regulating ventilation, temperature, water supply, and countless other variables. While the delay puts the US behind schedule in the emerging international “Moon Race”, the decision was made in order to ensure astronaut safety Current NASA administrator Bill Nelson word

reasserted this priority in a recent press conference, saying: “We don’t fly until it’s ready.”

Delays like this are frustrating for those who eagerly anticipate advancements in space exploration. Nonetheless, Nelson’s comments are a reminder that if we are to do this, we must do it right. This principle is as crucial as ever in Artemis’ foundational missions, which are paving the way for deep space exploration. The moon may be our current target, but it is merely a stepping stone on the quest towards our more distant neighbor: Mars.

The all-new Space Launch System Courtesy of newatlas.com

An overview of the early stages of the Artemis program Courtesy of ktar.com.

Trump Missing from Ballots

By Lynn Yang

As the 2024 election approaches, the states are holding primaries for their representative. However, some states have made a historic decision to remove Trump from the ballot. The 14th Amendment prevents public officials that have engaged in an insurrection or supported a rebellion/enemy from being elected Because of this, many states, such as Maine and Colorado, have removed Trump

Trump due to his involvement in the January 6th insurrection. The 14th Amendment however, does not specify how it should be enforced. As the Supreme Court reviews the removal of Trump from the ballots, questions over the interpretation of the 14th Amendment have popped up. For example, technically Trump was never convicted for the insurrection, and the ban does not specify if it

it is for running or holding office. In addition, the amendment is supposed to limit state power so the Justices have questioned if individual states should be deciding the ballot for a national election. As of the writing of this article, the Supreme Court decided that states cannot remove Trump from the ballot

An Election In Shadow

By Hunter Maguire

This January, general elections were held in the contested island nation of Taiwan Across the globe, all eyes were set upon a much anticipated presidential election to determine Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader Tsai Ing-wen’s successor.

Although Tsai was ineligible to run again due to term limits, her vice president and party chairman, Lai Ching-te, entered the race as the DPP’s candidate Taiwan’s major opposition parties, the Kuomintang and the Taiwan People’s Party, nominated Hou Yu-ih and Ko Wen-je, respectively, as candidates.

Ultimately, Lai emerged victorious in a close first-pastthe-post election, receiving 40% of the vote, in comparison to Hou’s 33% and Ko’s 26% The island’s vote was split geographically, as urban western Taiwan favored Lai and the DPP, while rural eastern Taiwan sided with Hou and the Kuomintang.

However, decades-old tensions between Taipei and Beijing have flared over the recent election, underpinned by China’s

China’s refusal to recognize Taiwan as an independent nation or entity and discord between the Kuomintang, China’s preferred party, and the DPP Although elections in Taiwan seem far-removed from the United States, enmity between Taiwan, a westernlooking democracy, and China, a nuclear superpower, has the potential to impact individuals and nations across the globe.

How did we get here?

Taiwan, historically inhabited by Austronesian indigenous peoples, was first tied to China after the Qing Dynasty conquered the island from the Dutch in 1683. Over the centuries, its ethnic composition shifted, and by 1911, when Japan took the island from the faltering Qing, Taiwan had become a mostly Han Chinese territory Imperial Japan retained control over Taiwan until 1945, when it was forced to relinquish the island after its World War II defeat. The Republic of China, governed by Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang, or Chinese Nationalist Party, word

assumed postwar sovereignty over all of China, including Taiwan During the second phase of the Chinese Civil War, the Kuomintang lost control of mainland China to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but Chiang and his party continued to govern Taiwan after retreating there in 1949.

From 1949 to 1975, Chiang ruled Taiwan, then known as the Republic of China, under martial law and an autocratic one-party system. The Kuomintang’s dictatorial rule continued until 1987, paralleling similar repression in mainland China under the CCP Chiang and his Communist successor, Mao Zedong, each maintained that their Chinese state maintained sovereignty over the other’s. Each leader agreed on the existence of “One China,” but the two entities remained bitterly divided on who would govern a unified nation.

Martial law in Taiwan was lifted in 1987, allowing for opposition parties to coalesce, although the DPP had formed illegally in September 1986 and had already claimed a fifth of the

the island’s votes Normalization of relations with China began with this development In 1991, the Taiwanese government legalized trade with China, and in 1992, the 1992 Consensus was reached, enshrining the principle now known as “One China, Different Interpretations” in crossChinese politics

Since the compromise, infighting between the Kuomintang and DPP has continued. Since 1992, the Kuomintang, a conservative party, has favored Chinese nationalism and closer relations with Mainland China, while the DPP, a center-left party, has supported Taiwanese autonomy and independence to varying degrees. The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) presents itself as a third party running on a similar platform to the DPP.

In recent years, controversy has grown over Tsai and the word

DPP’s apparent rejection of the 1992 Consensus. Despite the fact that the DPP does not currently advocate for de jure Taiwanese independence, the mainland seeks to adopt and preserve the 1992 Consensus as grounds to forge closer association with or assume control of Taiwan. Thus, the CCP prefers a Kuomintang president in Taipei, and Lai’s win is seen as a cooling in Taiwan’s relations with Beijing

How has China reacted?

China has largely ignored Taiwan’s democratic election, portraying the results as illegitimate and not a reflection of popular will on the island Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, has stated that “this election cannot change the basic pattern and the development of cross-Strait relations, nor can it change the common desire of compatriots on both sides of the wordd

Taiwan Strait to draw closer ”

The CCP has worked to undermine Lai’s legitimacy as a politician, describing him as “a stubborn worker for Taiwanese independence” and making him out in official broadcasts as a leader who aims to encourage “separatism” of Taiwan from China.

What’s next?

Ultimately, Taiwan’s elections present a deeper threat to China’s current government by demonstrating the value of plural democracy in a Chinese, Mandarin-speaking setting. Although Taiwan is a small entity in comparison to China, the island’s perceived “rebellion” may encourage mainland Chinese citizens to demand greater political autonomy and civil liberties for themselves, a development that would greatly threaten the CCP’s power

The Taiwanese people appear determined to forge their own path, demonstrated by the DPP’s third consecutive presidential victory China has the military and economic might to paralyze Taiwan if it desires, but it remains to be seen what action, if any, the mainland will take in regard to its counterpart

Lai Ching-te celebrates victory with his running mate Bi-khim Hsiao. Courtesy of fox5sandiego com

The Attack on Former Harvard President Gay

By Isabella Fuertes

Early this year, former Harvard president Claudine Gay resigned effective immediately, ending the shortest tenure in the university’s history a mere six months and two days Gay served as the first Black president and former dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the most powerful deanship at the university Currently, she still works at Harvard as a professor of Government and of African and African-American studies. Gay took office July 1st, 2023 as the 30th president of Harvard University, after the shortest presidential search in the University's history

Fifty-four-year-old Gay faced backlash due to Harvard's response to the Israel-Hamas war. Released two days after the initial attack, it failed to explicitly scorn Hamas’s actions. In addition, the university failed to respond to a controversial Pro-Palestine statement signed by over thirty student groups at the university, stating Israel was “entirely responsible” for the violence between the countries For these reasons, Gay was confronted about antisemitism on campus, and was forced to give a wordddd

congressional testimony that was not satisfactory to her accusers, fueling their assertions.

Furthermore, at court, Gay was confronted with plagiarism for her scholarship through the Toppan Prize for best political word

science dissertation that she received in 1998. Several instances were brought to attention in which quotation marks and author’s names were wrongfully excluded, which ultimately brought into question her qualifications as president word

Dr Claudine Gay at her inauguration as the 30th president of Harvard University Courtesy of thecrimson.com.

The former Harvard president testified in December regarding her controversial actions. Courtesy of thecrimson com

of Harvard. These allegations were brought up by Christopher F Rufo, a right-wing activist notorious for his attacks on Critical Race Theory Rufo had released the news at a notably devastating time in Gay’s career, as it dealt a critical blow to her already questioned leadership through the IsraelHamas scandal As a result, Gay personally received aggressive and racist emails and phone calls, including death threats and the n-word a plethora of times

In her article “Claudine Gay: word

What Just Happened at Harvard Is Bigger Than Me”, Gay warns that these kinds of attacks will not stop with Harvard University She claims that the undermining of “education and expertise” is only the start, and trusted institutions such as public health agencies and news organizations will be the next to fall victim to these sorts of accusations that place doubt in the public’s mind She cautions against this cynicism and blind belief in recycled stereotypes, such as those against a black woman like herself, for they are word

not based in fact but hatred, and fear for change.

Gay states that it is in “the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can… focus on the institution rather than the individual”. A president of not even 200 days, Gay was removed from office January 2nd, 2024. She will continue to work in the college’s faculty, and sixty-nine year old Alan Garbner will take over the position until a more suitable replacement is found.

Expansion at GCHS: What You Need to Know

By Stephanie Morgan

In recent weeks, Garden City High School has approved plans to construct a new athletic wing, along with a new art room, two renovated physics classrooms, a Bloomberg Business Center, a turf field, and new softball and baseball infields

The new athletic wing will be the most significant change to the high school’s layout. At three stories tall, the wing will be accessible through a new hallway connected to the math wing and surrounding fields. The first floor will hold a new bathroom complex and concession stand, while the second floor will contain office space and a new fitness center Finally, the third floor will be occupied by mechanical units

So, why is the school adding a new wing in the first place? Many involved in athletics claim the complex’s new bathrooms and concession stand will improve Garden City’s ability to host games and events The new bathrooms will be more easily accessible than the math wing bathrooms, which have previously been used by athletes and are much more difficult to access Furthermore, the new concession stand will make spectators’ experience more enjoyable, word

allowing them to purchase food while watching a game While there is an existing concession stand, the new one would be a significant upgrade from the current facility

And, it’s not just Garden City considering infrastructure overhauls. Over the past ten years, schools across Long Island have upgraded their athletic facilities to include new bathrooms and concession stands. For example, Herricks High School approved a similar bond for a “comfort station” (concession stand and bathroom building) and new bleachers in 2016

For those involved in athletics, this addition appears to be a much-needed improvement. However, students and faculty in the arts may have more reservations about the planned development. The land on which the new addition is being built is currently known as the “art courtyard.” Although it contains track hurdles and sports equipment, the courtyard is also used by art teachers as an added space when necessary. On top of losing this space, the hallway that bridges the new addition to the math wing would cut straight through the current art rooms.

Despite this transition, the arts are not going away at Garden City High School. On the contrary, the school plans to build a new art room where the old fitness center was, containing an added gallery space for students to display their work.

In addition to the art room, the school will renovate two physics classrooms and one business classroom in the area of construction. The two physics classrooms will be rebuilt to contain lab table seating, white boards, and a new built-in smart board. The new Bloomberg business classroom, on the other hand, will contain a stock market screen and upgraded computers.

So, how will the district pay for these renovations? Consuming $2.34 million from Capital Funds and $17.66 million used from a tax neutral bond, the school will spend a total of $23 million dollars on the planned renovation. word

One item of note for all residents is that these funds, and thus the renovation, will be tax neutral. In addition to improvements at the high school, some of the $23 million is allocated for a new parking lot at Stewart Elementary and air conditioning for miscellaneous spaces across district facilities On February 13, 2023, Garden City residents voted to approve funding for this project.

As of now, the district hopes to begin renovations between 2025 and 2026. The timeline of the project will “depend on a variety of factors including but not limited to, the State Education Department’s approval of plans, receiving final bids, general market conditions, interest rates and the availability of contractors,” says the school district.

Attached below are renderings of the proposed renovations and additions.

Bloomberg Business Center

Renovated physics classrooms

New athletic wing

All photos courtesy of Garden City High School.

New art gallery and classrooms

Garden City at Science Olympiads 2024

By Elaine Wang

On February 3, 2024, GCHS Science Olympiad Club’s A and B teams competed in the 2024 Nassau West Regional Science Olympiad competition at Kellenberg High School in events about topics ranging from fossils to astronomy. Garden City teams placed in the top eight in five events, and five students earned medals. Garden City A competed in 20 events, and Garden City B competed in all 23 events Overall, the Garden City A team placed 11th out of 38 total teams, and Garden City B placed 32nd

In the Forestry event, during which students identify trees from pictures and answer questions about them, Hunter Maguire and wordd

Elaine Wang placed 3rd. In the Ecology event, Hunter Maguire and Annika Margolies placed 5th. In Forensics, during which students conduct various tests to solve a crime, Elizabeth Rosado and Armeen Panthaki placed 6th, and in Geologic Mapping, Hunter Maguire and Jeffrey Li placed 6th as well Additionally, Jeffrey Li placed 6th in Flight with his free flight aircraft made from scratch. Furthermore, Garden City students placed in the top ten in Microbe Mission, Robot Tour, and Fermi Questions. The Science Olympiad club, led by club advisors Ms. Flaherty and Mr. Hager, meets weekly after school in Room 147. Congratulations to all medalists!

Courtesy of Ms Flaherty (@flahertygc on instagram com)

Certamen Club Heads to Yale

By Stephanie Morgan

Meaning “game” in Latin, Certamen is a quiz bowl-style trivia competition that quizzes participants on topics like Latin grammar, Roman and Greek mythology, Latin literature, and Roman history. This past fall, Latin scholars and non-Latin scholars alike faced teams from across the country in a Certamen competition at Yale University.

The Garden City Certamen club was founded by two junior Latin students, Kaitlin and Emily Cook, and Magistra Durkin, the school’s Latin teacher The Latin program as a whole has gone to Princeton and Yale for Certamen competitions in years past, but this was the first trip since the COVID-19 shutdown This year, the club took 3 teams of four to compete at the Advanced Certamen Level against students from as far as Georgia The teams performed well, word

with one team advancing to the Semi-final Round

For many, Certamen is a class or even a sport, but for Garden City High School students, Yale Certamen was a fun way to immerse themselves in Latin. Students were able to learn from their proctors, who were Yale students in a variety of majors. Tasmiah Ishtaque recalls that “you could tell the guy who ran our first room totally loved classics ” For the Certamen team, the day was about socializing as much as it was about Latin trivia “What I remember most is the connections made and fun everyone had,” says Tasmiah. Following this event, the Certamen Club had yet another to look forward to: the University of Pennsylvania’s Certamen competition on April 6th!

Honoring Diplomacy at GCHS

By Hunter Maguire

Are you a student interested in politics or hoping to hone your leadership skills? Do you value our democracy and civic duties as Americans? If so, Simone Oustacher’s new club, Junior States of America, is the right place for you

Called JSA for short, the club assembles on a rotating basis before or after school Meetings often consist of writing letters to local and state officials, discussing

discussing methods to improve our school and community, and directing students’ curiosity about politics toward real-world situations and positive action.

As a newly-formed chapter of the broader Junior States of America organization, our high school’s JSA chapter will have the opportunity to attend legislative simulations such as the Northeast’s Spring State and the nationwide Winter withh

Congress. Although JSA was unable to travel to this year’s Congress as a delegation, Oustacher and JSA’s members hope to attend future conventions and expand the club.

Garden City students can find the club under the Instagram handle @gc jsa or find advisor Mr Zagari in Room 137 for more information.

Members of JSA visits Long Island University’s White House replica. Courtesy of @gc jsa on instagram com

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the TV and Digital Media Club

By Elaine Wang

Are you interested in filming, editing, or acting? Are you passionate about storytelling and reporting through videos and podcasts? Would you like to collaborate with peers that have similar interests in these areas? If so, then whether you’re a seasoned editor looking to build your portfolio or a novice looking to try something fun and creative, the TV and Digital Media Club is for you! Founded by sophomore and current club president Michael Ragas and headed by club advisors Mrs. Calemmo and Ms. Ritter, the TV and Digital Media Club works to produce a variety of high-quality content for the Garden City community, from event recordings to one-on-one interviews Recently, the club worked to host the seventh annual One School, One Book event, featuring The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and will soon release their footage of the exciting Battle of the Classes They use an assortment of programs, including WeVideo and iMovie, to put together word

videos and podcasts for posting on their Instagram page (@gctvdigitalmediaclub) and Youtube channel (@GCHSDigitalMedia). When asked about why they decided to join the club, members Tyler Orishimo and Abby Tedesco said it was due to their love of editing and filming Tyler prefers to do behind-thescenes work editing videos, while Abby enjoys filming, and played a major part collecting footage from this year’s Pep Rally and Battle of the Classes. Although they possess slightly different skill sets, both play an integral part in the production process.

TV and Digital Media Club is the perfect opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience creating media projects and build an impressive portfolio that showcases your talents and skills, perfect for college applications or future career opportunities down the road. The club meets after school every Monday in the library See you there, and bring a friend!

Club members captured photos of this year’s One School, One Book celebration in the library. Courtesy of @gctvdigitalmediaclub on instagram com

The Most Competitive Intramural Quiz Bowl Season Yet

By Emma Rathgeber

We’ve come to the end of the 28th Intramural Quiz Bowl Season Every year, fifteen teams, each comprised of one teacher and three students, face off in an intense head-to-head trivia competition over the span of several weeks The trivia challenge is organized by none other than Mr. O’Hagan, who puts in countless hours to make the competition as memorable as it is. In case you missed it or want to relive it here’s a recap:

As usual, the season started off with three seeding rounds In these rounds of competition, the fifteen teams are divided into five rooms of three teams each. The same one hundred questions are asked in each room, and the teams try to claim as many points as possible (which are then multiplied by ten for the total round score).

Round 1

The season kicked off with a wide expanse of trivia topics, from the British monarchy to famous authors to college football conferences At the end of the round, Team McAuley was in the lead with 440 points Trailing closely behind were word

Team Rebolini with 410 and Team Durkin with 400.

Round 2

After another exciting round, Team Durkin found themselves in first place with a two-round total of 830 points Not surprisingly, Team McAuley was right behind with 790. In third was the newly formed Team Stratis with 730 points; the questions on Greek mythology and European history surely helped them out a bit Teams had to make sure to stay sharp heading into Round 3, which would determine the semifinal lineup

Round 3

The podium after Round 3 looked very similar to that of Round 2. Team McAuley reclaimed the top spot with a cumulative total of 1240 points. Team Stratis was in second place with 1140, and Team Durkin in third with 1130. We’ve been tracking the top three teams until now for simplicity, but many more teams six, in fact advanced to the semifinals. Among them (in place order) were Team Dunleavy (two-time reigning word

champions), Slater, Mannion, Weidenhoft, Rebolini, and Esposito Now that the lineup was set, the semifinals could begin.

Semifinals

For the semifinals, all previous scores were scrapped. The only thing that mattered was beating the other teams in the room With the teams divided into three rooms, there were three tickets to the finals up for grabs In Room 136 were Teams McAuley, Mannion, and Weidenhoft In Room 137: Teams Stratis, Slater, and Rebolini And in Room 138: Durkin, Dunleavy, and Esposito.

This round proved to be the most fun (and stressful) yet. Mr. O’Hagan fittingly included a set of questions on the television show Jeopardy!, as well as a fair portion of math, chemistry, and geography questions. Now for the winners. Unsurprisingly, McAuley came out on top in Room 136. Considering he teaches AP Macroeconomics, the Phillips curve question must’ve been an easy point. Over in Room 137, Team Stratis was victorious. Despite being

being a new team, they were proving themselves as a team to watch Lastly, heading to the finals for the third straight year was Team Dunleavy They had a target on their back all season, but they didn’t let that stop them from showing their stuff once again. So, it had been settled: Teams McAuley, Stratis, and Dunleavy would battle it out in the finals.

Finals

Complete with microphones, Oreos, and Mr O’Hagan’s classic podium, the finals proved once again to be the highlight of the season and one of the most competitive yet. It worked a bit differently than previous rounds, with 150 total questions and other exciting changes

Before the round began, each team drew a number to decide the order in which they’d be asked questions. Team Stratis drew number one (followed by McAuley and then Dunleavy), so they received the first question The competition started off strong, as the first five questions were all answered correctly For the next 70 questions, the game progressed normally, with Team McAuley taking a commanding early lead. Question topics included Walmart, Van de Graaff generators, the Red Scare, and ankle sprain treatments. Some drama

drama arose when Team McAuley was asked a question pertaining to AP Human Geography, which Mr. McAuley teaches The team answered “environmental determinism”, which was ruled incorrect by Mr O’Hagan The next two teams answered incorrectly as well, so Mr. O’Hagan revealed the correct answer to be “possibilism”. After some thought, Mr McAuley conceded that the answer key was technically right, to which Mr O’Hagan jokingly replied to take it up with CollegeBoard.

At question 75 came the Lightning Round. Each team would be asked ten questions from a category and had one minute to answer as many as possible The rule for each category was that all the answers started with a specific letter Team McAuley won the draw to go first, and chose the ‘B’ category. They put up a solid score of 7/10 Next was Team Stratis, who chose the ‘L’ category and blew the audience away with a perfect 10/10. Finally, Team Dunleavy was left with the ‘T’ category, but that didn’t stop them from scoring an impressive 9/10.

After the Lightning Round, Team McAuley’s lead had slightly diminished The second half of the match involved spelling, trigonometry, and even

even Echo (unfortunately the question was referring to a Netflix series, not our newspaper). In a fitting coincidence, Team Stratis answered a question on the stratosphere correctly. Later, when faced with a question about the hometown of NHL team “The Krakens”, Mr. Dunleavy guessed Seattle, and was very surprised to hear that he was, in fact, correct Throughout all these shenanigans, the competition became closer than ever With only a handful of questions to go, the scores were all tied at 47 After the second-to-last question, Team Stratis had 52, McAuley 49, and Dunleavy 47 Question 150 worked differently, though. Teams were read a category and then chose a certain number of points to bet from 0-15. Only students were able to answer Mr O’Hagan announced the category to be “Current Events”, and the teams got to betting. Tensions were high as bets were finalized, since the outcome of this question would decide the match. Teams McAuley and Dunleavy each bet the maximum of 15 points, while Team Stratis opted to bet 14 points, one greater than what they needed to win. After the bets were confirmed, Mr O’Hagan read the question, which was about Secretary of word

Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. He then revealed each team’s answer Two teams answered correctly: McAuley and Stratis So, the final scores were: Team Stratis, 68; Team word

McAuley, 64; Team Dunleavy, 32.

After a hard-fought battle against some of the school’s brightest minds, Team Stratis claimed total victory. The names

names Dr. Stratis, Jeffrey Li, Ella Pocock, and Michael Power will soon be engraved on the Intramural Quiz Bowl Champions plaque

The members of Team Stratis pose with Mr O’Hagan and the IQB Champions plaque after securing the victory in the finals Courtesy of Emma Rathgeber

Team Stratis Tells All

By Emma Rathgeber and Elaine Wang

After they achieved total victory in the 2024 Intramural Quiz Bowl Finals, we had the chance to talk with the student members of Team Stratis Jeffrey Li, Ella Pocock, and Michael Power about their experiences in the competition. Read the interview here:

Q: Since you guys are a new team this year, we have to ask the obvious first question: how did this team form?

Ella: I was on Mr. McAuley’s team freshman and sophomore year with the same person. However, she couldn’t do it this year, and I was left teamless, so Jeffrey recruited me

Q: While you guys are technically a new team this year, we know each of you is also a quiz bowl veteran. What does your IQB track record look like? What initially attracted you to the club, and was this your first time in the finals?

Jeff: Mike and I were on Mr Harrison’s team last year and we made it to the finals (where we may or may not have gotten utterly swept). My brother Jason was on Dr Slater’s team during my freshman year, and he was the one who initially introduced me to it.

Ella: I was on McAuley’s team freshman year (where we lost in the finals) and sophomore year (where we lost in the semi-finals). Quizbowl is the one time where my useless trivial knowledge comes in handy, so it's always a highlight of my school year

Michael: Jeff and I created a team last year. It was my first time and I think it was for Jeff as well We did ok but lost in the finals

Q: Winning the competition was obviously memorable for you guys, but was there any other specific moment(s) from this year’s competition that stands out to you?

Ella: Yes! I have one for me, at least-the first 8 point turn around question was based on astrology I used to charge people for sham astrological readings, and thus know basically everything (and I mean everything) there is to know I went all in and instantly sniped the question which brought us back to end up tying Dunleavy after their significant lead Case and point no one can clown on me for asking what people’s zodiac signs are ever again.

Jeff: In the finals, there was one question regarding the cruising altitude of planes where the answer was “stratosphere.” When I was in Dr Stratis’ class in ninth grade, he used to say “Welcome to the Stratisphere” sometimes, so I thought that was a great way to end our Quiz Bowl run

Q: Quiz bowl is all about combining your knowledge to cover as much information as possible. Do you guys each have certain strengths that you bring to the table?

Jeff: I’d say I’m fairly solid with most STEM topics and geography

Q: What team gave you the biggest run for your money?

Jeff: For most of the tournament, it was Mr. Dunleavy for sure, but Mr. McAuley’s team in the finals was also incredibly strong

Q: Any advice for students who would like to join quiz bowl?

Jeff: Just join regardless if you have a team of friends who are willing to play. I’d say it is more fun to play, especially after a long school day, rather than it is to win (even though winning a round is very rewarding), so don’t be afraid to sign up

Q: When you’re not quiz-bowling, what other activities do you guys love to do?

Jeff: Some of my hobbies include playing piano, making origami, running, and writing.

Q: It’s clear that you guys have a vast collection of knowledge, but do you know what area of study you want to focus on for college?

Ella: I’m not exactly sure, but definitely a combination of art and humanities. I’ll probably end up being an English and Art double major, or something like that My dream job would be either an art historian or screenwriter.

Jeff: I’d like to be some kind of engineer, either civil, mechanical, or aerospace.

Q: Favorite book?

Ella: Only one?! Maybe The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. I’m a big fan of absurdism and Russian literature. I also just finished reading The Great Gatsby in AP Lang, and I loved it, so recency bias has been making it one of my favorites.

Jeff: I don’t typically have a lot of free time to read books, but one of my favorites was Animal Farm by George Orwell

Q: Favorite movie?

Ella: I’m actually obsessed with movies so this is an impossible question. My favorite genre is horror, so I think I’ll have to go with The Shining I don’t care if Stephen King thought it was a horrible book-to-film adaptation, Stanley Kubrick was absolutely cooking with that one Jeff: Top Gun Maverick

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

By Maria Gaztañaga

After almost a decade since The Hunger Games movies were released, fans were overjoyed when a prequel to the beloved series was announced to be in theaters in late 2023. The movie was successful in bringing the dystopian world of Panem to life, but it received some criticism with people claiming that it was very different from the book.

On its own, the movie was great. It told the heartbreaking story of Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Grey Baird, a mentor and tribute in the 10th Annual Hunger Games Snow starts out with good intentions, helping his rebellious tribute survive and even risking his life and falling in love with her However, as fans inevitably know, we see Snow transform into the ruthless villain he is in the original series

Watching this movie felt different than watching the original movies, but I think that was a good thing. Something this movie has that the others don’t is the musical component Of course many fans will remember the iconic song “Hanging Tree” which was included in the new film along with some others sung by Lucy Grey. Her singing helps move the story along and it shows you the shifts between the characters as well

Some fans, however, were disappointed with how little the film compared with the novel Suzanne Collins had written three years prior. The movie left out what they deemed to be pivotal moments, or even just nice moments that added to the storyline. Another complaint was that it was hard to tell how insane Snow goes because you don’t get his inner dialogue, but I think the same could be said for most movies. No book and film are going to be exactly alike so I think it should be expected that things are going to be different in the two. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was successful, however, in introducing The Hunger Games to a new generation.

Vibrant Harriers Aloft in Spring Breeze: Genshin Part 2

By “Saber”

With the release of the Genshin Impact 2024 Lantern Rite, the game has achieved new heights. The 4.4 update came to Genshin Impact on January 31, 2024, bringing new events, new characters, and an expansion to an already existing region.

From the individual events to the in-game rewards of the Lantern Rite, this year was like any other year, but I found the story to be magnificent and the main cutscene to be no less than extraordinary, portraying Wushou Dancing and traditional drums and music, reminiscent of a Chinese New Year’s lion dance. This year’s Lantern Rite focused more on the coming together of family, a sentiment I personally enjoyed, and many of the game’s less seen characters took center stage I also really love how the game incorporated characters from the word

new region in Fontaine into the story, including Furina, Chlorinde, Navia, and Neuvillette, leaving players on a cliffhanger as to why the game had intentionally included no meeting between the archon of geo and the primordial dragon of the sea.

With the new characters Gaming (pronounced GAHming) and Xianyun, the game has really taken a turn by adding two unique, yet powerful plunging-based characters into the mix One of the characters, Cloud Retainer, an adeptus many players are already familiar with, takes on her human form as the five star character Xianyun, acting as an Anemo and plunge support, healer, and/or main/sub-DPS. In my opinion, the four star character Gaming is where Hoyoverse really gets creative, as he acts as a plunging DPS word

character comparable to the already existing five star Xiao.

Additionally, the new region added to the game, Chenyu Vale, is no laughing matter. With the 4 4 update, the region of Liyue got an expansion, connecting it to the newest land of Fontaine. The part I loved most was the plethora of chests, new puzzles, and areas The region’s wonderful scenery amazed me, as it shows a new side to the Asian-based nation of Liyue and displays lands ranging from high mountains to traditional villages unseen in the original area.

Overall, besides the stilllacking Lunar New Year rewards that players complain about annually, I found the new update to be enjoyable, fun, and most of all, exciting and creative The update not only brought events but a whole new region for players to explore

Promotional art of Chenyu Vale and the 2024 Lantern Rite. Courtesy of HoYoverse