2.25 Best of February Issue

CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL NEWSMAGAZINE VOL. 85, NO. 7 BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

DRESS

HIL TE

D I G I TA L

Digital fashion, increased customizability in video game avatars provide unique forms of self-expression for students

PAGE 22 | MADDIE MISTERKA, WENDY ZHU

TABLE OF CONTENTS JUST A MINUTE

10 HOLISTIC HISTORY

4 POLAR UN-FREEZE

11 SWITCH IT UP

Learn more about endangerment of polar bears, impact of climate change on Arctic

NEWS 6 NEWS BRIEFS 7 INOCULATED 8 CARMEL CHAMPIONS Q&A with Champions Together co-president on upcoming Mr. Carmel event

9 DOUBLE TIME

FEATURE 12 PUPPY POWER

Pet ownership helps with mental health

14 PRICE OF EDUCATION 16 SPECTRUMS OF LOVE

STUDENT SECTION 19 BALANCING BUDDIES

20 YEAR OF THE OX

Students, staff adjust Chinese New Year celebrations due to pandemic

COVER 22 CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER Digital fashion, game avatar customizability provide modern forms of self-expression

ENTERTAINMENT 28 AVATAR (AT LA)ST Learn about world of Avatar: The Last Airbender

30 A GEM IN BUSINESS

Contact information: Mailing Address: 520 E. Main St. Carmel IN 46032 Phone: (317) 846 7221 Ext. 7143 Website: www.hilite.org Email: Staff members may be contacted by using their first initial and their last name appending @hilite.org The HiLite is a student publication distributed to students, faculty and staff of Carmel High School temporarily published online only due to COVID-19 via Issuu at issuu.com/ hilite. This issue is a collection of select content published online in February 2021, as indicated on each story. The paper serves as a public forum and two-way communication for both the school and the community.

Opinions expressed in the newspaper are not necessarily those of CHS nor Carmel Clay system faculty staff or administration.

Credentials: The HiLite belongs to the Indiana High School Press Association, Quill & Scroll and the National Scholastic Press Association.

Advertising: Businesses may advertise in the HiLite if their ads adhere to guidelines. The advertising policy is available in Room C147 or at www.hilite.org/ads-info.

Editor in Chief

Cover

Rhea Acharya

Kiersten Riedford

Tessa Collinson Josie Cruzan Calina He Lillian He Sarah Kim Gray Martens Grace Xu Wendy Zhu

Valliei Chandrakumar Shruthi Ravichandran

Edward Dong Riley TerBush

Chloe Sun

Managing Editors

SADDLING SPORT Sophomore Clare Leedke adjusts the gear on her horse, Irish. Leedke, who has ridden horses for a total of four years, said horseback riding requires muscular strength, balance and patience.

See page 32 for full story.

LUKE MILLER PHOTO

Front/TOC/JAM News

SPORTS 32 HORSE(BACK) POWER Q&A with sophomore Clare Leedke on her experiences, goals with horseback riding

34 POWER OF THE PEOPLE 36 BEATING THE BATTLE

PERSPECTIVES 38 EXAM CRAM

@hilitenews

@hilitenews

15 MINUTES Q&A with junior Maximus Shurr on extensive mechanics projects

15 Minutes Litebox Ray Mo

Christian Ledbetter

Adviser

Principal

Thomas Harmas

Superintendent Michael Beresford

Emily Sandy

43 (DON’T) HAIL THE CHIEF

44 MECHANICAL MASTER

Sowmya Chundi Leah Tan

Jim Streisel

Student Section

42 BEAUTY OF SOLITUDE Students shouldn’t idolize politicians, instead assess strengths, weaknesses

Perspectives

Sam Hawkins Sarah Zheng Maddie Kosc

40 PUT YOURSELF FIRST 41 THANK BLACK WOMEN

Aniket Biswal Daniel Kim

Web

Feature

39 DON’T RELAX YET

Sports

Cady Armstrong Christian Ledbetter

Ads Team

31 ROM-COM SEASON

Entertainment

Responding to the HiLite: Letters to the editor will be accepted for the Best of March issue no later than March 1. Letters may be submitted to Room C147 placed in the mailbox of Jim Streisel, emailed to management2021@ hilite.org or mailed to the school. All letters must be signed. Names will be published.

(Letters sent via email will be taken to a student’s SRT for them to sign). Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual and may be edited.

Corrections and clarifications: None.

@HiLiteOnline

The HiLite strives to correct its errors. If you notice any inaccuracies in this or past issues, please contact management2021@hilite.org.

RILEY TERBUSH FRONT COVER ILLUSTRATION

JUST A MINUTE

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

POLAR UN-FREEZE With International Polar Bear Day on Feb. 27, learn about polar bears, impact of climate change on habitat EDWARD DONG GRAPHIC

This graphic was originally published online on Feb. 18, 2021

EIA, EPA, NRDC, NASA, PBS, WEATHER UNDERGROUND, WTHR, WWF SOURCES

POLAR BEAR FACTS Hunts by silently waiting and catching seals at breathing holes when they surface for air

HABITAT MELTDOWN

See difference in average September sea ice extent in the Arctic over the last 40 years

Light-absorbing black skin under their 1-2 in. of fur and up to 4.5 in. of fat keep polar bears warm Can swim up to 6 miles per hour by paddling with front, webbed paws

8-10 ft. (males) or 6-8 ft. (females) 300-700 lb Females 200

400

600

Estimated polar bears left in the wild

800 1,000 1,200 1,400

EX

Males are 2-3 times larger than females

EW

CR

EN

Extinct

HOW TO HELP

Produce 63% less CO2 per trip by taking the bus instead of driving

Habitat loss Malnutrition

34,000

Use 75% less electricity by using LED lights instead of incandescents

12%

COMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL

AGRICULTURE

10%

Save 550 lb of CO2 annually by eating 25% less meat

3.0 Millions of square miles (mi2)

INDUSTRY Save 1/4-1/2 lb of CO2 per pound of paper, plastic or cardboard recycled

Set your thermostat 7-10°F higher or lower while you’re not home

Nort

LC

Greenland

ANNUAL SEPTEMBER SEA ICE

ELECTRICITY

22%

NT

Least concern

MAJOR THREAT: Climate change

TRANSPORTATION

27%

VU

CONSERVATION STATUS: Vulnerable

Percent U.S. emissions by sector

28%

2

22,000-31,000

800-1300 lb Males

Protect polar bears by reducing your personal climate change contributions

Canada

Indiana: 36,418 mi2

mi2 per year, on average

Iceland

2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 1985

1990

1995

2000 2005

2010

2015

2020

GREENHOUSE GAS MECHANICS

HILITE.ORG

MOST POTENT GASES

*Sizes proportional to overall impact on climate change (by 100-year GWP)

Heat radiated as infrared light

CARBON DIOXIDE 81% of emissions

4

Heat absorbed by land, oceans, and atmosphere

BY THE NUMBERS

Arctic

September Arctic sea ice area

Greenhouse gases absorb 90% of heat, redirect down

STATE OF ENERGY

See where Indiana’s energy comes from 7% 3% Petroleum/other

Renewable (wind)

1979

2.7

million mi2

2019

2019 Russia

th Pole

31%

47,946 lb CO2 35,685 lb CO2

59%

Natural Gas

Coal

1.7

million mi2

Coal

1979

If the average Hoosier relied exclusively on one of these sources, they would annually produce: 62,739 lb CO2

Natural Gas

2

3

NITROUS OXIDE METHANE 7% of 10% of emissions emissions

Emissions from human activities produce greenhouse gases

Petroleum

1

Heat from the sun reaches the Earth’s surface

05

<1,000 lb CO2 Wind

LOCAL CONSERVATION

Learn about Carmel’s efforts to mitigate climate change Hybrids or flex-fuel cars are mandated for city operations, which produce less tailpipe carbon emissions

MINIMUM

Jan. 1

April 1

July 1

gallons of gasoline saved annually

1

Mid-September

Oct. 1

All-gas: 17 mpg

3 million = 60 million

Area of Arctic ice coverage varies heavily, depending on time of year. All numbers shown are based on minimums MAXIMUM

Hybrid: 24 mpg

Carmel’s signature roundabout agenda saves gasoline by reducing idling

YEARLY CYCLE

Early March

Carmel Police is transitioning its fleet to hybrid SUVs:

lb of CO2 emissions prevented

Methane (a

Carmel Utilities greenhouse gas) emitted from trash at uses recaptured landfills is collected methane to power wastewater 2 One of the cleanest fossil fuels, it is then treatment facilities burned for electricity

1

2

NEWS

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

NEWS BRIEFS CADY ARMSTRONG BRIEFS

Feb. 10

February 2021 Late Start

RAY MO PHOTO

Feb. 10

Math ISTEP+ Testing (Juniors)

Feb. 14

Valentine’s Day 2021

March 8

International Women’s Day 2021

March 10&11

GKOM Connection Sessions

March 12

Mr. Carmel 2021 Event

March 13

March 2021 SAT Testing

News Briefs were originally published online on Feb. 9, 2021

Key

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

School Events

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

National Events

FEBRUARY 2021

28

Feb. 15

Feb. 17

President’s Day 2021

English ISTEP+ Testing (Juniors)

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

MARCH 2021

March 17

St. Patrick’s Day 2021

08 See a Q&A about the upcoming Champions Together event, Mr. Carmel

March 22 & 23

C.L.A.S.S Award Ceremonies

CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE: Seniors Jordan Paraboschi (left) and Daniel Schrader-Dobris (right) discuss the existence of conscious thought during a Crossfire meeting on Jan. 21. To find out more information about Crossfire club, look on its Instagram @crossfire_chs.

HILITE.ORG

07

INOCULATED

Check out who has received COVID-19 vaccinations, how to get them TESSA COLLINSON, GRAY MARTENS GRAPHIC CDC, FDA, STATE OF INDIANA, USA TODAY SOURCES

This graphic was originally published online on Feb. 8, 2021

INDIANA VACCINATIONS

2.3% completed vaccination

Percent of individuals who have received a vaccine:

8.7% received first dose

0.4% between 0-19 6.6% 20-29 9.1% 30-39 9.7% 40-49

91.3%

of residents have not been vaccinated

10.5% 50-59 10.9% 60-69

29.9% 70-79 22.9% 80+

WHAT VACCINES ARE AVAILABLE?

FIRST DOSES GIVEN BY COUNTY 0-2,000

8,000-16,000

2,000-4,000

16,000-32,000

4,000-8,000

32,000+

LOCAL VACCINE SITES Take a look at COVID vaccine sites in Hamilton County

PFIZERBIOINTECH

MODERNA

2 doses Doses: Doses: 2 doses Progress: Approved in US Progress: Approved in US Type: mRNA vaccine Type: mRNA vaccine ASTRAZENECA Doses:

1 dose Approved in

Progress: EU but not US Viral vector Type:

JOHNSON & JOHNSON 1 dose Doses: yet Progress: Not approved Type:

Viral vector

3 2 1 1 IU Health North Hospital 2, 12 Meijer Pharmacy 3-5, 7, 9 Kroger Pharmacy 6 Ascension St. Vincent Noblesville

9 10 11 4

6

13

12

5 7 8 8 Fishers Health Department COVID-19 Vaccination Site 10 Riverview Health Vaccine Site 11 Hamilton County Fairgrounds COVID-19 Vaccination Site 13 Walmart Noblesville Pharmacy Vaccine Site

TIME TO DIP: Seniors Sky Simpson (fourth from left) and Elizabeth Piha (second from left) prepare to swim at a Champions Together unified swim clinic. Champion Together’s next event, Mr. Carmel, will take place on March 12.

CHRISTIAN LEDBETTER PHOTO

CARMEL CHAMPIONS Champions Together to host Mr. Carmel Competition on March 12

Q&A

ELIZABETH PRICE SUBMITTED PHOTO

Elizabeth Price, Champions Together president and senior What is Champions Together?

Champions Together is a bridge between the IHSAA and Special Olympics Indiana that promotes inclusion for individuals with disabilities through sports and activities.

How can students get involved in Champions Together?

Champions Together is a club you have to be nominated to be a part of, however we are always looking for volunteers to help at our events or if you wanted to be a part of unified in general, you could join a unified sport.

What are some activities Champions Together does?

Each year, we have unified soccer clinics, unified basketball, unified swim clinics and sometimes we do unified cheer clinics. We also host the Unified Bocce State Tournament.

OLIVIA STOCK Q&A

What is Mr. Carmel?

Mr. Carmel is a guy’s spoof pageant. Each year we choose 15 senior guys to compete that will not only represent Champions Together but just represent their sports and the community as a whole and they learn a two minute dance that is choreographed by the Coquettes team. After that, they have to put together a unique talent.

This Q&A was originally published online on Feb. 10, 2021

NO CAP: Senior Griffin Hadley helps senior Elizabeth Piha with her swim cap.

Hadley said he helped lead the warmups earlier.

CHRISTIAN LEDBETTER PHOTO

HILITE.ORG

09

DOUBLE TIME Administrators, students consider benefits, challenges of two SSRT sessions JILLIAN MOORE STORY

C

hs has decided to return

to two sessions in Student Support Resource Time (SSRT) for second semester. Students can now visit two teachers’ classrooms during an SSRT class period, as opposed to last semester when they could only visit one classroom as a COVID-19 precaution.

According to Sophomore Sara Steadman, the school made a good choice by changing SSRT (to two sessions) because the administration listened to student input.

“I know there have been a few surveys that have been sent out by the school asking students how they can help them in their academics and how they’re feeling about the way things are running and (twosession SSRT) is part of it,” she said.

According to Assistant Principal Amy Skeens-Benton, students have followed COVID-19 restrictions and made two SSRT sessions possible.

“The real reason why we were able to is our student behavior has just been phenomenal during these changes. Kids are wearing their masks, they’re social distancing and we’re not having to deal with kids that (test positive) getting other kids sick during the school day because kids are following all the rules. It’s been awesome,” Skeens-Benton said.

SPEAK-UP!

However, Assistant Principal Brittany Wiseman said the single session SSRT had benefits for students and remains a viable option for the school.

“We may, in the future, go back to one session. Not only was it because of contact tracing, but it was also because we found that some people were just roaming around and kind of taking advantage of the two sessions and not truly using that two session time,” she said. “So we thought, ‘Okay, if you have one session you could really get some quality time with one teacher.’”

Steadman, who quarantined over winter break, said two sessions of SSRT helps students returning from quarantine by giving them the opportunity to take in-person tests or quizzes and receive academic support.

However, she said the school’s policies regarding COVID-19 could improve.

“I think the cons (of two sessions) could be that there could obviously be more spread of the virus because you’re seeing more people than you would on a normal day,” Steadman said.

Wiseman said the school will continue to use paper SSRT passes and Google Forms, which will act as a mode of contact tracing should the school’s social distancing policies fail.

“They’re still going to have to (use passes and Google Forms) because

SPARE SESSION: Sophomore Sara Steadman works on homework in SSRT. Steadman said that the additional SSRT session will help her get more academic support.

KIERSTEN RIEDFORD PHOTO

BY THE NUMBER

2

sessions in the new SSRT CCS SOURCE

even though you are six feet apart, we want to know where everyone is,” Wiseman said. “One, it’s a safety issue, but two, let’s say, they aren’t six feet apart. We do need to have the ability to do that contact trace.” H This story was originally published online on Feb. 11, 2021

EVA GLAZIER SPEAK-UPS, PHOTOS

How do you feel about SSRT changing back to two sessions?

“I’m happy SSRT switched back to two sessions because it will allow me to visit more teachers and get more study help.

However, since I am in the CHTV SSRT, I don’t always need it. Ultimately, I get what I need to get done.”

Junior Zach Zimmerman

“I think SSRT splitting back into two sessions will be good because students will be able to organize their time better. Students can go to multiple different teachers and get more work done which helps with time management and productivity.”

Sophomore Lissa Salisbury

10

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

HOLISTIC HISTORY Social studies department prepares for new African-American History class ALLY HORWITZ STORY

N

CHENYAO LIU PHOTOS

ext year, chs will offer a

new African-American History class to interested sophomores, juniors and seniors. The class will be a one-semester elective course offered by the social studies department and will focus primarily on African-American history in the U.S. According to social studies teacher James Ziegler, who said he is one of the teachers the administration is considering to teach the new class, the class will shed light on race relations today through the new curriculum and will provide a voice for the parents and students of color who live in Carmel.

Ziegler said, “Black history is frequently underrepresented. We have very white-washed versions of history that are presented in our curriculum, not only social studies curriculum but English curriculum and all across the board. There was obviously a need for (an African American History class).”

TEACH: Justin Quick, social studies department chair, teaches his class.

Quick said the class learned about President William McKinley.

Black history is frequently underrepresented.

We have very white-washed versions of history presented in our curriculum.

SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER JAMES ZIEGLER According to Justin Quick, social studies department chair, the semester-long class will be an opportunity for students to gain a better understanding of culture.

“In social studies, we are always looking for opportunities to more deeply explore cultures and gain a better understanding of our societal structures and systems so that we can be agents for inclusion and equity. This class advances this charge and responsibility bestowed upon us as an institution of public education,” Quick said via email.

The idea for the new class came to light when Ziegler worked with the organization Carmel Against Racial Injustice this summer, around the time when the Black Lives Matter protests increased across the country.

Ziegler said many Carmel residents requested the development of an African-American History class.

“Wanting to honor the voice of those Black students and Black families was another impetus for creating the class. We had a hole in our curriculum because we should have a course. African-American history is often overshadowed and underrepresented,” he said.

Freshman Gabi Bradley, who is considering adding the class to her sophomore year schedule next year, said she agrees with Ziegler and

HISTORIC LESSONS: Justin Quick, social studies department chair, teaches US History during Block 2. Social studies teachers. James Ziegler and Kenneth Browner are two teachers the social studies department is considering for the African-American history class.

BY THE NUMBERS

3 social studies classes offered for freshmen

8 social studies classes offered for sophomores

21 junior & senior social studies classes offered CCS SOURCE

plans to take the class to hopefully learn more in-depth information about her culture.

She said, “I was thinking about taking the class because I’d like to learn more about my history, where I come from, my culture (and) people who look like me because a lot of times in our history classes we don’t get in-depth with it, especially African-American history.”

According to Quick, U.S. History classes do not explore African American culture in-depth, which makes the African-American History class an opportunity to do so.

“This class is important as it offers greater voice to influential Black leaders and highlights achievements by African-Americans that are overlooked or taught on the surface level in reguH lar U.S. History,” Quick said.

This story was originally published online on Feb. 14, 2021

HILITE.ORG

11

SWITCH IT UP Q&A

Q&A with new school board secretary, president PAM KNOWLES SUBMITTED PHOTO

CCS Board Secretary Pam Knowles What does your secretary role entail?

I am responsible to read the minutes for each meeting and make sure that they’re accurate and I sign specific documents for the board. We have also added that the secretary is responsible for special events, such as birthday cards and making sure people get flowers and cards and things like that.

How are positions reassigned and how does that process work?

The president usually discusses it with the other board members and finds out what their aspirations (are) and what they would like to do on the board and communicate that with other board members. As we have our discussion, we decide who would probably be a good slate to fill the positions and then we introduce that slate at the board meeting.

CHRISTIAN LEDBETTER Q&A

DUTY CALLS See how the school district roles are broken down SCHOOL BOARD

Sets goals, adopts policies, oversees budget, hires & evaluates superintendent

SUPERINTENDENT

Implements the board’s mission, manages daily decisions, hires principals

PRINCIPALS

Manages administrative tasks, sets school culture, oversees instruction

STAFF

Creates lesson plans, inspires learning, leads instruction

STUDENTS & PARENTS

Learns from teachers, elects the school board CHENYAO LIU GRAPHIC INDYSTAR, KATIE BROWNING SOURCES

Q&A

LAYLA SPANENBERG SUBMITTED PHOTO

CCS Board President Layla Spanenberg Are there any requirements that a member must meet to fulfill a position?

Not necessarily. Typically, we do not have a freshman board member serve in an executive position on the school board. We give them an opportunity to focus one year learning what the different roles entail. There is a pretty significant learning curve for being a school board member and we what to ensure that our newest board members to fully understand what their role is. That following year, when we have those discussions on who would best meet the needs of the school district, they can serve and be interested in certain board roles.

CHRISTIAN LEDBETTER Q&A

What does your president role entail?

I am the spokesperson for the board. On our board, we have five positions, and each of us contributes equally to the board. The president’s responsibility is to run the meetings, organize and plan the agenda with the superintendent.

Is there anything I missed that you think readers should know?

Our school board speaks with one voice. We have five individuals with very distinct diverse backgrounds that come together and share opinions and ideas, but we vote on everything. We work as a team to ensure that we follow our guiding principles.

These Q&As were originally published online on Feb. 15, 2021

FEATURE

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

PUPPY POWER New dog owners share experiences for National Love Your Pet Day, Feb. 20, how dogs improved personal mental health RAGHAV SRIRAM STORY

A

t the start of the covID-19 pandemic, sophomore Shri Alturi and his family decided to adopt their dog Teddy.

“I got a cockapoo, which is a poodle and cocker spaniel mix. We got him exactly on Leap Day,—so Feb. 29, 2020—and have only had him for a year,” Alturi said.

“I think we bought (our dog) at that time because I think we had the time to take care of him, and previously we didn’t have that much time, we would have to leave (our dog) for eight hours at a time, which would not be ideal for a puppy. So we finally had time and always leaned towards getting a dog, so that’s why we got him.”

Similarly, junior Reva Patil said she adopted her puppy after she saw her friends and family adopt pets during the pandemic.

“I don’t have any siblings, I’m an only child, so we thought it would be a fun experience getting a pet and having it live around the house,” she said. “I think that a lot of people have free time on their hands and staying at home is kind of daunting and lonely so people need that companionship and they want a companion so they go and get pets. I think since they have a lot of free time on their hands they can take care of it as opposed to if they were at work.”

Atluri and Patil are not the only ones who purchased a dog during

DID YOU KNOW? Dogs are therapeutic on a biological level: petting a dog increases levels of oxytocin, the “love hormone,” as well as serotonin, which is involved in mood regulation, in both the dog and the person petting them.

PURELY PETS SOURCE

the quarantine. According to the Washington Post dog adoptions and sales have soared during the pandemic across the nation.

Sarah Kazmierczak, Spanish IV teacher and pet owner, said she has noticed this trend as well. Like Alturi and Patil, she and her family also adopted a dog during the pandemic.

“Because of COVID-19 and because everything was shut down, people were trying to give those dogs homes so that they were taken care of.

Also, I think when we were all in our homes and there wasn’t much to do I think people felt like they had the time to invest in a pet and I think it provided a lot of needed comfort and distraction at that time, which is definitely for the

BY THE NUMBERS

38% of households own a dog

1.6 MILLION shelter dogs are adopted each year in the United States AVMA, ASPCA SOURCES

case for us,” she said. “When we were looking for our dog and doing research, I read a lot of stuff and I saw that a lot of people were adopting dogs and that a lot of these shelters were empty, which is pretty cool.”

Atluri said while the first few months of raising his dog Teddy were difficult, over time he said he was able to develop a strong bond.

Kazmierczak said she agreed, and in addition to forming a personal connection with her dog, she said owning a pet during this quarantine has improved her mental health and well-being. “(My husband and I) cannot imagine not having our dog during this time,” she said. “I think for me

HILITE.ORG

ADOPT A PET Take a look at some of the shelters located in Indiana to adopt pets Animal ShelterWabash County

Indy Humane

- Open from 11 AM-5 PM - Not open on Thursdays and Sundays

Monday Closed Tuesday 11AM–7PM Wednesday 11AM–5PM Thursday 11AM–7PM Friday 11AM–5PM Saturday 9AM–12PM Sunday Closed

Humane Society For Hamilton County

Bloomington

- Open from 12 AM-5 PM - Open from 12 AM-4 PM on Saturday

MAN’S BEST FRIEND: Sophomore Shri Alturi plays with his cockapoo, Teddy, on a winter afternoon. Like many others, Atluri and his family adopted their dog at the start of the quarantine.

SHRI ATLURI SUBMITTED PHOTO

it was a couple of things. I feel like my dog—no matter what is going on with the world, no matter how anxious or uncertain I feel about the world—she is always happy to see me and gives this unconditional love and comfort no matter what’s going on around the world. It’s just a really nice distraction. When there’s not a lot to do, it was really fun to train her and go on walks. (Our dog) got me outside and walking around in our neighborhood and helped me get out of the house in a safe way.

Dogs are cute so she is always doing something funny and cute and just helps us feel better.”

Patil said she agreed and said owning and taking of her puppy

Monday 12–5PM Tuesday 12–7PM Wednesday Closed Thursday 12–7PM Friday 12–5PM Saturday 12–5PM Sunday 12–5PM

JOSHIKA SATHYAMATHAN GRAPHIC GOOGLE MAPS SOURCE

has made her less cranky, more calm and gives her something to do during her e-learning breaks.

Atluri said, “During my finals week I had like six finals in the span of two days, and so I would say once every two hours I would take a 10to 15-minute break and spend time with my dog and my whole attention span would be completely diverted from everything else that was going on and just as been a big help with relieving stress.”

Kazmierczak said, “For me (my dog) is really special because I did not have any pets growing up. My brother and I begged my parents every year, but we never did as a family.

So for a long time I thought when I get on my own I’m going to get a dog and kindly have that experience. My husband had a childhood dog, and for him it was a very special thing growing up. She passed away a few years ago and we kind of waited. We knew together that we always wanted to get a dog, partly for me because I’ve never had that experience.

“I guess for me it’s just exciting,” she added. “I know when I get home she is going to be excited to see me and I think with dogs you don’t even need to say anything, they just know what you need and want to be close to you and give you that uncondi-

tional love. That’s something for me that really makes me feel better when I am stressed and I look forward to having her there.”

Atluri said this past year with COVID-19 has been tough on a lot of people worldwide.

“You can have a strong physical aspect, but if you don’t have a strong mental health you don’t have motivation and (it) can bring you down,” Atluri said. “I feel like having a pet benefits you because it’s just another positive thing in your life and for some people it can drastically change your mental health. There is always a positive aspect when you see your pet.”

Kazmierczak said, “I think COVID-19 has been such a unique experience. I think more than ever we have had to figure out how to take care of ourselves and I think for a lot of people pets have provided that comfort.” H

13

Scan this to view a photo essay about the therapy dogs brought to CHS for Mental Health Awareness Week and their impact

This story was originally published online on Feb. 21, 2021

A PUPPY PAL: At the start of 2021, junior Reva Patil adopted her puppy Cosmo. While she said it has been difficult to maintain and take care of her puppy, it has also been incredibly rewarding. “(Adopting a puppy) is like bringing a new family member that comes into your house, so it’s completely different if it weren’t there and it’s just this new companion that we have,” Patil said.

REVA PATIL SUBMITTED PHOTO

14

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

PRICE OF EDUCATION Students discuss benefits of new tuition-free college proposals ARCHIT KALRA STORY

F

This story was originally published online on Feb. 8, 2021

DID YOU KNOW?

or senior lalith roopesh, college tuition costs are an important consideration when thinking about which colleges to apply to.

“Tuition definitely was a priority for me as I plan to pursue a graduate education, meaning I have to pay past a normal bachelor’s degree. I don’t want to take too many loans, so the cost of the college is very important, making in-state (college) a very powerful option,” he said. “While there are scholarships, usually options like IU and Purdue will end up being cheaper.”

Meanwhile, a February 2020 Pew Research Center poll found that 63% of American adults supported making public colleges tuition-free. Moreover, newly elected President Joe Biden has previously expressed support for making public colleges costless.

Brian Newman, director of policy and communications for the Campaign for Free College Tuition, said he believes the current discussion surrounding free public college is especially warranted because it is a continuation of the basic right to education.

American colleges were initially created by European settlers primarily to train clergymen. The first college to be established in the US was Harvard, in 1636 in Massachussetts.

CLEARY UNIVERSITY SOURCE

“We view the access to public universities as similar to access to elementary and secondary education. We think that the current model, which is basically K-12 in public schools, should be expanded to K-16, or at the very least K-14, which would include a two-year degree at a community college,” Newman said. “Our organization is focused on making public colleges and universities tuition-free.

We’re very much supportive of President Biden’s plan to do so, but we’ve also been working with state governments, state governors and state legislatures to make that happen. Currently about half the states in the country have some program to make public colleges tuition-free.”

PAYING THE PRICE

BY THE NUMBERS

$1.6

TRILLION total student loan debt in the United States in 2020

63%

of American adults support tuition-free college

$603 BILLION total college expenses in the United States in the 2017-18 school year PEW RESEARCH, FORBES, NCES SOURCES

SAM HAWKINS GRAPHIC MARKETS INSIDER SOURCE

Average annual undergrad tuition (in thousands of US dollars)

Take a look at the increasing cost public and private colleges in the United States

Year

35

highest year-over year change: July 1982, 14.2%

30 25

150.2% 0%

0

1198.9%

lowest year-over year change: November 2020, 0.6% 231.8%

10 5

Public 828.6%

382.5%

20 15

Private

178.8% 0%

1980

63.5%

1990

117%

2000

2010

2020

Various community colleges in Indiana have implemented some plans to increase accessibility and make classes free; notably, Ivy Tech Community College offered free classes to over 10,000 Indiana residents in light of the COVID-19 pandemic back in July. On a national scale, Newman said there are multiple possible steps that the Biden Administration may take based on its past views.

“As a candidate, Joe Biden released several initiatives related to college affordability and college access, one being to forgive up to $10,000 in student debt. The second is making public colleges and universities tuitionfree. A subset of that plan is to make community colleges free for all,” he said. “There’s a third proposal that the Biden Campaign has supported, which is doubling the Pell Grant, which provides assistance to lower-middle class students for postsecondary education.”

On top of that, President Biden adopted a proposal from the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign that would open up a tuition-free four-year college option for families making up to $125,000 a year.

Junior Shrithan Sandadi said he thinks the recent steps taken are beneficial, and that current college tuition processes need more reform.

“I believe that college tuition is overpriced and that colleges often prioritize getting funding over providing for the greatest possible study body,” Sandadi said via email. “Tuition will be one of my priorities (when applying for college) because one has to weigh whether or not it is worth it to go to certain colleges if at the expense of increased costs. It is also important to account for whether student debt will be a problem after college.”

Roopesh said he believes that the concept of tuition as a whole has garbled the original purpose of colleges as institution: to provide education.

HILITE.ORG

COLLEGE CONUNDRUM:

Senior Lalith Roopesh (6th from left) recieves a medal for one of his events at the University of Michigan Science Olympiad Invitational during his junior year. Roopesh said college tuitions were an important part of his considerations when he applied to colleges in late 2020, and Science Olympiad offers some scholarships to seniors.

LALITH ROOPESH SUBMITTED PHOTO

TSION DANIEL GRAPHIC INSIDER SOURCE

Ca na da US A

Compare average yearly tuition at public colleges worldwide

10

8

6

4

2

Countries Sandadi said. “The time is now to act and to pass legislation to remove these barriers and allow students greater access to education.”

H

0

Average annual tuition (in thousands of US dollars)

COLLEGE ABROAD

Au str ali a Ch ile

Newman also said there may be some additional obstacles involved from a state government perspective.

“Current proposal envisions some state matching funds, which potentially means that each state legislature or each state governor has to decide when or if they want to implement the proposal,” Newman said. “I think there’ll be a number of states that do that right away, but there could be some states that take a few years to decide if that’s something they want to do.”

Roopesh said he hopes congressional leaders prioritize plans for making public college tuition-free this year.

“Like much helpful policy, the longer they delay it the more people suffer. College students (or really anyone suffering from student debt) need to band together to make sure they vote leaders who support their interests, and government leaders should realize that this is what the American population needs,” he said.

“There are many barriers currently in place preventing students from accessing college education,”

De nm ar k Ge rm an y

“I think that colleges are more invested in money than they should be. With education being a right, the model should be that all money is reinvested in the students in the form of resources or scholarships,” Roopesh said. “Currently, colleges seem to be asking for too much money that we don’t see returned in the quality of education.”

Although there is widespread support to make public colleges and universities tuition-free, Newman said the proposal itself could take a few years to actually implement.

“I would emphasize that there are a lot of proposals being floated currently in Washington, D.C., and the Biden Administration is still setting its legislative priorities—obviously, they have the COVID-19 relief package as their number one priority, but until they do that, we’re not sure of the timing and sequencing of when Congress will consider a free college bill. But we’re hopeful that will be this year or next (year), and we’re continuing to build support for that legislation when it takes place,” he said.

15

16

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

SPECTRUMS OF LOVE Students recognize, celebrate Valentines Day in different ways RAGHAV SRIRAM, KRUTI SUBBANNAVAR STORIES

These stories were originally published online on Feb. 14, 2021

Sophomore Dev Mathur practices self-care around Valentines Day

M

illions of people each year spend Valentines Day alone; sophomore Dev Mathur is one of them. However, rather than trying to find a partner, Mathur is quite content with spending Valentines Day this year all by himself.

Mathur said, “I see Valentines Day as any other normal day. I’ll just do what I want. If I meet people, I’ll meet people. If I stay home by myself, I’ll stay home by myself.”

Mathur said he believes that society perpetuates a stereotype that people need to be around others on Valentines Day, when they are capable of enjoying the day all by themselves.

He said as a high schooler, he said he cannot personally handle a relationship. Mathur said he doesn’t think he could satisfy a person in a relationship, as he feels he is not mature enough.

Mathur is not alone. According to a survey by Statista in Feb. of 2018, 27% of the people surveyed said Valentines Day was overrated

as a celebration of romantic and platonic love. According to a Forbes article titled, “Self-Care Isn’t Just Good For You - It’s Also Good For Productivity” people have started to focus more on self-care, especially with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The article further explains that self-care is extremely good for a person’s mental, emotional and physical health.

Mathur’s form of self-care is to read books, watch movies and exercise. He said exercise is one of the ways he de-stresses and that he frequently exercises because he enjoys doing it. He said he does not feel the need to maintain a relationship.

He said, “Not everyone is dependent on someone else. Everyone is wired differently. At this stage in my life, focusing on myself will be better, so then I can satisfy others the way they want to be satisfied in the future.”

Mathur said there is a lot of pressure that comes with finding and maintaining a relationship.

“Don’t pressure yourself. It will happen in time. As of now, spend (Valentines Day) with the people you have. Spend it with your family, spend it with your friends. If you don’t pressure it, it will happen in time,” he said.

Mathur said he believes self-care to be the most important thing.

He said, “If you cannot care for yourself first, you can truly not implement happiness and show it H to other people.”

Scan this to see student opinions on couples on Valentines Day

Students discuss celebrating Valentines Day as same-sex couple

S

ophomore kaela moon has been dating junior Malorie Palmer for a year and three months. As a couple, they like to celebrate Valentines Day together.

Moon said, “I enjoy having a holiday where I can celebrate the person I love and shower her with gifts to show her how much I appreciate her.”

Palmer also enjoys the holiday, stating that she likes the pink and hearts that frequently surround this day.

Valentines Day is a celebration of love, and as an LGBT couple, Palmer and Moon said not much is different for them from heterosexual couples.

19 Read a story about how CHS students balance their friendships and romantic relationships

“It’s pretty much the same, you just don’t get anything that says ‘him and her’ on it, and you’re fine,” Palmer said.

CHS psychologist Kristina Bonnet said celebrating Valentines Day while in a relationship can be a fun and fulfilling thing. She said students could have fun getting each other personal Valentines gifts and trinkets.

SMILE: Sophomore Kaela Moon (bottom) and junior Malorie

Palmer (top) pose during Valentines Day last year. They said they went out to eat at a restaurant last Valentines Day, but have changed their plans to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines this year.

MALORIE PALMER SUBMITTED PHOTO

HILITE.ORG

17

Japanese students at CHS sister school talk about Valentines, White Day traditions

T

he morning of valentines Day in Seikyo Gakuen High School in Osaka, Japan, sister school of CHS, dawns with friends cooing over handmade chocolates made by their peers.

11th-grader Misaki Taniyama shares her handmade chocolates with her friends, while trying some they made for her.

According to Taniyama, in Japanese culture, the girls give the boys and their girl friends handmade chocolates as a sign of romantic and platonic love.

However, the only presents exchanged on this day are from the girls, 11th-grader Anri Okuda said.

He said, “Girls give chocolates to (the) boyfriend, and the boys have to give something on White Day.” According to Japanese teacher Tiffany Litzelman, Valentines Day was popularized in Japan by confectionary stores who saw an opportunity for profit.

SAY CHEESE:

She said, “Women are not just obligated to give chocolate to their sweetheart (or) the guy they like, but are obligated to give it to male friends, coworkers and family members. Many women feel overwhelmed by the obligation and have come to resent the amount of money they are expected to spend on Valentines Day.” White Day,SOURCE according to 12thWEBMD grader Aika Uda, occurs on Mar. 14 and is when boys give chocolates to girls that gave them chocolates, and add a present if confessing a crush.

According to Litzelman, White Day was made up by department stores as another way to make money. She said on White Day, or Answer Day, men spend money on gifts as well. Taniyama and Okuda said couples do not do anything very special on this day.

Finally, Taniyama said her wish is to spend Valentines Day in a country where boys gave her presents on that day as well, while Uda said her wish was to spend it in a European country for a completely opposite experiH ence from Japan.

12th-grader Aika Uda (fourth from left) poses with classmates and handmade candy on Valentines Day. Uda said it’s customary in Japan for women to give chocolates all the men in their lives.

AIKA UDA SUBMITTED PHOTO

These stories were riginally published online on Feb. 14, 2021.

SAINT VALENTINE TO YOU Take a look at past events that have shaped Valentines Day as we know it MARISSA FINNEY GRAPHIC HISTORY CHANNEL SOURCE

270 270 ADAD

However, Bonnet said, “I think there is a stigma to celebrate if you are not following the ‘social norm’ of being heterosexual. I imagine students may be less inclined to openly celebrate if they think they will be judged by their peers. I am so glad CHS celebrates all individuals and is a welcoming environment, regardless of one’s sexuality or personal preferences.”

Moon and Palmer celebrated last year’s Valentines Day by getting each other carnations from the school, and gifting each other sweets including Sour Patch Kids and chocolates.

1600s

Exchanging valentines becomes popular in Europe

Roman priest Saint Valentine is allegedly excecuted for marrying couples in secret

BY THE NUMBER

6

MILLION couples choose to get engaged each year on Valentines Day GOOD -HOUSEKEEPING SOURCE

1840 1840

Due to COVID-19, their plans have slightly changed this year.

Palmer said, “I think we’re just gonna go to somebody’s house instead of out in public and watch a movie.”

Moon added, “We switch off which restaurant we go to everytime, and it’s my turn this time, so we’re gonna order Mexican (food).”

Although both Palmer and Moon like celebrating this holiday, they don’t seem to agree on the opinion that Valentines Day is an accurate representation of love. However, they still take the opportunity to celebrate their love for each other.

2019

Americans spend over $20 billion for Valentines Day

The first massproduced valentines are sold in America

Bonnet said Valentines Day can cause unnecessary pressure for students in relationships, and they should remember to enjoy themselves first and foremost, as that is the point of celebrating Valentines Day. As Moon said, “(Valentines Day) “is all about showing the person you love that you care about them.” H

DID YOU KNOW? Giving candy on Valentines Day was started by British chocolatier Richard Cadbury in the 1800s HISTORY CHANNEL SOURCE

STUDENT SECTION

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

HILITE.ORG

19

BALANCING BUDDIES As Feb. 14 approaches, students learn to balance their platonic, romantic relationships with other commitments JASMINE ZHANG STORY

S

ophomore anabelle yang

and freshman Samantha Lin, who have been friends for over 10 years, said they are looking forward to a different kind of celebration on Feb. 14: “Galentines Day.” The term originated from the television show “Parks and Recreation,” a well known mockumentary sitcom television series, and refers to the celebration of specifically female friendships, but today it can be referred to when addressing any kind of platonic relationship.

According to Yang and Lin, their friendship can be celebrated in small but impactful ways such as simple text messages, sharing posts or meeting up and talking in person when possible.

Yang and Lin are not alone. Senior Jessica “Jesse” Cooper said she celebrates friendship every day.

“To me, it is extremely important that my friends know how much I love and appreciate them,” she said.

“I am a major card writer, so I often write letters and tell (my friends) how much I appreciate them.”

For her part, Yang said she appreciates the ease of platonic relationships rather than romantic ones.

“In platonic or friendly relationships, it feels more laid back, as you can enjoy moments as they come,” Yang said. “Some may even say that platonic relationships provide more freedom in and out of the relationship than romantic ones.”

“Whatever kind of relationship a person has—platonic or romantic—” interpersonal relations teacher Faith Dalton said via email, “students should understand any new relationship can take up valuable time, and students need to learn to balance their relationships with other obligations and other relationships.

BY THE NUMBERS

60%

of teens spend time with friends daily

150

significant relationships can be held at once

8.6

average number of friends Americans reported PEW RESEARCH, HUFFPOST SOURCES

“When you start a romantic relationship, you won’t be able to hang out with your friends like you used to do because now you have another relationship that requires your time/effort.”

Dalton said between romantic and platonic relationships, there is not one that is more important than the other.

“Both are needed for different purposes, so they can’t be compared as to which one is most important,” she said. “There are pros (and) cons to each type of relationship, and again they each need a differing amount of our time at different times.”

For her part, Lin said she tries to split her time evenly between romantic and platonic relationships to attempt an equivalent balance.

“If I want to talk to my friends then I’ll do that,” Lin stated. “If I’m talking to someone I like, then I’ll (just) do that, too. It’s whatever

I feel like doing since I know I’m not really choosing between the two. I guess you could say I split the time evenly.”

Cooper said both types of relationships are important to her.

“I think it’s really important that the two relationships I have coincide with one another,” she said. “Both relationships contribute to a major part of my life, so it’s important that I spend time with both so that I can H be balanced in everyday life.”

This story was originally published online on Feb. 13, 2021 BEST FRIENDS FOREVER:

Sophomore Anabelle Yang (right) and freshman Samantha Lin (left) take a picture while spending time together.

Yang and Lin have been friends for over 10 years and like to spend time together whenever possible.

SAMANTHA LIN SUBMITTED PHOTO

20

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

YEAR OF THE OX Due to COVID-19, students, staff adapt to changes in Chinese New Year celebrations, traditions KAROLENA ZHOU STORY

T

TUNGFEN LEE SUBMITTED PHOTOS

his year, chinese new year falls on feb. 12,

but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many families have to change the way they celebrate the holiday. For example, while junior Aleen Zhao said she normally gathers with friends and family, this year she has had to communicate with others via the internet.

“Chinese New Year is a time where families celebrate the Lunar New Year. (For my family,) we normally gather with other friends and families and have a big feast (to celebrate the holiday). Because of COVID-19, large gatherings are not possible anymore and changes may be made to the Chinese New Year Gala, which will definitely take away the excitement for the holiday,” Zhao said. “Instead, we will have to find a way to communicate with others online, similar to what we did last year.

Last year, my family wished each other a happy new year through texting and video calling.”

Like Zhao, junior Colin Zou said he also plans to communicate virtually.

“Usually, I have a big meal with my family and friends, and we would watch the CCTV Chinese New Year gala together. We also eat traditional foods such as fish and

2021 or 4719?

Check out some celebrations, traditions for the Lunar New Year

Red decorations are put on display as red symbolizes luck, joy, and happiness

CULTURE IN CLASS:

Chinese teacher Tungfen Lee’s Chinese ll class celebrates Chinese New Year in 2020.

Lee’s class made “Year of Rat” paper cuttings with Chinese lettering on them. This year, classes won’t be able to participate in the same way due to COVID-19.

People give others red envelopes with money in them to bring good luck

Fireworks and firecrackers are set off to banish evil spirits for the New Year ELISE VARHAN, EMILY SANDY GRAPHIC TOPMARKS SOURCE

Scan here to look at photos of how people typically celebrate the Lunar New Year

dumplings,” Zou said. “Due to COVID-19, I will not be able to see friends in person, so we will have to use virtual communication such as a phone call to connect with them. Last year, we had to cancel a visit to a family friend and relative’s house due to the pandemic.”

While Zhao and Zou will celebrate Chinese New Year by communicating with others online, sophomore Amilyn Ho said she will celebrate the holiday by spending time with her family at home.

“My family’s way of getting the food has changed. We have a cardboard box with a UV light attached to it. We use it to kill whatever germs that could be on the groceries,” Ho said. “Not a lot of things would change for me since my Chinese New Year celebration is (normally) at home. We will still have a family dinner. My mom usually steams two fishes, makes a dish with green beans and then for dessert, we have 年糕 (rice cake). We also sometimes have a hot pot and eat sprouts, pea stalks, sliced meats, shrimp, clams, fish balls, tofu, etc.”

Like Ho, Zhao said even with COVID-19 a few of her plans and traditions will not be affected or changed.

“Some traditions that we will (still be doing this year) would be wearing red and decorating the house in red, as red is a lucky color,” she said. “The Chinese New Year Gala is also a show that my family (likes to) watch to celebrate. Another tradition that we do would be that children bow down to the elder in return for a red envelope which contains money.”

While COVID-19 affects Chinese New Year celebrations at home, it will also affect Chinese New Year celebrations at school. Chinese teacher Tungfen Lee said her classes normally celebrate the holiday by cooking

HILITE.ORG

and bringing traditional Chinese New Year food, creating red envelopes and watching the Chinese Gala.

“Last year, for the Chinese III and AP Chinese classes, we celebrated (the holiday) by having a feast (which) students brought in a certain Chinese New Year’s dish (to share with the class),” Lee said. “(Students) also had a project where they gave a presentation (on the holiday and the dish they created). (They also) made red packets, and at the end of the week, I filled the packets with chocolate coins. They also got to play Chinese traditional games such as the Chinese yo-yo.”

However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lee said she has to change her plans to celebrate Chinese New Year at school. “(COVID-19) definitely affects Chinese New Year,” Lee said. “For example, for our school, our Chinese class, we are not able to celebrate the way we used to.

We used to cook and share our food, but (this year) we are not able to do that. When I try to have students write with calligraphy brushes, I have to sanitize each brush. (The pandemic) causes so many inconveniences.”

Due to all the changes and the cancellation of the feast, some students said they are disappointed, as the feast is their favorite Chinese New Year activity.

Fish 魚 The pronunciation for ‘fish’ in Mandarin is ‘yú,’ which is the same pronunciation as ‘leftover.’

People wish for an abundance of food or wealth in the New Year

SYMBOLIC SNACKS:

Tungfen Lee’s family offers food to their ancestors. Each of the traditional dishes they prepare have deeper symbolic meaning.

Making and sharing these dishes together helps celebrate the New Year.

EMILY SANDY PHOTO ILLUSTRATION NATIONSONLINE SOURCE

21

“My favorite (class activity) is getting to cook together and eat the traditional foods,” Zou said. “It’s a fun way to connect with everyone and have a good time.”

Like Zou, Ho said she is disappointed about the Chinese New Year feast being canceled.

“The most memorable activity was cooking traditional Chinese food. It was exciting to follow a recipe to cook a dish, bring it to school for everyone to try and to try everyone else’s dishes,” Ho said. “During the feast, we also watched the Chinese military march that occurred a few days prior. It was a fun experience.”

Despite all the changes, Zou, Ho and Zhao said they are all excited for the holiday and that they are still about to eat delicious food.

“My favorite part of Chinese New Year is gathering around the dinner table with my family and eating a tasty meal,” Ho said. “The hot pots will always be a favorite of mine.”

Zhao said, “Even with the changes (due to COVID-19), I (still) can’t wait for Chinese New Year (so I can) hang out with friends, eat delicious food and watch H the Chinese Gala.”

Whole chicken (鸡肉; jīròu) This story was originally published online on Feb. 12, 2021 Serving a whole chicken represents prosperity and togetherness of the whole family. In Chinese culture, you must serve the whole chicken Turnip cake to symbolize (萝卜糕; the joy of family luóbo gāo) Turnip cake serves as a good omen among the family eating the cake as well as for the New Year Tangerines (橘; jú) & other fruits They are selected as they are particularly round and ‘golden’ in color, symbolizing fullness and wealth. Also, when spoken, the words have a lucky ring to them. It is believed to bring good luck and fortune to those who eat it

22

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

choose

chara

e your

HILITE.ORG

23

Digital technology opens doors to new possibilities for self-expression MADDIE MISTERKA, WENDY ZHU STORY RAY MO, KIERSTEN RIEDFORD PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

acter

18

BEST OF SEPTEMBER

Y

PEARL CAPSULE

FIRE MATCH CHEEKS

ellow is sophomore tatum

Siebert’s happy color. For her, wearing the color makes her feel like a ray of sunshine, and it’s how she expresses happiness and contentment.

She said fashion has always played a major role in her life, but in recent years she began to put more time and effort into building her style and, along with it, her self-confidence. “(When I started exploring fashion,) I felt like I was expressing who I wanted to be, and it definitely built my confidence because it showed that, yeah, people will look, but nobody really cared that much,” Siebert said.

She said she has continued to experiment with her fashion and that isolation due to the pandemic actually impacted her approach to fashion for the better. As an only child, Siebert said she spent a lot of time during quarantine completely by herself, and it caused her to do a lot of introspection about herself and her self-expression through fashion.

“Being by myself and being able to appreciate who I am has definitely built my confidence, which has affected my fashion because then I’m wearing more ‘out there’ things to school or posting more ‘out there’ things I wouldn’t normally post,” Siebert said.

Siebert’s more frequent use of social media to display her fashion during quarantine is a phenomenon that has been present across the globe—especially with the rise of digital communication through programs like Zoom, many people have seen more digital influences on their lives and the way they express themselves.

Sophomore Kristina Zerbinopoulos said she noticed this impact not only in her day-to-day routine, but also with how it changed the fashion industry.

“I think it’s really interesting to see how digital fashion is becoming more prominent in promoting and advertisCHEESIN’: Sophomore Kristina Zerbinopoulos poses for a selfie.

Above, in the circles, are the images of her with filters from L’Oreal Paris’ digital cosmetic line on Snapchat.

BRILLIANT SIGNATURE

KRISTINA ZERBINOPOULOS SUBMITTED PHOTOS

HILITE.

(Digital fashion is)

an interesting way to use technology, and it’s an art form, I would think, but if every single person used it, I don’t think that would be realistic.

SENIOR MARISSA CHESLOCK ing fashion and clothing, and there’s a lot of new software that’s being used to express this,” Zerbinopoulos said. “Influencers are kind of using this digital fashion in a new way to advertise themselves, put themselves out there and show new clothes, so I think it’s definitely something interesting that’s evolving and shaping the fashion industry.”

Last November, cosmetics company L’Oreal launched its Signature Faces digital makeup line, a series of filters available on platforms like Snapchat, Zoom and Google Hangouts. The hyperrealistic make-up allow users to don a full face of product in seconds with the tap of a screen, a prime example of how digital technology has transformed the world of fashion, makeup and self-expression. Cyber fashion brands like Dress-X and Tribute have created lines of fully digital clothing

for Instagram-ready photos—clients purchase the digital pieces, upload photos of themselves and receive photos of themselves in which the digital piece has been edited onto their body.

Especially with COVID-19 restrictions on the analog fashion industry and surges of social media use during lockdown, digital wardrobes have become less of a science-fiction fantasy and more of a reality.

However, the rise of digital fashion and makeup has not been without opposition. Though both Zerbinopoulos and Siebert said such innovations can open doors to new possibilities, some fashion students, like senior Marissa Cheslock, said they still prefer the idea of creating and wearing physical garments as a means of self-expression.

“I guess I don’t really like the trend of digital fashion, because what’s really the point of it? It kind of adds to the fakeness online and in social media. It’s definitely an interesting way to use technology, and it’s an art form, I would think,” Cheslock said, “but if every single person used it, I don’t think that would be realistic.”

Digital self-expression, however, is not only limited to the fashion and makeup industry. Video games like Minecraft, Animal Crossing and The Sims, which have all seen spikes in gameplay during the pandemic, provide players with opportunities to world-build and customize their own characters. Though this recent popularity of video games can be attributed to isolation and stay-at-home orders, selfdiscovery and self-expression through digital games are not new concepts. In a 2002 study published in the Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies, researchers found that those who used a

video game avatar discovered new elements about their personality because they could explore their identity in a separate representation of themselves.

According to Dylan Gentilcore, eSports director and English teacher, games with customization features give students both a safe space to express themselves in a way they might not be able to in real life and a creative outlet.

“That’s why a game like Minecraft is so popular. Games in which you can go in and create stages of any sort, games where you have a lot more modularity over the way that your character looks, deeper character custom-

19

SEW UNIQUE: Sophomore Kristina Zerbinopoulos works on her fashion project.

She said she likes how fashion can allow students, including herself, to express themselves in newfound ways both in and out of school during high school.

RAY MO PHOTO

SAVING FACES Take a look at how Snapchat finds your face SAM HAWKINS GRAPHIC

TECHNOBYTE SOURCES

Snapchat created a statistical model of a face by pointing out different facial features

The center of the forehead is lighter than the sides

The bridge of the nose is lighter than the rest of the face The chin is outlined by shadows

The eye socket is darker than the forehead When the mouth opens, it inside is relatively darker

When you take a photo, these points align themselves to these features using areas of contrast

26

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

FASHION FORWARD Take a look at some of the celebrities and influencers promoting digital fashion Richard Ma, CEO of Silicon Valley startup Quantstamp, spent $9,500 via blockchain on the “Iridesence” dress by The Fabricant, the world’s first digitalonly dress

Scan this to read a story about students expressing themselves in fashion

Lisa Anckarman, popular Swedish YouTuber and stylist, modeled the first digital Carlings collection

ization or the ability to dye different pieces of gear or to even mix and match different parts—stuff like that is really important,” Gentilcore said. “It scratches a creative itch that really gets stifled; a lot of times growing up, you have so little agency in the world. You feel like your creativity and your curiosity are curved at every corner because we’re trying to get you to focus on certain things, so that sort of sandbox environment is huge.”

Although many games are largely customizable, according to Dylan Boy-

er, eSports member and junior, there are lots of games where customization does not affect gameplay and is mainly a way for the player to make their experience more individualized.

“Whether you want to be something as cool as a caped hero or as silly as a random pink blob of color,” Boyer said via email, “the sky is the limit with games like (Minecraft, World of Warcraft, or Skyrim). In MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) and Skyrim, for example, these characters can be cus-

WHAT MAKES AN AVATAR? Learn which custom features students* use most often when creating an avatar or video game character Number of students who chose the trait 0

Happy99’s digital shoes caught the eye of musicians Lady Gaga & Grimes, who both requested samples

50

100

150

200 Hair Style Clothes Hair Color Skin Tone

Facial Expression Shoes Jewelry Hats and Gloves

*Based on results from a poll conducted by the HiLite staff of 258 CHS students ARCHIT KALRA GRAPHIC

HILITE POLL SOURCE

BY THE NUMBERS

37%

of adolescents in a 2008 study customized their characters based on who they wanted to be

2.5 BILLION

gamers around the world as of June 2020

42% of Americans play video games every week

87%

of game developers said diversity in games is important TECHCRUNCH SOURCE

CHLOE SUN GRAPHIC TEEN VOGUE, THE CUT SOURCES

tomized to great detail, leaving an immense amount of room for expression through their character creation.”

Although the customization being presented in some games may not largely affect gameplay, Gentilcore said he thinks the availability of customization in games is beneficial to players and can improve their overall gameplay experience.

“I think that’s a core component of gaming to a lot of people, that mode of self-expression,” Gentilcore said. “And now a lot of the games, especially the games I gravitate toward, have that in some degree, whether it’s as small as changing a profile picture or creating a character that represents you in some capacity. It could be a human representation of yourself; it could be more of a monstrous or animalistic avatar or player character… but it gives you the opportunity to start with that character and progress it over time and make changes and really develop this new sense of identity.”

Siebert said although she does not play a lot of video games, the idea of being able to express herself in a new way would be something that could draw her to trying a new game. Whether it would be through creating a fantasy avatar or shaping the environment around her, she said the possibilities presented through digital customization intrigue her.

HILITE.ORG

“I think that customization in games is such a cool way for people to have an outlet for creativity and to express themselves, especially when they feel like they can’t in their personal lives,” Siebert said.

Still, although Siebert said she liked the idea of expression through video games and the sentiment behind digital fashion, she said she thought there might be some potential drawbacks to digital alterations to one’s appearance as well, if not used responsibly.

“People are presenting themselves in a way—like if it’s on Zoom—that’s not really what they look like. If you’re changing your appearance and saying that that’s how you naturally look, then it can affect the general view of beauty because then other people are like, ‘Well, why don’t I look like that?’” she said. “I think that there’s a fine line because of course there’s always that argument with makeup where people are like, ‘Oh, you’re false advertising.’

But I think it could be a really great way for people to express themselves without having to invest as much, to be able to dip their toes in the water (and try out new styles).”

Zerbinopoulos said she is considering going into fashion as a career

Scan this to view a graphic on Cyberpunk, a customizable video game GAME DAY: Dylan Boyer, eSports member and junior, sits in the eSports team’s new room playing Skyrim.

Boyer said customization of characters allows players to express themselves in a subtle way.

RAY MO PHOTO

and said digital fashion is something that would interest her.

“But if I were to go into fashion, I think fashion design and digital fashion would be something that I would follow,” she said. “I think digital fashion is a very broad concept, but there’s a lot of different ways that you can use it to promote things (and) express yourself; companies are launching collections, and you can buy things. I think probably fashion design within digital fashion would be something I would look into.”

Cheslock also said she is interested in a career in fashion, and while she said she doesn’t know exactly what she wants to do with her future degree, she said she would prefer to work with textiles than digital software.

“I’m going into fashion (as a career), and I’ll probably not (work in digital fashion), but it depends on how it changes over time,” Cheslock said.

Similarly to how companies make money off of digital fashion, Boyer said games make a lot of money off of customizations and selling other additions to their game.

“Despite these ‘skins’ being a platform of expression for some players, they are limited to only those who can

27

afford it,” Boyer said. “On the other hand, though, these cosmetics have almost no effect on the game’s playability whatsoever. I find these a benefit in most cases, since it would give the players who can afford ‘skins’ an unfair advantage. It maintains the game’s integrity by keeping skins as something purely for visual appeal.”

Ultimately, however, having access to any kind of customization or creative freedom is, according to Gentilcore, generally beneficial. For him, encouraging young people especially to continue their pursuits in creativity and self-expression is what gives them a sense of agency in their lives.

“I am a person who typically views any mode of expression that doesn’t cause harm to other people as inherently good,” Gentilcore said. “As long as my expression doesn’t put others in danger or make them feel threatened or spread some sort of message of hate, then I think it provides a great good to society. We have insecurities and different issues that we’ve packed away in ourselves that aren’t always visible to others and may not even be visible to ourselves, but we can find ways in which we are able to H let out some of that.”

ENTERTAINMENT

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

(AT LA)ST With Feb. 21 being 16th anniversary of first airing of Avatar: The Last Airbender, learn about world first created 16 years ago CHLOE SUN GRAPHIC

AVATAR.FANDOM SOURCE

BACKSTORY In the ATLA universe, there are four nations: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. Each nation is home to select people who are able to manipulate, or “bend,” their nation’s element.

The Avatar, an entity reincarnated into different benders over time, has the power to bend all four elements and is tasked with keeping peace between nations. However, the Avatar has vanished for over a century, just as the power-hungry Fire Nation begins their violent worldwide conquest in the Hundred Years War. As the show begins, the vanished Avatar, Aang, is rediscovered and, with his friends’ help, he must master all four elements to stop the Fire Nation and restore balance.

THE GAANG Meet the friends Aang finds on his Avatar journey.

Katara is a waterbending master from the Southern Water Tribe and is sister to Sokka.

Sokka is a skilled Southern Water Tribe warrior and strategist, and is brother to Katara.

Appa and Momo accompany the Gaang on their adventures. Appa is the Gaang’s transportation and Aang’s spirit guide.

Toph is a blind earthbending master. She invents metalbending.

Zuko is a firebending master, born as a prince in the Fire Nation. He was dishonored and banished from his home and eventually joins the Gaang.

HILITE.ORG

29

This graphic was originally published online on Feb. 24, 2021

cultural influences Take a look how real-life cultures influenced the different nations of ATLA

the earth kingdom Great Wall/Forbidden City/architecture - China Food/fashion - China Ming Dynasty-era propaganda & policing - China

THE AIR NOMADS Monastic practices/ culture - Tibetan Buddhist monks, Nepalese culture, the Shaolin Monks, Sri Lankan Buddhism, Hinduism

SOUTHERN & NORTHERN WATER TRIBE Culture/dress/ships - Arctic & indigenous cultures like the Inuit, Yupik & the Native Americans Yin-yang spirituality/architecture China & East Asia

the fire nation Culture - East, South, & Southeast Asia • Chinese Confucianist concept of deference to elders • “Honor duels” from South Asian warrior societies Imperialist propaganda - World War II Japan Architecture - China & Southeast Asia

story timeline The three head to the North Pole to learn waterbending while evading the Fire Nation

The Gaang searches for Appa in Ba Sing Se and uncover a conspiracy

Katara & Sokka find Aang & Appa frozen in an iceberg

The three meet Toph, who teaches Aang earthbending

book 1

Zuko unexpectedly joins the Gaang and teaches Aang firebending The Gaang & allies fail to invade the Fire Nation

book 2

SPEAK-UP! CHLOE SUN SPEAK-UPS

Zuko confronts Azula and Aang finally faces Firelord Ozai, ending the war

book 3

How did seeing ATLA regain popularity feel nostalgic for you?

NAOMI GROSSMAN, ABBY KO SUBMITTED PHOTOS

“(It) brought me back to my childhood.

I was still really young when I first watched it, so I wasn’t able to fully appreciate it then. I’m glad the show came back because it allowed me to rediscover something that I loved.”

Junior Abby Ko

“I’ve always felt safe watching shows meant for a younger audience such as Avatar. It reminds me of my childhood self and being extremely optimistic and gives me another boost of hope.”

Junior Naomi Grossman

ENTERTAINMENT SPOTLIGHT

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

A GEM IN BUSINESS Sophomore Izzy Monger talks about her homemade jewelry business PALLEVI PILLAI Q & A

IZZY MONGER SUBMITTED PHOTOS

This story package was originally published online on Feb. 20, 2021

What is your favorite memory from making or selling a jewelry piece?

In November, I had set up a sort of pop-up shop in my garage and the turn out was amazing.

I had some many more people show up than I was expecting and was so surprised by the amount of people that had an interest in the things I had created.

What motivates you to continue making and selling jewelry amidst everything going on in the world?

I feel almost like it’s my calm during the storm, if that makes sense. If I feel stressed about something it can some times be my therapy.

What is the general inspiration behind your pieces?

I spend an unhealthy amount of time on Pinterest and that is normally where I go for my ideas. I had also taken Jewelry 1 second semester of my freshman year so that also jump started my interests.

What has been the most challenging aspect about having an Etsy shop?

I struggle with marketing myself. I have an Instagram account (@izbizcrafts) for the sole purpose of bringing in customers, but I am not very good with posting consistently, so it is a very small account.

A BEADED BUSINESS: (ABOVE) Using an assortment of

wires, string and beads, Sophomore Izzy Monger creates products for her store. She learned how to work with the materials last year and her business took off a couple of months later.

(RIGHT) Sophomore Izzy Monger uses hand and nose pliers to connect and form designs for her bracelets, necklaces, rings and earrings. Many of the products Monger produces are uniquely different from each other either in color or design.

HILITE.ORG

31

ROM-COM SEASON Students should remember romantic comedies are meant to be enjoyable, not realistic MICHELLE WAN SPEAK-UPS

JILLIAN MOORE COLUMN

W

ith valentine’s day

For example, in 2018, Netfupon us, we find ourlix released “To All the Boys I’ve selves bombarded Loved Before,” which became with hearts, roses and countan instant hit. In the movie, less romantic comedies. Rosomeone mails the main mantic comedies, or romcharacter Lara Jean’s secret coms, are meant to seem love letters to her crushes, lighthearted, charming and throwing her life into havoc. funny, but criticism in past But even though we all knew years portrays them as cliwhat would happen after 10 chéd and retrograde.

JUST FOR FUN minutes, Netflix has already In fact, rom-coms have made one sequel and anothrapidly lost popularity. Acer is on the way.

BY THE cording to Statista, the box office reveNo one could describe rom-coms NUMBERS like these as cinematic masterpieces nue of rom-coms in North America from 1998 to 2012 never went beor even remotely realistic. Dependlow $330 million, even reaching $733 ing on the acting and plot, they can million in 2007. But after 2012? be gooey, unbearably cheesy and, by of box office No rom-com topped $264 million. any kind of objective criticism, terticket sales One of the biggest reasons for rible. But this isn’t true for all romcame from this fall from fame is the unrealistic coms and it doesn’t mean people rom-coms in depictions of relationships in these need to stop enjoying the genre.

1999 movies. However, rom-coms tend Rom-coms in the ’80s and ’90s, to include grand gestures, like stopfor example, have significantly ping someone at an airport or conmore problems than current movfessions of love in public places. It’s MILLION ies. Some behaviors considered roimportant to remember this just isn’t mantic back then would be called the highest realistic and this amount of drama harassment or stalking now. But as box office isn’t normal in real life and healthy profit made feminism became more mainstream, relationships. Rom-coms don’t need on a rom-com rom-coms had to change with the to—and rarely do—represent reality; in the past 5 times and portray, if not healthy years when writers and directors use a little relationships, at least modern ones. drama to make a movie glittery and For example, many popular romantic (instead of exhausting or THE NUMBERS rom-coms with a strong following frustrating), it can rise in popularity.

SOURCE today, like “Legally Blonde,” “La

10%

100

SPEAK-UP!

La Land” or “The Kissing Booth,” came out in the 21st century, while older movies have long fallen into obscurity. And of course, many of us grew up watching Disney Channel rom-coms that are so bad, they’re good. Yes, this is a reference to “High School Musical” and “Teen Beach Movie.”

Whatever your opinion about rom-coms, you have most likely seen one because, well, they’re popular. Hopeless romantics and anyone who loves romantic comedies will keep the genre alive, so check out some of these movies and see why they’re famous.

Just remember, rom-coms don’t represent attainable relationships; the producers’ goal is to make enjoyable movies, not realistic ones.

So this February, take a grain of salt with the genre and don’t find yourself wishing for the grand confession of love that features in every H romantic comedy.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite. Reach Jillian Moore at jmoore@hilite.org This column was originally published online on Feb. 14, 2021

What rom-coms have you watched and how did you feel when watching them?

“My favorite romantic comedy is (Disney’s) ‘Starstruck.’ I get sad but alternate back to happy during rom-coms.”

Sophomore Mena Pehlivan

“I have recently watched the movie called ‘Holidate,’ which is on Netflix. It was a suggestion from a friend to watch the movie, so I decided to give it a try. Laughter is one emotion that I experience since most of the movies are calm and quite funny.”

Junior Zachary “Zach” Osborne

SPORTS

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

HORSE(BACK)POWER Q&A with sophomore Clare Leedke on her experiences, goals with horseback riding LEAH TAN Q&A

LUKE MILLER PHOTO

NATHAN HUANG GRAPHIC

How did you start horseback riding?

I always wanted to ride when I was younger. I’m not sure why I wanted to (ride) so bad, but I apparently just always wanted to ride horses. My parents put off getting me into lessons until I was in fifth grade, hoping I would grow out of my horse phase. We found a lesson barn online and started there.

What misconceptions would you like to clear up about horseback riding?

A lot of people think riding is an easy sport, or that it’s not a sport at all. For starters, it’s definitely not easy. Going on a trail ride would be easy, but when you actually have to ride, it’s a whole different story. Even on a well-behaved horse, you use a lot of different muscles that aren’t used often. Even just the care of the horses can be exhausting. Everyone who rides pours blood, sweat, tears and a lot of money into their riding, and a lot of people discredit us saying, “The horse does all the work.” There are people who also say if you ride horses, you have to be rich. If I’m being honest, the top of the sport is fairly inaccessible without loads of money, but overall if you put in hard work, you don’t need to be rich to ride. There are plenty of opportunities to get free rides, especially if you’re willing to work.

This Q&A was originally published online on Feb. 9, 2021

BY THE NUMBERS

30 MPH top speed of a horse with a rider during a full-speed gallop

1,100 POUNDS is the average weight of a Thoroughbred racehorse TOP HORSEBACK RIDING, BEST HORSE RIDER SOURCES

ON HORSEBACK Take a look at two popular styles of horseback riding

WESTERN (American) To steer, the rider shifts his weight to instruct his horse

Posture is whatever is the most comfortable for the rider to sit and steer

ENGLISH (European) The saddle used in English riding is smaller and lighter, designed to maximize mobility

How long have you been horseback riding for?

Around four years total, but only two with a trainer I am consistently improving and moving up with.

How can people start, whether it be for fun or for competition?

A great start would be researching barns around you that offer lessons.

Some barns are more fit for just beginners, and some can take you from starting out to the show ring. One of the best things to do would be to ask around. Many people have different opinions, and it really depends on how serious you want to take your riding.

What goes into being a horseback rider?

Skill-wise, it takes a lot of leg muscle, core and balance.

Depending on if you’re riding a faster horse or a lazier one, it can take more arm or leg (muscles).

Equipment-wise, starting out a pair of cheap boots and a cheap helmet with long pants works well. Even just riding clothes add up (in cost) quickly.

(You need) good helmets that will protect you from a fall, nice boots, riding pants, belts—it honestly never really ends. When just taking lessons, you most likely won’t need your own horse tack; the barn should supply it. With your own horse, you’ll need boots for the horse, saddle pads, a saddle, bridle, girth, grooming supplies and much more.

Another thing that’s good to have when working with horses is patience.

What are your long-term goals with horseback riding?

The saddle used in Western riding is larger and heavier, aimed at distributing weight evenly

Straight-up posture to look refined EQUISEARCH SOURCE

If money, time and experience weren’t an issue, I would love to work with horses for a living. You don’t make much, but I think I would enjoy it.

Realistically, I’m hoping just to keep riding through college and after as much as possible and see where it takes me from there.

ROUTINE RIDE: Clare Leedke, horseback rider and sophomore, controls Irish, her horse, on an indoor practice ride. Leedke said controlling a galloping horse while riding is much harder than riding on a traditional trail ride.

34

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

POWER OF THE PEOPLE Athletes speak out about representation of Blacks in sports at CHS, nationally ALIVIA ROMANIUK STORY

This story was originally published online on Feb. 16, 2021

F

ebruary is black history Month, dedicated to remembering and celebrating those who paved the way for today’s society, breaking deeplyrooted racial barriers.

Arguably some of the most ground-breaking achievements have been in athletics, where Black athletes like Jackie Robinson, Dominique Dawes, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Jesse Owens, Althea Gibson and the Williams sisters broke records and became household names, opening the doors for further generations of Black excellence.

Zachary Cox, member of the men’s varsity track and field team and senior, said sports can be a means of unification and representation for those who have suffered amid recent events.

“From a national sports perspective, black representation is at an all-time high,” he said. “(There are) NBA players wearing BLM (Black Lives Matter) shirts in warm up and in the NFL players were wearing BLMempowering words on the back of their helmets.”

PAVING THE WAY

HURDLE OVER: Senior Zachary Cox jumps over a hurdle while practicing for upcoming track meets. He said CHS keeps student athletes’ views open and doesn’t try to block or hide anything.

BY THE NUMBERS

82%

of NBA black players are on active rosters

1.2

THOUSAND NFL black players are on active rosters ESPN, THE GUARDIAN SOURCES

ZACHARY COX SUBMITTED PHOTO

Athletics Director Jim Inskeep said he strives to create a welcoming and diverse athletic community.

“I do think we have worked hard, and will continue to work hard, to increase the diversity in our coaching staffs. Students need to have leadership that understands all backgrounds and that goes well beyond the racial struggles our nation has experienced.

BIOGRAPHY.COM SOURCE

CHENYAO LIU GRAPHIC

Take a look at some African American trailblazers in sports JACKIE ROBINSON Jackie Robinson was the first Black baseball player in Major League Baseball.

Robinson led the Brooklyn Dodgers to six league championships and one World Series victory

ALTHEA GIBSON Althea Gibson was the first Black athlete to compete in a world tennis tour. She was the first African American woman to win Wimbledon and the U.S. open, both of which are Grand Slam titles

JESSE OWENS Jesse Owens was a five-time world record holder in track. He was the first American track and field athlete to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games

Finding strong adult leaders that nurture and provide positive support to all of our student athletes is the goal with each coaching here,” he said.

Cox said he agreed.

“I think Black representation in sports at (CHS) is at a good point.

It’s no secret that African Americans are minorities in Carmel, and with that being said I believe (CHS) does a good job of keeping student athletes’ views open and not trying to block or hide anything they’ve said or trying to say,” he said.

Riley Pennington, member of the women’s varsity basketball team and senior, said she agrees that African-Americans are a minority in athletics at this school.

“I think because of the demographics in Carmel, we have less AfricanAmerican representation in sports than most places nationwide but it varies from each team,” she said.

Demographics are slow to change, but Inskeep said he has seen Carmel grow more diverse over the past 20 years.

HILITE.ORG

Sports is the one interest in our society that unites communities and a fan base to support the team, regardless of skin color.

ATHLETICS DIRECTOR JIM INSKEEP He said, “This can be seen across Hamilton County as student demographics continue to be more diverse each school year.

“As someone who has lived here my whole life, I think it is awesome to see this change in Carmel. Different races and cultures are enhancing our communities and definitely our athletic programs.”

For generations, sports have been a unifying force; a means of putting political, social, religious, and racial differences aside and coming together to root for a common goal.

But by focusing on those differences, Cox said the past year has shown that sports can take an even bigger role in society.

“I believe a lot of recognition was put on Black people in sports over the summer in reaction to the George Floyd incident,” Cox said. “I do believe that college sports teams, the NFL and the NBA have done a better job of showing the other side of players, the non-athletic side.”

Inskeep said, “Sports is the one area of interest in our society that unites communities and a fan base to support the team regardless of skin color.

“It has been a great thing in my opinion for society as a whole in the last 40 years. The last year has been really difficult and created divides in our society. It is sad, but has restarted a very important discussion about racial biases and inequities. All of us play a role daily in making all opportunities equal H for every student.”

PASS IT ON: Riley Pennington, member of the women’s basketball team and senior, passes a basketball to a teammate during a game. She said she thinks the demographics of Carmel explain why there may be an underrepresentative black population in some sports at CHS. HANNAH BAER PHOTO

35

BEATING THE BATTLE Athletes, trainers reflect on experiences with surgeries, recovery process AUSTIN GUO STORY

B

rooke zurcher, member of women’s swim team and senior, knew something was wrong when she was training with the swim team. Her heart was beating unusually fast during workouts.

When she consulted a cardiologist, her cardiologist diagnosed her with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).

“My heart rate will go up too high.

When your heart beats too fast, your body isn’t getting enough oxygenated blood so it basically means I get fatigued very easily and I could possibly pass out. Luckily, I have not yet,” Zurcher said about the effects of SVT. February is American Heart Month, dedicated to promoting cardiovascular health. While Zurcher is an athlete who regularly exercises her cardiovascular system, she still had to undergo heart surgery.

Zurcher said, “When (the cardiologists) got inside my heart, they did a catheter ablation. So they basically (inserted a tube) through my leg and went up to my heart and they diagnosed me with atrial fibrillation.”

Zurcher said she was not anxious prior to the surgery because of the surgery’s low mortality rate.

“I actually was really calm because these types of procedures are extremely low-risk,” Zurcher said. “There’s almost no chance of me dying, which is awesome. It’s minimally invasive so I’m not going to have a big scar or anything.”

Fortunately for Zurcher, she was able to resume training soon after the operation.

“Since (my surgery) was minimally invasive and they went through my leg, I just needed a Band-Aid on it for about a week or

TAKING THE SHOT: Maddie Quigley, women’s soccer player and junior, prepares to kick the ball during a match against North Central.

Quigley said she has missed three seasons due to hip surgeries.

She said, “Missing soccer is definitely very draining ... It’s very hard to watch people play and not be able to.”

MADDIE QUIGLEY SUBMITTED PHOTO

so just to make sure it didn’t get infected,” Zurcher said. “After about a week, I went back to practice and I was basically back to normal.

Nothing really that special.”

However, some athletes have had to undergo more serious surgeries on other parts of their body and miss out on playing for extended periods of time. Maddie Quigley, soccer player and junior, said she has undergone multiple surgeries on her hips and as a result has missed out on entire soccer seasons.

“Missing soccer is definitely very draining. I’ve played soccer since I could walk, so not playing was very different. It’s very hard to watch people around you play and not be able to,” Quigley said.

To aid in her recovery, Quigley has gone through physical therapy

HILITE.ORG

OPEN YOUR HEART Check out the common steps for traditional open heart surgery

1

Ventilator source

2

Doctor gives medicine for sedation.

3

4

Into lungs

A breathing tube is placed into the lungs through the throat and connects to a ventilator for oxygen.

Line of incision

Separation of ribs

The surgeon will make a cut through the chest, cut the breastbone and open the rib cage to reach the heart.

5

Wires connect ribs

BY THE NUMBERS

7.97

MILLION heart operations done in the United States in 2014

122

THOUSAND U.S. congenital heart surgeries from 2014 to 2018

3,408 heart transplants done in the United States in 2018

1.0%

A heart-lung bypass machine connects to the heart to keep blood in circulation during surgery.

ANIKET BISWAL GRAPHIC

Surgeon completes operation and allows heart to normalize.

Stitches and wires are required to patch up body.

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH SOURCE

to rebuild strength in her hips both before and after the surgery.

Quigley said, “Physical therapy consisted of lots of hip exercise, lots of strengthening, not only on the hip, but (also) around the hip. Eventually (the trainers and I progressed) to where I could run and do different, more advanced exercises.”

Athletics trainers work closely with athletes to help them recover from these surgeries. Athletics trainer Derek White said he takes athletes through a sequence of activities to help them build up strength after surgery.

White said via email, “When an athlete is recovering from surgery we use a functional progression. We start by reducing pain and swelling through manual therapy such as massage and compression. Once pain and swelling are reduced we move to increase range of motion

QUICK SWIM: Brooke Zurcher, women’s swim team member and senior, does a butterfly stroke.

Zurcher developed supraventricular tachycardia, requiring her to undergo heart surgery.

mortality rate among children for heart defect surgeries AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION SOURCE

through stretching and movement exercises. Once we believe the athlete is ready, we then work to increase an athlete’s strength through exercises with weights or bands.”

While going through physical therapy and recovering from her surgery, Quigley said she has begun returning to the field and doing some practice.

However, her activity is still restricted.

OLIVIA MCKEE PHOTO

37

Quigley said, “I go out to the fields on a good day with my hips.

When my hips feel a little bit better, I’ll try and play, but usually after practicing on a field for an hour, I will be icing for the next week and will be in an insane amount of pain, even after the surgeries. So, I go when I can go.”

Similarly, Zurcher said she is still limited in her training and sometimes needs to take breaks during workouts.

Zurcher said, “I have not been able to train to the extent that I used to be able to. Whenever I get to a point where it goes up too high and I start to see spots during swimming, I just have to stop and take a breath and stop exercising for five minutes and wait for my heart rate to go back down.”

Quigley said the people around her have helped her greatly during her recovery process.

She said, “I’ve received a lot (of support). Mostly my friends and parents are what kept me so positive throughout my surgeries. Surgeries are very draining, so having teammates and coaches and friends and family to support you through it made it a lot easier for sure.”

Overall, Quigley said her experience with hip surgeries has taught her to appreciate many of the smaller and subtler aspects of life.

Quigley said, “Being on bed rest and being on crutches, it’s such a little thing but it makes you appreciate all the little things like being able to hold things by yourself or hold your backpack. The little things are very effective and you H wouldn’t expect them to be.”

This story was originally published online on Feb. 14, 2021

PERSPECTIVES

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

EXAM CRAM Administration developed workable plan for ISTEP+, more resources should be offered HILITE STAFF EDITORIAL

O

ne of the most challenging aspects of this school year is standardized testing. On Feb. 5* and Feb. 10, juniors will take one of their most important tests of their academic careers: the ISTEP+.

During this unprecedented semester, administrators at this school had a tall task on their hands to organize testing sessions and ensure that all juniors fulfill this graduation requirement.

The plan they devised is commendable, and the responsibility now shifts to juniors to make sure they are in the right place at the right time on testing day. To that end, room lists are published in the main cafeteria, media center, and counseling office windows.

As for the schedule, on Feb. 5*, juniors will sit for the English section of ISTEP+ for the entire school day. All students must be in their seats by 8:45 a.m. Testing intervals will last 60 to 80

SPEAK-UP!

minutes, with a 10-minute break in between. Students will eat during A or B lunch, and the test is scheduled to end at 3:45 p.m. Students will take the math exam on Feb. 10, which is a late start day. As a result, students must be in their rooms by 9:25 a.m. instead.

Otherwise, the rest of the testing day will proceed similarly, and will conclude at 3:45 p.m.

But school officials and others aren’t unable to still help. More communication is key over these last few days to ensure that students are prepared. Counselors and administrators should offer more testing resources through emails or other announcements. Families can independently find sample tests and scoring criteria through the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE). Even a half-hour of ISTEP+ review with these resources can make a critical difference.

LEAH TAN SPEAK-UPS, PHOTOS

How do you feel about the ISTEP+ schedule?

“I think the biggest issue is the government still requiring testing during a pandemic, but regarding the schedule, I feel like testing for an entire day will be difficult. It’s difficult to focus in a normal school day, let alone for when testing for 7 hours.”

Junior Erin Gordon

“I don’t really the mind the ISTEP+ schedule.

I’m not really affected by it since I can still do my own virtual work on my own autonomous schedule, but I do think they could’ve communicated it to our teachers and us better.”

Freshman Sami Syed

BY THE NUMBERS

33%

of students in Indiana passed the ISTEP+ in 2019

62%

of students in Indiana passed the English portion of the ISTEP+

35%

of students in Indiana passed the Math portion of the ISTEP+ CHALKBEAT SOURCE

Scan this to see the Junior ISTEP+ Schedule.

ISTEP+ Testing is on Feb. 10 and Feb. 17

OUR STANCE We commend the school for adjusting the ISTEP+ schedule per COVID-19 regulations, but recommend they accommodate more for student needs Teachers, especially those for non-junior classes, need to keep their students on track. ISTEP+ is equivalent to a mass-absence, since juniors miss the whole day.

Administrators could also announce a contingency plan for students forced to quarantine during this short testing window. According to the IDOE, the ISTEP+ spring window is open from Feb. 2 until Feb. 26 -- leaving just over two weeks between the second session and the deadline. Safety concerns remain paramount, and students must have this information as soon as possible. COVID-19 can strike at any moment.

Time is ticking until testing day, and juniors must be prepared for what comes ahead. While administrators and school officials should not waste a moment in distributing ISTEP+ guides and releasing the fallback plan for students in quarantine; ultimately, in this difficult year, they can only do so much. Juniors must do their due diligence and put their best foot forward H for this crucial exam. *The Feb. 5 ISTEP+ date changed to Feb. 17 following the publication of this editorial due to weather cancellations This editorial was originally published online on Feb. 2, 2021

HILITE.ORG

39

DON’T RELAX YET Students should consider applying for local scholarships in second semester GRAY MARTENS COLUMN

C

ollege applications are a pain. They’re the final hurdle of high school for most students, and whether you’re filling out two applications or 12, it’s rarely a fun process.

First, you have to fill out the seemingly endless Common App information and activities fields, then somehow sum yourself up in 650 words or fewer in the Common App essay. Then comes the tidal wave of “optional” supplemental essays for each school (Pro tip: they’re never really optional). After all of that, even the thought of additional scholarship applications is enough to make anyone tired. These can seem like just one more extra step to an endless admissions process, but in reality scholarships are just as important as any other step in that process and it’s important for you to apply to as many as you can.

College is ridiculously expensive at the moment. Thirty years ago, you could get a summer job at a fast food restaurant and pay for a significant amount of your college tuition. Now, unless you were able to snag an upper management position at 17, it’s a lot harder to pay for that tuition.

Need-and merit-based scholarships from colleges can be very helpful, but they won’t always be enough to cover the cost, especially with the budgetary strain many schools have felt in the COVID-19 pandemic. In Indiana for example, public universities all over the state received a 7% budget cut.

Because of these funding cuts schools will have less money to give out for necessity and merit-based scholarships, making smaller local scholarships all the more essential this year.

Local scholarships are a great option to consider. There are a ton of

STRUGGLE

14 Read a story on college and how students at CHS are mitigating the cost of it via scholarships or financial aid

Scan this to access the hundreds of local scholarships offered by the Carmel Education Foundation

them. They each average about $500 to $1000, and cover a wide variety of demographics and areas of interest.

Applying to these can be an added bit of work, especially after going through the rest of the application process, but it’s absolutely worth it. Individually these scholarships seem small, but they’re easy to apply to and are often relatively easy to earn.

One $1000 scholarship may not make much of a difference, but five-10 of those sure will.

In the end, it’s tempting to just sit back and let the senioritis take over.

It’s been a long year, but it’s worth it to put in that little extra effort to apply to these scholarships. It might H make a big difference for you.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Gray Martens at gmartens@hilite.org This column was originally published online on Feb. 15, 2021

SCHOLARSHIPS See which college scholarships students can apply to due Feb. 21 and later $30000

$25000

Doodle for Google Competition Due Feb. 26 Students must create a Google Doodle based on how they are uniquely strong.

$20000

Live Más Scholarship Due Feb. 21

$15000

Students ages 16 to 24 years old must submit a short video about the story of their life passion.

$10000

Mathworks Math Modeling Scholarship Due Feb. 22.

$5000

Juniors and seniors must work in teams to solve a real world math problem under time and resource restraints.

$0 JILLIAN MOORE GRAPHIC COLLEGEVINE, SCHOLARSHIPS.COM SOURCES

40 B E S T O F F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

PUT YOURSELF FIRST In honor of Relationship Wellness Month, remember to set healthy boundaries with friendships WENDY ZHU COLUMN

I

can’t speak for everyone, but

It can feel overwhelming, and I think for most of us the past 11 I’ve often felt guilty about that, months or so have been emotionwondering if I’m a bad friend for ally draining. In the midst of isolation, feeling that way. But over time, I’ve virtual learning and a deadly virus, the realized true friendship doesn’t reCOVID-19 pandemic has brought quire an unhealthy amount of selfabout the perfect storm for lessness. Instead, it requires new or worsened mental healthy boundaries. health struggles for teens.

For a friendship to be According to the mutually beneficial, it’s National 4-H Counnecessary to have a clear cil, 70% of teens understanding of how have struggled much support you with mental and your friend can health during the provide each other pandemic, and and to be in tune 64% believe livwith your emotions ing through COso that you both VID-19 will leave know when you LOVE YOURSELF need a lasting impact on to take some their mental health. time for yourselves.

Consequently, I’ve had my fair Of course, you should always be share of conversations about mental supportive of your friends when you health and stress with my friends. I’d can, but it’s not selfish to also prioritize like to believe I’m a good listener and your well-being; in doing so, you’ll be I’m there for my friends if they need doing your friends a favor, too. it, but there are times when I find myI once read helping a friend self more emotionally exhausted than should be like helping a fellow airrewarded after listening to them vent. plane passenger with an oxygen mask

BY THE NUMBERS

40%

of Americans reported mental health issues from COVID-19

18

MILLION healthcare workers put their health on the line

31% of students reported substance abuse during the pandemic CDC, CENSUS SOURCES

and I think that’s a perfect analogy.

If you don’t have your own oxygen mask on, you won’t be able to help someone else put on theirs; in the same vein, if you aren’t in the right state of mind to listen to other people’s struggles, you won’t be able to provide proper emotional support.

Trust me, it’s OK to say no to your friends. It’s OK to explain that while you’d love to help them, you aren’t in a position to give them the emotional support they need at the moment. However, you also shouldn’t completely leave your friends hanging when they’re in need.

Direct them to resources, other friends they trust or even a trained professional. I know it’s easier said than done, but don’t set yourself on fire to keep others warm. In these trying times, it’s important to check in with friends and family, but it’s just as important to check in with yourself. H The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Wendy Zhu at wzhu@hilite.org This column was originally published online on Feb. 7, 2021

LATE VACCINES MID-2020

“I can’t wait to get the vaccine soon!”

U.S. NEWS COVID-19 Vaccines Expected to Launch

by End of 2020

2021 “Hopefully school will be normal by next year....”

U.S. NEWS First Phase of COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Delayed

Vaccine manufacturers have announced that more than 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine could be produced and distributed by the end of 2020...

COVID-19 vaccinations have been delayed as federal health officials have been slow to accommodate for logistical challenges met by hospitals at the state and local levels...

Read more

Read more

RAY MO GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

HILITE.ORG

41

THANK BLACK WOMEN Black women are often underrepresented in history, students must change conversations in politics to thank, include them SOWMYA CHUNDI COLUMN

E

CHLOE SUN GRAPHIC

discrimination from other women.

According to Earnestine Jenkins, a history class, I’ve always professor in Black history at the Unibeen intrigued by our versity of Memphis, “White suffragists country’s past and the incredaggressively sidelined Black women, ible people who paved the way for using their platforms to perpetuate young girls like me to be more instereotypes that women of color were volved in education and activism. uneducated or promiscuous.”

However, it became obvious to me But the discrimination that much of our history was doesn’t stop there. In 1964, taken over by affluent Fannie Hamer faced harasswhite men, leaving the ment when she and other narratives of minorities Black people tried to vote. and women out of the When she fought for conversation. minority representaIt’s easy to name tion and registered the hundreds of thousands of black European explorvoters, the Demoers, white presicratic National dents and male Convention still scientists who cover claimed they were pages of our history NO DEBATE. for whites only. books. And while At first glance, these men have these may seem like stories of the made great and undeniable contribupast; however, Black women still face tions to society, only focusing on them these obstacles today. Despite earnoften undermines the major contribuing their positions, people still questions made by Black women. tion Stacey Abrams and Kamala HarLast month, my debate partner ris of their competence only because and I were invited to a prestigious deof their race and gender. bate tournament that was dedicated Here’s the thing: we can’t change to representing female and BIPOC how we’ve treated black women and voices in debate. The opportunity other gender or racial minorities in allowed for us to learn about the histhe past. But we can change how we tory of Black female representation choose to represent and recognize and how many of their contributions them in the future. It’s important that to society have gone unnoticed or we push for more representation and have been overshadowed by others. change the course of history to thank For example, during the women’s Black women for all of their contrisuffrage movement in the early 1900s, butions to society. Only then can we many movement leaders like Susan B. pave the way for future generations to Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton H have their voices heard. took the stage, and their efforts were The views in this column do not necessarily widely showcased. However, Black reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach women like Marie Baldwin and Nina Sowmya Chundi at schundi@hilite.org Otero-Warren who made just as crucial contributions were pushed to the This column was originally published side and struggled with racism and online on Feb. 12, 2021

ver since middle school

LINEAGE OF LIBERTY Learn about some of the most important Black women in politics & history 1797-1883 Sojourner Truth: abolitionist & women’s rights activist, born into slavery 1820-1913 Harriet Tubman: abolitionist, Union spy, freed over 300 slaves via the Underground Railroad 1862-1931 Ida B. Wells: investigative journalist, civil rights movement leader, helped found the NAACP 1924-2005 Shirley Chisholm: first Black woman in Congress & to seek the presidential nomination TODAY Stacey Abrams: nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for protecting minority voting rights, boosting voter turnout in presidential & Georgia election

NEW YORK TIMES, BIOGRAPHY SOURCES

42

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

BEAUTY OF SOLITUDE Being physically alone without technology should be normalized, promotes self-growth PALLEVI PILLAI COLUMN

F

or my entire life, I have always considered myself to be an introvert: I get drained quickly from large social gatherings, I have a small group of close-knit friends and, most notably, I cherish my alone time. The way I spend my time alone is something I had never questioned until recently.

When I was younger, solitude meant getting lost in books. Today, being alone means spending hours binging a good TV show or going down YouTube rabbit holes. Because we now have endless access to content, it is normal to get bored or to

DID YOU KNOW? Being alone can boost productivity, encourage gratitude and improve future goal-setting. Furthermore, it was found when teenagers refrained from using devices for five days, they improved their ability to interpret emotions VERYWELLMIND SOURCE

switch from one platform/streaming service to the next. Most teenagers today can agree that cutting off from others and watching Netflix is a great way to spend alone time.

I had always considered this hermit-like behavior to only affirm my introvertedness. But now when I come to think about it, I am always accompanied by my phone or laptop, never physically alone with my own thoughts. Nowadays, being constantly entertained is not merely supplemental, but rather feels like a necessity.

Because of this, I believe that simply being away from other people is not enough in order to be comfortable on your own. Being physically alone, without any stimuli to feed off of, should be normalized.

On the surface, truly being alone seems, well, dull. Frankly, I find myself feeling bored by my own thoughts sometimes. When I take the time to slow down and be with myself, I also feel this inherent guilt complex kick in, and I start to think this time

SOLO

16 Read a story on how students at CHS are celebrating Valentine’s Day in nontraditional ways in light of the COVID-19

would be better spent doing something productive. With Valentines Day approaching, where the anxiety of being alone is most rampant, keep the idea of solitude in mind. As selfhelp-book-esque as it sounds, it is the truth: ultimately, our relationship with ourselves and being comfortable with our thoughts is the most fulfilling and important relationship.

Taking the time to be still and observe your thoughts will allow you to pour into yourself more, and could also be the antidote to the inner turmoil we all have inside of us. Although it is not feasible in today’s age to go completely off the grid, I encourage you to catch yourself when you feel the need to be entertained as you go about your day: unplug and just be with yourself. H The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff.

Reach Pallevi Pillai at ppillai@hilite.org This column was originally published online on Feb. 14, 2021

CHA-CHING! FEB 13

Why would I ever spend that much?

FEB 15

MADDIE MISTERKA GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

...

No regrets

Chocolate Boxes

SALE Chocolate Boxes

$29.95

$29.95

HILITE.ORG

43

(DON’T) HAIL THE CHIEF Students should aim to judge presidents in totality, account for strengths, flaws ASHWIN PRASAD COLUMN

T

he 2020 election is finally in the rearview mirror, and a new administration has taken office. President Joe Biden’s first days as president have certainly been eventful; according to NPR, Biden has signed 28 executive orders in his first 14 days in office. With the U.S. battling grave crises, Biden’s actions will lay the foundation for his presidential legacy for good or ill.

That brings me to Presidents Day, the holiday commemorating the 45 men who served in the highest office in the land. For the longest time, I never really understood the purpose of this holiday. Many of our presidents have been mediocre or forgettable. The modern presidents have been powerful, but polarizing. In a society where political divides are greater than ever, honoring our presidents seemed like a pretty hollow way to recognize American history. So what does Presidents Day really mean?

For me, it all comes back to legacies. As I learned more and more about presidents, the more I realized their impact on all of our lives.

Take Lyndon B. Johnson, president in the 1960s, as an example. At first, I only associated LBJ with the Vietnam War, which he escalated to a horrifying level. However, I later found out that he worked constructively with Martin Luther King Jr. to pass the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act. In many ways, both good (ending segregation) and bad (tragic deaths in war), the LBJ legacy shaped the world we live in today.

It’s tempting to boil down our previous presidents’ accomplishments to a short summary. However, as I learned with LBJ, doing so would gloss over important historical details that continue to im-

A DISTANCED HONGBAO before quarantine

FOLLOW THE NEWS pact our society. Regardless of your political beliefs, it is important to have a broad, complex perspective on our previous leaders.

I find that Presidents Day should be a day to celebrate the accomplishments that our prior presidents had while in office. However, it should not be a day when we idolize them. Even the presidents on Mt. Rushmore had their failings: Washington and Jefferson owned slaves, Theodore Roosevelt considered foreigners “uncivilized” and Lincoln jailed dissenters without a trial during the Civil War. Blindly idolizing presidents can be destructive to democracy as it abandons independent thought and opinion.

Overall, on this Presidents Day, we should all try to look at some of our previous leaders through a wider lens. We should tout their triumphs, lament their mistakes and appreciate their impact. It is also vital to train our eye toward the current administration with an open mind and a rational outlook. Doing so allows us to H fulfill our civic duties.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Ashwin Prasad at aprasad@hilite.org This column was originally published online on Feb. 15, 2021

Happy Chinese New Year!

during quarantine

DANIEL TIAN GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

15 MINUTES OF FAME

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

MECHANICAL MASTER Q&A with junior Maximus Shurr on 3D printing, engineering inventions DANIEL TIAN Q&A

MARISSA FINNEY PHOTOS

CHLOE SUN PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

When did you start making projects?

What do you enjoy most about making projects?

I’ve always enjoyed building and making things.

Ever since I was little, I always had LEGO sets and Lincoln Logs. Over time, I got more and more interested in engineering. In 2017, I got my first 3D printer, and it was super exciting to see that I could click a few buttons, and magically I have a part in my hands. After that, I started learning more about how to design what I wanted instead of using cookie-cutter parts. With 3D printing, I could make it any dimension, any shape. I stuck with it and kept improving my craft, even to this day.

I really enjoy seeing my ideas become physical objects, as long as I keep working (on) them. With the talking hat, I had the idea one day, (but) I had absolutely no idea how to make it. Of course, since it was my first time, I didn’t get the wires right. That was super discouraging since I couldn’t get the wires printed again. Instead of giving up, I came up with a solution. I took extra wires and directly soldered them to where I needed them to be. Thankfully, I was able to get it to work. It was super rewarding.

What’s the most difficult part of this hobby?

What do you make and what steps go into making them?

I create a variety of projects, especially with 3D printing. The latest project I printed was a 3D case for a CO2 cartridge, [which is] pressurized CO2 gas, so when you puncture the bottom, the gas will spew out and then the rocket will shoot up. The process of doing a project is finding something that’s inspiring to you, continuing to take steps toward reaching your goal, and using online resources to learn the things you want to do.

The most difficult part is when you want to start a project­­­—(oftentimes) they don’t have tutorials for you online. That’s one of the main reasons I started Mechanical Max, my YouTube channel, so that after I complete a project, I can post it online and help other people chase their dreams and do the projects they want to do.

This Q&A was originally published online on Feb. 13, 2021

Talking Hat A hat with an LCD screen that can write text, play music or flash LED lights on the top of the hat.

HILITE.ORG

What does your YouTube channel cover?

Mechanical Max is a place where I have documented all of my engineering-related projects. Each video walks you through how I made the project and gives you tips and advice on how to make your own. My goal is to provide insight on different topics to make it easier for someone new to get started. I make the videos I wish I had when I first started designing my products. Some of my projects include 3D printed spring-powered marble shooters; an Arduino-powered hat that can play All-Star, I’m Blue, and other songs; and 3D printed keychains for charity. Although the future is uncertain, I do know a few things will remain constant: my passion for engineering and helping others find their passion as well.

Scan this to check out his website, Mechanical Max

The ComputerAided Design (CAD) rendering made before 3D printing, assembly and testing.

Arduino Garage Parking Stop Light An ultra-sonic distance sensor parking light

Arduino Marble Shooter A CAD-designed, 3D printed marble shooter coded to shoot at specified angles

45

LITEBOX

BEST OF FEBRUARY 2021

IN THE LIMELIGHT Senior Kate White kneels on the ground during a scene in the theater production “Much Ado About Nothing” in which she plays the character Hero. The cast performed live from Feb. 4 to 6, and the show aired virtually from Feb. 12 to 14 on the Carmel Drama website.

CHENYAO LIU PHOTO

This photo was originally published online on Feb. 17, 2021