OPINIONS

OPINIONSGraphics by Rachel Greenberg ’22, Aidan Rodgers ’22 & Katie Simons ’22

The Customer is Always “Right” And other tips for surviving part-time jobs*

Jared Leonard ’22

Opinions Editor Madeline Michalowski ’22

Assistant Creative Director *HUMOR

s hell, oops, I mean Aschool begins, you somehow thought a part time job at a boutique downtown would be a lovely way to spend your afternoon. Ah, how naive. This must be your first job. You truly have no idea what you’ve actually gotten yourself into. Allow us, if we may, to offer some words of advice: Get out while you can.

After two summers of working in customer service during high school, we, Jared and Madeline, are self-described experts. So, by following some of our advice and past experiences, we might be able to help prevent countless breakdowns, anxiety attacks and tear-filled bathroom breaks. To start off, if you plan to work weekends, make sure you set numerous alarms for the next morning and ensure that your ringer is on. Now, this may seem like a menial and obvious task, but trust us, you don’t want to wake up late and have to fabricate some ridiculous lie to your boss. However, if you do find yourself needing a quick lie that is guaranteed to work, some classics include having a flat tire, thinking you were on the schedule for later in the day or even having a family emergency. Remember, honesty isn’t the best policy here—if you want to keep your job, that is.

3:00 pm: Make sure you clock in right away because there’s no way in hell you’re working for free. Let’s be honest, you’re only here for the money and that’s okay. We get it.

4:30 pm: You hear your stomach growl and luckily your “break” is here. Now, you’d think you would be able to sit down and refuel after hours of dealing with half of Fairfield County. Maybe you’d like to check your phone, answer your mom’s text or even eat your PB&J. You thought wrong. Inhale that sandwich like you’ve never eaten before because a rush just came in and some teenage girls want to know if you have that crop top in an extra small.

3:30 pm: Your first customer arrives and she may appear to be an understanding Westport mom, but her fast-paced walk up to the register makes it clear that she’s on the warpath. Get ready because she wants the manager. She purchased a dress from the store three years ago and as expected, the seam is starting to wear, but she demands her money back. You quickly make it clear that you’re new here so you’re still learning the ropes. Wrong move. Never show weakness. After 30 minutes of verbal abuse, she finally leaves and you just stand there, dumbfounded. Nevertheless, plaster on your fake smile and newly developed customer service voice. It’s just easier that way.

6:15pm: After a long day of work, you might feel like you’ve earned a smoothie bowl or that shirt sitting in your online cart, but you’re playing a dangerous game. Continue down this path and just as quickly as you got paid, you’ll have spent your entire paycheck.

6:00 pm: After serving 10 Karens, several obnoxious groups of teenage girls and a couple of clueless dads shopping for their daughters, you can finally close up for the day. You walk out to your car with messy hair, wrinkled clothes and a dwindling will to live. You check your phone and see that your friends have made plans for the night. Take it from us: your social battery is drained, so just go home.

Good job! You’ve made it through the day and if you think that was bad, you’ve got a long year ahead. Hopefully, our advice has helped and you look back on your day with at least a small sense of pride, aside from your humiliation. We know it’s miserable, but if it really gets to the point where you can’t stand it anymore, you can always quit in a blaze of glory. After all, a good quitting story could make a great college essay topic.

OPINIONS| 6 PRO CON

Masks ensure Staples safety Vaxxed shouldn’t be masked

Abby Nevin ’23

Web News Editor

he question of whether Twe should wear masks in the fall has a simple answer: there is no question. In order to keep the Staples population safe from the spread of the Delta variant and the possibility of getting COVID-19 from those who remain unvaccinated, we must continue masking. The Delta variant is currently the predominant strain of COVID in the United States. According to recent data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Delta variant is more infectious when compared to other variants, even in vaccinated individuals. According to the Daily Voice, the Delta variant now accounts for approximately 80% of all new infections in Connecticut and continues to be the dominant strain of COVID-19 within the state. With this information, it would be irresponsible of the students and faculty at Staples to remain maskless for the fall as it puts our peers, ourselves and our families at great risk. Additionally, having unvaccinated students and faculty is inevitable, which makes mask wearing even more critical. Unvaccinated people coming to Staples and gathering inside of the building increases the risk of transmitting COVID or the Delta variant to other students, unvaccinated or not. Having COVID spread throughout our school such as it did last year will only result in another year of uncertainty as to whether or not we will continue to learn from home or in school. The population of unvaccinated students and faculty in Staples also poses a threat towards the Westport community, as students will return home after school and see their families. If someone were to contract the virus at school, it would be spread to family members and then to the friends of those family members, etc. It is important that we work together as a community to help protect one another, and not disregard the danger that COVID and the Delta variant pose to our peers and town.

his year, Connecticut Tstudents will be wearing masks until at least the end of September, regardless of vaccination status. However, this is the wrong decision, especially for Westport students. It should be, as our President said just a few months ago, “vaxxed or masked.” Those who are fully vaccinated should have the option to remove their masks in school and those who are not should have to continue wearing one. According to the most recent state data, nearly 93% of Westport residents aged 12 to 17 have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with nearly 84% being fully vaccinated. With most of the town vaccinated, the probability of a COVID outbreak in schools are low and masks shouldn’t be worn. The vaccines have been a proven commodity, with high protection rates against COVID-19. Why should those who have taken the easy step of being vaccinated have to suffer the same fate as those who choose not to? Even if a booster shot is required to prevent the vaccine’s effects from waning, the booster will do its job. Even the Superintendent of Westport schools, Thomas Scarice, has admitted in recent school board meetings that the high vaccination rates among both adolescents and teenagers provides “an incredible layer of protection against coronavirus and its variants.” To me, the state should leave this choice up to the individual towns. While towns in the state do have the option to mandate masks in public places, mask wearing in schools was decided by a state executive order in early August. Westport is different from other towns. I honestly believe that if towns were given the choice to decide, Scarice and the Board of Education would be taking a very different look at this upcoming school year with regard to masks. It is true that the variants of COVID, specifically the Delta strain which has caused a resurgence in COVID cases across the country, is a concern. Cases are now 17.3 per 100,000 in Westport which is at the red zone level, according to the state’s COVID tracker. If the Delta variant continues escalating, I would say all should wear a mask. This is due to the fact that the stats show the vaccine is less effective against that variant; but in this current climate, I believe those vaccinated are protected due to the case numbers not being as high in Westport. Either you’re vaxxed or you’re masked, end of discussion.

POLL

Should Vaccinated Students Wear Masks?

62.2%

Finnegan Courtney ’23

News Editor

37.8%

*Data collected from a survey of 296 students from Aug. 19 through Aug. 24

ARTS

Cold Fusion: Tori Emmert talks gelato

Photos by Camille Vynerib ’23

Toby Goldfarb ’23

Paper Sports Editor old Fusion, located at 178 Main Street, opened on July 8, serving

Chandmade, kosher-certified gelato and sorbet made with all-natural, locally sourced ingredients — and love. Owned by the Emmert family, longtime members of the Westport community, Cold Fusion has evolved from a wholesale business based in Newport, Rhode Island into a new local staple. Although their gelato is milk-based and their sorbets are water-based, their business is community-based and each bite is enriched with flavor and care. Cold Fusion’s owner’s daughter, Tori Emmert ’23, enjoys working behind the counter alongside her family, where she learns the craft of entrepreneurship and ice cream scooping.

Q:

A:

Q & How did Cold Fusion become a business, what is its history? My family bought the company from someone else alA How long has Cold Fusion existed without a storefront? We had a storefront during our wholesale business in Newport, Rhode Island and we built the business out through word of mouth and social media (@coldfusionwestport and @coldfusiongelato). We opened a store in most six years ago. The previous owner took the business as far as he could, and we bought it from him to expand Cold Fusion. Q: A: Westport because we have such a great community here and we figured, what better place to have a business?

OPENING DOORS Tori Emmert ’23 (center) and her family opened Cold Fusion in downtown Westport in July. How has the location of the storefront Q: influenced sales? A: Being on Main Street definitely brought in more customers. There is so much foot traffic downtown, which has helped bring new people into the shop who maybe didn’t hear about Cold Fusion before. We have a great community of customers.

What makes Cold Fusion special?Q: A: It’s definitely a mix between the ice cream and the family-owned aspect of our business. Our connection to the town is very important, but also, we use all-natural ingredients, no preservatives, no artificial colors or flavoring.

Where do you find inspiration for Q: the flavors? A: We draw inspiration from popular flavors, and then we like to experiment with ingredients and put our own spin on flavors to see what tastes good.

What are the challenges of opening a Q: small business during COVID? A: Permits were a big struggle in getting open. Everything’s a lot slower with

COVID. I think working with contractors and builders, we’ve noticed that there’s been supply shortages with wood and tile. We also had to find staff, but overall, we’re really happy with the outcome of our storefront.

What’s your favorite flavor and the most Q: popular flavor? A: My favorite flavor would have to be either the dark chocolate sea salt or the peanut butter xanadu, which is peanut butter gelato with caramel and chocolate chunks. I also really like the cappuccino chip. Another really popular flavor is the salted caramel chunk, which is my dad’s favorite.

Graphics by Rachel Greenberg ’22 FEATURES

From jackpot to jeopardy:

Staples community partakes in illegal sports betting

Betti Kobak ’22

Managing Editor

Sports betting no longer requires a trip to a casino in Vegas; people can do it in the comfort of their bedrooms, legally or not. While online gambling and betting were popularized in the 90s, platforms have recently gained massive traction in the sports world for teenagers. In March, 2021, Governor of Connecticut Ned Lamont made an agreement with Mashantucket Pequot Tribe and the Mohegan Tribe to better the gaming option, including sports wagering. Betting has recently become legalized for people 21 and older; however, it is not completely available until it reaches its final approval from the state. Despite the current inability to bet on legal sites, individuals find loopholes in order to gamble during sporting events. Popular websites such as DraftKings and Action247 are used by teens as domains to defy the age minimum of 21 and negate Connecticut’s laws on betting. “Betting should be legal because people will do it anyway. If you legalize it, you can regulate it,” Ben* said. The appealing aspect of betting for teens is the thrill and incentive it gives them to watch ordinary sports games. With high stakes and the possibility of winning, people have found a hobby to develop out of entertainment. “[Betting] had me more invested in the game and made it more interesting to watch because now the team I was