TUSKAN TIMES VOLUME 15 ISSUE 1
IN THIS ISSUE
CREATIVE SMILE
VALENTINA MARIN 5
INTERNATIONAL FRANCE’S NEXT REVOLUTION?
ALICE DI VINCENZO 8
NYC FASHION WEEK 2026 FASHION TRENDS CAN JUSTICE BRING PEACE? LOCAL VILLA BARDINI - PHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSITION
EMMA ROSS 9
LINA CONKLE 11
ESMÉ SOFIA GOMES 12
TÉA MIJATOVIĆ 15
CULTURE THE SUMMER OF GOING BACK
MILENA FABBRI
HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT COOKIE
CELESTE TORRI
SPORT WORLD CUP IN MEXICO
SOFIA NAVARROS 21
SCIENE
MEDICAL COLUMN
ALLEGRA DIFLORIO
WHY DO WE LOVE BEING SCARED?
NINA WIECZERZAK
ISF ACTIVITIES
18 19
24 25
27
AUTUMN PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
ON THE COVERS FRONT COVER: HANNAH DEARDEN ‘31 BACK COVER: ANGELICA BENEDETTI ‘32
MEET THE TEAM
Dear Readers,
With a new school year officially underway, we are here with the first edition of the Tuskan Times! This issue, we are thrilled to welcome a whole new group of contributors to our team, and we cannot wait for you to see what they have created. We have a creative writing piece from Valentina Marin titled “SMILE,” along with an interesting article on New York Fashion Week by Emma Rossi.
Make sure to also check out Milena Fabbri’s piece on her summer, and Sofia Navarro’s entry on the World Cup in Mexico, among our other captivating articles.
We look forward to another year of creative writing, opinions pieces, and sharing what we learn with others. Thank you for all the hard work behind the scenes that makes the Tuskan Times so special. We hope you have an amazing start to the school year, and wish you a happy reading!
Sincerely, Téa Mijatović and Allegra DiFlorio Editors-in-Chief
ARTWORK BY ARI MIRZAIE ‘33
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF TÉA MIJATOVIĆ ALLEGRA DIFLORIO DEPUTY EDITOR IN CHIEF ESME ALONGI HEAD OF LAYOUT ROMA ANTHONY HEAD OF MARKETING SANDY XU SUPERVISOR TESS HITCHCOCK
EDITORS ALLEGRA DIFLORIO TÉA MIJATOVIĆ ESME ALONGI
LAYOUT ROMA ANTHONY SOPHIE MARTIN SOFIA NAVARRO
CREATIVE
CREATIVE | SMILE
SMILE By Valentina Marin ‘27 Valentina Marin, Writer: Valentina is a Chinese-Australian-Italian who loves creative writing and is interested in Literature and History. In her free time she loves journaling, listening to music, and watching movies.
Another Friday night sitting alone in my room. A rom-com on my laptop, tucked under my covers with my face mask on. Others out and about… In town? At dinner? At her house? His house? Where and how it happens, why does it matter? Dressed up all nice, putting on a smile. While I sit in my pajamas at home watching their stories. It’s fine. I’m fine. They’re happy. I’m happy for them. I can’t be the one holding them back. I won’t be jealous. So I’ll put on my mask. They’re laughing. About an inside joke I must have missed. They’re texting. In a group chat that I am not a part of. But it’s okay. I’m all right. I’m fine. I mean it's nothing I haven’t seen before. It’s fine. I’m Fine. Last Friday. Now this Friday. And probably next Friday. Let's see how long they’ll take to notice that I haven’t said a word. Let’s see how long they’ll take to notice that I haven’t responded.
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I’m right here with them. My body is, my mind isn’t. I try to fit in. Laugh at a joke that they say even if I don’t understand it. Smile at a comment they make even if I disagree. What else am I supposed to do? I give, and I give, and I give it my all. One hundred percent each day, even if my battery is drained. Why do I bother when I don’t get twenty percent in return? Grinding my teeth every time I feel this way. My heart beating one hundred and twenty beats per minute, yet I’m not even moving. I’m sitting alone in this cold chair. Surrounded by people but my mind is foggy. My ears are blocked - I’m not even sick - drowning out the noises. Maybe it’s my mind protecting myself from hearing something I don’t want to hear. I don’t know. I don’t care. It’s all good. I’m fine. So for now, I’ll give them a smile - hiding my sorrows behind my teeth as the light reflects off of them. It’s what they want to see.
INTERNATIONAL
INTERNATIONAL | FRANCE’S NEXT REVOLUTION?
FRANCE’S NEXT REVOLUTION? By Alice Di Vincenzo ‘29 Alice Di Vincenzo: Alice is a British-Italian Freshman who writes about a series of topics usually based on current world events. Outside of the Tuskan times she enjoys gymnastics and participates in MUN
Across many social media platforms and newspaper articles, videos and photos of French students holding up banners and protesting have been circulating the media. Across many big cities like Paris, Marseille and Lille schools have been barricaded and students have been refusing to take classes, but what exactly caused such an uprising? The protests began in early September, towards the beginning of the school year as students regained awareness of many issues such as teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and a lack of resources. Many argue that these problems are debilitating to the students and preventing young people from accessing the education system they deserve. Some have also called for changes in school buildings and in the university admission process. The movement gathered further momentum as videos and images began circulating on social media platforms and online forums encouraging more people to participate and take action. On October 6th more than 400,000 protestors took to the streets and participated in rallies across the nation. In response to this the French government announced plans to provide additional teachers to aid the shortages. However many protesters believe this is not enough and more steps of action are needed to make a significant change. Although the demonstrations have been far from peaceful they have brought an important issue to the spotlight, education is one of the most important parts of society, but making sure that every student has access to suitable learning conditions remains a challenge. Whether these demonstrations will help make a change is yet to be seen, but one thing is clear: all students want their voice to be heard. 8 TUSKAN TIMES
INTERNATIONAL | NYC FASHION WEEK 2026
NYC FASHION WEEK 2026 By Emma Rossi ‘28 Emma is an Italian-Bosnian sophomore who is extremely passionate about fashion, and in fact that is what she writes about. Usually Emma loves to spend time with friends and traveling.
New York Fashion Week is one of the most important weeks for fashion lovers. It is an event that brings together an enormous amount of people to predict the way fashion will evolve in the next year. The event started the 10th of September and lasted for 5 days, ending the 15th. Many view New York Fashion Week (NYFW) to be similar to all the other fashion weeks, which is true as they are all presenting collections and doing runways… but this fashion week is very different from others. NYFW is seen as the fashion week that starts off fashion month. It is also the kick off for many new brands, as it's the one launching many new designers, plus it's different from the others as it has a more minimal aesthetic and it's the one presenting the most shows. Important people from all around the world have attended three main shows in this fashion week:notably Ralph Lauren's Show and Carolina Herrera's 45th anniversary show. Ralph Lauren is a brand the whole world knows for its famous polos and shirts, but it's a lot more than that. Ralph Lauren himself described his collection, which launched the 9th of September, as an ‘irreverent take on romance’. The show was held in the clock tower in the neighbourhood of Tribeca in the lower side of Manhattan. All details were planned and studied perfectly, to the point that all guests got a little bouquet of flowers to create a romantic atmosphere. The collection was based on a carefree and relaxed tone, full of ruffles and of corsage, but also of more important pieces including feathers and lace. The designer tailored the collection to be a mix up of garments making it unique and different from all others. As its normal style the collection also included a masculine tone with dress shirts and ties bringing back a lot of their own vintage collection.
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The interesting and peculiar part of the brand is that they can manage to bring together the masculine side of fashion with the more feminine and tight silhouettes, as the collection also includes body skimming dresses and silk. The collection was unique and to set the final note of romance the designer walked down the runway hand in hand with his wife who for 60 years has helped him build this brand. In the audience there were important guests, for example, actor Cynthia Erivo, Anna Wintour and Viola Davis.
INTERNATIONAL | NYC FASHION WEEK 2026
Secondly, the fashion week went on with Carolina Herrera's fashion show which happened the 14th of september in New York. Her impact on the city's fashion week was vast as it was the brand's 45th anniversary! What better place to be? The creative director is Wes Gordon, who chose the David Koch theater in Lincoln Center for the amazing show to take place. New York is where the brand launched their first collection and so after 45 years they brought the show back into their home town. Although Caroline Herrera herself is not from there, the brand still got started there. The setting recreated the famous park avenue in the Upper East Side, and it included 22,800 yellow tulips around the whole defile. The designer himself described the collection as one in which every woman can find themselves in, making the brand and the collection easy to wear for everyone. Styles varied from black cigarette trousers to floral halter long dresses, showing how every type of person can find themselves part of this collection. Particular and different colors and prints were also used to give identity and spirit to the collection, in fact, the designer used colors like Herrera red which is the maisons color, in this 45th year of existence show. It also used polka dots and the combination of colors like black and blue, which are usually not seen as a good combination, but now people have started considering
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it as extremely chic. In the first row there were a lot of special guests, including Ms Herrera herself, Pamela Anderson, and Fran Lebowitz. In conclusion, New York Fashion Week has been an amazing fashion week that brought together many emotions, and once again proved to be more than just many fashion shows. The Ralph Lauren collection brought together a romantic and timeless vision, while Carolina Herrera's 45th anniversary brought a celebration of femininity. These events all showed how despite being a big fashion brand, it is possible to reconnect to your roots, going back to where everything really started. Both demonstrated that fashion is not just about clothes, but also about identity and the history of each piece. New York Fashion Week keeps playing an important role in the fashion month and in the evolution of the fashion world.
CULTURE | FASHION TRENDS
FASHION TRENDS By Lina Conkle ‘33
INTERNATIONAL | CAN JUSTICE BRING PEACE?
CAN JUSTICE BRING PEACE? By Esmé Sofia Gomes ‘28 Can justice bring peace? The significance of Navi Pillay's Nobel Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee for 2026 has chosen Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, a South African jurist, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Navanethem “Navi” Pillay is a South African jurist and international human rights advocate who has put international law high on the map all over the world. The announcement of her Nobel Peace Prize on Friday October 9th 2026 raises an important question: how can we achieve peace when so much injustice, inequality and violence is going on all over the world? For Navi Pillay, peace and human rights go hand in hand and this means upholding human dignity and holding people accountable for crimes that they have committed. Pillay was born in 1941 in Durban, South Africa and grew up during apartheid, a system of racial discrimination and segregation that denied most South African people equal rights. Growing up under apartheid helped shape her decision to use the law to fight injustice. At a time when defying the system could have serious consequences, she became a lawyer and represented those who opposed apartheid. She also challenged racial and gender barriers in the legal profession by becoming the first white woman in South Africa to open her own law practice. Pillay’s work thereafter extended far beyond South Africa’s borders. She served as a judge of the International Criminal Court in The Hague as well as of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which dealt with crimes committed during the 1994 genocide when over 800 000 people were brutally murdered in a 100 day period. Moreover she held the position of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014, one of the organisation's leading roles
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In promoting and defending fundamental freedoms. Pillay’s work throughout her career has been to reinforce the basic principle that serious violations of human rights must be dealt with and cannot be left unattended. What can young people learn from Pillay’s work today? Human rights are not just ideas discussed in textbooks or written into international agreements; they affect people’s everyday lives. In reality, human rights mean being able to live safely, being treated fairly, protecting civilians during conflicts and respecting everyone equally. These values also begin closer to home, in the way we react to discrimination, listen to people's experiences that differ from our own and stand up for justice, just as Pillay has demonstrated to the world she did. Therefore, Pillay’s Nobel Prize challenges us to look past the award itself. Her career shows that fighting for justice takes courage and persistence, especially when challenging powerful institutions. Of course, courts and international law cannot solve every conflict or guarantee justice in every case. Still, they can help hold powerful people accountable and protect people’s rights.
INTERNATIONAL | CAN JUSTICE BRING PEACE?
Ultimately the story of Navanethem “Navi” Pillay reminds us that peace is not something that leaders can simply negotiate or celebrate at ceremonies. Peace is not something that we can take for granted. It takes effort to build and protect, both in our communities and around the world. By honouring her efforts, the Nobel Peace Prize sends a message that remains essential today: lasting peace means more than ending violence. It also means protecting people’s rights and making sure that serious injustices are addressed.
ARTWORK BY PHINN HICKLER ‘32
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LOCAL
LOCAL | VILLA BARDINI - PHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSITION
VILLA BARDINI - PHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSITION By Téa Mijatović ‘27 Téa is a Croatian-American junior with a passion for history and photography. She enjoys spending time with her family and her dog.
The first thing you see at Villa Bardini’s photography exhibition is a large video of moving photographs. Black-and-white Florence comes to life on the wall with a person's face tuning, eyes blinking. A scene that has been frozen for sixty years suddenly begins to move. Paired with the music playing in the background, it makes you feel like you're a part of history. My mom and I both asked the same questions the moment we walked in: How? We guessed AI, but we were curious about the mechanics, so here I am researching it to share with any Tuscan Times readers that may be interested in photography, history, AI, or even just considering visiting the Bardini museum. How a photo goes from still to in motion: The technique is known as image-to-video. The software studies still photographs and predicts how that person would have moved if the camera had been rolling before or after the moment it was taken, adding expressions and small natural movements to produce a short clip. It starts by finding the face. When a photo is uploaded, the AI identifies key facial landmarks like the shape of lips or the edges of eyes. It also reads the direction of the light and the depth of the scene. This analysis tells the AI what can move and how much. Four techniques do a lot of the work: 1. Diffusion: going from noise to video. The AI learns by watching images dissolve into random noise, then learns to reverse the process and rebuild clear pictures from static. The photo guides the rebuild, in an attempt to make the result stay true to the person in it.
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2. Temporal coherence: keeping the frames in step. Generating each frame separately would make the images flicker, so video models look across the whole sequence at once to keep the motion smooth. 3. Conditioning: how the photo steers the result. The photo is encoded into a high-dimensional vector, a list of numbers that keeps pulling the output back toward the original, so the person stays recognizable. 4. Motion priors: predicting what happens next. Trained on millions of videos, the AI has learned how faces usually move, like blinks and small head turns, so it can predict plausible movement from just before or after the photo was taken. The Ethics Behind It: It's an interesting experience to watch someone from the 1960s smile at you. The AI is not showing a real moment, it is predicting one, and that has sparked a wider debate on the ethics of animating old photos. Those who support image-to-video, or the general use of AI in photography, see it as a modern version of a family album, or a way to feel closer to history, and I can come to understand that pull. On the other hand, it’s important to point out that the people in the photos never agreed to have their faces move, movements learned from other people’s faces rather than their own with guessed movements. I’ll admit the video was compelling. With the music, I felt in the moment, and I understand why people find it moving. But personally, I don’t like the use of AI in photography. Photography is an art of personal perspective and interpretation. A photographer decides on the angle, the time of day, the emotion they want to evoke from the viewer. These choices are what make up the photographs that line the walls in the Villa Bardini exposition.
LOCAL | VILLA BARDINI - PHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSITION
Florence, room by room: The exhibition, organized by Fondazione CR Firenze with the Foto Locchi Archive, is divided into thematic sections that follows the city through the decades. It opened with the post-war period and moved through workers’ demonstrations to the 1966 flood. Everyday life also got a section with folk traditions, dives into the Arno, sunbathing along its banks, picnics in the countryside, Sundays at the stadium, and the first supermarkets with their distinctive long “S” logo, the same Esselunga chain many of us still shop at today. These photographs truly show the beauty in the everyday. The photographer's names are beneath their pictures. Giuliano Pacinotti, for one, used light and shadow beautifully. And as a nice touch, the exposition displays cameras from the 50s, 60s and 70s, including vintage Hasselblads, so you can see the cameras used to take these incredible photos.
This exposition was definitely worth the visit. The photographs of Florence take you back in time, and each room tells a different story about how life used to be. From the iconic image of construction workers at Piazzale Michelangelo looking out over the city, to the 1966 flood engulfing it. What I admire is the emotion and action caught in every photograph, and how a single moment, caught by someone who pressed the shutter button, can reach across sixty years and still move us. 16 TUSKAN TIMES
CULTURE
CULTURE | THE SUMMER OF GOING BACK
THE SUMMER OF GOING BACK By Milena Fabbri ‘29 Milena is an Italian-Canadian freshman who loves writing about sports and global excellence. In her downtime, she enjoys playing volleyball, listening to music, reading, and traveling! This summer, teal and coral seemed to be everywhere. From swimwear and vintage clothing, to dinner tables and holiday pictures, these two colours have made a comeback and fit themselves right into the summer of 2026. While they may appear as just a trend, they represent quite a bit of cultural shift. As our lives become increasingly digital, people seem to need to move backwards and have analogue experiences. At the same time, colour is making a comeback. After years of minimalism and the ascent of the colour beige (if I can even call it one), teal and coral represent nostalgia and human connection, showing that people are beginning to value human connection and experiences over perfect and faultless appearances. For example, many are no longer satisfied with smartphone cameras, instead, digital cameras from the 90s and early 2000s have become popular. Although modern phone cameras produce pictures that are not only better quality, but also much more convenient, they lack the candid feel that physical cameras give. The cameras that the new generation are now longing for capture with grain, blur and harshness that make photos seem more spontaneous in our eyes. This shift suggests our tiredness of polished perfection and newfound appreciation of character and uniqueness. This return to analogue can also be seen through the growing love of second hand shops, scrapbooking, and vintage clothing. Now, many would much prefer sorting through buckets of vintage clothing rather than buying an item online with a click. Every piece feels unique and part of something bigger, something that mass produced or fash fashion lack. Similarly, scrapbooks and “junk” journals are newly revived forms of analogue media. What makes each one unique and non duplicatable are the different forms of media that can range from labels on a beer bottle, to floor picked leaves, to poetry. 18 TUSKAN TIMES
These hobbies take time and effort, but that's part of the appeal. They're so meaningful because they can only be made if a person puts in care and their own touch… As people embrace more analogue habits, their taste in colour changes. For years, beige and muted minimalism seemed to dominate fashion and interior design. These colours represented perfection, being put together, and luxury. But with the rise of AI and the growth in digitalisation, these colours seem to fade and make us feel emotionally flat. To distinguish humanity from the digital world, we rely on emotions, something only life can feel, and colour is one of its biggest symbolizers. Teal and coral make spaces feel human touched again, replacing the careful neutrality that defined the last few years. Far from being just the colors of the season, teal and coral capture a deeper cultural shift - they represent a collective response to a world that has become increasingly digital by searching for texture, colour, and human authenticity. Just as beige reflected a desire for calm and order, teal and coral reflect a desire for warmth, creativity, and human connection. In many ways, the more digital and distant our world becomes, the more we crave the imperfect beauty of life.
CULTURE | HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT COOKIE
HOW TO MAKE THE PERFECT COOKIE By Celeste Torri ‘28
Everyone has a different idea of the perfect cookie. Some prefer a crunchy one, while others like a soft centre. This recipe aims for a chocolate chip cookie with golden edges and a middle that stays soft. Getting it right comes down to measuring carefully and knowing when to take the tray out of the oven.
Place small, teaspoon-sized scoops of dough on the trays, leaving plenty of space between them. Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centres are still soft. Let the cookies firm up on the tray for a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
What you’ll need: 150 g softened salted butter 80 g light brown sugar 80 g white granulated sugar 1 large egg 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 225 g plain flour ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt 200 g chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
The details that make a difference
Making the cookies: Heat the oven to 190°C, or 170°C with a fan, and line two baking trays with baking paper.
Most importantly, don’t wait until the cookies feel completely hard before taking them out. Look for golden edges and centres that have set but remain soft. They will continue to firm up on the hot tray as they cool.
Beat the butter and both sugars together until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla, then mix. Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt, followed by the chocolate.
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Weigh the flour rather than guessing: too much can make cookies dry. The butter should be soft enough to press with a finger, but still hold its shape. If you have extra time, chill the dough for about 30 minutes before baking. This helps control how much the cookies spread. You can also bake one or two first to check the timing for your oven.
SPORT
CULTURE | WORLD CUP IN MEXICO
WORLD CUP IN MEXICO By Sofia Navarro ‘29 Sofia is a Mexican-American sophmore who writes about anything and everything. When she's not focused on school and writing she loves to spend time with her friends and family, shopping, and going out to eat. Every four years, the world comes together to watch the greatest sporting event in the world. For a few weeks, millions of fans from all over the globe unite and connect through their love of soccer. Other than the goals, victories, and celebrations, there's one essential part of the tournament that brings the games to life: the stadiums. Mexico was one of the three host countries for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and three cities in Mexico hosted matches. The stadiums were in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. Each stadium has its own history and architecture that makes it different and unique. Just imagine the first match of the World Cup 2026, for which people have been waiting four years. A total of 80,824 people packed the Estadio Azteca, making it 100% at its capacity. The opening match happened in Mexico City at the Estadio Azteca, featuring South Africa vs. Mexico. Before the ceremony started, there were performances for the songs on the official FIFA World Cup 2026 album. Shakira, J Balvin, Tyla, and Alejandro Fernández were just a few of the artists who performed during the opening ceremony. The Estadio Azteca was just one of the three stadiums in Mexico used for the World Cup and hosted five matches. Pelé once said, "There's just something very special about the Azteca. You need to be inside it to feel it, to understand. It's unique." The Estadio Azteca is the only stadium in history to host three World Cup opening matches, having been built in 1966. It's the stadium where Pelé, often known as the greatest soccer player in history, lifted his third World Cup , and it's the same stadium where Maradona scored "the goal of the century" and, just a week later, became world champion, winning the World Cup that year. The stadium doesn't only host soccer matches; in fact, in 1993, Julio César Chávez had a boxing match there.
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Over 130,000 people attended the event, setting the world record for attendance at a boxing match. Also in 1993, Michael Jackson performed at the Azteca for his Dangerous World Tour, where he held a total of five sold-out shows. In 1994, the NFL hosted a match between the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Oilers , breaking the record for the highest attendance in league history with 112,376 people. All this history helped set the perfect stage for the 2026 World Cup . With all this history and world records the stadium has broken, the Azteca wasn't just hosting another World Cup but provided a backdrop to bring fans from all over the world together in celebration. Estadio Guadalajara (also referred to as Akron) hosted 4 matches in the 2026 world cup. This was Estadio Guadalajara first ever world cup since being built in 2010, and although it isn't as big as the azteca with a capacity of 46,000, being placed in the state of Guadalajara, home of tequila and mariachi bands makes it an unforgettable venue for the 2026 FIFA world cup. The stadium was designed by Jean Marie Massus and Daniel Pouzet and is one of the most recognized worlds of sports architecture in Latin America.
CULTURE | WORLD CUP IN MEXICO
The form of the stadium represents a volcano covered by a cloud. The outer canopy filters the natural light and collects rainwater to help keep care of the pitch. To get ready for the world cup they installed a hybrid pitch with FIFA quality pro certification, renovated the wifi with free access for all attendees and installed LED lighting. Although the 2026 world cup was the first world cup it's been played on, it has hosted many other sports events. In 2011 it hosted the Udaljara Pan American games and the FIFA U-17 world cup 2011. Akron stadium isn't just a regular stadium played in for big events but it's home to Chivas, which is one of the most popular soccer teams in the country. To make the entrance to the stadium make people who visited from all around the world feel more connected to Mexican culture, there were live mariachis, local food stalls, and interactive games even if Mexico was playing that day. With a mix of Guadalajara's famous mariachi music and kind hospitality, the stadium left an unforgettable atmosphere for every visitor and fan who stepped inside the stadium. The third stadium used was Estadio Monterrey (also known as BBVA) which held 4 matches. Monterrey is known because of its majestic mountains and skyscrapers the stadium is one of the most modern stadiums in Latin America that will host FIFA 2026 world cup matches. Multiple times the stadium has been ranked as one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world in European and South American publications.
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The bowl that frames the Cerro de la Silla mountains so beautifully that players who have played in the stadium take a break during warm up to take a picture of it. This is the stadium's first world cup match being played inside but isn't the city's first time being a host city for the world cup. The stadium opened in 2015 and claims it's one of the best sports arenas in the world because of its modern construction and was built to host many international sport events and music tours. It has a 53,500 capacity with tiered seating, suites, luxury interior and exterior, with a club lounge and club themed restaurants. It's not only a modern stadium but it's very sustainable. It has LEED silver for construction and is in the process of getting the LEED for operations and maintenance certification. Since 1015 the stadium has hosted many Liga MX championships, Concacaf champions, Mexican national team fixtures, and many international friendly matches and major concerts like Coldplay, the Weeknd, Maluma, Bad Bunny and more. With a mix of the beautiful stadium with an amazing view and the passion of fans supporting their country, the stadium didn't just show top-tier soccer but it brought international soccer fans from all around the world together.
SCIENCE
SCIENCE | MEDICAL COLUMN
MEDICAL COLUMN By Allegra DiFlorio ‘27 Allegra is an Italian-American junior who loves to write book reviews. Other than writing for the Tuskan Times, Allegra can be found playing volleyball or hanging out with her cat, Juni.
22 Menstrual irregularities are present in between 14% - 25% of the female population of childbearing age (National Institute of Health). Of course, this statistic varies based on the cause and nature of the condition, however, this overarching number is a shocking statistic considering the fact that we don’t learn about menstrual disorders in school. With many menstrual disorders having a severe impact on daily life, it is important to be informed and seek the treatment needed (surprise surprise: there’s basically only one). In this article, both endometriosis and adenomyosis will be discussed. Both endometriosis and adenomyosis are estrogen driven conditions. They are painful and progressive disorders that involve the endometrial tissue - or the uterine lining. In endometriosis, the cells that usually line the uterus (that shed during menstruation) also grow elsewhere in the body. So, during menstruation, the cells that grow outside of the uterus shed too, causing inflammation, internal bleeding, and eventually, scar tissue. There are four stages of endometriosis, depending on the level of scarring present in the body. Adenomyosis describes the phenomenon where the uterine lining cells grow into the uterine wall itself (not outside of the uterus). There is scar tissue present in adenomyosis as well, however, it is localized within the uterine wall. Both conditions, while not lifethreatening, are life-altering, and usually require medical attention. In both cases, infertility is of risk due to scar tissue blocking fallopian tubes or ovaries, creating a hostile environment, and distorting anatomy. The two conditions can exist independently, but often co-exist. There is no cure to either of the conditions (Bell). Symptoms to be aware of that may indicate endometriosis include: painful and heavy periods, painful bowel movements, painful urination, pelvic pain, fatigue, and nausea. Similarly, symptoms that may indicate adenomyosis include: painful and heavy periods, abnormal bleeding, fatigue, enlarged uterus, and chronic pelvic pain (Bell). 24 TUSKAN TIMES
The diagnosis process is the same for both conditions, it includes a physical exam and an MRI or ultrasound. These two steps may be enough to diagnose adenomyosis, but endometriosis is rarely found in just this way. Oftentimes, the main diagnostic method is a minimally invasive surgery to confirm endometrial tissue outside of the uterus (Bell). The allopathic treatment options are few and not very appeasing… 1.Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like over the counter ibuprofen are often recommended for pain (but, from experience, do little) (Bell) 2.Muscle relaxers can be prescribed to treat symptoms associated with pelvic muscle pain (Bell) 3.Hormone medications*, such as hormonal contraceptives (the most common treatment), which help regulate the menstrual cycle, limiting inflammation and bleeding (Bell). *You just have to ignore the extensive list of unfortunate possible side effects (ranging from depression to blood clots and heart attacks). 4.Laparoscopic surgery can remove the problematic scar tissue and ensure fertility (Bell) 5.A hysterectomy essentially solves all the issues, but you will no longer have a uterus (Bell) What is being highlighted here is the unfortunate fact that in allopathic medicine, women’s health is consistently under researched, underfunded, and simply not talked about enough - which is why education and advocacy is so important.
SCIENCE | WHY DO WE LOVE BEING SCARED?
WHY DO WE LOVE BEING SCARED? By Nina Wieczerzak ‘29 Nina is a Polish student who loves writing and exploring the world through travel. She enjoys playing tennis and listening to The Weeknd in her free time, always finding inspiration in music and new experiences Why do We Love Being Scared? There is something slightly strange about humans: we actively pay money to be frightened. We watch horror films knowing perfectly well that something is about to jump out at us. We go on rollercoasters that make our stomachs feel like they have left our bodies. We visit haunted houses, tell ghost stories, and then lie awake at 2 a.m. wondering whether that noise was actually coming from the kitchen. If being scared is supposed to be unpleasant, why do we keep coming back for more?
A horror movie gives you the experience of fear without the actual consequences. You can sit in a cinema, scream at the screen, hide behind your friend’s shoulder and then casually walk out into perfectly normal streets afterwards. That distance matters. It is the difference between seeing a masked serial killer documentary from your sofa and actually being chased by one. This may also explain why people enjoy things like rollercoasters. The brain gets the excitement of a dangerous situation while another part of you knows that the ride has been designed to keep you safe.
The answer starts with the brain.
And then there’s the social side.
When we become frightened, our body enters what is commonly known as the fight-or-flight response. The brain detects a potential threat and immediately tells the body to prepare for action. Adrenaline is released, our heart rate increases, our breathing speeds up, and our muscles become more alert. Basically, your body is preparing you to either fight a tiger or run away from it. The funny part, is that today, the ‘tiger’ is just a guy wearing a mask in a horror movie. But our brains don’t always immediately distinguish between a real threat and a fictional one. Watching a horror film can cause some of the same physical reactions as genuine fear: your heart races, your palms become sweaty, and you might even jump at a sudden noise. So why doesn’t this make us turn the television off? Because once we realise that we’re actually safe, something interesting happens. The adrenaline and other chemicals released during the fear response can leave us feeling excited and energised. The danger is over, but our body is still buzzing with energy. It’s a little like getting off a rollercoaster: you may be relieved that it’s finished, but part of you is already thinking about going on again. There is also something satisfying about being scared when you know you’re safe.
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SCIENCE | WHY DO WE LOVE BEING SCARED?
Being scared with other people can actually bring people closer together. Think about watching a horror movie with friends. Everyone screams at the same moment, laughs afterwards, and immediately starts arguing about who was actually the most scared out of everyone. Fear becomes a shared experience. Even more interestingly, not everyone enjoys fear in the same way. Some people actively seek out extreme horror films, terrifying rollercoasters, and haunted attractions, while others would rather watch a romcom and sleep peacefully at night. Part of this could come down to personality. Some people are more drawn to novelty and intense experiences than others. But perhaps the biggest reason we love being scared is that fear makes us feel alive. Most of everyday life is fairly predictable. We wake up, eat, work, or study, talk to people and go to sleep. A sudden scare interrupts all of that. For a few minutes, your entire attention is focused on one thing. Your heart is beating faster. Your senses are sharper. You’re completely in the moment. And then when it’s over, you get to laugh about it.
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Maybe that’s why people willingly queue for rollercoasters, turn off the lights to watch horror films and tell ghost stories despite knowing they’ll regret it when they hear a noise later. We don’t necessarily love being scared. We love the feeling of surviving the scare. Because there is something strangely satisfying about feeling terrified for five minutes and then walking away thinking: That was terrifying. Let’s do it again.
ISF ACTIVITIES | AUTUMN PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
Whether you’re staying home or traveling this break, don’t forget to take some photos and submit them to the photography competition, organized by Mr. Fugill! The competition is open to all middle school students, high school students, and faculty. There will be a winner and a runner-up for each category in each theme. Student entries will be judged by a staff panel, and staff entries will be judged by a student panel.
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TÉA MIJATOVIĆ (VILLA BARDINI)
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SOFIA NAVARRO (WORLD CUP)
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