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The Cardinal Columns newsmagazine welcome comments and opinions from students and faculty in the form of letters to the editor. Letters to the editor must be signed with a first and last name and be 250 words or less. The editorial board reserves the right to withhold a letter or column and return it for more information if it determines the piece contains items of unprotected speech or to edit for spelling and grammar and confirm authorship
The Next Generation of Art
In celebration of Youth Art Month here is a closer look into what the seniors are working on in AP Art!
Pollen in Love with Spring Fashion!
A deeper look into what fashion trends are popular among teens this spring!
Contact
Cardinal Columns
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Fond du Lac High School
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Fond du Lac, WI 54935
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ADVISER:
smithm@fonddulac.k12.wi.us
Lavish Coffe
Serving the Community, One Cup at a Time
Culture
With a Press of a Button
World Language Department
Trips
A Flight to the City
A New Future Vision? Phorenzy
Masthead
NEWS EDITOR
Caleb Calliari
SPORTS EDITOR
Addy Benzinger
CULTURE EDITOR
Najely Cortes
ONLINE EDITOR
Mya Leisering
DESIGNERS
Lily Yang
Esther Sum
STAFF WRITERS
Alex Braford
Addy Benzinger
Lily Keys
Katie Vang
Gretta Saunders
Molly Fellenz
Lily Yang
Najely Cortes
Em Lanke
Esther Sum
ADVISER
Matthew Smith
PHONES DOWN, HEADS UP!
ENFORCING THE PHONE POLICY AND STUDENTS THOUGHTS
by ALEX BRAFORD
The administration placed a policy stating students couldn’t use phones during academic class times starting last year. While they have enforced this policy, some students across the school follow it, while others don’t.
Michalkiewicz said when he was walking through the first floor of the social studies pod, only one phone was spotted when doing a lap around. He said most students then are starting to understand and follow the phone policy and what will happen if teachers do have to address this.
Continuing the policy, he said more teachers are following it and calling to get kid’s phones taken from them. “We usually get, depending on the day, anywhere from 15 to 30 phone calls,” Michalkiewicz said.
The phone policy has changed this year to where you cannot use it during study halls at all. Administra -
tion said they will continue to work with staff to enforce this policy. “We work together so continuing to build that support for teachers who are in the room to feel comfortable to hold kids accountable is important,” Michalkiewicz said.
While the policy is to keep every student engaged in learning, one of many students disagrees with the policy.
“It’s so dumb,” junior Isaac Krumbein said. “Just let me use my phone when I’m done with my work.”
“It shouldn’t be having no phones at all during class, just some of the time,” sophomore Jackson Flouro said.
Since the phone policy has seemed to be working this year more, it will more than likely continue to be enforced moving forward.
PHOTO MADE MY ALEX BRAFORD
PHOTO MADE BY 3944009 ON CANVA
GRAPHIC BY ALEX BRAFORD
NEW TO THE NEST PRODUCTS COMING AND GOING TO THE NEST
by ALEX BRAFORD
With the new school year, the Cardinal’s Nest gets new products and loses some. With new apparel coming, there are also new products coming soon.
Bubblrs have been super popular for everyone. Lately, many flavors have not been coming in or having a lot of stock in the store. The Nest hopes in the future they will receive more flavors for people to enjoy.
With the store having so many items, everyone has their favorites. Some of the popular items include Takis, Arizona Iced Teas and fruit snacks.
The Nest also hasn't had many Naked smoothies in stock. With the limited flavors of smoothies they can purchase, they will be making their own smoothies for purchase shortly.
The Nest also sells merchandise for students. Getting new apparel for everyone is possible, but instead, they focus on selling the rest of the inventory before ordering more apparel.
With multiple chances to go to the Nest during the school day, senior Franchesca Parker mentioned that going during lunch periods or before school is the ideal time to go and buy things.
With a couple of months left of the school year, there is still time for different things to come into the nest, like limited items. “It is very likely,” Parker said. “Keep an eye out for announcements in the near future!”
Health guidelines can limit what products the Nest can stock, but they will be getting new things in soon. With the month of March here, more new items should be here.
PHOTO MADE BY ALEX BRAFORD
FINAL SHOTS
A SEASON OVERVIEW FOR OUR BOYS AND GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL TEAMS
by Addy Benzinger
After months of hard practices, several highs and lows, celebrations and milestones, the girls and boys 2023-24 basketball seasons are officially coming to an end. Both teams played tough opponents and will continue to do so until their last games of the school year.
Girls Varsity Season:
For the girls varsity team, the players have sure had their ups and downs. This includes senior Brooklyn Wood unfortunately tearing her ACL just before season started.
“Just watching the work she had put into her game over the past three years, it was disheartening to hear that news and know how she was feeling,” head coach Jake Jalling said.
The girls have still been able to keep the fun and work hard as the season went on. “Our team this year has made a lot of progress; we lost a lot of experience last year,” senior Morgan Zangl said. “We had a whole new team this year and I am proud of the way that we have bonded and come together.”
Though some of the players were less experienced, they accepted the challenge presented in the Fox Valley Association. “A high point for me has been watching other girls have to step up into roles that they may not have expected to be in this year,” Jalling said.
“We have a really good group of girls, and best of all, no drama,” Zangl said. Although the group was overall newer and included younger girls, the team couldn’t have been closer.
The team hoped for some wins nearing the end of their season, their conference record being 6-13. The team unfortunate-
ly lost the first regional game against Germantown, with a final score of 68-52. Their record now stands at 9-17 overall, but the work these players put in all year has only just begun, as the offseason is incredibly important for improvement.
Boys Varsity Season:
As for the boys varsity team, they have had a successful year, with an overall record of 11-13 so far (9-9 in conference).
“The season has been good, we have had some really good moments,” head coach Nicholas Ford said. “We are really working on improving our consistency every day, and I think it’ll improve our play on the court.”
Since November the boys team has been working nearly everyday to better themselves. Both the coaches and the players have noticed the improvements of the team.
“Our team has a ton of talented players,” Ford said. “We just need to make sure we are blending those talents together to make sure our team is playing the best it can.” The focus of playing as a team rather than individuals has been an important factor for the team this season, and their hard work shows in their impressive record.
Individual struggles will always be a large part of team sports as well.
“I think a big part of that is I try too hard to be perfect, limiting my ability to succeed,” senior Ryker Johnson said. Noticing these struggles, however, has helped him better himself for his team.
The team all wishes for some success come postseason.
Photo by: Amy Ackerman/ A Flash of Sunshine Photography
“As far as playoffs go, I’m hoping that we can get somewhat of a decent seed and if we win we can get a home playoff game for my last year playing here,” Johnson said.
These hopes may not be far-fetched if the team continues with the work and effort they’ve played with all season. Ford said he hopes “for our guys to play together and come together to finish the rest of our season.”
BEATING THE MATCH
HOW IS THE GIRLS AND BOYS WRESTLING TEAM DOING?
by LiLy Keys
The boys wrestling team’s overall season showed improvement made from over the years. On Jan. 18 the boys team had their Oakfield Invitational. Freshmen Antonio Flores and Quinton Ortegon and sophomore Mason Henschel were the top three leaders on the team.
Quinton received an award for outstanding wrestler. “We had a tough dual season because of our low participation numbers,” boys head coach Eric Ciha said. “We’re working on getting those up in the near future.”
Boys JV and varsity had their WIAA sectional, which was their last sectional for the season. JV had their last match on Feb. 17 in Slinger, and varsity had theirs on Feb. 18 at Oshkosh North.
Ortegon and Flores qualified for the sectional and had two close matches to go to state. They didn’t make it but hope to make it next year.
There may have only been three wrestlers on the girls team, but that did not stop them from achieving their goals and making improvements throughout the season. On Feb. 17 they had their WIAA sectional, which was also their last sectional for the season.
Junior Reghan Ziegler qualified for the WIAA sectional. She didn’t make it to state but ended with two very close matches.
“She has beaten two state placers from last year’s state tournament and became the first ever conference champion for our school in girls wrestling,” girls head coach Jayden Laurent said. “Reghan has been ranked in the top five the entire season.”
In the FVA Conference Meet at Oshkosh North, sophomore Shaynah Lewis placed third, “in a very tough 120 pound
bracket,” Laurent said. Ciha and Laurent are ready to have great improvements from their team/players for next year’s season. They hope the players will be all set to make it to state.
Photo by: Amy Ackerman/ A Flash of Sunshine Photography
Graphic by: Lily Keys
Sports
HOLEIN-ONE!
WHAT THE FHS DISC GOLF CLUB HAS BEEN UP TO LATELY
by KATIE VANG
Turns out hole-in-ones aren’t just for regular golfers. Neither are pars or birdies. The FHS Disc Golf Club knows that like the back of their hands.
Fondy High’s Disc Golf Club is up and running for the first time in several years. The club reopened at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year with special education teacher Matthew Baltz as the advisor.
“I’ve been playing disc golf for a long time and I just love to share the sport with other people who enjoy it, and I wanted to be able to bring that back to the high school,” Baltz said. “There used to be a disc golf club here back quite a few years ago and it kind of dissolved, so I’m hoping to bring it back.”
The club meets once a week on Tuesdays after school from 3:30-5:30 p.m. and works on various things. When weather permits, they start practices by going outside and playing the nine-hole course at the high school. They often play inside the school as well.
“Quite often there’s not space in the gym, so we kind of find our own space. We’ve been in the commons playing some games, and in the library, really anywhere that’s enough space for us to throw some discs,” Baltz said.
Though Baltz is the official advisor of the club, the way it’s run is more of a team effort. Students in the club are able to comfortably voice their ideas and make suggestions.
“He [Baltz] listens to whatever we have to say if we don’t want to do something,” sophomore Tobiah Braun said. “He doesn’t try to force anything upon us.”
The team is relatively small due to it just being reopened. “We have three very dedicated and consistent members,” Baltz said. Senior Caleb Braun, freshman Mason Zimbelman, and Tobiah Braun all show up weekly to practices. According to them, it’s been a great time throughout the year.
“I’ve been playing for about two years now, and I actually met Baltz out on the course,” Caleb said. “It’s a really easy sport to pick up and it’s more fun with the group every week. I have a hard time getting people to play, and everybody just shows up here.”
In the next couple of years, Baltz is hoping to set up a disc golf tournament in the school and travel to other courses. “I’d also like to be able to get to other local courses, not just the ones in Fond du Lac, but go to West Bend, Sheboygan, Oshkosh, other disc golf courses that are a little bit further away but still well within driving range for us,” he said.
The team is also hoping to expand and get more people to join. “If you like being out-
side, if you like throwing things, come check us out!” Baltz said. “You don’t have to be good at it. You can learn [it], it’s a great way to get outside, get a little bit of exercise and just meet some new people and have some fun.”
The club is open to any and all who would like to be involved. If you’re interested in joining Disc Golf Club, contact Matthew Baltz at baltzm@fonddulac. k12.wi.us.
ON YOUR MARKS... STUDENT TRACK ATHLETES’ THOUGHTS COMING
INTO A NEW
SEASON WITH NEW COACHES
by ADELYN BENZINGER
Fondy’s track and field team is opening up the 2024 season with new coaches, a new dynamic and new goals. After different sets of coaches for the past couple of years and difficulties with practices during the track/stadium renovation at Fondy, the sport is finally returning to a more organized program with new and high energy for the upcoming season.
Official practices for the boys and girls team start March 4, but there have already been opportunities to get out on the track or start working on technique for throwers and sprinters.
New head coach Kyle Jefferson is trying to get a head start on working with his new athletes to work on bettering the team. “I can share that I have brought 2 coaches from SMSA [St. Mary’s Springs Academy] and added a coach from Oshkosh West to the staff to give us the best opportunity to help improve the track program,” Jefferson said.
Senior Kalvin Mullins has been a track athlete since fifth grade and is looking forward to how the program will progress this year. “I love how the school was able to get an actual coaching staff, as in the past we have only had three coaches and not enough coaches to coach important events,” Mullins said. “I have spoken to a couple of the new coaches, and I feel a connection that they are ready to help everyone on the team become the best version of themselves and create a winning environment.”
Similar to Mullins, junior Sophia Ferguson has high hopes and goals for this season. “I’ll just try to help people out, too. l feel like our team needs more of a team atmosphere, not all separated from what events you do,” Ferguson said. Although a major positive of track is it is a largely individual sport is the team can’t succeed without working together and creating a good dynamic.
With the start of a new season also comes new athletes. The freshman class is bringing a lot of students into the track program, one being Lucy Fridley
“My favorite part of the sport is how you have coaches to push you, but in the end it truly boils down to your mindset and how hard you want to push yourself,” Fridley said. “You have to hold yourself accountable and work hard in order to achieve your goals.” She hopes to continue with sprinting events like she did during her eighth grade season.
The school track has been opened for some early practices/workouts, and fundraisers for the team are already under way, so only time will tell how the recent improvements to the program will affect the performance of the team. Hopefully a successful season with a conference win is in the future for this year’s track and field athletes.
The Next Generation of Art
In celebration of Youth Art Month here is a closer look into the what the seniors are working on in AP Art!
AP Art is a brand-new class offered at Fondy this year. Expanding the amount of art classes students are exposed to, creating new opportunities for aspiring artists. Being the first year its running, AP art is especially popular amongst the seniors. This new opportunity has given seniors the ability to expand as artists in a more independent and hands on fashion.
Ava Eharhardt
Belle Berge
Sadie Lange
Nico Chapman
Ryleigh
Behl
What made you take AP Art?
I liked that I had more freedom with art because there wasn’t much of a curriculum. This is also the first year this class was offered and it was new.
Do you plan to implement art into your life after high school? Yes. Right now my career path is undecided. I just want to have art as a hobby as of right now.
What is art to you?
A way for me to express myself and let out my emotions in a healthy way. I believe art is more than we can create, it’s everywhere around us.
What is your favorite medium?
My favorite mediums are charcoal and scratchboard. I’m currently working on a portrait of my dog on scratchboard.
Ava Eharhardt
What made you take AP Art?
I’ve been taking art classes all throughout high school, and art is my passion outside of school so I’ve always known that I want to take art outside of school.
Do you plan to implement art into your life after high school? Yes. Right now I’m planning on going to an art school. And I’m already working on art outside of school for the future.
What is art to you?
It started as a hobby, but now it’s just a part of me. It’s like a personality trait at this point. Everyone knows I love art.
What is your favorite medium?
Acrylic paint but I also like experimenting with pencil and lipstick. I’ve been experimenting with using makeup as a medium for my project. The lipstick is supposed to showcase femininity in a way.
Sadie Lange
What made you take AP Art?
I ran out of ceramics classes to take and it was another thing to do. I feel like after high school there’s not many opportunities in art so I wanted to take another art class while I still could.
Do you plan to implement art into your life after high school? Possibly. I want to go to school for psychology, and I know I want to be a therapist. I’ve looked into art therapy, but there are fewer job opportunities so right now it is just a possibility.
What is art to you?
A way to express yourself in a more physical way along with what you are feeling.
What is your favorite medium?
Definitely ceramics. I like making things that have symbolism where every single detail has a meaning to it.
Belle Berge
What made you take AP Art?
Taking AP art was a no-brainer for me because I grew up around art. My mom and grandpa are both artists, so I grew up showing art and taking art classes.
Do you plan to implement art into your life after high school?
Yes for sure, I think as a hobby I will experiment with art. But with me being a fashion stylist, art will always surround me.
What is art to you?
Art is a form of self-expression.
What is your favorite medium?
My go-to medium is drawing with regular graphite pencils. But for AP art my whole thing is exploring and using mixed medias. So I’m using different mediums for each of my projects. So far I’ve used clay, colored pencils, stained glass and pencils, and ink.
Nico Chapman
What made you take AP Art?
I kind of ran out of places to go for art classes here because all the seniors said the stage 3 classes were really hard. So when AP art became a thing it was a way for me to push myself when it comes to art, an opportunity for me to ground myself in my work.
Do you plan to implement art into your life after high school?
Yes I do plan on going professional. I don’t know what route I want to go yet, but I’m in between tattooing or going freelance with my work.
What is art to you?
An expression of myself is things that I say that go beyond words. I have a hard time speaking publicly, so art is a way for me to speak without spoken word.
What is your favorite medium?
I really like using alcohol markers. My main medium is Sharpies, and I like colored pencils. I normally do drawing, but I recently tried painting to challenge myself. I normally try to use mediums I don’t like because it means I’m able to push myself to create concepts I normally wouldn’t.
POLLEN SPRING FASHION! in love with
A DEEPER LOOK INTO WHAT FASHION TRENDS ARE POPULAR AMONG TEENS THIS SPRING!
by Gretta SaunderS
Clothing has been a statement for decades. Throughout the years, clothing has become a way to express ourselves without words. For teens, clothing isn’t just about self-expression, but about finding yourself and who you are. Clothing allows us to be our own person, providing confidence and comfort.
Fashion among teens is very versatile, as everyone has their own style. Current fashion among teens is heavily inspired by the Y2K era. Many trends from the decade have reappeared, becoming more popular than ever. These include claw clips, straightleg jeans, and crop tops. You may not realize it, but many fashion trends are borrowed today!
Although teen fashion is borrowed in a way, some trends are more unique to the current teen generation. Some of these include maximalism, oversized clothing and layering. These trends are widely spread through popular social media including Tik Tok and Instagram.
Y2K
Fashion trends from the early 2000s have made a huge comeback, taking over the majority of fashion trends among teens in 2024. Popular fads among females include baby tees, low-rise jeans and claw clips. Many of these trends are seen in bright and bold colors. Popular fads among males include oversized jeans, bold colors, and unique graphic tee shirts.
Thrifting
Thrifting has become increasingly popular among teens. Vintage clothing has become a widespread interest of the younger generation. Thrifting is a fun way for teens to connect and meet new people. When mentioning thrifting you may just think of shopping at regular second hand stores. But thrifting has turned into something more than just shopping. Vintage fests have become more well-known events, popping up in various cities and states. Some of these locations include Milwaukee and Appleton, Wisconsin. Vintage fests create a way for teens and adults to sell and collect vintage clothing. Items sold at these events often consist of handmade/upcycled clothing, vintage clothing items and various arrays of graphic tees.
Layering
Layered clothing is a trend that is a little bit more unique to the new generation of teens. Layering is a way for teens to express themselves in a unique way and still stay on trend. There is a lot of creative freedom with layering, as you can mix different lengths, textures, colors and fabrics to create a look unique to who you are as a person. When layering clothing it is important to think about these factors and how they will cohesively go together. Layering is a lot of fun because there are so many possibilities.
“I usually dress like an old man T_T. A lot of flannels, sweaters, jeans and neutral colors.” -Emma Bargo
Oversized clothing
The popularity of oversized clothing has always been very vast. Inspired by the early 2000s, oversized clothing is very popular among teens. Baggy clothes are worn in a variety of ways to create unique statement outfits. Baggy clothes are often paired with other baggy or tight-fitting clothes to create a cohesive look. Baggy over baggy is a statement piece widely seen among teens. This look is very powerful because attention is drawn directly to the clothes and not the person’s body. Another popular look is pairing baggy and tight clothing to create a contrasting look.
Maximalism
Maximalism is another fashion trend that has made a huge comeback, spanning back to the colorful disco glam of the ‘70s and the oversized silhouettes of the ‘80s. Maximalism is a style that expresses organized chaos, featuring bold patterns, chunky threads, unique jewelry and various styles of clothing. Maximism is always unique to the person, as it is their choice of what to pair. This allows for infinite amounts of self-expression and individuality.
A TikTok influencer with the username “lolfashiondump” is a popular fashion influencer who is a maximalist. She often pairs funky patterns and different fabrics to create unique and cohesive outfits.
“I really just wear whatever I like and whatever I feel comfortable in, but I guess you could say I dress a bit grungier than others with a lot of influence from the ‘80s, ‘90s and early 2000s.”
-Cooper Gilgenbach
PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY EMMA BARGO
PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY COOPER GILGENBACH
Lavish
Coffee
SERVING THE COMMUNITY, ONE CUP AT A TIME
by Molly Fellenz
Lavish Coffee, located at 21 N Portland St, suite 2A, opened December 2023 to serve quality coffee. The shop is a non-profit owned by Grace and Truth Christian Fellowship, who, along with managers Zach and Amanda Balken, aims to create a safe, supportive and enriching space in the community.
Located centrally in Fond du Lac, Lavish Coffee offers a variety of services. Reading support, tutoring, foster-care support, prayer and food and drink are just a few. The Grace and Truth Christian Fellowship was inspired by stories of coffee shops being opened in poor Middle-Eastern neighborhoods to provide a loving presence in needy communities as well as great coffee. They searched for a central location that allowed them to serve the most people, and that’s what they did.
As foster parents themselves, the Balkens want to help others in the foster care community. “Members of our church are getting trained in supervising visits between foster kiddos and their parents with the hopes that we can offer our back room as an additional place for these visits to take place,” Amanda Balken said. “We also have ideas of putting together a support community for foster parents that would meet in our shop.”
As parents of young children, the Balken family supports the education of children and fundamental reading support. They host Monica Tagliapietra, a professional literacy tutor, on Tuesday afternoons from 2-4 p.m.
“Reading is so important to a child’s education,” Tagliapietra said. “It impacts how a child will understand future material and even their social skills. Giving a learner a baseline to improve
from is what schools work on, but some students need more tailored help, and those students are the ones I work with.”
While foster care and reading support are highly prized at Lavish Coffee, their coffee itself attracts visitors from all over the city. Zach Balken, a coffee drinker since childhood, takes coffee seriously. He curated a selection of coffee and flavorings to a short but flavorful list. Lavish Coffee uses high-quality ingredients made in store and sourced from small businesses, along with high-end water filtration systems to make their coffee the best it can be.
“I’ve always loved a great cup of coffee, and Lavish has allowed me to share that with others.”
-Zach Balken, manager
“I’ve always loved a great cup of coffee and Lavish has allowed me to share that with others,” Balken said. Their coffee is provided by Sweet Bloom Coffee Roasters, a small business from Denver, Colorado and they make several of the flavorings in store. Some of the most popular are vanilla bean and brown sugar cinnamon. The shop is also excited to announce the addition of smoothies and espresso shakes to their menu. A variety of milk, flavoring and drink options ensures all can enjoy Lavish Coffee’s drinks without fear.
In addition to coffee, Lavish Coffee invites visitors in for delicious food. They boast a small selection of curated lunch and breakfast specials. Lunch favorites include a honey and bacon grilled cheese, pesto turkey grilled sandwich and a havarti and avocado sandwich. Breakfast favorites are a croissant breakfast sandwich and avocado toast.
Lavish Coffee also serves bakery items from 3 Sweets Bakery during the week and Thunderbird Bakery on the weekends. These items rotate to feature customer’s favorites and seasonal items throughout the year.
As Lavish Coffee continues to grow, they plan to expand their food menu and hours of operation. Their current hours are Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday 7 a.m. - 2 p.m. and Tuesday and Friday 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. The Balkens look forward to seeing more people in their shop and enjoying all they have to offer. They would love to offer a discount of 50% off your first drink with them if you bring in this article. Enjoy!
ALL
PHOTOS BY
ZACH AND AMANDA
BALKEN
Harold Cohen, a British artist, developed an AI art system software in 1960 at the University of California, San Diego. Its purpose is to empower individuals to generate diverse art forms using text prompts. In 2022, AI art soon got more popular than before generating ideas for creators. What ideas would you have created for AI art?
In the survey with a total of 113 responses for Fond du Lac High School’s thoughts about artificial intelligence artwork, about 64.6% said that they never used AI art before. “I’ve used it before, and it’s not that great,” senior Christopher Klebs said.
With a Press of a Button
Artist Thoughts About Artificial Intelligence Artwork
by Lily Yang
“AI is definitely a useful tool, but the thing is, it floods in thousands of stolen images from artists without their consent to the point where you can see other artists’ signatures in the artwork,” senior Nico Chapman said.
AI art can also be easily spotted due to the similar style it has. With just a click, many new ideas can be generated. Its purpose is to allow anyone to create art or even have a collection of art in a short time and with less effort.
“Why are you making art? That’s the bigger question. As an artist, what do you get from making art? Other people value the process of making art,” art teacher Mr. Herr said. “I value the time I put into making a portrait, and I value that meditative time and just trying. By generating it you don’t have that time anymore.”
In the survey 41.6% said they think AI art shouldn’t exist, while 22.1% said it should exist.
“You’re pushing a button to make it look like water instead of learning how to make it look like water,” Mr. Rameriz said.
“Why are you making art?” -Mr. Herr
AI can be helpful for artists as a tool or for helping gain ideas which helps save time and effort in searching for one. It also allows people the joy who can’t make art to make art by using AI to help generate their ideas by typing them down.
“A lot of times you have an idea what color you want, and you don’t know how it’s gonna react with the other colors that you chose until you put it on,” art teacher Mr. Rameriz said.
About 13.3% of responders said that AI art is considered art, 31% people said that maybe AI art might be considered art and the rest of the responses (55.8%) don’t think that AI art should be considered art at all.
“Honestly, I think it can be beneficial in certain situations, but I don’t think it should be considered like art,” senior Jackson Szatkowsk said.
With AI art, many said it takes away the growth of each student from learning how to make it in their own hands, which also takes away the joy, creativity and time of making art in the old-school way.
“Artists are still going to have their own space, and I don’t think AI will ever take over that just because like humans, we want human interaction, and I feel like that’s what a big part of art is,” art teacher Ms. Hawkins said.
“It’s not necessarily just like looking pretty, or whatever.”
As for AI art, they can’t replicate the imperfections that the artist makes, which makes their artwork different from the artist’s artwork. The mistakes the artist makes for their art lead to growth as they continue to learn from their mistakes and improve.
“All artists have more control over their art, and AI doesn’t have that kind of control.”
-Christopher Klebs
Image by Deeana Garcia by Pixabay
Image by Lily Yang and Cardinal Columns
WORLD LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT
TRIPS
UPDATES ON THE WORLD LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT AND HOW THEY PLANNED
BY: NAJELY CORTES
Imagine a nice trip to Germany, France or even Costa Rica showing off what you learned and finally putting it to practice.
Thankfully all the languages offered here at Fond Du Lac High School has an opportunity to go. In the past, the World Language Department would take these trips every other year. However, due to COVID-19, they have yet to get back on track.
“My students ask me all the time”
-Madam Schipper
They may begin planning some new trips with a meeting in May this year. If not, they said they will for sure have a trip the following year. “I like to make sure that students for sure have one opportunity,” Madam Schipper said
The trip’s destination depends on what language a student takes. Students in German go to Germany, while students in French go to France. Spanish students used to go to Spain. However, the type of Spanish spoken there is different from what they teach here. Therefore, they now go to Costa Rica.
The purpose of the trips is for the students to see the language in action and live it, to have them immerse themselves in the language. Also for them to see the culture, try the food, see the monuments and have different experiences. It’s been shown that students who have gone on a trip come back with a will to learn and open their minds.
“It’s one thing to say that you sit in a classroom for 45 minutes, but it’s a totally different thing to be in a place where you’re immersed in it” Madam Schipper said. “When you’re reading it, you’re hearing it, you’re trying to speak it yourself, you’re listening and trying to understand it.”
Trips are decided by the teachers depending on if they are able or willing to go.It can also be very difficult for both teachers and students because they have young children at home or they have busy schedules.
In the past teachers had to plan everything from the plane ride, where the students are staying and the itinerary. Recently they went to Explorica, which is more tour-like and takes pressure from the teachers.
Therefore teachers hold a series of meetings. The first is to see if there’s interest. If they have interest they will hold some with parents and some with just the students. In these meetings, they discuss topics some students would have never thought about, such as jet lag, money, things to pack, cultural differences and how to act on a long plane ride including etiquette.
Culture
A FLIGHT TO THE CITY
ORCHESTA STUDENTS WILL TRAVEL TO NEW YORK DURING UPCOMING SPRING BREAK OF 2024
by Emma LEmkE
Students in orchestra will be traveling to New York by plane on April 3-6, 2024. The trip will happen over the Fond du Lac School District’s scheduled spring break so students going on the trip won’t have to worry about missing any school.
“I chose to go on the New York trip because I’ve always wanted to see the city,” sophomore Collin Lutze said. “A lot of great people started out there.”
Orchestra teacher Austin Bolden said that school trips can take months or even years to plan. This trip in particular took him approximately eighteen months to organize. “The students will be able to talk to Broadway performers and will have time to meet people during our trips to various museums,” Bolden said.
One of the events planned for the trip is going to seeHadestown the musical on Broadway, which is just one of the things that Bolden believes the students going on the trip will enjoy the most. According to the Broadway Inbound website, the musical includes Greek mythology: “Orpheus embarks on a daring journey to rescue his love Eurydice from the depths of Hadestown, while Hades and Persephone grapple with their strained relationship.”
“I absolutely love musicals,” junior Cecilia Moss said. “Although regular songs already tell some kind of story, I’ve always felt like it only had meaning while musicals have songs that quite literally tell the story.”
Another event Bolden believes the students will enjoy is seeing the New York Philharmonic, “One of the best orchestras
in the world playing a piece by Ravel with soloist Alice Sara Ott.” Founded in 1842, the New York Philharmonic is the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States.
“I’d have to say I’m the most excited to go see the New York Philharmonic,” Lutze said. “They’re some of the best minds in music, and I’m looking forward to hearing their performance.”
As a bonus to the trip, the students will get to visit Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, Top of the Rock, Carroll Studios, USS Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Staten Island Ferry, National September 11th Memorial and Museum and Central Park.
“By the looks of it, the trip seems pretty creative to me,” Moss said. “It gives us a few places to go and visit and just [gives] us a whole New York experience.”
“New York is a cen ter for music and for American Culture,” Bolden said. “The city has a long history of mu sical excellence and students need to experience that.”
A NEW FUTURE VISION?
THE NEW APPLE VISION PRO TECHNOLOGY IS READY TO CHANGE THE FUTURE
by LILY YANG
Apple Inc. has created an Apple Vision Pro that was available for pre-order on Jan. 8, 2024 for the general public. The Apple Vision Pro is a mix-reality headset; it is more of a working space for users to use and be aware of their surroundings easily. With this headset, people can connect with others from far distances. With it being launched early, it helps people get used to it and lets other apps develop and customize how they want to look in it.
The Apple Vision Pro is meant to be a full-fledged computer with real apps that let people get their work done. It has many cameras in the headset to track eyes and hand movements so the user can control it instead of using a controller.
It has customizable lenses for people who wear glasses to be able to try on them. It also includes volume adjustment, a camera shutter to take 3D photos and videos and bluetooth. The vision itself shows 49% of the colors that people see.
The vision is mostly blurry when the user is moving due to the cameras finding their way to adjust to the environment.
When facing people, Apple Vision Pro instructs users to scan their faces. This creates the person’s persona when wearing the headset and contacting people without a phone.
It lets you set the display of screens in certain places and come back to it and it will still be there. There is a trav el mode where if you were to travel, the screen would stay in place.
The Apple Vision weighs about 600-650 grams, which is heavier than other VR headsets. It also has an external battery attached to the VR to reduce the weight. The headset mostly rests on the person’s face, unlike other VR headsets that balance on the head.
There are complaints from cus tomers that the Apple Vision cost is be tween $3,400 to $4,992. This led most peo ple to think that it was not worth buying the Apple Vision Pro headset.
Videos from social media show people wearing the Apple Vision Pro out in public cities with it.
This shows many concerns about whether having an Apple Vision Pro is a good thing or not. The main concern that most people have is whether it will let them become more detached from their lives as technology advances.
PHOTO
PHORENZY
INFLUENCE AND THE THINGS KIDS GET INTO IN SEPHORA
by ESTHER SUM
Sephora is one of the most known beauty stores, attracting many people of all different ages, predominantly the younger audience such as teens and kids. It promotes all types of beauty products out there to grow.
But when it comes to the younger audience, specifically peteens, they can spiral into some trouble in Sephora and have things that aren’t meant for the younger audience.
Skincare is a daily routine many people do, but when social media promotes a specific brand, it becomes popular. This isn’t a bad thing, but the heavy influence to buy skincare without knowing what’s in it can cause skin damage to many people, especially the young audience.
“Majority of it is just towards skincare since most kids don’t need skincare in the first place, espcially skin care with retinol or whatnot. These products could just ruin their skin instead,”
“We often have young kids who come to buy products with little to no knowledge about what the products actually do for you.”
-Ahlia Hanson
Serena Xiong, an employee at Sephora, said.
“We often have young kids who come to buy products with little to no knowledge about what the products actually do for you,” fellow Sephora employee Ahlia
Hanson said. “They’ve just seen them on social media.” Besides specific ingedients that don’t need to be used for kids, the mess that kids and some teenagers leave behind shows no respect to those working in Sephora: leaving trash on the ground when there are trash cans and mixing up products together, the most popular creation being the Drunk Elephant “smoothie.” A “smoothie” is created by mixing many Drunk Elephant products like hand cream, lotion and bronzer, which causes a huge mess and many kids leave that mess behind.
“There was once a group of teenagers [who] walked in and stuck their fingers in their nose and wiped it all over testers of a certain brand, and we had to replace all of those testers, and yes, they do make those damn smoothies,” Xiong said.
Lots of people who work in Sephora shops have been complaining and stating their opinions and experiences with the rampage of kids in the store. Many online said the kids can be rude to staff and act like they are never in the wrong. They also mention how parents should be keeping an eye on what their children buy.
“Parents should keep an eye out on what their kids are buying because first of all, its expensive,” Xiong said. “Second of all, they do not need it. Especially skincare, it could just ruin their skin.”
“A lot of time we get parents who will question us about products and if it’s something their child needs, so I would say, just be aware of social media trends and do a bit of research on the product and the pros and cons of the products,” Hanson said.
JUJUTSU "RAT"
Esther Sum
MEDIUM A lavish treat!
Newspapers, books, magazines, etc.
HARD
Did you read the Phorenzy story?
March Crossword
caffeinated drink sold in the Cardinals Nest 5. a popular ai website
9. a coffee drink made of espresso and steamed milk
11. number of holes on Fondy's disc golf course
13. even faster than a run
14. the people enforcing our phone policy
15. 3rd largest sport in the US by revenue
1. 6th most spoken language in the world (per lingua.edu)
3. an expression of human creativity
4. technology company that has begun exploring VR
6. computers that perform human tasks
7. the base of your favorite coffee drink
8. one of the most popular makeup stores
10. buy used clothes at a discount
12. a form of art discussed in a Cardinal Columns story
