27 minute read
taken on during quarantine
Ishana Baboo ’21
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I’m not the first to say that quarantine gave students an unusual amount of free time. Many LM students took the opportunity to make up sleep, others baked excessively, and some took the time to pursue their passions for various forms of art. In that aspect, LM seniors excelled. After spending this long break delving into such interesting projects, they definitely deserve some recognition, so get excited to learn more about these talented artists! Music can start things off. Leo Steinriede ’21, a talented guitarist, did a livestream during which he and a group of other musicians improvised along to the award-winning movie Parasite. When asked what motivated him to do something of this nature, Steinriede elaborated that “the idea to improvise to Parasite came because I hadn’t really played music with anyone in months and discovered during quarantine that I really love film. So I decided to combine my passion for improvised music with film, and improviswe with the movie Parasite because it’s an explosive movie.” On a more serious note, Steinriede also composed a musical piece in memory of the late George Floyd. He explained that he “was so moved by the protests and felt so much despair for the country that [he] felt like [he] had to create something that would be a force for good.” However, he says that the piece is something he grapples with every day. “I still struggle with ‘Eulogy for George Floyd’ because as a white person, it’s my privilege to be able to make art about racism and not be affected by it everyday,” Steinriede says. “I don’t want ‘Eulogy for George Floyd’ to be virtue signaling or for people to think it absolves me from anti-racist work. To me, art is the opposite of evil and as an artist, I need to strive to make my art a reflection of what I want the world to be.” Samples of his music can be heard on Instagram
When asked what type of art is her favorite, Lu says she prefers digital art.
Photos courtesy of Claire Sun ’21
Sun sews stuffed animals, such as penguins, as well as other items for charity.
Graphics by Claire Lu ’21
and on his Facebook page under Leo Steinriede. Moving on to textiles and sewing, the gifted Claire Sun ’21 started a donationbased business on Instagram, in which she would sew anything from handmade masks to stuffed animals based on the amount that a customer donated to a charity of their choice. “I got up every morning and saw so much stuff happening on Instagram and all of these links to petitions and protests,” Sun said. “I wanted to contribute in my own way, and I just happened to be going through a sewing phase so it worked out.” She ended up generating about $450 in donations to various charities, including the Minnesota Freedom Fund and Save the Children for Yemen. Delving into the web of digital art, Claire Lu ’21 says that she has “always been doing art, and quarantine seemed like an opportunity to explore different styles since there was a lot of time spent in the house.” Lu stated that she “started looking at other artists’ work online more and was inspired by them, especially Skottie Young and Tillie Walden,” which motivated her to create more art. When asked about her preferred drawing styles, she continued to say that she enjoys “drawing in a bunch of styles, sometimes cartoon and sometimes more realistic, depending on the type of paintin Her lovely work can be seen on Instagram. Finally, when it comes to abstract line art and mandala-style designs, I’m your girl! I have been drawing intricate designs since childhood, inspired by my Indian culture. During quarantine, I was inspired to create more drawings and explore more styles of design due to the extra time I had. After seeing so many charities and petitions highlighted on social media and television, I grew motivated to give back to my community, so I started my own small business! I began selling my drawings on Instagram in July so that I could donate the net proceeds to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. It feels good to do something you truly enjoy for the purpose of helping others; it’s the best kind of win-win situation!
Staying connected amid COVID-19
Katie Fang ’23 Website Editor
Even during the pandemic, many LM students have found creative ways to communicate and have fun with their friends. Whether it be through FaceTime, Google Hangouts, Discord, Zoom, or party video games, it is safe to say, that with modern technology, it’s easy to remain social in times of isolation.
Last spring, some students stayed in touch via Minecraft servers. Minecraft was the perfect game to play during quarantine because there are simply no limits. Alumnus Asher Goodwin ’20 created one named “CoronaCraft” with a few of his friends. “I didn’t really know what the server would become until a large amount of people started playing, the majority of them LM students,” said Goodwin. “I’ve been playing Minecraft since I was a child and every time I come back to the game, it triggers a deep sense of nostalgia.” The server served as a platform to bring students together to pass time, with up to 25 people on at once.
LM students were even able to watch the morning announcements from home. Alumnus Joe Plavin ’20 an iconic figure of the morning programming, had been livestreaming on Instagram to broadcast the content that many would have looked forward to on a typical school day. “Doing the announcements was one of my favorite things to do at school, so when school was cancelled I was really disappointed,” he said. “The response from everyone both touched my heart and motivated me to do them daily. I’ve heard from a couple people that they looked forward to it as a highlight of their day, and although they may be being hyperbolic it meant so much to me.”
Currently, many LM students enjoy video chatting with their friends. Just as if they were speaking in person, various platforms allow students to see and hear each other no matter the distance. To abide by social distancing, this activity has become something that many LM students reported using more often during quarantine. FaceTime is a popular option if students wish to communicate with one another, as is Zoom which can fit many people in a meeting at once.
While I relaxed in my room on the evening of August 28, I received a startling text from a close friend. It was an article with the headline “Chadwick Boseman Dead at 43 From Colon Cancer.” I was in absolute shock, and I immediately checked other sources for confirmation. It felt like a nightmare, and I was just waiting to wake up.
The loss of the iconic African American actor was devastating. Boseman had been fighting colon cancer since 2016, but that did not stop him from doing what he did best.
Over the years, Boseman had persevered to accomplish his goals. He graduated from T. L. Hanna High School in Anderson, South Carolina in 1995. Soon after, he enrolled in Howard University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in directing. He returned to Howard in 2018 to give a commencement speech, and earned an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. After he graduated from Howard in 2000, he attended the British American Drama Academy at Oxford, which led him to his career in acting.
Boseman went on to do stunning performances and portray groundbreaking roles in the film industry. Year after year, we have seen him in films such as 42, 21 Bridges, and so many more. By far his most influential film and role was in the 2018 film Black Panther. The cinematic perfection that it was had a huge impact on everyone, but it especially impacted people of color, like me. We finally got to see someone that looked like us starring as a superhero on
Alternatively, some prefer using Google Hangouts or Discord, which have call and chatting options. “Google Hangouts is very convenient for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is included when you create an email and can be accessed from many devices,” Anika Xi ’23 commented. “This makes it really easy to communicate because I use my email on a day-to-day basis, and with the Hangouts function I can also use it for instant messaging with friends.” “Discord is the best method of communication,” disputes Aiko Palaypayon ’23. “You can have stable voice and video calls with your friends. I’ve made group chats with people in my classes to make sure we all get our tasks completed.” She also enjoys the customization aspect of Discord; for example, you can change your status by adding a written description of anything, which is visible on your profile. Students have also used these video call platforms to play online party games with each other. Games like Among Us, One Night Werewolf, Resistance, Fall Guys, and Jackbox Party Pack are popular options among LM students. David Liu ’23 mentions that Among Us, a multiplayer game in which crewmates must work together to discover the impostor among their group is a “great game to enhance your problem solving skills” with friends. Harper Segal ’21 enjoys Jackbox Party Pack, which comes with multiple party video games. One person streams the game on a computer, which every other player will then connect their device to using a code. Segal’s favorite game mode is Quiplash, where two players must anonymously face off in writing funny answers to questions while the other players vote for what they deem the funniest answer. “Playing Quiplash with friends is always a blast,” he says. “My friends and I laugh so hard that our stomachs hurt sometimes.” With friend groups often not being able to play games in person, it’s clear why many party video games are so popular right now. Even during a pandemic, LM students have come together through the internet. Despite friends not being able to see each other face-to-face as often as we used to, technology has made this unprecedented situation a bit more bearable.
A tribute to a king
Graphic by Emma Liu ’22
Celine Thomas-Philip ’21
Graphic by Cate Roser ’21
the big screen. This movie brought joy, happiness, and laughs to families of all races, but that joy was even greater for families like mine. I could not believe it when I heard that Boseman was going to be the star in Black Panther. I saw the movie countless times in the theater with my family and it never got old. I will never forget how touched I was the first time I saw the credits roll by. I still have never seen a movie that has impacted me as much as Black Panther did. The production, the scenery, and the actors were all extraordinary. Boseman did something that many people of color did not expect but have always wanted. My family and I were changed by his work. Boseman once said, “To be young, gifted and Black. We all know what it’s like to be told that there is not a place for you to be featured[…] We know what it’s like to be the tail and not the head. We know what it’s like to be beneath and not above. That is what we went to work with every day because we knew[…] that we had something special that we wanted to give the world[…] That we could create a world that exemplified a world that we wanted to see.” People of color strive every day to make their dreams possible. There are challenges on the way, but they are achievable. Boseman demonstrated this throughout his lifetime, proving to us that we can too. Boseman undoubtedly left his mark on this world. He left us with unforgettable films and we will forever let his legacy live on.
The Merionite Caught in a scandalous spell
Arts & Entertainment Editor
The Harry Potter Universe has been a major force in pop culture ever since the first book came out in 1997. Children have grown up enchanted by its world, idolizing characters, actors, and even the author, J.K. Rowling. Over the past summer, there has been a resurgence of love for Harry Potter among Generation Z, accompanied by more and more controversy surrounding the author.
Many LM students spent an increased amount of their time this summer on their phones, much of it on the popular social media app TikTok. This platform has been responsible in large part for this Harry Potter comeback, as many students’ find themselves surrounded by content related to it on their ‘For-You Page,’ a personalized feature that shows users certain videos based on the TikTok algorithm. As said by Emmi Wu ’23, “I’m rewatching the movies because of all the videos about it that are viral on Tik-Tok. For example, one thing that’s trending is ‘shifting’, like shifting realities, and people are trying to shift to go to Hogwarts.”
What seems to be a contradiction, though, is how this is happening in the midst of infinite controversy regarding Rowling. This past June, Rowling came under fire—not for the first time—for making several statements that have offended many people. Her recent stream of comments began in June, with her responce to an article that used the phrase “people who menstruate” in the title. She responded: “‘People who menstruate. I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” This statement implies only women, and all women, menstruate, excluding transgender people. She followed this up by writing an essay defending herself and her views, pushing information that, when fact-checked, is quite often false (i.e. protesting that trans activists hurt feminism by eliminating the definition of woman, which
Graphic By
is not occurring), only worsening the tension. This is not the first time that Rowling has faced scrutiny for transphobic comments, or other controversies. Besides transphobia, she has also been accused of anti-black racism, ant-isemitism, Irish stereotyping, South and East Asian stereotyping, and more. According to Sophia
Abdulmalik ’23, a student who overall feels happy about the Harry Potter resurgence due to it encouraging kids to read, “Many and most of her words and opinions disgust me, especially because of her platform and influence, which she chooses to use to spread transphobia, xenophobia, and other forms of hate. I will always love the series dearly, but it makes me cringe each time I read her name choice for the (few) POC characters and her constant tokenization and trope-ing of characters (Dean Thomas being fatherless as a black boy, Seamus Finnigan blowing everything up as the Irish character).” Other LM students who were interviewed for this article agreed that Rowling has said and done many problematic and arguably hurtful things. But does that mean they can’t love Harry Potter anymore? Their feelings appear to be mixed. Certain students, including Wu and Abdulmalik, feel it is alright to love the series as long as they watch movies in ways that do not provide extra profit to Rowling. Others, however, strongly disagree. Nick Barr Bono ’23 feels that while in theory you can be a fan of something without supporting the creator, “J.K. Rowling is so culturally and financially tied to Harry Potter that at this point I’m deeply uncomfortable around people I meet in real life who wear Harry Potter merch [or] ask me about my Hogwarts house, [or] otherwise indicate that they’re fans of the Staff series. J.K. Rowling isn’t just the creator of Harry Potter: she’s the owner. And you can’t buy a product without supporting its owner.” Whether or not the Harry Potter controversy will last is yet to be determined. But in a capitalistic society where success is measured by profit, it’s guaranteed this won’t be the last time this question will come up: can you really support a series or piece of art without—by extension—supporting its creator? Fright Flicks to watch this season
October is arguably one of the best months for watching scary movies. While not everyone may like scary movies, something feels right about getting under warm blankets. on an October night to watch something that will give you chills. And with Halloween around the corner, Hollywood always satisfies our horror cravings with new releases and timeless classics. My personal favorites are supernatural and psychological because of the abundance of frightful choices.
While there are many other horror movie categories, here are the my favorites: PSYCHOLOGICAL: SUPERNATURAL:
Psychological horror movies are less about ghosts, crea- Supernatural horror movies usually involve demons or ghosts. These tures and gore. This category of movies play tricks on the view- movies typically go beyond the superficial, supernatural creatures and are ers’ minds, leaving audiences puzzled and creeped out after watch- filled with tropes that represent good vs. evil. There are numerous subing them. Meant to mess with your head, this different type of horror is categories depending on what kind of supernatural creature these movdifficult to pull off, but when done correctly can perfectly disturb an audience. ies feature. Examples of such subcategories include zombie, alien, slasher, demonic, among many others. These types of scary movies started to beMy Top 3 Recommendations: My Top 3 Recommendations:
Us The Shining The Exorcist The Conjuring
This movie is attention-grabbing and has a An exemplary film, The Shin- The Exorcist was brilliant for Based on a true story, a horrifyunique plot with many twists and turns. Us is ing stands out because of how its time and continues to terrify ing fact for people who have seen about a family that encounters another family well it ages. The CGI and film- people today. The movie follows a this movie to hear, The Conjuring ing techniques coupled with the young girl who is possessed by a takes place in a haunted house that storyline make for an effective demon, maybe even the devil him- a family has just moved into. Over yet disturbing plot line. The sto- self. During the production of the time, stranger and more frighten-
Get Out ry follows a family that become movie, several crew members died ing things happen to the family
There are a lot of elements to Get Out that caretakers of a big hotel all by mysteriously, causing people to bethat forces them to hire a famous make it frightening. A lot of details and foreshad- themselves, while the dad slow- lieve the movie itself is haunted. couple who specialize in demons owing are present in the beginning, which ad- ly goes insane. This is one of the and bad spirits to visit the house. mittedly went undetected until my second view- best horror movies ever made. ing. Get Out is about a man who gets trapped With terrifying scenes and cra- Insidious at his girlfriend’s family home and is written zy plot twists, this film is a must by Jordan Peele, the same genius behind Us. watch for all horror movie fans. new house, and upon arrival, the son falls into a coma and is soon clearly possessed.
Ben Warren ’21
It’s official: LM will play fall sports this year. The LMSD School Board recently voted to formally adopt the Central League’s thought-out plan for fall athletics. Pre-season practices finally commenced for LM on Tuesday, September 29, with league competition officially starting this month. Competitions will be played entirely within the Central League, and, for nearly all fall sports, the PIAA playoffs have been scheduled to begun in late October and November.
If student-athletes had been unsure about their fall seasons until this announcement, they cannot be blamed. Communication about high school sports in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic has often been contradictory, to say the least, and has changed rapidly. The source of some confusion around fall sports throughout Pennsylvania has been the ongoing feud between the office of Governor Tom Wolf and the PIAA, which governs all of the high school sports in Pennsylvania.
On August 6, Governor Wolf issued a recommendation that fall sports should be postponed until at least January 1, citing, “significant health risks.” That same day, the PIAA released a statement in response to Wolf’s recommedation saying, “we are tremendously disappoined in this decision.” Since his original controversial announcement, Governor Wolf has indicated that the final decisions for playing this fall will ultimately be made by the administrators and school boards in their respective districts.
Whether LM athletes are in practice or participating in interscholastic competitions, they will be responsible for following the health Tom Penn ’22
and safety guidelines set out by the state, the PIAA, and Montgomery County. In the weeks after the announcements were made, the governor’s office has published detailed guidelines on topics such as face coverings, limited number of spectators, health screenings, and social distancing. Now in line with one another, the PIAA has published similar information. Additionally, the Montgomery County Office of Public Health has published compatible mandates; districts who choose to continue fielding fall sports teams must be able to assist in contact tracing by taking attendance at competitions and maintaining contact information of attendees. The county also released a tiered plan that relies on the number of COVID-19 cases and the rate of test positivity in the county to determine the level of activity permitted in low, moderate, and high-contact sports. LM fall sports in the low-contact category include cross country and golf, and examples of moderate-contact fall sports are field hockey and soccer. At the time this article was written, the county’s guidance allows for competition in both low-contact Graphic by Cate Roser ’21 and moderate sports, and distanced practices and drills for higher-contact sports. The two fall sports at LM currently classified as higher-contact are football and water polo. The district has stated that it will follow the county’s guidelines and not play these sports until the correct metrics have been reached. With an abundance of discontent displayed by both LM and Harriton’s football teams in the days following their announcement, the district
Behind the Eagles’ slow start
has promised to do whatever they can to salvage their fall season.
Even after collecting their first victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, October 4, it is undeniable that the Philadelphia Eagles have struggled this season. Players, coaches, and fans alike have tried and failed to find an answer for the main source of their shortcomings so far this season. A simple look at their decimated offense could provide one explanation. They were already missing receivers going into the season, so the COVID-19 opt-out of recent trade acquisition Marquise Goodwin, along with injuries to Alshon Jeffrey–who has yet to see the field–and this year’s first round draft pick, Jalen Reagor, have made matters worse. Dallas Goedert, half of their two-headed monster at tight end, is on injured reserve as well. The Eagles played the first game of the season without Miles Sanders, their star running back, and his absence proved to be a crushing blow in a loss to the Washington Football Team. The play of quarterback Carson Wentz has not been nearly enough to make up for these injuries and the missed time of four of his five offensive lineman. Wentz, who had the lowest passer rating in the National Football League (NFL) going into the Week four matchup with the 49ers, has taken the most heat for the team’s underwhelming start to the season, with some fans even clamoring for the backup, rookie Jalen Hurts, to take the reins. Despite all their issues, there is one key factor that plays to the Eagles’ advantage: their membership to the weakest division in the NFL. Entering their Week five showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Eagles reside atop the National Football Conference (NFC) East Division, ahead of the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Washington Football Team, who, combined, only have two wins this season. For comparison, the Cincinnati Bengals, with an identical record to the Eagles, sit in last place in the American Football Conference (AFC) North Division. It would benefit Eagles head coach Doug Pederson to figure out which offensive play style works best, whether it be a no huddle passing offense or a clock draining rushing attack. On the defensive side of the ball, controlling their opponent’s most important player on offense and minimizing his impact on the game would lead to further improvement. If they figure out these integral elements, the Eagles should begin to finish games without blowing leads and, along with their division’s poor performance, ride their success to a fourth consecutive playoff appearance.
Alex Frankel ’22
On March 11 of this year, the NBA world came to an abrupt halt when league officials made the executive decision to suspend the NBA season following the spread of COVID-19 across the United States. It happened very quickly: in the span of three hours, the league went from postponing only one game to suspending the entire season as it became apparent that the virus posed a serious threat to the health of the players and fans. This news had everyone in the basketball world wondering what the next move would be for the NBA. The season hadn’t concluded and the entirety of the playoffs had been left undecided. It was clear that fans, players, and league executives alike wanted the season to continue but a safe solution needed to be found before any play resumed. After months of planning, the NBA finally announced an extensive plan to continue the season with a select group of playoff-contending teams at Disney World in Orlando. The return-to-play proposal came with a strict set of rules and regulations to ensure the safety of all players and staff. Once news broke of the league resuming, the plan quickly picked up the nickname of “The NBA Bubble” as the key to playing at Disney World was that nobody could enter or leave the resort. These regulations included daily COVID-19 tests and a two-week personal quarantine for players and staff when they first entered the bubble. The bubble life didn’t come without its perks, though, as players were given access to a variety of activities around the Disney resort, including pools, gaming rooms, and restaurants. On June 30, players and staff from around the league touched down in Orlando and formally entered the bubble, and shortly thereafter, the NBA season was back in action. After a few play-in games were held to conclude the regular season, the playoff bracket was set, and teams prepared for what would become one of the most entertaining postseasons in NBA history. After two months of playoffs full of exciting series’ and historic individual performances, the Los Angeles Lakers were crowned NBA Finals Champions. Motivated by years of being stuck in a playoff drought and the tragic passing of LM and Los Angeles legend Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and the Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in a six game series to conclude a postseason for the history books.
Club sports vs. school sports
Lily Garton ’21
For student athletes, the coronavirus pandemic has brought a lot of players, but the district could be sued if guidelines are broken. concerns surrounding the fall sports season. After the spring season ended This has led to rigid rules to ensure that the damage is minimal. before it truly began, and with winter sports being tragically cut short, many Despite the differences in playing capabilities, one significant challenge of those involved with athletics were anxiously waiting to return to the playing club sports currently have to take care of is finding available field space to field. However, as the season approached, a lot of play on. Owners of property, such as high schools uncertainty came with it. Club sports resumed over the who lend out their turf, are allowed to deny summer, with players now participating in practices training time to any club team. This means that findand tournaments against out-of-state teams. School ing a place to practice can be tricky for clubs who don’t activities, on the other hand, were still up in the air. have consistent access to facilities. The rules for these School sports were finally able to resume practices are mostly decided by coaches of individual hosting organized practices back in August. How- teams. Some have strict rules, requiring masks in close ever, no physical contact was allowed, and social contact drills, while others leave it up to the players. distancing was mandated. Still, the actual season The current rule differences have made the was in question, and dates as far back as January transition between participating in club and school were being thrown around for a plausible start time. sports fairly awkward, and has inevitably left those Now, the final decisions have been left up to each exclusively participating in school sports reasonably individual district, but there are still strict guidelines frustrated. In the end, the vast majority of athletes in place for all practices. For instance, sports have been attempting to take every necessary have specific days when they are allowed to run precaution for ensuring that LM might eventually practices, and no two teams can share the same return to a more “normal” life. It is unclear if we will field space. This means some teams only get time ever get back to our pre-COVID routines anytime on the turf once a week, and coaches get less time to Graphic by Cate Roser ’21/Staff soon, or how long sports will be able to play. train. Meanwhile, club teams are able to play with full As student athletes wait on the sideliens, others Athletes could have their season cut short once again, contact and planning for games in the near future. or they could manage to play through their whole So, what allows for these stark differences in schedule. The only thing we do know is that we must flexibility? A lot of it has to do with liability. For club sports, it is up to indi- listen to those whose job it is to keep us safe and follow any guidelines they viduals to decide if they are comfortable or not going back to full participation. put in place. This will give our student athletes the best chance to comWith school sports, not only are coaches held accountable for the safety of their pete for a Central League title without further setbacks or cancellations.
Photo courtesy of Natalie Hillis ’24 Freshman Natalie Hillis
What sport(s) do you play? Soccer What is your greatest athletic achievement? Winning indoor state cups What is your pre-game pump-up song? All I Do Is Win by DJ Khaled If you could interview a famous person, who would you choose? Reese Witherspoon
Photo courtesy of Jaden Mayer ’23
Sophomore Jaden Mayer
What sport(s) do you play? Soccer What is your greatest athletic achievement? Winning states for my travel team If you could interview a famous person, who would you choose? Michael Jordan What was your favorite toy as a child? Tech Deck
Photo courtesy of Reid Joseph ’22 Junior Reid Joseph
What sport(s) do you play? Soccer What is your greatest athletic achievement? Central League Second Team You’ve been given an elephant. You can’t get rid of it. What would you do with it? Train it to do tricks like it was a pet dog What is your pre-game pump-up song? 1942 Flows by Meek Mill
Photo courtesy of Talia Bierschwale ’21
Senior
Talia Bierschwale
What sport(s) do you play? Volleyball & Track and Field What is your greatest athletic achievement? Earning 2nd Team Main Line Times Honors Award for the 2019 Volleyball Season What was your favorite toy as a child? Elmo What is your favorite Halloween movie? Get Out
