THE ROYAL NEWS JANUARY 2025
FOR STUDENTS, BY STUDENTS
Staff
TABLE OF 5 6-7 10-11 12-13 14-15
EDITOR’S COMMENTS
TIME TO CHANGE THE TIME
ADD THIS TO YOUR SCHEDULE
SPOTIFY LETDOWN
MUSIC REVIEW
INSIDE PHOTO: AVA WEATHERBIE
THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS PUBLICATION ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHORS. THEY DO NOT REFLECT THE OPINIONS OR VIEWS OF THE ROYAL NEWS, ITS ADVISOR OR NORTH ROYALTON HIGH SCHOOL.
EMILY DOCKRILL
NYAH PALMER
MADDEN PIEKARSKI
MILES PODLOGAR
SOFIIA SAVCHENKO
PEYTON STEPIC
AVA WEATHERBIE
MOLLY WILLIAMS
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
January can be the worst. This is the feeling a student recently expressed to me. And she might just be right. This month is the letdown after the holidays. Houses are stripped of their decorative lights, and there is an almost tangible absence of life outside. And, here at the school, we’re looking at a very long semester ahead, without too much reprieve from five-day weeks. It’s the grind, as they say.
But, despite the doldrums of this month, there is still plenty to get excited about. In our little bubble, the student journalists, despite being confronted with hours of midterm studying, managed to find the spark to pen interesting articles about the school’s schedule, the broadcasting class, music, and more. It’s actually a thrill to see what they submit each month, as I get the rare opportunity to have a direct link into their worlds and then share their perspectives with all the readers.
There is also other excitement happening–as I will hand the reins of this publication over to the journalism class for the next issues. Recently, there
has been a surge of excitement from the students for the written word here at the school, whether that is creating writing, AP composition, or journalism. Our numbers are soaring. So, there will be even more articles in the next issue, and I cannot wait to read these pieces, which will offer an even greater amplitude of highly-important voices.
So, yes, the clouds have muted the sun. The weather is brutal. It’s a long time (a really long time) until Spring Break. Yet–there are pockets of optimism, like the student who pieces together her story, her face lit only by the screen of her Chromebook, the snow outside offering quiet to the otherwise cacophony of noise. My hope lies in that “yet.” That “despite it all.” That is where I find my January celebration.
Thanks, as always, for reading, -Mr.
Hemery
The Royal News Advisor
A NOT-SOSIMPLE ANSWER TO STRESS
BY: AVA
North Royalton High School has its midterms after winter break, giving students a longer period before the testing schedule begins, which allows more time to study prior to the tests. But, on the downside, the schedule causes many to forget the knowledge they learned before the break. Despite the added time for studying, many students have expressed that they would prefer their midterms to be before winter break begins, giving them a truly relaxed break over the holidays and a fresh start to the new year as well as the beginning of a new semester.
Many schools around us, such as Strongsville, as well as most colleges, hold their midterms before the break begins, allowing students to go into their break more calmly and spend the time focusing on their families and friends. It gives them a chance to unplug themselves from their hectic academic lives and start the new year and new semester off fresh, without having to come back to school more stressed out than ever.
A huge downside for both students and staff that
comes with having a break is that the large scheduled time off also comes with a loss of understanding and remembering material learned not just at the start of the year, material that many students have already rid from their mind months ago, but material they have just learned prior to going on break. Changing midterms to be earlier in December allows the content to be fresh in students’ minds and makes them more apt and motivated to study for their midterms. This could contribute to higher grades and a better reflection of what they have learned and what teachers have taught them.
Sofia Savchenko, a junior, said, “Changing midterms to be before winter break would allow content to be more understood in everyone’s minds. Having a break before midterms only leads to a larger setback in the studying process, further discouraging kids from putting effort into studying when they feel so far behind it seems impossible to catch back up.” Also, typically the week before break is filled with teachers having to cram in due dates for tests and presentations, so exchanging that with a week of midterm testing won’t be a foreign concept for either students or staff, especially since they are typically assessing students during that time period anyway.
Furthermore, the first week after break, which creates a buffer for the following week, which is midterms, is typically filled with quizzes and tests because teachers are left with an awkward hole in their lesson planning schedules. Junior Abigail Midgley said, “For the past three years I have had teachers teach new content to me about units that are not going to be on the midterm prior to the actual midterm, or I have had quizzes and projects due the week before or even the day before the week of testing actually begins. It adds a lot to my plate and adds a lot more work and stress on top of everything else going on.”
Unfortunately, the reality for teachers is that they cannot just not instruct on anything new, and most do not start reviewing a week ahead of time. Changing the midterm dates could easily fix this awkward timeline for teachers, therefore lightening the load on students.
in the entire first semester before winter break, but many students believe that the shift would be much appreciated.
The stress of midterms could be lessened with a schedule change.
But, there is a downside to the suggested revision. A significant concern about having midterms before the break is that it will make the end of the first semester extremely stressful for students, having to cram studying for tests into the month of December. However, I contend that students have to do that anyway, all throughout the school year. Also, if that is such a gargantuan concern for many people, I believe then we should start making changes as well to the end of the school year, where students are faced with AP testing, finals, standardized tests, as well as SATs and ACTs. No matter the time period during the academic year, students have to juggle so many activities at once, and changing midterms to before winter break would just be one schedule shift we could do to help ease that pressure and allow students to have that break they deserve. However, most can recognize that reorganizing the school year schedule can be very complex and complicated when trying to compile and fit
Suppose we change the structure of what the end of the first semester looks like to find a more balanced idea of how to fit in the week of midterms. In that case, many believe it will allow the transition from the first to second semester to be a much more peaceful one, as well as allow students to truly enjoy their winter break, instead of being restless and stressing out about the looming week of midterms ready and waiting for them when they come back. Some teachers decide to hold their midterms the week before going on break, a decision which many students applaud because it alleviates stress on the actual week of midterms because most students are so far behind and have forgotten such a large sum of the material learned throughout the semester during the break, that they have to dedicate days to studying for one test, especially once the students start taking more and more advanced classes. However, with winter being a busy season for most of the student body, a lot of them have to stay up super late just trying to cram all the information they need back into their head.
Arguably, one could say they should have begun studying over winter break, however, that break is supposed to be our retreat from the fast-paced life of academics, not one that is meant to be dedicated to studying for midterms that most students do not even have review materials for. Also, many students have a heavy amount of homework given to them over the break anyway, assignments not even related to an overall review of their upcoming midterm, so why must students be expected to study during their time off? When will a break become an actual break? Changing midterms could be a positive avenue for North Royalton to explore for everyone involved.
BY MADDEN PIEKARSKI
BROADCASTING: A DIFFERENT KIND OF CLASS
With the semester about to end, there will be an imminent change of classes and schedules all around the high school. Some people might be displeased or excited about the new change in their lives. However, for myself, one of my semester classes isn’t going to change. Why is that? Well, the broadcasting class, run by Mr. Hemery, is one of the most enjoyable classes I have taken at the high school due to the people, environment, and social projects. So much so that I decided to take it again for my second semester. This is all due to the effort and dedication of Mr. Hemery who has been teaching and advocating for Broadcasting over the last twenty-one years. Broadcasting is a class in which you learn the inner workings of a real news studio, the science behind camera/video composition, and how to edit. The actual bait that draws students in, the school announcements, is a lot more complex
behind the scenes. Mr. Hemery remarked, “Our studio actually mirrors a professional studio.” This professionalism can be felt when walking through the doors of the studio. When recording a broadcast, there are seven different roles a student can take up including: cameras, audio, switcher, prompter, graphics, weather, and talent. Each of these roles plays a crucial part in making the daily announcements, which are recorded within the fifty-five-minute confines of first period.
While broadcasting may seem stressful, I can assure you many people think and feel otherwise. Senior Molly Williams, a veteran of the class, has enjoyed Broadcasting, as she has “made a lot of friends” and “learned a lot about cameras and how to film things.”
Similarly, Hayden Wanyerka believes “Mr. Hemery has always been really fun and energetic. I enjoyed the projects I got to do with people.” While Molly has been in the class since sophomore year, Hayden has only taken it this
first semester. It really shows the enjoyment level of the class and proves there are more and more people retaking it each year.
Furthermore, the actual benefit of taking broadcasting is the versatility of all that you learn and how it can be put towards your future. The career
that broadcasting works towards is an onsite job at a news station. But, as Mr. Hemery commented, “If students don’t want to go into this as a profession, there are all kinds of cool skills that they can gain from video editing
humor, creative capabilities, ability to relax, and just overall presence. Those who commit to the work in the class will forge a fond, everlasting memory. So, with that in mind, why not join Broadcasting in the future? Just be sure to schedule ear -
to working on a team to just being creative.” These skills don’t even need to be perfected, but learning the basics can make all the difference.
While thinking about the future and careers is important, the class is amazing because of the people and the fun assignments that require your
ly, as the class was full both semesters this year! If you have any questions, Mr. Hemery is available to talk in room D109 about the class any time!
KEEP THIS PRESENT "WRAPPED"
BY NYAH PALMER
With the end of the year comes several annual celebratory markers: the ball drop in New York City, casual gatherings and formal galas, party poppers and confetti. Over the years, Spotify Wrapped has become an increasingly critical component of end-of-year celebrations, with millions of users eagerly awaiting their yearly listening statistics. It’s a defining social event: a way to brag about your pretentious music taste, show off how obsessively you listened to an artist, and compare your habits with your friends. But this year, many were left disappointed.
In the past, we’ve grown accustomed to fun, creative displays such as the Sound Town of 2023, which assigned your music taste to a city around the world, or the genre-inspired tarot cards of years previous. Instead, 2024’s Wrapped featured your “Music Evolution:” a series of nonsensical, made-up microgenres that are difficult to relate to. Spotify invented phrases such as “pink pilates princess” or “coastal grandmother.” In addition to only summarizing a few select months, it’s also no different from what Daylists have been doing all year long. And it lacks meaning - I want to know if I listened to more rock music or more folk music; I want a criterion that actually relates to music.
And I’m not the only one: Nethra Sriram, NRHS junior, was also disappointed with her Wrapped, and not just because of her fluctuating music taste. “I was hoping for more random descriptors,” she said. “Do you remember last year’s? It was so fun!” Sriram, like many NRHS students and people of all ages around the world, had been looking forward to Wrapped for months - but Spotify had let us down.
Some suspect that the downturn in Wrapped quality may have something to do with Spotify’s increasing usage of AI. In 2024 they implemented an AI DJ and AI generated cover art for playlists. But while AI is growing increasingly advanced, it can’t replicate the unique, human touches that Spotify users had grown accustomed to.
Others attribute the problem to Spotify’s recent mass layoffs. In December of 2023, Spotify laid off a whopping 1,500 workers - that’s 17% of its staff. A reduction in workforce of that size is bound to have ripple effects in both productivity and product quality. The Spotify CEO himself admits that “it did disrupt our day-to-day operations more than we anticipated.” While Spotify may be intending to supplement this loss with AI, the sudden lack of human creativity is certainly noticeable, and users who have loved Spotify for years may be tempted to jump ship.
For those who want more music statistics, Stats for Spotify is an unaffiliated site that lists your top tracks, artists, and genres - from the past four weeks, six months, or year. For those missing the fun metrics and infographics, there are a wide variety of creative websites such as N-gen, which has music ‘personalities’ and DNA strands, or Recieptify, which converts your top ten songs of the month into a pseudo-receipt perfect for social media sharing and journaling. You can also get your own ‘Internet Bedroom’ based on your top albums by going to madeonverse.com. And if none of those pique your interest, then you’ll just have to hold out for next year’s official Wrapped!
LISTEN AND LEARN: A MUSIC REVIEW
BY MILES PODLOGAR
Thanks for tuning in to the January Edition of Monthly Jams. Here, we at Royal News will be going over the hottest hits of the month, from albums to artists and everything in between. Up this month, Kendrick Lamar.
Growing up in Compton, California, Kendrick began writing songs as young as thirteen years old. Because he was surrounded with crime from such a small age, it is no wonder that he had close ties with local gangs such as the Westside Prius. Relying on Section 8 housing and food stamps, it was clear that Lamar had been less than fortunate in his childhood.
With references to his personal life, Kendrick uses music as an outlet or way to cope with the events that have taken place during the past few years. Not only do his lyrics portray his private experiences, but many of his songs are messages in response to real-world problems that affect him in a spiritual sense. His most popular album, “DAMN.” not only portrays his struggle with righteousness and glory in the eyes of God, but warns others not to follow the same path as him. RU NTRTND, a popular artist-review journalist page, claims that a specific song within the tracklist, “FEAR,” sets the tone and overall message behind the album for the rest of the songs. “In the fourth verse of the song, Kendrick says, ‘I’m talking fear, fear of losing creativity. / I’m talking fear, fear of losing *loyalty* from *pride* ‘cause my *DNA* won’t let me involve in the light of *God.* / I’m talking fear, fear that my *humbleness* is gone. /
I’m talking fear, fear that *love* ain’t living here no more.’” These examples of various bars within the track sends the message that Lamar may be suffering with an internal loss of control, and he is shrouded in the shame of his sins. Kendrick has always been a man of God, often crediting his fame and success to his personal belief in a popular religious figure: Jesus Christ. Lamar has used his fame for good, donating thousands of dollars to children in need, schools, and his community. With toy drives that he organized in Compton, to charity concerts for people in need, Kendrick has continuously proved to use his money in a helpful and productive way. In an interview with Forbes magazine, Kendrick speaks on how he views the right way to spend fame and money, claiming that “success is how many people I can impact and connect to in the crowd on a scale where they want to push themselves further in life.”
But, his story isn’t without controversy: Kendrick vs Drake beef. As many of you know, in 2024 Kendrick Lamar took the internet by storm once again with the dropping of a surprise EP “Not Like Us.” While this was in fact a response to Drake’s personal diss on Lamar, many fans took this as an opportunity to fully hype themselves up in preparation for another possible album drop. It never happened. Although the Kendrick and Drake beef could have an entire article to itself, the short of it is J. Cole released “First Person Shooter” in 2023, claiming that alongside Drake and Lamar, Cole was a part of the top three best hip hop artists in the modern game. Lamar responded back in a friendly manner with “Like That,” crowning himself as the king of hip hop. Unfortunately this quickly escalated between the three with J. Cole eventually backing out of the battle when Drake started coming in with more controversial tracks against Lamar. It was said that as soon as Drake released “Family Matters,” everything went wild. In the discography, Drake claimed that Kendrick abused his family and one of his sons wasn't his own. Family is something that Lamar has always held important in his eyes, so, only
twenty minutes later, Kendrick dropped one of the most Earth-shattering tracks in response to Drake’s lazy attempt at a diss. “Meet The Grahams” directly attacked Drake’s morals, family, personal values, work ethic and overall sense of self with detail and receipts to back it up, such as medication receipts and birth certificates. Within the next twenty-four hours Lamar came in with another track and continued to dig into Drake’s overall character, accusing him of much more heinous crimes. Drake eventually recovered from this utter defeat and attempted to release a come-back-track but…nobody listened to it. Lamar was ultimately crowned the winner of this feud and is known as one of the Greatest Rappers of All Time.
AWARDS
Overall, Kendrick Lamar has been nominated for 478 awards. He has claimed 204 of them. Below you will find a list of just a FEW of the awards he has been nominated for/won:
American Music Awards (Selected based on sales and airtime)
Kendrick Lamar is one of the most popular, influential and overall best-selling hip-hop artists of all time. Lamar’s records and album drops have sold out worldwide, with a collective total of over 17.9 million units purchased. With his vast audience, from young teenagers first getting into rap to older fans reminiscing of their youth, Lamar has successfully catered to millions of people from all different walks of life and is able to connect them with music.
SUMMARY BACKGROUND
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, better known as Kendrick or Kendrick Lamar, has been active in the music scene since 2003, with his first official mixtape under the artist name K. Dot. Since then, Kendrick has gone on to release eleven albums, with four charting the Top 100 Billboard. He’s collaborated with many popular artists such as Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Sia, Drake, ASAP Rocky, Paul McCartney, Jay Rock, SZA and various others. Being considered as one of the best hip-hop/rap artists in the 21st century, millions of fans worldwide tune in every month, racking up Lamar an average of 72.9 million monthly listeners.
Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Album: Damn (2017) WON Black Panther: The Album (2018) WON
Favorite Male Hip Hop Artist: (2022) WON Best International Artist: (2022) NOMINATED Hip Hop Artist of the Year: (2021) NOMINATED Best Live Performer: (2021) WON
Impact Track: Not Like Us (2024) WON Video Director of The Year: (2023) WON
Grammy Awards
Best Rap Album: Not Like Us (2025) PENDING Record of the Year: Not Like Us (2025) PENDING
Best Rap Performance: Not Like Us (2025) PENDING
Best Rap Song: Not Like Us (2025) PENDING
Best Music Video: Not Like Us (2025) PENDING
Best Rap Song: Not Like Us (2025) PENDING
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