Red and Black, Fall 2022

Sports and gen der inequality, pg. 5

Red and Black

by Madison Riggs

The pandemic hit the school hard in many ways.

During virtual learning, extra curriculars were impacted especially, as many of their typical methods of outreach were cut off. Clubs could not always meet the way they were accus tomed to, and many groups struggled with gathering students together.

School sports, too, struggled with numbers at times, and the lack of games, practices, and traditional rites of passage like pep rallies did not help.

All these factors were stacked against the Northwood Drumline. Already a small but tightknit group, virtual learning and a lack of events at which to perform as they normally would made things difficult. See DRUMLINE, Page 3

Othering

in

acceptance: the pronoun question

by Teagan Nam

Over the years, an increasing num ber of teachers at Northwood High School have joined educators around the country in making an effort to accommodate trans and nonbinary students. But sometimes, these well-

Northwood High School Silver Spring, Maryland School and Community Est. 1957 Fall 2022

An

‘We are playing new music for the school’: The emphatic return of Northwood Drumline

DRUMLINE RETURNS Members of Northwood Drumline perform during the “pink out” game against Springbrook High School. The 2022-2023 school-year marks the full return of Drumline to gametime action. // LifeTouch

Some trans and non binary students feel uncomfortable when asked their pronouns in front of class. What can teachers do differently?

THE PRONOUN QUESTION Teachers asking students for their pronouns prevents misgendering and conveys acceptance, but it can also lead to further ostracism if not done delicately. // Art: Teagan Nam

Shakespeare meets boy bands

by Madison Riggs and Aidan Lewis

Shakespeare’s plays have endured for hundreds of years. From comedy to tragedy, schools around the world have done his plays, often with mod ern twists. However, Northwood went about it in a unique way.

It all started during last spring’s musical when the idea popped into Mr. Harwood’s mind. Two members of the tech crew, Madison and Miles Riggs, were singing the Backstreet Boys “I Want it That Way.” It got stuck in Mr. Harwood’s head, and he reveled in 90s nostalgia. Mr. Harwood realized that these songs, oddly enough, had a very similar theme to “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the play we would show in the fall.

The play features a confused love triangle between four Athenians with

a word from the editors

Red and Black returns for its fall edition

Fall is a season of returns. We all go back to school. We greet old faces and meet new ones, clubs reconnect, and student athletes get a chance to show off the skills they have devel oped.

In this edition of the paper, you will find a special focus on sports, extracurriculars, and rites of passage that come with the beginning of a school-year.

As ever, our goal is to cover what matters to the school and the commu nity, whether this means a review of the latest video game or a meditation on the nuances of gender in society.

We hope you appreciate our work.

many recurring themes of beauty, love, and heartbreak. This inspired Har wood.

“I already wanted to do a modern twist,” he said. “I’ve seen Shakespeare done wrong, making it boring and hard to understand, and I wanted to add that musical element to it.” With that in mind, Harwood looked at the script and saw that a modern, musical, boy band twist on Shakespeare, would make the play more enjoyable for a wider audience.

A Shakespearean Backstreet Boy remix isn’t something you hear every day.T wo of the show’s cast members shared similar views: “It’s such a fun concept and I think it will make the show and Shakespeare a little less in timidating to actors and the audience alike,” said junior Khadija Ndiaye. The show kept the original Shakespear ean language, which was a factor that many people worried about since it is hard to understand. “The dancing isn’t my favorite part of theater but I think

it would be a good twist because the audience might like it more,” says Zach Singer (‘25). The dances are hip-hop style, to boy band songs like “Bye Bye Bye” by NSYNC. Many non-cast mem bers shared the actors’ excitement. “It sounds awesome! I hope it will be a scene like that Brooklyn 99 cold open,” says Elessar Issenberg (‘24).

Flor Palma (‘25), another cast member, said, “I’d say it was be stress ful and hectic at first, but we’ll have fun with whatever the outcome will be together.”

In the end, Mr. Harwood believes “Shakespeare is meant to be seen and not read. . . I think so many people find it boring and hard to understand because they might just read it in En glish class.”

This isn’t the first time Shakespeare has been updated and it won’t be the last. This is definitely a more unique way of doing it, but an intriguing one at that.

Red

REHEARSALS Members of the Northwood Theatre Department pose for a photo during stage rehearsals of the fall play, William Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ // Photo: Mr. Harwood

The return of Northwood Drumline

DRUMLINE from Page 1

Last year, MCPS schools fully reopened. Even so, like many extra curriculars, Northwood Drumline faced a difficult challenge getting back on its feet.

“There were two years of not recruiting, so by the time I got here it was majority seniors,” said Ms. Karley Lovelace, faculty sponsor of Drumline. “When they graduated it was massive, because it would be about 90% seniors leaving.”

All this caused the drumline not to be active last year, but this year things have changed.

“I’m really excited to have a drum line,” Ms. Lovelace said. “That was a big concern of mine ast year. They are a really good group of kids who love music.”

You’ve probably heard them prac ticing after school, or maybe you’ve

seen them at the games. Wherever you’ve seen them, you know that Drumline is back.

“The energy’s been good. We have been really hyped about our per formance,” said junior Sarah-Paula Demelo, the current Drumline cap tain. “Even when the team doesn’t win, we’re still there making the crowd feel good and peppy.”

In many ways, the Drumline has not only come back this year but they are back and better than ever.

“Having a drumline at events is itself a win, especially when we had very low numbers to begin with,” said Ms. Lovelace. “And we are able to have every instrument being played. We are playing new music for the school, but sticking with old.”

If you attended any Northwood football games, you probably heard the new rhythms as well as the old, tapping your foot along to the beat.

But with every new beginning comes uncertainty. “[There is] nervous excitement. Anytime you put your self out there in a public setting to be

An ode to the ‘Courtyard Kids’

by Alexandra Palencia Pineda

The courtyard at Northwood allows us to enjoy our lunchtime while breathing in fresh air. Being outdoors allows us to have time away from crowded halls and gives us a sense of being free outside.

My friends and I enjoyed sitting in the courtyard our junior year. When a classmate of mine asked me where I enjoyed sitting during lunch, I responded, “The Courtyard”. He responded with “Yikes, you’re a Court yard Kid?”. I thought to myself, “What is this label?” What’s so weird about sitting outside in the courtyard?

My personal answer is… nothing! Who cares about this label? You can sit wherever you want! But asking around school gave me insight to different opinions on this matter.

“It used to be extreme, like a cult, but now it’s more peaceful. It used to be weird things and an open space, with people picking up grasshoppers,” shared senior Dana Idnay. Dana men tioned that during her freshman year, sitting in the Courtyard felt more in clusive. We talked about how it would be an even nicer place to enjoy your lunch if we had more plants, better seating, and made an “effort to make it look nicer.”

Sophomore Olivia Bourne en

A day in the life of a student athlete

by Daniel Gray

With the start of a new school year comes new opportunities. One of these new opportunities is team sports, but what is it actually like participating at Northwood?

The fall features sports like la crosse, football, soccer, and cross country. During the first couple weeks before school starts, there are tryouts,

practices, and preparation for the games. When school started nothing was overly difficult, but once teachers started assigning work, homework became a much more difficult task for athletes to complete. Many activities end by 5 p.m., but they sometimes end later, which does not leave much time for assignments.

Doing schoolwork from the time you get home to the time you go to sleep becomes a bigger challenge when assignments get more complex and challenging.

After being on the cross country

patron program

Spectator Level, $5-$20

Mandi Barnard

Margret Bower

Michael Fitzpatrick

Steven Karig

Alix Medor

team, I have learned the only rea sonable solution is to do homework during downtime in class. One pro gram that offers both help and new challenges for student athletes is the MC2 program.

This program is only offered at two schools in MCPS, and it allows you to choose your schedule in your senior year, allowing you to mold your classes around a schedule of extracurricular activities.

Athletes on the cross country team like seniors Maya Ducker and Owen Harris likewise participate in MC2.

joys sitting in the courtyard with her friends. “Weird people sit here,” Olivia said. “People run around here kicking soccer balls and playing with sticks, and the other day someone pulled a buried pumpkin out of the ground.”

We were able to find humor about the “strange” things people do in the courtyard during lunch, and how it’s actually enlightening that students feel free enough to do whatever they want. Sophomore Emmet Pipa shared with me that the courtyard is a “fun place to eat, and it’s fresh air -- it’s more fun than being inside.”

Hearing these different perspec tives was eye opening. Everyone has their own personal opinion about sitting in the courtyard. Some students think it’s where “the weird kids” sit, and others simply like to enjoy their lunch outside and don’t pay attention to the “weird” label. A lot of students believe the area should be bigger and more like a garden. This would make it more of a welcoming place for stu dents.

My message to students is that you shouldn’t worry about how you look sitting in the Courtyard, or anywhere else in school. What matters is that you enjoy your lunch-time, wherever you sit. You should feel comfortable and carefree. Labels that convey certain negative connotations shouldn’t matter to you. This is high school, and you should make the most of your time.

Enjoy your lunchtime!

Navigating tough academic and athletic schedules can be a challenge. Maya makes it to practice every day because her classes are set up in a way that they don’t interfere with practice. Owen can only make it to practices on Thursdays and Fridays but he still practices on his own time and comes to the meets. Though both schoolwork and homework are more difficult for Maya and Owen, they are still commit ted to going to practice and the meets whenever they can.

For further insight, read NORTH WOOD ATHLETE on Page 14.)

Red and Black runs on the generous support of read ers like you. We offer our sincerest gratitude to those who have joined our Patron Program for 2022-2023!

Gladiator Level, $21-$49

Avi Berzofsky

Joanne Bryson

Maya Jeffries

Margaret Jessell

Oliver Llewellyn

Jennifer Lydick

LaJaveyon Saunders

John Seelke

Danielle Snowflack

Kira Swann

Kate Valentine

Emperor Level, $50 and above

the NHS Social Studies Department

Ryan Acosta-Fox

Larissa Amador

Sarah Breslaw

Lisa and Jack Cline

Dr. Jon Garrick

Maggie Fletcher

Hasani Isreal

Timothy Kearns

Stephen Mogge

the Rayfield family

Kurt and Julie Riggs

Roseann Saah

Heather Sauter

Rita Weiss

GAMETIME Northwood Drumline performs at a football game. // Photo: Northwood Leadership Team

by Madison Riggs

If you follow local news lately, you’d see that that everyday violence is increasing. Unfortunately this can also ring true in our school settings.

September 16 began as any Friday would, featuring a football game between Northwest and Gaithersburg High Schools at Gaithersburg. Halfway through the game, however, a fight in volving first players and then coaches broke out on the field. The police were quickly alerted. The brawl spilled into the parking lot and involved specta tors. Police attempted to break it up; suspects were taken into custody, and an arrest was made when a knife was found.

This event sparked serious dis cussion, about the athletic protocols MCPS had in place. Many people wanted action, but students need to be safe when attending school events, so new policies have been put in place.

New policies were approved:

• All students must show identification before entering athletic events.

• Students may only attend athletic events in which their school is playing.

• Any elementary, middle, or high school student attending an athletic event of a school they do not attend must be accompanied by an adult.

• No backpacks or large bags allowed.

• No re-entry to athletic events.

• No entry to any athletic event

after halftime or halfway through the event.

After these new policies were put into place, many people debated whether these policies would actually achieve their intended effect.

Initially, people had a mixture of feelings. Questions arose as to how these policies would actually protect against violence at games. Many peo ple felt that it was unfair that the audi ence was being punished even though the fight began on the field between players and coaches.

“I feel that while we did have violence and it wasn’t okay, the student section is being unfairly punished con sidering that it wasn’t even a student section issue — it was an on the field issue,” said Millie Lach, a Northwood sophomore. Many other students shared a similar sentiment, wondering how fair it is that the audience should be punished.

During the game on October 7 between Northwood and Springbrook, the audience section was noticeably more lightly attended. Many students

school pride, enjoying football games, are all factors some people consider “whitewashed.” But what criteria do you have to fit into to be considered “whitewashed”? And what behaviors do you have to exhibit to be viewed as “uncultured”?

felt discouraged about the new guide lines, and had opted not to go to the game all together.

“There was definitely a reason [the guidelines] were put in place but I feel like it prevents a lot of excitement and fun to happen around the football games,” said Makaia Parsons-Spit tel. One of the most controversial new policies was that involving adult chaperones. Many students often at tend games at which their school isn’t playing because they have friends from other schools. People aren’t always free on the day that two specific schools play, and limiting the option to go to other schools significantly decreases the amount of students willing to go to games.

“What if your parents are busy and I want to go to the game, and I [want to] support my friend? I think the chaperone policy is a little unwise, but I get it that they want to be extra cautious,” said Liane Ha (‘25).

Northwood Athletic Director Mr. Fuggitti shared a similar sentiment.

“In our community I think it hits

But Fuggitti also emphasized the bigger picture of the situation. “I think it was the whole picture of MCPS see ing there were issues on the field and off the field, and I think sometimes when there is a new rule, people take offense because they weren’t doing anything wrong.”

As for the teams involved, both had to forfeit their next games, and both the athletic director of Gaithers burg High School and the head and assistant coaches of Northwest have been “vacated,” according to MCPS.

Many will argue that MCPS is working to honor a variety of opin ions, rules, and regulations they have to consider when making protocols. However, still others question an es sential part of that process: listening to student voices. Since these games are attended by students, students’ opin ions and thoughts on how these pro tocols should work should very much be taken into consideration. Lauren Thompson, a senior and member of the MCPS Student Athletic Council talked about the limited student per spective in creating these guidelines.

“[After speaking to us,] 24 hours later they rolled out a completely dif ferent ruling that I just did not agree with.”

Overall the biggest questions are these: will these protocols stick around long-term? If so, will they actually be effective in protecting against violence and aggression both on the field and in the stands? Will this significantly affect students’ mindsets and attitudes to wards attending school games? And if so, what are better protocols that could be put in place to effectively protect students without spoiling the games?

by Ariana Amaya

Whitewashed. You hear this term everywhere.

If a person of color (POC) grows up in a predominantly white areathey’re “whitewashed.” If a POC wears a certain brand like Lululemonthey’re “whitewashed.” If a POC enjoys Starbucks frequently, they’re “white washed.” If a POC likes certain music and artists, like country or Taylor Swift, they’re whitewashed. All these examples are stereotypical and toxic expectations society has for people of color. If someone is “whitewashed,” they are supposedly meeting the stan dard behaviors and interests of stereo typical Anglo culture and not of their own racial identity.

During class, you’ll hear people use “whitewashed” to describe the colonized behaviors of a person of color. Getting good grades, having

The truth is “whitewashed” doesn’t exist.

Some people might argue that where you grow up affects how you end up. This is mostly true, but there is no way to act one race. Saying one acts a specific race feeds into racial stereotypes and racism in general, and the ultimate objective is to dismantle racism and racial stereo types, which makes it contradictory.

Furthermore, racial stereotypes have been an ongoing discussion within society. However, stereotypes working for POC are left out of the discussion. This only enhances racism and normalizes harmful terms like “whitewashed.” As a society, we have

decided that white people are blueeyed blondes who drink Starbucks all day. As a society, we have decided that POC cannot be POC if they act differently than what their stereotype allows, which invalidates them and their culture and forces them to act as the stereotype that is placed upon them. This causes people to develop personalities that aren’t their own, and insecurities regarding these personas.

I talked to a friend, Maia, about her experience with being labeled as “whitewashed” and viewed as not enough to represent her culture. She told me she’d only been called “whitewashed” once, but afterward that she felt really insecure. Her insecurities took over her to the point where she felt the need to watch everything she did and wore, in fear of being called “whitewashed” once more. Maia doesn’t deserve to feel insecure for simply being herself, and should not be held up to an unreason

able expectation.

In addition, I talked to ninth grad er Tierra Ashby, about her opinion on the term “whitewashed”. She said the term is constantly thrown around and misused, and can be harmful if used in the wrong way. However, some POC do associate themselves with standard Anglo-American culture, and that’s why they’re perceived as whitewashed. This means, the term “whitewashed” founds itself on negative stereotypes.

Calling someone “whitewashed” not only invalidates where they come from and how they express them selves, but also makes it seem like being white is a bad thing. No one of any race or ethnicity deserves to feel like they aren’t enough to fit into their racial/ethnic group. Additionally, no one deserves to be ashamed of their race/ethnicity or who they are or how their personality affects their cultural identity.

To conclude, the meaing behind the term “whitewashed” doesn’t truly exist, and it does more harm than good. Calling someone “whitewashed” causes them to develop insecurities about themselves and their roots, and makes them overall confused about the way they are perceived.

PINK OUT GAME Scenes from the Pink Out Game featuring Northwood and Spring brook. // Photo: Madison Riggs

‘Whitewashing’: exploring the subtle racism of a harmful term

The truth is ‘white washed’ doesn’t exist.

Pink-Out with new policies: what changing athletic guidelines look like in practice

us a little harder, because as a DCC community, we have friends, neigh bors, and siblings who go to different schools.”

The complexity of asking for students’ pronouns

PRONOUNS from Page 1

-intentioned gestures of acceptance can do more harm than good.

Within Northwood’s student body, one can find a large community of queer students, including many trans and nonbinary students. This is far from unique to Northwood: the num ber of openly queer teenagers has in creased drastically in the past decade, particularly in progressive areas like Montgomery County. According to the Williams Institute at UCLA, there were 36,000 openly LGBT teenagers in Maryland as of 2020. While this is a huge number of students, they still remain firmly in the minority: Statista found there were 267,988 high school students in Maryland that same year. Queer teenagers are often subjected to bullying and harassment from the cis het (cisgender and heterosexual) teens who outnumber them, and because of this, are also at an increased risk for depression, suicide, substance use, and other serious concerns, according to the CDC.

Because of these issues that queer students face, particularly those who are trans and nonbinary, many teach ers make an effort to accomodate these students and show that their class is a “safe space” for them. An easy way teachers can do this is to ask their classes to share their pronouns at the beginning of the school year.

“I wanted to convey to all of the students that. . . not everyone is cisgender,” says Ms. Abigail Foss (she/her), an AP Literature teacher at Northwood. “That was important to me. And I also wanted everyone to feel welcome.” Ms. Foss began asking her students their pronouns in 2020, joining a growing trend among local teachers. Some students now report that all seven of their teachers have asked them their pronouns this year. But, despite the accepting intentions behind it, questions about pronouns can sometimes have unintended ef fects on trans and nonbinary students.

Against gender inequality in sports

by Megan Leatherwood

Do you remember the last time you watched softball or women’s soc cer? Today there are many underlying issues in women’s sports, including unequal salaries. For example, USA Today reports that the highest-paid WNBA player, Jewell Loyd, earns $463,030, while players like Stephen Curry earn $48,070,014.

Even NBA rookies earn more money than a WNBA player’s average salary. In soccer, after six years, the US women’s national soccer team was controversially granted equal pay to the men’s national soccer team. It was

“It’s strange, because often I will be the only non-binary person in a class,” says Serena Breeze (they/them), a Northwood senior, “where everyone is announcing their pronouns. It feels like they’re doing it only because I’m there, and it makes me feel othered.” According to another student who wishes to remain anonymous, “I feel pretty anxious when telling the class my pronouns because it’s led to notso-nice comments.”

Unfortunately, these experienc es are all too common, even in a supposedly progressive school like Northwood. Many queer students at NHS, especially trans and nonbinary students, have experienced everything from snide comments to slurs from their peers. Living as an openly queer teenager is guaranteed to come with a degree of ostricization, no matter where you live — and when you’re revealed to be the only trans or non binary student in a class, that othered feeling only rises.

But openly queer students are not the only ones negatively affected by the pronoun ques tion — in fact, it can spike queer students’ anxiety even more when they are still closeted. Flor Palma (they/he/ she), a Northwood sophomore, admits that being asked their pronouns in front of a class was “quite nerve-rack ing” before they came out. When a closeted student’s gender identity is explicitly asked of them, it can be startling and overwhelming; and, moreover, a question far too great to be asked at 8 a.m. While it’s an absurd ly easy question for cisgender students, it’s quite the opposite for closeted trans or nonbinary students, or those ques tioning their gender identity. Accord ing to Mr. Ahearn (he/him), a North wood teacher and longtime sponsor of the school’s GSA, “Everyone has the right to come out in their own time and their own space, and when they are ready. . . So you have to err on the side of caution, while still creating a space [for students] to express and be

a breakthrough and another historic event in women’s sports.

Differing pay isn’t the only issue found in the sports industry. We also see the sponsorship difference between men’s and women’s sports. According to statistics from Money Smart Ath letes, women’s sports make up 0.4% of sponsorships for all sports. Wom en’s sports lack sponsorships because there’s a lack of media coverage. Out of nearly 40% of athletes, females receive about 2 to 4% of media coverage. For example, NBA games are commonly first in news coverage but audiences rarely hear anything about the WNBA.

When female athletes are dis cussed, viewers are mainly directed to how they look. For example, Alex Morgan, a prolific women’s soccer player, was on the cover of Adweek

comfortable with their own pronouns.”

Questions about pronouns can incite similar anxities in binary trans students aiming to ‘pass’ — to appear as cisgender. “I worry about the way having to announce pronouns affects some of my binary trans friends,” Breeze admits. “When you’re trying to ‘pass,’ it’s really difficult when people are constantly asking you a question that you think should be obvious. It’s a complicated issue, where including non-binary people can come at the ex pense of passing binary trans people. A lot of spaces are trying to promote ‘trans visibility’ when a lot of us just want to blend in.”

The anonymous student quoted previously was put in a dangerous family situation because of this same progressive intent, when they tried to change their pronouns in the school system. “I made it very clear to my counselor that my parents could abso lutely never find out about my pronouns being changed,” they say, and despite being assured that their parents would not be able to see the change, their parents confronted them about it shortly after. “[My parents] proceeded to bash and mock me and overall be very homophobic. I really wanted to avoid that which is why I told my counselor this before hand.” They were able to convince their parents that it was simply a glitch in the system, but the experience still left them shaken. “What if they hadn’t [believed me]?” they wonder. “I would’ve been in serious trouble at home all because of a mistake the school made.”

These experiences of queer stu dents in a broad variety of situations — from being out, passing, closeted, or questioning — all reveal the quiet harm that excessive focus on gen der identity can cause. While trans and nonbinary identities seem new and strange to many teachers, these students themselves simply want to live as they are, without their identities

magazine. What stands out is her makeup and how her hair is done up in a perfect ponytail. That is what magazines want to focus on for wom en: their beauty and body. Morgan is seen wearing a sports bra and leggings as opposed to a soccer kit, suit, or designer clothing — all of which male athletes are commonly depicted in.

The inequality doesn’t just relate to professional sports, but also school sports. You would think that after a federal law was made to have equality in schools, it would be widely im plemented. However, the majority of funds are usually given to boys’ teams, which are given new equipment and uniforms while girls have to use what they already have, as stated by Athletic Business. Some have argued that the gender gap in sports is due to female

drawing any more focus than their cisgender peers. In trying to demon strate how progressive and accepting they are, teachers can sometimes make it more difficult for trans and nonbi nary students to exist in the way that they want: without queerphobia or question.

Despite these issues, it is still important for teachers to accommo date queer students and assure them that they are accepting. Many queer students find that more covert ways of telling teachers their pronouns, such as through get-to-know-you surveys or worksheets, are much less anxiety-in ducing. “I wish more teachers would use [this method],” says Breeze. “It allows people to have the comfort of sharing their pronouns with the class at their own pace, and with individuals they feel comfortable sharing them with.” Palma adds that “there should be an option where students can say that they would rather not share their pronouns, or share their pronouns but only with a trusted adult.” How ever, this can still be less than ideal for students who wish to share their pronouns with their peers, too, to avoid being misgendered. Because of this, teachers could still ask students to share their pronouns during roll call, but clarify that only should if they feel comfortable doing so.

The practice of asking people their pronouns is ultimately a good one: it prevents misgendering, serves as a gesture of acceptance, and, most im portantly, allows trans and nonbinary people to exist more freely and easily in our world. When social norms begin to bend towards more accep tance of marginalized people, mistakes and oversights are bound to be made. Instead of shrinking away from these gestures of acceptance out of fear of misstepping, teachers — and all queer allies — should seek to learn from the people they aim to support. Mr. Ahearn urges teachers to “be willing to educate yourself on behalf of students who may not be comfortable using their voice.” After all, while our society can be ignorant and cruel towards queer youth, it’s all the more meaning ful when one finds understanding and acceptance.

students’ lack of interest in joining sports, but that could come from the lack of respect that they feel and want to avoid. For many schools, there is a lack of recognition for the girl’s teams. We need to step up against all the gender stereotypes that are primarily targeted agaisn’t women. Men also suffer at times when they are forced to fulfill masculine stereotypes. The pressures to be and look perfect are related to everyone in school and professional sports. But if everyone stood together and protested against the injustice or funding and salary dif ferences, dramatic variation between sponsorship and the stereotypes that men and primary women go through, gender equality in sports could be an achievable goal as simple as scoring a free throw.

A lot of spaces are trying to promote ‘trans visibility’ when a lot of us just want to blend in.

Staying true to yourself: how Gladiators express their personal style

by Ife Shakuur-Nyabingi

With social media and fast fashion companies constantly shoved in our faces, nowadays it becomes very easy to find new pieces you deem appealing — and buy them!

See someone on your feed with a cute aesthetic with pastel colors, fluffy skirts, and high socks that happened to spark your interest? EASY! You got it. Just go on SHEIN, dump out your out-of-fashion, boring, “alt-grunge” clothes and order those new “softcore” clothes.

However, it seems that many people do have their own distinct style, true to themselves whether it’s “on-trend” or not. I talked to three Northwood Gladiators about how they define their own style choices.

Freshman “JJ” said social media had no influence on their style — and that they “geniuely hated trendy styles.” When I met them for this in terview they were wearing a Led Zep plin shirt, black baggy ripped jeans, and black Converse, one of my own personal favorites (I have four pair). JJ characterized themselves as someone who likes to dress comfortably.

Crystal Ilochi, a junior, mentioned dressing for comfort as well. In fact she said rhR sometimes dressing on

trend with dresses, skirts, and gener ally tighter fabrics and fits were just not her jam. What she was wearing in this interview verified her statement: Graphic Nintendo hoodie, baggy jeans. It can’t get more comfortable and casual than that!

JJ and Crystal share similar styles and thinking. However, one junior Gladiator, Nnamdi Edward, dresses differently than you may see most teens dress. Nnamdi has a more busi ness casual approach, one that almost seems odd for a 16-year-old.

Nnamdi’s everyday wear is some thing that many people our age would consider “fancy” or “put together”. “I wanted to look nice,” Nnamdi said, “because it feels nice to look nice — feels good to look clean.”

Nnamdi does keep a clean look; often matching colors and patterns. Nnamdi’s day to day fit kind of re minds me of church-wear, in the best possible sense: clean and professional. Non-ripped jeans and buttoned down shirts. Very sharp.

Needless to say, style and how we present ourselves is completely up to us and is subjective. Really, it all boils down to what makes us comfortable. People wear what they are confident in and what makes them feel their best. Whether that’s highly accessorised, multiple layers and patterns, or maybe simple hoodies and sweats; we look best in what we’re comfortable with. Look good, feel good. Simple as that.

Morning routine: the daily fashion choices students make

by Angie Jurado

Fashion plays a big role in today’s society, whether people get their inspi ration from social media platforms or celebrities.

Over the years we have been able to see how much our generation has taken an interest in fashion. We can also see how many different styles our generation has adapted.

At Northwood, two students make a choice every morning to dress com pletely differently.

The thought process behind get ting ready in the morning plays out differently for each fashion-conscious Gladiator.

When sophomore Shania Shub was asked if there was a process when she’s deciding what to wear, she said, “I like to color coordinate my outfits — or I base it off the weather.”

In response to the same question, sophomore Graham Wick said, “I like to go for something more comfort able.”

Different students also put dif fering levels of effort into the fashion choices they make every morning.

Junior Mya Martin rated her effort at 7 out of 10, but senior Deja Hall’s response was, “I don’t put a lot of effort forward; I just pick something

new.”

You can see how with just one question you can have two different responses, even though both stu dents carry with them a distinct and thoughtful fashion.

It is also interesting to consider whether students make choices about their daily dress in response to what others might think.

On this issue, Mya Martin and Deja Hall had similar responses. Mya said she doesn’t tend think of other people, and Deja said she doesn’t think of anyone except herself when choosing how to dress.

Asked the same question, Graham Wick said that others do play a role in his decisions. He said, “I like to think of what my best friend Armando would wear because I really like his style.”

In the end, picking an outfit can might seem like a super easy decision for someone to make. As we see, how ever, deciding what to wear can also be seen as a more thoughtful opportu nity for students to express themselves to others.

Fashion is a way students can choose to showcase facets of their identity, and I believe that’s some thing that should never and will never change.

Name and Pronouns: Nathanael Kong, He/Him

Graduation Year: 2024

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Describe your style using only ad jectives: Neat, Minimal, Simple

Biggest Style Inspo: Instagram mer @_jjang.e

Fashion Pet Peeves: Skinny Jeans

Favorite Hobby: Playing Volley ball

If you could cast someone to play you in a movie, who would you choose? “Nobody, there’s only one me.”

Dream Job: A Professional vol leyball player

What do you want to see more of at NHS? “I want to see more volleyball equipment.”

Name and Pronouns: Jack Ken ney, He/Him

Graduation Year: 2023

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Describe your style using only adjectives: Summer, Comfort able, Active

Biggest Style Inspo: None

Fashion Pet Peeves: Nike Tech

Favorite Hobby: Thrifting

If you could cast someone to play you in a movie, who would you choose? My friend Ben

Dream Job: IDK

What do you want to see more of at NHS? Social events

The rise and fall of Victoria’s Secret ‘angels’

by Michal Shmaya

On August 21, Victoria’s Secret (VS) announced that they will be rebranding themselves due to a loss of sales, as well as scandals ranging from inclusivity to body positivity.

Following media controversies in 2018 over a lack of diversity in their fashion shows and campaigns, and also allegations of sexual assault and transphobia against former edi tor-in-chief Ed Razek, VS decided that it was time to rebrand. The mission began to completely erase their old image and bring in a new one.

VS began in 1977 when Roy Raymond sought to open a store for men to have a comfortable experience while buying intimate apparel for their wives. He named it Victoria’s Secret. He looked to include important ele ments department stores lacked, such as a prettier atmosphere, and more glamorous products. The launch of the company was very successful, earn ing the company over $500 thousand dollars in their first year.

Despite initial success, bad press contributed to declining sales, and Roy Raymond agreed to sell the company in 1982. The brand direction of VS changed completely: instead of cater ing toward men, the company began directing attention to women, which increased the brand’s sales and success.

By the 1990s, new owner Les Wexner had opened over 300 VS stores nationwide, and begun creating fragrance lines, clothes, and a swim wear collection, earning the brand over $1 billion. In 1999, the world famous Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was inaugurated by Ed Razek, the chief marketing officer for L Brands/Victo ria’s Secret. This show helped launch many models’ careers, such as Gisele Bündchen, Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, and others.

In 1999, the fashion show was streamed online for the first time, and over 1.9 million people watched. There

Your horoscope: an explainer

by Athena Arriaza

Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Tau rus. All of them are astrological signs in the horoscope, and you may have heard people talking about them.

Everyone born in a certain month has a zodiac sign. Those who follow horoscopes believe that the way you represent your sign is not physically but emotionally; you represent your sign by your actions.

What is a horoscope? A horoscope is an astrological chart representing the positions of the sun, moon, plan ets, and other aspects. The word horo scope comes from the Greek words “ora” and “scopos” meaning time and observer. The planets represented in a horoscope are Mercury, Venus, Jupiter,

was good reason for the attention: the shows were always very glamorous, with models showcasing beautiful products on a glamorous set.

VS became known for their glam orous image. The executives made sure to hire the expert photographers, videographers, makeup artists, and hairstylists to ensure a glamorous and luxurious appearance. These efforts drew great attention to the brand, as women dreamed of looking and feel ing like a Victoria’s Secret model.

Following this, the Victoria’s Secret “angels” were born. These “angels,” initially created for a particular VS campaign featuring a new “angels collection,” soon became the face of the company. They would go on to be hugely influential in American culture.

The original angels, including Tyra Banks, Hedi Klum, Gisele Bündchen, and Karen Mudler, starred in all of VS fashion shows and ad campaigns, essentially becoming the face of the brand. Victoria’s Secret was the right brand at the right time.

But in the coming decade, the brand would decline in sales and popularity. Society changed drastical ly in the 2010s as the public became more critical of 2000s diet culture, sparking the body positivity move ment. VS came under fire for not keeping up with changing social mores and continuing to hire only very thin models. This criticism became a factor in the brand’s decline. Beyond that, the company’s products were growing unfashionable and declining in quality, especially after 2014.

It was no secret that Victoria’s Secret models were pushed into very extreme diets and workout routines. These regimens sometimes forbade solid foods days before fashion shows, and made models exercise twice a day or even more prior to shows to ensure the models retained a very specific body type. This became very contro versial as these diets, workouts, and intense standards caused many people to develop eating disorders.

Not only was VS non-inclusive in terms of size, but their models were also overwhelmingly white. The

and Saturn. Horoscopes also feature the constellations Aries, Capricornus, Leo, and Gemini. And how that works is, the zodiac constellations are those that the Sun appears to travel during the year.

What are the astrological signs? There are 12: Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Can cer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius. The dates can be a little confusing because they don’t follow the standard calendar.

They are: March 21 - April 19 (Aries), April 20 - May 20 (Taurus), May 21June 21 (Gemini), June 22 - July 22 (Cancer), July 23 - August 22 (Leo), August 23 - Sep tember 22 (Virgo),

company didn’t allow black models to wear their natural hair on the runway until 2015. All of this greatly damaged VS’s image, which became even worse when Ed Razek stated publicly that he would not add transgender or plus size models to the company’s fashion shows because, as he put it, “the show is a fantasy… a 42-minute entertain ment special.” By implying that the show could not be more diverse and inclusive because it was meant to cre ate an image of perfection, Razek dealt a blow to many marginalized models and fans.

Not only was Ed Razek transpho bic, he also was widely accused of sexual misconduct by VS models and others. Additionally, he often bodyshamed models, and even tried to stop one woman from eating bread before a fashion show, humiliating her in front of other models. Razek was not the only VS leader accused of misconduct; famous photographer Russell James would ask models to pose nude for him, a task outside their VS contract and therefore uncompensated. Russell James proceeded to publish these pho tos in a photo book released with the models’ consent. One of these photos was later put up in a VS store in Las Vegas, also without consent, and was only taken down when the model’s agent filed a complaint.

In 2019, Ed Razek resigned from his position at Victoria’s Secret and L Brands. His resignation allowed the company to become more diverse. In 2019, VS hired their first plus-size and transgender models. This was just

September 23 - October 23 (Libra), October 24 - November 21 (Scorpio), November 22 - December 21 (Sag ittarius), December 22 - January 19 (Capricorn), January 20 - February 18 (Aquarius), and February 19 - March 20 (Pisces).

Conventional thinking is that because you’re a certain sign, you act a certain way. Most of the time it’s a bad way but sometimes it’s a good way. For example, some peo ple believe Scorpios tend to be rude and flaky, but everyone either is or knows a counterexample.

Another sign that has several stereotypes about them is Leo. I know people who say that Leos are egotistical, but many of my Leo

the first step of the company’s new rebrand, which began in earnest in 2021. VS began including plus size mannequins in their stores and mas tectomy, maternity, and nursing bras in their product line. This rebrand was very successful, with sales boosting and their name coming back into the cultural conversation.

However, they were still not im mune to criticism. Many questioned why their new ad campaign only showcased plus-size and nonwhite models in very boring and plain piec es, sending the message that inclusivity isn’t glamorous, and that women who aren’t skinny or white don’t deserve to wear anything pretty. Many of these critics want to bring back the brand’s former glamorous aesthetic, while this time being more inclusive. After all, they charge, why is it that when inclu sivity is added into a brand’s image, their products become more plain and boring? Why can’t clothing be both fashionable and inclusive?

Although Victoria’s Secret’s old aesthetic will be missed, the inclusivity and rebrand were sorely needed. By changing their products and public image, VS has transformed into a more inclusive company. Though the brand could still use some adjust ments, such as bringing back fashion shows and improving the looks and styles of products, the company has ul timately changed for the best: instead of making women and girls feel inade quate, they’re beginning to encourage and inspire them to embrace their own beauty.

friends are very selfless and definitely prove the stereotypes wrong.

How do horoscopes figure at Northwood? I wanted to see other people’s opinion on the horoscopes. A freshman named Frany said that their favorite sign is “Leo, because I’m a Leo,” while their least favorite “is Aquarius because I’ve had bad experi ences with them.”

Another freshman, Michal re ported that “I like Geminis but they’re inconsistent.” Asked her least favorite sign, and Michal had strong feelings.

“Leo because they’re annoying, narcissistic, always has a victim com plex, and really fake.”

Ultimately, the zodiac signs and the constellations connect through the Sun, and a horoscope is an astrological chart that some believe can help us understand who we are and what will happen to us.

INCLUSIVITY In 2019, Brazilian Valentina Sampaio became Victoria’s Secret’s first openly transgender model. // Insider

Avi Berzofsky

Mina Abell

Teagan Nam

by Asia Kerr

You walk by him every day and might not realize how important of a cultural figure he is.

Above the rows of tables and chairs in the Northwood cafeteria is a well-worn painted mural of Bob Marley, the Soul Rebel himself, one of the most famous musicians of the twentieth century.

Marley was the preeminent pio neer of the genre of reggae music.

He was born Robert Nesta Marley in 1945 and reared in the Nine Mile, Saint Anne Parish of Jamaica.

His origins are perhaps not com monly known. His mother, Jamaican singer-songwriter Cedella Booker, was in her teens when she gave birth to Marley. His father, Norval Sinclair Marley, was a white Jamaican of Brit ish descent.

At 10 years old, Bob Marley’s fa ther died of a heart attack, forcing the now broken family to relocate to the slums of the Kingston ghetto, known by most as “Trenchtown.”

This was the only place Cedel la was able to afford for her and the young singer.

In 1963, Marley compiled vocal talents from the area and created a musical singing group called “The Wailers.” After winning a song com petition with his group using the piece titled “Simmer Down,” he gained rec ognition from the people of the West Indian slums and soon rose to become a figurehead of the disenfranchised people of his community.

This gave the people of Trench town a new pride and power, while

ENHYPEN: on the next big K-pop act from HYBE

by Shyla Rincon

The media company HYBE has created some of the most iconic K-pop groups that dominate music conversa tions today. These include groups like BTS, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, SEVENTEEN, and more.

You may have heard the songs “Drunk-Dazed” or “Given-Taken.’ These songs, however, come from the ‘4th Generation’ group known as ENHYPEN, a group that is part of BELIFT, a sub label under HYBE.

You may be wondering, where did the name ENHYPEN come from? Or who even is ENHYPEN?

ENHYPEN is a seven-member global boy group that formed from the K-pop survival show I-LAND, which aired from June to September 2020.

The seven members, who range in age from 16 to 21 at the time of this writing, have made a name for them selves as the powerhouse of 4th gen K-pop.

also being the catalyst for the rising class tensions in Jamaica.

Bob Marley and the Wailers pop ularity grew, and by 1966 they signed a contract with Lee Perry and released the album “Catch A Fire.” Soon there after Bob Marley and the Wailers had a a global audience. With a new addition of a trio of female vocalists came the creation of some of his most popular songs — “Jamming,” “Redemption Song” — and the album “Exodus” in 1977.

The name ENHYPEN comes from the hyphen symbol; just like the hyphen connects words to make a new meaning, ENHYPEN’s name rep resents “Connection, Discovery, and Growth.” who told the Korea Herald in 2020 that they seek “to come together to connect, discover and grow together to form a new act.”

The members include Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-Ki. The band debuted with their first-ever EP — “BORDER: DAY ONE” — with the title track “Giv en-Taken” on November 30, 2020.

Although they didn’t receive any music show wins from their debut, they won rookie of the year at the Seoul Music Bonsang Awards.

Then they announced their fan dom name, “ENGENE.” The name has two meanings; first the members said as it’s pronounced engine, letting us know that ENHYPEN will keep growning and going like an engine. Second, the GENE in ENGENE is how ENHYPEN and ENGENE will use the same DNA to connect and grow together.

On April 26, 2021, ENHYPEN issued their second EP, “BORDER: CARNIVAL,” and along with it the

In the same year, he married one of the three backup singers known as Rita Marley (born Rita Anderson), adopting her two children from a previous relationship and later having three other children with her.

Marley’s life was fraught not just with musical success but often political turmoil. In 1976 he survived an assas sination attempt sparked by the tense political scene in Jamaica at the time. In April 1978, he hosted the “One Love” concert as a way of encouraging

title track “Drunk-Dazed.”

As the promotions started and ended for this comeback, they ended up winning their first music show award with the title track and many other awards as well.

Today, ENHYPEN has become

peace, and afterward he was awarded the Order of Merit.

Only three years later, however, Marley died prematurely at the age of 36. The cause of his death was acral lentiginous melanoma — cancer.

Though extremely popular through his years of life, he was greatly more renowned in death than life, becoming a legend in the eyes of the world.

the first 4th gen K-pop to sell over a million copies of an album, showing that the future for the group is bright indeed.

MARLEY Bob Marley, the world famous Jamaican musician and pioneer of reggae, poses for a photograph outside his house in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1979. // Getty

The man behind an easy-to-miss Northwood mural

ENHYPEN Members of the K-pop band ENHYPEN pose for a photograph. The group launced in November 2020 and has become a global force in pop music. // Forbes

Nintendo Direct: review and preview

by Avi Berzofsky

On September 13, the hit gam ing company Nintendo streamed their annual expo, Direct, and had 40 minutes of senior executive officer Yoshiaki Koizumi announcing the new games set to release in the months that followed. This gaming event is known for being a major global event in the gaming community; people worldwide come together to share the excitement for upcoming games.

However, taking a second glimpse at September’s Nintendo Direct event makes you wonder: “Are these games actually good?” After watching Direct several times, you see that there are four categories, and every Direct an nouncement falls into at least one of: Anime, Remastered/Switch Edition, Brand New, and — in my opinion — Worthless.

Fall 2022’s Direct opened with a trailer that felt like “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” Then you heard the nar rator say that the fighters are known as “emblems” and it immediately cuts to the gameplay of “Fire Emblem: Engage,” the upcoming addition to the series. From what it looks like, a bluehaired Todoroki is the hibernating protagonist and wakes up for the first time in centuries. He ventures in an open-world role-playing game (RPG) quest where players fight dragons to stop the demon boss from taking over the land. This trailer helped shape the first of the four categories: Anime games.

More anime RPGs were an nounced in small groups in between the other big news. “Xenoblade” would have downloadable content (DLC), “Octopath Traveller” would get a sequel, and “Final Fantasy” would get a one-off chibi “Guitar Hero” game. A little later into the Direct, fight ing games were revealed, including “Bayonetta 3,” which takes the RPGs in a whole new direction. Imagine a ver sion of the ironically Christian game Doom, but a with demon disguised as

a sexy anime lady as the protagonist, and she has to save Earth. The trailer for “Bayonetta” was immediately fol lowed by “Master Detective Archives: Raincode,” a murder mystery made by the same team that made “Dangan ronpa,” a game that has some hints of “Deathnote.” I’m looking forward to seeing this game come out in 2023!

Following “Engage” was an announcement regarding the indie game “It Takes Two,” a fun, emotional, two-player platformer that felt like if “Secret World of Arrietty” met “Toy Story.” The announcement for this game was primarily that it’s coming to the Switch console, but it also started the second category for the games: Remastered/Switch Edition. Nintendo often makes video game comebacks as a cash-grab: games that want your money, or games to get “just because,” like “Cuphead: Physical Edition.” However, some are meant to be a good comeback. A new set of Nintendo 64 games was announced as an upcoming release for Switch Online, featuring classics like the first three “Mario Party” titles, “Pokemon Stadium” 1 and 2, and the classic first-person shooter “Goldeneye 64.” It’s good to acknowledge the past hit consoles and their masterpieces, but it’s sad that this is the way that Nintendo is doing it to thank their “veteran” gamers.

Additional remasters included “modern” games like “Resident Evil” and “Life is Strange,” but the remasters ended with everyone’s favorite pink orb that sucks (literally): Kirby. There were nonstop Remastered games for a good chunk of this whole Direct, but Kirby’s “Return to Dreamland: Deluxe” is one of the best remasters. The art style and graphics looked playful and cheery, and they even kept Dedede’s “dede-design” from “Kirby and the Forgotten Land.” The entire internet, myself included, can’t wait for the puffball to float our way, so be on the lookout on February 24, 2023!

About halfway into the Direct, fans were treated to something a little rare: an appearance by Shigeru Miyamoto, one of the senior game directors at Nintendo and an absolute icon in the gaming community. It was a short ap

Northword Press

Northword Press is an in-house self-publishing press devoted to amplifying young voices by pro viding the platform, time, space, resources, and impetus to share their art with the community. Our specialty is passion projects. You too can be published; if you are reading these words, you are in vited to join our community! Talk to Mr. Acosta-Fox in Room A214 or email him at ryan.acosta-fox@ mcpsmd.net.

Fall 2022 Releases

Find these and more titles in the Northwood Media Center:

• “Northwood Mixtape,” Various Artists [music]

• “Write a Poem,” Ash Newton [poetry, creative writing]

• “Scream Slam,” Teagan Nam [poetry]

• “Urgent Observations,” Ms. Priest [fiction, storybook]

• “Ash and Teagan Seal the Deal,” Ash Newton and Tea gan Nam [seals]

• “Life is Absolutely Horrible (& Other Observations), Ash Newton [fiction, storybook]

• “social distance,” Mr. Acos ta-Fox [photography]

pearance, but most certainly a cherished one. The “Super Ma rio Bros. Movie” was the highlight, and three weeks later we finally got a trailer.

Miyamoto’s appearance was also the pinnacle of the third catego ry for the Direct: Brand New. These are the games that are genuinely new games or updates that haven’t been heard of or even seen before. In this case, it was mostly constant DLCs for the mainstream games, like “Mariokart Wave 3” and “Switch Sports,” which was a slight disappointment when they delayed the release of “Golf” (we forgive them; they’re trying to revive an old mas terpiece). “Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope” was another exciting main stream game: it’s “Mario Galaxy” if it were an RPG. Honorable mentions: “Just Dance 2023,” “Splatoon 3” and its annual Splatfest competition, Disney’s better-graphics “Mario Kart” they call “Speedstorm,” and “Spongebob: The Cosmic Shake,” a game where Sponge bob and Patrick travel the multiverse and go on adventures full of references and callbacks to the original episodes.

Before the Direct faded to black, it ended with a picture of a sword, hiero glyphics, and a familiar “HYAAAA.” “Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” finally had news! From what we see, this sequel looks AMAZING. With the graphics, soundtrack, and bigger open world, I can’t see how this game will be a flop — it looks nearly perfect in every way! In the end, there were a few brand new updates that seemed a little rushed and therefore cash-grabby, but there’s fun planned ahead.

This brings us to the “total flops” of the Direct’s — the Worthless category. First up is “Fitness Boxing Fist of the North Star,” a “Dance Dance Revolu tion” “tryhard” with no punctuation. It is a while until the trash pile grows, but one genre of games can easily be

noticed — farming. Lots of farming games were announced, mainly games that were anime renditions of “Stardew Valley.” In that sentence alone, six games mentioned at the Direct were summarized. The category ended with “Endless Dungeon,” “Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song,” and “Lego Bricktales.” To be honest, Lego does not know how to make a good video game, with the exceptions of “Lego Star Wars,” “Batman” (specifically the second), and the first “Lego Marvel Su perheroes.” “Lego Bricktales”? It looks like a very bad “Monument Valley” knockoff.

To sum it all up, Nintendo knows what they’re doing to please the fans. It would be amazing if they could cool it with the anime games, though — try to have a bit more variety in the selection of genres. Also: please space out the DLCs. It feels like yesterday that the first “Mario Strikers: Bat tle League” update came out. Give yourselves more time like you do with Switch Sports.

One more opinion for Nintendo: We love your games and will con tinue paying for them at full price, but please stop putting price tags on history. The N64 expansion update looks amazing, but I don’t want to pay $70 just so I can play “Banjo-Kazooie” or “Mario Party.” It won’t be another couple of months until the next Direct is streamed, but one thing is certain: until it comes out, I’ll be listening to the “Goldeneye” pause music while playing “Fall Guys: Season 2.”

FAMILIAR FACE Nintendo icon Mario looks pensive about up coming releases announced in September 2022. // Nintendo

Representation in Phase 4 of the MCU

by Andrew Blakey

The Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU for short: we all know or have at least heard of it by this point. It’s one of the most popular franchises in the world right now. A franchise that peo ple all over the world have been invest ed in for years, and over a decade for some. I myself love to see my favorite characters get their time to shine in their own solo projects or even teamup movies. Going to the theaters to see the next Marvel movie is a fun tradi tion I don’t intend to stop. Of course, like everything else in the world, the MCU isn’t perfect. It has its flaws (like not bringing Miles Morales to live-ac tion yet, but that’s just a personal gripe of mine) that many people agree are problems that need improvement. But what I want to focus on is the current and most controversial phase of the MCU: Phase 4.

People frequently disparage the current state of the MCU because it “lacks direction” or “feels discon nected.” And while those are valid criticisms, the one criticism that’s impacting the fanbase and the MCU as a whole is the fact that this phase is more representative of people who aren’t just white with blond hair and blue eyes. We’re actually getting super heroes of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We’re getting stories about how black people face discrim ination. Whether it be microaggres sions or flat-out racism like in “The Falcon And The Winter Soldier,” or the constant struggles women have to deal with, either in the workplace or else where, like in “She-Hulk.” It’s amazing how diverse the cast of “Eternals” was

or how “Ms. Marvel” featured the first Pakistani superhero brought to live-action. While some of these films are better than others, all of these proj ects are so important because not only are kids growing up with the MCU seeing themselves represented, but also people who were with the MCU when it started can now look at a superhero and go: “that’s me.” What’s even better is these stories are being made by peo ple who can relate to the character and story they’re trying to adapt. It proves to the audience that the people behind the scenes know what they’re doing. The writers want people who look like these characters to feel empowered and see themselves represented.

stereotypes and form said stereotypes around a character because they think that’s how all people of color act in real life. The representation in the MCU isn’t perfect by any means, but at least the franchise is making an effort to branch out from the norm of white superheroes.

by Omer Omer

“One Piece” is a Japanese anime created by Eiichiro Oda. The manga series was published in July 1997, and the show — still ongoing, as the characters have not found out the “One Piece” — followed in October 1999. “One Piece” connects with world problems that are happening globally, whether it is subject matter like the pandemic or or child abuse.

I started to watch this show during the pandemic since I had heard it was a great show and I had a lot of time. I thought “One Piece” was just about fights and action, but I found it also had deep meaning to it. Eiichiro Oda hid Easter eggs that I barely even noticed at first, hidden in every arc. Perhaps Oda does this to show how much people aren’t aware of the show’s meaning? The released mangas of “One Piece” are bizarre, with so many questions to ask about what will hap pen in the future fights. If you decide

This new era of the MCU is very different from what we’ve gotten the last ten years. But because we can never have nice things, there are a ton of people who hate the MCU because of the recent representation in its movies and shows. Many think the MCU is trying to cater to an “agenda,” that the MCU is just “woke, SJW trash,” and that the stories being told using these char acters are unrealistic. Not only is this infuriating, it also could not be further from the truth.

.

. . simply existing in the world isn’t unrealistic. Wom en simply trying to survive in this scary world isn’t pander ing to an ‘agenda.’ We’re real people with real experiences.

Us simply existing in the world isn’t unrealistic. Women simply trying to survive in this scary world isn’t pandering to an “agenda.” We’re real people with real experiences. People of color and women have been left out of cinema and TV shows for decades, and when we are finally able to be included, the people making these shows and movies only like to pick

to watch “One Piece,” be aware that it was made in 1997, so the old episodes will be considerably lower quality but will progressively get better over time.

One thing is certain: it will be worth the watch as “One Piece” can teach you a few things. It’s difficult to talk about the show without spoil ing or talking about the elements it contains, so a standard spoiler alert applies.

The show follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his pirate crew finding a treasure left by the legendary pirate, Gold Roger. The treasure left by Gold Roger is called the “One Piece” and only Gold Roger has found it.

Arabasta Arc

Examing a story arc can reveal the depths of the show. This Arabasta Arc was both sad and astonishing at the same time, since there were parts where they got stopped by a group called Mr./Mrs. who had numbers 1-10, or Weekend and Weekday names — for example, Mrs. Tuesday or Mr. 5. The character 1 would be the strongest and 10 would be the weakest, and it would scale off that; those with day names were just bounty hunters in the group. A princess named Nefertari

“The Falcon And The Winter Soldier” meant a lot to me personally because I could relate to the micro aggressions Sam was experiencing. I could understand the frustration he felt when John Walker would talk down to him just because he had the title of Captain America. I’ve had experiences where I have been talked over and told I’m wrong repeatedly by white peers even though I know I was right. So to know Sam goes through these experiences and still gets up everyday to do what’s right as the new Captain America was so empowering for me. It’s empow ering for a bunch of young black boys and men all over the world. When I was growing up the only representa tion I would see in the media would be black people in the “black best friend” trope, only there to support the white lead. The character Rhodey was trapped in this role for Tony Stark for ten years. Sam was trapped in this role for Steve Rogers for almost seven. But now not only does Sam get a spot to shine, so does Rhodey with his “Armor Wars” show on the horizon. Phastos from “Eternals” and America Chavez from “Doctor Strange in the Multi verse of Madness” were both import ant for LGTBQ+ representation be cause (while not shown for more than

Vivi was a spy trying to rebel against Baroque Works, an orgnization trying to overrule a kingdom. Nefertari Vivi was caught being a spy and joined the Straw Hats since Luffy wanted to help and become stronger on the way. The Kingdom had a big drought for a long time. Nefertari Vivi believes a char acter named Mr. 0 is behind it with a mysterious power, but they have to go

five seconds) straight couples aren’t the only couples that exist in the world. If we start seeing more LGBTQ+ rela tionships on screen, it could start to be normalized and people would stop treating them like they’re “out of the norm.” Likewise with “Ms. Marvel,” who is the first Pakistani Muslim su perhero on TV. We get to find out who she is through her family life and her culture, and that’s really cool to see.

It’s nice to see superheroes who are vastly different from one another get represented on screen, whether it be in theaters or on Disney+.

Of course, the MCU isn’t perfect. It has its fair share of problems. But trying to do what they can to in clude POC who come from different backgrounds and cultures is such a wonderful and powerful thing. In the words of the late Stan Lee, the creator of most of the heroes in the MCU, “Those stories have room for every one, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or color of their skin. The only things we don’t have room for are hatred, intolerance, and bigotry.” Seeing stories like “Ms. Marvel” and “Eternals” would have been his dream. So why try to crush it by pretending that POC, women, and LGBTQ+ peo ple don’t exist? Instead, we should take his dream even further and dive deep er. The MCU is one big universe that’s going to keep expanding and growing no matter what, and seeing more POC and LGBTQ+ superheroes is one of the many great ways to do that. It won’t be easy, and it’ll most likely get harder as time goes on, but represen tation equals normalization. The more people are represented on screen, the more normalized it’ll be moving for ward. I can’t wait to see what the MCU has to offer in the future and I’ve never been more excited to be a marvel fan.

Excelsior!

through the other numbers. The final fight was very tough.

They went to war at Alubarna, Nefertiti Vivi went up a big clock that had a gigantic bell and rang it, scream ing out that she’s here and that this war is pointless.

Like the show overall, this arc con tains so many different levels of emo tional weight. It is worth your time!

“One Piece” and the pandemic: why you should watch

ONE PIECE Characters from the manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, which debuted 25 years ago. // Collider

by Ash Newton

Even those unfamiliar with inter national Grand Prix motorcycle racing can recognize the logos of manufac turers like Honda, Yamaha or Suzuki. They’re synonymous with high-perfor mance machinery, be it cars, motor cycles, boat and jetski engines, or in Yamaha’s case, musical equipment like keyboards. Historically, East Asian brands like these arose out of the post-WWII economic boom as a result of the complete overhaul of factory production that came with the period of war. These brands made billions off of their progress in developing easily built and technically proficient machines, completely unseating the United States as a hotspot of vehicle manufacturing. Long gone were the days of Detroit being the Motor City, with Tokyo taking its place instead.

It may then come as a shock that many of these brands are increasing ly struggling to support themselves financially in the sector of motorcycle racing. Despite being juggernauts in vehicle development and production, the Suzuki ECSTAR Racing Team announced its 2023 departure from the world’s highest level of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, MotoGP, this past April.

The team has been, for the last ten years, the only team running Suzuki machinery in MotoGP, meaning they have only two rides, following the standard of two racers per team. Other manufacturers have allowed many independent teams to use their models of race bike, such as Ducati, which boasts three independent teams along side its official factory team. An inde pendent team typically uses the same bikes and upgrades as the factory team did a year (or more) previously. They are also slated with the responsibility to test and develop their bikes in coop eration with the factory team. Inde pendents usually run with a reputation of not being as competitive or strong as their factory counterparts, typically because they are unable to use up-todate machinery or hire top-of-the-line mechanics. This is corroborated by championship data — not once in the last decade has a rider on an indepen dent team won World Champion, or even placed in the top three at the end of the season.

Suzuki has one World Champi onship in recent memory: the 2020 victory by Spanish rider Joan Mir. The pandemic season was marked by surprises, with a condensed schedule and a life-threatening crash for legend and eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez, which, while incapac itated, opened the competition to be potentially won by anyone. Mir’s ride

was admirable, but could be considered a fluke, especially when compared with his team’s decisive lack of competitive edge in the following seasons. As such, they are not return ing next year.

They will likely not be the last to make this announce ment.

Also in recent memory was the departure of the Malaysian oil giant Petronas, who an nounced in August of 2021 that they would be ending their partnership with Yamaha as the title sponsor of their only independent team, previously titled Petronas SRT Yamaha. They also announced that they would be dissolving their teams in MotoGP’s lower classes, Moto2 and Moto3. Both classes of rac ing exist as a part of the MotoGP pack age and participate in races at the same events as MotoGP, with their primary function being to provide a space for young talent to emerge and train on slower, more homogenous bikes. The Petronas-sponsored Sepang Racing Team(s) operated using Kalex chassis, one of the three provided as options to Moto2 and Moto3 teams. In Moto2 they used the standard Triumph engine that all teams are required to run, as well as the meager standard electronics afforded to each team. The Sepang Racing Team(s), sponsored by the Malaysian Sepang International Circuit, were specifically organized to introduce young Malaysian tal ent to Moto2 and Moto3. However, they had to effectively abandon this goal and prioritize better race results instead. The Moto2 team was more known for employing the well-liked and high-performing British rider Jake Dixon, who was notably and clearly not Southeast Asian.

Having to sacrifice their initial goal and instead capitulate to the stresses of the competition was a clear motivator for the teams dissolving, but only conjecture can explain their real reasons. Last year, Petronas gave an in tentionally vague explanation for their departure, only confirming that they would be terminating their contracts with SRT and Yamaha. No reasons were cited.

Are poor race results the shared factor of both Suzuki and Petronas Yamaha? Yes. Did they both fold? Yes.

But there are unseen financial factors behind these corporate giants that, while inaccessible to the layper son, can at least be inferred. Suzuki’s reputation for being financially smaller than other manufacturers is at least somewhat corroborated by the fact that the manufacturer also pulled out of the Endurance World Champion

ship, a completely different form of motorcycle racing with a distinctly smaller consumer base. If Suzuki could not afford to even run in the cheapest classes, despite success in the EWC competition, then a lack of financial support would be the best explanation.

This could spell disaster for the next generation of riders.

Across the world, national and international classes of racing have garnered recent attention for their rising stars and mounting popularity, supported by the Road to MotoGP programs which provide funding for youth series across the world, and give the top two finishers of every season the opportunity to enter the selection process for the Red Bull Rookies Cup, an international class of racing with a direct pipeline to Moto3 and other classes. Possibly the most popular national series in the Road to MotoGP roster is the British Youth Talent Cup, in which competitors all ride identical Honda machinery — but the compe tition is anything but homogenous. Demonstrating the diversity of British youth, competitors originate from all over, such as Sullivan Mounsey, son of Caribbean immigrants, who rides with a helmet emblazoned with the Jamai can flag on the front and the Union Jack on the back. He has already achieved a landmark podium this year, coming in second place at the Knockhill round in June. Similarly, not all riders are even British — 13-yearold Julian Correa is mixed Colum bian-Dominican by way of Miami, Florida. By opening its gates to riders of all kinds, the British Youth Talent Cup has led as an example of diversity in motorsports and provided concrete opportunities for athletes of color to advance in the sport.

Additionally, MotoAmerica Junior Cup, which while only in the first few years of its existence, is already garnering attention for potentially altering the future of racing. All thanks

to one rider, 14-year-old Kayla Yaakov of Gettysburg, PA. With an absurd record of wins in regional racing series including 38 victories in the year of 2019, expectations were high when she entered the national stage of the Junior Cup. But Yaakov has delivered, and changed hearts in the process, being the first female rider to ever win a MotoAmerica race in a mixed-gender category.

The question remains, then, what will happen when these young riders grow up? With the evident decline of major manufacturers, teams, and title sponsors at the highest levels of racing, a mounting crisis could make oppor tunities for these riders sparse. In ten or fifteen years when kids like Moun sey, Correa and Yaakov are (hopefully) competing for seats at the premiere world class of road racing, there may simply not be any seats left. If the pat tern of financial stagnation for major teams continues, ridership within top classes will fall with it, and some of the most promising talents of a generation may fall through the cracks.

A single concrete answer can not suffice to explain and save the complex economic and social factors that cause a company’s or a sport’s decline. But the clearest solutions are relatively simple; to continue to support road racing across the world wholeheartedly, in the hopes that it could make a difference. This means financially supporting young riders and the teams that manage them, such as contributing to Julian Correa’s GoFundMe for him to participate in the Spanish National series, as well as attending events and races in-person, when possible. Even watching races on television or YouTube can make a difference; if there is one message that youth series across the world seek to convey, it is that small things can make a large impact, whether it’s a tiny little 250cc Honda engine or a few minutes watching race highlights.

YAAKOV Kayla Yaakov (left), a 15-year-old professional motorcycle racer from Gettysburg, PA, poses with the author (right). // Photo: Ash Newton

A new generation of young riders could change motorcycle rac ing forever. The only problem: they might not get the chance

A new era for Northwood boys’ soccer

by Graham Summers

This year John Kouakam debuted as the new Northwood High School boys’ varsity soccer coach, and he was very excited to show what he has to offer to our program.

He previously coached high school soccer at Wootton High School and currently coaches club soccer for Montgomery Rush SC. As a player, he has played overseas in Europe at the academy level.

After a successful season last year with the Gladiators making a great playoff run ending in the regional fi nals, the team was in need of a rebuild with 13 seniors graduating.

Because of this and a change in coaches, the team was bound to go through some changes as well. The majority of the team is new to varsity soccer with many of the players having played at the JV level previously.

This meant there was a lot of learning and work to be done before games began.

Coach John worked with players all summer doing conditioning before pre-season had even started. He prior itized fitness and preparation, wanting his players to be fit and ready to excel

PWC: the Pro Wrestling Column returns

by Megan Leatherwood

Pro Wrestling Column (PWC) is back with the latest news in the wres tling world, and another show to spill all the tea on.

I’m Megan writing about the thing I love most. (You can also follow my Instagram wrestling account @raw_ smacktalk.)

Here is this season’s schedule:

• WWE Monday Night Raw (Monday, 8 p.m., USA net work)

• WWE NXT (Tuesday, 8 p.m., USA network)

• AEW Dynamite (Wednesday, 8 p.m., TBS network)

• WWE Friday Night Smack down (Friday, 8 p.m., Fox network)

• AEW Rampage (Friday, 10 p.m., TNT network)

On September 3, 2022, “Clash of the Castle” was held in Cardiff, Wales for the second time after 30 years. We saw big matches like Bianca Belair, the Raw women’s champion, tag with Alexa Bliss and Asuka against the new faction Damage Control. Damage Control includes former Smackdown women’s champion Bayley, and two NXT call-ups, Dakota Kai and IO SKY. Damage Control was victorious in the end after a three-on-one attack.

The current Smackdown women’s

in very physical high school games.

The team faced a tough schedule this season, playing the likes of Quince Orchard, Winston Churchill, and adjacent rivals like Montgomery Blair. In each match, Coach John wanted his team to be competitive with very strong programs like these.

Regarding what Coach John wants to bring to the program, his main objective is to create a family of players who are close and privilege playing as a unit over individual talent. He emphasizes the importance of running not only for yourself, but for your teammates.

This showed in the first games Northwood played; whether they lost or won, they did it as a group.

None of the teams the Gladiators have faced possessed less talent on paper, but with the exception of a few games, they took every team up to the final whistle.

No blame is ever put on a single player and every person gives every thing they have until the final whistle.

Northwood soccer may not have had the biggest selection of players this season or fields as nice as some others in MCPS, but the new mentality that Coach John brings to the program gave us a ncessary identity change.

A new era of Gladiator soccer approaches. In the future, this team is bound not only to compete but to win games.

champion Liv Morgan went up against the number one contender Shayna Baszler for the women’s title. Liv won and then faced Rousey in a match at SummerSlam, winning a match many believe was controversial.

Another big match is the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns faced UK’s own Drew Mycntire who was the number one contender in the Main Event of Clash of the Castle. Roman Reigns got the win after NXT star Solo Sikoa dis tracted Mycntire so Reigns could get the win, and now that’s another family member added to the Bloodline.

ALL Elite Wrestling debuted in 2019. For me, AEW is the number one show that wrestlers who left WWE go to. Only once did someone leave AEW for WWE — Cody Rhodes, unhappy with his pay. AEW has done a lot over the past three years, with creating a Friday night show, AEW Rampage, changing networks which brought along a new women’s title which Jade Cargill holds, and being very open in recognizing the LGBTQ+ community.

All Out on September 4 brought many plot twists. Starting with MJF returning after a sordid pipe bomb incident in June that may have been staged but gone awry. CM Punk won the AEW World Championship from Jon Moxley. After, he had lots to say. CM Punk and others fought after his press conference, and everyone in volved in the brawl has been suspend ed, though some have returned. Many have questioned Punk’s ego; I’m a huge CM Punk fan and always will be, but he does seem like he has an ego. This may be the end of CM Punk’s career.

by Kenneth Gray

Joining an athletic team or club allows students to engage with peers who have the same interests as them. It also allows students to make new friends in a sea of unknown faces. But could the time commitments of some sports possibly be bad for an athlete’s education?

Ava Forsbacka, Class of 2026

Q: Do you think participating in sports after school has affected your academic performance? If so, why?

A: “I don’t think participating in ex tracurricular activities has affected my academic performance… It’s more of a hobby for me than anything.”

Q: Do you think certain aspects of extracurricular activities should be changed to fit the needs of students’ education?

A: I personally haven’t had any issues so far balancing my academics and extracurriculars… I believe it should be the student’s responsibility to keep up with their school work and succeed accademically if they are going to par ticipate in extracurriculars.”

Q: Overall, is it hard to be an athlete and a student, and is it rewarding to be both?

A: “It is a little difficult to be both an athlete and a student because I get less time after school for homework.”

Owen Harris, Class of 2023

Q: Do you think participating in sports after school has affected your academic performance? Why?

A: “Extra curricular activities cer tainly had an impact on my academic performance. They take up a tremen dous amount of time, especially as I have participated in multiple at once. Especially for sports, but also for many other clubs, it takes a lot more than

just practice or meetings to perform well which takes even more time away from my studies. Since teachers don’t typically consider extracurricular events when giving assignments, your schedule can be very cramped…The time consumption of the extracurric ulars just makes it hard to keep your work schedule organized for school and can typically lead to worse qual ity work, and this doesn’t even take into account the other aspects of the student’s life.”

Q: Do you think certain aspects of extracurricular activities should be changed to fit the needs of the stu dents’ education?

A: “Unfortunately I don’t really see a way to change it to benefit the students. Maybe putting less of an emphasis on them for college appli cations and resume building, but that would only help stop students from doing clubs only for looking good to colleges.”

Q: Overall, is it hard to be an athlete and a student, and is it rewarding to be both?

A: “At times it is definitely hard to be an athlete and a student. Neither aspect has a true respect for the time of the other and neither have a respect for the personal aspects of the life of a student. As both sides demand more and more effort and time, it can certainly get overwhelming, especially if you are not doing a sport or taking a class that you love or have an interest in. Maintaining the motivation for doing something you don’t like when you already have such limited time… is certainly challenging, and I have struggled with that throughout my overlapping athletic and educational career.”

Owen, an MC2 student, had this to add: “Each college class typically feels like a workload of around two high school classes, and sometimes even more. With STEM classes that have labs, you’re practically taking two classes, not one, and with STEM focused students, it’s not atypical to be taking three labs at a time in senior year, maybe even with another class on top of that… you can easily have an extremely busy schedule.”

How hard is it to be a student athlete at Northwood?

A senior and a freshman pro vide insights into the chal lenges facing student athletes

CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT Liv Morgan fights Shayna Baszler for the women’s title. // WWE

World Cup Qatar 2022: the division hidden in a celebration of unity

by Zach Welch

From the minute it ends to four years later when it starts again, fans can’t stop thinking about it.

“The Greatest Sporting Event in the World,” according to TopEnd Sports. “The biggest event in sports,” according to Bleacher Report. A month where each respective country is able to put their differences and conflicts aside, in order to celebrate unity, passion, and love in the form of a 90-minute child’s game.

However, this World Cup in particular brings a cruel reality to light, proving that nothing can be pure forever. What was once known as the idyllic conflation of world cultures, is now stuck in a dark obsession of oil money and power.

A New York Times article last year dove into the US Department of Jus tice’s accusations against FIFA for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup. Many al lege that high-standing representatives from both Russia and Qatar worked to coerce FIFA into hold the World Cup in their respective countries.

To understand this, it’s import ant to know the impact of this global spectacle.

Outside of the sport itself, the eco nomic and social benefits are limitless. In a study done by VisitMusicCity, the World Cup raises the host economy by $695 million dollars on average. The scary part is that the number is exclusive of the costs of the World Cup-related items. All sales done by FIFA or at the games weren’t even a part of that $695 million — just the economy itself.

The social aspect alone might be worth it. In 2018, the World Cup brought in at least 3.57 billion viewers. Not total views. Viewers. 3.57 billion people. When your country has the opportunity to be highlighted to half the world, it’s a hard offer not to take.

On the surface, having a World Cup in a country with the money and the land area to support it, doesn’t

Northwood basketball: previewing the 20222023 season

by Luc Girardot

Northwood boys’ basketball is coming off a 1-19 regular season record, and the girls’ team is coming off a 7-13 record with a first-round playoff loss. With second-year coach Mr. Ryan Fitzpatrick, the boys’ team is looking to bounce back. Coached by Ms. Mandisa Murray, the girls’ varsity team is also looking to improve on their season.

Coach Fitzpatrick is waiting for a highly anticipated second season as head coach. He is coaching a young team this year as there are only two

seem that bad, even if the means of getting it there in the first place are wrong. However, the beautiful, tower ing stadiums don’t come from no where, and all it takes is a quick Goo gle search to begin to see the truth.

Qatar’s government stated that roughly 30,000 to 2 million immi grants and homeless people have been put to indentured work, in order to complete the stadiums by the No

seniors. He expects the former JV players to play a pivotal role and make a big jump this year. Fitzpatrick hopes this year’s team will have better chem istry and will learn how to play as a team, which he believes will lead to better overall team success.

He wants the team to be defensive oriented and share the ball togeth er. Fitzpatrick is looking to build a basketball program for Northwood that will hopefully pave the way to a successful future.

The classic “Battle of the Blvd’’ is Fitzpatrick’s most anticipated game to coach with many fans in the stands.

Schroeder Kleine, a first-year var sity player, looks to make a big jump this year and be a key piece on this year’s team. After averaging 10 points a year for JV he will look to crack the

vember 2022 start time. Multiple reports from sources like BBC and The Guardian have shown the working conditions that indentured workers have to endure. Some have to sleep overnight and only receive food after long intervals of tedious labor. Some are unable to see their families during the projects. Some have to sign con tracts preventing them from leaking information about the conditions.

starting five for Northwood. Asked about the upcoming season, Schroeder said he wants to make improvements on his shooting and overall consisten cy. He’s also looking forward to a team that can work together on and off the court. Schroeder also looks forward to the Blair game.

Mr. Fuggitti, Northwood’s Athletic Director, said he’s looking forward to big improvements from both teams. He expects both teams can compete and hover around a .500 record in a competitive field. Fuggitti also believes that both girls’ and boys’ teams can win their first-round playoff games and be competitive in the second round.

He is ready to see the improve ments of both teams on the court. He’s also excited to see what the girls’

It can only be characterized as modern-day slavery.

So what do we do? There is no possibility of bullying a multi-bil lion dollar corporation into change. However, we can at least do the little things. Limiting the purchases of FIFA products, sharing information on the subject with people you know, and donating and raising awareness for the enslaved persons who worked to build

basketball team can do under a new head coach after having a decent sea son last season. Fuggitti feels strongly that both teams can make major jumps this year.

WORKING CONDITIONS Taken in 2019, these photographs document the heavy human toll taken on workers tasked with the yearslong project of building stadiums for the 2022 World Cup. Numerous human rights organizations have cried foul. // AP

Pajama Fashion

This fall at Northwood, students are showcasing their comfy and cozy paja mas! We get to see what people wear at home when they feel most them selves. Pajamas allow students to bring out their inner child and let the colors of their personality shine. Now that school’s back in swing, students don’t have the need to dress up in for mal wear. Instead, they can bring out their soft and warm PJ’s.

Malisha Gunawardena Ife Nyabingi

Alexandra Palencia Pineda