Red and Black, Spring 2023

The negative effects of steroid usage, pg. 4

A trip to the Botanic Garden, pg. 7

Eurovision 2023, in all its glory, pg. 9

Red and Black

‘I don’t want to fall into the road’:

On University, students contend with busy traffic and narrow sidewalks

by Ash Newton

Students, teachers and neighborhood residents alike are all familiar with the sight: every day at 2:30 p.m., the sidewalks around the intersection of University Boulevard, Caddington and Gabel Street all become flooded with pedestrians.

Commuting students traveling south on University are forced into one small bus stop across the street from our school building, and crossing the busy intersection presents a number of difficulties: the main one being that there is not enough space, anywhere, to wait to cross.

A sidewalk is meant to provide two primary utilities: to create a safe area for pedestrians to walk alongside the road, and to create a space for crossing pedestrians to wait until the road is clear.

The sidewalks along University are effective at neither; instead, walkers must inch single-file along the fence while waiters congregate at the curb, taking any gap See SIDEWALKS, Page 2

What

we are

(and aren’t) losing to AI

The chatbot is out of the bag. Where do students and teachers go from here?

by Teagan Nam

At this point, there’s no need to explain ChatGPT. Throughout Northwood, MCPS, and the entire world of education, students and teachers alike are now all too familiar with the notorious AI program. ChatGPT has been lauded by programmers as an incredible feat of AI technology; its ability — and that of many other similar systems — to generate writing would have been unimaginable even a year ago. But now, it’s a stark reality for students, educators, and writers of all stripes. As with countless other advances in technology over the past few years, ChatGPT has now risen as one of the highest hurdles

— or most useful shortcuts — for those in the education system.

But even with its impressive reputation and undeniable skill, ChatGPT still lacks some significant elements of human writing: typos, original ideas, and most importantly, a sense of spirit and human experience. Over the past few months, some teachers have become confident they can catch out students cheating on assignments using the program. Others admit they’re completely in the dark.

We decided to put these teachers — confident and skeptical alike — to the test, with examples of real student and AI writing. By taking an AP Lit prompt about the concept of exile in Frankenstein and plugging it into ChatGPT, with no changes or further elaboration, the program was able to generate a surprisingly coherent, if predictable, essay. We presented teachers with both this AI-generated essay and a student’s real essay for the same prompt. Their responses, and theories, were surprisingly varied.

“I’m pretty confident,” says Mr. Jonathan Brammer (he/him), an AP Language teacher at NHS. “I would say that the second one is pretty obviously not student writing, based on my experience … [but] nothing is 100% certain.”

Other educators, like Ms. Joyanna Priest (she/her), a composition assistant, See AI, Page 8

Do yesterday, or due yesterday

Editorial: do students receive too much work?

by Avi Berzofsky

Imagine for a second that you wake up one morning and feel sick. Your temperature gets taken and it turns out you have a fever, so you spend the day in bed. You email all your teachers, letting them know you’ll be absent, and they all respond by telling you to ‘feel better, you don’t need to worry about classwork.’ The next day you feel amazing, and you decide to go to school. As soon as the teachers see you’re back, you are greeted with a chorus of, “Glad you’re feeling better! By the way, here is all the work you have that is due tomorrow.”

The struggle is real, and it applies to lots of students at Northwood.

Every day, work piles up for students who are absent from a class. This contributes to the “academic butterfly effect.”

For example, if a student misses learning the Quadratic Formula in math, then the assignments they missed become a set of hieroglyphics. It’s understandable that the teachers are looking out for their students who are absent due to illness, but this can pose a challenge as teachers also need to put in grades and move with the rest of the class onto the next set of instructional material. When students have multiple absences, the pile of work can grow exponentially.

Regardless, teachers’ email well wishes for good health can get lost in the sudden onset of work when we return. This can make students feel like they’re being mistreated, all because of an excused absence. Even if they have an excused absence, there is more pressure on students than being assigned a lot of work in class. Many students have done nothing wrong in the above scenario; they reached out to their teachers, asking them if there was anything they could do to stay in the rhythm of things, and the teachers said not to worry about it.

I asked people at Northwood – students, teachers, and staff – this controversial question: should students receive large amounts of work, all because they missed a day of school?

First, let’s start with the students. In a survey, 38.9% of students said they are not See WORKLOAD, Page 5

Northwood High School Silver Spring, Maryland School and Community

Est. 1957 Spring 2023

At the end of the day, Northwood students struggle with University Boulevard

SIDEWALKS from Page 1 in traffic as an opportunity to cross.

“I cross whenever I can,” said senior Muhammadou Coker. “One person can stand and take up the entire sidewalk.”

The narrow space encourages jaywalking, actively putting pedestrians and drivers in danger of collision.

In the summer, the sidewalk and as-

phalt alike are hot and oppressive, with the intersection often entirely devoid of shade. In the winter — especially during ice storms like the one Maryland experienced in early 2022 — plows and runoff from neighborhoods cause ice to pile up along the sides of University Boulevard, creating a foot-and-a-half thick layer of packed ice and snow that is almost impossible for pedestrians to navigate safely.

“I’ve had to walk on the grass because the sidewalks are so slippery, and I don’t want to fall into the road,” noted senior Cyrus Hamilton-Rohe.

Sidewalks, when maintained improperly, have clearly become a hazard.

“I should not be living in fear of cyclists crashing into me,” Hamilton-Rohe

continued. “We either need more sidewalks or bike lanes. . . actually, we need both.”

With Northwood’s building renovation on the horizon, it is important to prioritize not only improvements to the interior functionality of our school, but also the mechanics of everyday arrival and departure.

Northwood, as a site and a community, is part of a larger municipal network and neighborhood. MCPS and Montgomery County must create a space for safe and orderly operation, including interaction with the outside world. Our school is not a fortress, disconnected from the rest of the neighborhood, and its students are not invincible.

Red and Black Northwood High School 919 University Blvd W Silver Spring, MD 20901 (240) 740-6950

Editorial Staff

Avi Berzofsky

Megan Leatherwood

Aidan Lewis

Teagan Nam

Ash Newton

Madison Riggs

Zach Welch

Staff Writers

Tolulope Adegoke

Ariana Amaya

Athena Arriaza

Andrew Blakey

Charlotte Cazahuatl

Alex Edwards

Luc Girardot

Malisha Gunawardena

Emily Gonzalez Reyes

Daniel Gray

Kenneth Gray

Angie Jurado

Łeah Le Breton

Omer Omer

Alexandra Palencia Pineda

Shyla Rincon

Graham Summers

Liam Surrusco

Kim Thai

Caroline Touhey

Derek Ventura-Ly

Luis Zelaya Barrera

Business Managers

Zach Welch

Special Contributors

Shannon Ryan

Emmett Vandenbroek

Faculty Advisor

Ryan Acosta-Fox

a word from the editors

As summer nears, a deeper dive into Red and Black journalism

The fourth quarter of the year is too often a kind of afterthought.

Much of the major academic work of the school-year is completed and we stare down an onslaught of standardized testing. In this environment, it can be difficult for us to pause and reflect on the experience of living and learning in spring and summer.

In this edition, you will find words and images that allow Red and Black staff to consider the present moment — and showcase the results.

Our mission remains steadfast: we cover school and community, and we want you to feel that representation through and through.

AFTERNOON RUSH Some of Northwood’s 1,800 students steer clear of traffic on the sidewalk and grass adjacent to University Boulevard after school has ended (above); the view of the bus stop from the Northwood side of the street, across seven car lanes. // Red and Black Staff

Northwood Theatre’s “Chicago” enjoyed by all

After we returned from winter break, all eyes were set on Northwood Theatre’s next challenge: “Chicago.”

The show certainly lived up to the hype, with four dazzling performances loved by audiences of students, teachers, and community members alike.

Perhaps sophomore Emmett Vandenbroek said it best: “The show was really well done. . . It was the first musical I had ever watched and I was really blown away.”

Here, we showcase the visual impact of the show.

patron program

Mandi Barnard

Margret Bower

Michael Fitzpatrick

Steven Karig

Christopher Lynn

Alix Medor

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

Gladiator

Avi Berzofsky

Joanne Bryson

Maya Jeffries

Margaret Jessell

Oliver Llewellyn

Jennifer Lydick

LaJaveyon Saunders

John Seelke

Danielle Snowflack

Kira Swann

above the NHS Social Studies Department

Ryan Acosta-Fox

Sarah Breslaw

Lisa and Jack Cline

Dr. Jon Garrick

The Gray Family

Maggie Fletcher

Hasani Isreal

Timothy Kearns

Kate Valentine Level, $50 and

Stephen Mogge

the Rayfield family

Kurt and Julie Riggs

Roseann Saah

Heather Sauter

Rita Weiss

The harmful effects of steroid use

Though their

by Derek Ventura-Ly

Steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) are thought to be a thing of the past in high school and university athletics, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

With regulation on the usage and acquisition of steroids becoming increasingly strict across the US over the last three decades, at first glance it appears implausible that a student could gain access to such illicit substances – and yet, they have.

Burnout culture: senioritis isn’t just for seniors anymore

by Madison Riggs

Head on desk, late to class, forgetting to send the “can I have an extension?” email at all: these are just some of the symptoms of burnout. It’s not just senioritis, and it’s not just for seniors.

Burnout. You’ve probably heard the word thrown around before, as people talk about grueling homework assignments or tough deadlines. But what actually is “burnout”? The American Psychological Association defines it as “physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion accompanied by decreased motivation, lowered performance, and negative attitudes toward oneself and others.”

But what does that mean on a personal level?

“The sense of dread where you’re like, damn it, it’s back again,” said Millie Lach (‘25).

AP Psychology teacher Ms. Jennifer Trichere said burnout happens “when it feels like there’s kind of an endless amount of stuff to get done, but you no longer have the energy to continue meeting all of those requirements … and when things become more of a task rather than something enjoyable, because you love what you’re doing.”

A lot of us – if not all of us – have probably felt some form of burnout. Whether it is dwindling motivation on a

Young adults and teenagers are obtaining anabolic steroids through misdiagnoses or by deceiving physicians, drug peddlers, relatives, or friends. Not only this, an online culture of fitness may be encouraging the use of steroids

Why would a student want to acquire steroids? What are the effects of steroids? Steroids and other PEDs like steroid precursors DHEA or SARMs, allow you to get stronger quicker, recover quicker, and develop muscle tissue quicker than the average person. This is extremely enticing to student athletes, particularly those who aspire to make a profession out of athletics and believe that these substances will give them an advantage over their competition. However, steroids have a number of negative side effects. Acne, mood swings or hostility, gynecomastia, baldness, and, in youth, premature closure of growth plates, slowing growth, are examples. Internal organ damage may occur over time, resulting in liver disease, heart disease, and even death.

Steroids and other PEDs have legiti-

mate uses, such as assisting burn victims in their recovery, allowing transgender people to transition, treating a variety of diseases (Crohn’s disease, lupus, arthritis, and certain skin conditions), and aiding general function in older adults who have a declining amount of hormones required for general function. Individuals seeking a shortcut to strength, athleticism, and general muscle building in pursuit of accolades and competitive success have abused steroids, conversely.

This is not to imply that schools haven’t taken action. Steroid use in schools has declined from an all-time peak in the early 2000s. Many schools across the country have a zero-tolerance policy for student steroid use. In practice, how much of a difference does this make? Steroids appear to be difficult to detect because they might take the form of injectables, pills, syrups, nasal sprays, or gels. To test every single student athlete in a county for such substances when the problem only affects a few would be inefficient and a general waste of time and effort.

Not only would a student athlete want an advantage over their opponents; they are part of a culture that emphasizes achievement at all costs, and when paired with adolescent naivety, this encourages the greater usage of steroids in young athletes. Furthermore, this mentality is spread online through fitness communities on social media with their excessive expectations and standards, all of which are readily available to young, malleable, and impressionable minds. Through this, steroids are pushed as a shortcut, a way to attain superhuman strength, size, and a better appearance, completely ignoring what steroids could do to the developing body.

Steroids are not safe for students, let alone anyone, when used improperly. Though they provide an incredible increase in muscle development and general athleticism, is it worth the risk? Are these temporary gains worth the cost of your life?

project we hit a rough spot on, or just a typical case of ‘the Mondays.’

But what about when burnout starts to become more prevalent? What if we feel burnt out Monday through Friday? This phenomenon is becoming all too present, both in and outside of Northwood.

“I feel like I get home and I need to do work, then I need to eat, so I don’t have time for myself. Then I have time for myself at 9 p.m., but by then I’m so tired and have to go to bed,” said sophomore Candia Melvin about her daily routine. Routines like these are something that seem to be appearing more and more. Beginning your day busy and not resting until you sleep. It’s the routines like these that seem to often drag people down, that lack of prioritization with yourself that causes the initial burnout.

But why do people feel the need to maintain extreme schedules like this?

For Melvin, the answer is about stress. “School puts so much stress on you, not just in the workload, but also just because everyone says you have to do well, you have to graduate, you have to get Honor Roll … it’s a lot, and sometimes students feel like failures if they don’t get an A or B … Get all your assignments in, get all your extracurriculars because you got to get into a good college.”

Ms. Trinchere also talked about what she has seen in students. Workload is a huge part of the problem. People speak to the constant stresses of work quite frequently, but a lot of the burnout also comes from the type of work being done.

“I feel fulfilled by my extracurricu-

lars, [but] not really in school,” said Lach. She is one of many students who talked about sometimes missing the point of the work being done. However, this problem doesn’t stem entirely from school, as Ms. Trinchere mentions. “It is often a larger issue and not just school, but it all takes a big mental toll.”

Ms. Trinchere emphasizes the importance of managing one’s schedule, and making sure to prioritize yourself.

“Doing things such as, maximizing free time at school, like advisory periods. Something also really important is taking breaks for yourself. The work will never be completely done, so it’s so important to give yourself breaks to get your body ener gized to keep moving forward.” Lach also emphasizes the idea of self care. “I think by the end of the school

year you’re gonna have a little bit of burnout just because of working constantly, but if you prioritize self care it won’t be as bad.”

So what’s the solution? Burnout is a problem that’s been around forever and won’t disappear anytime soon. But acknowledging a problem – really seeing what it is – as well as continuing to educate ourselves on it, can help us understand that it’s bigger than a personal failing, and ultimately help to prevent it.

usage has fallen since a peak in the early 2000’s, steroid usage for muscle gains remains a problem for teens

STEROIDS Today, steroids and performance-enhancing drugs are available in numerous forms, including injectables, pills, syrups, nasal sprays, or gels. While some steroids have positive applications, using them as a ‘quick fix’ to become stronger is rife with serious problems. // Creative Commons

Examining whether students’ workloads are appropriately balanced

WORKLOAD from Page 1 taking any class they personally find difficult. This is good, as students often associate the amount of homework with the difficulty of the class – the more homework, the harder it is, whereas little to none is considered “an easy A.” 31.4% of the surveyed students reported that they have zero hours of homework every night, often because they finish it in school or weren’t assigned any. The amount of time it takes to complete an assignment gives the individual assignments difficulty, which also makes the class feel difficult. Thankfully students have plenty of time to complete assignments, both in class and during other times of the day, as seen in Academic Support days or even the Homework Club.

But what classes are considered especially difficult? That really depends on the student’s abilities and what they’re taking. For example, Anj Cosby (‘23) is taking three college classes at MC. She says that “[professors] aren’t so friendly on accommodations or extensions … they’re more of ‘turn it in when you can, but put

thought and effort into it,’ which was a contrast of what happened during quarantine, which was ‘50% off if [it’s] late.’”

But this pertains to college-level classes, which are understandably more challenging. What about high school-level classes?

You might be thinking that students consider AP classes the most difficult classes. In most cases, however, the results reveal something different. Again, each student decides whether a class is too difficult or too easy for them. It also matters in a completely different way, one aligning more with teachers’ concerns: procrastination. When a student procrastinates and does not do their work in class, the amount of work will naturally pile up, and that can change a student’s perspective of a class – all because they didn’t do what the course demands. Senior Ayantu Merga had a similar experience: “One time I could not finish my work, so the teacher gave extensions, but there were times that they wouldn’t. Also, sometimes I don’t ask because I don’t want to be a bother; I should have completed work on time.”

Merga brings up an interesting point: she didn’t ask for help because she didn’t want to be a bother. Many students internalized the belief that it’s wrong to be the first person to ask for help or show confusion, so we pretend as if we understand the material completely. This can lead to teachers thinking everyone is doing fine,

which could result in more assignments, and the cycle continues. More students need to take action for others and themselves, and recognize they need academic support, because it’s not a bad thing, and the teachers are trying to help.

The teachers’ perspective on the matter is much different – they’re not trying to assign excessive assignments, but sometimes MCPS curricula require them to. Not everyone agrees with this. Media Center specialist Sarah Breslaw said that “you can’t have a policy like this without acknowledging that everyone is in a different situation and may need support rather than consequences.” She thinks we should work with students to understand their issues with attendance, because it might be a sign that something else is going on.

Furthermore, teachers have noticed that students can, have, and will procrastinate. When asked about her opinion on schoolwork, social studies teacher Ms. Anastasia Zahner credits the decision to use 50% instead of zero as a baseline grade as giving students “a false sense of their grades and their knowledge in classes.”

Ms. Zahner also believes that this issue was exacerbated by the return to in-person instruction from virtual learning. If students have an inaccurate understanding of what they have learned in a course, this will hurt them when it comes time for quizzes and tests.

“[If] you’re not actually learning ...

[t]hen when all of a sudden I slap a test in front of you in, let’s say, Algebra, and you’ve been skating by doing the bare minimum, you are never going to pass that test.”

Still, she is hopeful. “Students are now starting to understand again that you actually have to put effort in, and that starts to change what you’re learning because if you’re actually doing the daily work that teachers give you then you should be learning something.”

This brings us back to our original question: are teachers really being harsh in terms of amount of classwork? In all honesty, no; students need to take responsibility for their procrastination, and recognize when they actually need help from the teacher. In the words of science teacher Mr. Erol Miller, “[If] no one’s talking to me for help, I just assume you guys know what you’re doing.”

Northwood is meant to be a place where anyone can learn and succeed just like their peers. If a teacher is being too harsh in terms of classwork, then it’s either the MCPS policy or they just want you to pick up the pace a little. However, the situation might be different for everyone. In that case, whatever the solution, it’s clear that something might need to change so classwork can get done and students can pass a class and learn the material without added difficulties.

Sound off: Northwood responds

We asked students and staff about their school-work-life balance. Here’s what they had to say.

“I balance my school-and-life responsibilities by organizing my time schedule ... I feel that I have a good balance.”

Are game developers getting too greedy?

by Daniel Gray

Are game developers becoming too greedy?

All game companies need to make money, but how they choose to do so can often ruin their games.

Game developers like Riot Games and Electronic Arts have been releasing in-game content, which has slowly been

“I balance [school and life] by working during free periods [I have]. I’m able to do a lot of my homework during them, [sometimes] during lunch, and then I still have work to do at home.”

getting more and more expensive.

In the FPS Valorant made by Riot Games, developers are creating and releasing skins for weapons that started at $50 to $60 dollars, and have slowly risen to prices as high as $300 to access everything without having to play the game.

Another extreme example of this is in “Diablo Immortal,” where players can play as different characters and level up to unlock different things. Unlocking everything for one character would take 10 years of gameplay – or $100 thousand.

When will we reach a breaking point?

“I don’t try to balance my school-work and life. I don’t know how to keep track of that. It’s too hard, and it’s too much. It’s stressful. But it doesn’t affect my mental health.”

“I plan my work and I work my plan. I have a mental schedule of my ‘to-do’s and I’ll write it down if it gets hectic. I also take time to recharge and schedule R&R [rest and relaxation].”

Deborah Guzman (‘23)

Matt Stringer (‘23)

Yakini Fletcher (‘26)

Ms. Heather Minneman

DIABLO IMMORTAL Released in 2022, “Diablo Immortal” is just one of many games that has seen rising costs for in-game content. // Blizzard

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Announcing a new serial adventure comic from the maker of “The Lamps” and “Two-Sentence Horror Stories.”

In the first installment, our sets off on his endless journey. . .

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A trip to the Botanic Garden

by Shannon Ryan

The National Art Honor Society recently took a field trip to the US Botanic Garden located on the National Mall.

The field trip included a small group of students who had a goal of documenting artistically one of the capital’s unsung spots.

In these photographs, I tried to capture the beauty the Botanic Garden, and especially the many colors on display.

The peach drift roses seen in the middle photo were especially striking, as was the sheer scale of variety that gardeners have cultivated.

Name and pronouns

Leo Apollo Brooks, he/him

Graduation year

2024

Zodiac sign

Libra

Describe your style

Punk grandpa

Biggest style inspo

80’s trad goth and 80’s punk

Favorite hobbies

Collecting shiny things, making art, watching cartoons

Favorite niche color

Blood red

Dream job

Being an artist and selling art

What do you want more of at NHS?

Inclusivity

Tell us a secret

I’m left-handed

Favorite article of clothing

My cardigan

Name and pronouns

Grace Lee, she/her

Graduation year

2025

Zodiac sign

Gemini

Describe your style

Basic, modern, simple, minimalistic

Biggest style inspo

Pinterest

Favorite hobbies

Tennis

Who would you cast as yourself in a movie?

IU

If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you, too?

No

Who’s your fashion twin?

Kim Thai

A SPLASH OF COLOR Photos from the National Art Honor Society’s recent field trip to the Botanic Garden. // Shannon Ryan

Navigating the AI landscape

AI from Page 1

weren’t so sure. “I’m not actually super confident that I’m right,” she admits, “[but] I think the first one was written by a real student and the second one was written by AI.” Ultimately, some kinks in the first essay — the one written by a real student — clued her in. “There were some mistakes in the first one … like subject-verb agreement things, that seemed more likely for a student to make than a computer.”

Ms. Monica Bond-Lamberty (any pronouns), an AP World History teacher, says she’s “not at all” confident that she can catch AI essays in students’ assignments. “I would like to think that the real student wrote essay 2, and not essay 1, because essay 2 makes more sense.” Like the other teachers we spoke to, Ms. Bond-Lamberty saw the discrepancies between the two essays’ grammar and structure. But unlike the others, this made her lean towards essay 2 — the ChatGPT one — as the actual student writing.

“But the thing is,” she points out, “and I know this from personal experience, it’s not always the students creating what’s in front of them.” Good old Googling and plagiarism are equally prevalent, and often difficult for teachers to catch, as eager as they might be to deny it. These other forms of cheating further obscure teachers’ abilities to distinguish AI writing from real student work.

Naturally, the first concern of educators when it comes to the issue of AI cheating is its impact on accurate grading. Because ChatGPT doesn’t keep a record of any of the writing it generates — unsurprising, as the website now has an average of 1.8 billion users a month — and the program generally mimics human writing remarkably well, it can be nigh impossible to determine whether a student’s writing is really their own. According to Ms. Priest, despite the concern of many teachers, she and many others “don’t … look for it that much.” Ironically, her focus on helping students learn can distract her from

Whether you like it or not, Taylor Swift is the future of the music industry

by Ariana Amaya

Taylor Swift is one of the most famous female artists of all time. At just 16, she dropped her first studio album and has been creating music ever since. She is the mastermind behind some of the biggest hits of the 2000’s and 2010’s, including “Blank Space,” “Shake It Off,” “Bad Blood,” “Love Story,” “You Belong With Me,” “Our Song,” and more.

With all the music she has created, she has also claimed multiple records and significantly altered the music industry. Every album Swift drops are hits, and she becomes more successful every time. In 2006, Taylor dropped her first single “Our Song” from her self-titled debut album. “Our Song” made it to Number 1 on Billboard’s US Hot Country Songs, making her the youngest artist to have written and performed a Number 1 song. Recently, her tenth studio album, “Midnights,” placed as the best-selling album of 2022, with over 1.8 million copies (both digital and phys-

looking for plagiarism. “My mind isn’t in — it’s in evaluating writing, or evaluating thinking, but it’s not really in, like, looking for the lie.”

But beyond the concerns about grade honesty, what many teachers, especially in the humanities, are more anxious about are how these AI writers may prevent students from learning the most valuable lessons from their classes.

“I do think the ability to organize your thoughts and put them forward in a compelling manner is such a level of intellectual achievement,” says Ms. Bond-Lamberty.

“If kids are just going to [use AI programs], it’s going to be a disaster.” Above all, she worries about how this reliance on AI and other forms of cheating will impact her students’ futures.

“With this grading system, you can get by without writing an essay all year. And you’re going to go to college like that?... What I’m afraid of is they’re going to end up in college, get caught for plagiarism, and get expelled and have lost all that money. That’s my big fear.”

But the real value of studying and practicing writing goes even deeper than one’s academic future. According to Mr. Brammer, the key to learning is really “being open-minded and curious about things.” Otherwise, “when someone hands you a book and says ‘read this,’ and you’re like, ‘ugh, this is from the 1800s? I’m not reading that,’ [you’ve] closed yourself off from a whole set of possibilities.” When people become resistant to learning things they initially find uninteresting, “you’re making your life smaller and smaller every time you do that.”

Ms. Priest says the process of writing in itself is just as valuable, if not more. In doing so, “you learn how your mind works, you learn how to put thoughts together, [how to] come up with your own ideas … A lot of stuff is discovered [about yourself] as you’re doing it.”

The most important thing ChatGPT

ical) sold in just three months. The album also sold over one million vinyl records in the US alone.

Furthermore, Midnights debuted at first place on the Billboard 200 for five weeks, and held the top spot on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart for 12 consecutive weeks. Midnights became the biggest pop album of all-time on Apple Music, and also the most-streamed act on Spotify with 228 million streams in the 24 hours after its release.

In late 2022, Swift also became first person to occupy the top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Anti-Hero,” “Lavender Haze,” “Maroon,” “Snow On The Beach [ft. Lana Del Rey],” and more, all from “Midnights.”

In November 2022, Taylor announced the Eras Tour which sold out many shows across the US alone. The tour demand was so high that fans even broke TicketMaster; the servers crashed, as they couldn’t handle the immense amount of people on the site at once.

Just 17 years into her career, the question becomes: what can’t Taylor do?

Seeing Swift’s exponential increase in success over the years, you may begin to wonder, will she ever miss? Will she ever have a “downfall”? While much of her future remains unknowable, one answer is simple: whether you like it or not, Taylor

writing lacks, in Ms. Bond-Lamberty’s eyes, is “humanity, to be very basic about it. And I’m not saying that AI can’t simulate humanity, but it simulates what’s on the web. And that’s an ugly part of humanity generally, right?” Particularly in subjects like World History, AI programs tend to focus on what’s written about more, such as white and European history. Since the internet sources AIs draw from reflect what people write about most, it also guides AI to write about what students are already taught far too much, compared to the parts of history that go ignored. “That’s going to further narrow what kids are exposed to,” Ms. Bond-Lamberty says. She worries that these writing shortcuts prevent students from learning “to think for themselves … [that’s] how you get stuff like Facebook and TikTok, or what have you, feeding people a certain way of viewing the world. You’re gonna take that view as your view? Without even thinking about it? They are sometimes, and that’s a little scary.”

After all, Mr. Brammer says, “Our understanding of the world is constructed through language.” Without experiencing different texts and honing their writing skills, even if they may find it dull, people prevent themselves from understanding others and the world in a deeper and more nuanced way.

Though she agrees, Ms. Priest remains optimistic. Ultimately, she says, “students are better at thinking … I think that the weakness in student writing a lot is that students struggle to get the things in their mind out onto the paper in an organized way. And ChatGPT doesn’t have that same problem. But [in ChatGPT writing,] there’s rarely an original idea.”

“Also,” she adds, “ChatGPT has no sense of humor. I mean, it can make you laugh, but only by accident. And students have a sense of humor. That adds so much.”

Swift is the future of the music industry. There are many records and awards she has claimed, which no one else has even come close to reaching. She holds the most American Music Awards, collecting 40 awards in her career, 14 more than Michael Jackson’s 26 awards or Whitney Houston’s 22 awards. Furthermore, Swift is the most streamed female artist on Spotify and iTunes.

It is clear that Swift puts a lot of hard

Unfortunately, as much as teachers try to crack down on students cheating via AI, there’s little they can do to prove their suspicions or prevent students from using sites like ChatGPT. And with the immense stress put on students, Ms. Bond-Lamberty says that she “hates having to police students. But I have to police students.”

But it’s difficult to antagonize those that cheat; after all, she says, “There’s a lot of mental health issues going on right now, there’s a lot of socioeconomic issues going on right now. And so if you’re kid X and you’re facing any of these pressures, why not take the easy way out?”

To a certain extent, digging into questions around the worth, or harm, of ChatGPT feels pointless. “The problem with AI is like the genie in the bottle question,” says Mr. Brammer. “Once it’s out, you can’t put it back. So, it’s in the world now, we have to adapt to this new world with ChatGPT in it.” With the rise of the program, many defended it by comparing it to other advances in technology and writing, like printing presses and computers. The teachers we spoke to say they can’t deny the similarities; and maybe, like those earlier advances, AI writing programs will end up becoming another harmless writing tool, instead of a complete replacement. But the power of these programs in comparison to its predecessors make many skeptical.

At the end of the day, Mr. Brammer believes that “a lot of the value in life doesn’t come from just, like, doing tasks. It comes from appreciating art, literature, nature, friends, family, you know, all these things that can’t be generated by technology.” People — yes, even bored teenagers in English class — all share this desire for meaning and connection with real people. Reading and writing are not the only way we can find these things, but it’s certainly a significant one.

Ms. Priest remains hopeful. “I think people have an innate desire to be creative, and to connect with people.” No matter what printing presses, computers, or AI programs come our way, “we’re just gonna use what’s in front of us” to continue that human tradition to create and connect.”

work and thought into what she drops and how. She is a mastermind when it comes to her work, which is why she is so successful. Other competing artists don’t have the particular approach to music that Swift has.

Swift is still young and has her entire career ahead of her, it is exciting and intriguing to see what she has planned for the future.

People — even bored teenagers in English class — all share a desire for meaning and connection with real people.

ERAS Swift performs on the Eras Tour at a stop in Arlington, Texas, in April 2023. // Creative Commons

Just what on earth is Eurovision 2023? An explainer

by Ash Newton

Eurovision 2023 is here, and with it comes a wave of confusion from out-oftouch Americans. What are our neighbors across the Atlantic doing? How does the contest work, and why do they care so much?

Put simply, Eurovision Song Contest is a televised international competition in which 31 nations each perform one song in the hopes of winning the Grand Final. In practice, the production is unwieldily complex and incredibly expensive.

In order to win Eurovision, a song must first pass through the Semi-Final, unless they are a member of the Big 5 — the countries with the largest markets for Eurovision, namely England, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. They make it through automatically and do not appear until the Grand Final. Songs that pass the Semi-Final are decided by public vote, which can be submitted through text or on the Eurovision website. Any viewer can submit up to 20 votes for about one Euro each. Until this year, voting was restricted only to participating countries; now, anyone in the world can vote. However, no one may vote for their own country’s song.

At the Grand Final, winners are decided by public vote and a prestigious jury vote. Every country has their own jury that awards two sets of 12 points, two sets of 10 points, and a distributed ranking of eight points to their chosen songs. These juries are highly protected and each country’s

Teacher Feature: Ms. Silberberg, photography teacher

by Angie Jurado

For many students, taking an art class is simply a requirement, a class they have to take so they can graduate. But for those who have taken Photography and have had the opportunity to have Ms. Silberberg as your teacher, you know how much of a positive impact she can make.

Apart from teaching Photography 1 and 2, Ms. Silberberg also teaches AP Photography. She is a teacher you can depend on and trust. She will sugarcoat things when needed, but the majority of the time she will tell you the truth.

Just like every teacher, Ms. Silberberg has passions she pursues outside of school for her own personal interest. When she’s not planning lessons and helping students develop film, she’s also a professional photographer.

Ms. Silberberg takes professional photos for many different events. Commercially, these range from graduation to wedding photos. When she was asked what initially got her into photography, she said, “I wanted to get into photography after taking my first photo class in high school. My teacher was Mrs. Bernhardt. In her class I was able to combine art and science in the darkroom, which made me feel like a genius!”

Ms. Silberberg also said that the darkroom “was also very soothing because the intricate process of shooting film and developing it made sense. There was order to the madness that is art. Our assignments were broad, which led to me exploring a lot of different concepts, but they all

choice is announced by one appointed national spokesperson. The national juries are usually quite political with their votes, and many countries vote exclusively for their close allies. For example, Greece almost always votes for Cyprus, and Cyprus for Greece.

Last year, in what was (by some) considered a symbolic motion of allyship, Ukraine won both the public and jury votes. However, the winning country must host the next competition, which proved impossible for a nation overtaken by war. Instead, the runner-up, England, is hosting this year, although it is still considered Eurovision Ukraine.

That said, the question remains: why is Eurovision such a big deal? It’s not just the diplomatic aspect. Eurovision draws millions of viewers each year because it is unlike any other competition in the world. A good Eurovision song possesses four aspects: strong composition, powerful vocal performance, dazzling visuals, and one random what-is-going-on feature. Performances puzzle just as much as they entertain, and this year is like no other.

Of the countries competing, the most dramatic (and odd) include Romania, who sent Theodor Andrei to perform the anthemic pop-rock song “DGT (Off and On).” In his Semi-Final performance he stood in front of a background of flowing lava, and during the final chorus, a single female dancer emerged from the wings and slathered a handprint of black paint on his chest.

Another notable song was performed by Austria’s duo Teya and Salena. Both women used their unique vocal styles to propel a dancey pop song about being possessed by Edgar Allan Poe into the Grand Final, titled “Who The H--- is Edgar?” The

wound up in a grid-like contact sheet.”

When she was asked what her favorite thing or event to photograph is, she said, “I love photographing weddings because it’s an action-packed eight-hour day, full of being social and collaborating with people to make sure I capture their day perfectly. It’s a good workout, there’s free food, but most of all it is being surrounded by people who have come together to support people they care about as they embark on a joint venture through life.”

She also made it clear that it is not just the subject of her photo shoots, but also what she gets to do.

“I enjoy any collaborative photo shoot,” she said. “If someone has a concept they are not sure how to implement it, we end up throwing ideas around, problem solving, and trying out different ways to capture the concept. It’s really this great collaborative energy where you are working towards a common goal. I think we need more of that in our lives.”

Lastly, when she was asked if she would ever want to be a photographer full time, she explained how she already was.

“I was a photographer full time! I worked as a freelance photographer for 13 years. It can be stressful finding clients and promoting yourself, plus all the post-production editing requires sitting at the computer for hours at a time. That was probably the least fun part of shooting — the editing — unless I was editing photos that I took for fun or for a personal project.”

Ms. Silberberg has a long history when it comes to photography. She has interned with Dan Whipps Photography, worked for Ancestry.com, photographed “Plebe Summer” at the US Naval Academy, worked for George Street Photo, American Wedding Groups, Life Gallery Studio, all along with other odd jobs. She has also

first verse includes such gems as “There’s a ghost in my body and he is a lyricist / It is Edgar Allan Poe, and I think he can’t resist”, exemplifying the uniqueness of Eurovision entries.

Possibly the greatest entry of all was Finland’s rap-metal-pop banger “CHA CHA CHA,” done by the mononymous Käärijä in a green puffy bolero jacket and spiked leather motorcycling pants. He was joined by four dancers in bright pink fluttery bodysuits who danced on leashes as the singer emerged from a plywood cage. The songs lyrics entail a nearly stereotypical Nordic sentiment: I’ve had a hard week, time to drink and party. Already a fan favorite, the song passed in a landslide through the Semi-Finals and was projected to perform well in the Grand Final public vote. The jury vote odds were more dubious, especially considering the fact that the song is almost entirely in Finnish.

worked at Brookside Gardens butterfly exhibit and light show, as well as the Kids Club at Gold’s Gym.

I’ll be honest: I took Ms. Silberberg’s photography class so I could get my art credit out of the way, but I ended up really enjoying her class. Besides the fact that she teaches you how to properly take photos and develop them, she’s also someone you can go to for anything. She is always willing to listen to any personal problems or struggles you might be dealing with at the moment. When you need someone to talk about a class to personal issues she will always be there.

No matter how confused or lost I might have felt at times when we were learning something new, I have never regretted taking her class.

If you’re ever interested in having your photos taken I would definitely recommend talking to Ms.Silberberg about it. You’re guaranteed a fun and meaningful experience — and from a professional photographer, as seen in these photos.

Despite easily being the most popular song among the audience, Finland lost to Sweden in the jury vote. While Käärijä received an overwhelming majority of public votes, Swedish singer Loreen was favored by the juries due to her previous win in 2012 coupled with the fact that next year’s event will coincide with the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s winning performance of “Waterloo” in 1974. As such, judges were pushing hard for next year’s event to be held in Sweden. In the aftermath of Finland’s second place, fans were devastated, with the topic “Finland” receiving 150k Tweets in America alone. And Americans don’t even watch Eurovision!

Truly the greatest unifier of this year’s event — and the best primer for new viewers — was this monumental disappointment. Get used to it.

ROBBED? Käärijä, Finland’s entry for the Eurovision 2023 song contest, embraces the camp and eccentricity the contests asks for; unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to beat Sweden’s Loreen in the fan vote. // escYOUnited

The Last of Us: a video game adaptation done right

by Andrew Blakey

For the past couple decades, filmmakers were absolutely terrible at adapting video games into movies and/or TV shows. It seemed like they only looked at barebones foundations of what video games are, didn’t care about what made a game great, gave it a bad script, and overstuffed the adaptation with fan service in order to get people to watch it because, let’s be honest: most of these studios did it for the money anyway. So when HBO Max announced that they were going to do a live-action adaptation of “The Last Of Us,” people, including myself, were not only surprised but skeptical. “The Last Of Us” is regarded not only as one of the best video games of all time, but also as one of the most revolutionary. Naughty Dog, the studio behind the game, proved that video games can have stories that are just as impactful and emotional as stories told in movies and TV shows. So getting fans on board with making this beloved game into a show was going to be a difficult task to accomplish. A story about a grieving father and a young girl forming a strong and unlikely bond in a zombie apocalypse may seem very simple on the surface, but it’s much deeper than that. Yet somehow, they not only managed to do it, they managed to make it one of the best video game adaptations ever.

One of the biggest mistakes made when adapting a video game is not knowing what your source material is. If you don’t know a lot about what you’re adapting, then the final product is going to be mediocre at best and pitiful at worst. Not only that, but you’ll infuriate a bunch of hardcore video game fans, which isn’t a pleasant sight. Thankfully, the show had the fortune of having Neil Druckmann, the director of both “Last Of Us” games, and Craig Mazin, who is also a huge fan of the games, as the creators, writers, and executive producers of the show. Mazin was also the creator of the critically acclaimed “Chernobyl,” so it’s pretty clear that the show was in good hands. Add in the lovable Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie, the show turned out to be better than expected.

Mazin and Druckmann went above and beyond by not only following the game’s story correctly, but expanding on it, giving fans more insight into characters we didn’t know much about in the game.

Bill and Frank are perfect examples of this. In the game, Bill is just a hardcore survivor only out for himself and Frank is unfortunately dead. But the show dedicates a whole episode to a beautiful and heart-warming love story between Bill and Frank, giving both their characters more depth and giving the audience a story they can empathize with, and it was amazing to watch. There’s a reason why that particular episode is regarded as one of the best in the show. The relationship between Bill and Frank is so well done, and that’s the main reason why this story works.

Sure, the story is about trying to survive the zombie apocalypse, but the relationships between the characters is what really makes it special. Joel and Ellie, the most important relationship in the show, works because their characters are both given time to be fleshed out on their own, and together. As the series progresses, you get to see that Ellie is a snarky and energetic kid who also has a dark side to her, and the way they flesh out both sides is incredible. Likewise, Joel is a gruff and hardened man after a tragic loss. You soon realize that he’s kind of suffering from depression, and it’s because of Ellie that he’s brought out of the dark place the apocalypse put him in. Same with Ellie, now having someone she can lean on and can feel safe with, both the characters learn and grow together and it’s an amazing development. Also, putting a game like this, or any game for that matter in a TV show format instead of a movie format was the perfect choice. Story-driven games deserve the time they need to develop their story and flesh out their characters that an hour-and-a-half to two-hour movie just can’t provide most of the time. The fact that “The Last Of Us” managed to not only flesh out their story but expand it and the world created in a way that made sense is genius.

“The Last Of Us” is definitely one of the most faithful adaptations of a video game I’ve ever seen. Not only that, but it’s one of the best-written shows I’ve watched in a long time. This show is the perfect wake-up call for Hollywood. If you want to adapt any type of source material, whether it be a book, game, or a comic, this is how you do it. It’s not enough to just play a game and go “I know how to do this.” You have to understand it. You have to understand story and the characters. The cast and crew got it right with this show and deserve every ounce of praise that they get. If you haven’t watched this show, whether you’ve played the game or haven’t, I implore you to do yourself a favor and watch it because it doesn’t disappoint. It’s truly a piece of art.

Get to know a band: the soft sounds of Japan’s indie act Lamp

by Shyla Rincon

If you are ever trying to get into an artist that makes you feel at home with their music or just listen to music that makes you feel calm, Lamp is the perfect group for you.

Lamp (ランプ) is a Japanese indie band that was formed in 2000 with members Taiyo Someya, Yusuke Nagai and Kaori Sakakibara. Their music can be best described as Shibuya-kei, jazz pop, city pop, bossa nova and indie pop. But they’re difficult to classify. As you hear their music you can hear inspiration from The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, and Brazilian music. Taiyo became friends with Yusuke during their high school years as they bonded over their common love for 60s music. In college, a friend had introduced Kaori to Taiyo, as they all shared a strong passion for music and common love for 60s music, Taiyo then decided to start Lamp. In April 2003, Lamp released their first album “Soyokaze Apartment Room 201” (そよ風アパートメント 201). “Soyokaze” means “Gentle Breeze.” Lamp were looking for a word that suits the six songs. Someya has used manga artist Yoshiharu Tsuge as influence for the first album’s lyrics. In February 2004, they released their second album “For Lovers” (恋人へ). Though it wasn’t as commer-

Max playlist: the ones to watch (or rewatch)

cially successful as their other albums when it was released, over the years it has became one of lamp’s most popular works. In 2005, they released their third album “Komorebi Dori Nite” (木洩陽通りにて), and in 2007 followed with the mini-album “Zankou” (残光).

2008 saw the release of their most notable and most popular album, “Lamp Genso” (ランプ幻想) with the infamous track “Yume Utsutsu” (ゆめうつつ). That song has became popular due to the app TikTok, making Lamp gain thousands of fans across the platform.

In 2010, they released their sixth album, “The Poetry of August” (八月の 詩情), and the next year released “Tokyo Utopia Correspondence” (東京ユウトピ ア通信). The album cover was created by manga artist Ouji Suzuki. Lamp then had started their own label, Botanical House. On February 5th 2014, they released their eighth album, “Yume” (ゆめ), the first on their own label.

Finally, in 2018 they released their ninth album, “Her Watch” (彼女の時計). Lamp have been around since for a total of 23 years, yet they are still very much active and have been in the process of producing a new album with a goal of releasing it by the end of 2023. Lamp are very active on social media, so if you want to check them out you can look at their official Instagram account @bontanicalhouse_lamp. Their music is loved by millions across the world and has popularized the genre Shibuyakei. Lamp’s soft vocals and pleasing instrumentals will be sure to help anyone feel safe and sound.

by Megan Leatherwood

BILL AND FRANK The relationship between Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) is one of many given exquisite treatment in “The Last of Us.” // HBO

Northwood baseball season in review

by Luc Girardot

The Northwood baseball season has come to an end. Unlike last year when the team won its first playoff game in ten years, this year’s team fell short of another one. It was a learning experience for the team as most of the players experienced their first playoff loss. Despite the disappointing end to the season, there were many positives and areas for improvement next season.

The Gladiators had a rough start to the season, going 3-9, but were able to bounce back to go 3-1 down the stretch. Midway through the season, captains Milo Chamberlain and Will Giaudrone talked about their desire to play better to finish the season. They ended up winning co-MVPs as Giaudrone had a 1.029 OPS and Chamberlain led the pitching staff in innings and ERA. Chamberlain said, “The mental side of this team is the weakest part.” That could be evidenced by multiple games as they didn’t get off to a good start and let it get to them or the opposite started off well but couldn’t finish it. The other team captain, Owen Dominguez, said, “The team has so much more potential and the record doesn’t reflect the team.”

“This was a great team to coach and I had plenty of fun with them,” said Coach Daniel Stein. This year’s team was always positive and ready to play no matter the opponent. They all believed in each other and picked up their teammates after a mistake. The team chemistry built a lot since the beginning of the season. Stein also believes that the results didn’t show the performance of the team.

A common theme since the beginning of the season was not putting all aspects –hitting, pitching, and fielding – together. In the opening game of the season against

PWC: the WrestleMania 2023 special, part 2

by Megan Leatherwood

Welcome back to the PWC! WrestleMania SPECIAL. Pro Wrestling Column (PWC) is back with the latest news in the wrestling world. My name is Megan, and I am writing about the thing I love most. Follow my Instagram wrestling account @ raw_smacktalk for more.

Here is the current wrestling schedule:

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

• WWE NXT (Tuesday, 8 p.m., USA)

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

• WWE Friday Night Smackdown (Friday, 8 p.m., Fox)

• AEW Rampage (Friday, 10 p.m., TNT)

As I’ve stated before WrestleMania is the biggest event of the wrestling year, dating back to 1985 in Madison Square Garden.

This year’s WrestleMania was held in SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for a two night event.

Night one began with John Cena vs. Austin Theory for the United States Championship. WrestleMania is famous for their wrestlers’ entrances, and John Cena delivered by having a few Make-AWish kids accompany him. This heartfelt entrance couldn’t save Cena from his loss

Richard Montgomery, Northwood put up 8 runs on 8 hits and 13 walks: a great offensive showing, but it was overshadowed by a poor defensive game where 8 errors were made which resulted in a 10-8 loss. With even half that many errors, you could argue Northwood could’ve snuck in a win over the Rockets. Against Poolesville, Gladiator pitching allowed 9 runs in the first two innings while the defense and hitting was solid.

When Northwood puts everything together, it leads to a win, as evidenced by a 5-1 victory over Paint Branch. Milo Chamberlain’s complete game and 8 strikeouts led the way.

Now that the season is over, the team will look to next year and past the loss to Wheaton. Next year’s team will look much different as there are four departing seniors who were all part of the starting lineup, but there is still lots of confidence going into next season and belief they can

to Theory after a cheap shot.

YouTuber Logan Paul faced Seth “Freakin” Rollins but was defeated alongside his friend and YouTuber KSI. The Bloodline with the Usos lost their titles to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn after a feud that went on for months.

The Usos lost their Undisputed tag titles to Owens and Zayn, which raised suspicions about the Bloodline leader Roman Reigns.

Royal Rumble winner Rhea Ripley defeated the Smackdown women’s champion Charlotte Flair. Bianca Belair gave an amazing entrance performance by having The Divas of Comptons dance to her music. Unlike John Cena, this boosted her win against Asuka even though many fans were disappointed.

Last but not least, Roman Reigns defended his Undisputed heavyweight championship against Cody Rhodes. Rhodes debuted last WrestleMania, going against Seth Rollins and winning.

This created a rivalry between Rhodes and Rollins which ended up injuring Cody. But this didn’t stop him from going against Reigns.

After winning the Royal Rumble he was granted this opportunity. To everyone’s surprise Roman Reigns retained his title.

Pre-draft wants and post-draft review: wrapping up the Commanders’ draft

by Liam Surrusco

Pre-draft

I felt before the draft that this would be a very important one for the Washington Commanders. They could have gone in any direction; trading up to draft a quarterback would have been an option.

With the recent success of quarterbacks C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young, some NFL teams may overlook one of the most athletically gifted quarterback prospects ever in Anthony Richardson, who is 6’4, 231 pounds and runs a 4.43-second 40-yard-dash. Another quarterback that may be a star in the NFL is Will Levis from Kentucky, probably the most NFL-ready quarterback in this draft.

If the commanders were looking to draft a quarterback, they might have considered trading up in the draft to take a chance on Anthony Richardson. Another route they could have taken would be drafting a defensive player, preferably in the secondary. The good thing about this draft is that they could go any route and still come out with a good pick. A big move that the Commanders could have done would be to trade up for the first pick in the draft next year with a focus on adding USC quarterback Caleb Williams. Williams won the Heisman trophy in 2022 and also AP College Player of the Year, USC’s first winner since running back sensation Reggie Bush.

Post-draft

The first few picks of the draft weren’t a surprise. Bryce Young, Will Anderson, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson all

My first spring track season: a reflection

by Charlotte Cazahuatl

I was a late comer to the track team, and was also completely new — and knew nothing about the sport.

I quickly learned that there was a difference between a distance runner and a sprinter. A sprinter is a runner ready to use power and speed to run to their fullest potential. A distance runner is trained to run for long distances using slow endurance.

I chose to be a sprinter and realized it comes with both light and intense training. My first practice, I had to run 10 strider exercises with a five-minute break in between. By the end of the day I was so sore; I had never been able to get myself to do an ice bath till then.

Everyone on the track team was so

expected to go in the top 5. Toward the middle of the first round is where we started to see surprises. Christian Gonazalez, supposed to be the best cornerback coming out of college, was still on the board and could be a cornerback who could have gone in the top 5.

The Commanders were on the clock and took Emmanuel Forbes, a playmaking corner out of Mississippi State. Forbes owns the most pick-sixes in college football history. It was a solid pick, but I would have taken Gonzalez if we really wanted to take a corner. He was a great playmaker and good in coverage, just a bit undersized at only 181 lbs and 6’0. This will make it harder for him to guard bigger receivers.

I think the biggest takeaway for the Commanders in the first round was how good the Eagles’ first round pick was. The NFC Championship winners, the Eagles are in our division and were able to pull away two of the best defenders from the Georgia Bulldogs, who won the National Championship earlier this year. Jalen Carter is being compared to Aaron Donald, weighing in at 300 pounds and 6’3, and Nolan Smith was one of the leaders on the Bulldogs’ championship team. He weighs in at 240 and is 6’2.

The second round was a weird pick, the commanders decided to take a nickel-back. Needing help on the offensive side and still stacking the defensive side, especially the secondary, when we already took a corner in the first round: this was a bad decision. The third round pick was a good pick, going with center Ricky Stromberg out of Arkansas. This was especially important since we had one of the worst-rated offensive lines in the NFL last year.

In the end, our draft wasn’t the best, but it was decent. My hope is that Emanuel Forbes is able to have that same spark at playmaking in college and bring that over to the NFL.

welcoming and would let me know what we would be doing. I didn’t realize that the intense training would just only be jogging the whole track (400 meters).

Fast forward to my first track meet, Northwood against Rockville. I had felt the nervous feeling of standing at the starting line for the first time, anxiously waiting for the starter to say, “Runners ready — at your mark.” As soon as I heard the gunshot I began with a good push off my feet and started sprinting.

I didn’t realize that I passed the finish line already and my teammates came to me and said I got first place.

In track they say to never care about racing against other runners but to care about racing against the clock, getting a lower time than before.

This season I participated in three meets. Each experience has been nerve-racking but so much fun to cheer for your teammates, and to race your own teammates occasionally.

BASEBALL Coach Daniel Stein leads the Gladiators in a pregame meeting. // Lifetouch

ROMAN REIGNS Though many expected Cody Rhodes to unseat him, Roman Reigns retained his WrestleMania title in April. // CBS

Springing Forward

Zach Welch

Alex Edwards

Kim Thai

Ask anyone anywhere about their weather and they will complain. But the DMV with its false spring, its winter mornings leading to summer afternoons, its on-again-off-again-then-extremely-on-again summer days — holds maybe the strongest claim to the world’s most chaotic weather. In this issue, we catch up with students embracing the inconsistency, ready to dress for whatever climate they might find from day-to-day, hour-to-hour, class-to-class.