The Red Devil Post, Vol. 2, Issue 5

Vol. 2, Issue 5

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February 5, 2024

RED DEVIL POS Mecha to continue soccer career at Hanover College

by Hannah Carlson

On January 17th, one of our very own seniors, Allie Mecha, announced that she has committed to college for soccer.

Allie started playing soccer at the age of ve years old when her parents struck gold a er giving tball, cheerleading, and gymnastics a chance. She’s been in the game for a long time and is now ready to take it to the collegiate level with Hanover College. She shares, “I've been in Lowell for 18 years and I have taken everything this town has to o er. But Hanover is a brand new scene with its own set of challenges.” Her Instagram post announcing her commitment was captioned, “I am beyond blessed to announce that I have committed to continue my

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Masthead

Staff Hailey Baran Brooke Bretzinger Jonathan Budz Hannah Carlson Brooke Chandler Josh Cornell Lily Cruz Cadence Fleager Hailey Fox Lily Gleason Naveah Hurtado Jaidyn Jansma Trinitie Lintner Allie Lukasik Allie Mecha Julia Monix Gabby Morache Taylor Rothrock Emma Sampias Addi Umfleet

Sponsor Joe Gianotti

IN THIS ISSUE Allie Mecha, p. 1 Elective Fair, p. 3 Band and Choir, p. 4 Josie Lyon, p. 5 AP Seminar and Research, p. 6 Winter Safety, p. 7 Winter Hazards, p. 7 LHS Fashion, p. 8 Stanley Cups, p. 9 “Lego Ring,” p. 10 Mean Girls, p. 11 Chowchilla Kidnapping, p. 12 Valentine’s Day, p. 13 LHS Wrestling, p. 14 Boys Basketball, p. 15 Student-Athletes, p. 16

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February 5, 2024

Red Devil Pride Annual Elective Fair offers students a glimpse into their immediate futures

by Josh Cornell

On Thursday, January 11th, the underclassmen participated in the Elective Fair. They were provided with the scheduling paper, and given scheduling information. But, perhaps the most important thing was what was in the field house. A majority of the electives open for the underclassmen were there. This included the art classes, the CNA program, the Criminal Justice program, the Agriculture program, along with many other electives. Those fun elective courses weren’t the only groups that were there.

There were many of the academic classes, such as AP Physics, AP Calc, AP Stats, the Spanish courses and

several others. The underclassmen weren’t the only grades involved with the day though. A decent amount of the seniors in the school were all helping with different tables. Some were doing demonstrations, such as with the drunk goggles and metal detector, as well as at the CNA table, the Art tables, the Computer Science table, and the AP Physics table. Some seniors were just hanging out and answering underclassmen questions. The Elective Fair signals a look to the upcoming school year.

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February 5, 2024

Red Devil Pride Lowell band and choir performs throughout Tri-Creek Schools

by Hailey Baran

Lowell High School’s band and choir programs have recently toured all of the elementary schools and middle school to recruit and play for students. Here’s what students Mayzie Mazylewski, Bryson Hebble, and Austin Morache had to say about it.

Band and choir went on separate ield trips, but still did the same activities. Senior band player Austin Morache gives a run-through of his day, explaining how he played on the drum kit and played songs that are normally played at Lowell’s basketball games. “With the kids' reactions to what we played, I think we did good and picked great songs that the younger kids would know and understand,” Morache writes. He believes that after performing for the 4th and 5th graders, there will be a good amount of students interested in joining band “and playing the drums.”

The Red Devil Post asked Morache what future events are occurring for the band program, and he responded by saying that they have a jazz and concert band ISSMA coming up, and there are members from the orchestra coming to teach and perform for the band. Lowell High School’s band does great work and even better performances. Come out and support!

Juniors Bryson Hebble and Mayzie Mazylewski explain how their recent choir ield trip went. “We went to all Tricreek School Corporation schools, including Three Creeks Elementary, Oak Hill Elementary, Lake Praire Elementary, and Lowell Middle School. We were going on this recruitment tour to encourage students in 4th and 5th grades to join the choir program at the new intermediate school at the Middle School.

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Red Devil Pride German foreign exchange student, Josie Lyon, brings her love for performance to LHS

by Taylor Rothrock

Josie Lyon who just started her sophomore year at Lowell High School is one of the most interesting, fun, and kind people I have ever met. She was the perfect person to do a student spotlight on. Josie is a foreign exchange student from Germany. Currently, she has been here for around three weeks. She is already making friends and learning about the culture in the United States.

Josie is getting the hang of school in the United States.

She states that “it’s very different from school in Germany.” Lunch, sports, and time periods are just some of the differences American schools have compared to Germany. On January 23, she continued on page 22

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February 5, 2024

In the Classroom Mr. Brandush leads AP Seminar and Research students to authentic experiences

by Jonathan Budz

In years prior Lowell’s AP Research class has conducted research for their inquiry questions, and this year, with the number of students enrolled finally reaching the double digits, there are more research questions than ever. Nearly every student this year is conducting their research in some way, shape, or form with a survey method. This leaves many students with surveys to send out in anticipation with responses; however, many students don’t meet the demographics of the intended research area. One of the researchers however, I, Jonathan Budz, has an intended target audience of students at Lowell High School. My research topic focuses on a student's amount of athletic activity and how it corresponds to their physical and mental health in addition to their academic performance. This experiment would require students doing pushups, planks, and a trial run event once a week each for 4 consecutive weeks in either February or March. Any students interested could fill out the form linked below, any further questions could be directed to myself.

Link Here

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Devils’ Advocate Winter weather always a cause for concern

Winter Safety

by Emma Sampias

The brutal winter weather accompanies many crucial safety tips that are strongly encouraged to review during this bitter season. The importance of winter safety relies on the fact that the cold can affect the body and the mind. Two incredibly critical factors of individuals. These affecting winter storms create great risks for someone, especially between the months of December and February in Indiana. These risks may include higher risks of vehicle accidents, hypothermia, frostbite, carbon monoxide poisoning, and heart attacks. These existing risks that we constantly face throughout winter should be taken very seriously. Although there is no way to eliminate this weather while living in Indiana, there are many tips and tricks to use to stay safe and healthy during this frosty winter season. These tips continued on page 23

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Winter Hazards

by Brooke Chandler

Since the beginning of the second semester, the winter weather has been prompting two hour delays and cancellations here at LHS. Since the second week of January, northwest indiana and much of the midwest has been slammed with snow or frozen over with ice. On the returning school day after winter break, January 9, students were given a two hour delay in response to snow on the roads. The following Friday, January 12, school was canceled due to freezing rain and ice scaling the roads, giving the students at LHS an extended holiday break for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. An arctic blast then hit a majority of the midwest, causing temperatures to dip below zero, with the wind chill seeing into the negative thirties. This caused the original three continued on page 23

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Contemporary Culture Your it says a lot about you so take pride in it

by Cadence Fleager

Everyone one way or another will start their day with an out it.

Whether that be, just throwing something on to strategically planning it out. Fashion has been a part of our society for centuries. It a ects our mood, self-expression, and image. It creates individuality and an image of ourselves. It is probably one of the most important parts of yourself when becoming an individual.

Fashion a ects everyone, even internationally. It can have cultural and religious connections as well.

Many parts of the world have diverse styles. Fashion has many points of view and “preferences.” Since it’s so in luential, we create fashion trends. Fashion is, of course, shown through clothes, footwear, accessories, cosmetics, haircuts, and many other things. Many take fashion seriously and is something shown as a part of human culture.

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Contemporary Culture Stanley takes students by storm

by Brooke Bretzinger

The evolution of the Stanley Tumbler has struck the halls of LHS. If you look around, almost everyone has the newest Stanley tumbler. So what’s all the hype about? Back in 1913, the original Stanley Cup was released as a dark olive green thermos, with a screw on top and a black handle. This was designed as a cup for people who worked in the mill or outside all day and needed to keep their beverages hot all day. Now Stanley’s are the trend lately between ages 11-44. It wasn’t until this cup was almost discontinued until it became popular. The Stanley features bright candy like colors, many di erent size varieties, a handle, and the ability to keep cold drinks cold for 11 hours and hot drinks hot for up to 7 hours. The price ranges from $30-$75 depending on the color, style, and size you purchase. Thanks to TikTok and Instagram, these tumbler sales have skyrocketed! When new collections are released, it is a madhouse trying to retrieve the newest color. At Target, the Valentine's Day tumblers completely sold out in less than an hour. There are over 30 colors you can choose from! If you're looking for a so color, the matte collection includes gray, light pink, lilac purple, white, o white, and shades of light green. If shiny is your thing, be sure to check out the shiny nish collection, which includes the colors green, pink, red, and gold. If you want to be di erent and nd a brighter color, be sure to check out the tie-dye and summer collection, or be sure to check out the limited edition Stanley’s such as Lainey Wilson’s “Watermelon” themed tumbler, or the “Galentines Collection” which includes tones of

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Cosmo Pink and Target Red.

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Contemporary Culture TikTok plays up Faye Webster’s “Lego Ring”

by Naveah Hurtado

“Lego Ring,” the single written and produced by Faye Webster featuring Lil Yachty, was released in January of 2024. This will be one of ten songs heard on her upcoming album in March, Underdressed at the Symphony. This will be her newest album since her previous one called Car Therapy Sessions released in 2022. Although this album is two years old, Webster has been keeping busy in 2023 releasing singles such as “Life Time” and “But Not Kiss,” which will also be seen in Underdressed at the Symphony. “Lego Ring” has been becoming pretty popular on TikTok recently with mixed reviews from Faye Webster and Lil Yachty fans, many claiming it “doesn’t sound right.” I personally really like this song; it seems fun and sounds different from her other collabs and music. I especially like how Lil Yatchy adds to the song with his background vocals and the switch between his lyrics compared to Webster’s. It shows the difference in their personalities and adds something more to the song. continued on page 24

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Contemporary Culture Renne Rapp carries Mean Girls to excellent reviews

by Allie Lukasik

Last weekend I went to go see the new Mean Girls movie. Personally, I thought it was very good. When you compare it to the actual Broadway musical of Mean Girls, obviously it won’t be as good but when you watch it on its own it is very enjoyable. Renne Rapp stars as Regina George and she hands down was the star of the movie. Not only did she play Regina in this movie but she was also Regina in the Broadway Musical. She blew it out of the water. Every person I have spoken to about the movie has said Renne Rapp was amazing. I thought some of the music in the movie was amazing. My favorites were Apex Predator, Someone Gets Hurt, and World Burn. “Apex Predator” was sung by Janis, and it is about Regina. It gives a very good

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backstory on why people are afraid of Regina in the school and shows how powerful she really is. Someone Gets Hurt is sung by Regina and it shows the audience how she doesn’t care about anyone’s feelings. In the song, she goes after her ex-boyfriend Aaron only after nding out that the new girl Cady likes him. Cady sees Regina kiss Aaron at a party and it destroys Cady. Finally, World Burn is also sung by Regina and it is after she gures out how Cady betrayed her and decides to plant some bad things on her and get the entire school to hate Cady. Overall I really enjoyed the movie. I thought that it was just great. It was so funny and it really kept the audience engaged until the very last minute. If you haven’t seen the movie yet I would de nitely recommend it.

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Quirks of History Streaming now: The 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping

by Allie Mecha

Twenty-six school children, ranging in age from 5-14, were riding the bus home from a summer camp at the local school in Chowchilla, California on July 15, 1976.

The bus ultimately came to a halt when a van pulled out in front of the school bus from the side of the road. Three men, with pantihose over their faces, jumped out of the van in front of the bus. Ed Ray, the bus driver, cooperated with the men, with the vision of getting himself and all those children out alive. One of the men took over the bus, driving them out of town continued on page 24

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Quirks of History The history of Valentine’s Day

by Jaidyn Jansma

Everyone knows that February 14th is Valentine’s Day, a day to show your devotion to the ones you love.

Couples may feel like they were shot by Cupid’s arrow. But, where did the Valentine’s Day traditions begin? And who even is Cupid?

Many popes during the time of the Roman Empire had the name Valentine. A particular priest named Valentine that served under the rule of Claudius II is the reason for its namesake. Claudius had banned marriage, believing that unmarried men made for better soldiers. To combat this, Valentine secretly married couples in his church.

When Claudius found out about this, he sentenced Valentine to death for defying him. His execution was set for February 14th.

Throughout his stay in prison, the jailer’s daughter brought him food.

He fell in love with her. The day before his execution, he wrote her a continued on page 22

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Courts and Fields LHS wrestling continues tradition of excellenc

by Gabby Morache

On January 13th, Lowell High School hosted the Northwest Crossroads Conference wrestling championship, where the Red Devils stepped onto the mat to face their biggest competition within the NCC conference, including wrestling powerhouse Hobart High School and our friendly neighborhood rival, Hanover Central. The Wildcats are fresh meat this year, as it is their first school year joining us in the NCC. Regardless of tough competition amongst all weight classes, the Devils did not disappoint, bringing home an overall 2nd place finish, falling to the #10 4A state ranked Hobart Brickies.

Despite falling to their rival, Lowell ended the day with four conference champions: Seniors Kenneth Bisping (190 lbs) and Michael Mavros (165 lbs).

Sophomores Dalton Robson (132 lbs) and Quinton Buckmaster (138 lbs). Runner ups were freshman Hunter Mallory (120 lbs) and Junior Aidan Abad (215 lbs) after falling to tough competition from Hobart and Hanover. Senior Blake Cwetna (175 lbs) also made the podium with a third place finish With the sectional tournament coming up quickly, Lowell wrestling prepares fo

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Courts and Fields Boys basketball sits in 6th place in the NCC

by Hailey Fox

Our Lowell Varsity Basketball players have been having a tough season with an overall record of 3-12 and 6th place in the conference. Even though this season has posed many challenges the boys continue to work hard and seek di erent ways to improve.

With ten games left of the season, the boys still have time to turn the season around.

Nevertheless, winning isn’t everything when it comes to a team sport. The team parents all work extremely hard to make this season successful with their activities. The team has frequent team meals and bonding activities to build strong team relationships. Along with the team's parents, the team has three managers who all work together to assist the coaches and the team. Most importantly, the four coaches; Coach Delgado, Coach Sosnowski, Coach Viehman, and Coach McLindon, all work

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together to support and teach this team, not only basketball but also crucial life lessons.

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Courts and Fields Stressed out senior student-athletes take it day by day

by Trinitie Lintner

Most people’s senior year may not be fully loaded with difficult classes, but there is still so much stress that all seniors feel. Going into a new chapter of your life is incredibly stressful and can make people get upset just at the thought of it. One of the main stressors is trying to figure out what college you want to attend and what you plan on majoring in. This whole process can be very difficult for many people and can be even worse for student-athletes. Not only do you have to look for schools that have your major, but you also have to look at their team and see if it is something that you would like to be a part of. Also, not every college is going to love you, and as an athlete, you need to be prepared for this. continued on page 22

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Mecha, continued from page 1

academic and athletic career at Hanover College! Thank you to my parents, coaches, friends, and teammates who have helped me get this far. Thank you to Coach Watts for this amazing opportunity! Let’s go Panthers!” On the day of her signing friends, family, coaches, and teammates were all in attendance.

When asked how she felt at this moment, Allie responded, “Signing day didn't feel like anything because I was so con dent in my choice that it felt like I had already signed. But, after signing my papers, I got this rush of adrenaline and excitement for the future and what's to come.” This comes as no surprise considering the advice Mecha would give to other student athletes. She warns, “The rst school that gives you attention isn't necessarily going to be your dream school. Keep looking and you can be picky!”

Allie was rst introduced to Hanover when the assistant coach approached her after a game and gave her their card. She then took initiative and invited them to a couple of her games in which they came to watch her play. This aligned perfectly with her advice to student athletes: “Make sure you are memorable to them [college coaches]. Give them your game schedules and update them on your plans.”

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Allie is con dent that Hanover College is the choice for her not only because of soccer, but academically as well. She revealed, “The rst time I went to Hanover, I knew the place was special. I am excited for a new challenge,” and reminds people, “If you're not in love with the school part, then athletics won't matter.” She plans to study Kinesiology and Integrated Physics, but this won’t be her greatest challenge. What makes her the most nervous about college is missing out on her younger sisters’ and friends’ accomplishments while she’s three hours away. Thankfully though, Mecha credits her friends and family for pushing her to be the best player she can be and to reach this level of success, so she knows there is much support and understanding back home while she’s scoring goals and furthering her education.

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Band and Choir, continued from page 4

At the Middle School, we sang for the 8th Grade Choir to hopefully retain at least 50% of the kids within the program to join in High school.” Hebble explains. At all four schools, the choir program sang Ad Astra and This is Me. “It was very cool to perform to all the di erent schools in the district and see the little kids' faces light up as we sang,” Mazylewski said. She believes that the choir program was successful in recruiting the younger kids to join choir and that the trip overall was a success.

LHS’ advanced choir is also getting ready for ISSMA and their spring concert. The choir always puts on a great show and sounds amazing every performance they put on. Come out and support!

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tried out for the cheer team and made it. She has experience with cheerleading because she does it in Germany. So far her favorite class is World History with Mr. Werling. She also has him for advisory. Josie states that “her favorite thing about LHS is probably the games and the people.” In Germany, there aren't sports in schools so going to swim meets and basketball games is a unique experience for her.

Josie has many di erent talents and activities she enjoys doing.

One which she didn't mention is doing her makeup. Every time I see her, her makeup looks amazing. She's good at putting on fake lashes and winged eyeliner which is very di cult for a lot of people.

Josie loves to go shopping. She has mentioned that many of the popular stores in America are also in Germany. She states, “I love singing and dancing all night.” She told the Red Devil Post she likes “hanging out with her friends and chilling in her house.” Josie's favorite color is red. She likes iced co ee and sushi. Arguably one of the most interesting facts about her is that her mom is an actress and she was in a movie once too.

Josie told the Red Devil Post that she is proud of herself for starting a new life without anyone she knows. It is intimidating going to a di erent country. This is because there is a di erent language and culture. Not to mention, she didn't know anyone. She is so brave for traveling to the United States for a long period of time. Josie plans on possibly getting involved in other clubs or activities at LHS. Lastly, she states, “I'm excited for the experiences I am going to have in America. Also summer and shopping trips with friends.”

With that being said Josie is an amazing person and everyone who

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knows her is excited for her experience in America.

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Winter hazards, continued from page 7

day weekend to be extended, with a school cancellation on January 16 and a two hour day on the returning day, January 17. Most recently, during the day of January 22, the roads quickly iced over when freezing rain began and didn’t cease till early morning of the 23, which caused yet another school cancellation for LHS on January 23.

These cancellations have now turned into ELearning days, because all of the ex days for LHS have been utilized. Students will now have to be in person on President’s Day and on Easter Monday due to the rst two canceled weather days.

————————————————Winter safety, continued from page 7

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include: wearing a hat, hood, and or scarf, laying up clothing, keeping clothing dry, making sure your tire tread is safe for slippery roads, keeping your gas tank above a quarter of a tank if possible, preparing a winter safety kit for your car including clothing, warm shoes, a blanket, hot hands, and whatever you feel is necessary for you. Each of these pieces of advice will be helpful to keeping you safe and healthy during this time of year.

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Fashion, continued from page 8

The fashion world is always something that is constantly changing. We always getting inspired by new fashion thoughts through music, books, TV, and just those around us. Such as the coquette aesthetic, inspired by the rising artist, Lana Del Ray. And although in the past fashion was used as something to give the tone of class and power, Fashion today doesn't necessarily mean to allure, or to even follow fashion trends. But it is more of a lifestyle. As we grow, new attitudes develop and it tear down this pedestal of trying to impress. And It creates individuality. This method of self-expression allows people to be true to themselves. From custom-made to plain Ts. There are no boundaries when it comes to styling yourself.

It is such a great way to freely express yourself. It is so fun to try funky colors or wear clothes that may be a little big. And the great thing about it is that there are no rules. You can wear an out t one day and decide the next day it's not for you. Many say that it’s important to develop style because leaves an impression on others and shows how people perceive you. I agree with this, but I also believe that it is a way to show your personality. And leave an impression on others as something positive.

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Therefore, I encourage you to wear an out t that you have been saving for a “special day” because that day will always be today. And, if you’d like The Post to promote your fashion sense, ll out this Google Form.

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“Lego Ring,” continued from page 10

This song reminds me of childhood made up songs with friends, each kid bringing di erent things to the song, with a lot of rhyming and repetition, which is heard in “Lego Ring.” Although it has a very upbeat feeling while listening, if you are looking at the lyrics, you can see a meaning behind the song. It explores a relationship and the desire to have a representation of this relationship, the ring. Webster and Lil Yachty talk about wanting to have a physical reminder of this relationship when they express they want it to hurt their nger. With the meaning being deeper than what meets the ear, this song is still upbeat, and I am excited to hear it with all the other songs on the album.

———————————————————————————————————————————————— Valentine’s Day, continued from page 13

letter and signed it “from your Valentine.” Around 200 years later, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14th St. Valentine’s Day. Before this, though, Pagans celebrated love in February as well. They held a festival where boys drew the names of girls out of a box. These pairs would then spend time together at the festival, and longer if they clicked. Gelasius tried to turn this festival into a more conservative holiday, but he was unsuccessful and it continued to be focused more around love instead of the priest he named it after.

Cupid is actually the Roman counterpart of a Greek god named Eros.

Romans had the tendency to take Greek myths, rename them, and keep mostly everything else the same. In early accounts Eros was a primordial god, meaning he was in the rst generation of gods. On other accounts he was the child of Ares, the god of war, and Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty. He is often portrayed as a young boy with mischievous behavior. But he was often just a catalyst. For example, Aphrodite once grew jealous of a mortal named Psyche.

She ordered Eros to make her fall in love with an ugly creature. But instead, Eros fell in love with Psyche. She was granted immortality by Zeus and lived with him amongst the gods. Both Cupid and Eros are winged and carry a bow and arrow. The inclusion of wings is meant to symbolize the fact that lovers are often ighty, quick to change their minds. They carry two arrows, one to provoke love and the other to induce hate.

Valentine’s Day traditions have changed a lot since the day came into

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existence. Cards began being made in the Middle Ages, and are now mass produced and bought by many worldwide. Remember, you don’t need to be in a relationship to celebrate the holiday! Show love to your friends and family as well. fi

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wrestling, continued from page 14

some of the most intense competition they have faced this season yet. It is ensured that there will be tough competition with participating teams being nationally ranked (#18) Crown Point, Hanover Central, Illiana Christian, Boone Grove, and more competing for a ticket to Regionals.

Wish the Devils luck as they travel to Crown Point High School on Saturday, January 27th, as they start their journey to the state competition on February 16th!

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Not every coach is going to reach back out, and sometimes you just have to move on. Consider the division you are reaching out to as well. Trying to gure out what division you have the chance to play in can also be a little stressful. You will have so many people in your life telling you where they think you should go, and it can be hard to laugh it o because you know you could never get there. This shouldn’t stop these athletes from trying and reaching out. Maybe you will catch a coach’s eye. It is a very stressful time for seniors, but just know that after all this stress, you will be able to walk out on graduation day feeling prepared to start this new chapter. You will feel a sense of accomplishment and ease, that all you will have to do is be ready to take on this new chapter and give it the best you got.

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Chowchilla, continued from page 12

while one of the other men yelled at the children to be quiet and cooperate, so no one would get hurt.

Once they were far enough away, they ditched the bus and loaded the children into the back of two vans.

The three men sent the children out of the bus, single le, by gunpoint, and split them up between the back of the two vans. One by one, the children entered the vans. They drove for hours. In the backs of these vans, the children sweat and cried, coughed, and struggled for air. The older kids tried to keep the younger kids distracted by singing songs, “If You’re Happy and You Know It” in particular. No one clapped their hands.

Hours later, they felt the vans stop.

Not to their knowledge, they were 100 miles outside of their little town of Chowchilla. The men created a tent-like structure that they backed the van doors up to so that the children couldn’t see the outside world.

The men opened the door of the van and took Ed Ray rst. They had him stripped down to his undergarments and forced him down the ladder with a lantern. One by one, boys and girls stripped down to their underwear, some of them wearing bathing suits under their clothes. The bottom of the ladder led to a 26.5-by-8.2-foot-long packing trailer 12 feet underground.

Once all the children were in the hole, the men put down a piece of wood, almost as a lid. Then, they buried the hole. Burying twenty-seven innocent lives twelve feet underground. The children and Ed Ray stayed down in the hole for sixteen hours. One of the children began to imagine that the men were up above them, still in the tent sleeping, and if they tried to escape, the men would kill them point-blank.

Hours after being put into the trailer, the ceilings began to cave. The weight of the dirt on top of them was causing all the ceilings to drop.

Ed Ray was the rst to do anything. He created a platform up by the opening of the exit and pushed with his entire body weight, pushed so hard he began blacking out. He brought the oldest child up to help him, Michael Marshall. Michael Marshall was a cowboy, and he was ruthless. He knew that he was powerful, and he proved it. Ed Ray gave up, but Michael didn’t. Michael pushed with his entire being. He tried and tried, but nothing moved. Then, he began to dig. He dug at the seams of the box, and sand began trickling down upon the children under him. He kept digging. There was so much sand below him, but something told him to keep digging until he began to see sunlight. Faster and faster, more recklessly, the dirt was ying all over all of them. The top of the box came o . They were going to be okay. One by one, Ed Ray and Michael Marshall pushed the kids out of the top. None of them knew where they were. They were just twenty-seven dirty people who came literally out of a hole in the ground, spawned out of nowhere. In the distance, they saw a gure. And the figure saw them. The figure began coming towards them. You could feel the fear in the children. Was that figure one of the men? Was the figure going to put them back or kill

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February 5, 2024

Chowchilla, continued from page 21 them? The gure was a man. He was just as confused as they were. Then, it all clicked with the man. He had seen all of these children and Ed Ray on the News. He explained to them that they were in a rock quarry in a town 100 miles away from Chowchilla. The worker called the police and told them that he had found them, and the children were nally safe!

But the mystery wasn’t solved. Who were the sick and twisted men who took these children in the rst place? The perpetrators ended up being Frederick Newhall Woods IV, the “brains” behind the operation, and brothers James and Richard Schoenfeld, his goons. Wood’s family was wealthy, but he wanted money of his own to get away from his parents. The Schoenfeld brothers worked for Woods’ business where they bought cars, xed them up, and sold them. They knew that the government funded schools and that the government had unlimited money and would do anything to get children back, including paying a ransom of $5 million dollars ($25.7 million in 2022). Woods and the brothers had specialized a spot for the money to be air-dropped to them and they had a car to drive to get the money. But the phone lines to Chowchilla were jammed with anxious parents calling and press inquiries pouring in from around the world. The kidnappers could not get through. The men decided that they were going to call again, explaining the details of the ransom to the police. So, they fell asleep. They awoke later, to their surprise to see the victims had freed themselves safely. Their foolproof plan had been ruined and they were doomed. Their ordeal lasted twentyeight hours.

First, 22-year-old Richard Schoenfeld turned himself in voluntarily to the authorities. Two weeks later, 24year-old James Schoenfeld was arrested by authorities in Menlo Park, California. Last, but not least, on the same day as James, Woods was arrested by RCMP in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

All three of the men were originally sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. But, this was updated years later to the possibility of parole. Richard paroled after serving thirty-six years, James was paroled after thirty-nine years, and Woods was paroled after forty-six years. Their lawsuits were settled for undisclosed amounts.

We know this happened in 1976 so why is this traumatic story just now surfacing again in December of 2023? Director of Chowchilla (2023), A CNN Film, Paul Solet, retold the story and got interviews representing that this traumatic event is still traumatic. And the current interviews prove this correct. Rolling Stone reports that “He also commits to extensive, well-acted recreations, in which the child actors don’t speak and don’t have to the looks on their faces say it all.”. In a speci c interview with a victim, Larry Park, as he explains what happened and what the years following the incident have been like, he looks down while explaining and gets very emotional as if he is reliving the events in his head all over again. But, this is a trauma reaction. When Larry grew up, he became a pastor, to save his own soul as well as his psyche. As he puts it, “God forgive them because I can’t.” And yet, eventually, he does.

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If you are interested more in this heartbreaking story, I absolutely recommend watching the documentary Chowchilla (2023) on MAX, Prime, or Apple TV.

Vol. 2, Issue 5

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February 5, 2024

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