The Skier Scribbler - February 2021

THE

Established 2010 in Aspen,CO February 2020 ASPEN HIGH SCHOOL

SKIER SCRIBBLER

Photo by Delaney Tullar Aspen local Jenelle Figgins dancing during a Black Lives Matter protest in the summer of 2020. In honor of Black History Month, the Skier Scribbler encourages readers to take time to read and learn Black stories.

February 2021

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NEWS

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Timeliness of grading, a new stressor Andie Sherman, Staff Writer

Grades are a common stressor for most high school students and teachers.

However, in this new online learning environment, the stress and anxiety behind grades have increased.

The lack of communication within the online learning realm has pushed teachers to utilize grades for encouragement.

This has drastically changed the grading dynamic within assignment submissions.

“I’m just afraid kids won’t do it [work]… because kids are out [of class] they won’t do it unless it’s a graded assignment,” said Scott Zevin, a science teacher at Aspen Highschool. Zevin shares a common fear among teachers that if assignments aren’t graded, students will not complete them, leading to teachers grading more assignments than in past years.

“I think it has been much harder,” Zevin said in response to whether grading has become more difficult. Zevin continued, “a key with grading is also providing meaningful feedback, and this has been very difficult for me in the virtual world. Comments on a Google Doc rarely are reviewed by students, and if the assignments were traditional paper

Photo by Katelyn O’Callaghan A representation of the timeliness of grading.

and pencil, I find I would leave more notations for students to review.”

“This year, this first semester, they

[teachers] were definitely behind on grading,” said Carson Miller, a sophomore at AHS “For me, if I get a grade

back on a paper or an assignment and they want me to revise any work, but it’s graded so far in the future, [and] I’m not even learning that topic anymore… I don’t want to revise it,” Miller said.

These concerns are fueled by a lack of communication from both teachers and students. “My biggest struggle is making sure students communicate when they have turned in late assignments,” Zevin said.

Abby Romero, a sophomore at Aspen Highschool, feels she cannot communicate her worries about grading timeliness to her teachers.

“I feel like if I were to ask [teachers] to grade faster, it would come off in an accusatory tone,” Romero said.

Miscommunication between teachers and students on new grading practices, and timeliness has caused lots of stress for many. Romero continued as to whether teachers replied to her emails promptly. “No, a lot don’t respond to my emails very fast.”

“Moving forward, I hope there can be more communication with my teachers on their grading practices and timeliness to help limit stress for all,” Romero said.

New classes at AHS offer students unique learning experiences and whose second language is English.

Aspen High School offers a wide So, for example, when people take IB variety of classes for students to choose Diploma, they have to take a language from thanks to the help of Jolaine Pfeifcourse but it’s about language acquisier, registrar at AHS. These classes range tion. But if you do so technically English from an IB Lit and Lang class to a self would be their language acquisition so defense class. kids now will be able to take the study The principal of AHS, Sarah Strassburger, explains what these new classes are and what they mean.

“Lang and Lit is more modern [than IB literature], so it looks at language, and it defines literature text more loosely. So for example, you might be analyzing a podcast or you might be analyzing political cartoons,” Strassburger said.

Strassburger also emphasized the analytical differences between a modern lit class and IB. “In addition to novels [Lang and Lit includes], plays and poems, whereas IB Literature is all traditional literature. So those are the differences you know, maybe somebody who doesn’t like doesn’t love reading and writing literary analysis might enjoy Lang and Lit more, but there’s still analysis. The texts are a little different,” Strassburger explained.

The entrance of Aspen High School taken on February 17.

If there are students who have an interest in the literature side of learnof literature in their primary language. ing Spanish, AHS now offers a new IB So that’s new, which is really cool and Spanish class. then they can also earn the bilingual IB “IB Spanish A is actually the study Diploma, which was really cool,” Strassof literature in Spanish. So it is for burger explained. people whose first language is Spanish AHS is now even offering a self deStella Iverson, Staff Writer

fense class, but COVID has caused some restrictions regarding the class.

“So we have something called self defense. Training was gonna be something different, but we couldn’t do it because of COVID. It required partnership with other adults coming in, and we just can’t

on this class because of COVID. Strassburger explains why the self defense class will be less than they hoped for.

“Obviously you can’t do real dedicated self defense because I can’t have you can’t have kids that close or like, actually, you know, hitting each other or throwing each other so it’ll be learning a few moves, but it’ll definitely be a workout, which is good,” Strassburger explained.

Finally, there is a class called Multiculturalism in America that is for people who are interested in American history.

“Multiculturalism in America is taught by Tameria Wilson in the Social Studies Department. The idea here was obviously to have a broader understanding of what the melting pot, that is the United States, right, that it’s not just US history, the way that it’s been taught but there’s this whole lens of multiculturalism so who are all different people the immigrant experience and how does that create our country and our culture,” Strassburger said.

There is also a class that you can take for getting a yoga certification.

“One student has taken yoga one, Photo by Tessa Guthrie and yoga two, then they can sign up for this year long yoga certificado that with COVID. So the self defense tions so they actually have to amass a training is going to be getting strong, certain number of hours. They have to and then understanding some of those teach yoga, they have to train, and when athletic moves that would be used in a they’re done, they could go work it out self defense scenario,” Strassburger said too. So it’s pretty cool,” Strassburger She was sure to include the restrictions explained.

February 2021

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NEWS

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Pitkin County zone switches and what they mean

same area at a time, remote work is are highly encouraged. learning. Restaurants can seat up to 25% Since 2021 started, Aspen has been strongly suggested, and bars are closed.

When Pitkin County was at the orange capacity, or 50 people indoors, and outthrough a whirlwind of COVID-19 Critical stores and non-critical retail level, the restrictions were different in door dining must keep 6 feet of distance stages. At the beginning of the year, stores are to keep 50% capacity, and some cases. All schools from preschool between parties. Remote work is still Pitkin County was in strongly encouraged. the orange zone. On Bars continue to remain January 17, the counclosed, and all stores still ty switched to the have the same guidelines red zone, but just a as when at the Red Level. few weeks later, was Group sports or camps are brought back down to restricted to 10 people or the orange zone. On less, unless cleared by the February 13, Pitkin county to have more peoCounty moved to the ple, but they must always yellow zone. remain 6 feet apart.

Going into LevNow that the county is el Red means that at the yellow zone, there is there is severe risk still concern about the viof COVID-19 in rus, but the risk is becomthe area. Preschool ing less. All schools from through 5th grade preschool to 12th grade are schools are suggestsuggested to go in person. ed to be in person Restaurants are allowed to or hybrid, middle have up to 50% capacity, schools are suggested or 50 people indoors. With in person, hybrid, outdoor seating, parties or remote, and high must stay 6ft apart. schools are suggested 50% of offices can be to stay remote. Indoor filled, but remote work is dining at restaurants still strongly suggested. gets shut down, Sports or camps are alwhich means that lowed to have a maximum people can only eat of 25 people unless directoutdoors in open air ed otherwise. Bars stay Courtesy of covid19.pitkincounty.com closed, but all stores may with only groups of the same household. Pitkin County COVID-19 Dial showing all of the levels and risk, as well as where Pitkin County is now. have up to 50% capacity as Otherwise, takeout, curbside, and delivencourage the use of pickup and delivery up to 12th grade are suggested in-perwell as gyms and personal services. ery are required. services.. For these places, hours dedison, but extracurricular activities are to Only groups of 10 are allowed in the cated to seniors and at-risk individuals be minimized to not disrupt in person Kayla Tehrani Business Manager

February 2021

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News

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QAnon, cue the conpiracies and chaotic rallies Katelyn O’Callaghan, Editor-in-Cheif

Recently banned on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit for promoting dangerous conspiracies, the conspiracy group QAnon has taken the internet and the media by storm with their conspiracy that the elites of the world are satan-worshiping cannibals that run a global cabal to harvest children’s blood.

In October 2017, a post from an anonymous account on 4Chan under the name “Q Clearance Patriot,” later known as “Q,” claimed to be a high ranking government official with access to classified information about the cabal.

A recent analysis from the Guardian estimated 3 million people followed various QAnon groups and pages on Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Since their bans on those social media platforms, the group has dispersed to other areas of the internet, including TikTok. Many users have spoken out against QAnon and warned others on the app to be wary of certain symbols and phrases the group uses. Those symbols include POTUS or The Q (Donald Trump), HRC (Hillary Rodham Clinton), “BC” (Bill Clinton), “HUSSEIN” (Obama), #savethechildren, The Storm, and #WWG1WGA (where we go one we go all).

The core belief of QAnon is that the elites of the world, including the Clintons, Obamas, and other liberal celebrities, are running a global cabal that kidnaps, tortures, rapes, and cannibalizes children for their blood to harvest a chemical called adrenochrome, a chemical compound formed by the oxidation of adrenaline. QAnon members believe that adrenochrome is an anti-aging chemical that will provide a longer life span. However, this theory has been debunked as the chemical can be produced in a laboratory. Although it is not approved by the FDA for medical

use, researchers can buy 25 milligrams for $55.

Another central aspect of the QAnon conspiracy is that former President Trump is the savior of humanity and was chosen to save the world from the cabal.

During a White House news conference, a reporter asked Trump to comment on the conspiracy group.

“I’ve heard these are people that love our country. So I don’t know really anything about it other than they do supposedly like me,” Trump said.

When the reporter explained the premise of QAnon, Trump offered his help.

“If I can help save the world from problems, I am willing to do it. I’m willing to put myself out there,” Trump said.

In an interview with NPR, co-host of the “QAnon Anonymous” podcast and writer for the Washington Post, Travis View spoke about the consequences of Trump’s comments about QAnon.

“The fact that he praised them and he said that he would be willing to help and that he did nothing to denounce the theory or denounce the followers hugely energized them. I mean, they are on cloud nine as a consequence of Trump’s statements,” View said.

According to NPR, since 2018, Q has issued multiple statements on the QAnon Reddit promising that Trump would defeat the cabal and arrest the elites running it. QAnon members called this event “The Storm.” Due to their belief in “The Storm,” the QAnon community expected Trump to be re-elected and use his second term to bring justice to the satanic pedophiles. After Trump lost the election in November, many believers did not lose hope and promoted the false theory that the election results were fraudulent.

The group also believed that Trump

QAnon member at a Trump rally showing his support for the movement.

would declare martial law to stop Biden from taking office on Inauguration day.

When Biden took office, some QAnon members stopped supporting the movement, but others still believe Trump will make a triumphant return and enact “The Storm.”

QAnon researcher Mike Rains suggests that members of QAnon are entrenched in the conspiracy movement because of a cult tactic called love bombing. The group praises one another for being a savior to the people and unknowing the truth.

“One of the biggest parts of QAnon is evangelism. Members feel that they

Photo courtesy of NBC news.

have to get others in the movement to save the world,” Rains said on a podcast.

“People get frustrated with their friends and family for not seeing the truth, and that frustration further entrenches them in the movement. They will shower you with support and adulation for the hard work you are trying to do and the hardships you face.”

While “Q” has been silent since the Inauguration, many suspect that it will not be the end of QAnon.

“We’re only now sort of seeing the consequence of this years-long radicalization process. We have not seen the last of QAnon,” View said.

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Aspen Mountain Guide School giving back to the community

Emily Kinney, Editor-in-Chief

The Aspen Mountain Guide School (AMGS) course aims to expand on this preparation by offering students the chance to gain various certifications related to outdoor recreation. Students are currently working towards their Professional Ski Instructor of America (PSIA) Level One certification and are scheduled to test for the certification at the end of the month.

Over the course of five days of preparation, students hoping to gain their PSIA certification train with PSIA examiners to prepare for the three day exam taking place on the 26th-28th of February. These training days are spent on the ski slopes instead of in the classroom, and students are tasked with learning how to instruct skiing Other skills taught include movement analysis and creating a ski day lesson plan tailored to said skier’s needs.

Brent Maiolo is a science teacher at AHS, as well as the coordinator and instructor of AMGS. His goal for AMGS is for students to gain real world experience and knowledge, and he believes that students do not

only gain skiing related knowledge through the PSIA course, but people skills as well.

“The skills [gained in PSIA courses] are public relation and people skills. These students, once they’re certified, have to be able to take [a beginner skier] under their wing, make them feel safe, make them feel comfortable, as well as build a rapport, so that then they can teach these clients a new skill of skiing,” Maiolo said.

Edie Sherlock, a senior at AHS and a captain of the ski team, also sees a value in the PSIA course outside of simply having a certification.

“While part of [AMSG] is about receiving the certifications, it’s also about the knowledge and experience that comes with taking the courses. The PSIA course excites me because I have always been interested in giving back to the ski community by teaching, and so being able to participate in this certification will hopefully begin moving me along that path,” Sherlock said.

As the exams loom closer, students in the course are reflecting on all they have

learned. Christain Kelly, another senior at AHS, feels ready for the exam and believes he has grown as a skier during PSIA training.

“It is good to slow down and break down our skiing as it has helped us become better skiers fundamentally. I’m not unfamiliar with these fundamentals, being a ski racer, but it was interesting to revisit these basics from the perspective of a teacher rather than a skier/learner,” Kelly said.

Seeing skiing from a new perspective is a large portion of the PSIA course, as is seeing hard work in the PSIA course pay off almost immediately in a certification which is different from how most other high school courses end.

“I think especially for a teenager, this certification is nice. You study these skills, you pass this test, and now you’re ready to go. So I think I’ve noticed that the most inspiring thing for the students is just the immediate satisfaction of learning these skills,” Maiolo said.

This opportunity to develop real world

talents would not be as widely accessible without the help of the Karl Severson Foundation grant. This grant, donated in memory of Snowmass local and former AHS student Karl Severson, is aimed at financially supporting local youth who are striving to achieve a future in the ski industry. The foundation helps supplement the cost of the PSIA course and examination for students in AMGS, opening doors for those who want to have fun and learn how to coach skiing with all financial backgrounds.

Moving forward, the AMGS students will complete the three day PSIA examination, then move on to preparing for their AIARE Avalanche Level 1 certification. AHS Student and senior Meghann Smiddy has enjoyed her PSIA experience, and is looking forward to the next steps in the AMSG curriculum.

“I enjoy this class because it is a great experience and because I’ve learned a lot of life skills,” Smiddy said.

February 2021

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A&E

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Flying high with these winter birds Océane Jones, Staff Writer

It’s February, and that means: Birding season! No, not the time to shoot these wonderful creatures-that was back in January-it’s time to watch them, obsessively, and identify which kind we had for lunch just a month back.

Colorado is located in the Central Flyway, a bird migration route that goes along the Great Plains across the United States and into Canada. Migrating birds fly through Colorado following the Central Flyway from mid-February to May, making it the perfect time to observe these beautiful creatures on their short stop in Colorado before they continue their migration.

Birding is defined as the observation of birds in their natural habitats as a hobby.

Everyone can be a “birder”, “birdman”, “birdwomen”, or “birdwatcher” if they so please -it is as easy as getting outdoors, grabbing some ‘binocs’, and adding in a feather of respect for the environment.

Birds are beautiful and fascinating creatures - with their claws, feather-light

Drawing By Océane Jones Birds of Colorado’ by Océane Jones shows the native avians of our centennial state.

bones, and songs unique to each species. Each detail, from the Steller’s jay’s dark shades of sapphire feathers to the fuzzy peach bill of the Dark-eyed Junco was marvosly evolved to fit the avian’s lifestyle and environment. Once meat-eating theropods, (a dinosaur with hollow bones and three-toed limbs),

these ancient beings have transformed into the majestic creatures that fill our skies today.

According to the Colorado Bird Records Committee (CBRC) of Colorado Field Ornithologists, as of July 2020, there are 511 species of birds in Colorado. Ranging from the notorious

Lark Bunting, a fashionable avian who is always in style as our state bird, to the ferocious Northern Goshawk, a breed of strong, independent women that are larger, stronger, and even smarter than the males.

Many consider the study of these feathered friends a form of obsession, or even a profession in some cases.

One such example is the Ornithologist, or a human whose obsession with avians has become what they live for. These fascinating creatures work for most of their lives, toiling in the ‘field’ to gain experience to earn a Ph.D. in zoology or wildlife biology with courses in ornithology. By the time they’ve accomplished all this, they are almost middle-aged and considered professionals in their field, making an average of $57,710 a year.

For the rest of their lives, most ornithologists further study birds.

Everyone should go birding at least once in their lives because it’s February, which means it’s time to watch (and stalk), the birds - instead of lazily lying in our own nests for winter.

Sports AHS boys basketball team shoots for victory February 2021

Sophia Greiper, Staff Weiter

Amid the adversity of the Coronavirus, student-athletes, coaches, and members of the AHS athletic department are all excited for Season B, which started January 18.

According to Alexander Schrempf, the coach of the boys basketball team, the student-athletes have been preparing all summer, winter, and fall for Season B. “Being a part of a TEAM means being a part of something greater than yourself. I’ve found – in my short lifetime – that I am happiest when I am committed to a purpose that’s bigger than my own personal wants and wishes. I’m looking forward to showing up for our student-athletes, for my coaching staff, and for our community, and doing everything in my power to protect this opportunity and make the most of it,” Schrempf said.

Quinn McKie, a junior on the team, said that a lot of players had been preparing and improving before the season had started.

“A lot of players were going to every pre-season practice possible, and many kids have improved a lot. Unfortunately,

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due to COVID, it has been hard to have our season to the fullest,” McKie said.

Larissa Bohn, Assistant Athletic Director, explained their plan to make being on the basketball courts as safe as possible for both the student-athletes and the coaches. Bohn said that masks will be required at all times, they will be limiting the amount of people on the courts, and they will try to maintain as much distance between the players as possible.

In addition, facilities are and will continue to be cleaned and sanitized very often and, depending on the COVID-19 rates in Pitkin County, workouts will sometimes be strictly no contact or shared equipment with other people.

Bohn also spoke about spectators and what other alternatives the school has.

Bohn said that most schools in the state have a very strict no spectator policy, and AHS seems to be following in their footsteps.

Instead of in-person spectators, AHS will offer a streaming service.

“We added Pixellot cameras to the turf and in the basketball court so fans will be able to log in and livestream home

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games that occur at these two locations,” Bohn said.

Although this season may be different from seasons in previous years, according to Boys Basketball Captain Luke Hollander, the players are still happy to

get back on the courts.

“I’d say that we’re very excited to get back on the court this year and even though we have a shortened season, I’d say we’re very ready to compete this year,” Hollander said.

Photo by Tessa Guthrie Taylor Akin, sophomore, and Sergio Ruiz, junior, defending during home game at AHS.

Boys hockey slap shots their way into the new season Kayla Tehrani, Business Manager

Despite the challenges that COVID-19 brought, the Aspen High School boys hockey team has been practicing even before their season started. The high school season has officially started, and the team is thriving under the circumstances.

The AHS boys hockey team lost 14 seniors from the varsity team last year, meaning the team largely consists of players new to the high school team.

Their season started on January 18th, and since then the team has played five games, winning one of them. They still have about 10 more games to play throughout the season.

Seniors, Keaton Miller and Connor Allen are excited to see what’s to come for their team, even through the hardship of not being able to practice and play as much as they are used to has been a setback for them.

Even though the boys hockey team is relatively new in terms of the people on it, it is similar to their club team. Most of the boys have been playing together since they were about five years old, and are looking forward to seeing what they can do with this team.

Throughout the past few months, with COVID-19 being an avid struggle, the team has still maintained a good team chemistry. The team is committed to the same goals, and it has been exciting for the team to see what they can accomplish.

“While there are restrictions put in place that limit some of our practicing capabilities, it has been great to see most of the team on the ice and developing as a whole,” Miller said.

Despite the struggles the boys hockey team has gone through to be able to practice and play over the past few months, they were one of the lucky teams that were able to practice throughout the pandemic.

“We have been placed on quarantine twice which took away about a month of practicing, as well as having our scheduled pre-season games cancelled.

However, after the quarantine we got back to our normal practice schedule,” said Miller.

Aspen High School boys hockey coach, Keith Howie, was contacted to discuss the team as well, but failed to respond to multiple interview attempts.

“This team has one of the best inter-team relationships out of any teams I have played on throughout my sports career,” said Allen.

Photo courtesy of Cathy Miller AHS boys hockey team skating towards goal during home game.

February 2021

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OPINION

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DiAngelo misses the point in White Fragility White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo has continued to create conversation about combating racism since its original publication in June 2018, yet many critics argue the book neglects mention of structural change and patronizes Black people.

DiAngelo characterizes the term “White Fragility” as the defensive response white people have to the confrontation of their racial worldview or mention of their whiteness and its associated privilege.

DiAngelo asserts that white people tend to view themselves as the default race, or even “raceless,” enabling separation from the discomfort brought forth by the real-world impact of the social construct of race and its mention. DiAngelo often speaks of aversive racism, a theory proposed and studied by Samuel Gaertner and John Dolvidio. This theory proposes a more subtle form of racism which typically manifests in the evasion of other racial groups for whom -- in the context of White Fragility -- white people have a negative apprehension of. Although averse racism is a form of prejudice, it is said to be unconscious and more complex than overt racism, and may be a cause of psychological processes such as social categorization. DiAngelo makes the case that racism is associated with extremists such as members of the KKK or neo-Nazis, thus leading people to falsely deduce that they are not racist because they do not express the overt racism that extrem-

Ava Cherry

ists do and because they want to distance themselves from these extremists.

Additionally, DiAngelo criticizes white progressives’ tendency to avoid introspection of their own unconscious racial biases. Although DiAngelo acknowledges the harm of “color blindness,” negative stereotypes, and individualism, she fails to adequately describe the system(s) that created these conditions and how to repair them, be it through policy and reform or revolution.

White Fragility possibly implies that white people must be at the forefront of anti-racist action, as DiAngelo prioritizes white refelction on the racists sytems they participate in, and their racial baises, as opposed to focus their reflections on said racist instiututions. This notion is antithetical to the works of many notable Black activists including members of the Black Panther Party and Black Autonomy Federation. Malcolm X, was one of the first people to articulate the need for Blacks, and people of color to unite and strike, regardless of willingness or ability of white allies to do so. In the Black Autonomy Federations Capitalism and Racism An Analysis of White Supremacy and the Oppression of Peoples of Color, it is asserted that, “this self-activity of the the oppressed masses of color when it reaches the radical stage is inherently a revolutionary force and is an essential part of the social revolutionary process of the working and poor class.” Although white people should work to be actively anti-racist and oppose the systems that maintain the oppression of POC, the Black Autonomy Federation notes that “this system really works for white supremacy, and that all classes of whites have been beneficiaries of our oppression, and that white class collaboration-ism is part of the social e it makes people

feel as though they have done the work necessary to oppose racism. Although DiAngelo’s intent was likely to prompt reflection in white people so that they would be inclined to be open to conversations about race and to oppose institutionalized racism, the execution of the book hinders her ability to do so. Many people have felt that the act of reading White Fragility is putting in the work to oppose racism and that one’s acknowledgement of their own prejudice may mean they are no longer racist. Once white people finish reading White Fragility, it is likely that they will remain complicit, contradictory to the purpose of the book.

Moreover, White Fragility neglects to address the role of colonialism, capitalism, and states in conceiving and establishing racism, as they have created a society which relies on exploitation and oppression for economic productivity and relies on hierarchy to function.

The biggest failure of White Fragility is its condescension towards Black people. DiAngelo’s work is overtly racist. In an article published on The Atlantic, John Mcworther, a linguist and a professor at Columbia University argues that White Fragility “openly infantilized Black people” and “simply dehumanized us.” DiAngelo did so by lessening Black people through deeming that Black people require a child-like degree of sensitivity due to their oppression and mistreatment throughout U.S.

history. In turn, DiAngelo highlights the white perspective on racism, to a largely whote audience without mentioning the ways in which racism has harmed people of color and without allowing Black people to take part in a conversation surrounding ways to combat their oppression.

If you are a white person looking for literature on how to combat or acknowledge institutionalized racism, try reading the works of Black leftists such as Frantz Fanon, Angela Davis, or Huey P. Newton, rather than those of a hypocritical, racist white liberal who has made a living deeming other white liberals not progressive enough.

Editorial: the U.S. education system’s failure to teach Black history The idea to recognize Black History in the month of February came from the father of Black history himself, Carter G. Woodson in 1926. However, the recognition of February as Black History Month did not begin nationally until 1967, almost 12 years after the end of segregation and more than 100 years after the abolishment of slavery. The President at the time, Gerald Ford, encouraged the nation to, “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Unfortunately, this did not completely come to fruition.

A few weeks ago, parents of students attending Maria Montessori Academy in North Ogden, Utah were given the opportunity to excuse their children from the planned Black History Curriculum. This news went viral, and less than a week later, the school rescinded the option to opt-out of non-Eurocentric material and has since apologized.

Even though steps were taken to correct the mistake, it is embarrassing that the curriculum is still segregated. The fact that we as a nation cannot come together to honor Black history while recognizing

the atrocities of the past is sadde ning.

The Montessori Academy is not alone in neglecting the history and achievements of Black Americans. Nationwide, schools struggle with presenting the whole story of the Civil Rights Movement, highlighting the contributions to society made by Black Americans, and ensuring that students understand the impact systemic racism has had on the United States for the last 300 years.

These are undoubtedly large topics to handle, but discussions about them are crucial to creating a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse nation. This Black History Month, and in every month that follows, we as Americans must reckon with the disturbing and oppressive history of our nation and learn from our mistakes. Let us engage in conversation for the betterment of our nation through the understanding of history through the eyes of minorities, then follow this up with productive activism and change.

Though AHS prides itself on being a progressive school, the lack of black history is apparent in history courses here as well. Over the course of high school, AHS students take Civics, Geography, U.S. History, and have the option to take

either IB Global History or World History their junior and senior year. None of these classes cover subjects such as slavery, reconstruction, or the Civil War in great depth. While the Civil Rights movement is taught in these classes, students are often presented with a censored picture of the truth.

IB History is the advanced path for AHS students in history, but most Black history is not part of the curriculum. IB SL History teachers are given a list of 17 topics to choose from to teach each year, none of which involve Black history other than the Civil Rights Movement.

The advertised goal of IB classes is, “to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect,” according to the IB website. However, the lack of representation of Black history in their curriculum reflects the opposite of that goal.

It is essential that AHS, and other schools in the U.S., teach Black history in order to avoid repeating mistakes of the past. At a school with scarce racial diversity, students need to be taught Black history in order to create mindful

and informed members of society. If we do not educate youth on America’s atrocities, we are failing our students in every way.

Black history topics students at AHS should be taught: The slave trade, slavery in the south, the Civil War, reconstruction/ emancipation, transition from emancipation into segregation, Jim Crow laws, the Civil Rights movement, desegregation, the creation of ghettos, police policy and the pushing of drugs in Black communities, and racism in today’s society, to name a few.

Inspired to learn more about Black history this month but don’t know where to begin? Here is a non-comprehensive list of ways to celebrate and make a change this Black History Month: read texts from Black authors to truly understand Black history from a Black perspective, re-evaluate your knowledge about Reconstruction, support Black-owned businesses, donate to organizations working to promote Black culture, relearn stories about Civil Rights Movement leaders and take a deep dive into works by Black leftists.

Feburary 2021

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OPINION

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Photo courtesy of the AHS Silver Queen AHS students gathered at Paepcke park in 2019 after school walkout to protest climate change.

Privilege and performative activism: the intricacies of being a good ally

Tessa Guthrie Performative activism is defined as,“activism done to increase one’s social capital rather than because of one’s devotion to a cause.” According to Wikipedia, “it is often associated with surface-level activism, referred to as slacktivism.”

In today’s society, there is a high amount of social pressure for youth to be activists. Social media creates a lot of this social pressure; if you don’t actively post about current events, it appears as if you don’t care.

A prime example of this was over the summer; a trend occurred where

people posted black photos with the intention of appearing like an activist, but these posts actually blocked out valuable information regarding the BLM movement. Millions of people acted on social pressure without thinking it through, or really caring about the subject. Most people never posted about the movement again.

Additionally, over the summer many famous TikTokers, including the very popular Charlie D’Amelio, changed their Tik Tok profile picture to the Black Lives Matter logo.

Changing a profile picture does nothing to benefit a movement. Showing one’s support for the movement is beneficial, especially if they are an influential person, but then doing nothing beyond that makes it performative activism.

In 2019 students walked out of class to give speeches and supposedly show support for climate reform.

This walkout was a great show of support, but it verged on performative activism. While the issue of climate change impacts the students of Aspen greatly, and they are sincere about it, nothing came of the walkout. As soon as students came back to the school, the trash cans were filled with signs saying “save the planet.” No one used

this momentum to start an initiative to make the school or town greener.

No one, as far as I know, made any changes to their lifestyle in response.

Most students said they cared a lot about the movement, posted about it on social media, yet never took any action.

Performative activism often goes hand in hand with white guilt, which is remorse or shame felt by a white person with respect to racial inequality and injustice according to the Oxford dictionary. The social pressure to be an activist combined with white guilt creates an atmosphere of people feeling the NEED to let people know they support a subject to convey a message about themselves, even if they are not actively doing anything to make change.

One BLM protest I went to in Aspen was a protest organized by students, at which police walked with the predominantly white mostly female student protestors. To an outsider’s eye, this probably looked like performative activism; police brutality based on race was not impacting this group directly. The protestors were predominantly allies of the BLM movement.

Gen Z wants to help and make an

impact, but if you are not oppressed in any way, privilege guilt can often overwhelm a message. To a certain extent, an ally will always be somewhat insincere. An ally can feel compassion for an oppressed group and believe that they are being wronged, but an ally will never fully know how it feels to be in an oppressed group.

The social pressure to be an activist is so overwhelming that allies of movements often don’t know how to help. They want to help make change but they don’t want to take attention away from members of an oppressed community or to seem insincere. In many ways, it seems like an ally of a movement cannot do the right thing when trying to be an activist. It is a balance hard to reach to be a good ally to a movement.

However, there are ways to be a good ally: amplify the voices of the oppressed (instead of speaking for the oppressed use your privilege to share their voice), educate yourself on the matter, own your privilege, defend the oppressed, be apart of the discussion, and make change using your privilege (bring diversity, influence legislators/ policy makers, and donate money and time to the cause).

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“Winterfest: An Exhibition of Arts and Crafts” at the AAM: a creative collection of artwork

Photo by Tessa Guthrie Sculpture entitled “Parrells 1” featured at the “Scenarios” by Barabara Kasten exhibit at the Aspen Art Museum.

“Barbara Kasten: Scenarios” at the AAM: a colorful and nostalgic exhibit Tessa Guthrie, Editor-in-chief

The exhibit “Scenarios” by Barbara Katsen is currently featured at the Aspen Art Museum (AAM), and it is guaranteed to please. The exhibit features a series of photographs, videos, and sculptural installations. According to the AAM, Kasten was greatly inspired by the Bauhaus Art School and the modern architecture in her hometown, Chicago.

In this exhibit, Kasten’s work focuses on light, shape, and movement through the use of acrylic forms and video.

Kasten plays with light and shadow in a whimsical way; her sculptures appear to have a light source, but in reality the

sculptures reflect the light around them.

Kasten’s works give the viewer a feeling of nostalgia of the 1980’s because of the neon and translucent acrylic. The colorful geometric shapes remind one of being a child full of wonder. While the sculptures appear somewhat simple, they are executed perfectly.

A crowd favorite of the exhibit was “Parallels 1,” which features seven acrylic rectangles of various colors stacked on top of eachother. This large, eye catching, and simply beautiful installation appears to be a dream come to life because of its unsimilarity to the world. The sculpture reflected light onto

the wall behind, adding even more to the experience.

Another notable work was “Scenario”. This work featured a series of acrylic cubes stacked and free standing wall with video projected onto it. The cubes also “glowed” and this sculpture also had constantly changing video of shapes projected on the wall. This piece is extremely vibrant and aesthetically pleasing.

“Scenarios” by Barbara Kasten is an excellent and crowd pleasing exhibit that everyone should see.

Spotlight on youth: Aspen Art Museum Youth Art Exhibition Maya Lesham, Staff Writer This winter season the Aspen Art Museum is featuring a youth art exhibition to give young artists in the valley, ranging from kindergarten to twelfth grade, the opportunity to showcase their own work at the museum.

The AAM has collaborated with other artists to create installations to display the work. A German artist, Veit Laurent Kurz, has created 3D installations that hold young artists’ work on mountain-like structures during Winter Fest.

His own work will also be showcased.

The deadline to submit artwork was February 13, and the exhibition will be displayed on February 27 at the Aspen Art Museum.

From Aspen to Rifle, kids are able to submit work that follows the three broad prompts that the museum has given: somewhere or someone you miss, your favorite object or room in your house, and a meal you enjoy eating. To see more information, like size recommendations, go to the Aspen Art Museum’s instagram page. There are also different drop off sites depending on where you live, which will be provided on the instagram page.

This exhibition is a great outlet for students in the valley to express themselves through creativity. COVID-19 has taken

a toll on everyone, therefore the themes for the youth expo are targeted towards things that people miss: people, places, food etc. Adam Stamp, a Los Angeles based artist, has collaborated with the Museum to create his own exhibition, The Slippery Slope, that is currently on display at AAM. He also continues to help the museum and youth set up the youth exhibition. He is determined to help give young Aspen citizens a voice, instead of being seen as a museum catered only towards adults.

“I hope that this show promotes community engagement from the entire Roaring Fork area, allowing the museum to not feel simply like a stuffy place full of strange objects, but also a place that is committed to showcase’s voices of the next generations of thinkers and makers from the region,” Stamp said.

There are, however, challenges to this exhibition. Stamp has only two weeks to put the art he receives together, and he has no idea what kind of art he will receive. The prompts and size guides give some recommendation to the artists on what their art should look like, but in art, rules are meant to be broken. All kinds of mediums are being used such as canvas, digital programs, and film/photography art.

Along with the difficulties in setup, the AAM has to take COVID-19 restrictions into consideration to ensure that all participants, staff members, and guests are safe. Teresa Booth Brown, the artists program coordinator for the Aspen Art Museum outlines what the museum will do to take precautions.

“A total of 50 visitors are permitted at all times to allow for the required physical distancing (6 feet) between guests.

Controlled visitor entry ensures 25 percent of normal museum capacity at all times. We are not able to have openings at this time,” Brown said.

The museum is eager to give youth artists a chance to shine. Stamp has designed a t-shirt that all participants will receive, and all the artists will be awarded a participation certification.

This opportunity for the valley gives a new look to the community where the youth are challenged to continue working on their expression and are able to get a preview into what artistic careers.

“I really hope this exhibition can encourage some young people to pursue careers in the visual arts, or at the very least, recognize the importance of arts engagement as a lifelong endeavor, no matter what career they might choose,” Stamp said.

Photo by Tessa Guthrie “Slimer” by Stefan Tcherepnin and “Duplisonectadotus” by Malcom Mooney displayed on the mountain strcuture by Veitm Laurent Kurz at the Aspen Art Museum.

Tessa Guthrie, Editor-in-chief

The “Winterfest: An Exhibition of Arts and Crafts” exhibit at the Art Museum is a clever and unique way of displaying a variety of works from a range of artists. Over 70 individual works are in this exhibit, coming from 42 different artists and varying in mediums. Some local names are displayed, such as Richard Carter and Sam Harvey. The works featured are displayed by an architectural exhibit created by German artist Veit Laurent Kurz. Kurz created a lake, mountain and cabin inspired by the Winter areas to display these works as a cohesive collection.

While each individual work is intriguing, the display of the collection makes this exhibit unique. The exhibit is interactive, as one can walk into the cabinet and around the mountains and lake. The frosty lake and mountains in the winter scene create a sense of familiarity for the locals of Aspen. The cabin is reminiscent of a mountain chalet in Aspen This exhibit has something for everyone, as the works all vary in use of materials and style, and lets the imagination run wild.

One crowd favorite is the piece,“Slimer” by Stefan Tcherepnin. “Slimer” is a nearly seven foot tall sculpture of a creature resembling a yeti. The sculpture is whimsical and provides a laugh for viewers. The sculpture towers behind a mountain, appearing hungry.

Another pleasing sculpture is, “Roseville” by Olivia Erlanger. Erlanger’s sculpture is a contemporary take on a snow globe, featuring a snowy house.

The plexiglass and wood sculpture stands at nearly four feet tall and catches the eye of many viewers.

“Winterfest: An Exhibition of Arts and Crafts” is a great exhibit for Aspenites and fans of the winter to enjoy. The exhibit is impressively curated, cleverly displayed and is definitely worth seeing.

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Snowmass Luminescence ‘lights up’ Aspen/Snowmass Kayla Tehrani, Bussiness Manager

Due COVID-19 taking away Aspen’s yearly winter traditions, Snowmass put up an interactive light show, Snowmass Luminescence. Snowmass Luminescence has seven different exhibits including some interactive parts of the show.

Snowmass Luminescence opened on December 18, and will continue to run until February 28. The exhibit is split up into three parts. There is The Tunnel, Submergence by Squidsoap, and Prismatica by Raw Design in collaboration with Atomic3. The Tunnel and Submergence have been running all throughout the exhibit, while Prismatica opened on February 1.

The Tunnel is a walking path on the side of the mountain, which serves as an alternative to riding the Skittles Gondola in between Base Village and the Snowmass Mall. The Tunnel consists of five separate unique light installations. Each installation is programmed customly with its own five-minute light sequence.

The Tunnel is an immersive experience which is fun to walk through. Every tunnel has a different light sequence which

makes each individual tunnel interesting.

The different shaped tunnels throughout the exhibit make walking through them and seeing the colors in different ways very cool.

Submergence is a cube-shaped art installation. It is a walkthrough exhibit that consists of hanging lights throughout the whole cube. It goes through a 12-minute light cycle that literally immerses the visitors in light when they are inside of it. The lights are all around them, in every direction they look.

Walking into submergence, it is really interesting to see lights around you at 360 degrees. It is amazing to see lights hanging from everywhere, being able to walk around in it, look around, lay down, etc. The music in the exhibit is calming and the lights complimented the music well, putting on a show for the audience. The only downfall about this one is that the light and music cycle would go on and on doing the same thing over and over again, which made visitors lose interest after a while.

Prismatica consists of 25 moving prisms, each more than seven feet tall.

Visitors can walk through and around

them to see every color of the color spectrum, and even spin the prisms to see the colors move. The kaleidoscopes reach the best point of the installation.

The way the light looks and the angle you view the prisms reflects all different colors of the rainbow.

The Prismatica exhibit is found to be the most disappointing. Visitors were able to walk through the other two and really be immersed in the experience, whereas this one is ignored in a way.

Of course you could walk past them, look at the colors, and spin the prism to see what would happen, but at the end of the day it all just looked like statues that people would just walk past. The expectations for this exhibit were higher than what was shown because of the other two exhibits. People thought they would be seeing something different and interactive like that, but instead it was a ton of colorful boxes scattered around Base village.

Overall, Snowmass Luminescence is a new activity for the community, and it was visited and enjoyed by many, but it came up short in terms of expectations.

The whole exhibit was “hyped up” a lot,

NY Fashion week covid edition

Photo by Ava Thornely New York Fashion week Covid addition Ava Thornely, Social Media Editor

As coronavirus continues to affect our lives, New York Fashion Week COVID Edition will include drastic changes. There are no longer “lavish shows, hectic schedules, and street style circuses,” Rather, “This year they’ve been quietly replaced with virtual presentations, small shows in intimate settings, or both,” said Elle magazine.

Designers only see this as a small obstacle while continuing to pave the way for spring 2021, illustrating a joyful world through the lens of fashion.

“The simple goal of bringing together different cultures, designers, and traditions of many different styles by doing just that: uniting them together. Every aspiring designer, model, and artist has a dream-and we want to learn about it and give them those opportunities. We are redefining fashion and beauty standards to be an all inclusive ordeal that incorporates everyone, regardless of background or experience. When we unite together, we flourish with our common passion: a love for art and fashion,” said NY Fashion Week in a press release.

Governor Andrew M. announced that “New York Fashion Week will have strict compliance with New York State health and safety guidelines, including: restrict all gatherings to 50 or fewer people; adhere to social distancing at all times; ensure that all designers, models and guests comply with the provisions of the State’s travel advisory; diagnostic testing, temperature checks, and face coverings at all times.

New York Fashion Week will feature a virtual live-streamed runway show, exclusive designer-related content, and cultural programming,” Andrew M. said This is a huge shift in the fashion industry allowing people from all over the world no matter what their background is to experience fashion week.

These are mainly industry-only shows (designers/brand employees can attend), but now you can also buy tickets that are open to the public (starting at around $500), but this year there is a much cheaper option watching the show online for free.

February’s events include: New York Fashion Week Talent Awards, Philip Gafter in Conversation with Melissa Marra-Alvarez, New York Kids Fashion Week, Stella Jean in Conversation with Valerie Steele, and many more.

This year there is also the drastic change to opening the runway to everyone. There are programs you can sign up for if you are aspiring to become a model, designer, or just a platform to promote your brand different programs include Model Casting, Submit a digital event (this is for digital activations, live streams, Zoom meetings … anything people can’t attend in person.)

Also, if you have something to promote other than a digital or on-the-ground event, for just $100 they can promote your website or collection launch on any of their schedules.

This year allows anyone to participate or watch which is a huge leap for the fashion industry.

and it just wasn’t able to live up to those expectations. It’s just a walk through of changing colored lights, which is good for pictures, but nothing more. It was very pretty to look at, but at the end of the day there wasn’t anything new and exciting about it other than it being here in the valley.

Photo by Kayla Tehrani Snowmass Luminescence light show, in the middle of The Tunnel, with Submergence in the back.

A 2014 hidden gem

comprehensible perspective.

CAUTION: MINOR SPOILER Many films of this category The 2014 film What we do in incorporate social commentary the Shadows is a hidden gem into their humor, which What we mockumentary that balances do in the Shadows accomplishes comedy and genius. Codirectors perfectly and bluntly. Cleverly, Taika Waititi, known for his the directors use the normals most recent film Jojo Rabbit, of vampire behavior, like mind and Jemaine Clement walk the control, to swap the norms of thin line between entertainment our societies. One of the human and vapidity, especially in a film characters, Jackie, is controlled about vampires, but pull off a

by Deacon and throughout the masterpiece designed for almost movie pleads to be a vampire and everyone. free from her ‘master.’ At the end The mockumentary filmers of the movie, her wish is grantfollow a group of vampires: ed and in a closing scene with Deacon, Viago, Vladislav, Peter, her husband after he says that and Nick who share a flat in New he loves her, she responds with Zealand. Each of these vam“Great. But I am your master.” pires have different backstories, The irony paired with the bluntpersonalities, and ages (ranging ness ties into the film’s overall from 20 to 800 years) so their fine balance between censored hilarious characteristics form a and unconfined commentary. creative plot. At the same time, In just an hour and a half, this though, they all fulfill the norms bizarre and creative movie overof being a vampire - drinking laps mockery, commentary, and blood, burning in the sun, being humor for a guaranteed enjoyable invited in, etc. time.

Notably, the directors are in tune with converting a fantastical idea to real-life.

Between referencing the teenage drama Twilight and giving viewers the innocent software analyst Stu (whose actor worked as IT on the film and had no previous acting experience), this film Photo courtesy of Mark Benecke puts the 300-year- Three vampires, Deacon, Viago, Vladislav, present at the old theories into a Unholy Masquerade.

Stef Wojcik, News Editor

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The rise of the antihero Hannah Smith, News Editor

There has always been a prominent line dividing hero from villain. The hero is generally favored and idolized, while the villain is frowned upon and conquered. But what if the fine line separating good from evil was crossed, and society intentionally rooted for the “bad guy”?

This phenomenon has actually become a reality, with the bad guy, also known as the “antihero”, ever-rising in popularity.

The so-called antihero is not quite the stereotypical villain nor a protagonist, rather, a character that toes the boundary between the two standard figures. Some notable antiheroes today are Deadpool, Harley Quinn, Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, or Severus Snape from Harry Potter.

According to Oxford Languages, an antihero is “a character in a story, movie, or drama who lacks conventional heroic attributes. With the age of the antihero, baddies and goodies became less distinguishable from one another”. Antiheroes are set apart for their antagonistic traits and flaws; the “rule-breakers” that do

A&E

not align with traditional heroic qualities such as bravery or honesty. These are characters that might do the right things, but for the wrong reasons. An anti hero might save a life, not for nobility reasons, but solely for their own self interest and benefit.

Jack Sparrow and Severus Snape were not the first antiheroes of their kind.

The antihero has existed in literature for centuries, making its first notable appearance in Shakespearean literature as characters such as Hamlet or Lady Macbeth.

Although antiheros have existed within the media for quite some time, it seems that these flawed “heroes” have recently hit their peak within societal popularity.

There are numerous possibilities as to why antiheroes have begun to populate television screens and novels. Perhaps the conventional scenario of protagonist versus antagonist no longer excites audiences because of the unoriginal and generic situations. Maybe the unique characteristics and questionable morals of antiheroes give people a sense of relatability that cannot be found from heroes.

“In the event this doesn’t fall apart” review Aja Schiller, News Editor

Shannon Lee Barry’s debut book is about two things: falling in love and Dom J. Fera. Barry released her first poetry collection in early December of 2020 entitled, “In the event this doesn’t fall apart.” Her rich portfolio on Instagram features poetic captions, introspective thinking, and a combination of bittersweet milestones.

Her poetic nature and life experiences were the perfect foundation for her debut poetry collection and her fans a further look into her relationship with her boyfriend, Fera, and how she felt while falling in love. Professionally, Barry is an LA based writer and actress, starring in multiple short films and stage roles. Barry also shares her struggles with Crohn’s disease, a chronic disease that is often debilitating and has caused her issues with casting during the pandemic.

The poetry book was originally a gift to her boyfriend that catalogued the first year they were together and is a peak into her early emotions during the relationship. The process of writing the book lasted roughly two years, but in the first year, she technically didn’t know she was writing poems that would later be published. She gave Fera a copy of the book on their one year anniversary and then spent another year editing and working behind the scenes to get it published.

Her collection captures a beautiful narrative of love, from their smallest moments to their (almost!) first kiss. She writes elegantly as well as sincerely and not only chronicles her emotions while falling in love, but shows the reader her raw perspective of fear in regards to falling too fast and forming new, deep relationships.

As the reader moves further into the collection, they experience all the confusion and trepidation that Barry felt in

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Photo courtesy of Just Disney The notorious antiheroic character, Captain Jack Sparrow, from Pirates of the Caribbean.

It is in human nature to have flaws, and the typical Hollywood hero tends to be idolized for their perfection. Antiheroes aren’t perfect and ethereal. They are guided by their flaws, living complex lives that test the societal boundaries of acceptability. These characters are not only empathized with, but they allow people to loosen their own perfection standards, and identify with the realism that life isn’t always perfect.

From Disney movies to fairy tales,

many grow up aspiring to be the hero.

Nonetheless, living up to the hero is not always attainable with life’s endless roadblocks. These antiheroes allow people to bend societal norms and take a breath from perfectionism. While antiheroes might not always abide by a typical moral compass, they are complex and realistic, and allow many to reflect within themselves.

Looking back at the greatest MC

Brennon Reed, Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of @barry_happy on Instagram Shannon Lee Barry’s debut poetry book catalogs her beautifully raw experience of true love.

the moment. The collection truly feels like peeking into someone’s diary and sinking into their life. Barry’s perfect combination of prose and poetry brings the reader into her life so carefully, it feels like you’re holding hands with the pages.

The book is sometimes difficult to follow as locations aren’t always clear or some context is left out. Whether for artistic expression or privacy, the lack of details further cements how personal and intimate this book is - as it’s not meant for a “reader,” it’s meant for Fera. Inside jokes or small allusions to their lives go over the readers’ heads, but still leave remnants of their existence. This makes the collection seem so much more genuine, instead of an augmented love for the sake of the reader.

“In the event this doesn’t fall apart” feels like stepping into the shoes of Shannon Barry and falling head over heels in love. She captures a vulnerable and tender account of her journey towards falling in love and making her own path in life.

One of the most iconic aspects of rap is the rhymes. The type of rhymes and delivery separate the good rappers from the great rappers. British born Master of Ceremonies (MC) and record producer, Daniel Dumile (stage named MF DOOM) passed away on October 31st, 2020.

Dumile’s passing was announced by his wife, Jasmine, 2 months after his death.

The masked MC has the most intricate word play and rhyme schemes that sound like poetry coupled with unique beats.

The beat is so butter, Peep the slow cutter As he utter the calm flow (“Your mother—”), don’t talk about my moms, yo Sometimes he rhyme quick, sometimes he rhyme slow Or vice versa, whip up a slice of nice verse pie Hit it on the first try, villain: the worst guy (All Caps by MF DOOM) Doom incorporates a metaphor in the first line with “The beat is so butter”, as doom refers to his flow as butter. Rhyming is a crucial part of rap music and can be found in every rap song. Doom uses literary devices such as allusions, metaphors, and double entendres to entrap the listener in his stories. The complexity and number of rhymes in each bar allows these lyrics to be read with ease and sound smooth all the way through the song.

Rings a Tinkerbell, sing for things that’s frail as a fingernail Bring a scale, stale ginger lingers Seven figures invigor N****, fresh from out the jail, alpha male Sickest ninja injury this century, enter plea Lend sympathy to limp-wrist Simple Simon rhymin’ emcees(That’s That by MF DOOM) A common attribute that MF Doom has in his songs is setting up a rhyme

Photo courtesy of MF DOOM Masked MC, MF DOOM, on the 2004 MADVILLAIN album. scheme and diverting it into another set of rhymes. “Fingernail, bring a scale, stale ginger linger, seven figures invigor.”

Doom could have said “stale ginger ale” but changed the direction of the rhyme with “linger”. The final line of “That’s That”, “lend sympathy to limp-wrist simple simon rhymin’ emcees” is exposing other rappers for having basic rhymes comparing them to the nursery rhymes, Simple Simon.

MF Doom had a huge influence on rappers today. Artists such as Earl Sweatshirt, Childish Gambino, Tyler the Creator, Denzel Curry, all took to twitter after DOOMS passing, sharing their love for the MC and his work. These artists as well as The Weekend, Open Mike Eagle and more, have been inspired by MF DOOM’s unique come up into the rap game and his original work breaking the barriers for artists to express themselves through rap.

February 2021

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If 2020 and 2021 were a person

Political cartoon by Hannah Popish

Too early for spring skiing, according to the groundhog.

Comic by Hannah Popish