The Skyline Post - Volume 6 May 2022

Volume 6 | May 2022 | Cover Art: Avelyn Bonner

Le t t e r fr om t he Edit ors Dear Readers, As we celebrate the coming of a new season, we also celebrate the launch of our sixth issueTheof Skyline Post . The past two years have been - unpre dictable and hectic, to say the least. In this issue, we cover how the Skyline community has adjusted. scoop on all of them: coverage of Prom, Graduation, Spring sports, and the The Skyline Post year starts to wind down, rest assured we will continue to keep an eye out and inform you of any pressing and enjoyable topics. Congratulations to all of the staff and students who have made it this far in the year. Thanks for reading. e W appreciate your continued support.

Sincerely, The Skyline Post

Contents News: 5-14

Sports: 16-22

Lifestyle: 24-27 Arts: 29-40

Book Reviews: 41-49

The purpose o engage the Skyli gaps amon

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A n Ea g le Eye O n T h e N ews

Founding Editors

Grace Lee

Elan Kluger

Leyla Williams Leyla Williams

Statement of Purpose

of the Skyline Post is to inform and ine community in order to bridge the ng staff, studnets, and families.

FA C E B O O K @ S k y l i n e P o s t I N S TA G R A M @ s k y l i n e _ p o s t

skylinepost.org

STAFF Hasan Alsamerai Avelyn Bonner Wren Collins Jade Flores Cate Howard Reyna Hyliard Emily Krese Maya Loomis Andres Marquez-Collins Waleska Martinez Alexandria Mason Natalia Murrell Michael Mychaliska Onat Ozer Shea Parker Dalen Patterson Sammi Perkins Anisha Ramachandra Sanjay Rao Diarra Seye Bella Simonte Elizabeth Smith Maja Smith Phoebe Spadafore Sarina Thomas Catherine Van Lent Kylar Watkins Alexis Wheeler Leyla Williams

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The Skyline Post

News Page 5 Skylines African American Humanities Page 8 After a Week-Long Closure, the Future of Learning at Skyline Remains Uncertain Page 11 Are skyline students settling in after online school Page 13 Skyline Pair Takes First at Debate States Tournament

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AAH HISTORY OF THE CLASS

Anisha Ramachandra

Skyline’s African American Humanities class has been an elective class in the district for over a decade. With its unique take on learning and student engagement, it is both a collaborative and research-based class.

What is the history of the AAH class and who started the class? Why was it started?

Wade: “The African-American Humanities was created at Huron High School by teachers Krystal Hall Abney and Kay Wade. The course was designed to validate the experiences of African-Americans through understanding US history and American literature from an African American Perspective. The course was deliberately designed to be more challenging by developing a critical eye with which to examine the world while working to create new knowledge. Another goal was to encourage African-American students to develop the confidence to take accelerated and AP courses in which they are under-represented. We had to go before the district curriculum committee to get the course approved for an AC designation. The original course at Huron included Afrocentric Psychology lectures taught by Dr. Byron Douglas, an Ann Arbor School Psychologist, and an added dance element taught by Robin Wilson, a dance professor at the University of Michigan. We included both at Skyline and it continues today.”

Whitehorn: “Kay Wade…was the catalyst for the African American Humanities Course. She felt that students of color needed a choice that was accelerated. Learning about one’s history in a class where you could earn AC credit – it hadn’t been done before in the district. She wrote the curriculum with another teacher. The class is taught in two blocks – a history and a literature portion. Once Ms. Wade started at Skyline she taught the history portion and asked me to teach the literature portion of the class. Kathy Mackercher was the support in the class,

The purpose of the class is understanding the true history of African American ancestors and to provide a space where students can feel included.

Some topics the class covers include race, identity, civil rights, and the Great Migration. Co-teachers Tonya Whitehorn and Kathy Mckercher agreed to give their perspective on the history and intentions of the class. The co-founder of the class, Kay Wade has also given her input on the beginnings of the class at Huron High School.

Annie Blais

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The Skyline Post

so for the first time we had an accelerated course that had a teacher consultant component that was working in special education in an accelerated course. We were the grand experiment because we were an accelerated class with teacher support… we filled that need.

Mackercher: They [Ms. Wade and Ms. Hall-Abney] were able to collaborate with Eastern Michigan University and the University of Michigan with the support of [dance teacher Robin Wilson]. And so this conglomeration became a really positive experience and so that’s how it started. From my conversations with Kay and from student feedback was that the US history curriculum is often not diverse honestly and it focuses on white writers, white artists and people in history who were making history textbooks that students are reading. Also, [we wanted] to build a community and to educate people more [about] that there is more to this country than one way of thinking, one way of doing, and one way of being.

What types of topics do you cover in the class?

Mckercher: In the beginning of the course, we start with identity and self exploration. For example we ask the student questions to put themselves in the context of their learning. How do we define race and how do we have conversations about race constructively? The opening assignments of the course are very self-reflective about 2022 AAH show highlight the role of race in their own lives and that we start to share our stories and Avelyn Bonner perspectives based on personal experiences.

Has the structure of the course evolved or changed since it started?

Whitehorn: “We still teach the basic components…we still teach what race is and how it impacts the world we live in and then understand how we got here. There is a huge emphasis on the past but how the past affects now. The books and articles have changed and the curriculum is updated.”

Mackercher: “Tonya, Kay, and I have worked together since the beginning. When she [Ms. Kay Wade] retired, I thought I want to follow the same lead with the history curriculum and I still consult her today. We do shift and change the curriculum as time goes on.”

How is the history and literature combination different from a traditional classroom setting?

Whitehorn: “When we sat down to write the curriculum, we figured out what big themes we wanted to cover.

It is team taught so I know what Kathy is doing everyday and she know what I am doing everyday and it focuses on that particular theme. So, if we are talking about the Great Migration, we pick 5 overarching themes and then decide the curriculum based on those themes. Perspective is everything and shapes the course. The students are given a lot of voice. Very rarely do we lecture for more than 30 minutes.”

Mackercher: “One is that [the subjects are] integrated and we also bring in things like the arts or a sociological study. We are trying to take the social sciences as a whole and look at whatever topic we are talking about. Also, it’s definitely more at a collegiate level. We have brought in speakers that we have seen or heard from and will bring in their work. We have incorporated Dr. [Hasan Kwame] Jefferies’ online lecture series as well as Dr. Joy DeGruy into our curriculum. We are way more project-based with a lot of solid writing assignments and of course we have the show, but that’s not the only thing we do.”

How does the show or performance play a role in the class?

Wade: “The show is unique to Skyline and was designed to apply what students have learned by creating, planning, and producing a performance that would educate and uplift. The choice of when to do the performance was deliberately chosen to be close to MLK day and Black History Month.”

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Whitehorn: “Without the class, there would be no show. …A lot of African-American History is trauma-focused. We speak to remove the shame of enslaved persons and give respect to their ancestors. We also address the triumph. We don’t focus just on trauma, we focus on our ability to overcome everything and that you’re still standing.”

Annie Blais Mackercher: “I think for it to be a culminating event, it’s phenomenal in several ways. One, as a teacher, you definitely know whether or not they learned the material. But for them to be able to share it with their peers, their friends, their families and demonstrate how much knowledge they have gained in that unique way, I think is phenomenal. As a class, it brings them together and to see the bond, it’s so solid.”

What do you see as the future of the class?

Wade: “African American Humanities will continue strong. Ms. Whitehorn and Ms. Mackercher are doing an excellent job in continuing to make the course relevant and exciting. I would love to see the model adopted in more schools. I am realistic, though. We know the challenge that misinformation about the Critical Race Theory presents will slow the process down.”

Whitehorn: “My vision is that there is still a thirst for knowledge. One day maybe African American Humanities won’t be an elective along with other people’s history. I want to see more courses like this course and more students taking the course.”

Mackercher: “I would like for us to actually travel. I’d love the class to actually go to the West Coast of Africa and to learn history in person there and to have students in 9th and 10th grade have the basis and understanding African-American history.”

For students outside of the class, what are steps they can take to be more open?

Mackercher: “I think it’s important to immerse yourself with people who you normally don’t hang out with, peer groups or a particular game or event. I think that the reality is those who don’t want to be open, don’t do that. I’m not sure that there is always an answer for that but the first step is to put yourself out there and be authentic. It’s to show that those of us that believe or have different beliefs are present and want to learn from others. We hope by fostering a collaborative culture, other people will come along and join the community.”

2022 AAH show highlight Avelyn Bonner

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The Skyline Post

AFTER A WEEK-LONG JANUARY CLOSURE, THE FUTURE OF LEARNING AT SKYLINE REMAINED UNCERTAIN Maja Smith, Michael Mychaliska, Waleska Martinez and Sammi Perkins

On January 14th, Skyline moved to remote, virtual learning due to a dramatic rise in Covid-19 case numbers.

This rise resulted in elevated student absences and staff shortages, necessitating the week-long move to remote, virtual learning. Despite a return to in-person learning, the future of learning at Skyline remained uncertain.

a school day, Skyline must have at least 75% attendance.

While not below 75%, attendance approached 75% on some days. Staffing attendance was of even more concern for the administration.

“We had quite a few days where we were barely able to cover staff,” Elmore said. This is the result of a confluence of staff illness, staff in isola“Our numbers [had] dropped tion waiting for a Covid-19 down, not below 75% but pret- test result, staff needing to ty close to 75% for student at- stay home and care for a tendance on some days. Casey loved one, and normative Elmore, Skyline SLC princiillness and absence. All these pal, said after the closure. factors made it difficult to “The bigger concern now has fully staff the building on been staff attendance and certain days. having enough people to be able to staff the building.”

To remedy this, Skyline now has 7 building substitutes.

“We want to make sure that if These substitutes come to we are in person that we can Skyline proactively, every day. continue to have a safe enviIn addition, Skyline continues ronment and a quality educa- to use Frontline, a program tional environment,” Elmore that connects substitutes to said, which at times has been schools, to cover other staffuntenable. ing shortages. Some positions still remain vacant from the In order for a day to qualify beginning of the year as well. with the State of Michigan as Not all staff shortages are equal, though. Certain positions are more essential to school operations than others. Priority is placed on classroom coverage.

If support staff, such as

community assistants , teaching assistants and office professionals are absent, likely school operations can continue. Teacher absence, however, would disrupt school if the position could not be filled by a substitute.

To reduce transmission in Skyline, keep students and staff safe, and remain in-person, Skyline continues to follow public health guidance and has made new recommendations to students, families and staff.

Consistent with CDC guidelines, endorsed by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Washtenaw County Health Department, quarantine and close contact protocols have changed. The new quarantine policy allows students to return from quarantine on the 6th day, regardless of vaccination status.

“Students can return if symptoms have subsided and there are no symptoms for at least 24 hours, they are feeling ok, and ideally they would have a negative Covid test before returning as well,” Elmore said.

“At this point there is an option to return on day 6, with no symptoms” she added.

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Empty classroom after a week long virtual learning.

Micheal Mychaliska

“If you do return on day 6-10 you have to wear one of the respirator masks, you have to agree to wear that at all times while around people, “ Elmore continued. If a student does not comply with these guidelines, they will be asked to go home until they can cooperate with the new masking protocol.

tion to this transition to virtual, remote school has been mixed. While many community members are very thankful and appreciative of the closure, others have felt frustrated and angry. ”I think, just based on where we are at An element of the in-person with this pandemic right now, return to school has been a new emphasis on high quality no matter what decision you mask wearing instead of cloth make, that’s going to be the case,” Elmore said. masks.

With these updated close contact and quarantine protocols, the community’s reac-

The data suggests a massive decrease in COVID cases from the beginning of 2022 and brings hope that the Skyline community can return to some level of normalcy in the near future.

“That’s kind of where we are getting it, from all sides. All sides.”

Empty confrence room .

Micheal Mychaliska

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The Skyline Post

ARE SKYLINE STUDENTS SETTLING IN AFTER ONLINE SCHOOL? Since May, 2020, students all over the country have had to adapt to a new academic environment. Because of this, many students feel as though they’re being robbed of the normal high school experience.

The Skyline Post created a survey to gather information on students’ personal experiences, opinions, and ideas about this worldwide pandemic. The survey was made available in class, Schoology groups, and through word of mouth and gathered 150 responses. The Post followed up with three students per grade level for more questions.

75.3% of surveyed students said they focused better in person versus online.

Empty after switching to online school.

Hasan Alsamerai

Hasan Alsamerai, Wren Collins, Maya Loomis, Reyna Hilliard

Motivation is a very important aspect of completing school work and even attending in the first place. Virtual school didn’t have physical interpersonal communication, which made students feel as if attending their classes weren’t as important as previous years. This, coupled with technological issues that were bound to happen, made online school rocky and unpleasant for many students.

“I struggled during online school last year because I was losing all of my personal connections with people, ultimately making me feel isolated,” said freshman Vera Naines. “I lost all motivation.”

This was a common response to our survey.

56.7% of students said they liked online school sometimes. 26% said they didn’t like online school at all.

“I definitely prefer in-person school, especially since I am a people-person,” says sophomore Sophia Nielsen. “But classes and learning were really hard online, especially since it is hard to focus on a computer for several hours.”

The Post was curious whether students who like online school enjoyed the extra resources they had access to while doing work from home.

Or perhaps if having access to the kitchen all day was a reason behind their preference.

During follow-up interviews, it seemed there was actually a When it comes to academsplit between liking the onic flexibility, most students line resources and in-person surveyed prefer online school. resources However, the majority ruled that in-person schooling was “Having teachers in person ideal for high school students. is very helpful because they Based on our data, although can help me find things,” classes may be more difficult said freshman Ellie Westhoff. in person and deadlines more “But also being online gives inexorable, it was easier for me more website tools and students to connect to their things that you wouldn’t have peers and get a more conven- access to in person, so it’s tional high school experience kind of a tie for me.” in person.

Juniors had three quarters of their freshman year in-person

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and then most of or all their sophomore year online. This has impacted their overall experience. “You miss some of the social connection just because you can’t see anyone’s full face so you miss some expressiveness,” says junior Isabella Tucker.

Many students felt disappointed when big events that were important to them were affected, like homecoming, joining clubs, going to sporting events, even meeting up with friends. Upperclassmen shared the same opinion with online-schooling, however, some had different takes.

“I think [online school and virtual school] have pros and cons but I definitely prefer

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in-person, because it’s a lot easier to connect with people,” says senior Trinity Morton.

Junior Ainsling Brannock added, “I feel like freshman year had a lot of hand holding, where junior year doesn’t have a lot of help.” It wasn’t only Ainsling who said this.

Most upperclassmen felt they were getting less help at the beginning of this year compared to their freshman year.

Most students surveyed reported that they prefer online education because of materials that are not available in person. However, the majority said that in-person learning was best for learning them.

According to our statistics, even if classes are more challenging in person and deadlines are more rigid, it is easier for students to interact with their friends and have more traditional high school experiences during this time.

In the end helping most students feel productive, and less behind.

In person school opened more doors for students to try their best, where online school kept people from even trying.

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The Skyline Post

SKYLINE PAIR TAKES FIRST AT D On December 11th, Seniors Elijah Kaufman and Kenichi Lobbezoo of Skyline High School finished first in the Michigan Debate State Finals for Varsity Public Forum, for the first time in Skyline history.

Describing it as feeling “absolutely incredible,” they credited how well they did to their experience and the large amounts of information they had gathered beforehand.

They were prepared to refute arguments from the other teams. “We’ve both been on the team since we were freshmen,” said Lobbezoo. Being seniors, this is their fourth and final year.

Freshmen Arjun Alva and Jack Dunmire also took third place in the Novice division. “[I most enjoyed the] research, knowledge, intelligent people, conversations, views, and ideas,” said Alva, who had been interested in debate even before high school. That passion and hard work allowed Alva and Dunmire to medal in almost every competition they participated in.

Besides those huge wins, it was a great season for Skyline overall. The Debate team advisor, Laura Sparrow, estimates they won about 26 awards this season. The Debate part of the team is relatively new and small, founded four years ago. “I’d already coached Speech for 18 years or so — at Skyline, since we opened, and before that up in Oakland County — but I’d never tried Debate. I was hesitant about it, but we wanted to grow our team, and debaters came to find us,” said Sparrow.

The typical school at these competitions brings 65-80 kids, but Skyline only sends 8-10 kids, a number they hope to increase.

Nevertheless, Sparrow says “Our team is little but mighty!”

Debate has been heavily impacted

by Covid-19. For the past two years tournaments have been online, which means debaters have had fewer interactions with other teams and even their own teammates.

The final rounds of debate are also no longer available to be watched, which has been a valuable learning experience for many debaters. Before Covid, tournaments were held all over the state, with some competitors coming from all over the Midwest. “I haven’t missed driving all over southeast Michigan,” said Sparrow. Fortunately (or unfortunately for some people), on March 5th the first in person Speech competition took place at Avondale. Things are returning to normal.

A Debate tournament starts with a coin toss to determine

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DEBATE STATES TOURNAMENT

Catherine Van Lent

whether the team argues in favor or against the proposed idea. The teams have to be prepared to argue either side and will typically do both in the multiple rounds of each tournament. Then, the “First Speaker” of one of the teams presents a prepared speech on the pros of their side, called contentions.

After both teams have argued their cases for 4 minutes each, they can ask each other questions in the “Crossfire”. After that, each “Second Speaker” has another 4 minutes to refute the other team’s contentions. This speech is not prepared, but speakers can prepare arguments if they think the other team is likely to bring them up. Lastly, each speaker has one more chance to talk and give a closing statement, with one final Crossfire between all speakers before

the judge decides a winner and awards individual points to each speaker.

Now that Debate season is over, the team is preparing for Speech season. “That requires us to cultivate some additional skills,” says Sparrow. Speech has 12 categories, separated into two groups. “Public Address” events are more like Debate. Of those six events, Informative, Sales, and Oratory require preparing speeches beforehand, while Impromptu, Exempt, and Broadcast require quick thinking during the competition. In Broadcast, competitors give an exactly 5-minute speech like a news anchor, with a 1-minute editorial and 8-10 current news stories. There are also six Interpretation events, which require acting. The competitors present poetry, children’s stories, passages from books, and even scenes from plays. Interpretation also has Duo and Multiple events, where partners or teams act out scenes from plays.

If Debate or Speech interests you, you are welcome at any Speech and Debate Meeting. They are held on Wednesdays after school in Room A305. No experience is required. Principal Cory McElmeel was a debater himself in high school, and describes it as being “fun.” He says it helped him develop skills that were useful for the rest of his life.

Debate and Speech champion Kaufman says, “I had major anxiety around public speaking and joined in an attempt to remedy that. The team has ended up being even more beneficial for that than I could’ve imagined. I would recommend it to anyone.”

Kenichi Lobbezoo (left) and Elijiah Kaufman (right) won the Michigan Debate Tournament.

Catherine van Lent

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The Skyline Post

District Dress Code Sparks Controversy Among Skyline Student Body

Elsa Weber Reported in Winter 2022

The dress code has long been a point of tension among students at Skyline High School.

Changing norms of fashion and a year spent at home has altered how people dress themselves. Student fashion choices frequently conflict with the dress code.

Cropped tops and ripped jeans are not an uncommon sight in Skyline’s halls.

Last Fall, when Pioneer High School renewed its efforts to enforce the dress code, its students were outraged.

“On the first or second week of school Principal Lowder made an announcement about the dress code which a lot of people including me were upset by,” said Carly Jarratt, student at Pioneer High School. “He said no spaghetti straps, short shorts, crop tops, etc., which are all clothing items marketed towards women. I was upset because a dress code is unnecessary and I just don’t understand why people care so much about it.”

Principal Lowder was contacted to comment on the incident but as yet has not responded. How the Pio-

neer dress code was made is uncertain. The age of the Pioneer dress code is unknown.

The Skyline dress code was formulated by a

group of volunteer students that were interested in making the dress code.

“The Skyline dress code was revised about four or five years ago,” said school administrator Casey Elmore. “To make the dress code we formed a student committee with people who wanted to talk with us about the dress code.

Then we revised it with that group of students to make sure that it was not gender biased, as well as to make it reasonable so that it wasn't something that students felt was too authoritative or unreasonable.”

The Skyline dress code states that a dress code is necessary to promote productivity and put students in an appropriate professional mindset. However, some students challenge that statement.

“People who are dress-coded often have to miss school to find something to cover themselves up or get sent home to miss the rest of the school day, and for what,” asks Carly Jarratt, a student at Pioneer.

“The only people I know that are offended or

‘distracted’ by shoulders or bra straps are teachers and administrators. Every student I have talked to doesn't mind someone wearing a ‘revealing’ shirt.”

There has always been pushback on dress codes from students. In 1969, in the case Tinker Vs. Des Moines Independent School District, students in Des Moines, Iowa sued after being suspended from school for wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. The Supreme Court dismissed the case, stating that it was within the school board’s rights to limit student expression if it got in the way of school conduct, despite the lack of evidence that the protest interrupted the school day. This right of the school board to limit student expression is still upheld today.

“There’s been dress codes forever in schools and I

think from what I understand it was more to make school a place where you could focus on learning and not clothing,” said Elmore. “I think it has evolved over the years.

The goal for us is to help students prepare for what they might have to dress like in a workforce so they are prepared with the knowledge of what would be acceptable in certain places. But also just to make sure that Skyline’s learning environment is as distraction free as possible.”

Some students argue that clothes have no effect on their productivity and the productivity of those around them.

“The labeling of revealing clothing as being distracting and interfering with the learning environment promotes sexual assault culture and is just plain false,” said Allison Stoeffler, junior at Skyline. “I have never been distract-

Feburary 2022 ed by another student’s midriff or ripped jeans and my productivity has never been affected by what my classmates are wearing.”

Other students argue that the dress code made five years ago doesn't account for the change in culture that has occurred since then.

“The dress code doesn't really take into account new standards and viewpoints around expressing yourself through fashion,” said Ella Myers, a junior at Skyline High School.

“The dress code desperately needs to be revised.”

In the last five years much has changed in fashion.

Trends have come and gone, and movements like #metoo emphasized the message that clothes should have no impact on how those around you act or interact with you.

“I can’t speak to whether we would change it or not, but this [the current dress code] is what is the best we have right now,”

15 said Elmore. “But again, if [student’s clothing] is not interfering or creating a big issue then we’re not worried. Our goal is not to send students home and miss education because of the dress code.”

Despite students being involved in the making of the dress code, some still feel it is discriminatory. Complaints of the rules targeting women are another common concern heard from students.

“Rules 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7 target women,” says Lily Stewart, a sophomore at Skyline. “Not explicitly, but they restrict clothing items that are popular mostly among women.

Just because the rules don’t specify a demographic doesn't mean the rules are not discriminatory.”

This objection that the dress code impacts women more than men is not a new complaint.

Women’s clothing stores follow trends, and a large modern day trend is crop tops and ripped jeans.

This presents the issue of availability of clothing that follows the student dress code.

“There was some intentionality when we wrote the dress code to make sure that it was non gender specific,” says Elmore.

“But I do understand that dilemma along the lines of what's being sold out there. That's also why we aren't worried as long as you're covered up enough to be decent and your clothes aren't proclaiming something hostile. But we have heard that concern [about the dress code targeting women] and so we have tried to make sure that as much as possible it is not being enforced in a gender specific way, but it is inherent in some of the ways that clothing is targeted and sold unfortunately.”

The difference between the values reflected in the dress code and the values that students hold today has led some to push for change.

“I don't think that we should abolish the dress code as there are some clothing items such as shirts with offensive pictures, words or slurs on them that should be prohibited,” said Jarratt. “But we

should definitely reform the current dress code which is blatantly sexist.”

The issue is that the road for change is unclear. The dress code policy is district wide and is enforced at many different levels and standards among staff and administration.

“This matter [dress code], I feel, is a good topic for the student government to take a closer look at,” said school board member Rebecca Lazarus. “If students in general feel that there’s a need for a change, I think it would be wise to start with your school's student government. Ask them to look at it for your particular school and provide solutions; state the problem, provide solutions and give some reasoning behind your proposed solutions.

If they don't pick it up, then you present it to the principal and your school administration. If they don't pick it up, then present it to the Superintendent, Dr. Swift and her staff, feel free to copy the board.”

It seems it is up to the students of the Ann Arbor School District to take the initiative if the dress code is to change.

“Administration is definitely open for that conversation,” said Elmore.

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The Skyline Post

Sports Page 17 Skyline Sports Persist Throughout The Pandemic Page 18 Disparity Between Hockey Locker Rooms Conditions Raise Concern Page 20 Eagle Alum Flys on the Track Page 22 Skyline Track and Fiels; What to Expect this Spring

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SKYLINE SPORTS PERSIST THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC Onat Ozer

The 2021-2022 school year at Skyline has seen hectic shifts from in-person to online. Yet while classes have had to alternate from zoom calls to in-class lectures, sports have been able to proceed with their seasons virtually uninterrupted by Covid-19.

This is no accident, “athletes tend to be tested more often, are in smaller groups [compared to students in class], and many athletes tend to exercise outdoors or in more spacious indoor spaces,” says Principal Cory McElmeel. Sports have also been able to continue when school hasn’t because they operate under far less scrutiny from the district. Whereas school has to meet a strict set of guidelines constantly enforced by the district, sports follow a much more relaxed set of rules. According to Athletic Director Robert Wellman, for the district to intervene and cancel a sport, about 40-50% of the team would have to be infected. So far, the only cancellations that can be attributed to Covd-19 occur in situations where a team doesn’t have enough healthy players to fill a roster for an upcoming game or meet.

Another contributing factor allowing Skyline sports to continue is the high vaccination rate among

Smiling students rooting for Skyline’s football team Onat Ozer

athletes. In order to participate in sports, all athletes must report their vaccination status, and, according to Wellman, an overwhelming majority of Skyline athletes are reported as vaccinated with only a handful of athletes being unvaccinated, the athletes reported as unvaccinated are required to receive Covid testing twice per week, must quarantine if they’ve made close contact with someone who’s tested positive for Covd-19, and face a longer quarantine period.

Despite the regularity that Skyline sports has been able to maintain, athletes still have mixed views about the threat of Covid. When asked whether they worry about catching Covid during their season, Senior Andres Marquez Collins of the crew team said “Sometimes, [because] we no longer get tested,” whereas Senior Sanjay Rao of the Cross Country team said “No, not really.” Despite these doubts, all the athletes who have participated in sports this past year have clearly weighed the risks and benefits of participating in their sport and ultimately decided to continue. Skyline is a more lively and engaged place as a result.

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The Skyline Post

Opinion: Disparity Between Hockey Lo Girls’

There is a clear disparity between the accommodations each Skyline Hockey team gets for locker rooms; the men get private, spacious, and clean accommodations, whereas the women get borrowed and dirty facilities. With the Skyline men’s hockey team being on the roster since 2011 (a club before that), the women’s team is relatively newer and younger. The men’s team has had more time to adapt and grow roots for their team, but where does that leave the women’s team? Where do the budgeting issues end and moral discrepancies begin?

When Jake Stripp was the head coach of the men’s team, he was offered the opportunity to pay for a locker room of their own at Chelsea Arctic Coliseum.

All of the fees for the locker room were entirely parent-funded through donations, fundraisers and yearly fees. Money for ice time also comes from the same money pool. “Before Stripp,” Skyline Athletic Director Bob Wellman adds,”boys used to be at Yost Ice Arena where they didn’t have a set locker room.” The men were able to take advantage of a spontaneous opportunity; the women have not been offered the same.

The women’s team doesn’t have enough athletes from Skyline, so they created Skyron; a merged team with Huron High School. Skyron is on borrowed land, practicing at Veterans Ice Arena. Whenever they travel, they use swimming pool locker rooms. Senior Leyla WIliams notes, “We have to take our gear home every night…[and] every girl usually handles getting their own equipment.”

Though the locker room conditions aren’t ideal, WIlliams thinks it’s “easier to look on the bright side as it helps with team bonding. We’re all a lot closer because of this.”

These discrepancies seem to extend to Pioneer’s women’s team, as

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ocker Room Conditions Raises Concern Avelyn Bonner, Bella Simonte

well. Senior Abby Cheng notes, “we’ve never had our own locker room like the men’s team that allows us to keep our gear there.” Pioneer’s women’s team is 17 years old, but there are still gaps in the gear they receive versus the men’s team. Cheng’s brother, who played from 2008-2012, got “purple gloves along with a pioneer hockey bag with his name and number on it. The women’s team doesn’t get these, and if they did it would be because they all paid for them separately.”

But are these discrepancies legal? Title 9 is a federal law created to prevent discrimination of financial assistance given to sports and educational activites based on gender. The question is: does this law support the equal funding of gendered sports, or the outcome?

The answer lies in a gray area between what AAPS funds and what other restrictions the law puts in place. Technically, the law only protects equal gender participation and funding is up to the school board. Executive Director of High School Education, Paul DeAngelis says the law ”assure[s] equal participation based on enrollment… about 50/50 girls and boys.” Wellman explains that “most sport funds go to coaches’ pay and transportation.”

It’s not legally wrong to have differences in locker room properties, but is it morally wrong to deny one team the same chances another has?

Athletic directors “haven’t had much say in off campus locker rooms,” says Wellman, but he encourages the women to speak with their ice rink to start fundraising for their own space. Both teams deserve to be given the same tools to set themselves up for success and, ultimately, a win for Skyline.

Boys’

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The Skyline Post

Eagle Alum Flying on the Track Sanjay Rao

In 2017, Hobbs Kessler joined Skyline track and cross country as a freshman. In 2021, he broke four minutes in the mile, gained a sponsorship from Adidas, and competed in the Olympic trials. Last week I got the opportunity to interview Kessler about his meteoric rise to running stardom, and am excited to share what he had to say about it in this article.

For some background, I myself run track and cross country for Skyline, and I ran with Hobbs for three years. Hobbs is a genuine person, on and off the track. He doesn’t care what people think about him, he always jokes and laughs during long runs, and has consistent values and ideals. After a meet, you might find him wearing rain boots doing one handed pull ups off a tree, or playing tag with some random kids. I’ve seen him a few times this year at practice, and obviously during the interview over Facetime, and I’m happy to say that he hasn’t changed much even with his newfound international attention, he’s gained over 18,000 followers on Instagram over the past couple of years.

When I asked Hobbs about the transition from high school running to professional running with Adidas, he answered, “It wasn’t too big of a transition, I was surrounded by the same people like Ron and the VNTC guys. Running’s my job now though, so I can’t just not show up to practice if I don’t feel like it.”

Ron Warhurst is Hobbs’ coach, and leader of The Very Nice Track Club (VNTC), a running club with several Ann Arbor based professional athletes. He is the stereotypical legendary old mentor that you might see in a martial arts movie; chock full of experience and wisdom. Warhurst served in Vietnam, coached track for Michigan, has coached multiple Olympic athletes, and is also our assistant coach here at Skyline.

Hobbs is all smiles after leading out the pack during a meet at Saline.

Hobbs Kessler

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Because of the high quality coaching between Ron and Hobb’s father and head coach Mike Kessler at Skyline, the shift to pro running with VNTC wasn’t too extreme for Hobbs. He described his time on the Skyline team as “a very important experience for me. I was surrounded by a really good group of guys that were fun to run with. It was a great social outlet for me.” Hobbs has found a similar positive experience with VNTC. While running at this level might seem intimidating to some, Hobbs is no stranger to high level competition. Oddly enough, he is also a brilliant rock climber. In 2019, he represented the USA at the IFSC Climbing Youth World Championships in Arco, Italy. “[Climbing] has given me some arm strength, and competing in Italy gave me a good experience competing at a world class level.” It seems he has taken these advantages in stride, breaking the national indoor 1600 meter run highschool record with a time of 3.57.66, and receiving the 2021 Gatorade National Player of the Year in Michigan for boys track and field as a senior.

Since he has gone pro, Hobbs has been able to mark several high level races to his resume, mostly running his best event: the 1500 meter run. His most notable races were his appearances at the 2021 Olympic trials in Oregon last summer. To qualify for the Olympics in the 1500, you must advance through three races by placement. Hobbs won his first race in an amazing kick at the end, but fell short of qualifying in the second round. According to Hobbs, “The trials didn’t go that great, but it was a really fun experience.” Even though the trials didn’t go the way he wanted them to, his results were phenomenal for an eighteen year old runner.

However, Hobbs still isn’t satisfied. His next biggest goal lies in Paris, for the 2024 summer Olympics. He not only plans on qualifying, but medaling in the 1500 for team USA. So, when you’re sitting at home watching the 1500 in 2024, make sure to look for H. Kessler on your TV. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

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The Skyline Post

Skyline Track and Field: What t The Spring Season brings floods of new sports, fresh out of winter pre-season training. And with this, of course, comes track. With a massive team and dozens of events, track is, well, hard to keep track of. So what’s going on behind the scenes this upcoming season? Who should we be keeping an eye on? What is the track team’s record and what can we expect this year to look like?

team, Kessler listed sophom Cunningham as players to ke and leader of the sprint crew more “[who] is running reall Cross Country State team las the 5k, which is a total distan

With a program that has produced successful athletes, we are sure to have high expectations for the upcoming season. Boys’ Coach Michael Lyall remarked that “My goal as a coach is to get the most kids out for our sport.”

On and off the track, there a leadership roles. In the inco For the boys, the captains ar although Lyall is considering ham leads the sprint crew, a Donnally lead the distance c captains on the Cross Count that junior Emily Green “has ongoing indoor sprinting pr

Girls’ Coach Serena Kessler explained her field of expertise; “I specifically coach distance runners. For my specific group I’m coaching, I’d like to take a relay to states like we did last year. I’d like to have more individuals qualify for states than we did last year.” The Skyline distance crew “[has] been the strength of our team,” Lyall remarked later, saying the Kessler family played a large role in that. The Kesslers are a big running family. Both Serena and Mike Kessler are head coaches for the Skyline cross country team, Mike the boys coach and Serena the girls coach. Serena Kessler also has attended the Olympic Trials and qualified for multiple other events. Their son, Hobbes Kessler, is a professional runner who attended the Olympic Trials and has a signed deal with Adidas. Natalie Kessler, a junior at Community High School, is one of the cross country team’s fastest runners, with a personal record of in the 5k. Natalie also is a pole vaulter for the Skyline Track and Field Team.

So we know the overview of what to expect. But what about athletes? Who can we expect to stand out this upcoming season? In response to this question, Lyall listed sophomore Luke Suliman, juniors Nico Fry and Christopher Van Lent, and Seniors Sanjay Rao and Alex Ball as highlight players to look out for this Spring. On the girls Skyline coaches watch over a meet.

Suzzane Divine

While people generally pay sports, there are often many high expectations for. Lyall n tending offseason workouts. of our top freshmen,” Kessle season, made varsity, [and] w

Lyall noted that the SEC con competitive. “We’re gonna b Lyall explained, compared t up coming in at 4th in the st sport but also an individual and losses as much.”

One key aspect of Track that events. In terms of athletes w some good young talent and much else was mentioned du more details. “We have a cre Kessler, Emily Greene, Sophia

expect big improvements from Kessler, Greene, and Christens

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to Expect this Upcoming Season

more Allison Mayer and senior Sydney eep a lookout for. Cunningham is a Senior w, Kessler explained. Mayer is a sopholy really well right now.” Mayer was on the st Fall, finishing with a time of 19:13 for nce of 3.1 miles.

Alexandria Mason

are always athletes that take on large oming season, who will be the captains? re Sanjay Rao and Christopher Van Lent, g adding a third. For the girls, Cunningand Seniors Nadya Babushkin and Caitlyn crew. Babushkin and Donnally were both try team last fall. Kessler also mentioned s taken on a leadership role” during the ractices.

more attention to upperclassmen within y incoming freshmen the coaches have noted that a lot of freshmen have been at. Kessler highlighted Ayla Balazer. As “one er explained, “she had an outstanding XC was our number four runner at states.”

nference, which Skyline is a part of, is very be a better overall as a team this year,” to last Spring’s results. The boys still ended tate. As Kessler notes of track, “It’s a team sport. We don’t really focus on team wins

t people often forget about is the field within this subsection of track, ¨We got d some big shoes to fill,¨ says Lyall. Not during the interview. Kessler provided ew of 4 returning pole vaulters- Natalie

a Nielsen, and Bryn Christensen- that we m with a year of experience under their belts. sen will also compete in high jump.”

Nico Fry taking the lead.

Suzzane Divine

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The Skyline Post

Lifestyle Page 25 Skyline Counselors Input on Virtual School Page 26 Stress throughout the school Page 27 Sneaker Culture

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“Take a breath”:

Skyline Counselors Give Their Input On Virtual School Students have struggled to face the realities of online school since the rise of Covid. Skyline has had to close down school on multiple occasions due to rising case counts, forcing students to quickly transition back and forth between in person classes and virtual classes. Skyline counselors have done everything in their power to aid their students in these difficult times.

Liza Dedvukaj and Jacinta Nafziger, Innovation counselors at Skyline, have both had numerous students come to them about these stressful times.

“Just take a breath and realize that we are all struggling,” says Dedvukaj. “It’s a crazy time and it is important, honestly, to put your mental health first.

Work with your counselors and teachers…we are here to help support you. You are not in this alone.”

When asked what advice she would give to students who are feeling overwhelmed with online classes, Nafziger said, “Don’t give up, we are in this together and there are a lot of resources out there for all of us to get through it.”

A recent report by 17 national mental health organizations (NPR, 2/16/22) rated how well schools are handling the ongoing mental health crisis in young people. The states were ranked based on how much they are doing to contribute to the goal of helping students. Colorado was ranked one of the highest because and Georgia was ranked one of the lowest.

Georgia has not put many policies regarding bullying or mental health in place. Colorado has leveraged Medicaid to cover school-based mental health care for all eligible students. They also implemented anti-bullying policies and the schools are instructed to address any discimination that goes on. Michigan lies somewhere in the middle in this national ranking.

According to the NPR report, the recommended ratio is 1 psychologist for every 500 students. The recommended ratio from students to counselors is 1:250.

Casey Elmore, an SLC principal said “Our counselors have around 200-250 students on their caseload.” According to the recommended ratios, Skyline is doing great. This report emphasizes the importance of mental health in students and raises our awareness of it.

One reason students struggle is because of the lack

Emily Krese, Dalen Patterson

of in person interaction. “Students need that interaction amongst each other,” says Dedvukaj. “Students miss the pre-covid normal school day, seeing friends, teachers, counselors, and staff. I feel like being isolated during a time like this is really stressful and I think that one of the things students get most anxious about is not having their peers to talk to during such a stressful time,” Dedvukaj continues.

Nafziger also noted, “There’s a lot that we miss in the virtual world especially because we respect students’ privacy and you don’t have to have your cameras on, so you miss out on getting to know each other and supporting each other… So, we miss things when we are online.”

If you are feeling anxious, stressed, overwhelmed or just need someone to talk to, please know students are always welcome to come into the counselor’s office or talk to a social worker. You can find them in the A and C hallways on the third and fourth floor.

They are eager to help those who are struggling.

Emily Kreese, Junseok Lee getting back into the swing of in-person school studying in the library.

Lucas Caswell

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The Skyline Post

Opinion: Students and Teachers Alike Dealing with Stress

Alexis Wheeler

“Some of the teachers add a lot of work and then don’t give a lot of time and it makes school stressful,” says 10th grader Hannah Vig.

of kids had trouble getting off of their devices to focus on class. Some slept through class or kept putting off assignments until there were too many.

School can affect students’ mental health. A lot of the times teachers will pile up work that the students don’t understand. Teachers don’t always explain things fully, which makes it hard for kids to learn and get a good understanding.

“A lot of times I had trouble getting off of my phone and didn’t pay attention to classes,” reports one anonymous Skyline student.

Teachers can sometimes tell their students aren’t feeling good, but not always. Students aren’t always comfortable talking to teachers about their grades or how they’re overwhelmed with the class work. Teachers should give check ups for their classes, to see how the class is doing.

What are other ways teachers and schools can do better to help students?

Many students have suggested that teachers should offer breaks during a class and offer more ways to help students like making study sessions and offering a little help to people who need it. “Ï think Wednesday’s should be a catch up day,” says Shayan, a 9th grader at Skyline. Some staff have suggested Skyline make Wednesdays be more of a catch up/relaxing day for students, which is very helpful.

“Students have come up to me to say that their teachers have been allowing Wednesdays to be a free day to work on whatever they need and we really like that,” says counselor Ms.Bass.

In person might seem like the worst thing ever to some, but it may be easier in some cases. In person, we don’t really have a choice whether or not to do the work. We don’t have the option of putting it off and saying “I’ll do it later.”

But it wasn’t just hard for students. According to teachers, it was hard getting a hold of students when they weren’t turning things in or showing up to class. It’s also hard to tell how students are feeling behind screens unless they say something. It’s also a lot of work going in person then virtual because you have to make assignments for both in person and virtual.

Teachers usually have big classes. The more students you have, the more assignments you have to grade. That can take hours. Plus teachers have lives outside of school, just like kids do: there is life stress like children and bills and whatnot.

With that being said, school overall can be a stressful thing for not just students, but teachers as well. Sometimes school is not easy and it can be hard, but don’t stress yourself too much.

Our school has been putting an effort into students’ mental health by making a quiet space for kids to go to when they need it. They also offer peer-to-peer, a group for kids to go to when they need people to talk to.

Two years ago when Covid-19 first hit, we went on lockdown for a year and faced online schooling. During online schooling, people have had bad and good experiences.

To start off with some good experiences: we all loved the fact that we could sleep in and of course do school in bed. Plus, we didn’t have to interact with people when we didn’t want to. At first online schooling seemed great and it started off good and fun But… with virtual school you’re at home so there are a lot more distractions. You could get sidetracked easily. A lot

Serenia Kessler and Peyton Hardy working in class.

Lucas Caswell

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Sneaker Culture at Skyline Waleska Martinez

“Getting my Jordan 11 ‘Gym red’ was probably the hardest to get,” said Junior Jayden Potts. “So I had to wait at a Footlocker an hour away. I arrived at 5 am…they opened the store at 10 am.”

“Sneakerheads” will wait in line for hours or even days. The thrill is opening the shoe box. The wrinkle sounds of unfolding.

The leathery smell of the sneakers.

This is the sneaker culture, developed for teens who want to have the hottest releases in their shoe collection. Since the 1980s, celebrities have kept this art intact, keeping people on their toes as they touch the courts to the playoff. Shoes tell a story, with a backbeat of musical artists.

Gen Z has shaped the evolution of sneakers to form a platform that new generations can express themselves in. When sneakerheads go to a mall such as Briarwood or Twelve Oaks to enter the sneakers stores, the difference for this new age is that it is unlikely to find the unique pieces that students usually don’t have. Sneakerheads are looking for more options that aren’t just white Air Forces or the Air Max 97’s.

As the culture of sneakers continues to grow in Michigan, students often explore smaller businesses that resell the shoes that most students weren’t able to purchase when they came out the first time. Cities such as Dearborn have stores like Sneaker Legends that keep their business going by purchasing sneakers are rare or competitively priced.

Teens at Skyline spend hundreds of dollars from sellers just to buy the shoes that are popular for the season.

“Jordans have always been a staple in Black culture because it’s the streetwear

aesthetic,” said Mckenzie Browning, Skyline junior.

“Reselling shoes for a higher price is honestly a scam because people make almost no more than the price of the original shoe only because it’s trendy.”

As the market for shoes is increasing, students at Skyline have noticed that the more popular a shoe becomes, the more expensive it will be for not only the silhouette but the shoe size. Big companies like Stockx and GOAT have individual resellers, boutiques, and retailers that list their products for sale on the marketplace. Buyers peruse the listings after they ship their resale products for authentication.

Even though these companies have any sneakerhead’s dream collection, the prices may vary on the day that the shoe is purchased. Often, there is also a ridiculous charge of $13.50 for shipping on top of the price of the actual shoe. This has caused sneakerheads to strategize techniques to keep stocking up on the sneakers by finding the best “plugs” in

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their nearest cities.

“Most I’ve spent like 400. But I’m not gonna spend a crazy amount on shoes unless I really want them. I can’t do that knowing there are people out there who can’t pay their bills but I have a plug so I will always get a good price on whatever I want.”

The story of a student’s journey with sneakers starts right in their own backyard, with memories of the first pair of shoes they were given as a kid. It builds up each time you size up: a new step for all the shoes that are worn.

A big part of sneaker culture is how you wear the shoes, but the most important part is to make sure that sneakers are a piece in the outfit that can define your personality.

The best way to style sneakers is to “Dress in a way that makes you feel special but also comfortable. Make it unique,” said Browning.

What students at Skyline wear on their feet

(top left) Myree Pratt’s Air Force 1s (top right) Job Munongo Air Force1s (bottom) Leyla Williams Adidas Lucas Caswell

The Skyline Post

sets the culture and keeps trends alive. People debate the worth of spending a significant amount of money collecting shoes that will dust in clear displacement boxes, or the need of having the latest styles, but sneakerheads always have a place in the history of sneakers.

“As far as pop culture and how to dress, there’s a lot of influencers out there who wear sneakers with fire outfits and I think so many people want to replicate that look because it’s easy and looks good,” said Diarra, a Senior at Skyline High School.

The first thing that many students see when meeting someone is the sneakers that they chose to wear. No matter how much dirt or how clean the sneakers are, it shows a blend of style, comfort, and the representation of the culture of sneakers.

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Arts

Page 30 Spider-man Across the Spider-verse Page 32 Neil Peart Tribute Page 33 “Spider-man: No Way Home”

Page 34 What do Skyline Students Listen To? Survey Says: EVERYTHING! Page 36 Tyler, the Creator’s CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST Page 38 Wido

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The Skyline Post

Spider-man Across the Spider-verse in theaters on October 7th

Raising the Question: Is Marvel whitewashing their characters?

Jade Flores, Sammi Perkins Spiraling through the multiverse once again, Miles Morales is back for his 2nd feature film. Spider-man Across the Spider-verse swings into theaters on October 7th, 2022.

Accompanied by Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spidermen, Miles and Gwen encounter as they travel through the spider-verse filled with hundreds of different dimensions.

Miles was first brought to our screens in December 2018 in Spiderman Into the Spider-verse, as our first Afro-Latino superhero in the MCU. The new trailer for across the Spider-Verse was released on December 4th, 2021, prompting many opinions from our student body.

Wallpaperink

“The trailer was very engaging and made me want to watch the new movie,” senior Andre Jenkins said.

him in Across the spider-verse, where his curls are looser and less textured. We asked our peers if they had any comments on his new appearance. Did Miles Morales seem to be “white-washed”?

Across also features a different animation style as opposed to Into the first movie. We noticed the first film having a solid darker base of colors, while the second production has lighter colors and more blurs added.

“I noticed the skin tone change and it could be just a switch in the animation styles but the hair texture change was unnecessary,” said senior Sydney Cunningham.

“The animation seemed more similar to the comic book and seemed more stop motion compared to the first movie,” Jenkins said.

“I did notice a change in the hair texture and it could be a budget change but I don’t think it was a coincidence,” Marcell Porter, a senior, said.

The first film took 4 years to animate. Sony animators ended up editing Miles in a different structure of frames per second, which is the speed of how images are shown for example: 12 frames per second. This is how many FPS miles started off in Into the Spider-verse.

Now pointing out the change in a character’s skin color or hair texture may seem like an odd factor to point out solely because many people don’t find a problem with it, but it is a very common issue. In general, movies based on comics often make racist “mistakes” in correctly casting characters of color.

For example the casting of the Ancient One, In Doctor Strange.

Due to the elaborate style of the Spider-verse, it took the animation team a month to create 4 seconds, where it usually takes a week.

“I noticed different colors in the [Across] trailer: brighter oranges, and greens,” acclaimed Senior Matayia Newbern.

Looking at the new trailer, The Skyline Post noticed a change in Morales’ skin tone and hair texture. The earlier Miles’s curls were tighter and had a lot more texture as opposed to

Doctor Strange is about a surgeon who gets into a car crash and loses his ability to use his hands prompting him to go to Kamar-taj, a city in Nepal that contains a sanctum where he has the chance to heal his hands.

He comes across the ancient one also known as. The sorcerer supreme. The Ancient One was an Asian man in the comics yet in the Doctor Strange movie he was changed into a white woman.

From the X-Men to the MCU, Marvel has a history of inaccurately casting their POC characters, taking ethnic comic book characters and changing their

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identity in live-action movies. For example, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff are both Romani-Jewish. Both traits were stripped off in the Marvel films. Iron Man 3 contains a character named The Mandarin who is Asian in the comics, yet white in the films.

Miles Morales was and still is a character many people were excited to see, which is why his appearance is meaningful to many. To watch the little amount of your representation get taken away whether it was on purpose or just happened can be a hurtful experience, which many social media users expressed.

“The change in Miles Morales’ hair texture may not seem like a big deal but it is,” Twitter user “Tentacaulous” stated. “It reinforces anti-black narratives surrounding textures and the idea of bad hair ‘Pelo malo,’ which is deeply engraved in Puerto Spider-verse quote culture. It might seem subtle but it is NOT.” Anti-Black narratives have been engraved in the industry for a fair amount of time, whether it be the Black sidekick who is never given a chance to develop, or given a plethora of stereotypical personality .

Like Maria Rambeau who accompanied Carol Danvers in 2019’s Captain Marvel. Rambeau in the comics is a black female superhero with a whole series, Captain Marvel- Monica Rambeau. Maria got 11 minutes of screentime and died before being able to develop into a key character.

Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers’ sidekick for 9 years before becoming Captain America himself, was overlooked by fans for Bucky Barnes.

When these problems are not occuring, they are whitewashed which is why so many people were upset about the change in Miles Morales´ look.

Seeing any Spiderman movie brought into the MCU excites many people as much as bringing a Black

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Wallpaperink

character does. So when a Black character’s look is changed to possibly appeal to white audiences, it’s wrong. Afro-Latino characters are hard to come across, especially superhero ones. When given a character of representation it brings comfort in people and a sense of reality, because the whole world consists of different skin tones and ethnicities. Removing this diverse representation affects the demographic it was made for (Afro-Latinos) only to benefit one who wasn’t the ideal viewer for the character (white people).

Even if the change isn’t intentional, this is not the first time this has happened, especially with Marvel characters. There are hundreds of comic book characters in Marvel that have not been used. In each Marvel project new characters are brought to life, yet they lack what they had in the comics and that is their original identity.

Although Marvel has added new characters of color, whitewashing or attempted whitewashing still occurs.

In Black Panther, Marvel’s first Black-led movie, they attempted to cast a lighter actress to play Shuri, Black Panther’s younger sister. In the new Doctor Strange Multiverse of Madness, a character named America Chavez who is often portrayed as Afro-Latino in the comics is not being played by an Afro-Latino actress.

Marvel’s attempts to be inclusive seem to consist of replacing white comic book characters with characters of color in their live-action films, or changing the character’s gender, instead of writing them their own backstory and plot.

Whether the hair and skin color change of Miles Morales was intentional or not, made to be similar to the comic book, or more appealing, the problem of casting characters of color remains. Our question still stands: “is Marvel whitewashing their characters?”

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The Skyline Post

Legendary Drummer Neil Peart: One Fan’s Tribute

Andres Marquez-Collins

Their message can make an impact on anyone who listens, which is why they were such an influential band despite their absence from the mainstream. Rush is best known for their full sound, complex melodies, and cryptic lyrics. However, my favorite aspects are their fantasy epics.

One of those epics is called 2112, my favorite Rush song. It’s a 20 minute long, 7-part song depicting a dystopian future where art is outlawed as a distraction from work. This piece is still relevant today, as people are forced to work long hours with no time for self-fulfillment.

1970s Neil Pert Unssplash

January 7th, 2020. A couple months before lockdown, the world lost one of the greatest rock drummers ever to have existed. Neil Peart, talented drummer and lyricist for the band Rush, passed away from brain cancer. His loss shocked the music world, and still leaves ripples today.

Rush, as declared by the Recording Industry Association of America, holds the third-longest run of consecutive gold or greater albums by a rock band, yet their impact was not limited to album sales.

Witch Hunt, while contrasting in length to 2112, is still heavy with contemporary meaning.

It’s based on the Salem witch trials of the 17th century, with a final message that “ignorance… prejudice, and fear walk hand in hand.” This message, along with the theme of authority preaching hatred, is unfortunately still relevant today.

I wanted to feature Neil Peart to honor his accomplishments, and to encourage those curious to listen to the songs he wrote. Hopefully, his music will change others like it changed me.

Even though it’s been 7 years since Rush’s final tour, the fanbase has not died. According to Billboard magazine, Rush’s streams increased by 776% in the days following the announcement of Peart’s death. Google Trends provides similar data, showing that search frequency for the band remains heightened after the announcement.

There was even a radio station on SiriusXM that played only Rush songs.

I found a similar pattern in my own music rotation. Ever since I discovered Rush, I have been enthralled by their music. Even after two years, they still dominate my playlist. When I made a new Spotify account, I went through their entire discography and added every song I enjoy, totaling about 75.

2010s Neil Pert Harm Jagersma (Pintrest)

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“Spider-man: No Way Home” Shocks the Masses with a Great Ending Packed with Action and Surprises Spider-man No Way Home is worth watching.

While Marvel fans will enjoy this movie, it’s a must see for those who call Spider-Man their favorite hero. This is possibly the most intense Spider-Man film within Marvel. It’s packed with action, surprise, and will send you on an emotional roller coaster.

This movie is about Spider man, aka Peter Parker. No Way Home starts right after the events of Far From Home, which takes place during Peter’s summer vacation in 2024.

The film concludes by showing Peter and MJ officially being a couple, and we even get to see their first date: a swing through the streets of NYC. When Spider Man’s identity gets revealed he wants to keep his spider man identity and his normal life separate. He asks Doctor Strange for help: he wants to make the world forget who Spider-man is. The spell goes horribly wrong and shatters the multiverse, bringing in monstrous villains that could destroy the world so Spider-man has to save the day. The stakes become even more dangerous forcing Spider-Man to become resourceful.

I was skeptical after watching Far From Home because I couldn’t see Marvel topping a movie as good as that. I was extremely surprised by No

Wiki Commons

Elizabeth Smith

Way Home: it nailed every expectation I had and more.

The Emotional depth in Spider Man is shown when a major character dies. The audience also gets to see the decisions he had to make during the movie when he had to save the multiverse.

These factors made a great movie.

Senior and Marvel fan Sammi Perkins commented, “I felt pretty good about the spider-man movie. It was put together very well and caught my attention from all the trailers beforehand. I’ḿ a marvel fan So I loved it and enjoyed the film.”

Skyline student Chris Stuckman agreed that No Way Home was one of the best movies. He watched all the old spider-man movies before this one and said that No Way Home will definitely be rewatched by him multiple times.

No Way Home is a wonderful movie. It not only has the action that comes with a marvel film but it is also a walk down memory lane for long-time viewers. Marvel fans are going to love it. If you like drama, that’s covered well. This action/ suspenseful movie will keep you on the edge of your seat. For those who don’t like Marvel movies, you’re not going to fancy it because it’s filled with superheroes and packed with action.

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The Skyline Post

What do Skyline Students Listen To? Survey Says: EVERYTHING!

Hasan Alsamerai

Through a highly scientific and very precise survey asking 105 Skyline students to share their favorite song and genre of late 2021–early 2022, The Skyline Post has discovered that students’ music tastes differ greatly. Almost every song students named was unique, and many students named genres that differ from the “big ones.”

The responses held many different stories.

There were almost no repeats in songs or artists, and everyone’s reasoning behind a favorite song differed.

which can tease new albums, or in Rodrigo’s case, even directly reference the introductions to Swift’s music videos.

Happier by Olivia Rodrigo was junior Nina Taleb Bendiab’s, favorite song. “I love this song because it is so emotional, and the type you can scream to in the car and make the best memories from.”

One sophomore stated, “This The only real repeats in favorites were two was a big year for Taylor artists and two genres: Taylor Swift and Olivia Swift because she is slowly earning Rodrigo. Both had five students (10.5% of the the rights to her songs back by retotal responses) list a favorite song of theirs. recording them. This is perfect for every Taylor fan because we get to These experience the old songs in a new two artway.” ists borrow tech- Swift is also producing longer niques songs. “The new lyrics are very from poetic and raw, and 10 minutes each of Taylor gets no complaints from other, me,” said Halle Woodard, a sophosuch as more. putting in “EasThe genres that were chosen as ter eggs” favorites more often were Hip Hop in her and Pop, 59.1% of students enjoyed music these genres over others. and music videos 25.7% of students enjoyed genres Wiki Commons – hidden that aren’t considered “big,” ranging from features J-pop, Neo-soul, Lofi, to even Disney Olivia Rodrigo Wiki Commons

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Soundtracks. 17 students mentioned very small genres, such as shoegaze and art pop.

Shoegaze is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock that focuses more on volume and guitar distortion.

Art pop is a form of pop that emphasizes a mix of gestures, signs, and high and low vocals; there was an “art pop movement” in the mid 1960s. The most popular artist from this genre is Kate Bush. However, earlier, the Beatles began to incorporate the ideas of the art pop movement into their recordings.

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The indie genre had many students who liked variations of indie. These included Oxford indie, indie rock, and indie pop.

When asked why she likes oxford indie in the survey, junior Shelby Basset responded with perhaps my favorite response in the whole survey: “I honestly don’t know.”

It was really enjoyable to see all the variation in musical tastes among Skyline students.

I am both happy and proud that everyone’s taste is so different. It makes conversations fun and keeps friends learning new things about each other.

This survey was eye-opening, seeing as many people including myself would have thought that high-schoolers only listened to rap.

Two students put Taylor Swift as their favorite genre. Swift is a very popular artist, but a whole genre?

That’s impressive. Swift even has a I’m glad that it turns out that this is not the 10 minute song. Whether this clas- case. sifies her as her own genre remains unknown.

Many students also liked in-between genres. These genres can include mixes of two genres or a different style of one genre. The in-between genres that repeated were Indie and rap.

Matthew Christiansen, a freshman, liked “Hurricane” by Kanye ft. The Weeknd and Lil Baby, which features both rap and vocals because “it has an amazing rap verse by Kanye and The Weeknd’s vocals are outstanding. Also the glitching effect with the backing track tie[s] the song together!”

Taylor Swift Republic Records

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Tyler, the Creator's CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST

When Tyler, the Creator released his seventh album CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST in June of 2021, it was apparent that he had everything he could ever ask for as an aspiring artist: a recent Grammy win, increasing fame, and a surplus of money.

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Mame Diarra Seye

stantly traveling around the world by jet planes – something most people don’t get to spend their time doing.

Throughout the album, Tyler becomes increasingly vulnerable to his audience, talking more than just about his wealth. Although he does start “CORSO” by bragging once again Tyler’s success over time remains a consis- about his multiple Rolls Royce cars, he begins to tent theme throughout the album, not only heard dive deeper into his feelings about his failed love through the grandiose instrumentals but also life and how he copes. In the third verse of through Tyler bragging about, “Cookie crumbs in the song, Tyler raps, “‘Bout to spend millions the Rolls, jet-fuel-scented vest / Swim trunks in just to fill voids up [...] Remembered I the trunk, Geneva water the best / The passport was rich, so I bought me some new lookin’ thick, the afro need a pick”. Tyler has emotions / And a new boat ‘cause I’d absolutely no shame in talking about his lavish rather cry in the ocean,” explaining lifestyle that consists of expensive cars and conhow his extreme materialism is an attempt to cope with his sadness.

Initially released as a teaser to the album drop, “SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE” is a two-part song, which is something that Tyler has added on every 10th track of every album. “SWEET” portrays the peak of his love for the woman he continues to speak about, putting the focus back on his relationship struggles.

2022 Tyler, the Creator concert in Detroit Dirarra Seye

The song transitions into “I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE” and Tyler learns that the woman of his interest chose to stay with her partner. Although Tyler desperately wants to be with the woman, he understands that she cannot immediately leave her current partner for him, “I want you so bad, but not too fast / It’s not your fault, we can’t pretend /

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Because we both in the wrong.” This newfound heartbreak causes Tyler to second guess whether he wants the relationship or not.

“WILSHIRE,” the second-longest track on the album, tells the story of the failed relationship in great detail. Throughout the entire track, the theme of traveling is kept up as Tyler refers to multiple foreign locations. But during this, he explains the way he and the woman met up, her questionable behavior while spending time with him, their fallout, and the inevitable sadness Tyler faced after it all.

Not very many artists can capture the exuberant flair that Tyler, the Creator can.

Although he started out as a controversial and underground artist with a small fan base, Tyler has made his way up the ladder of stardom with time, persistence, and the ability to stay true to himself despite the pressures of the media.

Throughout the album, listeners are presented with sounds ranging from opulent and calming to grimy and chaotic. Overall, the production fits the versatility of the storyline, and the many features including Lil Uzi, NBA YoungBoy, Lil Wayne, and Teezo Touchdown gives a wide variety of distinguished styles worth listening to.

CALL ME IF

Dirarra Seye

YOU GET LOST as a whole is diverse, emotional, and creative, with a little bit of something for everyone.

I was lucky enough to see Tyler, the Creator as well as Vince Staples, Kali Uchis, and Teezo Touchdown live on February 28th at the Little Caesar’s Arena for the CMIYGL tour. Overall the performances were phenomenal. I was excited to see the other artists as they all feature on the album.

Not only did Tyler play his newest songs, but he played many throwbacks all the way from 2011. Tyler’s stage presence and use of props definitely raised the energy. He entered the stage in his own Rolls Royce and went in between the two stages on a boat!

I will probably go to Tyler’s concerts until the day I can no longer stand.

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Wido - Field Day Album Review + Interview

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Raven Marin

Introduction Out of all the artists I have gotten to know within the hyperpop scene, Wido (pronounced widow) has been one of my favourites to not only listen to but also get to know as a person. I first was introduced to his music through his production for Afourteen’s song “!” off their album “Dalee,” “!” was by far my favourite song on the album and piqued my curiosity about hearing Wido’s solo music. Looking up their name on SoundCloud I came across their double single “the dead’s after party,” this was one of my first introductions to hyperpop. I checked out every release he dropped from that point on, including iconic songs from that era like “paintings,” “goblin ?,” and “push it”.

Biography “I started making music in late 2016 with a software called LMMS” states Wido in my interview with him. “A few years of making beats and improving I started uploading type beats to YouTube,” In early 2020 Wido started making his way into the hyperpop scene. He joined the collective slowsilver03, started by fellow artists kurtains

Picture of Wildo via Instagram

and glaive. At this time hyperpop was seeing the growth of many collectives such as NovaGang, GoonnCity, graveem1nd, Bloodhounds, mommworld, and slowsilver03.

In summer 2020, Wido participated in one of the largest multi-collective collaborations, a song titled “RED,” featuring 19 artists from Bloodhounds, NovaGang, GoonnCity, slowsilver03, and Midnight Society. The attention that “RED” received propelled Wido and fellow artists into prominence. It wasn’t long before Wido started receiving millions of streams cross-platform on his songs (ex. “push it” and “goblin ?”).

With this newfound fame, Wido got to work on his EP “through your eyes” which was released on June 21, 2020, with five tracks in total with one track “acceptance” featuring fellow vocalist and producer dœgægé.

Album Review “Field Day” as a complete project is a massive improvement from Wido’s previous album “Decision Making”. When I asked Wido how he feels his music has evolved since “Decision Making”, he said “I take more time writing lyrics and creating something that fits the beat I’m layering my vocals over. I just think my music is more mature and I feel I can treat some topics in a better way, not necessarily (in) a more mature way, but a way that gets whatever message across in a better way. Not only in terms of lyrics though, but also the beats,” Two singles that were released after “Decision Making” were “Scary” and “who was”, Wido cites these songs as the moment that he began the process of further developing his sound prior to “Field Day”. “For a long time, I overanalyzed my music and fell into a big depression. But I kept practicing and practicing, just didn’t release anything. I think that depression combined with practicing and analyzing my old music overall shaped the album,” The introduction track “Chrysalis” sets the tone for the rest of the album, it’s reminiscent of Wido’s previous

Feburary 2022 songs such as “MEAN WORD HARM” and “Caretaking” but with a polished finish that provides a pleasant listening experience. The main focus of the song is Wido’s evolution as a person. This process is described in a metaphorical sense, as a butterfly. This chrysalis symbolizes the shell that Wido finds himself trapped in when he tries to express himself. Wido evolved his craft in a similar fashion as a butterfly, maturing in a chrysalis.

He emerges as a newly developed musician.

The second track on “Field Day” is titled “Crush on me,” featuring the Welsh artist kurtians. The placement of “Crush on me” switches up the flow of the album to a more adagio and mellow ambiance. The opening chorus is delivered by kurtians in a vocal cadence that is very reminiscent of his solo music with songs such as “axel ocelot” and “upside down”. This signature style is composed of simple drum n bass percussion with a stripped-down synth melody and overlayed with soft vocals. kurtians starts in his opening chorus that I can only describe as an almost egotistical, yet humble way of talking about people taking interest in him “They got a crush on me/ Eyes on me, fixed on me/ Try to relax like one, two, three/ They got a crush on me, She want me, he want me/ There’s no denying, I’m a beast/” For me, the ending word “beast” is what ties this whole chorus together as kurtians is acknowledging the fact that many people find him attractive.

I asked Wido to describe his experience

The cover of “Field Day”. (Cover by Wido)

39 with kurtians during this song’s production, he said “The kurtains song had been done for over a year and as we have been making music together for a while the process was very fluent and easy,” My second favourite song on “Field Day” was “Crush It Up Put It In My Hands”. While the song’s lyrical content may seem lacking, this song truly shines in its production. The opening chorus drew me in on my first listen “Wo-Wo-Woke up in the noon, I feel exhausted/ Wo-Wo-Woke up with the world on the mattress,” Wido implements vocal glitches, reminiscent of his earlier music, even though there has been a heated debate amongst hyperpop listeners about whether vocal glitches are tackey. I feel like the vocal glitches really give the song some volume to it, it draws in a first-time listener.

My favourite song on the album “I Was Born To,” The opening of the song throws you right into the chorus, complemented by a hard-hitting synth that perfectly complements the energy of Wido’s vocals.

This song wouldn’t be complete without Wido’s confidence. Flexing is a common trope in modern music. But Wido flexes, he does it nonchalantly and almost in an aura of class. “I was outside countin’ all these fuckin’ blues/ I was strangled in the car and then it flew, flew, flew,” and “Bartender got my name written in her damn head … And it’s March, 21, 22, 23/ The weeks just pass like days/ Ah, yeah, to what degree,” This song perfectly represents Wido’s growth not only in his artistry but in his self-confidence.

“Mason Crazy Person” couldn’t have been a better choice for an outro song. It carries a similar ambiance as “Crush It Up Put It In My Hands” and “I Was Born To” but is introduced with a gradual crescendo. This is a perfect transition from the previous song “Nothing Forever” in contrast is a very mellow and slow-paced song.

The change is so heavy that it causes a listener to feel an almost uncomfortable shock, the sudden change in cadence may throw someone off on their first listen.

There are a couple of things with “Field Day” that I feel could have made it a more cohesive project (not that it isn’t cohesive already).

Although these reasons are arguably nitpicky it’s

40 the fine details that really polish a project to the best of its ability.

First, I feel that one of Wido’s songs that were released following ‘Scary’ titled “Come on stacy” would have been a great addition to the project. “Come on stacy” follows the same energy and flow as “Mason Crazy Person” but adds a bit of upbeat atmosphere to the production. It would have made the perfect pre-outro or outro track.

Second, I feel the arrangement could have used a little improvement. If you want to get the full experience of the album how the artist intended it, listening to it in order is the best way.

The arrangement of “Field Day” is a little bit all over the place. The transition from “Chrysalis” to “Crush on me” (to me) insinuated that the album was going to take a more mellow direction, but

The Skyline Post instead, it goes right back into energetic pacing.

The same thing happens again further down the tracklist going from “Suicide Uber” to “who was”.

I feel all the more slow/mellow songs (“Crush on me,” “Suicide Uber,” and “Nothing Forever,”) could have been placed in the same section of the tracklist to give the album a more cohesive flow.

Of the four projects Wido has released during his career “Field Day” definitely has to be my favourite. Although I would like to give credit to “Decision Making” for laying the groundwork for “Field Day”. “Decision Making” was my anthem towards the end of summer 2021, every day I would dedicate time to enjoy each and every element. Overall I give this album a 9/10.

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Book Review Page 42 “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” Page 44 “Shatter Me” Page 44 “Throne of Glass vs. A Court of Thorns and Roses” Page 46 “Normal People”

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Seven

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The s news artic news artic a Baby Gir how the m this book f Anoth book is div “Brilliant, These title will be like This b ly differen sexism, in written ch book to pe should rea

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n Husbands:

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ook You Don’t Want to Miss

rell

world doesn’t give things, you take things” is one of the many inspiring quotes with me from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. t drew me in to first read the book was the intriguing title. The book is a contemvel, where an aspiring writer, Monique Grant, gets the job of a lifetime: to interof the biggest movie stars ever, Evelyn Hugo. At first Monique is confused about was chosen, but she takes the job anyway. Once they meet, Evelyn tells Monique life story. As you continue to read the novel, you learn more about the glamorEvelyn Hugo and other characters that you will love. When I read this book I felt living in Old Hollywood. This book has many twists and turns, especially the one . second I started reading it, I was immediately hooked. The story starts off with a cle about Evelyn Hugo with the title “Evelyn Hugo to Auction off Gowns,” and the cles reappear throughout the entire story:“Evelyn Hugo and Harry Cameron Have rl!” and “Life of The Party Girl.” The news articles give you perspectives onboth media portrays Evelyn’s life and how Evelyn experiences her life, which makes fast-paced and never boring. her highlight of Reid’s writing style is how she introduces each husband. The vided into sections, one for each husband. Reid titles them,“Clever Rex North,” Kindhearted, Tortured, Harry Cameron,” and “Poor Ernie Diaz” to name a few. es give you a glimpse into what the relationship between Evelyn and the husband e. book does a perfect job of connecting the past and present, with two completent characters, Monique and Evelyn. It discusses relevant topics from today, like n Old Hollywood and in the present day. It has fast-paced chapters, amazingly haracters, and a plot that is effortly flawless. I would specifically recommend this eople who enjoy pop culture and contemporary novels, but I believe everyone ad this book. This is a book you don’t want to miss.

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Shatter Me Shatters Expectations

Phoebe Spadafore

Just like the title, this book will shatter your perception of young adult and dystopian novels. Juliette is cursed with the power of lethal touch. After 264 days of being locked up in an asylum alone, a mysterious man named Adam joins as her new cellmate. Afraid that she will hurt him, she tries everything she can to stay away from him. Then finds herself getting slowly more interested in him as the days go on.

Soon Juliette finds herself in the grasp of the Reestablishment, a power hungry government that has tricked people into believing the world is worse than it truly is. Warner, son of the Supreme Commander, wants to use Julliette as a weapon. Without any other choice, Juliette is forced to go along with Warner’s and the Reestablishment’s plans for her and her power.

Because the series is particularly complicated, sometimes it’s hard to remember that the characters are just teenagers. We are introduced to a powerful female lead on the first page in this novel. The love interest, Adam, is discrete and mysterious at first, but later on his secrets are revealed, causing tension between him and Juliette. Warner, who is obsessed with Juliette and her powers, is one of the best characters. He goes through a lot of development throughout this book and the whole series. But we really dive into his backstory in the second book, Unravel Me. The rest of the characters are sure to keep you engaged and interested, as well.

When we are introduced to these characters, Tahereh’s writing style is easy to digest but still is extremely detailed and intriguing. She includes a thorough walk through of each character’s physical features and backstory.

Especially when Juliette was introduced, her writing is simple to follow and understand.

I would recommend Shatter Me to someone who is looking for an intriguing, fast paced book that feels like a movie. For all who like dystopian, action, or romance, I suggest you read this novel.But anyone could read this and enjoy it because of its well thought-out story. Overall, Shatter Me was amazing and a great start to the series. If you don’t believe me, I guess you might just have to read it.

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The Skyline Post

Throne of Glass vs. A Court of Thorns Cate Howard

Throne of Glass

Which series is better: Throne of Gl Both fantasy series center around a stron and a carefully written plot. They’re both leave the readers wanting more. It makes amongst Sarah J. Mass fans everywhere. and for all.

Throne of Glass focuses on an infam is given the chance to earn her freedom a year. After arriving in Rifthold, a city kno of one of greatest empires in all of the co Dorian. He takes her on as his champion Adarlan’s lead assassin.

While training for the competition, the Captain of the guard, which leads to a turns brutal whensome of the contestant laena tries to keep a level head, but has tr of the whole mystery.

A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOT who accidentally kills a wolf. The wolf tu creature who is known to hate humans. T killed, comes to exact revenge. Instead o her a deal: she has to live in the faerie rea has grown up hearing stories of the faeri human, after all the world has been divid ing to provide for her two sisters and dad must deal with living in the faerie realm Both series offer strong fantasy with Glass has more of an action plot with a ro romance series and has a minor action p supporting characters. Throne of Glass is views and Acotar has a singular 1st perso In my opinion, the Throne of Glass like you have stepped through the pages in and characters you feel like are your fr is amazing, the plot disappoints. If I had be the winner; being the best fantasy YA

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s and Roses: Which is worth the read?

lass or A Court of Thorns and Roses? ng female lead with likable characters h great in their own ways and always s sense that this is a heated debate Luckily, I’m here to end this debate once

mous assassin, Celaena Sardithien. She after being in a slave camp for the past own for its beauty and wealth, the heart ontinent, she meets the crown prince n in a competition to become the king of

, Celaena is kept under strict watch of a friendship of sorts. The competition ts start to end up mysteriously dead. Cerouble when she winds up in the center

TAR) is all about Feyre, a poor huntress urns out to be fae, a magical human-like Tamlin, the friend of the wolf Feyre just of taking her life immediately, he offers alm for the rest of her life or die. Feyre ie realm and how dangerous it is for a ded for hundreds of years. Despite needd, she chooses to save herself. Now Feyre and her feelings for Tamlin. h amazing world building. Throne of omance subplot. ACOTAR is more of a plot. Both series have strong main and s told from multiple 3rd person point of on point of view. series is the better because you will feel of the book with plots you are invested riends. Even though ACOTAR’s romance to pick only one, Throne of Glass would series of the last decade.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

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Rooney: A Refreshing Take On Relationships In al People

homas

wo damaged people who long for nothing more than to be normal navigate the highs and a relationship. Normal People is emotionally draining in the best way possible. Engrossvocative, and honest, Sally Rooney’s Normal People dissects characters’ thoughts, feeld uncertainty for the future. ith every chapter jumping ahead in time, we follow two characters: Marriane, the socast, who is considered strange and daring because she is smarter than everyone and , who is athletic, popular, and cares about how others perceive him. The two become ted when Connell’s mom starts to work as a housekeeper in Marriane’s house. A setionship forms between them while in school, but it comes to a halt once they begin ity. They start to face dark, daunting barriers which cause them to spiral in different ns. It’s only when they are together that they can face themselves and the world around

he narrative is told through the inner workings of Marianne and Connell’s minds. The s exposed to their thoughts, feelings and secrets. The characters are not perfect. They ed, which is why they seemed much more real. Connell has image issues and insecuriile Marianne is too in her head. The relationship dynamic and the effect both of them each other is what makes this book so well done. When together, Marianne and Conbe their true selves, showing their personalities that complement each other. ooney carefully wrote and structured this book, showing real people with insecurities communication in a way that feels painfully true. Rooney brings tension, and emotion the simplest of scenes. She captures the full effect of a shrug, look, or nod through the rs. Rooney masters the spectrum of emotions. I went through a roller coaster of feelings ading this book; I was angry, depressed, and happy at times. ecommend this book to anyone who is prepared for the slow and sad realness of relas. Be prepared to get your heart ripped out several times then replaced back carefully as d. Though Normal People is not a perfect, happy love story, you are sure to fall in love e characters and their life. This book was a true gem of a story with endless depth.