Vol. 8, Issue 2

THE

CHARIOT

TROY HIGH SCHOOL

TROY, MI.

VOL. 8 ISSUE 2

DECEMBER 2022

Scan the QR code to read our additional online stories!

DEC. 2022

2

Cover is a graphic illustration by Anjali Sanil.

THE CHARIOT STAFF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Emma Mertz

PRINT EDITOR-IN- CHIEF Anjali Sanil GRAPHICS EDITOR Raneen AlRammahi PUBLIC RELATIONS EDITORS Ainsley Giorio and Maddy Hiser BUSINESS EDITOR Ria Gupta BODY COPY EDITORS Ria Gupta and Ashley Park

STAFF REPORTERS Malak Al-Sharabi Michelle Baik Matthew Grabowski Grace Haugk Laith Hermiz Mehereen Kaur Sally Kim Alex Kostreba Nidhi Kuchulakanti October Marquez Leena Martin Lilly Martin Aly Matuza Keira Mertz Gia Micene Sabreen Sais Megan Sims Abby Werenka ADVISOR Morgan Clark

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Skipping Around..........3 Free Flow..........3 Doing too Much..........4 English: Rewritten..........6 Losing Time..........7 Playing with Nutrition..........8 & 9 Student Athlete or Athletic Student..........10 Laith Listens..........11 The Cat in the Hat..........12 Scintillating Snowman Cakepops..........13 Family Dinner Survival Guide..........14 Are you Really in Control on Birth Control?..........15

OUR MISSION STATEMENT The Chariot is a student-produced news publication that publishes information relevant to the times as well as material that is essential to the overall well-being of its readers. It is The

Chariot’s responsibility to cover school, city, state, national and international events and issues that affect the concerns of the campus, its students and its readers.

The Chariot operates as a designated public forum for student expression. The Editorial Board, consisting of student editors, is the sole decision-making and policy-setting body of The Chariot and has final say over all content decisions.

Opinions expressed in letters to the editors represent those of the author. Letters to the editors should be typed, double-spaced and must include the author’s name, signature and class or position. Names of individuals may be withheld upon request, pending a vote of the Editorial Board. Letters may be submitted via email at troychariot@gmail.com. All letters are subject to review by the Editorial Board. Letters will not be edited except to fix space limitations. Should the Editorial Board deem a letter to be potentially libelous or containing content inappropriate for publication, it will be returned to the author with an opportunity for corrections. The Editorial Board is solely responsible for these decisions.

The Chariot’s purpose is to be the voice of the school. Its purpose is to shed light on groups and people that are not often discussed while bringing news that is important to the community.

THE VOICE OF TROY HIGH. WE SEE YOU. WE HEAR YOU. WE GET YOU.

NEWS

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Skipping Around

A look into what students and faculty at Troy High School think about skipping a class for a test.

Michelle Baik // Staff Reporter Recently, some students at Troy High School have been purposefully skipping class to avoid tests. While this practice does not technically break any rules when the student is properly excused, it has left faculty and students to feel frustrated and helpless, and raises the question of academic integrity.

Assistant Principal Brian Zawislak says that the faculty at the school has heard about the problem with students failing to go to class on test days.

Attendance Secretary Doreen Plochocki agrees with Zawislak, saying, “I am starting to see more kids this year than last year who are skipping classes for tests.” There seems to be an increasing trend.

Senior Mananya Patel states, “I think that a lot of

students skip on test days because they don’t feel prepared enough.” She goes on to mention another reason why this problem might occur, “Some students might still have questions but they might not want to ask the teacher.” Due to the lack of confidence that students might feel on test days, they might opt to take the test another time and skip that class for a day.

As a solution, Zawislak mentions, “I think that in order to maintain the integrity of what’s going on around here, I think that students should be in the classroom. When students skip and it’s unexcused, then there’s consequences for that too.” Taking into account the perspective of the students, he also states, “It’s not fair to

the students that show up that day and take that test for another student to get extra time to prepare for it.”

Patel proposes another solution: “As much as the teachers don’t want us to skip, I feel like they should address this problem.” She also shares, “I think that it is okay to skip sometimes, but if it’s happening a lot then you should find ways to study differently.”

Some students understand why others may skip tests, due to the stress and anxiety that face them (although many agree that tests should only be skipping in moderation). Faculty, on the other hand, seem to prefer that students take the tests when they are assigned.

Patel favors a more middle ground solution whereas Za-

wislak prefers a stronger solution.

Whether people think that it is okay to skip a test or not, the bottom line is the harm that is created for the teachers’

tests, according to Zawislak.

He states, “I think that’s what bothers the teachers the most.

The academic integrity and the test security itself.”

Photo by Michelle Baik

Free Flow

The debate on free access to menstrual products in the Troy School District.

Keira Mertz // Staff Reporter, Graphic by Raneen AlRammahi // Graphics Editor Middle schools throughout the Troy School District have added free menstrual products in their bathrooms due to pressure for the change from their student bodies. Boulan Park Middle Schools’ Young Activist Club gladly took on the challenge in 2021 to work with the district to make a change.

Justine Galbraith, Boulan Park Middle School teacher and sponsor of the Young Activist Club, helped explain the middle schools’ pilot program.

The goal of this program was to see if the students would use the provided feminine products. They were also monitoring to see if students would be

responsible with the products and not make a mess, as this was a concern of the school’s administration. Galbraith explains, “If the pilot program was a success, it was supposed to expand to the high schools.”

This program was a big success at the middle school level, and it remains unknown why it has yet to reach the high schools.

Teachers and students at the high schools wonder how challenging it would be to implement this into their buildings, and how hard it would be for students to access these products. Galbraith expands on this using her experience at the middle school, “Each girls’ bathroom has a plastic cabinet with drawers for tampons and pads. The drawers are refilled each week.” While this tackles some worries, there is always a question of the finances.

Galbraith also deconstructed this issue. She explained that the school orders products from Amazon whenever needed. This could become a financial struggle for the

district when spread to all schools, but she believes that if equity matters in the school district, “the money is worth spending.”

Galbraith explained that access to menstrual products is an issue of equity due to how it may impact each student differently and how it may interfere with students’ schooling experiences. Galbraith explains, “Students who have to purchase menstrual products have less access, and taking the time to walk to the office to request a tampon or pad wastes instructional time.”

Students at Troy High School are also worried by this. Sophomore Iris Daly thinks it’s unfair that middle schoolers get resources that high schoolers need as well.

“As high schoolers, we also sometimes don’t know when it’s going to start, so I feel like we should always have free period products, including the people who can’t afford them,” Daly said.

There are many other

negative factors involved with this subject that aren’t always considered. Lisa Danhoff, Troy High School health teacher, brings these points up, “Some parents/guardians do not want their child using certain products for a multitude of reasons.

Would the products be good quality? What happens if a student has some sort of reaction to the product or doesn’t use [it] as directed? Who is liable?”

Questions like these are often overlooked.

The idea of providing free menstrual products in schools throughout the Troy School District is still up in the air.

Although the middle schools have continuous free access, the high schools have yet to receive the same resources.

People are still fighting this in order to have bathroom equality throughout the district.

NEWS

Recently, there has been a shift from minimalism to maximalism in fashion. To understand why there has been such a drastic shift in fashion in the past year, having a general definition of minimalism and maximalism is important. Minimalism is defined by simplicity. It normally means people dress in a refined color palette, have more basics than statement pieces and the amount of clothing in their closet is minor.

When asked how she would define minimalism, junior Eredge Najam, who describes her style as so, said, “I would define minimalism as wearing simplistic neutral clothing, and not buying from fast fashion stores, buying from eco-friendly stores, vegan clothing, et cetera.”

People who present minimally often live a more simplistic lifestyle, meaning they are aware of the value of their possessions and intentionally live with fewer. Minimalism is often used to mean fighting the overconsumption of modern day society.

This style first began to appear in fashion in the 1960s, but wasn’t popularized in high fashion until designers such as Yohi Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo began implementing it into their runway shows.

Yamamoto often dressed his models in dark colors, oversized silhouettes and deconstructed clothing. In the 1980s, Kawakubo primarily used black fabric, frayed unfinished edges and asymmetrical hems. Using a singular color and shape for all of their garments created a basic, minimalistic look.

From the 1980s to the early 2000s, the simple living movement grew in popularity, which directly promoted minimalism as a whole. The simple living movement encouraged people to intentionally spend less money, depend less on technology, and limit their possessions.

Minimalist fashion, though not as much the lifestyle, was heavily incorporated by figures like the Kardashians in the

Doing Too Much The shift from minimalism to maximalism.

Ainsley Giorio // Public Relations Editor

mid-to-late 2010s. By 2016, the capsule wardrobe had been popularized, which influenced minimalism as a whole. A capsule wardrobe is a small, curated collection of clothing meant to maximize the amount of interchangeable outfits that can be made.

By 2021, the shift to maximalism had started. Maximalism is inspired by the philosophy that more is better. This style normally consists of colorful patterned outfits, unique silhouettes and lots of layering.

Prior to this, fashion in the 1950s took a turn for maximalism after a few decades of war time. War fashion was constricted due to fabric rations.

Once the rations were dissolved, people were able to design bolder styles. This was the first time maximalism came up in fashion. 1950s maximalism consisted of colorful dresses, bold patterns and exaggerated feminine shapes. Inevitably, 1950s maximalism shifted into 1960s minimalism. This shift was triggered by the space age. The space age brought thoughts of the future, which people expected to be sleek and simple.

The opposite shift has been happening recently. This is being caused by COVID-19 and the ever-shortening trend cycle. During the pandemic, the majority of people were quarantined to their homes with the inability to leave, forcing them to live a more basic lifestyle. Many dressed in similar outfits everyday because they were only concerned with practicality. There were also many cuts to salaries over this time period, which caused people to have to be more conscious of their consumption.

After essentially being forced to live a minimalist lifestyle for a year and a half, many were searching for a way to express themselves further.

Maximalism was the perfect solution.

Maximalism grew in popularity because of how the trend

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incredibly popular on TikTok and YouTube. Of course, maximalism isn’t the only reason this is happening, but it is certainly contributing to it.

Some aspects of maximalism can be seen positively. It promotes people wanting to express themselves through clothing. However, maximalism is just another trend that will inevitably disappear, but overconsumption caused by maximalism could have effects that affect our Earth forever.

cycle, or the time in which to crash and burn.” trends are brought back into Sivier elaborated, saying, popularity, is becoming short- “It’s just a fad, and all fads er and shorter. Due to the fact burn eventually.” that the trends are coming in One of the major problems and out of fashion at rapid that comes with maximalism is speeds, everything is trendy, the fact that it promotes overwhich then means nothing is consumption.

Maximalism trendy. encourages having as much The speed in which trends clothing as possible, and it are coming in and out may doesn’t specifically promote be due to the amount of time getting it from ethical sources. younger generations are spend- When minimalism was popuing on social media. Some are lar, thrifting and being aware updated on everything that is of your ecological footprint Photos by Ainsley Giorio remotely new in fashion, and were also popular. Today, there after they’ve seen it, it’s no lon- are major examples of overger exciting and they are again consumption being popularready for whatever is next. ized, with massive haul videos Maximalism fits almost from fast fashion brands such any trend that could quickly as Shein and Boohoo being come in and out of fashion.

Maximalism doesn’t consist of any specific rule set; it’s just an excess of items. This means that almost any item of clothing can We’re proud to salute Troy High School Colts Girls be worn as a Basketball. part of maximalism as long Matthew R Matuza as it’s styled in Wealth Management Advisor a way that ex248.645.7113 emplifies indimatthew_matuza@ml.com vidualism.

Though it can consist of short term trends, maxiMerrill Lynch Wealth Management malism itself is a trend, meaning it inevitably will go out of style.

When asked if she thought maximalism had longevity, junior Catherine Sivier, who Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (also referred to as “MLPF&S” or “Merrill”) describes her makes available certain investment products sponsored, managed, distributed or provided style as maxiby companies that are affiliates of Bank of America Corporation (“BofA Corp.”). MLPF&S is a malism, said, registered broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, Member SIPC and a wholly owned subsidiary of BofA Corp.

“No, I do not Investment products: think maxiAre Not FDIC Insured Are Not Bank Guaranteed May Lose Value malism has Merrill and the Bull logo are registered trademarks of Bank of America Corporation. longevity, I © 2022 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved. | MAP4923103 think it’s going

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NEWS

English: Rewritten

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Honors English classes are being removed at Troy High School. Here’s why and how people feel about it.

Grace Haugk // Staff Reporter, Graphic by Raneen AlRammahi // Graphics Editor For as long as Troy High School has existed, ninth and tenth grade English classes have been divided. Currently, they’re separated into honors courses and standard courses.

Students can choose which level they feel fits them best. This is typical across most subjects, with honors courses also being offered in algebra, geometry, psychology, chemistry and more.

However, things are changing. The merging of honors and standard English classes has been in planning and preparation for a few years now, with the change already in progress.

Amanda Fisher, English Language Arts Curriculum Instruction Specialist for Troy School District, explained this process, “Teachers have been engaged in learning more about the best teaching and learning practices for several years. There are currently four teachers at Troy High School that are piloting the new grade nine curriculum, and several other teachers are working with them as well.”

For both ninth and tenth grade, the ‘homogenous’ classes that are typically segregated by ability or interest level, will be merged into one class under one curriculum called ‘heterogeneous’ classes. These heterogeneous classes will be composed of a more holistic representation of each grade level.

This change has raised many concerns among students. Senior Isabella Vitonavich explained that this change could impact students who typically choose to enroll in standard English courses, stating, “They might be learning in this environment that’s just a little bit too fast-paced for them.

Everybody learns at a different pace, but it’s essential that they have a class that caters to their pace and to their educational needs, and with combining the two [classes], that whole idea

might be misconstrued.”

There is also concern about how this will affect students who were previously in honors classes. Freshman Lucas Giorio said, “I think people should have the option to be able to do honors. If you want to push yourself and make sure you have a harder class, I think you should be able to.”

Some classes have already undergone the merge in order to test out this combination and new curriculum. These testers are called ‘pilot’ classes.

Freshman Noah Kamugunga is part of a pilot class this school year. He said, “It’s pretty good.

It’s not easy, but it’s not too hard. It pushes us a little bit, but it’s not something we can’t do.”

This negative outlook from students on the new classes might be a result of their lack of knowledge about the possible benefits of combined classes. A survey of Troy High School students showed that only 43 percent know that this class merge is happening, and only nine percent know of any benefits.

But what are these benefits?

Studies show that in combined classes, students of all levels improve more so than they do in homogeneous classes. For example, a study published in 2009 found that homogeneous reading groups earned an average of 10.44 points on a standard test while heterogeneous reading groups earned about 13.50 points.

The benefits aren’t just academic but social as well. This study also concluded, “Students in the heterogeneous group were more likely to observe and imitate each other’s behavior because they had different but complementary styles.”

Jodie Duda, Troy High School English teacher, literacy coach, and pilot participant, expanded on this, commenting on the social interactions in heterogeneous classes, “We

think what’s best for students is for all students to be together so they can learn from each other, not only in an academic sense but in a social sense.

Kids don’t even want to talk to or work with others who are not like them instead of understanding that learning from others comes from social interaction as well as academic interaction.”

Duda also spoke on the negative effects that current labels, such as ‘honors’ student or ‘regular’ student, have mentally, “I really think that those labels can be problematic in how kids see themselves. They can breed elitism and can be damaging, especially in a social sense. Doing away with labels hopefully will bring some humanity into the classroom and allow kids to get to know each other past those labels.”

As English course offerings shift, so will the specifics of the curriculum being taught.

Fisher said of this curriculum generally, “All students will be given equitable access to rigorous programs that give them a solid foundation in reading and writing. The major difference [from previous years] will be the increased volume in all these activities.”

Duda spoke of the plans more specifically, “Typically, English is so literary analysis-focused, so we work to look at writing as an art form instead of just an analytical thing. We’re trying to make our curriculum more rounded and to parallel the writing that happens in the world. In the world you don’t write literary analysis. We analyze, certainly, but that curriculum was just too focused on one way of writing.”

Despite the benefits of heterogeneous classes, many worries about the new curriculum in these classes still exist. People have expressed concerns such as ‘they aren’t teaching the

classics anymore.’ In response to this, Duda said, “I think there’s a fear of the curriculum being ‘dumbed down’ without focus on texts that have been originally taught in the classroom. People say, ‘the classics are going away,’ which is not the case at all. We are including more choice. Students have choices to read into the classics or into different genres.”

This change will not affect anyone currently attending Troy High School as it will take effect for the current eighthgrade students and beyond.

The final change will be complete by the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.

NEWS

Losing Time: The Untold Plight of Language-Learning Students

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Students are bussed over between schools because individual schools do not provide all the language classes.

Soo-yeon (Sally) Kim // Staff Reporter The Troy School District has decided to provide shuttles between Troy High School and Troy Athens High School this school year, as an alternative to offering all language classes at the individual schools.

This year, Troy High School offers all levels of Chinese and German as well as Japanese 1 and 2, and Troy Athens High School offers Chinese 2, Japanese 3 and 4, and no levels of German. This decision has had a crippling effect on the students and parents of the Chinese and Japanese programs at both schools.

“Many parents and students did not want to shuttle.

As soon as they found out about this, many parents were emailing the school district to complain,” stated Fan Zhang, Troy Athens High School’s Chinese teacher.

While this decision has sparked controversy among students, the district made this decision in order to save money. “We were told that the district would not raise the number of classes a teacher taught in order to save on salary spending,” confirmed Katy Allen, Troy High School’s Japanese teacher. “They would not run a small class of students, and bussed them to Athens instead.”

Jonathan Teh, Troy Athens High School senior and secretary of the National Chinese Honors Society, responded to this situation. “We were all really upset about it because when we talked to the district, they all told us that it’s to save money for different budgeting reasons, but we think that it’s really unfair. It’s a disgrace that our education and our class time are being taken for the district to save more money.”

The district claims to have made this decision because there weren’t enough students signing up to these language courses. “There were less

students who signed up to take Chinese,” confirmed Zhang.

While it is true that less students signed up to take Chinese, this decision made many students who already signed up to take Chinese to drop their Chinese classes because of the inconvenience and the loss of class time from traveling back and forth between schools.

“At least more than ten students [signed up for Chinese] dropped,” said Meiyu Chang, former Troy Athens High School Chinese teacher and current Troy High School’s Chinese teacher.

Even worse, middle schoolers did not have an option to take Chinese 1 or Japanese 1 this school year. Jennifer Adams, an eighth grader at Boulan Park Middle School, said, “Everyone who chose Japanese and Chinese got a message stating they have no room for those two languages. Most of my friends chose Japanese but they had to take Spanish as their alternative.”

Because eighth graders cannot take Chinese 1 or Japanese 1, none of the students in the class of 2027 will be able to take Advanced Placement courses for those languages without testing out.

Also, because Troy Athens High School does not offer a Chinese 1 class, no freshmen are taking Chinese 1 there.

“At Athens, there are no 8th graders nor freshmen who take Chinese 1.” confirmed Chang.

Underclassman have not started learning these languages yet, so they are less likely to commit enough to be bussed over to a different school every day.

“This way, we’re really hurt.

Athens has had a Chinese program for more than 20 years. The east side of Troy will not have a chance to learn Chinese,” said Zhang. “I don’t want this program to go.”

“There is an unknown

reason why less students signed up,” stated Zhang. “The school did not try to save the program.”

Chinese classes at Troy Athens High School have combined different levels in the same class for many years, which could’ve been an alternative solution to bussing students over. In fact, the German 3 and 4 classes at Troy High School are also combined.

“I remember my freshman year there were only two AP Chinese students at Athens and they combined with our Chinese 1 class,” said Madison Emmitt, Troy Athens High School senior and president of the National Chinese Honors Society. “The teacher would teach us and [the two AP students] would do their study, like almost an independent study, but then she would give them instructions. And I think that worked out very well.

And even last year, there was a combined class of Chinese 4 and Chinese 3 and I thought that was fine as well.”

“It’s [combined classes] been that way for many many years,” stated Zhang. “In Athens, [Meiyu Chang] always taught combined classes.

And then last year, when I even took the job [as the Troy Athens High School Chinese teacher], I was even assigned three levels together.”

Some Japanese classes last year were also combined. Allen said, “This is the first year in the last three or four years that AP Japanese has not been offered. Previously it was run as a split class taught at the same time as Japanese 4 or independent study.”

Although AP Japanese is not offered this year, Jay Shyn, a Troy High School student, expresses his hope to take it, “I’ll take Japanese AP no matter what happens, if I can.

I invested three years already.”

Emmitt also added, “I think it’s honestly a waste of money

to pay for the bus. We almost always have the one bus driver that is five to ten minutes late every day.”

According to the current system, students are to leave their previous class five minutes early, take the bus, and miss the first five minutes of the language class. However, this system is not working as it was designed to.

“Usually it’s longer than that because the bus is not on time,” comments Chang. “The bus is always at least five minutes late. On average, they will miss 15 to 20 minutes of my class. And they’re also missing the previous hour and the next hour.”

Chang also said, “Sixth hour is the most problematic.” Sixth hours in both schools start at 1:14 and end at 2:10. “The earliest [Athens students] arrive at my 6th hour is 1:25 and sometimes 1:30.” said Chang.

However, because the school bus must take students home after school, Troy Athens High School students that have sixth hour at Troy High School must get back to their home school by 2:10. “And they have to leave at 1:55. So you can count how long they can stay in my class. It’s about 30 minutes maximum if they want to take the bus.”

According to Chang, two of the students in her sixth hour offered to drive the students from Troy Athens High School to Troy High School, back to Troy Athens High School every day. “I feel bad because they have to spend their own gas money to drive these students here, which is not fair,” said Chang.

The distance between Troy High School and Troy Athens High School is 4.6 miles, so these seniors has to drive 9.2 miles every day for their Chinese class. “[The gas money] really adds up over time,” said Teh. Traveling back and forth

from schools also causes other problems. “The loss of class time was hard at first because I felt like we missed instructions,” Emmitt shared. “It’s hard because there are things that sometimes you want to go to your teacher to talk about before or after class to talk privately. And you can’t do that with Chinese. So if I have something I need to talk to her about, I have to talk to her about it in front of the whole class, which I don’t love.”

Phuong Giang, a Troy Athens High School student who comes to Troy High School for Chinese 3, shared that because she comes here for fourth hour, she eats lunch at Troy High School instead of her own school. “Sometimes, if I forget my student ID, they don’t let me eat lunch,” she said.

Years ago, Brigitte Catlin, Troy High School’s German teacher, traveled between the two schools to teach. This is not the case now and German is currently only offered to Troy High School. “We are afraid Chinese will be the same thing now,” worried Chang.

Zhang also added, “There are less students signing up, but it doesn’t mean that none of them are signing up. We still have the class. If the counselor can say we might run it, so keep trying, we might start having more students signing up and have enough to offer the class at Athens.”

Teachers, students and parents involved in the Chinese and Japanese program are hopeful to have those language classes at their own schools next school year. “The teacher is available, the students are there, the parents want to keep the program there,” says Zhang. “But why did it not happen?”

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FEATURE

Wrestling With Weight The hidden aspects of Troy High School’s wrestling team.

Ria Gupta // Business Editor, Body Copy Editor & Anjali Sanil // Print Editor-in-Chief, Graphic by Raneen AlRammahi // Graphics Editor

The Troy High School wrestling team practices in the winter sports season. As part of their preparations for the upcoming season, wrestlers adapt new eating habits, choosing to either “bulk” or “cut” before the season starts. This is done to either gain enough mass to tone into muscle later or to begin the toning process earlier. Bulking consists of consuming a caloric surplus, including increased carbohydrates and low fat foods, while doing high-intensity training to gain muscle mass. Wrestlers cut weight by restricting their food and water intake to quickly lose as much weight as possible before competitions in order to fit into their ideal weight class.

Junior Jesse Chang, who has been on the wrestling team for one year, describes how he approaches each season: “Usually you want to [bulk] before the season starts so you can cut weight during the season,” Chang said. Wrestlers bulk and cut weight in order to fit into specific weight classes, which determine who they will wrestle in matches. In the state of Michigan, there are 14 weight classes officially recognized by the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

According to ESPN News, “To try and fit into a lower weight category, athletes ‘cut’ weight -- up to 10 percent of their body mass -- in the couple of weeks before an event. The last 24 hours

before the weigh-in is especially traumatic, as they try to squeeze out each gram of excess weight. After ‘making weight’ on the morning of their competition, they’ll then try to recover that mass, usually by replacing fluids lost in the process.” This allows for wrestlers to be in a lower weight class match but be physically stronger than their opponent.

Senior James Awad, who has been on the wrestling team for four years, explains why this gives wrestlers another advantage. “The lighter you are, the faster you are,” he said. “I’m a 270-pound male, if I go up against another person who’s also my weight, but I’m a lot skinnier than him, or more compact, I’ll be faster, or be able to take him down more easily.”

Having organized weight classes is important for wrestlers to stay safe during their competitions, as a lightweight wrestler risks significant injury in a match against a heavyweight wrestler versus a match against someone of their own weight class. However, it’s become common practice for a wrestler to gain or lose weight to fit into certain weight classes that are not their own. This could lead to altered eating habits that will remain for the rest of the season, or, potentially, the rest of the year.

Junior Landon Shamoun has been wrestling for six years, three of those years with the Troy High School team. When asked if he felt any external pressure to lose weight, Shamoun replied:

“No, I feel like that’s what we need to do. It’s what Coach expects of us, it’s what the rest of us want to do. We want to work hard.” He added, “We’re always expected to lose a bit of weight.”

Dan Mastrovito, the assistant wrestling coach, has been a part of the wrestling team, on-and-off, for 29 years. He provides insight on what the physical expectations are: “It’s probably the most difficult sport for training. Our [head] coach is an ex-Marine and our conditioning, preseason practices, are pretty rough. I’ve seen other coaches and [these are] the most physically challenging practices I’ve ever been a part of.”

Shamoun adds, “Everyone wants to work hard, and our coach pushes us hard. Very hard.”

According to the Children’s Hospital Colorado, “An estimated 25% to 67% of wrestlers use techniques such as over exercise, calorie restriction, fasting and different dehydration methods to lose weight.”

Denene Smyth, a pediatric-subspecialist registered dietician at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, warns against these methods of dramatic weight loss: “High school boys are still growing.

Their brain[s] are still developing, their bones are still developing, their muscles are still developing. It is not a good idea to be cutting out

and to be in that huge of a calorie deficit—it’s a vitamin and mineral deficit as well.”

She emphasizes, “Bodies need what they need. And doing this ‘yo-yo’ intake is not going to help their metabolism. It’s not going to help nourish their

brain.”

Smyth also does not agree with the idea of adjusting a wrestler’s diet to fit into a certain weight class,“The vitamins and minerals that you’re missing out by just doing proteins or carbs and other really calorie-dense foods, you’re not going to reap the benefits of all the vitamins that you’re going to get from a well balanced diet,” Smyth adds. “So, I do think that it is not in their best interest to do that. You should definitely have your fruits and vegetables: a whole, balanced plate.”

The Troy High School wrestling team does appear to be aware of the potential health risks associated with cutting and bulking

weight and has been taking action to prevent negative health consequences for the wrestlers. In the past, it was common practice for coaches to let wrestlers’ choices of weight loss methods go un-

checked, or even recommend harmful practices to wrestlers, and let their health decline for the sake of the sport.

Senior Avi Shah, who has been wrestling for eight years and has been on the Troy High School team for four years, discusses how wrestlers historically achieved their desired weight classes. “[In the] ‘80s, people would just dehydrate themselves in saunas, they wouldn’t eat for days, just chew gum,” Shah said. “It was super unhealthy, people would literally pass out and die because they’re trying to get into a certain weight class.”

Currently, Troy High School wrestlers are encouraged to take better care of their health by their coaches, who give them safer guidelines for their diets. Members of the wrestling team share their experiences with these guidelines.

“The coach is like, ‘You need to lose weight, but I don’t want you to kill your-

9

FEATURE self,’ meaning you don’t eat any meals,” Chang said. “He still wants you to eat all your meals, eat healthy, eat until you’re full, but just don’t eat any of the meals that might make you gain weight.”

Other members of the wrestling team shared similar sentiments about avoiding specific foods.

Shah summarizes what foods wrestlers at Troy High School are told to eat or avoid: “A lot of protein, fruits and veggies; you literally can’t have McDonald’s, fast food.

Anything that’s remotely sugary, like candy, soda, all gets cut out.”

Shamoun also shares some of the advice he has been given: “During the season, Coach tells us ‘no Coke, nothing bad, eat well: eat greens, eat meat. Pop is poison.’” Shamoun then goes on to refer to sugar-filled foods as the “bad stuff.” He continues to describe what the coach tells the team, “‘Don’t go guzzling water, and eating tons of food every night.’ We always gain a lot of water

weight after practice.”

Awad clarifies that coaches do not encourage harmful eating habits, “They have strict rules on how much you can weigh by a certain practice. If you weigh less or more, you can’t wrestle.

It used to be very dangerous and wrestling is known for people having anorexia, so it is very dangerous.” He adds, “We try to keep it as safe as possible, and all our coaches encourage losing weight but they don’t encourage being idiotic and stupid and hurting yourself, because that’s just wrong.”

While wrestling coaches do give team members a general idea of how to eat and make weight during wrestling season, ultimately, the choice is up to the wrestlers themselves.

Senior Riley Marbutt, who has been on the wrestling team for one year, describes the process of determining weight classes before the season starts, “They give you the numbers and they ask you where you want to be, or where they think you should be at or should be able to make.” She emphasizes, “You decide for yourself whether you make it there or not.”

Shah shares his personal dietary choices: “A lot of people don’t eat breakfast. I eat breakfast because I think that it’s important to start off the day with something in your stomach.”

Shamoun added that he continues with a semi-restrictive diet during the off-season, “In season, I try to keep some of the heavier foods, some of the worse, a lot more down. Off-season, I still wrestle, I still try to eat moderately healthy but some things are allowed more often [compared to] in-season.”

In recent years, the State of Michigan has implemented Alpha weigh-ins, also referred to as Alpha testing. This is a procedure done at the beginning of the wrestling season to ensure that wrestlers are meeting their weight groups in a safe manner. Alpha weigh-ins measure whether or not a wrestler is properly hydrated before a match, ensuring that wrestlers have not been abstaining from water to meet a certain weight class.

Dehydration could lead to low blood pressure and dizziness. “[Wrestlers] weigh in with the state, they measure their body fat, they make sure they are hydrated, and then the state tells us the lowest weight class they can go, rather than us [coaches] telling them,” Mastrovito explained. Wrestlers are required to submit a urine sample for officials to check their hydration levels and do a weigh-in to make sure they aren’t losing weight too sporadically or dangerously.

“Before there was Alpha testing, Coach told us a story a while ago where if your coach told you to go a certain weight class, you went a certain weight class,” Shamoun shared. “If that meant wearing trash bags on your body and burning yourself out everyday, then, back then, you had to do it.

That actually killed a person once. So, to make sure that didn’t happen, we got this test. It’s to make sure that you’re within ten pounds of what you weighed a certain amount of time ago.”

The incident Shamoun refers to did not occur at Troy High School, but at another school within the state. Troy High School has worked towards finding safer solutions for weight loss in the wrestling program as a result of the death.

Mastrovito clarifies, more than when you go with “There’s other teams that do the white rice, white pasta, a lot of crazy stuff for [weight and all that stuff.” classes], but again, with the Awad shares that the safeAlpha weigh-in, they can’t go ty regulations for the wrestoo low.” tling team are continuing to However, despite the develop and have developed coaches’ and the state’s efsignificantly from years beforts to prioritize the health fore, “Every year it’s changed of the wrestlers, some still [that] I’ve been wrestling.” believe that there is further He recalls the experiences of room for change. Smyth former students on the team, expressed dissatisfaction “I remember my brother, with the current dietary he was also a heavyweight recommendations, stating, [wrestler], they used to take “I definitely think coaches a sip of water, twist it in are misguided a lot of times. their mouth and spit it out so They don’t really know.” She they wouldn’t gain the water continues, “It would be really weight. Very unhealthy. You nice if they could utilize the need water in your system resources of the community, to keep moving, but some of dietitians like myself.” these kids were very focused Smyth details her ideal on losing weight.” The Alpha meal for student athletes: weigh-in system now works “Every kid recognizes it to prevent wrestlers from when I pull out my ‘Choose dehydrating themselves.

My Plate,” she said, “Making Awad clarifies that the sure of those vitamins and wrestling team has impactminerals and fiber intake ed him positively in certain from the fruits and vegetaways, “There’s one promise bles, half of your diet coming my coach makes at the befrom that, there’s really true ginning of every season and science behind that.” She every informational meeting clarifies that, while not every you will ever attend: wresmeal needs to be a perfectly tling will make you a better balanced spread, the toperson.” He adds, “Doesn’t tal food intake for the day matter who you are. If you should include everything attend, put your all into it, from a classic healthy plate do what you’re supposed to, diagram. you’ll come out of that four“The night before, try five month season a better to eat higher performance person.” foods, like complex carShah shares a similar bohydrates and proteins, sentiment and reiterates the before [the match],” Smyth wrestling team’s aspirations continued. “And then after to improve: “We all have our the event, high-protein disagreements at times, but within 30 minutes. But still, we all care for each other, your day should fit into that we all have the same moti‘Choose My Plate,’ it still vations to make this team a should be balanced.” She better team.” lists lean proteins, such With the wrestling team as chicken breast, turkey taking the initiative to probreast, beans and eggs, as tect the safety of their stuwell as whole grains such dent athletes, Smyth hopes as whole wheat bread and this will extend to changing brown rice as healthier perceptions of diet and choices than traditional weight amongst wrestlers. carb-loading foods. “Things Courtesy of @Troy__Aththat are going to give you letics on Twitter fuel and stay in your body

10

SPORTS

Student-Athlete or Athletic Student?

The inside scoop on the sports eligibility policy and what could improve it.

Giadelle Micene // Staff Reporter, Graphic by Raneen AlRammahi // Graphics Editor

Every school has a policy that has to be followed by student-athletes that makes them eligible to play their sport. The Michigan High School Athletic Association policy states a student has to be passing 66 percent of their course load which usually equates to four out of six classes in order to participate in competition. According to Shane Hynes, Troy High School Athletic Coordinator, the Troy School District holds their student-athletes to higher standards, and they are required to be passing five out of six classes in order to participate in competition.

Hynes also explained that the policy is enforced by grade checks throughout the semester that determine whether student-athletes are eligible to play. Hynes explains that the Athletic Association requires schools to check grades for all student-athletes at least once every ten weeks. If the student meets the requirements they are eligible to play, and if they don’t, their eligibility is dependent upon their current and prior academic record.

The issue many find with this policy is that the way it is written causes academic eligi-

bility checks to disproportionately impact certain athletes based on the season they compete in. Due to the arrangement of Troy High School’s academic calendar and sports seasons, athletes do not receive the same number of grade checks in the fall, winter, and spring sports seasons. For example, grades typically impact athletes most during the winter and spring sports seasons, because the fall season is done before the conclusion of the first semester. Many students have an opinion on the issue.

Senior swimmer Erin Xia explained, “That definitely gives a disadvantage to winter sports.”

Senior volleyball player Alvina Zaitona described the situation as “interesting” because she didn’t know this was happening. This was the case with most students surveyed, despite the requirement that all student athletes must sign this policy before competing.

Still, not very many people read the specific policy, so when students were informed that grade checks were based on student scores in the previous semester, they were mostly surprised.

After hearing this information, many students voiced their opinions about what could happen to make the policy more effective. Zaitona said, “For them to just check it more often and maybe have coaches more involved because I feel like coaches do care a lot about the well-being of their players.”

Freshman football player Jack Sobotka says he thinks it should be “enforced at the end of each card marking or quarter.”

Some teachers shared different opinions on the topic.

Kyle Larson, the head boys varsity swim coach, says, “Honestly, providing the coaches with access to student progress [would be helpful], but the problem with that is it’s a pretty big FERPA violation which is academic privacy for students.

However, that would give coaches the ability to check the progress daily and you’d be able to determine right away if it looks like someone is starting to not just fail but fall behind.”

FERPA being the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which is a federal law that, as Larson said, protects students’ academic records.

Jessica Craft, a social stud-

ies teacher, shared Larson’s opinion: “[Grade] checks should happen either once every two weeks or once a month even. And whether that’s a piece of paper that they go around and get the teachers to sign or coaches have access to their grades, something like that so you can see before it’s too late.”

Along with this, Craft also said she thinks “student-athletes should be passing all six of their classes to be eligible,” which is another common opinion shared between not just teachers but coaches as well.

Lisa Danhoff, a health and physical education teacher and the junior varsity golf coach, shared her thoughts, “I was a coach in the building, and being a student-athlete, to me student comes first, so when I was coaching, my players had to be passing all six classes and I was even tougher on them. They couldn’t have any C’s, otherwise, they didn’t play.

They could come to practice, they could be on the team, but they wouldn’t play.” Danhoff is not the only one to point out that the term is student-athlete, with “student” coming first. That’s done on purpose, student being the more important out of the two. She’s not the only one that thinks so.

Hynes later said, “I think when you talk about Troy Schools, we do hold ourselves to a higher standard and it’s my expectation that our student-athletes shouldn’t be failing any classes.”

He continued on to say, “At the end of the day, you’re a student first and an athlete second, so if we’re not taking care of business in the classroom, you have no business being out playing your sport.”

Although this may seem like a high standard for high school students, it’s been shown that the expectation exists because teachers and coaches care about their students and play-

ers. Danhoff explained, “That was something I instilled because with most kids the academics, what we learn, is going to get us further in life than playing the sport.”

Chris Frasier, history teacher, and head varsity football coach had the same idea saying, “I think it should be a policy and I think it should be enforced because you know it’s called student-athletes and most of them aren’t going to go play in college, so they need to focus on their grades first before their athletics.”

Even some students share this opinion, “Academics over sports 100 percent, you could get scholarships for colleges for academics a lot easier than sports so I would say academics is a lot more important than sports are,” Sobotka said when asked how committed to his academics he was.

While Troy High School does have an academic eligibility policy for their athletes to follow, many agree that there are potential avenues to further strengthen it, whether that’s more frequent grade checks or additional enforcement.

Photo by Giadelle Micene

OPINION

Laith Listens

11

An in-depth review of the hottest new singles.

Laith Hermiz // Staff Reporter

“Close Your Eyes”

by The Backseat Lovers

The Backseat Lovers are a band that recently released a song called “Close Your Eyes.” It starts with a fun muted guitar riff that reminds me of nothing I’ve ever heard before. This isn’t because it’s unique, but rather because I only listen to two music genres. Once the drums and bass come in, everything becomes more like any other soft rock song I’ve heard before.

It’s like “Island in the Sun” by Weezer if it was made by sad teenage boys and not Rivers Cuomo scrambling to make another hit. Joshua Harmon’s voice is great, and the reason I know it works is because of my friend Anjali. Anjali loves Harmon’s voice. By the way Josh, if you’re reading this, please give your number to her.

7.5/10

“Unholy” by Kim Petras and Sam Smith

“Swan Upon Leda”

by Hozier

Hozier is an Irish singer-songwriter, and his song “Swan Upon Leda” is exactly what I’d expect from the man who wrote “Take Me to Church.” The classical guitar riff serves as a good base for the serious tone it’s trying to set up. Hozier’s accent is unique to his sound, but it’s like he’s straight out of Brave (but Irish). This takes the serious tone he tried to create and throws it into the gutter. The chorus hits you out of nowhere, and the string section combined with random synth noises makes me think Hozier just started pressing buttons on his music software. There isn’t any bass, and that makes sense because the song lacks power.

“Swan Upon Leda” is fine, listen if you want.

4/10

“The Giver” by Sarah Kinsley

“Lux Æterna” by Metallica

“Lux Æterna” is a new single Metallica released for their new album 72 Seasons. I’d like to start this review off by saying I’m proud of Lars Ulrich for using his double kick pedals. Round of applause for him.

When I first heard James Hetfield start singing, I thought it was Dave Mustaine. The new direction he’s taking his voice in is odd considering that he’s been in a rivalry with Mustaine since he kicked him out of Metallica and beat him up so bad he decided to make a better band. Kirk Hammet is continuing his tradition of using his wah pedal (if you don’t know what that is, imagine a wailing guitar noise) and whammy bar like volume control for his solos. It’s what I’ve come to expect from Hammet as he’s gotten older. He’s replaced complexity and new ideas with two pieces of gear.

And Rob Trujillo’s bass needs to be turned up. You’re better than this, Rob. It’s not always about Kirk’s wah pedals. Despite some of my issues with this song, it’s not bad. It’s no “Hangar 18,” but I really enjoyed it.

8/10

“Lift Me Up” by Rihanna Kim Petras and Sam Smith are pop artists that exist for one purpose: to make a hit song. They’ve now collaborated to make two minutes and thirty-seven seconds of pure, concentrated torture. The lyrics attempt to be provocative, however they’re so obvious that it becomes physically painful to listen to. This is in addition to some of the worst vocals I’ve ever heard, random percussive noises and by far the worst subbass in pop music. This is part of an issue I have with modern pop music. This could be 15 seconds long, as it was made for TikTok popularity. This doesn’t always happen on purpose, but a lot of pop music I hear is guilty of this. This song is a piece of art so atrocious that I wouldn’t make my worst enemy hear it. Listen at your own risk.

0/10

“The Giver” by Sarah Kinsley opens up with a few things I didn’t like. First, the same guitar chord plays for the entire time, and the only other instrumental part is an electric guitar “solo” that puts me to sleep.

The singing drags everything down even further, along with lyrics that try so hard to capture emotional depth but instead feel like they’re jumping into the shallow end of a pool. In fact, halfway through listening to this song I turned on Bladee. It was so hard to listen to, that to erase it from my memory, I turned on the worst abomination to music I could think of. After turning the song on, I genuinely could not remember how it went. “The Giver” was not enjoyable for me, and for the duration of it I was bored.

3.5/10

Lift Me Up is a song Rihanna made for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It is so vile and boring that I have nothing to say about it. Sorry!

2/10 Photos courtesy of Spotify

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

12

A free crochet cat beanie pattern for last minute Holiday presents.

Ashley Park // Body Copy Editor, Graphics by Raneen AlRammahi // Graphics Editor Here’s a list of tools that will Title Graphic by Anjali Sanil // Print Editor-in-Chief Do you have no idea what to get your friends for a holiday present, but have some crochet tools lying around? Here’s a free, beginner-friendly crochet pattern that could be a good gift for people who love hats as well as cats. This crochet beanie pattern can be adjusted for all sizes and preferences.

be needed: • a crochet hook of any size • yarn that works with your crochet hook • a yarn needle • stitch markers (optional)

Disclaimer: Though this pattern is beginner-friendly, you must have knowledge of the most basic crochet stitches. If you have no knowledge of crocheting, use online resources on YouTube for beginner tutorials and visual references.

STEP 1: Make a slip knot. To make a slip knot, create a loop. Pull the long end of the yarn over and through the loop tightly. Put the loop on your crochet hook. The loop should be on your hook tightly, but loose enough for you to be able to pull it off the hook with very little effort.

STEP 2: Determine the fit of your hat. Start creating a chain long enough to wrap around your head or whoever’s head will be wearing the hat. For a more snug fit, chain a few stitches less than you think you will need. For a more loose fit, chain a few stitches more than you think you will need. Once you have the desired length, connect the opposite ends of the chain using a slip stitch.

STEP 3: To start crocheting the actual hat, chain one and start crocheting using either single, half double, or double crochet stitches. For a thicker and more structured hat, use the single or half double crochet stitch. For a looser hat and a less structured hat, use the double crochet. Any bigger stitches will have holes too big to function as a warm STEP 4: Once you reach the first chain you made in the row, connect the last stitch to it using a slip stitch. To continue adding more rows, repeat the last step and continue crocheting rows until you reach your desired length. To achieve your desired fit, consistently try on the hat so you don’t have to unravel your entire project after finishing it off.

STEP 5: The final, but optional, step is to sew the cat ears. Using the same yarn you have been using, feed it through a yarn needle and sew the corners shut. Whether or not you do this, the corners will look like cat ears.

Once you do so, tie off the ends and weave in the extra yarn, and you’re done!

Whether you give this cat beanie to someone as a warm holiday gift or keep it for yourself, I hope you enjoy this free, customizable pattern!

Photos by Ashley Park

13

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Scintillating Snowman Cake Pops A fun and easy holiday treat!

Leena Martin // Staff Reporter, Graphics by Raneen AlRammahi // Graphics Editor Total Recipe Time: 3 hours Makes about 24 cake pops Ingredients: Pillsbury Moist Supreme Premium White Cake Mix, 15.25 oz. Box Duncan Hines Creamy Cream Cheese frosting, 16 oz.

Wilton Snowman Sprinkles Good & Gather Vanilla Candy Coating, 16 oz.

1 cup of milk ½ cup (or 1 stick) of Imperial margarine 3 large eggs Block of styrofoam (or something to hold pops to set) Cake pop sticks (or festive straws!)

STEP 1: Preheat oven to 350° and line the bottom of a glass 9x13 in. pan with parchment paper and grease sides.

STEP 2: In a medium sized bowl, combine dry cake mix with wet ingredients.

STEP 3: After fully combing, pour batter into 9x13 in. pan and bake for 35 minutes.

My good friend Jayadeep offered me a stellar baking tip a while ago! When following a box cake recipe, replace water with milk and oil with softened butter– if you’re feeling frisky add an extra egg too!

STEP 4: Remove from the oven, take the cake out of the pan and onto a cooling rack and place in the fridge for about 45 minutes. Roughly 5 minutes before pulling the cake out, melt about 2 ounces (or 1 chunk) of your candy coating.

STEP 5: After taking the cake out of the fridge, place onto a cutting board and cut off any burnt, crusted or dark parts of the cake. Crumble cake into fine pieces in a large bowl. Add roughly two tablespoons of frosting to the bowl and begin mixing with CLEAN, DRY hands, gradually adding more frosting until the dough is able to form balls.

Photos by Leena Martin

I usually melt the coating initially for 1 minute, then in 30 second increments as needed.

STEP 6: Roll about 1 inch balls and place onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Begin dipping the tips of your cake pop sticks into the melted candy coating and sticking into your balls. Put in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

STEP 7: Melt the rest of your coating using the same method previously stated. Take the pops out of the freezer, gently roll the ‘pops in the coating and tap lightly removing the excess.

STEP 8: Put your cake pops in your freezer to set for roughly 15 minutes and enjoy! Store in the fridge when not serving to ensure your beautiful ’pops stay fresh as long as possible and don’t melt!

Student Recipe Reviews: Mason Glaub, Junior: “The cake pop was super creamy, it was very yummy. Cake was fluffy and I liked the red color, it’s like Elmo and I like Elmo. Very good you should make it!”

Jayla Turner, Junior: “It tasted swag.”

Jason Terpini, Sophomore: “It was very good, had a creamy flavor and moist inside, the flavors burst into my mouth as I took my first bite— unforgettable.”

Nathan Lukasik, Sophomore: “Man, I felt like I was jumping across clouds while devouring those amazing cake pops.”

If you roll a ball and see no seam, you’ve added enough cream!

I’ve never used more than ¾ of a container of frosting.

Add decorative sprinkles to your cake pops to make them festive— I chose to make mine snowmen, but whatever tickles your fancy!

14

OPINION

Family Dinner Survival Guide Tips to help you survive your next family dinner.

October Marquez // Staff Reporter, Graphic by Raneen AlRammahi // Graphics Editor pretend. Eat whatever is around it and pretend you won’t eat anymore. Getting a variety of foods on your plate is key, since then that one thing you don’t like can be avoided and you can get more of whatever you like. It’s the perfect strategy to eat what you want without hurting someone’s feelings and making the whole dinner table upset by sharing an opinion.

TIP SIX: Respect even the dumbest rules

The perfect dinner: where the family promises to not talk about politics and it ends with half the family leaving early because everyone broke that rule. Holiday dinners are a chaotic mix of extended family and cousins you’ve never heard of and that one family member that no one asked to be there. Personally, I find dinner to be the most awkward and painful part of every family gathering. If you’re reading this, you might just relate to how I feel, so if you would keep reading I will help with tips on how to survive these dreadfully awkward family gatherings.

TIP ONE: Stick to people you know This one could seem slightly too obvious, but it is the best tip for these situations. Many people will be around, it’s just a matter of who you’d prefer to be talking to. Even if it may seem trivial to constantly have a conversation and somewhat tiring, looking busy will keep that annoying family member away from you. It could also

be nice to catch up with family members you actually want to talk to.

TIP TWO: Do not share your controversial opinions This is a particularly hard one to follow, but is so helpful in many situations. If you are at a family dinner and no one there believes in global warming, saying you believe global warming is real would single yourself out. It’s best to just pretend you believe the same things as everyone else, or the rest of dinner will be very awkward. Disagreeing with people can be incredibly frustrating, but it’s probably best to avoid these conversations or debates at the dinner table. And if you absolutely have to, finish dessert first.

TIP THREE: Pets are your saviors Whenever pets are at family dinners, I am always with them. There are multiple reasons for this, but one of the

easiest is that the pet is a fluffy friend to stick to. Other than being adorable companions, they don’t ask you about your grades or what activities you are doing in life. No one can question you if you play with your favorite pet, so they are the perfect excuse to avoid an unwanted conversation.

TIP FOUR: Silence your phone Rooms can go silent when a phone gets a notification.

Whether it’s a text message from a friend or BeReal going off, the simple chime of a notification going off can make the dinner very awkward.

Silencing notifications or even turning off your phone can avoid the awkward feeling of everyone turning to watch you take your phone out of your pocket. You can check your phone after dinner.

TIP FIVE: Always like the food Not that you have to enjoy it, but even if you don’t, just

Keep your elbows on the table. Eat everything with a fork, even soup. Only take a tablespoon of the cranberry sauce. I don’t know, but whatever weird rules are there just go with them. There are so many weird rules that certain households have for dinner.

Even if it’s the dumbest rule you can think of, the rules are temporary, but that judgment for disobeying can last forever.

TIP SEVEN: Follow what adults tell you to do We’ve all heard the classic “because I said so” excuse from adults after why they are making you do something. At family dinners, they might ask you to add food to their plate, help a younger child eat or just pass a bowl of food. Either way, it is better to just do whatever they say rather than question why. It will make the dinner go much smoother, even if you do not understand a specific task someone has told you to do.

TIP EIGHT: Chew with your mouth closed, please Generally respecting table manners is a good idea, but even though some of these are obvious people still tend to just disobey them. While chewing with your mouth closed should

be normalized, there are still people who do it and still seem oblivious to the glares they receive from everyone around them. This applies to eating anything at any time, but following table manners at family dinners is an overall good idea.

TIP NINE: Sometimes, less is more There’s usually at least one family member that tends to shame people for anything.

Whether it’s about how much or little food there is or what food is on your plate, their strange comments will echo throughout the room. Even if the food is really good, having less on your plate can avoid that person making snarky comments. Even just going to get seconds of whatever food you like would be better to avoid that awkward look from bystanding relatives.

TIP TEN: Stay as true to yourself as you can While all of these tips could counter what you would normally do, remember it is still okay to be yourself or even avoid these tips simply because you want to. These tips can help people at a family dinner, but do not change who you are if you are completely fine knowing how the family dinner could go. Tips do not necessarily mean demands or things you must do, instead recommendations from me to you to make these dinners less awkward.

I think that’s plenty of tips that can help you survive your next family dinner. Whatever holiday you are celebrating over winter break or whenever your next family gathering is, you can use these tips to avoid awkward looks and conversations you’ve dreaded in the past!

15

OPINION

Are you Really in Control on Birth Control?

The lesser-known side effects of using birth control.

Emma Mertz // Editor-in-Chief, Graphic by Lilly Martin // Staff Reporter

Birth control can be a very helpful resource to menstruating people of various ages, for many reasons. In the past, birth control was mainly used as a contraceptive, but now it is prescribed more frequently and used to treat a slew of issues, but many people don’t know as much about it as they think.

There are many different forms of birth control accessible for teens. In the United States, the oral contraceptive pill is the most commonly used form of birth control.

Some other common devices are available, such as the intrauterine device (IUD), birth control shot and the Nexplanon implant.

With all of these options available, deciding which form is best for your own personal needs may be difficult. Senior Nadia Wohlfarth attends Broadneck High School in Maryland. She has tried multiple birth control pills and has experienced the negative effects of them. She explains her choice of using the pill, instead of the alternative options she is familiar with, “It scares me that I could react negatively to the shot and it would take months for the side effects to go away. I also wouldn’t use an IUD because they are painful and I need hormones to manage my day to day headaches.”

People can go on birth control for a variety of reasons.

It seems that many people’s first thought for why someone may go on birth control would be for preventing pregnancy.

However, using birth control to help with extreme menstrual symptoms, regulating periods and several other reasons is becoming more common. Wohlfarth shares her reasoning, “I have had horrible periods since they started, and birth control was the only option for me to find relief. Between extreme cramps painkillers didn’t help, mood issues, migraines, and

fatigue, my periods were unmanageable.”

While birth control is becoming more common for teens, it may be difficult for some to convince a parent to allow them to start it. Others may have the opposite experience, depending on their reasoning or their parents’ knowledge on the subject. “My parents were supportive of birth control, especially since my primary motivation was for health reasons,” Wohlfarth explains.

If you were to decide to go on birth control, there is never a guarantee that the first method you try will work out for you. Personally, my doctors explained it to me

like this t i n y pink pill was going to magically change my life forever and my period would suddenly disappear.

With the first two brands I tried I had terrible side effects, causing me to stop using birth control altogether.

This is a universal experience for many. After talking with Wohlfarth, she told me about her experiences with different pills, “My current pill is the third one I have tried. The first one gave me flu-like symptoms and I took it for less than a week. The second felt alright until the off week, and then it gave me the worst migraines of

my life. It was nonstop pain for a week that left me paralyzed, not even able to make facial expressions.”

This doesn’t mean that there aren’t any options out there for some people. As stated earlier, there are so many different forms of birth control available. For birth control pills alone there are over 50 different brands to try and choose from. However, in a documentary called “The Business of Birth Control,” they showed how

many of the different brands presented are actually duplicates under the same name, which could be cause for repetitive side effects on “different” pills.

After experiencing extreme side effects, many people find out they are due to the type of hormones produced by the pill.

The birth control pill comes in a few forms, including an estrogen-only pill, progestin-only pill and a combination pill, that contains both hormones.

Wohlfarth shares her situation with different types of hormone pills she’s used, “We found out my reaction was

due to using a pill containing estrogen, which typically is dangerous for people with migraines. It significantly raises the chance of stroke and blood clots even if you don’t get unbearable migraine pain on it.”

It is relieving that there are options available for almost anyone needing to take birth control, and most side effects are short-term. For those taking birth control to prevent pregnancy or other temporary reasons, birth control is proven to be almost completely safe.

However,

t h o s e who are prescribed birth control for life to manage conditions like endometriosis or heavy and painful periods, may be more at risk to some of the long-term side effects of hormonal birth control.

What they don’t tell you about birth control is the poster board sized sheet of side effects included with the pills. It was also never explained to me the long-term risks. As a 16-yearold who would probably have to take this for the next 30-40 years, it would have been nice to be informed of my increased risk of certain cancers.

There is mixed evidence proving whether or not birth control can cause some reproductive cancers. There is evidence to support that taking birth control for long-term use can actually increase your risk

of breast and cervical cancers.

However, other studies show that long-term use of birth control has actually shown to reduce the risk of certain endometrial and ovarian cancers.

It has been proven that both progestin and estrogen pills increase people’s risk of developing blood clots.

The podcast “iWeigh” has an episode called “What You Should Know About The Birth Control Pill.” In this episode, Jameela Jamil speaks with multiple women and talks to them about their experiences and the misinformation people are given about birth control.

The most interesting thing I found in this podcast was when they talked about how the use of hormones can actually alter your brain chemistry. The use of hormonal birth control stops ovulation. Part of someone’s attraction towards others is influenced during ovulation.

In this podcast, women shared how the person they were dating while on birth control was suddenly unattractive to them once they stopped taking it. I found that very interesting and felt that it was definitely a lesser-known side effect.

The reason so many people taking birth control don’t know about the effects it can have may be due to the lack of education. When I took health class, we learned about two forms of birth control, the contraceptive pill and the IUD. We were only taught about how it was used to prevent pregnancy and were never told about all the other uses it had.

Birth control overall can be incredibly helpful to some people, but there is not enough information about the effects it has on those taking it. It is important for those planning on taking birth control to make sure they’ve done full research on the side effects and know what they could potentially be putting themselves at risk for.

Troy High Twins Student/Teacher Lookalikes

Ms. Cervi and Senior Alvina Zaitona

Mr. House and Junior Max Falk

Mrs. Emmerson and Sophomore Caroline Fraus

Mrs. Riddock and Junior Carly McConnell

Mr. Messina and Junior Adam Smolcic

Ms. Clark and Sophomore Zoe Niemkiewicz