Vol. 8, Issue 3

Cover is by Ainsley Giorio

THE CHARIOT STAFF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Emma Mertz

PRINT EDITOR

Anjali Sanil

GRAPHICS EDITOR

Raneen AlRammahi

PUBLIC RELATIONS

EDITOR

Ainsley Giorio

BUSINESS EDITOR

Ria Gupta

BODY COPY EDITORS

Ria Gupta and Ashley Park

ADVISOR

Morgan Clark

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

The Road Ahead..........3

A Trip Down Memory Lane..........4

Survey-osaurus..........5

Senior Playlist..........6

Getting on Board..........7

The Last of the Greats..........8 & 9

Modeling Success..........10

The Last Laugh..........10

Code to Success..........11

Up the Octave..........11

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

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.

Darius Whiteside II: The Rush Towards Greatness..........12

When Music Meets Muscle..........12

A Dive into Troy High School’s Synchronized Swimming Team..........13

Senior Summer: The Ultimate Guide.........14

Senior Editor Farewells..........15

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.

Yvona Nikitin

“I’m going to UChicago in the fall! Go maroonies! I applied to other places like George Washington University, Temple University, Bates College, and Amherst College. I’m majoring in Environmental Science because I want more people to know about just how badly the Earth is hurting right now, in ways they didn’t even know were possible, and maybe even help fix it! I chose UChicago for a lot of different reasons, the main ones being the quality of education and its proximity to my family. It was the only expensive school I got into that seemed worth the price, and I’m really comforted by the fact I have family to go to when I need help. I definitely want to try to be a part of a news reporting broadcast or paper on campus, and I think I’d like to do some community outreach as well.”

The Road Ahead

Troy High School seniors speak on their plans for after graduation.

Emma Mertz// Editor-in-Chief & Keira Mertz // Staff Reporter

Tridib Chakraborty

“I was going in for environmental science as an application, but I’m going to do bio-chem instead and I have a level degree in mathematics because I finished all of the community college requirements for math. I got into Cornell University and I got into Johns Hopkins and I got into University of Michigan. I got waitlisted at Harvard. I’m choosing Michigan out of all the three, which I know surprised a lot of people, but scholarship wise, I know financially it is such an important thing, and Cornell was almost four times the cost. Film has always been a very important part of my life, so I can do this interdisciplinary approach with film and science in Michigan, they do a lot of documentary stuff, which I think would be a great way to do research and then show off my findings, which is not available at a lot of higher Ivys which are a little bit more picky about the things you do. I recently got awarded the Corporate National Merit Scholarship. National Merit does regular scholarships, college scholarships and corporate scholarships. I got a Corporate scholarship for $2500

Adrian Crowell

“I am going to Oakland Community College. I chose OCC because it’s very affordable. It’s also close, so I can live at home. I am majoring in Theatre. I’ve been doing technical theatre for 2 years now and I really enjoy it. I plan to join OCC’s theatre club. After I get my Associate degree at OCC, I want to transfer to Northern Michigan University. I want to get my Bachelor degree in Technical Theatre, with a focus on Lighting and Set Design.”

Megan Moceri

“I am going to Hilbert College. I applied to many others. High Point, Loyola, Lake Superior State, Paul Smiths, Niagara, Rowan, Lawrence Tech. I chose my school because it’s class sizes allow more individualized learning and had good hockey program. I am majoring in sports management because I’ve been around sports my whole life and if I could stay around hockey that would be a dream. I also decided to continue my hockey career because obviously I love the sport, but I am looking forward to new life long friends, memories, staying involved, and keeping in shape.”

Georgia Becks

“After I graduate, I’m going to start working full time at my current job & get all the experience I need over the summer & save up! I decided college right after school wasn’t the best idea for me so instead I’ll apply to OU to major in journalism in January, hoping to become a sports journalist.”

Brian Park

“I am going to MSU to persue business and marketing because I want to eventually become a part of the US Men’s volleyball maketing team. I plan on further growing the program and to improve the grassroots programs for young boys, and also pursuing my own athletic career through their club teams.”

Athena Senteza

Niru Varma

“I’m going to West Virginia University. I applied to a bunch of Pennsylvania schools and Michigan schools. I chose WVU because I’ve always wanted to go to a bigger school and go out of state so it seemed like the perfect school for both of those wants. I’m majoring in Nursing because I’ve always been interested in healthcare, but I like interacting with people so I thought nursing was the best major to go into. I’ve thought about joining sports clubs next year like the swim club or the gymnastics club but I’m not totally committed to doing it yet.”

Aidan Lenaway

“I’m going to Eastern Michigan University to study Aviation Flight Technology, I also looked at going into Western Michigan University’s flight program as well as the flight program at Northwestern Michigan College. I chose Eastern Michigan because I wanted to stay close to home. I’m not committed to any sports at EMU but I’d love to join a club or be part of something.”

Dakota Daley

“I’m not going to college just yet, I might not even go at all, school has just never been my thing. Honestly the only reason I’m choosing to not go to college is because school is just not for me. The place that I work (Qdoba) at, I was promoted to manager so I’m gonna work a lot over the summer and try to get a decent apartment by the fall!!”

“I’m going to MSU with a major in neuroscience. I got into Wayne State, MSU, University of Tennessee, University of Washington, Penn State, and Pitt. I plan on doing dance and acting in college, as well as continuing to study Japanese. I haven’t really applied for any scholarships yet so for now I just have the basic ones for applying. I plan on studying abroad at least a couple of times and maybe doing some research studies.”

A Trip Down Memory Lane

A look back in time on some nostalgic memories from the Class of 2023’s childhood. Anjali

Sanil // Print Editor, Graphics

For the Class of 2023, childhood was a mix of long evenings spent roaming outside and exploring the wonders of technology. We often spent hours flicking through TV channels, deciding between hours of Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, PBS Kids or Cartoon Network, laughing at the antics of familiar characters like Mordecai and friends’ driveways or showing off our new collections of SillyBandz and Littlest Pet Shop toys, the Class of 2023

by

Anjali Sanil // Print Editor

first generations to grow up playing all kinds of video games. From the coveted Nintendo Wii to the treasure trove of flash games available on CoolMathGames.com, we had an entire digital world at our fingertips. Many of us

way to infinite imaginary worlds on sunny days, and rainy afternoons meant the bins of magnet toys and Lincoln Logs would be brought out for indoor recess.

Altogether, the Class of 2023 experienced a unique mix of the utter freedom of the outdoors and the whirlwind of new cartoons, video games and websites to explore. Now that we have grown up and are graduating, we have this expansive

by the new and exciting In ternet, many of us still spent hours playing outside. Over the summer, we listened to the mourning doves coo and the cicadas buzz as we filled each long day fighting Nerf wars, playing soccer match es and marveling at that one kid’s brand new Heelys. When school came around, we had fun browsing Scholastic Book Fairs and fooling around with the scooters and giant parachute in gym class. The jungle gym at recess was a gate-

Designed by Grace Haugk // Staff Reporter

Survey-osaurus

The results of the 2023 Troy High School senior survey.

Raneen AlRammahi

//

Graphics Editor & Anjali Sanil

//

Print Editor

Senior Playlist

Songs that sum up the Class of 2023’s senior year.

to the Senior Playlist

Laith Hermiz // Staff Reporter

Hey Look Ma, I Made It

Brendon Urie, stop lying to your mom, you didn’t make it. In your attempt to make your music sound more like theater music or pop, you’ve ruined your band. The backing music to this song is uninspired and dated to the late 2010s in the worst way possible, your singing continues to be bad and I despised every moment you thought your synth-pop-musical-pop-punk music style worked. I’m happy Panic! at the Disco broke up every day. You rat. 1/10, I’d give you worse if it was possible, Brendon.

Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now

The Smiths, everybody likes them, nobody likes Morissey. This song is solid, as much as I despise the singer. The drums, guitar and bass come to make a catchy song that, when you listen to it, makes you feel superior to just about anybody listening to any other song. The guitar tone glistens like a star, and then as the drums and bass mix to build up into magic, I hear the sound. The sound of Morissey hitting a high note. My body turns from bliss to disgust, I shrivel up and I die until he finally stops.

Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, now that Morissey is singing. 8/10.

Just Wanna Rock

My first thought going into this song was “stop breathing in my ear.” But the synth hits very hard and it is a great build up into a song fitting for any large crowd of stupid 19-year-olds to do stupid things to. And then the build up goes into more buildup. And then more, and more. Then the song ends. Lil Uzi Vert did a massive cop out here. This could have been THE song of the year. Pure laziness, 5/10 for the incomplete mess this song is.

Album covers courtesy of Spotify.com

Fifteen (Taylor’s Version) Taylor Swift

The Color Violet Tory Lanez

Ribs Lorde

For Good (from “Wicked”) Wicked Cast Senior Playlist

Coco Jamboo Mr. President

My Little Love Adele

Boy’s a Liar (Pt. 2) PinkPantheress, Ice Spice

Stolen Dance Milky Chance

Never Grow Up Taylor Swift

The Spins Mac Miller

Last Words of a Shooting Star Mitski

Getting on Board

A look at the seniors who lead Troy High School’s clubs to success.

Abby Werenka // Staff Reporter

As President, Brooklyn Crockett oversees everything going on in Student Government. Crockett has been a dedicated member of the club since her freshman year and decided to apply for the Executive Board to have a bigger role. To Crockett, the most rewarding aspect of her position is seeing all of the things Student Government has worked hard to accomplish. She is especially proud of Homecoming and Senior Sidekick, which were both received positively by the student body. She will be attending Michigan State University to major in Secondary Education, the first step in her goal to become a teacher.

Zachary Balcoff makes up the other half of the Co-Presidents of the Troy Theatre Ensemble. Alongside Kiara Gilmore, he helps plan events and keeps track of group bonding activities such as buddy bags before shows. Since joining the Troy Theatre Ensemble in his freshman year, he has garnered a large presence in both the cast as an actor and crew as Prop Manager and Publicity Designer. Because of this, he felt he was capable of leading the club with an understanding of both sides. He is continuing theatre at Michigan State University through a double major including Theatre Design, where he can express his creativity through props and sets.

Rena Foo is one of the Co-Vice Presidents of Model United Nations. She plans and runs club and board meetings, organizes logistics for competitive conferences, trains delegates and serves as a point of contact for all members. She has been a member of Model United Nations all four years of high school and previously served as the club’s Communications Director. “Model UN has been one of the most important aspects of my high school experience, so I wanted to gain leadership experience and contribute to an organization that I truly cared about,” Foo explained. She will be majoring in International Studies and Economics at the University of Michigan, a career interest developed during her time in Model United Nations.

Passionate about Japanese culture, Nitya Upadhye is the President of Japanese Club. As well as leading every meeting, Upadhye also makes club presentations and announcements. After joining the club her freshman year and becoming an official member her sophomore year, Upadhye sought to improve how the club was run and introduce new activities, thus leading her to apply for the position of President. To her, Japanese Club has always been more than just a club, but rather a place where she could share her long-held interest in Japanese culture with others who felt the same way. She will be attending Wayne State University to major in Business Administration.

THE LAST OF THE GREATS

The senior Class of 2023 is the last graduating class to have experienced high school before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s how it’s shaped their lives and the world around them.

By: The Seniors of The Chariot

The Class of 2023 was among the last classes to have lived a semi-normal high school experience through the beginning of freshman year. Suddenly, the football games, school dances and sounds of lockers were wiped out of our lives with Clorox wipes and masks. Our high school years, meant to be buzzing with excitement, were muted down with Zoom meetings alone in our rooms. Everything we had known before was left to resign, and our minds became nothing but a deserted hum of white noise. On May 5, 2023, the pandemic was officially declared over, but the long lasting effects will continue to affect people, even in unexpected ways. But with light at the end of the tunnel, our pandemic years allowed us to wave goodbye to the sorrows of the past and welcome an unprecedented and necessary era of change.

Last of...

...Final Exams:

With the sudden shift to online school in 2020, teachers were forced to abandon their tried-and-true methods of testing in favor of simple, cheat-proof finals and midterms. During the 20202021 school year, some teach ers took a gamble by giving students regular exams virtually and accepting the risk of cheaters, while others gave their students a break by assigning “semester reflections” and still others dropped the final exam altogether. Even in our first year back to in-person school, we ended up with online midterms, once again opening exams up to cheating and pressuring many teachers to assign us reflections for the third time in a row. Some teachers went so far as assigning reflections for last year’s final exams as well in an attempt to lessen our workload as we recovered from the pandemic. This year, we have finally returned to regular assessments, but the Class of 2023 remains the last class to have experienced a midterm week entirely devoid of “easy A” reflection assessments.

...Attention Spans:

Although the Class of 2023’s freshman year was cut short, we still got to experience high school preCOVID-19. We are the last of many things, one of which is being the last class to have a lasting attention span. The attention span of the 2023 graduating seniors is definitely not perfect. However, it is far better than the younger high school students. Current teenagers, especially high school lower-classmen, feel the need to have multiple forms of stimulation. One such example is the rise of split-screen tablets and laptops. Students are unable to stick to a task for long periods of time without getting distracted. Unfortunately, this is the new reality of high schoolers.

...Skinny Jeans:

Gazing around the hallways in 2019, you’d find yourself in a sea of skinny jeans. Groups of people wearing acid-washed ripped jeans with socks pulled obnoxiously high over them fanned out in every direction. Then, in 2020 during the pandemic, the rise of TikTok led to many emerging fash trends. These trends such as a Y2k reboot, indie and alternative led to the decline of skinny jean’s popularity. Fol lowing lockdown, not one style is “in.” Many fashion fads are

shared and admired all across social media; the only common denominator is the new-found hatred for skinny jeans.

...General Disgust:

Whether it was sticky, food-infested tables, “friendly” hugs in the band hallway or a rotting deer head covered in the football team’s “substances,” freshman year for the Class of 2023 was, without a doubt, a disgusting time. The reign of COVID-19, despite its fatal consequences, did little to change many people’s hygiene habits, but something is always better than nothing. The school hallways are still gross, but we can only be thankful they’re not more disgusting. For once, people have been enlightened by the wonders of hand sanitizer and covering coughs. The age of masks provided a haven from the acidic smells of the main gym and hand washing is no longer scarce. The normality of wiping down desks between classes was a treasure and tears of joy fell with every tissue used. The lack of everyday colds and fevers proved a shocking experience to many; it’s crazy to think about the power basic hygiene can have. While we are still far from reaching optimal hygiene, our skewed years helped us become one step closer to the bare minimum.

...Social Interaction:

: When quarantine began, it was fun to entertain ourselves by being on our phones all day with nothing to do. However, the overall result is that we now would rather entertain ourselves with our phones than with each other. It’s sometimes frustrating when we want to talk to our friend when the teacher says we have freetime to do whatever, but we can’t since the rest of class goes silent for the whole hour since everyone is on their phones instead. There’s an awkward silence; we all know we’d rather be talking, but no one wants to be the first one to disrupt the quiet.

...Tolerance:

During the COVID-19 lockdown, people were stuck inside their homes all day. This led teens to either do all of the Chloe Ting workouts or spend excessive time on the Internet and social media. Many human rights issues gained prominence on the Internet, and with lockdown starting the same year as a presidential election, many took to social media as an outlet for political speech. Everyone and their mother was on Instagram or Facebook posting how they felt about every uprising political issue, and, since everyone was tucked away in their respective homes, it was difficult to communicate differences and misunderstandings. As a result, people began to lose their tolerance of their relatives’ and peers’ opinions, ultimately cutting off relationships based on people’s political opinions.

First of

...Mental Health Awareness:

Since COVID-19, we have seen a massive uptick in acceptance of mental health issues and have become more accepting of these differenc es. Throughout bad experiences during lockdown, many people who do not have mental health disorders were under incredible amounts of stress and were socially isolated. This has led to an increase in support of mental health issues and dis orders, which has led to many people having access to necessary resources for their mental health. This includes a wider acceptance of therapy, counseling and acceptance of people sharing their emotions. Troy High School has started spe cific activities to increase student support, such as Character Values highlights at the end of the week. Teachers have also begun to allow extensions for mental health reasons. This cultural shift for the better of society has helped lead to many teachers and staff

members understanding mental health problems, and in turn can foster a better learning community

...Excessive Independence:

Zoom did substantial damage

even if we don’t understand it. Many resort to YouTube videos, similar to quar antine. Further more, we don’t socialize for as long as we used to. Instead of hanging out with friends all day or exploring the city, many of us are at home asleep or doing inde

whilst quarantining at home. While many of us took the initiative to educate ourselves on important issues, too many simply shared popular posts without actually knowing or caring about the subject. This has continued to this day, with users sharing serious infographics and immediately returning to their regular content. This performative aspect of activism is not effective in creating long-term change. Nonetheless, politics became less of a taboo subject and became more commonly discussed in the classroom, especially during the 20202021 school year. With another

choose to finish super fast and treat assignments as busy work instead of learning opportunities. We don’t ask for help often, trying to get things done on our own

and global protests. But for the first time, we turned to social media to advocate for social and political change. Considering how easily accessible social media is, this enabled us to express our opinions

to use our voice, both online and at the ballot box.

At the end of this chapter of our lives and the beginning of a new one, the Class of 2023 must look back and reflect not only on our high school experience, but how it was changed because of the pandemic. As the final class to begin high school with a normal experience, our version of high school is vastly different from the following classes. Throughout multiple lockdowns, social media became a primary method of communication. Even after the lockdown ended and the pandemic ensued, our lives were changed forever. Many of these drastic changes altered our personalities and morals, yet still brought us closer together despite being further apart. Now we get to graduate in-person and follow our passions and dreams wherever they take us. Yet, at the end of the day, we must ask ourselves, what could have been? That question will follow us throughout our lives, and we may never have the answer. All we may know is that we began and ended with a pandemic, and came out as changed people.

of seniors wish they could decorate their graduation caps.

SENIOR INJUSTICES

atTroy High School

Modeling Success

George Perakis’ accomplishments inside and outside of Troy High School. Ainsley Giorio // Public Relations Editor

Senior George Perakis, throughout his high school ca reer, has invested himself in a multitude of communities at Troy High School and outside of Troy High School.

When asked what he’s been involved in at Troy High School, Perakis shared, “Currently, I’m involved with the Model UN team, and I’ve been doing that for the past four years and I’m president of that currently. I’ve also been involved with the TED-Ed club here, and I’ve giv en a few TED-Ed talks over the years. I’m also on the DECA team, where I’m an execu tive council member.”

Perakis is especially known for his involve

queline Ciolek, Model United Nations’ advisor, responded,able.” Ciolek continues, “I think George has modeled forvested and committed to more than one club. Modeling thatvested in more than one thing,ness, I think, is what he’s done for our club while also setting

ment doesn’t stop at Troy High School;ibly involved in many other com-

munities. Perakis currently leads and plans events for his Greek Orthodox Youth Association. He is also a member of the Superintendent Student Advisory board, where he assisted in planning the Martin Lurther King Jr. Day of Service.

DID YOU KNOW?

entrepreneurship challenges. Perakis’ team placed first: “We got to present on stage to the judges, and our prototype for our product is currently in the Nobel Peace Prize Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.”

George Perakis was featured on Fox News in October 2022.

Perakis has also made incredible individual accomplishments, including his participation in The Berlin Global Leadership Summit in Berlin, Germany in the summer of 2022. After being placed in 84 teams, participants were presented with

The Last Laugh

Many students spend high school learning and experimenting with their passions, ultimately searching for a potential career path. Even outside of the classroom, clubs, sports and other extracurricular activities help students determine the course they would like to follow in life. The options may seem stressful and overwhelming, especially on top of classwork and expectation to know this pursuit by senior year. However, on top of finding her career goals, senior Anna McManus has involved herself in many school activities to explore her

passion for leadership.

McManus has involved herself in many extracurricular activities, surpassing expectations in many ways.

LITTLE LAUGHS

She served as Troy High School’s Class of 2023 Student President for three years, and as Vice President for one year. Along with her leadership duties, she played varsity lacrosse for three years. McManus also

Whether it be in the classroom or Germany, Perakis strives to bolster community with innovative efforts. He plans to attend the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business in the fall.

part of this career path choice. McManus said, “I love the community Detroit has,” McManus said. “[They were] very accepting to me when I first started, which was surprising, because a lot of the people are grown adults who have full time jobs and families. It almost seems like a teenager who has no clue what they’re doing doesn’t quite fit, but they were very accepting and they really want to see me continue [to] flourish in the industry.”

Photo by Ainsley Giorio

Photo courtesy of Anna McManus

Anna McManus shares how her life has led her toward pursuing a career in comedy. October Marquez // Staff Reporter

created by Grace Haugk // Staff Reporter

“Senior year is more fun the second time around!”

- Anna McManus

Code to Success

Sonnet Xu, who got into Stanford, tells how she found her passion in high school and gives advice.

Sally Kim // Staff Reporter

High school is a time for exploring different passions and activities. Senior Sonnet Xu, a semifinalist in the nation for the United States Presidential Scholars Program, will be attending Stanford University to pursue a career in Computer Science.

Throughout high school, Xu explored different activities to find her passion. In her freshman year, she joined the Robotics team and discovered that she enjoyed programming. She spent her extra time during the COVID-19 pandemic studying machine learning, and in her sophomore year, Xu founded the Machine Learning club to share her knowledge with others. She also invited some professors to talk to Troy High School students about machine learning during the summit she held. She also said involving herself in the STEM community led her to under stand that there’s a community there for her and other girls.

All these experiences led her to find her dream major, Computer Science.

“I think for me, figuring out that I wanted to do computer science was really about getting hands-on experi ence that allowed me to find the significance of learning at school. The reason that I chose

Up the Octave

Senior Jonah Midtgard talks about the highlights of his musical career at Troy High School and what’s left on his path.

Ashley Park // Body Copy Editor

CompSci is because I had the most experience with it,” said Xu. “I think all of those different experiences let me see how computer science can make changes in people’s lives and inspired me to pursue Computer Science.”

Xu expresses her excitement for entering the Computer Science Program at Stanford.

“College is a chance for me to develop a more fine sense of myself. In college, there’s a lot more experiences that I didn’t have[in high school]. I can do more research, [have] more global experiences, travel, meet new people, work with the industry more.” She says. “I’m just excited to form new relationships that I think will really take me where I want to go in my career and my life.”

As she leaves Troy High School to start a new path at Stanford University, Xu gives other students advice for finding their own passions: “If you want to try something, don’t be afraid to try it. Don’t believe anyone when they say you can’t do anything or if it’s too hard, because only you know your limits.”

On Dec. 13, the Troy High School Symphony Orchestra premiered The American Symphony Op. 3 composed by musician and Troy High School student, Jonah Midtgard, for the annual Holiday Concert. Just over a month later, String Quartet No. 2, also composed by Midtgard, premiered at the 2023 Young Composers of Michigan Concert at the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Midtgard talks about how these achievements played a part in pushing him to pursue his music career.

“It was mostly a combination of support with my teacher Mrs. Stuart [Troy High School Orchestra Director] and the overall support I have been getting from my classmates.” He continues, “It’s really been pushing me to pursue music and pursue my dream.”

The process leading up to the premieres of his pieces began nearly two years ago when he first started sharing his pieces with Alan Mac nair, the former Troy High School Orchestra Director.

“In tenth grade, I emailed Mr. Macnair some of the pieces that I wrote, and I was like ‘Hey, check these out!’ and he did.” He

shares. Macnair listened to his pieces, which encouraged Midtgard to continue sharing music with the class.

Midtgard tried the same with Stuart when he sent her The American Symphony Op. 3., leading to its eventual performance.

Unlike The American Symphony Op. 3, String Quartet No. 2 had a rushed start to its success. Midtgard had been approached on the day of the due date for the Young Composers of Michigan Concert submissions. Nevertheless, his piece made it to Grand Rapids and debuted on Jan. 21.

Midtgard thanks the Troy High School orchestra program, as he feels the opportunities given to him would not have been elsewhere.

Midtgard will be attending Michigan State University as a composition major in the fall. As he leaves Troy High School, he gives advice to his

“Even if you think your music sounds bad, there’s always going to be someone out there who thinks it’s good. You may have to do a little bit of digging like I had to do for Troy High, but I eventually found that people do enjoy your music, and you may not like it, but other people will 100% love it, so don’t give up!”

Photo by Ashley Park

Photo courtesy of Sonnet Xu

Signing Off

Compiled

Giadelle Micene // Staff Reporter

Darius Whiteside II

Grand Valley State University

Jennifer Bricker

Carleton College

Lauren Boehmer

Adrian College

Megan Moceri

Hilbert College

Lydia Dardar

Wayne State University

Jessica Rowe

Michigan State University

Darius Whiteside II: The Rush Towards Greatness

Future college football star and award winner Darius Whiteside II reflects on his sports career. Raneen

Senior football star, track runner and basketball player Darius Whiteside II joined Troy High School’s Varsity Football team during his sophomore year. He began playing football as early as kindergarten, “[starting] off with flag football, and [then] playing tackle football in 5th grade.”

“I’ve just always played it,” said Whiteside. “Football is a great sport for me to play, that’s probably the best sport I play. I felt like it was a great fit.”

Whiteside’s capabilities set the standards for Troy High School’s football team higher than ever. “Individually, Darius did things that no other kid in Troy High could do,” said Chris Fraiser, the varsity football coach. “He can jump higher than most kids on the team. We’d just throw the ball up, and we knew that most times Darius would come down with it.”

Ryan Maddock

Madonna University

Colin Glenn

Kansas Wesleyan University

Austin Cicerone

Saginaw Valley State University

Lizzy Bultnyck

Bowling Green State University

Jordyn Green

Rochester University

Jusuf Kercishta

Lawrence Technological University

Matthew Matuza Jr.

Kalamazoo College

Sophia Worden

University of South Florida

AlRammahi // Graphics Editor

Named a 2022 Michigan High School Football Coachteam by the Michigan High School Football Coaches’ Asso-

and what put his name on the map,” said Fraiser. “the best thing about Darius is that he never had a bad day. He never took plays off at practice, he was never questioning things [and] he’d try his hardest every day.”

Whiteside dominated the field throughout his high school career, whether it be through powerful steals, record-breaking times or strategic touchdowns. But, notably, his personality outshines his abilities.

“As a player, we’ll miss him because he was one of our best players, but more importantly, as a person, we’ll miss Darius next year because he brought just a positive energy to the high school,” said Fraiser. Whiteside committed to play football for Grand Valley State University, majoring in Criminal Law.

When Music Meets Muscle

Thirty seconds. That was how long Riley Patton, firstyear wrestler, would need to hold out to win her match. Patton walked into her quali fying meet a few points ahead of her opposition, but the re sults could make or break her chances for the state competi tion.

“[It] was my blood round,” Patton explained. “If I won, I was moving on in the season and if I lost, I was done. That was the end of my wrestling season.”

On Feb. 19, Patton made Troy High School history as the first female wrestler from the school to qualify for Wres tling State Finals. By doing so, Patton also became the first fe male wrestler to complete a full season.

Currently, Patton makes up the entirety of female par

ation. Tenacity, the wrestler argues, is half the battle. Expe

Aside from the sport, Patton harbors a passion for music. Using the recording studio at Troy High School, she’s been able to create recordings of her songs. Patton will be attending Albion College with a music scholarship, where she hopes to continue her wrestling career, in the fall.

To the future female wrestlers of Troy High School, Patton hopes that they, too, will qualify. “We have these boards in the wrestling room and they have all the names of the state qualifiers, placers, the years the team has won Districts and Regionals. Get yourself up there. Put yourself up on the board. “ She adds, “I know I’m the first but I don’t want to be the last.”

Photo by Raneen AlRammahi

by

Designed by Grace Haugk // Staff Reporter

Photo by Ria Gupta

Senior Riley Patton makes history as first Troy High School female to qualify for States in wrestling. Ria Gupta // Business Editor, Body Copy Editor

A Dive into Troy High School’s Synchronized Swimming Team

A celebration of the successes of the Seniors on the Troy High School Synchronized Swimming Team.

Michelle Baik // Staff Reporter

Troy High School’s synchronized swimming team has been on an influential streak in recent years. The team cel ebrated victory at Synchro Swimming Championship last year and recently finished this year’s season by placing second at the State Championship. As six seniors, Noyonima Masud, Yejin Moon, Cynthia Wang, Niru Varma, Helen Xiao and Erin Xia, leave the team this year, their ac complishments and contri butions to the state-winning team are celebrated.

Championship title back in 2015, the girls were able to reclaim the title last year. Senior Cyn thia Wang, captain of Troy High School’s synchronized swimming team, recalls that winning the State Championship was “kind of a fever dream.” She continues, “It’s just

something that [we’ve] worked so hard for.”

Senior Helen Xiao also adds, “Honestly, we were hold

at the State Championships.

This year, the team fell to the Ann Arbor Pioneer Synchronized Swimming team and placed second in both the figure and routine categories season. Wang discusses her thoughts on this year’s season: “I think our girls did super good. We had a really successful figure season as well as a routine season. We did lose our state streak, but it’s always friendly competition and we respect Ann Arbor Pioneer for winning.” She continues, “I think we always gave our best effort when it came to practices and meets so I am very satisfied with how we did this year.”

“The team really rose to the challenge and turned in some impressive performances,” states Head Coach Lori Uchwal-Hollier. “But we are going to take what we learned into next season and hopefully win back our title of State Champions!”

Not only did the team spend a lot of time working on their routines, they also spent a lot of time bonding and creating

stronger relationships with everyone. As the seniors look back on their past years on the team, they discuss their favorite memories with the team. Varma shares her favorite memory: “Last year we had a movie night where we watched Mamma Mia. That was fun.”

Wang also stated that one time before practice, the team went into the snow to make snow angels and then hopped in the pool with snow all over.

The seniors of the synchronized swimming team express the impact this team will leave on them. As Wang says, “I love the people this year from this team and I think that I built a lot of connections that are going to stay with me for a lifetime.”

Photos by Ainsley Giorio and Ria Gupta

For more records broken by seniors, visit troychariot.org.

CompiledbyAlyMatuza//StaffReporter DesignedbyGraceHaugk//StaffReporter

Senior Summer: The Ultimate Guide

Some fun things to do after you graduate to make this summer count.

You’ve just graduated high school and this is your last summer before becoming an adult. Making your senior summer the best summer yet is an amazing way to start off your new journey as an adult by making memories you will never forget with friends and family. Sure, you may be looking forward to going out late and hanging out with your friends, but this summer is different. You could be saying some bittersweet goodbyes to friends you may have grown up with. Before you head out to discover new challenges and life changing experiences in the fall, here are some ways to make this the best senior summer.

As you are transitioning into the sum mer, it’s import ant to remember to not only spend time with friends, but your fam ily as well. For some, this may be time for a while that you will get that quality time with your loved ones before you go off into a new job, higher education and in general creating a life for yourself. Spending time with friends and family could

mean anything from game nights to going on little trips, as well as creating the most enthusiastic summer bucket lists ever, filled with anything and everythng that shares both of your interests. This can help give you those long-lasting memories and strengthen your relationships with them before you start in this new chapter of your life.

“We did a big summer barbeque and ended the night with a bonfire,” shared Biology teacher Rachel Cervi when asked how she celebrated graduating with her closest friends.“We all went to a coffee shop and wrote each other letters to take with us away to college,” Cervi added. These actions are usually seen to be small, when in reality this action can give your friends some sort of assurance that you’ll be able to say “see you later” instead of “goodbefore embarking on new adventures.

When asked how to make the best out of the summer, senior Roza Lulgjuraj stated, “Hanging out a little bit longer, not just staying in as much and going to the beach with a

bunch of friends.”

“I constantly was out with friends and did things that made me happy,” Grace Carruthers, Troy High School graduate, stated about how she spent her senior summer. Carruthers also explained that, “It’s honestly about soaking up every last second with the people you love from high school.”

What do you do to soak up every second of the summer with your friends and loved ones though? Of course going to the beach or pool is an idea for spending time with friends in that nice summer heat. You could also plan a road trip even if it’s only a day long. Driving around, blasting that favorite song of yours and seeing beautiful sights with friends and family. With the important people in your life. Even

going on a picnic, having a movie marathon, going on a shopping spree or trying out a restaurant can be memorable activities, especially when you know that some of your best friends are moving away and there being a possibli ty that you not be able to see them for a while.

Along with Cervi, English teacher Joey Ver helle recalls bonfires being one of the popular things he did: “Some things we did all the

time was just have bonfires and bring as many people as we could together and just have fun.”

Overall, the summer is yours to create, whether that be relaxing or having the time of your life before getting back into that education mindset. Time will start going by faster than you may expect, and this summer will eventually be coming to an end, despite wishes for it to never end, even with the excitement of new experiences in which you may learn from and opening new chapters in your life. Experiences and all the good and bad you’ve been through with the people who are close to you, knowing this can help you from feeling homesick even after your loved ones are hundreds of miles away

Teachers’ College Struggle Meals

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Senior Editor Farewells

The Chariot’s senior editors say goodbye.

When I switched into Newspaper halfway through my freshman year, I was told it would be a super fun, super laid-back, blow-off class. During my first day in the class, I discovered that it was anything but that. Being a part of The Chariot was easily one of the hardest and best choices I’ve made throughout my high school career. After my sophomore year, I decided I would be done with the class because some of my closest friends were leaving, but I am so glad that I didn’t. The next year, I did some of my best writing, perfected the art of the last-minute essay and spent some amazing time with some of my best friends before they left for college. After my junior year, I started my very first editor position. After my three years of being a Staff Reporter, I became Editor-In-Chief. Working my way up through The Chariot was one of the most rewarding things I’ve experienced. Thank you to the current, and most of the past, Chariot Staff and thank you to Ms. Clark for believing in me for all four of these years, even if I turned in almost every story late.

~ Emma Mertz // Editor-in-Chief

I joined The Chariot as a Staff Reporter during the pandemic on a whim, and since then, it has become one of my passions and the highlight of many of my days. I have never found an opportunity to express myself and learn freely like this outside of The Chariot, and while I look forward to graduation, I will miss the time I spent in the newspaper and the people I have met. Newspaper has allowed me to diversify my art and explore new creative styles in a way that no other high school experience I’ve had has. Making graphics and designing pages has been incredibly rewarding, and so has writing all kinds of articles. I have enjoyed every part of the article-writing process and I consider myself very lucky to have gotten to work on some very interesting stories. Not only has the newspaper given me a unique opportunity to learn, but it also gave me the chance to meet some amazing people. My fellow staff members and our advisor, Ms. Clark, have made my experience here nothing short of incredible. Working with the wonderful newspaper staff, I have been able to grow my writing, artwork and friendships, and that is something I will always be grateful for.

~ Anjali Sanil // Print Editor

I joined The Chariot in my sophomore year and have fallen in love with it ever since. Initially, I thought it would be one of those electives I would drop after a year, but something about the class just stuck with me. I can’t even begin to imagine what my life would be like without Newspaper. It was one of the only classes that gave me so many opportunities to unleash my creative side through both my graphics and my writing. I feel so lucky to have been part of such an incredible editorial team, and I want to thank everyone for all their hard work. I especially want to thank our adviser, Ms.Clark: words can’t even begin to describe all that she does for us and for Newspaper. When I think of graduation, I know Newspaper will be one of the biggest things I miss about high school. Some of my best memories and relationships were formed inside this classroom. The Chariot has become such a big part of me, and I am so thankful to all the staff for always showing kindness and helping me become the person I am today.

~ Raneen AlRammahi // Graphics Editor

I joined The Chariot in my sophomore year after my English teacher suggested it to me. I always loved writing but I didn’t think I was any good at it and was very nervous. I soon discovered that writing with The Chariot and getting to know all the people in the class would end up being one of the best decisions of my high school career. I’ve met some of the best people and will never forget the memories I made while not only writing, but hanging out with all of my best friends in the class. It wasn’t only the people who made taking Newspaper worth it, but the adviser. Thank you, Ms. Clark, for making me want to keep writing and always hyping all of us up every day. My journey in Newspaper has been surreal. I’m going to miss hanging out everyday with my friends and our tight knit family of reporters. I am extremely excited to experience new things in the future. I know I will cherish the memories I’ve made here forever and use what I have learned for years to come.

~ Maddy Hiser // Public Relations Editor

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EXPLORE, LEARN & ENJOY

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We’re proud to salute Troy High School Colts Girls Basketball.

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248.688.9703 www.stagenaturecenter.org

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