Vol. 8, Issue 1

THE CHARIOT STAFF OUR MISSION STATEMENT

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

Nidhi Kuchulakanti and Ashley Park

STAFF REPORTERS

Malak Al-Sharabi

Michelle Baik

Matthew Grabowski

Grace Haugk

Laith Hermiz

Mehereen Kaur

Sally Kim

Alex Kostreba

October Marquez

Leena Martin

Lilly Martin

Aly Matuza

Keira Mertz

Gia Micene

Sabreen Sais

Megan Sims

Abby Werenka

ADVISOR

Morgan Clark

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.

Cover is a graphic illustration by Anjali Sanil.

It’s More Than a Joke

Deep dive into the effects self-deprecating racism has on the Troy High School community

Ashley Park // Body Copy Editor & Raneen AlRammahi // Graphics Editor, Graphic by Raneen AlRammahi

Troy High School is a very diverse building, with many different ethnicities in one location. According to the US News, the minority enrollment of the school is 56.1 percent, meaning the majority of the students are people of color. Despite being a minority-majority school, Troy High School can’t avoid the grasp of racism. Self-deprecation, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is to “undervalue oneself”. Self-deprecation can be used in many ways, one of which is racism. This happens when a person of color undervalues not themselves, but their own ethnicity or race. But what effect does this different form of racism truly have on students at Troy High School?

Senior Samina Abedi, a Muslim student, shares her experiences with self-deprecating racism, “In my family, we sometimes make jokes about being Muslim,” she said, “But

usually when people make those jokes that are non-Muslim or not part of the culture, then it’s a little weird. They don’t understand the struggles that we go through as a community and they don’t know how to relate to it. They’re just making fun of it.”

Shriya Kankatala, an Indian American Student Association board member, explains her perspective, “I don’t think I have ever self-deprecated because of my race, but I do hear a lot of people going around and bringing down their own race,” she says, “It’s usually as a joke but there’s a fine line between joking, and actually meaning it.”

Though this popular form of racism can be seemingly harmless, it can also be used in a negative light. An example can be people who are not of the ethnicity or race making the self-deprecating jokes they heard their friends make with

the belief that they are allowed to do so.

Kankatala states her opinion on these beliefs and actions people may take, “I don’t think I’ve personally experienced where other people have joined in, but I think I’ve seen it happen before. People think it’s okay because they see other people doing it so they’re like ‘because they’re doing it we can do it too’. They justify it like that to themselves.”

Abedi gives her explanation of why people may use self-deprecating racism, whether or not they’re part of the culture, “I feel like it could be a way of coping with the struggles of the community and what you’re going through. But if you’re not part of the community then it’s very detrimental to making progress.”

Sangeun Jeong, the Vice President of Japanese Club, shares his opinions on how respecting others, including close

friends is important, “We’re inside our own group of friends and we know what we’re saying is an inside joke, but it gets to a point where it’s not an inside joke, and it just feels like blatant racism.”

Abedi gives her own perspective on racism as a whole and gives advice to those who may be users of self-deprecat-

ing racism, “Just be respectful, respect people’s boundaries and be mindful of what you say cause you never know what people will interpret it as.”

For an extended version, please refer to The Chariot’s official website.

YouTube: The Growing Issue of Racism and Favoritism

A dive into YouTube’s problems on the widely used platform

Sabreen Sais // Staff

reporter,

Graphic by Raneen AlRammahi

reers. This sparked up a lot of controversy against YouTube, making people question: What is going on?

In the past month, a popular YouTuber by the name of CoryxKenshin created a video titled “YouTube: Racism and Favoritism.” This video gained a whopping 7.8 million views in only a few days. In the video, Cory discussed the discrimination he has experienced on his YouTube platform over the past thirteen years.

Cory goes on to explain how he refuses to stay silent and is disappointed in the YouTube

team as a whole for letting this go on for so long. This has striked up many other big name YouTubers to also speak out against YouTube.

Some, purposely making inappropriate videos or completely going against YouTube’s policies to see what happens to their content. Others made videos speaking out about how their friends have been treated or even themselves through their ca-

AJ Homequest, a senior at Troy High School, expresses their concern of the trending racism on the platform, “I know there was a video that was posted on I believe Cory’s page that got taken down but it was on a bigger YouTuber’s channel–maybe Jack [Jacksepticeye] or Marks’s [Markiplier] page and it wasn’t taken down at all. And that’s just ridiculous because you could look it up and it’s all over the internet but then this one person who did it, who happens to be a person of color had their video taken down. It’s just really suspicious.”

Another Senior, Destiny Sanders, explains how YouTube’s platform doesn’t uplift people of color’s voices in the

way that it advertises, “To put into a ratio, for every ten YouTuber’s maybe one or two are Black and then you’ll see one asian like Markiplier who happens to be the most popular. And then I hardly ever see any other ethnicities besides big names like Markiplier or CoryxKenshin.”

On top of the racism, many YouTubers along with Cory verbalized their other concerns of favoritism. The issue with YouTube’s policy team according to creators revolves around the demonetization of videos and flagging videos unnecessarily for things like age restrictions when there shouldn’t be.

Sophomore Lexi Eichenlaub voices their opinion on the favoritism topic that has popped up on YouTube as of the past couple months, “I feel like a lot more problematic

creators are getting more up votes because they are so popular and so they keep upvoting them. YouTubers like Dream, Dream is a very controversial creator who is extremely popular regardless of things that he’s done and anyone who is problematic really shouldn’t be getting the attention that they’re getting because they don’t necessarily deserve it.”

All over YouTube, many content creators are trying hard to work with the company on resolving the issues with racism and favoritism amongst the YouTube community. Knowing that all of these designers and artists are receiving no solutions to the problems and unfairness that is being voiced, the community is hard at work for the justice they all want.

The Name’s Bond... TSD Bond

Introducing the money that will change Troy High for the better. Ria Gupta // Business Editor

ma commented on this issue stating, “The hallways are so packed during passing time. There’s like one main stairwell, I remember not being able to move and being pushed everywhere.”

Remo Roncone, Troy High School’s principal, refers to the 1993 edition of The Gladiator, the school’s yearbook. “This is the yearbook from when Troy High opened — this Troy High, not the 1950 Troy High. The old Troy High got rebuilt for many reasons, but when this [building] opened it had 1,700 kids [and] it was crowded. And right now we’re at 2,100 kids and it is very crowded.”

With its current population, Troy High has outgrown the building even more than it did before. This poses a security threat to the school.

The Troy School District has been given the opportunity to receive over 555 million dollars to go towards improvements in both Troy Athens High School and Troy High School. The money will also go towards the other schools located in Troy. These improvements are named specifically as building upgrades, enhancing security and program updates. The 555 million dollars will be split into three increments or “phases” over a period of ten years. Each phase will dictate what projects will be started and completed before the next phase can begin.

The effect on the average Troy homeowner will be an

additional everyday one-dollar tax. This is the first time in over thirty years that the Troy School District has asked for additional tax money to be spent, the last time being for a new Troy High School building in 1989.

At Troy High School, the bond aims to fix the circulation issues; namely, the congestion in the hallways. Currently, there is one hallway that connects the two main buildings that make up the school. Before and after fourth hour, the hallway becomes immobile with a surge of students heading to their classes and to the cafeteria.

Junior Samridhi Shar-

However, the hallways aren’t the only things up for expansion. Music rehearsal areas, for band and orchestra, are looking at being redesigned to be both bigger and better. There will also be increased student learning spaces, or areas where students will be able to collaborate with each other outside of the school’s media center. This includes space for school clubs such as Robotics, who currently hold their meetings in various parts of Troy High School’s hallways.

Upgrades to the school aren’t entirely academically-focused. The bond promises to help improve the current athletic spaces at Troy High School, including the soccer fields, tennis courts, gymnasium and football stadium.

“The player, coach and fan experience is diminishing and it needs to be rectified,” Roncone stated while referring to the current issues surrounding spring sports.

Things like frost and rain delay the beginning of the spring sport season for sports like softball and baseball. Wet baseball fields cannot be played

on and students must wait until the area has been dried to play safely; this delays games within the spring season. This would be rectified by artificial playing fields.

There will also be general repairs to demonstrated mechanical, electrical, building interior and exterior needs. Certain areas of Troy High School haven’t been upgrading since the new building was made in the late-1980s, including windows. The school also still has furniture, such as desks, from the original school. Interior needs would also include the school’s plumbing.

Sharma emphasizes the bond’s necessity in regards to interior upgrades: “I know the bathrooms are all connected and if one goes down, they all go down. The bathrooms aren’t fit for the amount of people in this school. The lines lead out into the hallway and they take forever to move. I end up cutting into [my] class time.”

The Troy School District makes its case for the bond by claiming that having adequate space and facilities is integral to student achievement. Therefore, it promises to invest in current student programs to ensure success. New classrooms will be built in order to address the current classroom shortage. Special education needs will also be addressed with appropriate building accommodations and playground additions in Troy elementary schools.

At Troy High School, there are currently six science teach-

ers that are placed in traditional classrooms without the benefits of having readily-available gas and lab tables for experiments. The bond will allow for an additional wing to be built to either the English or History hallways for these teachers, whilst freeing up the space for other traditional subjects.

Efforts to encourage additional money from the bond proposal for Troy High School have led the administration to invite the Facility Review Committee into the building, as the money is allocated based on demonstrated need.

More recent events have led Troy High School to become almost dependent on the bond for any progress on rectifying certain school issues. The district will have to look at alternative options if the bond is not passed. If passed, Troy High School can expect to see certain improvements within the next year, like new furniture and the artificial fields. Other projects, like expanding the school, will start throughout the tenyear period. An example of the benefits from a previous bond include the renovated media center, which was completed in time for the 2021-2022 school year.

On Nov. 8, 2022, residents of Troy will be given the opportunity to vote on the bond. Questions regarding the bond can be emailed to Bond2022@ troy.k12.mi.us.

Photos courtesy of www.troy.k12.mi.us & The Gladiator (1993)

The Mysterious Blue Bucket

The Troy School District’s recent security updates and how people around the school feel about our safety.

Anjali Sanil // Print Editor, Graphic by Anjali Sanil

Over the past few years, the Troy School District has drastically changed its security systems and emergency protocol from the “sitting under a desk and hiding” tactic to a more active defense plan. While most have practiced A.L.I.C.E training and using the NightLock system, not everyone is aware of the new “go-buckets” that were added to every classroom and office at the beginning of the 20222023 school year.

The buckets contain various items that can be used in an emergency, including a hammer, wasp spray and, of course, toilet paper.

Assistant Principal Dan House discusses how these buckets came to be, “We had to go through the process of finding funding, voting on what items would be most

helpful for safety and security,” he said. Essentially, district administration surveyed teachers around the district, asking them what objects they would like to have handy in an emergency, and then compiled a collection of useful items based on their feedback.

“Even the bucket itself is a functional thing,” House said, going on to explain that it could be thrown at an assailant or used to safely hold a confiscated weapon without touching it. And yes, it could be used as a poop bucket.

Noelle Wald, forensic science teacher, gives a teacher’s perspective into the introduction and application of the go-buckets and other safety procedures, “We talk about things at staff meetings,” she said. “They’ll let us know if there is a drill coming up or

what has been implemented into the building as far as policies.”

While Wald reports that, although there is regular communication with teachers in relation to safety issues, she is unsure if students receive the same degree of communication.

“Definitely more practice would be beneficial,” Wald said. “I think when staff are asked to do the drills, it’s important to actually follow through on what’s expected. I think that we talk about things but unless you practice with it, you’re not completely ready to go into action.”

Despite this concern, Wald expressed satisfaction with the district’s new updates.

“I’m more confident than ever,” she said. “I feel much more confident since they put

in the NightLock. I think it has been very comforting to people because it takes away that uncertainty.”

Ultimately, while catchy, the go-bucket is only one safety measure among many others.

“Trying to get students prepared for different scenarios is more important than what’s actually in the bucket,” House said, emphasizing the importance of the ALICE training, which teaches students to make quick decisions about how to protect themselves and their peers rather than following a strict set of rules.

“I’m confident that somebody, hopefully, will think on their feet,” House said, “Sitting in one place and hiding under furniture is not the way to do it.”

Referencing a training

session with a school resource officer playing the role of an attacker, “We were able to take him down because people threw stuff at him, someone turned the lights off.” This kind of quick, fight-or-flight thinking is what will actually protect students and staff from an active threat.

House assures students of the district’s commitment to safety.

“There’s a lot of things I hope never, ever, ever happen, but to think about it is really important,” he said. “We’ll continue to do the drills, we’ll keep getting trained. We’re very vigilant just to keep Troy High as safe as we possibly can.”

Student Thoughts on the Go-Bucket.

Q: Pick an item from the bucket and explain what you would use it for.

“I would definitely use the hammer as a weapon, I would hit the person with it in the knees or the head, wherever I can.” - Ashley Spencer, junior

“Zip ties maybe help if you get them on the floor, you can handcuff them.” - Ashley Spencer, junior

“The rope could be used to rappel down from the second story.” - Sanjini Rajkumar, senior

“The wasp spray is a very useful tool, because if somebody has a lighter, you could have a makeshift flamethrower . Just burn the perpetrator alive. Crispy!” - Sanjini Rajkumar, senior

Q: Are there any items that you wish were in the bucket?

“I want a poster of ‘Resilience, Responsibility, Empathy, and Kindness in these trying times.” - Sanjini Rajkumar, senior

“We should give teachers chargers or power banks.” - Sanjini Rajkumar, senior

“Maybe pepper spray, and if it’s allowed, a taser.” - Sanju Sunilkumar, senior

“I think it would be really helpful for neurodivergent students to have something in there to cope with a stressful situation from a sensory perspective. It would be nice to have something not just physically cope with but emotionally.” - Liam Richards, senior

IA Teacher Picketing

The response of students and teachers at International Academy East in light of the expired contract.

working to try to spread aware ness and make a change with this issue.

Sophomore Joanna Mat thews, member of the student body, discussed the student re sponse to this issue, “Students at IA have been taking a lot of leadership ever since this prob lem was being spread around. Students have been posting many posts that talk about how IA teachers have shaped their lives and others.”

throughout the Troy School District, particularly in relation to staff members at the International Academy East. In response to this, the teachers at this school have been protesting for fair pay. For the first time since the opening, International Academy teachers are now working under an expired contract, which is causing them to earn less money as compared to the teachers at Troy High School and Troy Athens High School. Unfortunately, this imbalance of salary is disadvantageous to these teachers.

Recently, an Instagram account has been created in support of the International Academy teachers, entitled @ supportiateachers. On Oct. 3, the account showed their support to the International Academy teachers through a public post— with many similar posts following this initial post. It states that,

“IA teachers have been denied requests for fair and equitable compensation for their extra time. We are seeking a fair calendar and fair compensation to help us retain excellent teachers.”

The teachers at the International Academy have been clearly upset with this pay discrepancy; many have been

such as governance board meetings up.

Scott Warrow, the Michigan Education Association Executive Director at International Academy, provided his perspective on the unfair pay within the Troy School District high schools.

“The IA teachers have a workday that is about 40 minutes longer. This difference is fine because it is something we have bargained for. But, what is not okay is that Troy teachers at IA East are only paid on average an extra $19 an hour for this longer day and longer year.”

The teachers who work at other high schools in the Troy School District earn around $45 an hour. Due to the fact that they are being severely underpaid per year, many are stacking on extra hours of work to try and gain money. These teachers already work a longer day than the Troy High School and Troy Athens High School teachers do, but the pay they receive is not an equitable reflection of that.

Additionally, many of the students at International Academyhave also been providing support towards their teachers in response to this problem. Students have continually been

Sophomore Amara Obia kor, another student at Inter national Academy, reported that teachers were moved by this show of student support: “Teachers were really impact ed by this because they were happy to see that their students care about them. My choir had asked why we all were wearing black.” She said, “When we told her why, she was super happy and was touched.”

Out of the three high schools in Troy, the International Academy is the only one that classifies as an International Baccalaureate, meaning it is a college preparatory high school that is designed for advanced students. This designation indicates that the International Academy has a high degree of academic rigor. Due to this, International Academy teachers have to put in quite a lot of effort to adequately prepare their young students for college.

Obiakor states her opinions on the treatment of International Academy teachers with regards to this designation, “IA is an IB school and the work is much more rigorous compared to a regular high school, so teachers need to create lessons that I think are more complex than that of Troy and Athens. That takes a lot of dedication and craft.”

This added degree of academic rigor further complicates the fact that International Academy teachers are not being paid the same amount as the Troy High and Troy Athens

their concerns on how they feel

Plainly, International Acad

ers hope to see administration convey equality in the teaching environment. As the picketing continues to evolve with more time and awareness, International Academy is hoping to reach the same place that Troy High School and Troy Athens High School are at.

International Academy is an exceptionally bright high school. According to the “U.S. News & World Report”, International Academy is ranked the #3 high school out of 660

tional Academy a dignified title and set a large number of students up for success, the teachers have been speaking out about how they work very hard to curate an environment for students where they can thrive and grow as young individuals. Because of all their efforts, the teachers hope that the amount of effort they put in can match up with the amount of pay that they are currently receiving.

Photos courtesy of @ supportiateachers

Dress Code (Red)

A look into the various opinions on Troy High School’s dress code. Michelle Baik // Staff Reporter

On the Troy High School website, the philosophical basis of the dress code is stated as “The dress of students shall contribute to the health and safety of the individual and shall not disrupt the orderly educational process.”

This vague description is open to interpretation, causing students and faculty to be divided on what this really means. Who’s to determine what a disruption to the orderly educational process would mean for an entire school? An entire district?

Recently, the school board has turned down a request to take a look at the dress code and potentially change the policy for the district. Dress code has always been one of the main pillars of public schools. Even though they differ across different schools, dress codes are gener

ally prevalent in every school.

At Troy High School specifically, students are noticing a stricter enforcement of dress code this year. Junior Rachel Zhai said, “I think it’s gotten a lot worse this year, which is odd.”

Students tend to have more of a negative view on dress code, with senior Jeffery Tran stating, “I kind of feel upset when I see other students getting dress-coded, because [they] just want to express themselves.” Students think that self-expression and the dress code are sometimes incompatible, and can’t exist together.

Zhai stated, “[getting dress coded] is really annoying and honestly such an inconvenience.” Zhai has been dress coded multiple times whereas Tran has only been given multiple warnings.

Zhai said that, “I remember that some of my teachers, when I walked in, would scream at me to cover up and put on some clothes. This honestly made me feel kind of embarrassed and just frustrated.”

Faculty members at Troy High School seem to generally disagree with what the students think in regards to dress code, believing that dress codes help enforce a safer and more comfortable learning environment. Lisa Danhoff, Physical Education teacher stated, “I think that the [dress code] is much better this year,” disagreeing with Zhai.

Health teacher Meghan Kosters also explained her stance, “I think Troy High does a really good job with the dress code.”

Counselor Tommy Keegan further elaborated on this issue, stating, “Dress code might make individuals feel

targeted and singled out. In reality, I think the pursuit of administrators and teachers is to simply address all students equally.”

When asked what an appropriate outfit should look like, Danhoff also stated that, “I think that just being conscientious of the environment. The bottom line is that we’re just all here to learn.”

Teachers explained how they try not to target and belittle a student that breaks the dress code. Kosters said, “If a student breaks the dress code, I would work with other staff members and admin and put the student first to make sure that they feel safe and not attacked. I would go over the expectations of things that you can and can’t wear at school.”

However, even within the faculty, there seems to be differences in opinions about the dress code. While many teachers at Troy High School support the dress code and its policies, some teachers, such as science teacher Sydney Barosko, dislike the idea of a dress code in a school setting.

Barosko claimed, “Overall, I think that the idea of dress code is outdated. Historically, a lot of the dress codes that I have experience with are kind of written around policing women’s bodies.”

Students also seem to resonate with this idea that dress codes are unfairly directed towards certain demographics. Zhai explained that she thinks that “Dress code absolutely disproportionately affects certain groups, specifically women. Men do gross things but they never get called out for it. It’s just a ridiculous double standard.”

Zhai continued to say, “A lot of the rules in the dress code are directed towards

women, like the midriff rule.”

Interestingly, Tran was able to make it through an entire school day without wearing a shirt under his denim jacket, but was never dress-coded by a teacher or administrator.

Senior Zoe Silver also added, “Durags are used for Black hair care but students are often told to take them off, even though durags are a part of their culture.”

However, Danhoff stated that, “From an adult teacher perspective, I would say that the dress code doesn’t disproportionately affect a certain group. We’re all in the same community and I feel like rules need to be consistent and followed by everybody.” This provides more evidence of the divided opinions on dress code at Troy High School that continue to be suppressed and pushed aside.

The immense difference in opinions on dress code between students and faculty, as well as the lack of communication between these groups, causes students to feel uncomfortable, frustrated and

unheard. Even though many faculty members do not seem to see much of an issue with the current dress code, a lot of students dislike it and feel it is outdated. Creating a space for students to speak on their experiences with dress code with the board of education could help create a new set of rules that more students approve of. Allowing for both students and faculty to voice their opinions would help our school to reach a middle ground and better the relationship between admin and students, creating a more harmonious comfortable setting for everyone.

When asked about what changes she wanted to see to the dress code, Zhai said, “I want students to feel comfortable wearing whatever they want. School should be a safe place for kids to express themselves freely.”

Photos by Michelle Baik and Lilly Martin

Deer Diary: Who is Canela?

Who is Canela? And What Happened to her?

Malak Al-Sharabi // Staff Reporter & Maddy Hiser // Co-Public Relations

Throughout the years at Troy High School, the TC Line has carried around a biohazardous, taxidermied deer head named Canela. The name Canela has become a rather popular topic around Troy High, along with the phrase “Kiss Canela.” Canela has become so infamous in the Troy community that even Athens High School has shown an interest in her, adding to her value at Troy High and even possibly several other schools. This leaves many people, especially students at Troy High, wondering why Canela is so worshiped by the TC Line but feared by everybody else. With numerous

rumors surrounding what happens to Canela, where she came from and how old she is, it leaves one to wonder, what really happens to Canela behind the scenes?

The story of Canela is intrinsically tied to the story of the TC line. Many people question what the TC Line actually is. With Troy High being one of few schools that has a group leading the student section in such a commanding way, there is a lot of confusion regarding what it actually is.

Senior James Levitt, leader of the TC Line, described it as, “Just like a group of friends who basically lead the student

section.”

However, after surveying students from Troy High asking them to describe the TC Line in one word, they used terms such as “cult,” “cocky,” “popular,” “traumatizing” and even “sexist.”

The way in which the TC Line members are selected may shed some light as to why students chose these strong negative terms to describe the group. According to members of the TC Line, after graduation, the head of the TC Line choses the next person to later become the new head of the TC Line. After this initial selection, the new head choses who else

joins the line. There are no real requirements or joining process of any kind, making it almost impossible for someone who is not friends with the head of the line to join. Furthermore, this can help us understand why students used these strong terms when asked to define the TC Line.

With all of this in mind, it is also important to remember that at some point, Canela did, in fact, look like a real deer. Now, however, she is missing hair, missing her nose and lacks ears and antlers. Which begs the question, why does Canela look like she got thrown through a garbage disposal? One of the main reasons is that she is transported to countless Troy High sporting events and carried around constantly, causing wear and tear to the fragile physical state of the deer.

Taxidermy animals are usually not used as mascots and are not made to withstand the amount of physical contact that Canela endures.

“Over the years, people

just, using it for different purposes, just kind of screwed it up a little bit,” senior Ray Mazreku stated after being asked why Canela looks the way she does. The age of Canela could also be a factor, with people stating she could be up to 20 years old, which could mean she has seen and experienced many unpleasant things in her days at Troy High.

Typically, Canela is only spotted by students during sports games, which leads to the question, where is she kept and who keeps her? This question has left many students puzzled, adding to the eerie school-wide mystery of Canela.

Senior Paul Nicholson, who is a member of the TC Line, clarified that the majority of the time, Canela resides in Levitt’s car. However, sometimes Canela is kept with other members of the TC Line on separate occasions.

Canela’s mystique is further problematized by the constant rumors circulating

around Troy High about what bodily fluids may or may not have ended up on Canela. After asking a few members of the TC Line what happens to Canela or what they do to Canela behind closed doors, their responses were, “we can’t answer that,” and “that is not school appropriate.” When

Mazreku was asked if the rumor that the TC Line urinates on Canela is true, he responded, “no comment,” which is a very disturbing thing to think about. Even more disturbing is the added rumor that urine is not the only fluid placed on our dear Canela. Now, it’s clear that having some mystery

surrounding this deformed deer head could be interpreted as comical and may even contribute to the crazy aesthetic of Troy High’s spirit line. However, the thought that the line could possibly be subjecting poor Canela to these outrageous acts, and then pressuring other students to kiss the deer, is quite alarming.

This football game tradition of “Kiss Canela” is reported to be the root of many students’ negative feelings about the TC Line. In this tradition, members of the line carry the deer head throughout the student section, pressuring students (particularly underclassmen) to kiss Canela.

Getting exposed to such a strange tradition for new coming freshmen who are just now adjusting to the lifestyle of high school can naturally cause fear, discomfort, and many other negative emotions

due to the heavy peer pressure there is to kiss Canela.

According to AJ Kowalak, a Troy High alumnus, the trend “originally was probably just a good luck thing, to kiss Canela for good luck,” but now freshmen and even other grade levels are peer pressured and forced into kissing Canela. The TC Line generally targets the new freshmen who likely do not know who Canela is, or the rumors surrounding her, to follow through with the “Kiss Canela” tradition.

It is no secret that Canela’s appearance does not give off the impression of cleanliness, or even a somewhat welcoming impression, but then if you take into account how many students there are at Troy High, and how long Canela has been in existence, that thought alone can be horrifying to process, especially considering how many people could have kissed her over the many years she has been in the possession of the TC Line. Possibly hundreds, maybe even thousands of students’ lips could have come into contact with her.

Although “Kiss Canela” can be perceived as a very disturbing and alarming tra-

dition, it is also one of Troy High’s main distinctive qualities. Canela can be viewed as a symbol of past Troy High students leaving their mark on the school, whether that mark be good or bad. She serves as a connection between former Troy High graduates and current Troy High students in a way that few other schools have been able to replicate. This holds great value when regarding sports teams and the students in the crowd cheering on our athletes.

Canela has been passed down through hundreds, if not even thousands of students and it is likely that her legacy will live on through many more generations of Troy High students. Even though Canela is a deceased, taxidermied, and honestly probably biohazardous deer head that could at this point carry multiple diseases becuase of the torture she has endured, she is still treated like a part of our school that unifies us, and keeps our school spirit alive in the strangest way possible.

Photos by Emma Mertz and Leena Martin

Put the Act Back in Activism

A dive into performative activism and its harmful effects. Ainsley

Giorio // PR Editor, Graphic by Raneen AlRammahi // Graphics Editor

Performative activism is a form of “activism,” usually on social media, where a person will post something relating to a particular social or political movement with the intent of gaining praise from their peers, rather than actually displaying their devotion for a movement.

The term performative activism was popularized in 2020 when many celebrities were accused of using activism surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement to gain positive social media clout.

When asked whether social media helps popularize preformative activism, AP Government teacher Ryan Werenka said, “Social media has definitely helped to promote performative activism because when people are in search of clout or likes and clicks on things it’s a pretty easy way to get them if they do some sort of performative activism or throw a hashtag on it. It’s a good way to get noticed.”

Today, almost everyone is on social media and many are trying to become some kind of an influencer. With the ability for almost anyone to gain a level of notoriety, people are held to a higher standard of appearing to be an “activist.” With recognized “correct” opinions, celebrities and influencers often post simply to stick with the trend.

Maintaining the image as an “activist” has become an almost integral part of social media, but is it really activism if no action is being taken? The Oxford Dictionary’s definition of activism is, “the policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change.”

Movements would never get off of the ground with no action, but the pressure to appear like an activist causes it to blow up, which then fades into the background and is rarely spoken about or acted on afterwards.

When asked if there is something we should be doing to stop activism from dwindling, junior Mburu Karimi, a participant in local activist efforts, said, “Stop activism from being seen as a trend. I think if activism was categorized as more of an action then people who would like to participate in activism would continue to do that action for an extended period of time. Whereas if activism is categorized by putting something on your story or posting about it then it’s very easy to just stop posting.”

The rapid fading of certain causes was seen especially in activism surrounding the war in Ukraine. When the war started, many people expressed their support for Ukraine through posting on their social media. For example, people would change their profile picture to that of the Ukrainian flag or repost a white box on their Instagram story that stated, “Repost this if you support Ukraine (I see who skips).”

Sadly, many people posted just to show that they held the “right opinion” and then never posted again, causing the movement’s support to quickly disappear.

“The war is still continuing, people [Ukrainians] are still suffering, but people have moved on with their lives.” Junior Michael Kostinsky, who is Ukrainian, said after being asked about his thoughts on the way activism for Ukraine has dwindled.

What does changing profile pictures to a flag or reposting a resharable statement really do to help people who are affected in Ukraine? It could be argued that these things create awareness, but ultimately the awareness created is minimal.

If someone is unaware of what is happening in Ukraine, seeing a flag on someone’s profile isn’t going to educate them about the war that’s being fought. Repostable messages that pro-

mote peer pressure just causes activism to be further pushed as a trend, where people feel the need to repost certain opinions to stay in the good graces of their peers. They likely don’t care or take the time to read what they’re posting, they just post to avoid possible judgment.

When people were posting in support of Ukraine, they often promoted organizations that were more harmful than good. Some notable examples are Instagram posts asking for donations for the Ukrainian military.

One of the groups that was commonly reposted was called Azov. There is a plethora of problems with Azov, but one of the major ones is that Azov

uses Nazi symbolism and recruits Neo-Nazis into its ranks.

By promoting these organizations, it in turn promotes their viewpoint. Sharing a common viewpoint doesn’t mean that their harmful views can be excused.

To properly support people in Ukraine, it is best to donate to organizations that help the citizens, rather than the military. War is not a black and white issue, and oftentimes both sides cause irreversible damage to our world and the people in it. It is more important to protect the innocent people affected by war than to support a side from personal political beliefs.

Effective activism requires proper research, and proper

research into specific groups is essential.

There is much more to effective activism, outside of just doing proper research. When prompted about his thoughts on effective activism Karimi stated, “Effective activism or the most helpful activism would be… being on the streets and protesting or donating.”

In order for change to occur, taking action is necessary. Giving money allows for groups to have funding to take action. Giving money might be out of reach, but protesting is free. Taking action will make an impact.

BFFR

BeReal is on our phones and in our minds, but how real is BeReal? Grace Haugk // Staff Reporter

What began as a fun pastime on a few college campuses has proceeded to take the world by storm in merely a few months. In early 2022, BeReal swept French university campuses before crossing the pond to make its way onto the phones of American college students. Now, almost 60 percent of Troy High students

have downloaded this new anti-Instagram social media app.

The idea behind BeReal is to eliminate the overedited, highlights-only culture that exists on almost every other social media platform. Users are given a random, two-minute increment per day to post a picture using their front and back cameras. Things such as

posting late or retaking pictures are allowed, but your post will be branded with a message stating the ways in which you haven’t ‘been real’.

This new, trendy app was appealing to many people, especially teens.

Junior Patrick Mahoney shared his initial reasons for downloading the app, “I had a lot of friends that downloaded it and I really didn’t want to miss out.”

What started as a fun, candid app has slowly become the exact thing it was trying to avoid. People post late because they’re waiting until they’re doing something interesting, or they’ll do things such as change their shirt or fix their hair before they post what was supposed to be the complete, honest truth.

English teacher Emily Rusk said, “It became another app where I get to pick what I send

to people and it’s not really authentic.”

Despite this lack of authenticity from the majority of the app’s users, some people don’t mind, or simply don’t care.

Junior Allison Giroux said, “I know people are being fake, but I don’t care.” In this way, the app truly has begun to take the form of any other posed social media platform where users know the posts they see aren’t completely real, but they don’t seem to mind. It’s completely contradictory to the original goal of the app.

But if an app quite literally called “BeReal” is not being used for ‘being real’, what is ‘being real’, really?

Freshman Audrey Hamilton defines ‘being real’ as “showing your true self and not having to feel like you have to fit an expectation.” This is a commonly shared view among users, despite the fact that it

is no longer practiced the way the app intended.

It’s not all bad, though. The app’s ground fundamentals still hold up and provide a great experience for its users.

Mahoney said, “There’s a bit of a comradery in it because last night I posted my BeReal at 8 o’clock, and I was going through like, ‘What’s everyone else doing at 8?’.”

Ultimately, the app has managed to make its way onto phones all across the world, including many here at Troy High School. While its intentions are pure, previous attempts by other anti-Instagram apps show that online users can never truly be real.

Rusk put it best when she said, “Social media is a toxic place to be, so it’s refreshing that there’s an effort to push past that. I just don’t know if we’re at that point yet.”

Photo by Giadelle Micene

It’s Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus

Such a glorious movie, makes me sick!

Keira Mertz // Staff Reporter, Graphic by Raneen AlRammahi // Graphics Editor

At midnight on Sept. 30, the sequel to the Halloween classic “Hocus Pocus” was released on Disney+. The expectations that I had for this movie were on the floor. “Hocus Pocus” is not only one of my favorite Halloween movies, it is one of my favorite movies overall. This movie came out in 1993 and was filmed in Salem, Massachusetts. The atmosphere that this movie emanates is what made it so successful and what made viewers continue to come back.

I believe that many incredible movies have been ruined by their continuation films, so I was apprehensive to watch this movie’s sequel.

The movie begins with a flashback of the witches’ lives when they were young in the 1600s. Here, they meet a witch that teaches them to become witches themselves. After this, the time changes to the present day, and we are introduced to three high school girls who are interested in witchcraft and

astrology. It was the birthday of the main character, Becca, so her and her best friend Izzy participated in the birthday ritual that they do every year. With this, they accidentally brought the witches back from the dead, creating a series of events where the witches once again wreak havoc on Salem.

When the movie first started, I was very nervous about the quality of it. It began with the flashback to the sisters’ lives before becoming witches. The acting in the beginning of the movie was extremely theatrical and overall hard to watch. A few minutes in, the sisters went into the woods and met the witch that ends up teaching them to be witches. Here they used an excessive amount of special effects to show her powers, which I didn’t enjoy. It looked tacky and was different from the energy that we got from the original. I got the impression that they were trying to modernize the sequel too

much to the point that it lost the charm from the first movie.

As the film progressed, I became much more interested. Once the time reached present day, it improved immensely. It followed Becca and her friends’ lives in high school and it was interesting to see very different characters going through their lives. The high schoolers in this movie all came from extremely different crowds, creating an accurate high school experience. Many movies involving teenagers just show the “nerds” or “jocks”, but here many different groups were represented. This added to the comedy and intrigue of the movie. It was also interesting to see how different teenagers are in 2022 in comparison to how they were in 1993. The differences in their behaviors and personalities were very evident and their adolescent experiences greatly opposed each other.

Although I enjoyed the witches navigating life in 1993,

it was amusing to see them go through life in 2022. When the witches went to the drug store with Becca and Izzy, the young girls told the sisters about anti-aging serums and talked about them as if they were magic, in a way that the witches could understand. I liked seeing elements like this one in the sequel because in 1993, things like skincare weren’t as popular as they are today. This encourages the teenage audience to watch the sequel.

The target audience for the original movie was children and young teens, given that it was rated PG. Thirty years later, they hoped to reach those that were young when the first movie came out, and to introduce a new annual Halloween watch for a younger generation. They reached more people than just what was expected because of their use of teenage characters.

There was a clear connection between Becca, Izzy and

Cassie, to Winifred, Mary and Sarah. Although the correlation between Becca and Winnifred was clear with them as the leaders of the groups, it was left up to the audience’s interpretation which of the other women connected. I liked the accessibility and creativity that this left for the viewers, showing one of the many positives of a sequel.

This allows the audience to make countless connections to the original movie, constantly comparing and contrasting characters and plot points. The overall movie had consistent themes of friendship and sisterhood, which created a more sentimental feel than the first movie. The first movie ended on a happy, resolving note as well, but in this sequel it showed a new side of the witches, and you got to see how much they cared about one another.

I enjoyed how concluding the movie seemed to be. It answered all of the questions that the first movie left us to wonder, and had a final resolution at the end that really tied it all together. The ending felt very final and secure, so I think the sequel was a positive addition to the original movie. I hope that they don’t make a third movie because it would be too different, and wouldn’t have the same effect as these movies, especially if they chose to make a third movie without the Sanderson sisters.

Overall, I would highly recommend this sequel to avid Halloween and “Hocus Pocus” fans. Although it had the energy of a current movie instead of the atmosphere that was developed in the first movie, it was a fun, exciting twist on a Halloween classic. It included many comical and emotional elements, with a true heartwarming story of friendship and witchcraft.

Spice Girls Rate PSLs

Pumpkin spice ratings that caught us off GOURD!

Emma Mertz // Edtor-in-Chief & Leena Martin // Staff Reporter, Graphic by Raneen Al-Rahammi

Pumpkin spice lattes are a staple fall beverage. Nearly every coffee-selling business breaks out their pumpkin spice right before fall, starting in September. Considering there are so many different places to purchase pumpkin spice lattes, it may be hard to find the best one out there. Luckily, we went out and tried pumpkin spice lattes from as many chain coffee shops we could think of, and more. We will rate them for you, from worst to best.

ting soil. After there wasn’t any latte left, we noticed what we thought may have been cinnamon, but turned out to just be coffee grounds. We came to the consensus of a two out of ten, but a better two than the Califia Farms latte.

fee. Hints of both pumpkin and spice tickled our taste buds. Upon opening, we noticed a lack of foam. We weren’t discouraged though, because the aroma was mouth-watering. Unlike previous lattes, it wasn’t bitter. Although it was $5.76, we felt it was more than worth that price. All things considered, this latte earned itself a nine and a half out of ten, puting itself in second place.

The coffee last place, being the worst of the worst of all the reviewed lattes, was actually not from a coffee shop. We decided to try something pre-made and store-bought, so we sampled the Califia Farms

Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew

Coffee With Almond Milk. For $5.69 we got 48 fluid ounces, which is the best price we got all day. The main difference between this one and all the others, was the temperature. Every other latte we tried was hot, and this was refrigerated. Before tasting, we noticed an aroma of almond milk and cinnamon. This latte had the consistency of whole milk, and even after being overly shaken up, the latte was pretty gritty, and seemed to leave a thin film on the mouth. After a few sips, we decided the flavor got progressively worse. The presentation was poor, but considering it came out of a bottle, it wasn’t too terrible. Overall, we rated this one a solid one out of ten.

The second worst latte we tried was our homemade pumpkin spice latte. We found our recipe from inspiredtaste. net. It took approximately ten minutes to prepare, making it the longest time frame for a latte that we tried. We used real pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice, so we had higher hopes for it. Once combined with the coffee, the pumpkin spice flavor was apparent, but the coffee was not. It tasted really watered down, but still had the creamy consistency of the other lattes that we liked. We rated it a two out of ten.

Off the bat, our hopes for Dunkin were high. We were intrigued by the whipped topping. There was a lovely pumpkin flavored sauce drizzled on top, but the scent didn’t meet our expectations. Much like the Tim Hortons coffee, this coffee tasted like moldy dirt. However, for just six cents more, this latte was significantly less bland. In spite of that, there was a lack of pumpkin flavor. It seems that as the whipped topping melted into the latte, the flavor improved with every sip. Overall the latte was mediocre, earning a six out of ten.

The worst coffee shop latte was the Tim Hortons pumpkin spice latte. We purchased it for $3.13, and this was probably the smallest latte of the day. The first thing we noticed was the lack of foam on top of the coffee. Upon smelling it, we noticed a lack of pumpkin scent. Once we tried it, we could not taste any pumpkin or spice flavors in this latte. The coffee itself tasted slightly burnt, and almost like a handful of pot-

This next rating may come as a surprise. As soon as it hit the mouth, the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte felt unbeatable. The smooth, creamy latte grazed our mouths with a taste of perfectly brewed cof-

The final and favorite latte of the day was the Biggby pumpkin spice latte. It had all of the scrumptious qualities we loved from the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, paired with even more fun fall flavors! Our first impressions of this latte were outstanding, there was a delicious whipped cream topped with a delectable pumpkin drizzle and cinnamon. It smelled of pumpkin spice and everything nice. Once we tasted the actual latte itself, we were pleasantly surprised. The flavors of both pumpkin and spice were very prominent the entire time we drank it. For $6.46, this latte ended up being the most expensive, while also being the largest we got. We both agreed that it was well worth it. The pumpkin spice flavors were the most obvious out of all of the lattes we tried. In conclusion, this latte had no faults, no flaws, and only fantastic fall flavors.

Photos by Emma Mertz and Leena Martin

Serial Romance

Romanticizing serial killers has become a dangerous problem online and in modern society.

Abby Werenka // Staff Reporter, Graphic by Anjali Sanil // Print Editor

sages such as “#TeamChris” and “#ChrisIsInnocent.” In one letter, written by a woman named Tatiana, she offers her support to the family annihilator, writing “If there is anything I can do for you, big or small, please don’t hesitate to ask. Please know there are strangers out there (like me) who care about you.” In another letter, a woman named Candace states that she would be “the happiest girl alive” if he were to respond.

Due to the heartbreaking nature of the Watts case, interest in the case skyrocketed among true crime fans online. Most people can’t understand how a man with an ideal life and “perfect American family” could end all of their lives, one right after the other in the same night, and dispose of their bodies in the same field he worked at almost every day.

Murderer. Assaulter. Rapist. All ways to describe notorious serial killers such as Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy and Ed Gein. Anyone in their right mind would want to avoid criminals like these at all costs. But for some, these are all qualities that they can look past in a romantic partner. In recent times, aided with the help of the internet, some of the most malicious criminals are getting star treatment, with some people going so far as to create fandoms and fan art dedicated to them. This rare paraphilia, or abnormal sexual desire is known as hybristophilia, which is characterized

by one’s attraction to those who commit crimes. Despite the sometimes horrific nature of crimes, this does not deter people from writing to serial killers in jail, who fantasize about having a romantic relationship with them.

This is not a new phenomenon. Throughout his trial and time in prison during the late 80s and 90s, Richard Ramirez, who would come to be known as the “Night Stalker,” received hundreds of letters from women interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with him, despite the fact that he committed at least 13 murders, five attempted murders, 11 sexual

assaults and 14 burglaries. One woman, Doreen Lioy, wrote to him more than 75 times and frequently visited him, eventually marrying the notorious killer while he was serving his sentence in California’s San Quentin State Prison. Like the other “groupies,” as they’ve come to be known, Lioy did not believe Ramirez to be guilty, despite the massive amount of evidence that proved otherwise.

Similarly today, Chris Watts, the man who confessed to coldly murdering his entire family in 2018, still receives love letters in prison, often adorned with hearts and mes-

Chris Watts is rightfully seen as a monster, and yet women still write to him in prison in the hopes of a relationship while he serves his five consecutive life sentences. The irony of wanting this man as a partner is that he cheated on his wife. It is believed that his affair with mistress Nichol Kessinger is what drove him to kill his pregnant wife and two little girls. A lot of the women who write to Watts place the blame on his wife, Shannan, as if she holds responsibility for her death at the hands of the man who was supposed to love her and their children. To these women, he was justified in his actions. The brutality of his crimes don’t deter them from pursuing a monster for romance.

Little is known about this paraphilia, but it occurs more frequently in women than in men. Junior Avery Gaydash commented, “It’s a weird concept. I feel like they find it attractive because [the killers] have power.”

In fact, some psychologists

agree, suggesting that some women equate the forcefulness and aggression displayed by serial killers to an ideal form of masculinity, and combined with their looks, find it to be very attractive. Oftentimes, these are everyday people who have these attractions. Most of them have never even met the people they write to or admire. Online, especially with the rise of true crime content on streaming services, there has been a significant increase in people romanticizing these criminals. In the dark corners of the internet, there’s a socalled ‘Columbine Fandom’ dedicated to the perpetrators of the 1999 school shooting that claimed the lives of 13 people. This has been a cause for concern, because if people are idolizing these individuals and dismissing their crimes, there may be potential for copycat threats or attacks.

Senior Mahathi Upparapalle notes that this behavior may even encourage criminal acts, increasing the potential for people to become victims. “Most serial killers go after [vulnerable] girls, especially those who are motivated by pleasure in killing someone,” she said. Future killers seeking notoriety could easily target a person like that, someone putting themselves in the position of vulnerability.

Romanticizing serial killers is not something that society should take lightly, whether it be in entertainment or on random forums online. Killers are in prison for a reason, and their actions should not be celebrated or dismissed. No matter how handsome or charming a criminal is, they are exactly that, a criminal. Their actions have destroyed lives and traumatized survivors and relatives of victims. It’s disrespectful, and downright dangerous.

Getting Into the Swing of Things

With the World Series fast approaching, fans give their insight on the playoffs and records broken this season.

Giadelle Micene // Staff Reporter

2022 has been a great season for Major League Baseball. Quite a few milestones have been reached, and as the playoffs continue, fans are eager to see the outcome. With teams like the Dodgers and Astros getting over 100 wins in the regular season, or the Braves looking for a backto-back World Series victory. But that’s not all. This season, Tigers designated hitter Miguel Cabrera got his 3000th career hit, and Cardinals first

baseman Albert Pujols hit his 700th career home run. On top of that, Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge broke the 61-year-old American League single-season home-run record. With the World Series right around the corner, Troy High baseball fans were asked for their thoughts on the outcome.

Junior Zach Gillespie said, “The Dodgers, they have the best lineup out of everyone in baseball.” when asked who he

thought would win the World Series this year.

The Dodgers lineup consists of players Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Freddie Freeman and Cody Bellinger, some of them having batting averages over .300, which is above the Major League average. The Dodgers have been in the playoffs every year since 2013 but only won in 2020. This year they look to take home their eighth World Series title, not just a National League pennant.

On the other side of the playoffs is the American League, and when asked who he thought would win the World Series, sophomore David Crockett said, “The Yankees are looking pretty good this year, so I’m gonna go with the Yankees. They’ve ended the last games on a good winning streak.”

The Yankees won the American League East di-

vision. They fought hard all season, especially after the AllStar break to stay in first place in their division. Aaron Judge, the star outfielder predicted to win the MVP, is on the Yankees. This year he chased Roger Maris’ single season homerun record of 61 and on Oct. 4, the second to last game of the regular season, Judge hit his 62nd home run to break the record.

In 1961, when Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s previous record, fans and officials didn’t think his record should count because, at the time, Ruth had done it in 154 games, whereas Maris had broken it in 162.

Senior Austin Cicerone was asked for his opinion on Judge’s record counting, responding, “Yes, no regular player can do it, so when a guy like him does it, it’s something that doesn’t really happen a lot, so I think him breaking the record should matter.” This

season, Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs. The next closest player only hit 46, revealing no other player came close.

After the Wild Card series four teams were knocked out, the Rays, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Mets, most of which were huge upsets. Continuing to the second round, the Division Series, the next four teams out were the Dodgers, Mariners, Braves and Guardians. At the time of publication, there were four teams left. The Yankees and Astros playing for the American League Pennant, and the Padres and Phillies playing for the National League pennant. All four teams have done very well in the postseason and all baseball fans are looking forward to seeing who the champion will be.

Running Into Records

Troy High Boys Cross Country top ten 5k leaderboard has 2 new record breaking runners. Aly

Matuza

//

Staff

Reporter

this my confidence was at an all time high.” Being mentally prepared for a race is just as important as being physically prepared for one.

and parents and other people’s parents. It really helped me drive through to run better.”

On Sept. 24, at the Jackson Invitational, juniors Vishvaa Ravishankar and Louis D’Souza ran times that got them on the Troy High top ten 5k leaderboard. Ravishankar ran a 15:47, making him the third best 5k runner at Troy High. D’Souza ran the 10th best 5k with a time of 16:03, edging out the 10th place record from 1985. These two runners have accomplished the extraordinary achievement of getting on

the highly competitive Cross Country Top Ten Leaderboard. No other runner has gotten on the top ten leaderboard since 2019.

Preparing for this accomplishment took a lot. According to D’Souza, “I’ve spent a good few years practicing.” All this practice included many other races, throughout the years.

Going into the meet, Ravishankar felt ready, saying, “for

However, D’Souza felt differently going into what would be his best race ever. Before his extraordinary race, he felt a unique type of pressure, saying, “I definitely felt pressure before the race but not that was put on by anyone else, it’s just personal pressure.”

Even with feelings of pressure D’Souza says,“I definitely laid it all out there for that meet.” It seems that different runners thrive under different circumstances.

For the 10th place runner, D’Souza was widely supported on his running journey, stating, “I felt a lot of support from my teammates and coaches

One may wonder, how did D’Souza and Ravishankar feel when they crossed the finish line and knew they had done the extraordinary? D’Souza said, “When I got on the leaderboard and broke the top ten, I was like very excited and surprised. I didn’t expect going into that meet to be able to get up on the leaderboard. But when I crossed the line I knew I made it and it was just very exciting.”

After his record breaking run, Ravishankar said, “It felt nice that [the work he put in] finally paid off. Overall it just felt really good.”

The record breaking runners have some advice for success. Ravishankar’s biggest

piece of advice is to, “Just trust the process of training and all that. If you’re not seeing progress early on, don’t be disappointed or anything, but just know that eventually it will come and you need to be patient and just wait.”

D’Souza’s lesson for runners is, “in my opinion, I think running is more mental and once you can get past the mental block, getting past the physical is much easier.”

D’Souza and Ravishankar’s records are an astounding accomplishment. The hard work and dedication has truly paid off for these two young men. They both have done and learned a lot from running into records.

Photo courtesy of Coach Ryan Reimann.

Photo Courtosey of cnn. com, Ron Jenkins/Getty Images.