HURON EMERY
Changing lanes: River Rat athletes commit to D1
JULES HESKIA GRAPHICS
EDITOR
According to Scholarship Stats, less than two percent of high school athletes go on to play at a Division 1 college. Approximately one in 57 athletes achieve this. The stats say one thing; it does not come easy. As well as talent, patience and hard work are
what differentiates a regular athlete from a D1 athlete. At Huron High School, there are students planning to play a sport at the highest college level. Some have already committed to a college, even as juniors. Senior Ashton Brann and junior Kate Huntzicker are two of the few that have already made the choice to
play a sport at a D1 college. These two athletes started their sports at a very young age. At the beginning, it was just something to do to pass time. Huntzicker played field hockey as something to do, like many other girls. She started standing out and grew a love for the sport in middle school. The sense of
community is one of the many things that made her have this passion. Similarly, Brann has been running ever since he was 4-years-old. Just like many other people at that age, he ran for fun without knowing what would come. After some time, he started to grow a passion for track.
“I became passionate
for it when I saw that my brother was doing well in it, and I started making friends,” Brann said. “So I kind of grew a love for it.”
Brann just recently committed to run track at Purdue University Fort Wayne. He believed it was the best fit
Culinary class grows through teacher’s leadership to the program
ROWAN GRENIER SPORTS EDITOR
Hands on, real life experiences is what sets Chef Samantha Dye’s program apart from other classes. Her culinary class runs through the CTE program and is a designed course to provide the aspiring chef, food industry employee of lodging, and
even hotel manager a broad orientation of the culinary and hospitality industry so that they will better understand what is required to succeed.
Dye is one of student’s leaders for this course as a CTE Culinary Arts Instructor and she has been vigorously trying to grow the culinary program to ensure students
can succeed at the highest possible levels of learning. She holds a lot of experience within the culinary field as she Culinary Arts and Baking Certification, taught food chemistry at Schoolcraft College, worked in industry for five years, taught in high schools for 121 years, and runs a catering business on the side.
“When I started in 2018 at Huron High School the program was very small and poor facilities,” Dye said. “Through the last seven years we have continued to build our program through major construction projects on our labs to meet the equipment needs for proper See CULINARY, PAGE 4
Huron’s CTE Culinary Arts class poses for a picture at the
Track athletes Aliyah Ferguson and Ashton Brann are going D1 after high school. Ferguson will be going to Chicago State and Brann will be going to Purdue Fort Wayne. PHOTO BY HAILEY SELL
Miss Kim pop-up dinner. PHOTO COURTESY OF SAMANTHA DYE
MAYA FU EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
On Feb. 14, the Trump administration ordered the National Park Service to fire 1,000 probationary workers in a broad effort to cut spending and downsize the federal government, overseen by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). These mass terminations, which affect about 5% of the National Park Service staff, will also have lasting impacts on the 325 million visitors annually.
“What I’ve gathered from the news is that there are proposed or implemented or planned layoffs, and it’s something that will affect park usership,”
Deputy Manager of City of Ann Arbor Parks and
Recreation Remy Long said. Long oversees various different efforts throughout the park system, specifically all of the stewardship activities that take place to take care of our forest, prairies, wetlands, trails and infrastructure. He also oversees the farmers’ market, and all real estate activity –which includes purchasing new park land, purchasing connectors between park land, as well as the city’s regional land preservation program known as the Green Belt. According to Long, from trail maintenance, to ensuring clean and consistently available bathrooms, to streamlining queues, there are countless responsibilities that park rangers take on behind the scenes.
“As a parks administrator, I understand the implications of having understaffed facilities. And so the visitor experience is certainly something that I would think about, first and foremost, suffering from a lack of staff resources.”
This understaffing and lack of funding is not necessarily a recent issue.
“We’ve already been operating a long time on less than ideal budgets and staffing levels, whether you’re looking at the local, state or federal level,” Long said.
However, he offers a different perspective: a decrease in visitors to national parks may mean increased usage of local parks.
“With that boost in usership, that’s what we’re here for,” he said.
“We have continued to provide really exceptional quality experiences for the community, even throughout COVID, when parks became an integral piece of making it through the pandemic.”
Long believes that local parks are ready to serve as that resource, even though the reasons for increase in local park usership is a complex thing to trace and identify. However, local parks are not exempt from being affected by national funding freezes, either.
“There’s one grant right now that I’m involved with where the funding up until last week, had been frozen.”
While the grant has since been unfrozen, it is still subject to scrutiny and even cancellation in the future, and Long is unable to take the status of “unfrozen” as a guarantee in the future.
“Without a strong assurance that the funding will be there in the future, we are reticent to incur costs that we were hoping would be reimbursed by the grant funds, because if they’re not, then we haven’t necessarily budgeted for those activities in our regular operating budget and capacities,” Long said.
Ann Arbor is home to over 160 parks, which span across 2200 acres of land and 100 miles of trails.
“Parks are such an incredible asset to a community, and Ann Arbor is really exceptional in the park system that it puts forth with the population and the resources that it has,” Long said.
Already, 92 percent of Ann Arbor residents live within a five minute walk of a park, but Long intends to keep working to improve upon that statistic. Other recent projects include ensuring complete ADA compliance in all parks, a forthcoming splash pad installation a t Bicentennial Park, and the redesigning of the farmers’ market.
“We
Upcoming spring and summer events in Ann Arbor to
As the snow melts away, the weather starts to get warmer, and flowers start blooming, you might find yourself itching to go outside and get some fresh air and sunshine. If that’s you, here are some exciting upcoming events happening in Ann Arbor to make some lasting memories this spring.
Date: Saturday, May 10
Where: Main Street area in Ann Arbor
Features: Floral displays, live music, fun activities AND special offers from local shops nearby!
don’t often get fan mail,” said Long. “A lot of people see the problems in the parks and want to let us know about that. And that’s fair – we don’t have enough staff to be going around all 160 parks, so we rely on the public to help inform us about where we need to make improvements, where something’s gone wrong, where something’s broken. But it is something we cherish when we hear that someone reached out to their city council member and said that they appreciate the amenities that we’re working to bring to the community.”
look forward to
Date: June 13– June 29
Where: Ingalls Mall and Washington Street
When: 5-10 p.m.
Date: June 14-15
Where: Downtown Library, Ann Arbor
Features: Live music, outdoor movies, art exhibitions, kids’ activities, wellness classes, and a variety of local food
Features: Workshops, art activities, panel discussions, and opportunities to meet comic creators!
DANIELLE LEE STAFF WRITER
GRAPHIC BY ANNA LEE
On Wednesday, March 19, 2025, the senior Humanities class of 14 students along with Aimee Grant, Kristen Kubacki, Macrus Edmondson, Sara Blake, and 19 students from Community High School, left for Greece for their Spring break trip: an annual opportunity and experience for students to immerse in the subjects they’ve learned in class so far.
The class is broken down into four disciplinarians: art history, literature, history, and music. After these seniors studied different historical sites, art sculptures, and Greek poems, they finally got to get a glimpse of their studies in real life.
After arriving at Athens, Greece, the group headed to the Parthenon, a temple on the Athenian Acropolis dedicated to the goddess Athena
students explored the Acropolis museum, which included many statues and archaeological objects. They finished the day with dinner at a Greek restaurant, where they learned Greek dancing, and sightseeing.
On the next day, the class drove to Delphi, Greece, where they visited the Oracle of Delphi, the Temple of Delphi, the Ancient Stadium of Delphi, and the Delphi Archaeological Museum, where students continued to make connections
back to their Humanities class.
“So I already knew a bit about the Temple of Delphi from class and other prior knowledge, but it was crazy seeing how big it was,” senior Maya Martinson recalled. “The temples and storage treasuries were cool, but I was most impressed by the span of these temples. They were on this mountain trail that went pretty much straight up. [My classmates] and I decided to run all the way to the top where the stadium of Delphi was, and it took us a solid 15 to 20 minutes. The views were absolutely incredible, and there wasn’t really any empty space at all.”
After driving to the city of Patras, the class started the day with olive oil tasting, where they tried a variety of delicacies.
the experience, Kubacki, who is the Art Department Chair, thought of it as her favorite activity on the trip.
“They had maybe a dozen or more different flavors of olive oil and bread to dip them in and then different honeys and other snacks,” she said. “We just got to sample all these delicious high end Greek delicacies, and that was really fun.”
continued, the class traveled to the coastal city of Nafplio, where they first saw the Fortress of Palamidi, a 709 ft high fortress that stood on the top of the town and could be seen from anywhere in town. The students also visited the Tomb of Agamemnon, a large beehive dome constructed between 1300 and 1250 BCE.
“There were enough stones on the ground that you could imagine where the buildings
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GRAPHICS BY SALEM DINH
College, worked in industry for 5 years, taught in high schools for 121 years, and runs a catering business on the side. Over her years at Huron she was able to make some very valuable and important changes to how the program runs and has brought a lot more experience to students than they were seeing before.
“When I started in 2018 at Huron High School the program was very small and poor facilities,” Dye said. “Through the last 7 years we have continued to build our program through major construction projects on our labs to meet the equipment needs for proper industry training, building community relationships with industry leaders to support our program and students such as leaders to support our
Everything you need to know about Earth Week
ISHA SAVI COPY EDITOR
Earth Day this year was on Tuesday, April 22, but the whole week involves festivities and projects that are focused on raising awareness and protecting the Earth that we all live on. Here is some information about what Earth Week is and how the Earth is affected by plastic.
program and students such as Zingerman’s, Homes Brewery, Chartwells, US Foods, etcetera, creating program awareness through advertising at events, speaking at school board meetings, and more.
“We are excited for our future,” Dye said. “This year we accomplished two major projects. The Greenhouse Cafe which is a staff lounge open on Tuesday and Thursday for the staff to come and purchase culinary creations made by our young professional chefs.
Miss Kim pop up dinner with Chef Ji Hye Kim was our second big project. We collaborated with this world renowned chef to create a special event for our public.
Students created a Korean Menu, prepared the menu for Chef Ji Hye at the restaurant, Job shadowed their position at the restaurant, and cooked
the dinner. So we are going to keep pushing and offering our students more experiences.”
The Greenhouse Cafe was one of the big events that Huron was able to expand and focus on this year. Students would have to design weekly menus for the cafe. The menu consists of two soups, salad bar, fresh fruit, two sandwiches, cookies, and beverages. Some weeks they do specials and offer an alternate option like nacho bar, tailgating day which has hot dogs, chili, cracker jacks, and more. Students prepare the food and operate the greenhouse serving the staff providing customer service as well. Staff can come down and order a combo or items from the menu on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“In the past, we would serve staff lunches for eight weeks every school year out
of the kitchen to go,” Dye said. “This was complicated and limited. We had teachers fill out a google form to order and would deliver their orders. We couldn’t provide a variety of food selections and did not have a point of sales cash register system. With the school store moving downstairs in the cafeteria we came up with the idea for the staff lunches. Our goal was to provide a different menu weekly and a space for staff to relax, get out of their classroom, socialize with others, and eat good food and we accomplished this goal.”
The second major event that was able to be set up was in collaboration with Chef Ji Hye Kim who was won six James Beard awards and is up for her seventh. They were able to design an event in which the culinary
students get to create a menu, prepare it, and serve it to the public. They took over Miss Kim in Kerrytown on April 1 and were able to successfully prepare a Korean style menu. They hope to spark similar opportunities for the future students taking these classes so that they are able to gain real industry experience early on in their lives. “We have always worked with Industry leaders and chefs,” Dye said. “This event is special because we were able to take over the restaurant. This will be the first of many. We are currently working on another event with Homes Brewery which will be similar. We want to get the community excited and knowledgeable about our program.”
Senior Nathan Barnett prepares drinks for the Miss Kim pop up dinner. PHOTO COURTESY OF DYE.
CULINARY | FROM PAGE ONE
A growing photography scene at school: Through the lens of three Huron semi-professional photographers
ANJALI NADARAJAH CHIEF CONTENT EDITOR
In recent years, Huron High School has faced what feels like a contagious spread of student photographers. At nearly every major sporting event our school hosts, you can find at least one student with a hefty DSLR strapped around their neck, clicking away at their camera.
Ryan Bezas, Ezra Kasara and Brody Turner are just some of the photojournalists that run rampant at Huron. Their work is seen displayed on their respective Instagram portfolios, and even on the profiles of Huron students.
Turner’s father has been a wedding photographer for the past 20 years. When his dad gifted him a camera for Christmas, his skills began to grow, and his career took off even more when he started doing sports
photography for Huron’s yearbook as a freshman.
“Growing up seeing him take pictures of our family kind of got me into it,” he said. “I enjoy playing sports [and] watching sports, but documenting it is even more fun because you can really get into telling the story of the players and what they’re feeling at those moments.”
Turner has been doing photography since 2022, encouraged by his dad and his yearbook advisor, SaraBeth Badalamente, to dive deeper into his skill set.
“I’ve grown as a person because of it, I enjoy telling the stories,” he said. “I started taking photos in my first year of yearbook, I just got really into it last year, and now I’m running BR Flicks.”
BR Flicks is an Instagram account run by Turner and Bezas with nearly 400 followers, and boasts 105 posts, most of which are Huron students playing sports like soccer, football, and basketball.
“I really like telling people’s stories through digital media,” he said. “I like to get tiny details of people or actions, just because you can tell a bigger story. Something as small as an expression on someone’s face [can tell] more than the person kicking a ball. Photography and videography are great
ways to just capture that.”
Bezas, inspired by Turner, began shooting for yearbook, and saw the potential for a business to thrive.
“I started photography because my friend Brody, now business partner, got me onto a football field,” he said. “After that I started researching and asking different teachers how to use a camera. I felt we could make money off of it, so we just created a business. Now I’m where I am today with 3+ first place awards.”
Likewise, Kasara began his journey in order to capture moments of life that would otherwise be missed. He runs an Instagram page where he
shares his videos and images, and has gained over 250 followers in recent months.
“It’s a big part of my life,” he said. “I take my camera almost everywhere with me, and if I don’t I’ll use my phone. It’s just a part of me now. For our basketball playoffs, last year, I got a picture of our buzzer beater. I was really happy I was able to capture that moment.”
On the same note, Turner and Bezas traveled to the Breslin Center of Michigan State University to photograph the Huron basketball team’s semi-finals.
“I was able to go to a real sports arena and take pictures of something that I might be
actually doing in college, which was really fun,” Turner said. With all rise of photographers available, the Bezas thinks the abundance of options should be used for giving light to sports that don’t get as much recognition. “It’s helpful to have as many people shooting on school sports, but it is annoying when they’re all at the same event,” he said. “Women’s sports need more focus, as well as water sports.” When asked for something meaningful Bezas believes in, he shared a quote that sums it up: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have
One breakthrough at a time: Siddhant Pandit wins first in the Junior Science
ISHAAN KAMAT
Chemical Vapor Deposition
Using Graphene ‘Seeds’ and Dopants,” explores new ways to enhance graphene production—a breakthrough that could change the future of electronics.
For Pandit, the project wasn’t just about research. It was about finding real solutions. His work focused on graphenebased transistors, which have the potential to reduce power consumption while increasing computing speed.
“Decreasing power consumption means we need fewer resources to run electronics, which could lead to lower fossil fuel dependence and overall energy savings,” he said. “At the same time, boosting computing speed has huge implications, especially for fields like cancer research and advanced simulations.”
His interest in graphene started with a fascination for the future of electronics, but turning that interest into a winning project wasn’t easy. One of his biggest challenges was creating a successful simulation— something that required
patience, problem-solving, and a lot of trial and error. But for Pandit, setbacks were just part of the process. He saw his project as the first step in a much larger journey, one that he’s determined to continue.
Presenting at the Michigan Regional JSHS was both nerve-wracking and exciting. Months of research had led to this moment, and while the competition was tough, Pandit felt prepared.
“There’s a lot to do, from conducting research to actually presenting it on a platform where people can see your work,” he said.
Winning first place was an unreal experience.
“It was incredible. All those late nights, the hard work it all paid off,” he said.”
Beyond the recognition, the competition gave him the chance to connect with other young scientists, see their projects, and gain new inspiration for the future.
Pandit isn’t done with his research.
“This is just the first step,” he said.
His next goal is to refine his simulations and
work toward real-world applications, particularly in graphene-based circuit technology. If successful, his research could help decrease energy consumption in massive data centers and enhance computing power for scientific research.
For students interested in research and competitions like JSHS, Pandit has one piece of advice: time management is everything.
“There’s so much to do—from research to actually building a prototype. Making sure you use every second wisely is crucial,” he said.
He also credited the JSHS platform for giving him the opportunity to showcase his work and thanked his mother, who supported him through the long nights of writing and experimenting.
As Pandit looks ahead, his work in graphene research is just beginning. With a passion for problemsolving and a drive to push boundaries, he’s determined to make a lasting impact— one breakthrough at a time.
GRAPHIC BY ISHAAN KAMAT
Samples of Bezas’s, Turner’s, and Kasara’s sports photography work, respectively. PHOTOS BY RYAN BEZAS, BRODY TURNER AND EZRA KASARA
GRAPHIC BY SALEM DINH
The Misfits Comics
JUSTIN PHELPS STAFF WRITER
telescopes podcasting kits event lighting anatomical skeletons amplifiers giant connect four tiny pianos sewing machines electric basses energy meters microphones metal detectors guitar pedals 1,000-piece puzzles mega tumble towers die cutters temperature meters binoculars portable PA systems digital projectors wacom tablets bass pedals boom whackers thereminis pocket pianos otamatones fluke ukeles voltage & current meters electric guitars arduino starter kits bicycle pump and repair kit Audubon BirdCam portable scanner EMF meters sound meters synthesizers light tables giant chess sets mini badminton sets disc golf baskets 1,000 dominoes yarn swifts pickleball sets molkky air scoop ball sets board games giant checkers miniature ping pong spinning wheels bookbinding kits drum carders clip-on smartphone lenses uv light detectors acoustic guitars light optics kits
ANN ARBOR DISTRICT LIBRARY
More than you can imagine!
Exploring the Language of Spring Flowers
Daffodils are amongst the first flowers you see in the warmer months. The scientific name for Daffodils is Narcissus, named after a Greek legend in which a beautiful young man becomes so enamored with his own reflection
Throughout spring and summer, tulips can be spotted all over Ann Arbor, from quaint front lawns to small shop windows downtown. Tulips bloom in a large variety of colors, and consequently have many different meanings. Generally, they symbolize perfection within love and relationships. They can also signify deep love, affection, and joy; a perfect gift for a loved one.
carry definitions of faith, courage, hope, and wisdom. In China, the iris represents grace. In France, the iris (or fleur-de-lis) is a national and cultural symbol of France. In both the Victorian and Ancient Greece eras, the flower symbolized communication and good news.
A delicate spring flower, hyacinths symbolize sincerity, loyalty, and a desire for forgiveness. Named after the tragic Greek myth of Hyacinth, connotations of sorrow and mourning are associated with hyacinths. The tale tells of a handsome Spartan prince, Hyacinth, who had caught the eye of two gods, Apollo and Zephyr. In a game of discus, Apollo accidentally fatally injured his lover, who died in his arms. Heartbroken, Apollo created the hyacinth flower to immortalize Hyacinth forever.
Living through the Trump presidency: voices, policies,
“I feel politically homeless”: what it means to be a Republican in today’s political climate
MAYA FU & SATVIKA
RAMANATHAN EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
“I feel politically homeless.”
Jack Harrison, a Public Relations Coordinator for Michigan State University, was heavily involved in conservative politics as a Michigan Precinct and State delegate from August 2020 to August 2022.
“I feel lost,” Harrison said. “I’m certainly not a Democrat, but I don’t agree with a fair number of Trump’s policies. I still have some of these more traditional, historic, conservative values, especially when it comes to the economy. But at the same time, I would say I align more with the Democrats and a lot of social issues.”
Harrison’s interest in politics sparked at a young age, with a political alignment test in eighth grade social studies class being the catalyst. During his high school years at Huron, where he was a staff editor for The Huron Emery,
he created “Conservative Corner,” a political column featured in many print issues of The Emery.
“Journalism coincided with my interest in politics, but it also really piqued it,”
Harrison said. “It gave me the platform to write and research. I enjoyed covering really anything, but particularly public interest issues and local government concerns.”
His initial involvement in Republican politics was due to multiple factors.
“I had beliefs about limited government, fiscal responsibility, more of those economic issues,” Harrison said. “I also saw that there was this need to share another viewpoint, whether it was at the high school or in the city, and really just get more young people engaged, not just in politics, but particularly with conservative causes.”
Growing up in liberal Washtenaw County was interesting for Harrison.
“You grow up with
Uncertainty in defunding from a student’s perspective
MAYA FU EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Trump’s administration makes the entire scientific enterprise in the United States vulnerable. The entire scientific enterprise is vulnerable because it heavily, is operation, heavily depending on federal funding from agencies such like NIH, NSF and the many other federal agencies, but now and Trump is has been issuing a lot of exactly other orders to make make the operations of this agencies very chaotic, and his restructuring the agencies, and he has a lot of staff members, program officers working in those agencies have been fired, and there are a lot of restructuring ongoing in those agencies. So therefore there’s a lot, there has been a lot of uncertainties in those agencies, and because of that, and the normal funding situation and have been become very, very uncertain, and there have been much, much less funding
an education, a system and experience that exposes you to more beliefs about progress,” he said. “At the same time too, sometimes even in our younger years, there might be that notion to think differently or maybe to stand out a bit.”
While studying journalism, political theory and public relations at Michigan State University, Harrison became a precinct delegate for what is now Michigan’s sixth congressional district, which includes Washtenaw County. Both parties have precinct delegates, and by filling out an affidavit, any resident can be elected to be one. Harrison later petitioned to become a state delegate, and in that role, attended conventions to vote for new party leadership and
being given out by those agencies. At the same time, Trump administration has studied new attacks on the top universities in the United States, including, for example, he asked National Institute of Health NIH to freeze fund $400 million funding for for COVID and more recently and for pen, he has asked NIH to freeze another $150 million energy funding for University of Pennsylvania that caused a lot of anxiety and difficulties for those particular universities. But there will be more. There are a lot more universities on his target list, and because we know that the Department of Justice has issued a list of 60 universities that they are investigating on issues related to, they are looking into those universities whether they have violated the anti semitism policies. And so potentially, those universities will also suffer and meet difficulties because of this the new administration.
perspectives and the evolving landscape of the nation
Know your rights: what to do if ICE shows up at your door
ELLA YIP FEATURE EDITOR
In case you are ever stopped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), regardless of your citizenship, here your rights are some things you need to know to protect yourself and your family.
The right to remain silent, you have no obligation to respond to any of the following questions: (aclu. org)
• Questions about immigration status
• Country of origin
• Entrance to the United states
Right to refuse to answer: (nilc.org)
• Even if you have complied with some questions, you can stop at any time.
Right to speak to a lawyer: (stopaapihate.org)
• You can speak with a lawyer before answering questions
Right to call your consulate: (pennstatelaw.psu. edu and iamerica.org)
• Speak to a consulate of your origin country, authorities must let the consulate meet or talk to you.
Many advise, such as information from congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, to not open your door if an immigration agent is there. Note many agents are in plain clothes, meaning they are not in an official uniform or
something that would visually identify who they are. Do not answer any questions. You have the right to remain silent and do not have to answer any questions from an agent or suspected agent. Do not sign anything, without speaking to a lawyer. Many organizations such as American Civil Liberties Union, and Immigrant Defense Project, provide this information in card form, in multiple languages that you can show to an agent. Additionally sites like this provide help in these situations such as contacting law enforcement, or if you have been arrested.
Reason for support: students share thoughts on Trump
BAI & CLARISSA GELSON COPY EDITOR & STAFF WRITER
“I don’t think Trump is the strongest representative for the standpoint, but I am very much pro life. I stand with the pro-life movement that every child, every woman who is pregnant is carrying a child with her, and that child deserves the right to live…for me, that’s the strongest policy that I believe in.”
-Senior, Huron Student
“I think it’s unfair for the people that are [legally immigrating] and coming over here getting their green card and getting their citizenship while there are people that are just doing whatever they want. I think that the way they’re being treated or [deported] is very unfair; I think a lot of people are good people that just want to create a better life.”Junior, Huron Student
“I disagree with Democrat race-based affirmative action policies. These policies discriminate against perfectly qualified candidates based on race, which is unfair. Thankfully Trump appointed some great supreme court justices who struck down affirmative action in college admissions, which makes the college admissions process more fair for everyone.”
- Sophomore, Huron Student
“I’d want him to make people more equal and not as lefty and righty. I want him to lower prices, because that’s what a lot of people voted for him for.” - Junior, Huron Student
AMELIA
Are shows airing for too long?
ASHLEY KIM MANAGING EDITOR
The announcement of a new season for your favorite show should be exciting news. It should create anticipation for what will happen next and leave you itching for a new episode every week. However, recently, this hasn’t seemed to be the case. Within the past couple of years, the dramatic downfall of some of the most popular shows has been obvious.
I first noticed the trend of a show simply running out of ideas a few years ago when I watched Riverdale. The CW released this show in 2017, and what had been my favorite show for years became something that I was unable to finish once it reached its sixth and seventh seasons and finally ended in 2023. The show completely switched gears, taking on a supernatural theme, filled with witches and alternate
universes, which replaced its original “murder-mystery” style plot. Although to some this may seem appealing, as someone who had been a fan of the show since the very beginning, it was disappointing to see how much it had changed to the point where it felt like an entirely different story. Similar to Riverdale’s dramatic shift is season seven of All American. The seventh season, which is currently being aired, displays an entirely different set of characters with the exception of about three who remain recurring characters. Additionally, the show seems to have cycled back to its plot from season one, once again
showing high school football players with large aspirations. This reversion completely ignores and eliminates all of the plot and character development from seasons one through six, and feels more like a spin-off show rather than a continuation of the same one.
Another popular show in which I completely lost interest during the latest season was Outer Banks. Contrary to Riverdale and All American, the fourth season, released in 2024, maintained a lot of similarities to its previous three, focusing on the treasure-hunting and adventurous aspects along with similar dynamics between all of the characters.
However, despite my high interest and enthusiasm going into the season, it quickly became boring as the season was filled with repetitive and redundant aspects,which seemed more like recycled and reused ideas rather than developing the
The disappearance of genuine hobbies
AMELIA BAI COPY EDITOR
“I’d rather be in bed.” I hear this sentence constantly; in school, with friends, even from my own mouth. And it’s true, much of the time. I would rather be in bed, sleeping, watching 2000s sitcoms, or scrolling on social media.
This sentiment isn’t unique — for much of current society, we’d rather scroll on social media for hours, until we forget everything else around us and until our eyeballs fall out of our eye sockets. For many, consumption has become the norm.
In a world that is so incredibly online and obsessed with “hustle culture,” the concept of hobbies seems to be diminishing. Studies show
that teens are increasingly spending more time on hobbies or social media rather than extracurricular activities. In recent years, especially after the pandemic, something seems to have shifted. The decline of hobbies is undeniable, but the concept has undergone a refurbishment of sorts, though perhaps more insincere and shallow than before. Hobbies have become a trend.
They often sound like a promise, a solution, or an exclusive club. “Cool people have hobbies,” “You’re miserable because you don’t have a hobby,” or “Five hot girl hobbies to try out to achieve your Pinterest girl dreams!” It’s cool to have a hobby. You’ll be a better person if you get a hobby. These posts are often
complete with idealistic images of the trendiest hobbies at the moment — of pink matching Lululemon sets to complete the “pink pilates princess” image, a “messy” photo of a day in the pottery studio, all-white tennis outfits, and whimsical kitchens with vast windows overlooking a wildflower field — all of which were perfectly calculated and composed to the very last detail. It’s clear that what matters isn’t the hobby itself, but the proof of a performance.
Hobbies have not only become a trend, but they have become a performance — an experience that has become all too familiar. For much of my life, I’ve stuck to the same few hobbies: various forms of literature, visual arts, and music. As a result, I’ve found platforms to track my activity
over the years.
For example, Goodreads is a popular social platform used to catalog books and reading progress. I think that platforms like Goodreads can be inherently positive; they act as a way to increase knowledge and curiosity within a niche topic and bond with friends and others over a shared interest. Yet as of late, I’ve begun to treat Goodreads as an object of productivity. Instead of yearning for a good, thoughtful book of which I can ruminate about for days, I crave the fulfillment from marking another book as “read” and quickly moving onto the next, eager to catch as many fish as I can in the pond. This instant gratification has decreased the meaning I find in literature. If we’re constantly moving and
Staff Editorial Power of youth to ignite change
There is an undoubted power behind our voices. We see that as student journalists with an impact in our school and greater community. But that extends to the rest of us, regardless of what our audience may be. We are the next generation, and it is our responsibility to create the change that will benefit our world.
Lately, the news has featured a lot of major events that affect every section of our
lives. And although most of us don’t yet have the power to vote, for example, our power is represented in different ways. We have the advantage of connection to people all around the world that no one before us had. With one click of our finger, we can interact with thousands of people with seemingly nothing in common. With this power, it’s up to us to create the world that we want to live in. Time is ticking.
The torch is being passed to us, and it is now our responsibility to move forward with a renewed spirit to create the change that needs to happen. Instead of sitting back and letting the world run in a direction that might not be ideal, we should start taking steps in the direction that we feel is right. Talk to people. Advocate. Post on social media. Use your voice. It’s about time.
plot and characters. With several new shows expecting new seasons, including season 3 of The Summer I Turned Pretty, season 5 of Stranger Things, season 3 of Ginny and Georgia, and season 5 of Outer Banks, I hope that this trend of faltering shows does not continue. Although the goal of continuing a show for as long as possible is understandable, I believe these ending seasons have diminished or outright ruined the reputation of many of these shows as the creators try to unnecessarily drag out the plots. Whether it’s a lack of new ideas or a complete change in direction, the shows that should’ve been outstanding and rewatchable have now become quickly forgotten due to their wasted potential.
rushing in an already everchanging world, when will we ever find the time to rest? To take a breath?
After all, hobbies began as a simple leisure time activity. Two centuries after their original birth, hobbies have gained plenty of connotations. They have become a device for accomplishment, making a career, social conformity, competition, to name a few.
Yet when we begin a hobby just to hop on a trend or to prove something, regardless of whether it is status or achievement, our hobbies become sustainable. If we do want to find and maintain a passion, we need to do it genuinely. We need to do it for ourselves. That’s the only way we’ll learn to love our hobbies without performance. At least, I will.
GRAPHIC BY YUANCHEN ZHAO
GRAPHIC BY YUANCHEN ZHAO
ANJALI NADARAJAH CHIEF CONTENT EDITOR
A good matcha latte is hard to come by. In fact, out of 131 Huron High School students, 49.6% aren’t fans of the bright green, earthy and rich beverage. It’s a difficult beverage to perfect; across social media, matcha connoisseurs hold the perfect latte to a very high standard; it must be a vibrant jade green color, sourced from tea leaves picked from the first harvest of the year.
While that may be hard to find at an average Ann Arbor cafe, I am on a quest to find quality, tasty matchas, easily accessible to people on the Northside. With the help of Huron students, I’ve compiled a list of the top 3 best places to get a matcha latte in Ann Arbor.
The first cafe is Yoon’s Bakery. Off Plymouth Road, Yoon’s is a Korean bakery founded in 2015 by Sunhyup Yoon. I purchased their Iced Matcha Latte for $4.67. They only had one size for drink options, which was 16oz.
AVIGAIL
Upon first sip, I was surprised with a pleasantly sweet, nutty matcha flavor. While slightly gritty, it did not take away from the drink as a whole. The taste reminded me of the Trader Joe’s Green Tea Mochi- a staple for any matcha lover. For under $5, this drink exceeded my expectations. Its earthy and creamy palette makes for a refreshing iced latte for the warmer weather. I highly recommend this.
The second cafe is Bearclaw Coffee Co., on Washtenaw Ave, across from Trader Joe’s. Their drivethrough ordering system was quick and efficient, even in the morning rush. I ordered their Iced Matcha Latte in an X-Small (12oz) for $3.45. Running at about 29 cents an ounce, I would say this latte gave me the most bang for my buck.
I was served my matcha in a matter of minutes, and it tasted amazing. It was definitely on the sweeter side, with an earthy aftertaste. It was creamy and comforting, though some matcha powder was left at the bottom of
the cup. Considering the cheap price and great taste, I definitely suggest you try Bearclaw’s matcha, along with their other similarly priced beverages.
The final cafe I tried was Songbird Cafe. Their Iced Matcha Latte ran me $5.75 for a 12oz, by far the most expensive drink. The atmosphere of the cafe was warm and bustling, with tons of sunlight pouring in. I was served quickly, and was met with a more unique flavor profile; it was less sweet, with a stronger umami after taste.
Umami means “delicious savory taste” in Japanese- it had an almost seaweed hint to it, that added a lot more depth and complexity to the taste. I really enjoyed this latte; it was a new face to matcha I had never tried, but was pleasantly surprised with. Although much more expensive than Bearclaw, I would say this drink is worth a try if you have the means to.
Yoon’s Bakery, Bearclaw Coffee Co. and Songbird Cafe are all cafes I recommend you pay a visit toan Iced Matcha Latte is just what you need to kick off the
biting into the eggs-traordinary Easter cookies
We went to Crumbl cookies to do a review on the Easter menu for the week April 14-18. Crumbl was
Rating - Avigail- 8/10
Jennifer- 8/10
embracing the Easter sprit by having a selection that was fun and full of festive flavors. When we first looked at the
Review: The carrot cake was very moist, which caused it to fall apart easily. The first bite was good, but it had a far too strong aftertaste of cinnamon, In the ingredients of the cake, it said there was pineapple, but we did not taste it at all. The layers of cake had pieces of carrot topped with a glaze, and in between both layers, there was frosting with coconut pieces.
Rating - Avigail- 6/10
Jennifer-6/10
Review: This cookie was a bit crunchy on the outside but still soft on the inside. It’s the same as the regular M&M cookies on the Crumbl menu that they have sometimes, with the only difference being the pastel colors on the M&M’s. The cookie and the M&M’s were well-balanced; it didn’t feel like there were too many or too few M&M’s. It was just the right amount.
Rating - Avigail-5/10
Jennifer-5/10
Review: This cookie was definitely not our favorite from this week’s menu. We felt like there was way too much chocolate frosting on the cookie. It could be because we aren’t really fans of chocolate that much. Out of all the cookies we tried, this one tasted way too sweet. It was also a bit hard compared to the other cookies on the menu.
menu, a couple of the cookies really stood out to us, making it a perfect choice for Easter gatherings or as a sweet treat
Rating - Avigail - 10/10
to enjoy this holiday season.
Jennifer - 10/10
Review: This cake was by far our favorite from the whole menu this week. In every bite, you got a bit of everything. The strawberry jam was delicious and had real pieces of strawberries. It was topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with freeze-dried strawberries. The whole cake was soaked in milk, so each bite was really moist. It wasn’t too sweet, which surprised us.
Rating - Avigail - 8/10 Jennifer - 10/10
Review: We really enjoyed this cookie. You get a hint of lemon in the cookie, which really compliments the overall flavor. It had a fresh lemon piece as a garnish. We felt like the flavors were well balanced and not too sweet. The glaze made the cookie taste even better. The cookie was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Rating- Avigail - 6/10
Jennifer - 6/10
Review: If you’re looking for a chocolate cookie, try this one instead of the chocolate cupcake cookie. It tasted exactly like a brownie and was soft, which made the cookie even better. It was warm and gooey on the inside, and the egg candies were very creamy. The chocolate candy eggs on top of the cookie were perfect for Easter.
ORTIZ AND JENNIFER DIAZ STAFF WRITERS
Carrot Cake
Spring M&M’s Cookie
Chocolate Cupcake Cookie
Strawberry Tres Leches Cake
Lemon Glaze Cookie
Candy Egg Brownie Cookie
review:
GRAPHICS BY KASIA PHAN
A review of
KIKI CHOI SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
When I heard of the upcoming release of Mickey 17, a film adaptation of Edward Ashton’s bestselling 2022 novel Mickey7 starring Robert Pattinson and directed by Bong Joonho, I was immediately excited. I love Bong Joonho’s movies, especially Parasite, Snowpierecer, and Okja, and I enjoyed Robert Pattinson in Tenet and The Batman.
Both impressed me even more with Mickey 17. The movie flaunts Bong Joonho’s masterful use of lighting, colors, music, and symbols. The cinematography is sweeping and enhanced by a carefully produced soundtrack that can feel eerie, curious, hopeful, grand, and more.
Something I found particularly intriguing was the character of Kenneth Marshall (Mark Ruffalo), the smarmy, strange, and arguably downright evil leader of a space expedition to found a human colony on Niflheim with the support and aid of his blindly devoted followers.
Marshall is painted as
a clearly despotic leader, and it was easy to draw eyebrowraisingly clear
connections between his actions and mannerisms and various historical and modern authoritarian world leaders. I thought Mark Ruffalo did a commendable job of portraying Marshall as vaguely unsettling but ridiculous and also just weird. It was notable how the power-hungry and delusional man toted the good of the people and the greater good, but in the end it was his own hubris and self-obsession that led to the near-downfall of the entire population of the ship and his own death.
Snow White (2025) never stood a chance
& ZINE EDITOR
Snow White (2025) never stood a chance. Dubbed “The Worst Blockbuster In IMDB History” by Forbes, Disney’s most recent project starring Rachel Zegler currently sits at 1.5/10 stars on the website. While I would love to say this rating is completely undeserved, too many things about the film fell flat for that to be true. Since the film was announced, the film has been criticized for its changes in plot. In a 2024 interview with Variety, Zegler praised the changes to the plot, saying, “It’s no longer 1937 and we absolutely wrote a Snow White that’s not going to be saved by the prince… She’s dreaming of becoming the leader she knows she can be.” This raised a lot of discourse online with the audience questioning why it was an either-or situation; why couldn’t she have love, be kind and be powerful and respected?
After watching the movie, I can say that this didn’t end up being the case. Yes, the story is more surrounding Snow White’s leadership, but it still holds space for her love story and the kindness
that made her character so endearing in the original. Snow White’s love story still takes up a good portion of the film, a whole song being dedicated to the blooming romance. In addition, Snow White’s kindness consistently takes center stage. The only thing that was omitted was the imbalance in power due to an age gap between the main couple in the original story. Overall, the changes made were well done and were the least of the film’s problems in the grand scheme of things.
To start, the changes in plot made way for new songs and motifs to be highlighted. For example, the song “Good Things Grow” and the repetition of the affirmation “Fearless, Fair, Brave, and True.” Neither of these things held up as much as songs and motifs that have been hammered into our collective psyche for decades, i.e. “Whistle While You Work” and “mirror mirror on the wall”. If the point of remakes is to capitalize on the nostalgia of a group of people, why would the core elements of what make it nostalgic be pushed to the sidelines?
As a whole, many of the things that made this movie so iconic and hold its nostalgia factor were stripped
down. For example, The Evil Queen (Gal Gadot) was not done the justice she should have been. Everything from the costuming to the vocals fell flat when it came to this character–her striking villainy was dulled by this poor performance. As well as this, the use of CGI for the seven dwarves made their presence lack the warmth that they once had. Even with strong vocal performances, the heavy reliance on CGI made the dwarves feel lifeless and disconnected from the world around them.
Robert Pattinson truly impressed me with his acting in this movie. I have not seen Twilight, nor do I ever intend to, but I didn’t have any particular thoughts about his performance in Tenet or The Batman, although I enjoyed his roles. However, I think Mickey 17 was a chance for Pattinson to show off his range and skill. I was really impressed with Pattinson’s ability to convincingly act as two different characters with distinct personalities who were simultaneously the same man. It was a very nuanced performance that I honestly thought was just really cool.
One aspect of the movie I didn’t enjoy was the character of Nasha Barridge (Naomi Ackie). I thought Ackie did
adapt animation into live action, Disney swung too far in the opposite direction, making the real-life aspects far too cartoonish. The colors were off-puttingly vibrant and the costumes, especially the ones meant to replicate those in the original, looked like a cheaper costume version of what they were supposed to be. Nothing about it spoke to the tried and true Disney magic of decades past, which is not uncommon for the majority of the remakes that have come out in recent years.
a fantastic job portraying Barridge’s obstinate and aggressive but morally correct personality, but the character of Barridge herself fell flat for me. I thought the romance plot was unnecessary — surprisingly, I actually thought Mickey and Nasha themselves made sense together. However, I didn’t think her character was actually necessary to the story, despite her being arguably the second most important character. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Mickey 17. It had my enraptured attention for its entirety. Interestingly, the movie felt really long despite being about the length of an average movie, but not in a way that made it drag or feel boring. The movie really impressed me with its themes, acting, and cinematography, and I will continue to watch any films Bong Joon Ho makes.
Disney’s direction with remakes has never proven to be successful, which makes the failure of this film wildly unsurprising. Unfortunately, they aren’t going to stop making remakes any time soon. If Disney wants its live-action remakes to succeed, they need to do more than repackage beloved stories with flashy CGI and half-hearted reimaginings—it needs to remember what made them beloved in the first place.
ISHA SAVI
COPY
GRAPHIC BY ANNA LEE
GRAPHIC BY ANNA LEE
Men’s varsity lacrosse fails to hold on to rivals Pioneer
ROWAN GRENIER SPORTS EDITOR
1. Senior captain Charlie Fox drives towards the net after dodging past the Pioneer defender. Fox went on to score on this play and scored three additional goals throughout the rest of the game. 2. Senior Caleb Patterson gains speed as he approaches a Pioneer defender and looks to doge towards the net for a shot.
“We were working on a new offensive scheme all week at practice so it felt good to put that into action and experiment a little,” Patterson said. 3. Huron’s starting faceoff specialist sophomore Tyler Fox matches up against the Pioneer FOGO player to take the opening face-off. Tyler went on to win the opening face-off and give Huron the first possession of the game.
BRODY TURNER
“I felt confident because I knew I had practiced a lot and I had faith in my ability to win,” Fox said. 4. Tyler Fox goes for a sweeping dodge as he tries to get around the Pioneer defender to find an open look for a short pass. PHOTOS BY
Spring sports highlights: A look into water polo, soccer and baseball
Water polo
GRACE
HENLEY
A&E EDITOR
On Thursday April 17 the Huron Varsity women’s water polo team faced Dexter at home in the pool. The girls season has just started last month and already Huron is pulling in wins.
Junior Shayna Weiner is one of the goalie for the team. Weiner, while explaining some of the team’s roadblocks already in the season, was positive when talking about Huron women’s water polo.
“One of our best players Mada Montgomery recently hurt her shoulder so she has been out for two weeks,” Weiner said. “It’s been difficult for the team to adjust.
Another one of their players had a concussion but has been cleared to play.
Even with some setbacks the Varsity water polo team won 12 - 2 against Dexter. Their next game is April 29 at home against Saline.
The women’s varsity soccer team is off to a strong start this season, with a current record of 2-0-1.
“As it came, it got better,” junior Haily Sell said. “Our team is definitely turning out great, and we have great players.”
The team has been playing at their home field and is expected to reach the midpoint of their season by the end of this week. So far, sophomore Mia Caruthers leads as the top goal scorer with two goals, followed by junior Ayla Tindall, freshman Morgan Randall, and senior Solana Peralta, who each have one.
Players say the team has improved significantly compared to last year,
“We have so much more talent, and our environment and our connection between teammates were just better,” Sell said.
The team travels to Saline this Thursday to take on the Hornets.
Baseball
ROWAN GRENIER SPORTS EDITOR
The Huron Men’s Baseball team has had a rocky start to their season as they currently sit with a record of 3-9. The team has 25 games left within about 5 weeks as they look to pick up some more wins to round off their season as they currently have some feelings of dispiritedness.
“I’d say a lot of guys are disappointed but it’s early and there is a lot to learn from the first few weeks of any season,” junior Max Pinsky said.
Expectations were not super high for the team this year as they were coming off of an 8 win season last year and they are on pace to exceed their preseason expectations. They have some goals for the future of the program but right now it seems they are focusing on the little things and becoming more dependable.
“I think on a small scale it’s to become more consistent in playing the brand of baseball we know we can,” Pinsky said. “Long term I think is to win a district championship.”
Senior captain Mada Montgomery launches the ball for a shot on net. PHOTO BY CALEB BEACH
SAMUEL BUTLER STAFF WRITER
The varsity soccer team caps off their pregame huddle with a cheer. PHOTO BY BRODY TURNER
The varsity baseball team discusses their game plan by the dugout.
PHOTO BY BRODY TURNER
Looking into a varsity women’s tennis practice
MAYA FU
1. Sophomore Chloe Lin sets up for a forehand. “Our team-- everyone’s super nice. It’s a positive environment, and everyone supports each other,” Lin said. 2. Freshman Esha Jadhav sets up for a forehand. 3. Senior Katherine Ma lunges for a low ball. “My favorite part of the team is cheering on our teammates together because it’s really sweet seeing your teammates
Kicking into the women’s
KELSEY SINKIEWICZ STAFF WRITER
Huron Women’s Soccer is a team to keep your eye on this spring.
The team roster differs from many years as it has enlarged from the normal 20-22 to
smile a little when you cheer,” Ma said. 4. Freshman Katya Knysh crouches for a low backhand. 5. Senior Julia Caird tosses a ball for a serve. PHOTOS BY BRODY TURNER.
soccer season:
This year, there are eight freshmen on varsity. This is a strategic decision done by coaches, to prepare the team for next year’s season when eight of the seniors graduate.
“By having younger players on the team, it prepares them to fill the roles our upperclassmen leave when they graduate,” coach Murali Nair said.
Even though the roster is big, it proves that the incoming class had tons of talent. Twenty-four might seem like a lot as only 11 play on the field, but the coaches knew what they’re doing. For
the key to a successful season
those who don’t get to play in games as much will be offered to play in JV games. That way players can get better by participating in intense practices with varsity and still getting playtime in JV games.
The team is led by senior captains Min
Coulombe, Solana Peralta, and Kelsey Sinkiewicz. In 2022; the freshman year of the captains, the team defeated Skyline and claimed the district title.
“We have a real chance this year,” said Coulombe. “How cool would it be to win
districts our freshman and senior year.”
With Monday-Friday intense practices the team expects nothing but the best from themselves. The next women’s varsity game is Senior Night this Thursday at home against Bedford.
GRAPHIC BY YUANCHEN ZHAO
EMILY HU AND SALEM DINH WEB EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND STAFF WRITER
Suzanne Dickie, Special Education
Eric Geiger, Math
Sara-Beth Badalamente, Publications
Eden West, Orchestra