The Huron Emery Volume 9 Issue 6 June

Isolation to celebration: the journey of Huron’s class of 2024

ANJALI NADARAJAH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

As graduation is approaching for high school seniors at both Huron High School and across the world, they hold a unique distinction: they are the last class of students to have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic during high school, a time that shaped their education and social lives. After missing their eighth grade graduation, many were hopeful for a return to ordinary life, mainly for the return of inperson learning. They started their freshman year in 2020 amidst the world-wide pandemic, but the world looked a lot different then than it does now.

Sri Tharika Jothipuram Jayakumar is a Huron senior. Her high school experience was largely impacted by the pandemic: from daily Zoom calls to mask mandates.

“I feel like it made it really hard for me to connect with my peers when we were online,” Jayakumar said. “Especially because we didn’t really have an eighth grade graduation, trip or dance so I was really disappointed.”

Jayakumar has been on the class of 2024 exec board all four years and led online social events for their class during their freshman year.

“I remember the kids met up to play Among Us and play online

ice-breakers just to try to connect,” senior class advisor Sara-Beth Badalamente said. “During their “masked year”, which so many other districts did not experience, the exec board planned outdoor events like a “Friendsgiving” under the arch to give kids a chance to see each other mask-free.”

Now that the pandemic has subsided, mask mandates have been lifted and in-person learning has returned, her life has made a complete change.

make more connections and meet with people in person. It’s easier to connect with teachers when you’re struggling in a class.”

“Obviously, life is so much better after the pandemic,”

Jayakumar said.

“I’m able to

But the transition from middle school to high school was certainly a challenge for Jayakumar, especially with the added complexities of the pandemic.

Getting to know new friends and the maze of hallways at Huron with the addition of masks and social distancing was no easy feat.

“It really took a while to get used to everything,” she said. “But with the added

Ñ! #PAZ Magazine: showcasing student excellence

Each semester, an edition of the Ñ! #PAZ magazine is created, featuring the works of Daniel Verdugo’s Spanish students demonstrating their progress, learning,

and proficiency in the language and the culture through their writing, reflections, and artwork. The newest edition was released on May 30, 2024, exhibiting the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Sustainable

Development Goals, Re-thinking Militarism, Quino, and the Ñ! #PAZ Spotify playlist. This edition was a collaborative effort between the students, as well as the Huron HS PTSO, Jennifer Colby, and Chris Erickson. Students with standout

works are labeled as Star Contributors, with this edition’s being ¿Indiferencia?

¡No Más! by Junior Jackson Harris, Es NUESTRO Mundo by Senior Minseo Lee, and Lecciones en Medio del Caos by Junior Lucy Paliani.

“Being featured in the Ñ! #PAZ magazine is a tremendous honor, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the publication and share my message about the necessity of peace throughout the world,” Harris said.

The front page of Ñ! #Paz ARTWORK COURTESY OF Ñ! MAGAZINE

GRAPHIC BY ANNA LEE

ASHLEY KIM NEWS EDITOR

made to support students in a different way.

element of being online, I feel like it was really hard to connect with peers because all you knew of them were blank squares on Zoom. The pandemic definitely did challenge us in multiple ways, but it also helped us grow as individuals.”

Jayakumar and many others are the last class of people to have a pandemic-filled high school experience. Reflecting on her four years at Huron, she learned that the road is not always going to be smooth. It taught her to be resilient and find opportunities even when there weren’t many out there.

Counselor Tiffany Kincaid, who worked at Skyline during the pandemic, said that being virtual had a heavy impact on the counseling process.

“It’s a constant adaptation, because when we were virtual, it was very different trying to counsel students,” she said.

“Different students reached during felt things when we weren’t in person, and it was different trying to connect them to resources when I wasn’t able to just sit there and talk to them.”

However, Kincaid thinks that these issues ended up inspiring some positive changes.

“We’ve had to be more flexible and more creative during the pandemic and after,” she said. “I think that a lot of the technology, flexibility, and accommodations we were able to give since going virtual are positive things to happen.”

Although flexibility is a benefit, Kincaid thinks that changes should be

“I hope [the district] does change,” she said. “I think in response to the pandemic, we were so flexible and so supportive. Sometimes it seems like when things are difficult, we lessen the barrier so much, and we need to figure out how to help students more with raising those barriers a little bit rather than saying ‘this is difficult’ meaning ‘you can get out of it.’ This is difficult, but how can we help you do it?”

Even after the return to school, the pandemic had visible lasting effects on students.

“Mental health is affecting a lot of people and it’s not always recognized,” Kincaid said. “That shows up in how people engage in school and in the classroom.

I’ve seen more non-attendance at school and disengagement in general, when you show up to class and aren’t fully able to show up and be present, ask questions, do your best. Now, I’d say that there’s more needs with mental health. The impact is still there, but it’s kind of an echo effect.”

where we take baby steps to get to a bigger goal,” Anton said. “I’ve had to implement a lot more scaffolding for kids because skills were missed or not necessarily emphasized in the pandemic. Every kiddo had a different pandemic experience, so every kiddo is in

onset of pandemic, she noticed significant changes in student behavior engagement or academic performance.

to engage kids,” she said. “They want to check out of the lesson a lot earlier than they should. We’ve had to try to figure out ways where it’s more collaborative. The attention span has been like a really big challenge because students were in control for a whole year of when you could mentally check in and check out. Coming back to an environment where you’re not in that control, it’s hard.”

about when and how we apply digital technology in education because some of the best things that kids do, in my opinion, are still non digital based.” Badalamente couldn’t agree more.

“It was tough for the senior class to get kids involved with inperson activities to start,”

Badalamente said. “We had to cancel and reschedule and even cancel events due to lack of interest. But each year we have seen participation grow.”

Terrance Springer is also a part of the class of 2024. He, like Jayakumar, had his first year of high school fully remote.

“It definitely made me appreciate social interactions and events a lot more,” he said.

“Considering that freshman year, I wasn’t able to talk or meet new people, I really appreciate everything I have now in terms of my social life.”

day, and stopping his usual afternoon naps. And reflecting on his high school journey, he’s proud of where he’s come despite the difficulties posed by the pandemic.

“I feel excited to graduate, although I’m kind of sentimental about it,” Springer said. “But I’m more excited for all the new opportunities to come, especially now that I’m more grateful for certain things and aspects of my life considering that the pandemic took off. I’m excited and can’t wait for the future.”

Sarah Anton, an English teacher at Huron, has seen her teaching methods evolve in response to the pandemic, forcing her to make adjustments in her approach to instruction.

To start, it became harder to convey expectations of a traditional classroom setting after the pandemic.

Students got used to submitting work on Schoology whenever convenient, had a hard time writing with a pencil and paper, and relied more on digital tools, lacking some basic analog skills like annotating books.

“In education, there’s something called scaffolding,

Even though remote learning came with plenty of challenges for students and teachers, Anton was able to find light in the darkness. She learned to give feedback on student work more efficiently through online submissions rather than paper submissions, and could give better feedback to more assignments over time.

As an education professional, teachers like her are faced with the question of how much access students should have to technology, and how big of a role it should play in high school education.

“We talk a lot about kids being on screens too much,” Anton said. “You know, for high school kids, it’s kind of hard to keep them off because they’re always doing something, but I think we could all be more intentional

He faced struggles of getting back to the rhythm of in-person learning; waking up early for school, staying focused throughout the

As Huron seniors prepare to graduate, they hold a place in history as the last class to have their high school experience shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. They navigated challenges of remote learning and social isolation, but their resilience and adaptability have shown how strong they really are. When they start their futures, they carry forward the lessons they learned, ready to leave their mark on the world.

AAPS board of education passes $20.4 million budget cut

SATVIKA RAMANATHAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

“It’s 7:01, let’s start!” an audience member shouted, receiving laughter from the crowd. “Ding ding ding!”

The AAPS Board of Education meeting started just after 7 p.m. on Monday, May 20, following another rally organized by the Ann Arbor Education Association. The main topic up for discussion was the $20.4 million budget cut proposed by superintendent Jazz Parks at the Board meeting on Wednesday, May 15. It passed on Monday 6-1. The meeting began with Public Commentary. Two-hundred-two people had signed up with comments to make. Mainly, people were concerned about the cutting of world languages as well as the reductions of band and orchestra co-directors.

“All AAPS students deserve a fullystaffed, comprehensive music education,” person after person said.

More than three hours later, the Public Commentary was finished, and after a 10 minute break, the Board sat back down, ready to talk. Parks began with talking more about the proposal.

“I would like to offer a few clarifications from last week’s budget presentation that we brought forward based on some information that has come to our attention through our email inbox, through conversations we’ve had, even through Public Commentary here tonight,” she said. “I would like to clarify some details that have been circulating that we know that we just want to make sure the information is clear and accurate about.”

The details included: There have been four

reductions in Central Office leadership this past year, and there will be two more reductions in Central office leadership next year Elementary World Language is separate from the English Language Learning program Spanish content taught in fourth and fifth grade is repeated in sixth and seventh grade PLTW being added to the specials schedule allows schools to have around one hour per week for each specials area. After these clarifications were made, the BOE debated over the topic, and ultimately passed the proposal, with trustees Schmidt, DuPree, Mohammad, Baskett, Gaynor, and Feaster voting for it and Trustee Querijero voting against it. The next Board meeting will be on June 12 at 3700 Earhart Road.

1. Teacher, Sarah Anton, protesting with a custom designed poster at the May 20 rally outside Pioneer. 2. Teacher Evaristo Rodriguez reacting to comments said at the board meeting about music instructors. 3. Senior Joaquin Moore speaks about his personal experiences with the music program. PHOTOS BY SATVIKA RAMANATHAN.

SunRISE with WISE: a journey to success in solar science

KIKI CHOI COPY EDITOR

“This time it has to work…”

Members of the Huron Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) club grew tense with excitement and nerves as they saw the “integrate” button on their laptop light up yellow, indicating that the program was ready. They watched with bated breath as a final click of the mouse prompted the initiation of the program. After a moment of tense silence, the spectrogram finally began to roll.

Clapping and shouts of joy lit up the room as the girls celebrated, watching bright lines of radio bursts from the sun streak across the screen.

Barely 30 minutes before totality, on April 8, 2024, they had finally achieved success in their 18-month-long project.

In the fall of 2022, Huron science teachers Monica Dering and David Caine met with a research scientist from the Climate & Space Sciences and Engineering (CLaSP) department at the University of Michigan (UM) to discuss a collaboration between Huron’s science department and the university.

“[We wanted to] bring real world science to students at Huron,” Dering said. “We were excited to learn about NASA’s Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment (SunRISE) mission and how our students would be able to participate by collecting data themselves.”

NASA’s SunRISE is a mission using six small satellites that will collect data on solar activity in order to help scientists research “how the Sun is able to generate intense space weather storms that can be hazardous to spacecraft and astronauts,” according to NASA’s website. High school students are able to actively participate in and contribute to the mission by collecting data from the ground to complement the data collected from space.

After reporting back to him with the information, he gave his stamp of approval ― ‘You are free to fly!’”

Carter was “as supportive as enthusiastic” about the WISE club’s collaboration with UM. He promptly contacted the AAPS director of facilities in order to secure approval for the necessary equipment, including an antenna, to be placed on site.

“When Dr. Dering [and Mr. Caine] came to my office about the program, I was excited because she was excited,” Carter said. “Effective teachers inspire and support students in their pursuit of knowledge and are enthusiastic about real world applications. The way I see it, greatness in isolation can only go so far, but when we collaborate, we can achieve new heights. This aligns with the IB philosophy by emphasizing the importance of collaboration and community involvement in education.”

The next issue the WISE club had to face was the decision of where to place the antenna once it arrived. They needed to select a location where the antenna would be easily accessible for data collection while not being easily damaged.

“Although a large open area would be ideal for picking up radio waves,” Dering said, “We decided it would be best to sacrifice a little signal by building it on an enclosed roof area adjacent to the science department.”

“ Tomorrow’s space scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and decision makers are today’s high school students.”

In this location, the antenna would be afforded more protection from human or natural interference.

In June 2023, to Dering’s delight, UM’s College of Engineering finalized their design of the SunRISE ground radio lab radio kits.

engineers, entrepreneurs, and decision makers are today’s high school students. It is our responsibility to engage talented and enthusiastic students to learn about space. We strive to remove any barriers/ceilings self-imposed or imposed on students by the society, to help them to think of space exploration as a possible avenue for personal and professional growth and to join this exciting ‘final frontier’ and to bring their imaginations and thirst for exploration.”

That fall, Huron received the components of the antenna kit, and Dering set out to obtain a Windows 10 laptop for data collection. A message to the AAPS IT department was all that was needed.

“Then came the software setup, but we couldn’t get the signal, even after hours of troubleshooting,” Dering said.

This was a major issue, as the immediately following day was April 8th ― the day of the solar eclipse.

The WISE club needed to successfully integrate their antenna before it happened.

“Thankfully, our IT department managed to fix the glitch that was preventing the connection

with the software,” Dering said. “That ‘integrate’ button held a deeper meaning when it finally lit up, emphasizing the result of a lot of teamwork at the school and district level!” Since that day, the WISE club has continued to compile and upload several hours of solar radio signals to a shared drive with UM on a weekly basis.

“Our next step was to gain several levels of approval over the next few months,” Dering said. “Our principal, Ché Carter, provided a list of pertinent questions that we were able to discuss over a second meeting with UM.

Mojtaba AkhavanTafti, the assistant research scientist of the CLaSP department, is the Principal Investigator of SunRISE Ground Radio Lab, which designed the ground radio lab radio kits. He expressed his enthusiasm regarding WISE club’s participation in the SunRISE mission.

“Our goal at SunRISE GRL is to engage students in hands-on STEM activities,” Akhavan-Tafti said. “Tomorrow’s space scientists,

“All that was left was to share the opportunity with the students,” Dering said. “The WISE club could not have been more exuberant about being offered the chance to build the antenna and participate in this research.”

The students enthusiastically and dutifully completed online training modules and gathered at Huron on a weekend, sacrificing their Sunday afternoons to spend hours tackling PVC pipes, cables, wires, and ropes.

“The Huron team has been collecting radio observations continuously over the past months when the Sun has been super active, enabling [our] team to observe some exciting radio burst events,” Akhavan-Tafti said. “They have been working closely with our science team of experts to validate their data and to better understand the significance of their observations.”

An exciting result of WISE club’s collaboration with the engineering department is an internship opportunity for club member Selene KoremenosTsebelis to join the CLaSP department this summer.

“We can’t wait for her to come back even wiser and decipher what the Sun is telling us,” Dering said.

Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti

Juniors Manisha Datar, Selene Koremenos-Tsebeils, and Molly Schneidewind on the roof outside of David Caine’s classroom after completing the antenna setup. PHOTO COURTESY OF

Junior Selene KoremenosTsebelis in David Caine’s classroom attaching cables into the laptop for the first day of spectrogram rolling.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MONICA DERING

Breaking Barriers: venturing into the field of education

SATVIKA RAMANATHAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Part 1

Smita Malpani felt “unmoored” after moving to Ann Arbor with an 18-month old, where she was doing consulting work on and off. Six years later, with two more kids, she was sitting on the floor of her kitchen, playing with her middle son, when her friend told Malpani that she had started teaching part time. Malpani stopped what she was doing and looked up at her friend, who told her that she could email the department chair at Washtenaw Community College (WCC) and see if they have any open positions. The idea struck Malpani, and she soon started teaching environmental science part time, getting hired on full time when a position opened later.

Malpani grew up outside of Boston, and after going through college and grad school, she lived in India for a few years, working with a local NGO doing village-level community development. After that, though, she was unemployed for a year, and that was testing.

“You realize how much you rely on external validation,” she said. “[You’re

used to], ‘Oh, so and so wants to hire me,’ and when you don’t have that, you have to really rely internally on your own sense of self.”

When she had children further down the road, things changed a lot, too.

For one thing, she had to stop traveling for work as much.

“It wasn’t as simple as just being like, ‘Oh, I’ll just leave the baby,’” she said. “So I stepped back from traveling for a little bit.”

They moved to Ann Arbor, and Malpani says that she felt like she was just floating without any attachment in the area, until she started working at WCC.

at all. It’s about the students. And it actually feels like a relief to not be self-centered.”

67.3% of women return to the workforce after their third childbirth. teachers with a master’s degree earn $5285 more than teachers with jut a bachelor’s. The average hourly rate for an Ann Arbor teacher is $19.96.

“I love teaching,” Malpani said. “When you walk into the classroom, your sense of self disappears. It’s not about you

“In the absence of external validation, you have to have this internal sense of self that ‘I belong here.’” - SMITA MALPANI, WCC Environmental Science Professor

In addition to being a professor at WCC, Malpani also does consulting work for international development organizations like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Gates Foundation.

She also is involved with the PTSO and events with the Ann Arbor Public Schools.

Malpani says that she sees women’s careers frequently have twists and turns.

“For myself and many women I know, our career paths are not straight, in one way or another, if we’ve had children,” she said. “Often it’s women whose lives get a little knocked off course before

Fix the crown, put a crown on and wear a crown strong. It gives younger girls the opportunity to know that their crown is coming too.”

- TYESE PARNELL, Tappan Middle School Principal

THE EMERY STAFF

EDITORIAL BOARD:

Anjali Nadarajah 424587@aaps. k12.mi.us

Anna Esper 310650@aaps.k12. mi.us

Satvika Ramanathan 405293@ aaps.k12.mi.us

Jamie Tang 311245@aaps.k12. mi.us

they can find their footing again. It’s so easy to fall into the societal expectation that a woman will step back and do all of the household labor and emotional labor of family life. It’s really, really hard.”

Once her kids turned four or five, though, Malpani started to “reclaim” herself.

“When they’re small, it’s almost like your kids don’t know you exist,” she said. “They just need what they need. Mom is like the air you breathe. ‘Of course Mama’s going to feed me, Mom’s going to care for me.’”

Now, she says that they are her biggest cheerleaders.

“As they get older, they realize that they have their own identity,” she said. “And then they look at me, and they’re like, ‘Oh, this person is another human.’ And they are starting to encourage me to go out and do things.”

The flow of Malpani’s work life wasn’t just affected by the changes that come with starting and growing a family. Career-wise, she has faced discrimination in natural resource management, a field that she says was extremely maledominated until very recently.

“I remember the first big assignment I did after having kids when I went to Liberia,” Malpani said. “I didn’t

“know if I could still do it, but it’s something that the USAID still refers to 12 years later. You just have to have this internal fortitude. In the absence of external validation, you have to have this internal sense of self that ‘I belong here.’”

Part 2

Dr. Tyese Parnell grew up playing Schoolhouse with her twin sister. Her sister would always play a teacher, and Parnell would be the principal. From that age on, it was pretty clear that her dream was to become a school leader. But Parnell graduated college with a degree in math and computer science because her parents thought that would be a better career path for her.

“So I started out working at Ford for like a year, and I was a systems analyst,” Parnell said. “And I was just like, ‘I cannot do this for the rest of my life. This is so boring. Nobody talks to anybody.’ I knew I wouldn’t be fulfilled doing that.”

So she stopped working at Ford, and she became an educator. She taught math for 13 years,

Now, when I drive to work on Mondays, even if I’m feeling tired or overworked, I feel really lucky to have the job.”

- KATHRYN JONES, Huron Teacher

Mrs. Wu: 15 years of shaping Huron’s Chinese program

JULES HESKIA DESIGN EDITOR

It all started a decade and a half ago when Fan Wu decided she would work as a Chinese teacher in Ann Arbor Public Schools. Wu has been teaching at Huron High School for 15 years and she can say that it is a whole new program that she has had the opportunity to influence.

Wu, one of two Chinese teachers at Huron High School, has changed the Chinese program by engraving a new culture to a lot of people at the school. The Chinese program at the school was very small and it only had one class. Since then, things have changed a lot and she has been a big part of it.

“In my first year when I came to Huron, that time we only had Chinese level one, only one class,” Wu said. “And then now we have Chinese level one, level two, level three, level four AP Chinese, DP Chinese, and MYP Chinese. I think now we have two Chinese teachers and seven classes. So I think it’s a pretty good development.”

There are many reasons why she thinks the program has improved and it has a lot to do with the fascinating language and cultures. Although it is very hard to learn Chinese, it comes with a lot of benefits.

“I think one reason is student interest, so they do have motivation to learn Chinese,” Wu said. “There is one thing because the Chinese have like more than 5000 years of history. As I told you lots of characters you can find the history. So those kinds of things definitely interest lots of people who are interested in the history of philosophy, you know. So they’re interested and another thing is because it’s useful. So think about China, it’s a huge population. In the future, no matter what major you will take or whatever carrier you will do, there is huge marketing there so definitely, it’ll benefit your future. China and America are two super countries. So I think if you can speak both languages, it will benefit no matter where

“

During these four years, I took Chinese classes for four years, which was very unforgettable. I want to thank Mrs. Wu for teaching me these four years.

ETHAN KU, 12

you want to go in the future.”

Along with a lot of improvements, she has made a lot of memories and has certainly left a mark at the school. Over a decade in years of teaching is a lot of different student interactions and experiences, but she has one that stood out.

“My best memories were after the pandemic because I didn’t see them for a long time,” Wu said. “And even you know in the class we always wear a mask. But so I saw their eyes. I don’t know what they really look like until you know everybody can take those masks away and be in the classroom. So at that time everybody is happy because they can go back to school. So those are very unforgettable because it’s kind of like a long time no see friend. Suddenly you see them. Then you have so many things you want to share with them.”

Although many think Wu only teaches students how to speak Chinese, the class is way more than just that. Every year she tries to incorporate the culture with it as much as she can. Sometimes it’s just the small things, like explaining how she raises her kids or small stories of China in the past. Sometimes, it is a lot more and she even has big activities for her students.

“We have a field trip to the U of M world language center, we made a hot pot for Chinese New Year, and we made sugar coated fruits on Valentine’s Day so people can give it to their Valentine because it’s sweet. Also in several classes we did the Chinese food so they researched The Chinese food, they bought the ingredients, and they made it. Also last year we had a visitor come to our school,” Wu said.

All of these activities were done for a reason, to connect it to Chinese culture. For example, making hot pot represents how people would survive cold winters. The warm food would reassure them. The smell of it would roam in the halls, attracting people who aren’t even in Chinese class.

1

2 3

Wu will definitely continue to influence a long time from now, as she is the one that expanded the Chinese program with many things in

“

Mrs. Wu encouraged me and supported me, so I could complete this class. Mrs. Wu also gave us many special experiences.

MADDIE TAI, 12

“

I like Chinese class very much. I like to learn Chinese. Learning Chinese is not easy, so you need help from your classmates. But I learned a lot.

GRAHAM BAKER, 12

it. This is just the beginning for Wu and there are many more exciting things yet to come.

“

I think DP Chinese is difficult, but Mrs. Wu gave us resources to help me understand Chinese. In Chinese class, I have many friends. I smile and laugh because my classmates are my community.

SONYA SHELGIKAR, 12

“

During these four years, I made many new friends and learned to read and write Chinese. When I go to China this year, I will definitely use the Chinese I learned.

ZOE ZHANG, 12

1. Chinese teacher Fan Wu cooking and serving the hot pot made in class to one of her students. 2. The Chinese 3 class enjoying making the Tang Hu Lu, sugar coated fruit and eating it. 3. Junior Serena Chang and Julia Zhu about to eat the hot pot with impatience.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WU.

In the Eyes of A Drake Fan: Kendrick Versus Drake

ANJALI NADARAJAH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

In just one weekend, Drake fans’ lives have been turned upside down. Lives were changed. Drama was created. Gossip of a 5’7 man and a potential pedophile bubbled across the internet.

On April 13, 2024, Aubrey Graham, better known by his stage name Drake, released the first song solely based on disses: “Push ups.” This was they day many Drake fans, myself included, thought there was nothing left to say. Drake came for every major rapper in the game, including rap artist Kendrick Lamar, producer Metro Boomin, and a few other household names. But that’s not where the story ended. That’s not even where it began.

After collaborating together back in the early 2010’s for a few well known songs, namely “Poetic Justice” (2012) on Lamar’s Grammy nominated album “good kid m.A.A.d. city” and “Buried Alive Interlude” (2011) on Drake’s Grammy winning album “Take Care”, the duo created mass hits, connecting with the public in a way no other rapper was at that time. Even 12 to 13 years later, their collaborative songs are still gaining streams today.

While the pair have shot discreet disses at each other between the lines of their songs throughout the years, no one suspected any noteworthy animosity between the two. Even, on Drake’s popular (and one of my all time favorites) song from October 2023, “First Person Shooter” with a feature from J. Cole, his good friend and well-loved rapper,

the pair mention Lamar is a positive light. J. Cole raps, “Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me? / We the big three like we started a league / but right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali.” In this lyric, he compliments Lamar, who he references as his nickname K-Dot, saying that he is part of the big three in the rap industry. While I think J. Cole was correct in saying this, Lamar heavily disagreed with him. He had no idea that this short but clever lyric reignited the pair’s beef, bringing himself along with it.

On March 22, 2024, Metro Boomin released his latest album “WE DON’T TRUST YOU.” On the witty and unforgettable song “Like That” featuring Kendrick Lamar, Lamar raps, “F–ck the big three,” referencing J. Cole’s boast. “It’s just big me.” He goes on, ruthlessly

attacking Drake with intricate lyrics, saying, “‘fore all your dogs gettin’ buried / That’s a K with all these nines, he gon’ see Pet Sematary.” Referencing Drake’s recent album “For All The Dogs”, Lamar uses a double entendre to explain that he’s “a K” (a ten) “with all these nines” comparing himself, saying he’s a ten and Drake and J. Cole are nines. Putting K and 9 together also sound like canine, which is another reference to the dog motif in Drake’s album. In saying “he gon’ see Pet Sematary” he references the Stephen King novel and movie “Pet Sematary”, with a haunted pet cemetery.

After this diss, J. Cole clapped back immediately with “7 minute Drill”, a song he quickly deleted and apologized for. He must have foreseen the future, because this was the wisest decision he

could have made. The casual exchange of disses was about to get far worse.

Drake released “Push ups” next, and “Taylor-made Freestyle,” with features from the AI voices of Snoop Dogg and Tupac on April 24, 2024.

On April 30th, 2024, Lamar released his first response, with a song called “Euphoria,” with nearly 6 and a half minutes of attacks at Drake’s career, appearance, racial identity, and taste in women. Maybe girls would be the better word, though.

And from then until May 5, diss tracks were thrown left and right between the pair, with some shocking allegations coming with them. Drake alleged abuse and infidelity in Lamar’s relationship with his fiancee, while Lamar claimed Drake has a secret second child, and labels him a predator.

After the whirlwind

of serious allegations and disstracks that range from mid to marvelous, I’ve decided that as a hardcore Drake fan, Lamar won the battle. His witty and complex lyrics have so many entendres, you have to listen to the song multiple times to understand every meaning. His haunting melodies pair well with the near-evil lyrics, and his rapping technique is unmatched. However, I will say that Drake’s disstracks, specifically “Family Matters” and “Push Ups” are ones that I will listen to many times, because of how catchy they are. That is something Lamar does not have; the ability to have listeners stream the song over and over, for how snappy and easy to listen to they are. While his songs are captivating, they are not something I would choose to listen to on an everyday occasion.

Millie Bobby Brown most recent masterpiece: A thrilling film, “Damsel”

SYDNEY ALDRICH STAFF WRITER

In Millie Bobby Brown’s most recent film “Damsel” she plays a young princess who has to marry to save her kingdom. This role is exceptionally different from what she’s done in the past. Her most popular role was in Stranger Things as one of the main characters. Let’s take a deep dive into “Damsel” and evaluate how fantastic Brown plays this role.

In this film, Brown plays a princess named Elodie who thinks she is marrying a young prince to bring wealth to her father’s kingdom. At first, everything went smoothly. She meets the prince and they get along. The castle is large and welcoming compared to her smaller manor. The day after she arrives she gets dressed by handmaids in a wedding gown

to prepare for her special day. But after the wedding, a crude blood rite is done and she gets thrown off a cliff into a lair. There she meets unexpected troubles that lurk within. Brown’s character is afraid and confused as this is very unexpected. Brown does an excellent job of showing the scared girl who looks very naive and is not very strong. Further into the film, her character grows into a strong woman, so Brown making her character weak in the beginning shows a lot about her understanding of the plot.

Elodie has a younger sister and stepmother who follow her to the castle to prepare for her marriage.

Elodie’s relationship with her stepmother is strained. With Brown’s acting skills, this is very accurately portrayed through body language and speech. Her tone of voice

with the stepmother is very secluded and cold. She holds herself tighter and closed off when in the presence of her stepmother. In comparison to her younger sister who she adores. The look of warmth on Brown’s face when talking to the younger sister makes the story feel more meaningful. Brown can quickly switch between these personas and make them look real, without over-exaggerating. This is an important skill to have as an actor as it makes the film seem more authentic. As well as how she interacts with other characters, we can see how she interacts with herself and her mind. When Elodie is first dropped into the lair, her dress is tattered and ripped. Instead of crying and acting helpless she pulls herself up and wants to continue the fight. Elodie showed much perseverance even though she didn’t know

where to start. This scene became the turning point in the film where it shifts from a princess wonderland to a fight for her life. Accompanied by Brown’s extravagant acting skills, we can feel the mood of the movie become darker and it is shown on Brown’s face. Her eyebrows are turned down and her eyes look stern and serious. Even without those events, we could tell something had changed. As Elodie faces the many challenges ahead of her she slowly gains confidence. Initially, Brown’s facial expressions show a scared girl who is barely fighting for her life. By the end, we can see how Elodie has developed into a better version of herself. Through the many tasks that Elodie conquered, Brown shows the perseverance on her face and how she is unwilling to give up. This important feature that Brown

adds makes the adventure her character goes through exhilarating.

Brown does an excellent job of showing how a character can change. From the way she holds herself to the way she talks, we can see how versatile Brown is. From mysteries to thrillers to adventures, she always puts on a show that could never be replicated by anyone else.

Graphic courtesy of Brody Turner

Young Scientist: Aurora Borealis

ANITA GAENKO COVERAGE EDITOR

On May 11, the aurora borealis—or northern lights— lit up the Michigan skies in a dazzling display, painting the night with curtains of green, pink, and violet light. The aurora, usually only clearly seen in places like Alaska and Iceland, was visible as far south as the Caribbean due to the strongest geomagnetic storm to hit the Earth in twenty years. The northern lights have captivated humans for millennia, but they’re more than just pretty lights: they can have a real impact on our lives.

Simply put, the aurora borealis occurs when charged particles from the sun collide with Earth’s atmosphere. These collisions excite atmospheric gases, causing them to glow in a variety of colors. However, predicting the precise timing and intensity of these displays is challenging. Scientists have long understood that the phenomenon is linked to solar storms, which can have a broader impact on Earth.

These storms—mass ejections of charged particles from the sun—can disrupt satellite communications, GPS signals, and even power grids. While the lights themselves are harmless to humans, the solar activity that causes them can pose risks to our technology-dependent society.

A historic example of the powerful impact of solar storms is the Carrington Event of 1859. This was the most intense geomagnetic storm on record, caused by a massive solar coronal mass ejection. The resulting auroras were so bright that they were visible as far south as Colombia, and people in the northeastern United States could read newspapers by their light at night. Messages were able to be sent without batteries, using just the current created in the air, and telegraph systems around the world failed.

The Carrington Event highlighted the potential dangers of solar activity. If a similar event were to occur today, the consequences could be far more severe due to our reliance on technology.

Power grids could be knocked out, satellites damaged, and communication networks disrupted for as long as a few years, causing widespread chaos and economic loss.

Despite these potential risks, there is a silver lining: our increasing understanding of solar activity and geomagnetic storms. Modern technology and scientific advancements allow us to monitor the sun more closely than ever before. Organizations like NASA and the European Space Agency continuously observe solar behavior, providing early warnings of incoming solar storms. This means we can take precautionary measures to protect our infrastructure and minimize disruptions.

As our reliance on technology grows, so does our vulnerability to these space weather events. The aurora borealis isn’t just a breathtaking spectacle—it’s a reminder of the invisible, powerful forces in our solar system, and their direct impact on our daily lives.

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Bridgerton Season 3: Love &scandal

GRACE HENLEY STAFF WRITER

It’s no surprise that people are excited for the new season of Bridgerton since the show has been super successful on the streaming network Netflix with about 45.1 million views already. This Regency era show has been a smashing hit for watchers who love romance, drama, action, mystery, and history with an amazing cast that really brings their characters to life and has quickly become a fan favorite. Bridgerton knows that fans are dying for the new season, which was released on May 16, so they have given us many sneak peeks and trailers into what will be happening in season three. Now that the season has been out for a week, the audience learned what they will be expecting with their favorite characters. Season three is all about the love story between Colin Bridgerton (played by Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (played by Nicola Coughlan) aka “Polin.” The characters have had a longstanding tension with each other because they were childhood bestfriends since the start of the show. Penelope feels that she will have no luck again this season with finding a husband. With pressure from her mother and her broken friendship with Eloise, she has so much riding on her shoulders. With the drop of the first four episodes, many fans have taken to platforms like Twitter or Tiktok to talk about their predictions in show relationships and character flaws. They also share what they hope to see in the future for the next episodes.

Additionally, it’s possible that Penelope will be found out to be the author of the Lady

Whistledown letters. Book readers know the outcome, but as we have seen in the show, sometimes the plot line deviates from the original.

While the season will be mainly focused on Colin and Penelope it doesn’t mean that we will not get to see other stories begin or resume from where they left off. A short clip of characters Anthony Bridgerton (played by Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (played by Simone Ashley) shows the two happily together sharing their marriage bliss. Bridgerton gets to show how far their relationship has come since last season together and with what we can see so far they are indeed enjoying their match. Sadly we may not be getting to see some of our favorite characters from previous seasons, like Daphne and Simon who will not be returning in their previous roles, though it does not really impact the storyline.

Finding love/partnership this season is a goal for more than just Penelope. Francesca Bridgerton has made her debut, with the help of Violet, after coming back from boarding school. Francesca loves to play the piano, often getting lost in her own world. After having a rough start in the season, Francesca has found someone that not only shares her love in music but also loves her. Lord Stirling and Francesca’s relationship is still quite new in the show but already has a special place in my heart, especially after he wrote an original music piece just for her. With everything we have seen so far there is no doubt that the next part of season 3 will be a scandal-induced rush that many can’t wait to get on. Stay tuned for an exciting Season 3 that’s dropping on June 13.

The Aurora Borealis in Ann Arbor. Michiganders were able to see the lights on May 10 and 11. PHOTOS

Down on the farm

A look at factory farming in Michigan

Factory farming: The hidden costs to our home, health and humanity

MARIA FARAH AND SATVIKA RAMANATHAN STAFF WRITER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

There are 409 factory farms in the state of Michigan alone. Nine billion land animals are slaughtered a year because of it. Ninetynine percent of all farmed animals live on factory farms. And each animal produces three to 20 times more raw waste than humans. Statistically speaking, factory farming negatively impacts many aspects of human life. Animal agriculture contributes to 15.4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Seventy-five percent of the deforestation in the Amazon rainforest is because of factory farming. It also has negative mental health impacts for workers — on average, they have to go through the repetitive motion of slaughtering 30 animals per minute. One organization working to combat the prevalence of factory farming in America is the New Roots Institute. New Roots Institute Lead Educator Brece Clark is working

locally in Michigan.

“It's kind of like ‘What doesn’t factory farming affect?’” Clark said. “It really bleeds into all aspects of the world we live in.”

The real term for factory farms is Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs. Although they have been around since the 1930s, Clark said that these have become the norm since around the 1960s when America worked hard to make meat, eggs and dairy more convenient and affordable to Americans.

“The only way to scale such a system through factory farming is by mass producing animals to reduce cost and to get them to reach slaughter age at a much shorter span,” Clark said.

For example, chickens are slaughtered between six to eight weeks old. They’ve been made to grow extremely fast through selective breeding.

“I would say the defining feature of factory farming is to produce as many as possible and as little space as possible to maximize profit and reduce costs,” Clark said.

Ninety nine percent of the animal products that people eat come from factory farms, Clark said.

“Factory farming in itself is this

industrialized model that works fine for an Amazon facility where you're dealing with boxes and inanimate objects,” Clark said. “But when you're dealing with actual living beings, who are scared, who don't want to be there, who have preferences to live their life, and your job is to bully them and put them in environments that are uncomfortable, that weighs on you.”

every year due to antibioticresistant infections from factory farms. Excessive consumption of meat, dairy and eggs from factory farms is also linked to increased heart disease due to high saturated fat content, Clark said.

Also, in reality, factory farming isn’t as productive as it seems.

“We think about factory farming as it's this great efficient model,” Clark said. “That’s a bit of a misnomer because we waste resources by feeding food to our food. “The animals eat an absorbent amount of food, and they don't convert all those calories to calories that we will then directly consume. So we're shrinking the food supply by feeding food to animals.”

Family farmer and Water Ranger for Socially Responsible Agriculture Project Lynn Henning is also working against CAFOs in Michigan. She got involved with the cause after her husband had a heart attack at the age of 53 due to the emissions from a CAFO.

According to the World Health Organization, at least 700,000 people die

But even though these negative impacts are many, there are lots of people and groups working against factory farming.

Henning received the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2010, an award that Henning says is equivalent to an environmental Nobel Peace Prize, for her work exposing the factory farming practices in rural Michigan.

She says that the next generation is the future for a cleaner environment.

“I think students are the next generation and my vision for everything is to replace industrial livestock production with economically sound socially equitable and economically viable animal agriculture,” Henning said. “I want to move towards a regenerative system where it doesn't hurt the water or the land or the community.”

Animal Feeding Operations

AFO are agricultural operations where animals are kept and raised in confined situations. An AFO is a lot or facility (other than an aquatic animal production facility) where the following conditions are met:

1.

2. Crops, vegetation, forage growth, or post-harvest residues are not sustained in the normal growing season over any portion of the lot or facility.

Map of Michigan (Lower Peninsula) with every red circle representing a factory farm, size correlates to the size of the farm. Stats from https:// www.newrootsinstitute.org/

Graphics by Brody Turner, Ella Yip, Ishaan Kamat

The potential fatality of romanticizing mental illness

ANONYMOUS GUEST WRITER

We’ve come a long way since the 1900s. A bad day once required a lobotomy, a few tears would get you sent straight to the mental hospital, locked up in a straitjacket, “female hysteria” and sexual desire once meant you were insane. Society is a little bit more accepting of the mentally ill, bending beliefs to break stereotypes and make it easier to be alive with a mental disorder. However, it has gotten to the point where we have started to romanticize mental illness and the desire to be unwell. We have begun to want attention, taking credibility away from those needing it.

Since 2020, I’ve noticed a trend taking place on the internet. People paint mental disorders as trendy and somehow desirable. Toward the end of quarantine, the hashtag “#thinspo,” arose to promote anorexia nervosa. Examples of meal plans in videos under this hashtag were a bowl of ice for breakfast, gum, and cucumbers for lunch, and a Diet Coke for dinner. The total calories in this entire day of eating added up to around 25. The proper amount of calories for a teenage girl is around 2,200-2,400 per day. This content is directed towards vulnerable teenage girls as we are going through a time of change in our bodies and minds. I often feel myself falling for the words of the people online who glamorize being sick. Take, for example, thinspo. If one day I want to lose weight, there is always the option of starving myself. However, those who have

this mindset don’t take into consideration or simply ignore the fact that what they are doing is deadly.

I, along with thousands of others who have seen these videos, have been affected negatively by them. I will not lie and say that I can avoid these things. Because I can’t. I’ve dealt with issues with my body; I’ve hated it, I’ve loved it, and I’m in every way susceptible to social media telling me everything that’s wrong with myself. All because of people on the internet telling me that I wasn’t good enough, that my body wasn’t good enough. I guess it’s hard to avoid when it’s right in your face, screaming at you to change something you can’t. The idea of tough love when it comes to our bodies is stupid, and that’s because every single body is different. And because every body is different, there is no use in trying to fit into one single standard. Nobody deserves to be motivated through self-hatred, and nobody deserves to feel as if they need an eating disorder, a deadly mental disorder, to love their body. However, eating disorders are just one example of mental turmoil.

therapy appointment, I told my therapist that I felt sad very quickly. That my mood swung like waves, every hour bringing a new inner turmoil or a state of mania, a rush of adrenaline that made me feel better for the time being. In return, she told me that it was possible I was forcing myself to be sad and that I craved the feeling of hopelessness. She laughed, asking me if when I was sad I turned on sad music to make myself feel worse.

If your therapist ever laughs when you say you’re sad you should probably take it as a sign to leave. However, she got me there! Ouch, that one had a kick to it. To be

normalized this feeling so much that it feels abnormal not to have these feelings. So we reach for it again and again, not

knowing that it destroys us.

The phenomenon of glamorized mental illness has not helped the cause for erasing stigma in any way. It’s made the stigma even

Breaking the stigma: The story behind men’s mental health

ROWAN GRENIER SPORTS EDITOR

According to USA Today, suicide is the leading cause of death in the United States, and nearly 85 percent of all victims of suicide in the country are men. Mental health can be a very confusing topic to understand for many people, including professionals who continue to learn more about it everyday. The topic of mental health is a very common and important topic in the Ann Arbor and Huron Community. Men’s mental health in specific is becoming a very large problem throughout the country as suicide rates are rising again. Professionals are still working to fix this growing issue.

Dr. Jennifer Klein, a

social worker at the University of Michigan Hospital, is one of the many professionals that are exploring this issue in their normal workplace. She has been working in the social work field for nine years and is always determined to help people and dig deeper into these issues to allow for people to get the proper support they need. She has noticed this issue of men’s mental health in society and feels that it is a very real issue as she helps out patients in her everyday work life.

“My female patients tend to seem more open to trying therapy and/or medication when suggested; my male patients sometimes seem to struggle more with the concept of accepting outside help,” Dr. Klein said. “They will often tell me that ‘feelings’ are not something

that are discussed openly at home or with others in their lives for various reasons and may need more guidance around why therapy, medication or just seeking support from others can be beneficial to them.”

Senior Isaiah Barrientes is part of the Peer Program that works to help get rid of the stigma around mental health.

“I think that men going into the peer lab when they have general stressors or just talking to their friends and family about it would help to push a more progressive mindset of the public regarding men’s mental health,” Barrientes said.

Another thing Dr. Klein has noted about the male patients she has is that they will often identify physical symptoms, such

as chest pain, shortness of breath, or headaches, as their primary purpose for coming to the ER. However, sometimes when the medical professionals are unable to find a medical cause for their symptoms but they report a variety of acute stressors, the doctors are able to identify that it is more likely that they may be having these symptoms as a reaction to stress or anxiety. She also feels that mental health for men is heavily overlooked in society and not thought of as a real thing for them.

“I believe this largely has to do with traditional gender roles impacting men’s ability to seek help for their mental health—men are traditionally seen as providers

GRAPHIC BY MAYA FU

Youthforia: a lesson in inclusivity from makeup

BREYANA JACKSON STAFF WRITER

Complexion in skin is exactly as it sounds: complex. Different skin colors/tones come across everyday, and are hard to classify under a particular makeup shade. After decades of wearing

makeup that could only hit as dark as a caramel macchiato, the makeup industry started to give and embrace into catering towards people with darker skin.

But how far is too far?

Youthforia is a cosmetic brand that makes products you can sleep in. It has risen to fame numerous

times. Given a $400,000 investment from Shark Tank in 2023, Fiona Co Chan and her company released numerous products, from blush/ blush oils, to glosses and a night serum foundation.

Chan

launched her “Date Night Skin Tint Serum Foundation” in August 2023, with only 15 shades to cover the wide variety of skin colors. The company faced loads of criticism considering their shades only ranged from light to medium. After working long behind the scenes, they shared 10 more shades ranging from light medium to deep.

This launch was all across social media platforms from the second the company posted it. However, the launch quickly backfired as the darkest shade of the foundation was brought to awareness.

“Shade 600 Deep’’ was the darkest shade announced in the new launch.

People

of color were so excited and eager to try this out considering how much potential the product had. Online, the foundation was the perfect shade of deep brown, but in person the foundation was pitch black. The foundation’s ingredients entailed the pigmentation in the serum as black oxide. When researched, black oxide was the only coloring substance in the product that affected the look of it. I took a trip to Ulta, and when I combined the “600 Deep” with a lighter shade, the ending result was a shade of gray. Not a tan, a light brown, or a skin tone color, but the color gray, a black and white mixture with 0 undertones. Melanin in skin comes in a wide spectrum, but is never pitch-black, considering undertones in skin. This is a problem overall.

“It seems like inclusivity is too much to ask for in the beauty industry,” comments across TikTok and Instagram

expressed. It did not help that the shade directly above “600 Deep” was almost entirely 2 shades lighter, almost the color of the shade mocha. Can people of color enhance their face without begging and then being thrown scraps of black pigment because that’s all the world sees them as? As social media continues to rage and express their opinion about this foundation, the brand has yet to emerge and speak on their behalf. The product is still being sold and displayed in any local Ulta, for $48.

Fact Finders Ann Arbor community turns to The Emery for their local news

Over the course of this school year, The Emery had to step up and learn what it means to not just be student journalists, but to be journalists in the truest sense of the word.

Our year started strong with former superintendent Jeanice Swift being ousted. As a staff, we began to attend board meetings, late night zoom calls, hours reading local news sources all before the school year started. We were able to be investigative journalists, and come from the student perspective in our school district.

Once the school year started, we dove into our issues. There was a big transition, but together we were able to cover the board and write in depth pieces about climate change and the new school phone policy. In November, we traveled to Boston to learn

from the best at the National Scholastic Press Association Journalism Convention.

Here we learned, competed, presented and bonded.

Besides being journalists, we explored the city as a staff. In March, we flew to New York to accept our award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. We navigated the intricacies of the New York subway system and attended a conference where we learned from nationally admired journalists.

On that New York trip was when we learned that our school district was $25 million in debt. This is when we knew we had to turn into adults.

We attended board meetings, talked to the union, sent emails and again, stayed up to learn all we could. Soon, we started having tough conversations in our classroom, and

becoming a true newsroom. We published updates with reliable information for all Ann Arborites to read, striving to become one of the top news sources for board updates. Students reposted

our Instagram posts, people shared our online stories and our prints were passed around.

As a staff, we came together. Although we did experience challenges, The

Emery is stronger than ever. We are not just Huron’s Newspaper, we are for everyone. We are for Ann Arbor.

Shade 600 Deep PHOTO BY BREYANA JACKSON

GRAPHIC BY ELLA YIP

Emery editors and staff in Boston PHOTO BY SARA-BETH BADALAMENTE

Shade 600 Deep PHOTO BY BREYANA JACKSON

telescopes podcasting kits light optics kits thermal cameras electric guitars giant connect four tiny pianos sewing machines electric basses energy meters portable PA systems metal detectors guitar pedals 1,000-piece puzzles mega tumble towers voltage & current meters temperature meters binoculars microphones anatomical skeletons wacom tablets arduino starter kits boom whackers thereminis pocket pianos otamatones fluke ukuleles die cutters amplifiers bass pedals bicycle pump and repair kit Audubon BirdCam uv light detectors 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 portable scanner acoustic guitars event lighting digital projectors

More than you can imagine!

Huron PTSO Board 2024-25

EXECUTIVE BOARD:

President: John Franks/ Priyanka Miharia

Vice--President: Adriana Rodriguez

Secretary: Keeley Sadlak

Treasurer: Allecia Wilson

Co-Treasurer: Smita Malpani

OTHER BOARD ROLES:

Grants reps: Huda Davillier

Communications/Enotes: Sara Robins

Freshman Rep: Ela Hammond

PTOC Rep: Venus DePena

Exec Board Non-Voting Member: Mr. Che’ Carter

Sophomore Rep: Wei Zhang

Junior Rep: Siri Ibarguen

Senior Rep: Sara Schneidewind

At- Large Rep 1: Wenjing Weng

At Large Rep 3: Jill Pritts

At Large Rep 3: Jeanette Lutz

NON-BOARD SUPPORT ROLES:

Grants Administrator: Delena Harrison

Spirit Wear: Jeanette Lutz

Staff Appreciation Coordinator: Sara

Schneidewind

Communications Coordinator: OPEN

Spirit Shop Scheduling: Tamika Banks

Spirit Shop Team: Arlene Caddell, Ying

Xu, Jeanette Lutz, Wei Zhang

Spirit Shop Deposits: Sarah Thompson/Carli Li

Boosters Rep: Tamika Banks

Boosters Treasurer: Michelle

Rober

Web Manager: Emily Hu (‘26)

Women’s water polo: successful spring season recap

AIDEN BURMANN STAFF WRITER

On Friday, May 17, Huron took on Seaholm High School in hopes of securing a seat in the 2024 Michigan State Tournament, but the season was unfortunately cut short due to miscommunications, unfortunate calls, and a decline in confidence.

“Moments before our own game started, we watched a team that had never made it to states before beat the team that was ranked fifth. We didn’t know what to expect,” sophomore Madeleine Pale said.

One of their captains was out for the match due to an injury.

“I just always try to stay positive and nice to people because nobody plays

better when they’re stressed out,” senior captain Anna Wyman said. “Although I was out for a concussion, I strove to promote a welcoming and positive culture on the bench and in practice.”

Despite challenges throughout the season, the women’s water polo team persevered and always found a way to improve.

“We weren’t playing well as a team and the defensive decisions that we had been making the entire year were getting called this game by the refs. Which in turn, got our main defensive player

Ashley Paterson kicked out in the first half,” Wyman stated.

“One of our biggest challenges throughout the season was our passing,” junior captain Savannah Duman said.

The women’s 2024 Water Polo season reflected an overall improvement with their district run and an overall record of 12-20.

“Next season I hope to work on communication,” sophomore Luciana Vanini Benitez said. “I’d also like to work on some new plays so we can switch up in the game.”

out

Men’s varsity lacrosse team suffers loss at Senior Night

JULES HESKIA

DESIGN EDITOR

1. Senior Josh Wagner pressing the opposition on defense. 2. Senior Karl Thorsson getting ready to receive the ball to go on the attack. “It was a good way to play our senior night. Although we didn’t win, we played one of our best games performance wise all season. Was bittersweet overall, just happy that I could play with my teammates,” Thorsson said. 3. The Huron team in a huddle at half time. 4. Senior Jack Regan getting ready to shoot. 5. Senior Colin Bulman passing the ball to one of his teammates. “I was carefully passing the ball to my teammate because of the rainy conditions,” Bulman said. 6. Junior Charlie Fox running with the ball in his stick. PHOTOS BY OMAR ABDULHAK. 1 2 4 3 5 6 1 2 3

Q&A with tennis newcomer varsity player, freshman Kayla Fu

JULES HESKIA DESIGN EDITOR

Q: Tell me about your overall performance this year personally and as a team?

A: I personally think that I’ve improved a lot as a player and as a team member. I worked on the things that I consider weaknesses like my serves and my volleys, which my coach picked on me a lot for. As a team, I think we’ve grown to

be more friendly, like at the beginning of the year, no one really talked to each other or no one really

family and friends.

Q: What is it like to know that you are going to compete for a state title right now?

A: I’m not one of the people who takes tennis super seriously, I don’t plan on going pro or anything so I don’t push myself too hard to compete for things like the States. I’m still going to try my best because I know my team really wants to do well.

Q: What has been your favorite moment of the season so far?

A: My favorite moment of the season was when varsity got to play against junior varsity because I’m friends with a few people on JV. It was nice to see and it was nice to get to interact with people I don’t get to interact with and play against new people. We also beat them so it was fun.

1. Junior captain Mada Montgomery, launching

of the water to shoot on goal.

2. Junior captain Savannah

Duman reaching for the ball to make a save. 3. Duman, Montgomery, and senior captain Ece Uyulur closely

paying attention in a team huddle. PHOTO COURTESY OF WOMEN’S WATER POLO

Freshman Kayla Fu competed with the varsity team.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FU

Gymnast turned lacrosse captain: Kylie Gibbs’s story

IRIS GONG STAFF WRITER

From double-turning on the floor to dodging defenders on the field, Kylie Gibbs– once an agile gymnast– finds herself applying the same deft and finesse to the world of lacrosse.

expected this drastic change in her athletic career. From a crazy turn of events four years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic that restricted gymnasts from accessing the gym, Gibbs decided that it was time to try something new for her freshman year spring season: a sport involving more of a team aspect over individual successes.

some striking differences between gymnastics and lacrosse, Gibbs found herself adapting well to the new sport and

enjoying the environment a team sport has to offer.

“Gymnastics was

Sports booster club organizes a successful 2024 Huron High School Spring Boost

School the motivate for an athletics fundraiser became ever more pressing,

The match that lit the successes of the athletic boosters fundraiser this spring, sprang from an unlikely place.

“The spark was one of our moms,” Huron High School PTO President Margret Baker said. The inspiration for the spring boost was found due to a workout routine. It was fulfilling this everyday routine that Huron volunteers took note of another regular, sports writer John U Bacon. One day on one of orange theory’s exercise bikes, Huron the volunteer found herself familiar with;

“The guy next to her, she’s like I know he’s famous. I know he’s famous,” Baker said, “She realized it was John U. Bacon, he is a nationally known sports writer. Lots of books, and he graduated from Huron.”

From there the boosters had a tie the successful Huron Grad. The first step on the track to the athletic booster event, “We have a speaker. We have to put something together,” said Baker, “This was probably back in October.”.

In light of the budget crisis for Ann Arbor Public

“There’s a need for building up funds with the Booster Club, especially now with the shortfall that the school district is facing,” head of the Athletic Booster group

Tamika Young said, “From that, we decided to host the gala in the spring of the year that will bring together a of the families and the athletes within our community”

Getting this idea off the ground proved an interesting task,

“The Challenge at first was because we relied on our sports teams to put together the baskets,” Tamika said, “When we first sent out the request…we really didn’t have a response.”

Regardless of initial struggles to get the word out, Huron athletic teams provided successful baskets, “It was a parent from each team that took the lead and worked with the coach on developing the type of basket that they will put together. No two teams have the same basket.”

The level of support from teams was incredible, 22 of the teams were able to put together baskets to auction off.

“One was kind of a gift and then the other wine was a summer lawn service,” said Suzanne Dickie, Huron

Boys soccer coach. “We’re making our boys go over and cut people’s lawns….Its making them do community service [and] it's getting them out into the community” Team creativity with baskets thrived, “The football team had a replica of [a] Michigan football helmet,” freshman football coach Luke Milne said, “One of our community assistants actually donated a homemade cheesecake.”

Within the actual event, student involvement was key to a successful silent auction. Anna Wyman and Lamar Ashfordactign as MC’s for the event, were just two of the several student volunteers that made the boost possible.

“When I walked in the door and we had parents putting balloons together,” Baker said. It was just like we did it. The final stitches of the event were pulled into place. “I think it's how we all felt,” said Baker, “There were balloons on every table. There was food. There were the speakers. There was a silent auction, it was just like we really did this.”

Overall the booster event ended up raising over $15,000. Auctioning off unique items from the sports teams, baskets, helmets and even lawn service. The participation and dedication of students, parents, and

volunteers came together and brought something new to the Huron Athletic scene.

“It was just awesome getting everyone together, celebrating Huron [and] raising Money for our super athletes,” Dickie said

ELLA YIP OPINION EDITOR

Supporting the Spring Boost are coaches: Luke Milne, Sara-Beth Badalamente, Suzanne Dickie, principal Che Carter, teachers Lauren Moon, Carline Williams, Sara Serfozo and Melissa Gordon PHOTO BY BADALAMENTE

Huron Women's Varsity Lacrosse captain Kylie Gibbs runs down the field ready to shoot. PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHERINE BEACH