The Journal (23-24) Issue 3

Southport High School newsmagazine | 971 E. Banta Road Volume 102, Issue 3 | Dec. 21, 2023

Regaining the connection

Brothers embark on the pilgrimage to Mecca

Rolling to victory Sophomore learns to love the sport of roller derby

page 8

Finding his voice Senior expresses his passion for sports by announcing school games

page 10

Lawless lot The SHS parking lot is impractical

page 21

letter from the editor

What happened to my senior year? It feels like just yesterday we were at the end-of-year meeting, welcoming the new Journal staff. Now, we’re a semester in, and I only have half of a year left in Room 400.

I’ve seen so much growth during this semester, especially during this last issue. Any journalist will tell you that having a seven-week issue is like a dream come true. We were able to use that time to build skills in the technical things and help our editors explore designs and take various risks. I’m extremely proud to say that it’s paid off and we have some amazing pages for you all to look at.

Journal and Anchor staffers packed their bags and traveled to Boston! There, we competed in contests and took numerous classes to develop our skills further. Everyone grew so much while we were there, and you can tell by the level of talent we have this issue.

The thing I might be most excited about is the content. We have so many fantastic stories, one of my favorites being our centerfold about brothers Tamer and Zeid Alsalloum and their pilgrimage to Mecca. Culture reporter Simran Baidwan did a fantastic job interviewing the two and writing a story that captures the emotional journey they went on.

We also have a super fun photo spread this issue about our fall musical that Photos editor Darcy Leber put together that I can’t stop looking at.

Above all the designs and stories to read this issue, I’m most impressed with the hard work that everyone has put in. They’ve all put in so much time and effort to make this possible, and I’m eternally grateful for each and every one of them.

I hope you love this issue of The Journal as much as I do as we head into winter break. Here’s your reminder to curl up with a cozy blanket and catch a good read, maybe even a few stories in The Journal! Happy holidays everyone, we’ll see you next semester!

Gretchen Turner, Editor-in-Chief

follow the journal on social media! @thesopojournal

@thesopojournal

@ShsJournal

in this issue... news.

celebrating culture ... page 4 granted our wish ... page 6

ads.

pages 7, 15, 28

features.

rolling to victory ... page 8

sports.

finding his voice ... page 10 run with it ... page 12

lifestyle.

journal bake-off ... page 13 winter blues ... page 14

culture.

regaining the connection ... page 16

opinion.

lawless lot ... page 21 my turn(er) ... page 22 journal address ... page 23

a&e.

actin’ up ... page 24

fun and games. page 25

red onion.

changing the game ... page 26 tsa opportunities ... page 27

photos.

order on the court ... page 29 on wednesdays we wear pink... page 30

editor-in-chief.

Gretchen Turner managing editors.

Ayslin Bowman Grace Wilson

editors.

Kenzie Andrysiak Sophie Barker Ava Campbell Noah Daniel Darcy Leber Lauren Lowry Julianna Miranda Lindsey Rogers Claire Steinbrook Natalie Walker Lily Zing reporters.

Simran Baidwan Sophie Barnes Alyssa Cook Morgan Harmon Lucy Hiller Harjas Kaur Thang Khai Lucy Len Dim Niang Lun Salem Ortega-Morales Zing Par Elisabeth Pointer Aiden Quinlin Maddie Stutz Lillie Youmans staff artists.

Sal Lynch Naomi Iang-Par business manager.

Nathan Switzer adviser.

Mike Klopfenstein principal.

Amy Boone

news. editor: Sophie Barker

Celebrating culture SHS students establish the school’s first ever Black Student Union

by Sophie Barnes, reporter

Senior Tazaria Duncan and juniors Rihanna Fields and Devyon Green lead the Black Student Union meeting in sponsor Conner in McNeely’s room on Dec. 13. The main activity of the meeting was to discuss aspects of black culture. photo by Salem Ortega-Morales

4 news.

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It was just an idea at first,” junior Devyon Green said.

Junior Rihanna Fields sat in her Spanish class. As she was conversing with her best friend Tazaria Duncan and her teacher Conner McNeely about school clubs, an interesting thought arose.

That was the idea that would eventually blossom into a community.

Fields had realized that there had never been a Black Student Union at SHS. She had seen many other unions on social media, and she wondered what it would take to start one here. She shared her thoughts with McNeely and her peers, but shortly after brushed it aside.

But the idea was such a hit that for the next two months, teachers were encouraging her to pursue the club. Even though Fields was aware of the time and effort founding the union would require, she eventually decided to take hold of the idea.

When she did, she soared.

“A student asked, ‘Why don’t we have a BSU?’ I said, ‘Start one,’” McNeely said.

Getting the union up and running was a difficult task.

She had to find a team just as passionate and willing to dedicate their time to the union as her if she wanted to be successful.

Luckily, she found her vice president, junior Ariyah Mitchell.

Together, they were able to work with McNeely to get sponsors, and the club started.

“It was a lot of work that actually went into it to actually get the club up and running,” Fields said.

Since Fields and Mitchell both have jobs, it was hard to balance all of the planning with their jobs and homework.

But with time management and support from their sponsors, they were finally able to host their first call out meeting on Nov. 7.

At first, the small area of McNeely’s room was large enough to hold the amount of people there. They have had three meetings since then, and the union now has about 20 people.

Although the union will likely outgrow the classroom by the end of the school year, they are happy about the amount of people they have gained.

Green was one of the students that Fields reached out to and asked to be on the committee. Since then, he has found that he feels understood by the people in the community.

(left) BSU Co-Founder and Vice President Ariyah Mitchell introduced the Dec. 13 meeting. (right) Senior Raven Fields discusses Black culture with fellow members.

photos by Salem OrtegaMorales

Interested in joining the BSU? Meetings are held every other Wednesday during iPass in room 203 (McNeely).

All are welcome!

“I think it was just very nice that I could talk to people like me about problems that I might have,” Green said.

That is one of the reasons behind the BSU: to help people find each other and connect. But Fields’ goals do not stop there.

She hopes to one day collaborate with other BSU’s and fuse their ideas together. She hopes to get new ideas that can inspire not just current students, but students that will join in the years to come.

“The goal is really to make it grow and to let it stick in SHS,” Fields said.

Aside from the club aspects of it, Fields wanted to make the union to help spread black representation to SHS. Perry Township is one of the most diverse districts in Indiana. With that said, many people of color face discrimination at school every day.

This is what the union hopes to help with. Although it started from one idea, it has turned into a positive space for many.

“The main goal is to create a community for all students and also a safe space to talk about diversity,” Mitchell said.

news. 5

Granted our wish

Perry Township receives $6 million grant to improve school conditions English teacher Brent Bockelman helps students prepare for finals on Dec. 18.

Bockelman is one of the master teachers whose paychecks will benefit from the grant. photo by Morgan Harmon

6 news.

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n Sept. 22, the U.S. Department of Education announced that the district of Perry Township has won a $6 million federal grant.

Perry Township is the only district in the state to have gotten this grant, which the district will receive in portions over the span of the next three years. A majority of the money is going to go towards increasing teachers’ pay.

“I think all of the things that we’ve already been doing aligned … ,” Principal Amy Boone said. ”That made Perry Township stand out amongst other school districts that may have applied around Indiana.”

Boone additionally states that when it came to what the district needed to do in order to have a chance to get this grant, they had to state how much of the money was going to go towards certain areas of the district such as teacher funding and training.

Furthermore, Assistant Superintendent for K-12 Services Supervisor Jeffery Spencer states that depending on how teachers score on evaluations and if they are in leadership roles,

by Alyssa Cook, reporter affected accordingly. the money going toward “One, it will provide teachers’ pay, the main goal of performance based this grant is to improve students’ compensation,” Spencer said. literacy and to then set focus on “Based on their evaluation any of the subgroups that may scores, they’ll get additional need additional help. money … That’s one A s s i s t a n t piece. The other piece Superintendent for is over some stipends Career Jane Pollard “I am very for our master and says that to reach this proud that mentor teachers, our goal, the grant will help we as a teachers that are in create some literacy district got it leadership roles.” interventions, grow and that we With this information, teacher capacity to are being some teachers have understand how to recognized expressed how they teach literacy skills for making are happy for the better in every content strides … ,” township for winning area, and then work Science the money. They think on ensuring they have teacher that it’s a nice gesture good systems in place for the administration Daryl Traylor to support that work. to put forth a majority In the end, Director of of the money towards Elementary Education their pay.

Star Hardimon says that However, science teacher this grant is an opportunity to Daryl Traylor has mixed feelings continue the good work that about this grant even existing has been done in the district. to begin with as it’s primarily a “We’re articulating a few literacy grant that is going to go specific things as it relates to towards literacy in education. literacy because we know “I am very proud that we as we need to hone in on how a district got it and that we are to support our students with being recognized for making acquiring language skills strides … ,” Traylor said. “But and literacy and reading I also think it means that we foundational and all those obviously have a need for things,” Hardimon said. that kind of grant.”

Even with a majority of

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ads. 7

features. editor: Kenzie Andrysiak

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Sophomore learns to love the sport of roller derby

by Harjas Kaur, reporter

8 features.

Sophomore Logan Goff has been competing in roller derby since 2018 and is now one of the most valuable skaters on his team. photo contributed

by Logan Goff

I

mmune to bruises, sophomore Logan Goff raced in the tracks of a rink for the Indianapolis Junior Roller Derby soon to be announced as Most Valuable Blocker.

Playing roller derby, a full contact sport, may seem lighthearted and fun, but the price that comes with it made Goff feel like he should quit.

“I remember when I first got my first MVB. I was so excited,” Goff said. “It was a very difficult game and pretty much every single game I come in feeling sick to my stomach because it’s terrifying and it’s a lot of pressure and slightly dangerous, but that’s definitely worn off.”

Going from a struggling beginner to winning MVB three times, Goff has evolved as a person and skater after years of training and days of bruises.

At the beginning of his journey, Goff was bullied because of his height and weight. He wanted something to help with his self-esteem and his ability to defend himself.

Starting off as a Rookie, a member of the lowest type of team, in 2018, Goff started learning the basics of roller derby such as how to skate

“

I would not be the person I am today if I didn’t have derby ... It has turned me into the person I’ve become.

Sophomore Logan Goff

” Want to watch Goff compete?

Head to Fortville Community Center on Wednesdays and Fridays.

and how to do cross overs.

From the start, Goff loved derby even though he didn’t know how to do it yet.

“When I first started, it was pretty overwhelming because I could barely skate,” Goff said. “But they are really good at making it feel welcoming.

We’re very welcoming to pretty much everyone.”

In 2019, he advanced to the second to last team, junior varsity. Goff stayed there for two years and then progressed to varsity, and has played the position of pivot ever since.

The pivots position is a mix of blocking and jamming.

The jammer is the player who scores points in a game by passing the other team’s four blockers.

Goff has tried the position of jammer before, but the pressure was too overwhelming.

“Jamming takes a toll on mental stuff,” Goff said. “You have your entire team relying on you and that’s a lot of pressure, and I don’t do well with pressure so I don’t jam unless I have to.”

Four months after the season started, Goff started dating his supportive girlfriend, Charlotte Stonebraker.

Stonebraker is also a derby

racer and plays for the same team as Goff.

“I always feel proud, and it’s very impressive,” Stonebraker said. “It’s a really hard sport physically, so it’s definitely taken a negative physical toll.”

Seeing Goff out there has made her proud considering the amount of pressure there is. She enjoys being able to be there for him and having the opportunity to watch him play the sport.

“I try to motivate him by just being there but also just reminding him how talented he is,” Stonebraker said. “I play too, and it’s really fun to play together so that’s motivating too.”

Roller derby may have its negative effects, but for Goff, it was a place where he could develop his strengths instead of focusing on the weaknesses.

“I don’t necessarily play derby for the sport, I play it for the community … ,” Goff said. “I would not be the person I am today if I didn’t have derby because it has heavily influenced me. It has turned me into the person I’ve become.”

Different roller derby positions Jammer: player who scores points for team by lapping opposing players (star helmets)

art by Sal Lynch

Pivot: alternate jammer/ blocker that can switch positions during a jam (stripe helmet) Blocker: players who try to prevent the opposing jammer from blocking and helping their jammer lap (plain helmet) Source: Women’s Flat Track Derby Association

features. 9

sports.

editor: Ava Campbell

Finding his voice

Senior expresses his passion for sports by announcing school games

by Aiden Quinlin, reporter

10 sports.

Senior Trevor St. Peter announces the boys basketball game against Bloomington High School North on Friday, Dec. 15. St. Peter has been announcing games since his freshman year. photo

by Darcy Leber

T

revor St. Peter fell in “I could tell he was really love with sports at a good at it and had the young age, watching talent to do it,” Leonard said.

Indianapolis legends such “As a teacher, I just like to as Andrew Luck and Paul encourage students to use George represent his favorite the gifts and talents that teams. This passion stayed come out of them.” with him all these years as he Leonard says that St. Peter is now a fan of the SHS Cards. has a lot of enthusiasm and St. Peter goes to a lot of excitement for sports, and games and joins the student that really comes out when section like the average fan, he’s talking about a game or but he takes it up a announcing one. notch, announcing St. Peter now games for some of the announces multiple I could tell sports: SHS teams. boys and he was “I never had any girls volleyball, girls passion to do anything really good basketball and boys like that before my at it and and girls soccer. The freshman year,” St. had the expansion to other Peter said. talent to do sports began when St. Peter, now a girls volleyball head it. senior, continues to coach Chelsea Social stay in front of crowds Hoffman asked him studies and be heavily to do it, and other teacher involved with school coaches followed suit.

Joseph spirit activities.

Then, he would Leonard This passion begin announcing for sparked when he other sports by going was a freshman out of his way and and social studies teacher asking to do them.

Joseph Leonard was asking Apart from announcing, if any students wanted to St. Peter has a history of announce a boys volleyball being in front of crowds. game. He took the offer.

St. Peter says sometimes After a few games, he goes to places that have Leonard let him keep an open mic or karaoke and announcing, and from there, likes to talk or play his guitar it expanded to other sports. and sing in front of people.

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”

Did you know?

Trevor St. Peter plans to go to college for sports communication but chose to go to UIndy in specific because he was invited to play in their orchestra next semester.

St. Peter’s journey to the mic Fourth grade

Started Fourth playinggrade in recreational Began playing in recreational and and competitive basketball competitive basketball leagues leagues

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Junioryear year Junior

Freshman year year StaFreshman rted anno uncing

Stopped playing playing Stopped volleyball to to stick stick volleyball withannouncing announcing with

Started and and announcing playing boys playingvolleyball boys volleyball

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2018 Seventh Seventhgrade grade

2020

Cut from school basketball team Cut from school basketball team, but kept his passion for sports but kept his passion for sports

One moment of him being in a crowd that he remembers was singing the national anthem at a state tournament when Leonard couldn’t get the electronic national anthem to play.

“I just asked if I could sing it, and Mr. Leonard and the referees were like ‘go for it,’” St. Peter said. “So, I just sang it off the dome.”

And, at a girls volleyball game against Perry Meridian High School the following year, he was asked to sing the anthem again.

After high school, St. Peter wants to do something with the passion for sports and announcing that he has, such as PA announcing for a team or arena as a profession.

In the end, he still likes to be a normal fan from time to time who goes to all the games and stands and cheers in the student section.

St. Peter says, as an athlete himself, hearing the crowd cheer and be loud for their team gives an energy boost.

“I always try to sit or stand (in the) front row and get involved,” St. Peter said. “I always try to get the other students involved with the game and get the chants going on.”

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2022

Sophomore year year Sophomore

Began announcing announcing Started girls volleyball girls volleyball

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Senior Senior year year

Started announcing boys Started announcing and girlsand soccer girls boys girls and soccer basketball full-time and girls basketball full-time

sports. 11

Run with it

art by Sal Lynch

Love for your sport is the most important takeaway from offseason conditioning

by Ava Campbell, editor

L

et’s be honest. We’ve almost all hated our sport at one time, whether it was the environment, the physical exertion, the weather or our athletic abilities.

Usually, this feeling goes away, but sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes, it carries over into the offseason, when well-meaning parents and coaches push us to practice through our burnout, in the hot summer months and freezing winters alike. We give up our time, time typical teenagers spend elsewhere, training for a sport we don’t even really want to do.

Hatred for your sport might feel inevitable, especially in the offseason. But, while this feeling is common, the best thing you can do for yourself during this time is learn to love your sport. This means enjoying training, having a positive attitude and looking forward to practices.

While this may seem small, the payoff is huge. It becomes easier to get better physically, avoid burnout and get the most out of your high school sport.

Now, I understand that the intended outcome of conditioning is to improve your skills, and I’m not denying the importance of

12 sports.

that. But by learning to love your sport, you develop a certain mindset towards your training that makes this improvement easier.

According to the Sports Science Institute, intrinsic motivation, which includes factors such as having fun, exercising, gaining new skills and socializing, has been linked to superior athletic performance.

So, while reframing your attitude will help you to start enjoying your sport, better performance will also come with it.

Another benefit of learning to love your sport during conditioning is that it helps you recover from and prevent burnout during the season.

Overtraining is a common cause of burnout.

By committing yourself so strongly to something, it’s easy to get tired of it. This is especially prevalent during offseason training when athletes are spending more time than normal with their sport.

However, trying to truly enjoy your training will help keep away burnout. And, if regaining this joy means stepping away from your sport, it’s better to do it during the offseason than during the actual season.

Finally, learning to love

your sport helps you to get the most out of it. It’s no secret that most high school athletes don’t go on to play professionally, as the average high school athlete will play through high school or college and not further.

So, for most, it’s more beneficial to establish a healthy relationship with your sport than to push through hating it. And if you do plan on playing your sport in college, trying to love it now will help you love it later on.

All this being said, I understand that it isn’t easy to simply reframe your mindset. There will still be struggles.

There will still be times you find yourself hating your sport.

But I’ve finally found that my love for my sport is starting to influence me a lot more than my hate for it. And that’s something I hope everyone gets to experience.

Did you know?

Around 70% of children in the U.S. stop playing organized sports by the time they become teenagers. source: National Alliance for Youth Sports

lifestyle. editor: Claire Steinbrook

Winter blues

How to overcome seasonal depression

by Salem Ortega-Morales, photographer art by Sal Lynch

A

s the year begins to slowly close out and the days grow darker, it can be hard to stay in good spirits. Life may start to not be so holly jolly, pressure that you used to handle well could start burdening you and feeling blue and anxious might become the new regular.

If you’re experiencing this, you are possibly suffering through seasonal depression, a type of depressive disorder that typically happens around winter.

Seasonal depression can affect anyone, whether they’ve dealt with it already or not. No matter how difficult, there’s always ways to keep pushing through this hard time.

Make sure to enough sleep

get

Exhaustion can really weigh down on one’s mental health.

It is important to get enough sleep when going through a long, gloomy period.

Fatigue has a lot of effects on the body, both mentally and physically as sleep is needed to regulate behaviors and emotions.

The no-school nights can be a little tempting to want to stay up late or all night, but always prioritize sleep first.

Journaling

Did you

Going through seasonal know? depression can be harder when it feels like there is no one to help. Even The further though it feels like you’re alone, north you’re the one who understands you live, yourself the most. Writing down the more what you feel on a day-to-day basis common can show some improvement. By Seasonal journaling emotions, you may be Affective able to start seeing a pattern on Disorder what can make your days worse and what makes them better. It becomes Source also helps with getting everything Renown negative out of your head.

Health

Exercising Getting a bit of exercise might be the last thing on your mind, but it always helps to go outside and get some sunlight.

If you’re an i n d o o r person, o p e n those curtains and do s o m e workouts inside.

P u t

on some warm clothes to go outside and absorb the sunlight while also getting your head focused on exercise. Either way, both methods are alleviating the body and mind by releasing endorphins. When your body releases endorphins, it blocks nerve cells that receive pain signals when you’re in pain or stress in order to survive.

Stay connected

During a time of sadness and stress, staying connected with your loved ones is important. Letting a friends or family know how you feel could potentially release some negative energy.

Don’t be afraid to be helped or help others. Hanging with your friends and family along with going out for the holidays that are just around the corner are great ways to know you’re loved and not alone during this time can lift your spirits.

Seasonal depression is not easy, and it comes around every year for some of us, whether it be summer or winter. But it’s important to know that someone is always out there for you, but this isn’t the only advice out there.

There are many other tips to overcome seasonal sadness, and remember to always take care of yourself.

lifestyle. 13

Journal bake-off

The staff held their second annual baking competition in light of the holiday season

by Kenzie Andrysiak, Lucy Hiller and Harjas Kaur

First place Second place Kenzie Andrysiak Christmas tree brownies

art by Sal Lynch

14 lifestyle.

Lucy Hiller’s Stollen Bread

Third place Harjas Kaur’s Pizookie

This bread is a Hiller Christmas classic, and the smell of it baking gets me into the holiday spirit like nothing else. Every year, we make the bread to give to family and friends, but we always make sure to save some for ourselves to eat on Christmas morning. It’s delicious on its own but even better if you spread some butter on top. I love that there’s something for everyone to do in the baking process. Someone can make the dough, someone can knead it and another can carefully decorate the bread with icing and candied fruit. I hope that you all enjoy this slice of the holidays as much as my family does.

To view the recipes and watch the judging, scan the QR code below!

Interested in advertising?

the

art by Sal Lynch

FAQ’s

journal.

Then scan this QR code for information!

• How do I submit the form?

Send a photo to 265142@student.perryschools.org

• Who do I write the check/ cash to?

Write the check or mail out to Southport High School

Website link Meetings will be the first Wednesday of the month during the second session of iPass in room 247.

Students can email Ashley Quinlin (aquinlin@perryschools.org) with questions.

Classes are offered online and in-person, all year long!

ads. 15

culture. editor: Lily Zing

Senior Tamer Alsalloum prays in the Prophet’s house in Medina, Saudi Arabia on Oct. 20. In his community, they pray by raising their hands.

photo contributed by Tamer Alsalloum

16 culture.

Regaining the connection Students reflect on spiritual pilgrimage to Mecca

by Simran Baidwan, reporter

culture.17

F

resh tears of happiness flowed down the faces of two brothers as their prayers echoed against the walls of “paradise,” closer than ever to their Prophet.

As this feeling overcame them, so did the realization that the Muslims who have come before them and those who will come after them have all journeyed to this sacred haven in search for the same sensational connection they felt with their Prophet.

The brothers, senior Tamer Alsalloum and freshman Zeid Alsalloum, hold this emotional visit close to their hearts.

“It was just so beautiful and peaceful,” Zeid said.

“Everyone was praying and crying out of happiness. I would say it was the best hour of my life.”

In September, Tamer and Zeid found themselves at Prophet Muhammad’s final resting place, known as Al Masjid an Nabawi, or as they call it, “paradise,” one step closer in the journey of their dreams.

The two brothers’ dreams extended beyond the familiar halls of high school, and so they traveled with their family to the sacred city of Mecca, where the echoes of prayers and the call to pilgrimage beckon.

Senior Tamer Alsalloum, freshman Zeid Alsalloum, their father and little brother stop by the Prophet mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia on Oct. 20.

Tamer prays in front of the Kaaba after he completes the traditional seven laps around it on Oct. 21. To Muslims, the Kaaba represents unity.

Where it all began

Both brothers were born in the nation of Syria. They lived there for about five years with their family, and then they all moved to Jordan.

However, their stay in Jordan was short-lived as their family was granted visas to come to the U.S. After living in Jordan for three to four years, they packed up their belongings. On Aug. 10, 2016, Tamer, Zeid and their family flew 6,957 miles to their new home in Indianapolis.

As they stepped foot on foreign soil, new traditions

18 culture.

Tamer and Zeid shaved off all of their hair two days after completing the pilgrimage on Oct. 23. They cut their hair in an effort to replace their bad deeds with a good deed. photos contributed by Tamer Alsalloum

The pilgrimage experience

On Oct. 1, Tamer and Zeid found themselves once more in the desert-stricken, palm-tree-filled country of Jordan. As they traveled deeper into the capital, the land turned into familiar architecture and the trees turned into familiar faces.

Before embarking on their journey, the boys felt it was only appropriate to pay a visit to their inspiration behind the trip: their grandmother.

After years apart, they wanted to reconnect with relatives and strengthen the connection that was lost through translation.

“Regaining the connection between me and my cousins (and) regaining the connection between me and my grandma was really big for me,” Tamer said.

Since their grandma and relatives were not expecting them this year, when they finally made it to their grandma’s house, all the emotions those seven years apart caused were finally let out in tears.

As they all broke into tears, the connection that was lost started to strengthen, and the realization that they w e r e

e

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and practices greeted them.

Aspects such as the temperature change, the praise of fast food and the holidays celebrated here surprised both of the brothers, but the biggest shock was the diversity around them.

In the Middle East, Islam is the dominant religion. Being from Syria, Zeid and Tamer grew up in an Islamic household and hadn’t experienced many other religions around them until then.

In awe of the new diversity that surrounded them, they learned about the culture and beliefs around them.

“You can see multiple religions, which I love,” Tamer said. “I love to see that diversity.”

Though they were surrounded by a new culture, they stayed true to their identities and maintained a strong relationship with their faith. Whether it was taking Quran (holy book of Islam) classes or preaching at their local mosque, they participated in activities to help strengthen their faith.

They understood the importance of their belief and how it would help them to achieve their dream of taking the pilgrimage to Mecca, a journey that stands as one of the five pillars of Islam. This trip serves as a spiritual awakening to bring Muslims closer to God. “It has been a dream for all of us, for all the family members, to go there,” Tamer said. “It’s a dream for every Muslim to go there.”

Knowing that this dream meant more than anything to them, their family took all the necessary steps to get their trip into motion.

After years of saving money and being granted U.S. citizenship, the family reached their ultimate goal of traveling to Mecca, and they embraced it wholeheartedly.

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art by Sal Lynch

back home had finally sunk in.

Now closer than ever to achieving their dream, all that was left to do was wait.

For two weeks, they would stay in Jordan, connect with relatives and do the dreaded task of catching up on school work.

Though catching up on school work wasn’t as fun, the country offered a variety of interesting monuments and landmarks to see such as the Dead Sea and Roman Castle.

The two weeks in Jordan came to an end, and it was time to leave for Medina, where they would pray in “paradise” and take a 24hour bus ride to do so.

After staying in Medina for two days, they took the twohour drive to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. On Oct. 21 at 8 p.m., they finally arrived in the city of their dreams.

“We were hungry, tired (and) we were thirsty,” Tamer said.

To watch a Youtube video explaining the pilgrimage experience, scan the QR code below!

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1. Ihram - put on Ihram clothes - make pilgrimage intentions 2. Tawaf - pray and go around the Kaaba seven times 3. Sa’i - walk back and forth between two small hills named Safa and Marwa seven times 4. Halq and Taqsir - men shave their hair - women trim their hair

culture.19

The seven-year-long dream that they would someday make it to Mecca was finally fulfilled.

Returning Home

Upon their arrival, they this holy monument. went to a mosque, and the “I completely started men put on white towels to crying and started praying symbolize rebirth. Then, they and asking God to give every went to a hotel to take a Muslim a chance to come quick bath with no soap, here and visit, to witness shampoo, and no other (what) I have witnessed,” fragrance, just water to be in Tamer said. the purest form possible.

Sticking to tradition, The time had finally come they walked around the for them to walk through the Kaaba seven times. Seven is gilded golden gates that would asignificant number of Islam. turn their dreams into reality.

“It was magical,” Zeid said.

As they entered through The process took an hour the gates of the holiest and a half and left nothing but mosque in Islam, the Masjid joy in both brothers’ hearts. al-Haram, they saw the “I was so nervous and got Kaaba, the black stone anxious because this (was) building in the middle a big moment for me,” Zeid of the site. Circling were said. “It was overwhelming in thousands of Muslims that a good way.” walked counterclockwise Afterward, they went to around the Kaaba. The Safar al-Marwa, where they Kabaa symbolizez unity in walked seven laps up and the Muslim Community. down hills.

“It brings a sense of community The final step in their under one God,” Tamer said. journey was to cut their hair.

Even though it was very Looking up to their role crowded, everyone walked model Prophet Muhammad, at their own pace. who believed that shaving all Though the space your hair would grant triple immediately around the Kaaba mercy, Tamer and Zeid cut was packed, Tamer, Zeid, and off all their hair in an effort to their parents were a few of the replace their bad deeds with lucky people who got to touch a good deed.

20 culture.

“

It has been a dream for all of us, for all the family members, to go there.

It’s a dream for every Muslim to go there.

Senior Tamer Alsalloum

”

After spending 45 days in the Middle East, Tamer, Zeid and their family returned home from their journey on Nov. 16.

As reality set back into place, the lives that Tamer and Zeid once knew had been changed.

The memories from their once-in-a-lifetime trip set into their mind, and they found themselves as changed men.

“I’ve learned multiple verses of the Quran that I use in my daily life now,” Zeid said.

As Tamer and Zeid’s family members see the changes grow in them, they reflect on how encouraging and motivating the trip was for both of the brothers.

Tamer and Zeid’s mom, Hala Monia, had a similar response as she believes this trip was an amazing opportunity for her sons.

“Most of the trip reminded them of the Motherland … ,” Monia said. “It helped them strengthen their connection with God (and) strengthen their faith.”

With their rejuvenated faith, both brothers’ lives will forever be altered from the trip of their dreams.

As Tamer prepares to start his journey of becoming a doctor in January and Zeid is following in his brother’s footsteps, the encouragement and motivation from their trip will forever live on in their hearts.

Their dream started off with echoes of prayers and the call for pilgrimage to beckon but ended with encouragement and motivation. Now a new dream is born for both brothers, a dream filled with love and faith.

opinion. editor: Julianna Miranda

Lawless lot The SHS parking lot is impractical

by Claire Steinbrook, editor

I

t’s 7 a.m. Students are rushing from home trying to get to class, but their rush is halted by the multitude of cars that can be seen ahead of them, waiting.

But this isn’t traffic from a main road or an interstate, it’s the traffic to get into SHS, a school that holds over 2,000 students with a parking lot not up to par with this demand.

The SHS parking lot is unorganized and chaotic for student drivers and car riders alike. From there being only one exit and entrance to the car line disrupting the flow of traffic, there are many dilemmas that cause a major inconvenience for all involved and are unsuitable for future use.

The main cause of the traffic in the parking lot stems from the sole entrance and exit. With just one place for every student driver and car rider to leave and arrive from, the lot becomes congested with significant wait times.

This causes problems for many students who have places to be, especially if

they are leaving for their job or an appointment.

Student drivers aren’t the only people affected by this single exit and entrance as many parents pick up and drop off their kids from school. This poses a significant problem due to the layout of the parking lot.

This is because the car line flows right into the exit lane and causes a chain reaction of problems. The car line leads into the exit, so if the exit is backed up, then the car line is backed up, which causes unnecessary stress and traffic for all. This is even more of an issue at the end of the day as the car line extends out into the street which then affects anyone trying to get into the car line.

And, let’s not forget about the bright orange barriers that seem to grow every day but shrink the exits and entrances.

Even though it is necessary to have some sort of separation between the exit and entrance, there should be an easier and more effective way to make that happen.

Did you know?

40% of car accidents occur in parking lots. source: Parking Organization

These issues combined demand attention from the SHS administration. Although extending the parking lot or changing the direction of the car line may not be the most feasible solutions, there are other ways to improve the traffic and wait times of the parking lot.

One of those options is opening another exit for students to leave from that is opposite of the car line that exits onto Banta. This is open in the mornings as an exit and entrance but surprisingly isn’t at the end of the day. If it works in the morning, why can’t it work in the afternoon?

This would alleviate the amount of traffic in the parking lot and would be easier for many to navigate.

And, although the parking lot is bound to be hectic due to the amount of people and new drivers.It wouldn’t be a shock if the conditions of the parking lot worsen in the future if they aren’t fixed now.

opinion. 21

My Turn(er) ‘Another year over, and a new one just begun’

by Gretchen Turner, editor-in-chief

H

ow is the school year already halfway over? It feels like just yesterday I was walking into my first class of the year, ready for my last year of high school. Now I’m a semester away from graduating. What happened?

Well, I was busy taking advantage of all the perks that senior year has to offer. I’ve been enjoying unassigned study hall, blended classes, college visits and job shadowing. I’ve also participated in activities that I never have before, like the debate team.

The most important thing that I’ve found though is that I’ve figured out what I want to do. I’ve spent so long trying to make a plan for my life, and I finally have a concrete idea of what I want to do after I leave the halls of SHS. The current plan is to teach history to high school students.

I’ve known that I have a passion for history for a long time, but I couldn’t quite figure out what I wanted to do with it.

After a semester of shadowing social studies teacher David Luers and his various classes, I knew I wanted to follow in his footsteps. While I’m still deciding what college I want to go to, I know I’m going to double major in history and secondary education.

I can’t wait for all the opportunities college will

22 opinion.

What is Gretchen most excited for during winter break?

“Watching ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ with my parents.”

done plenty of research on the country, and I can’t wait to experience the atmosphere firsthand.

Still looking forward, I know it’s not quite New Year’s yet, but the next time we’ll all be at school is in 2024, the year I graduate. And in the spirit of the holidays, I wanted to write about a lyric from what is perhaps my favorite Christmas song. In the chorus of “Happy Xmas” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, there is a lyric that reads “Another year over, and a new one just begun.”

I’ve always loved this song, but that one line has resonated with me more now than any other time I’ve listened to it.

Something about the end of one year and the start of the next has really touched me when I think about it being my senior year. After all, this will be the last winter break of my high school career.

It feels so weird to think about how I only have six months left with the same people I’ve grown up with over the past 12 years. We’ve all changed so much, and we’re going out into the world as our own individual people.

For most of us, we won’t see a number of people from our class ever again after May 24 when we walk across the stage and move our tassels to the other side of our caps.

I’m not ready to think about

that though, because I’m beyond grateful for what the last few years have brought, and I’m not quite ready to leave yet.

Starting high school in the middle of the pandemic was interesting. For one, I lost that connection immediately that I would normally have with my classmates. Luckily, I was able to find the classroom that would be my home for the next three years, Room 400.

Aside from publications, I’ve genuinely enjoyed being in high school. I love learning, which is what led to my decision to become a teacher. Learning and school have had such a positive impact on me and the person I’ve become, and I want to be able to have that impact for my future students.

This school year has been probably the most influential for me in terms of deciding my future. Sure, the past three years have all culminated in me creating a solid plan for what I’m doing after high school, but this year is when the big decisions come.

Ultimately, I’m super proud of my growth this year, and I’m even more excited to think about where I’ll go because of the experiences I’ve had.

Because another year is just about over, and a new one is about to begin.

art by: Sal Lynch

Journal Address

Smaller SHS sports don’t get the recognition they deserve

T

his past fall, 3,265 students attended all fall sporting events.

From this total, 2,254 were brought in by football games. The reason for the lack of students attending the six other teams’ events is promotion and student engagement.

Social media plays a big role in high school sporting events, especially in the promotion of smaller sports that don’t get much recognition. It is multiple clubs’ and departments’ jobs to help spread the word that there are games coming up throughout the week or month.

But, it seems to be big sports like football and basketball getting the most attention by these accounts.

The SHS Athletic department runs an Instagram, Twitter and Facebook account. Their Instagram is mainly used for game day posts and end scores, Twitter is used for updates and Facebook is used to post quarterly updates.

However, their social media could be improved upon quite a bit. One way to do this is to appeal to students more by using story posts to show student life at games and encouraging more students coming to smaller sporting events.

The Booster Club’s goal is to “boost,” and they falter in that section.

This is the opinion of the editorial board of The Journal The main sports they post about are basketball and football, and if any other sports are mentioned, they are announced the day of the event.

How does this help students to want to attend games?

When students see posts of events made the day of, they are automatically less likely to go since they may have to work that night or have already made plans. If students knew what games were going on throughout the week, they would have more time to plan their schedule in order to support their school.

More students would go to the games with more notice, and a weekly schedule of games would be a great way to help students and even families support their teams.

But school organizations aren’t the only problem. It’s not only the lack of promotion, but the lack of students wanting to go to games.

The events students go to are based solely on what other students are already going to, and these

games tend to be the basketball and football games.

If students were pushed more to go to track meets or wrestling matches, school spirit would be up and smaller teams would feel more supported. Girls soccer brought in 88 people this past fall. That is less than a third of the school’s total number of students.

One way the township has tried to bring more students to games is making admission free. Somehow though, this did not change the attendance. So even though the athletic department and the township as a whole is pushing for students to get out to games, it seemingly has not been working due to a lack of student involvement.

Some ways we can bring the number of students attending smaller games up is by doing daily announcements, posting schedules at the beginning of the week and making themes for all sporting events, not just football and basketball games.

As a school, we need to do better in growing our limited support of lesser-known sports. We need to come together to come up with ways to get out to sporting events to support our friends and our school.

opinion. 23

arts & entertainment.

editor: Lindsey Rogers

u p ’ n Acti

Theatre Arts II students adapt plays written by Homecroft fifth graders

by Maddie Stutz, reporter

T

heater Arts gives students the chance to express oneself and be creative through performance.

Caleb Francis’s Theater Arts ll class adapted, directed and performed plays from a few fifth grade students at Homecroft Elementary.

“It benefits the fifth graders because then they’re exposed to what theater is,” Francis said.

“They kind of get to see what it is before some of them go through middle school where they start to get introduced to it and then they come to us.”

Initially, the Theater Department partnered up with Homecroft Elementary, who gave their fifth graders an assignment to write a short story.

Once they wrote the short stories, the Arts ll class then read through all of them and adapted them into scripts.

Once adapted into scripts, a select few are chosen that the class thinks are the best, and those were rehearsed and directed in preparation for the performance of the short plays for the fifth graders.

“It’s a great opportunity for

24 a&e.

my students because it shows them how they can take the most essential parts of the story and … either elaborate or cut it down to just the most important bits,” Francis said.

“As well as it’s a whole lesson in play writing on how to form a fully developed script with a beginning, middle and end.”

Though he’s not sure who exactly started this program, he knew it was something that previous theater teacher Kimberly Roberts always did, and that was an idea that he really enjoyed coming into the role.

“I know that it was something that Roberts always did with the teachers over at Homecroft, and that was an idea I really enjoyed coming into the role so I wanted to make sure I kept that up,” Francis said.

The performances were filled with props, wild acting and lots of giggles from the fifth graders.

“They were so excited to write their stories and couldn’t wait to see who was chosen,” Homecroft Elementary teacher Shaele Massey said.

“It’s been a really exciting

photo by Morgan Harmon

“

They were so excited to write their stories and couldn’t wait to see who was chosen ... It’s been a really exciting experience for them.

”

Homecroft Elementary teacher Shaele Massey

experience for them.”

She said they absolutely love continuing to partner with the Theater Department and doing this every year and that the kids always enjoy it.

“We absolutely love doing it every year,” Massey said.

Massey believes that this benefits the fifth graders for they really learn to write fictional stories.

“We talked to them about plot and how to bring certain ideas and then how to write a story with a beginning, middle and end with characters and setting,” Massey said.

The fifth graders spent about three weeks writing these stories.

Massey thinks it gives them a vision of what they want to do in the future and gets a lot of the kids into Theater. She also thinks it really shows how things like books can be adapted into a movie.

Fifth grader Bryan Thawng was one of the lucky students to get his story chosen and he enjoyed writing it. Thawng said his favorite part was the bears.

“I think they did great,” Thwang said. “They were very accurate.”

Color by number

fun & games.

2

artartby bySal Sal Lynch Lynch 1 - brown

4 - blue 2 - red

5 - green 3 - yellow

7 - purple 6 - black

a&e. 25

red onion. Editor: Kent Roger

photo by Darcy Leber

Changing the game

Southport football gets a taste for winning and decides to do it more

by Siren Ittynow, reporter

A

s the SHS football team beat the Terre Haute North Vigo Patriots, athletes and students alike rejoiced with each other. The varsity program overcame their losing streak of 0-28 on the historic night of Sept. 29.

Later in the season on Oct. 27, the Cards beat the Indianapolis Arsenal Technical Titans. The taste of victory started to pool in football players’ mouths. The flavor was the best they had ever had.

Unfortunately, their season ended one week later due to a loss to Warren Central.

The love for the winning feeling did not stop though.

“Even though we lost 47 to nothing, winning drives me to come back next year,” senior Chaddison Feredith said. He was later informed he would be unable to come back next year … he cried.

Nonetheless, the opinion of Feredith rang true throughout the team. Winning was on their mind. Not only did players feel this way, but so did coaches,

26 satire.

so much so it has compelled the coaching staff to change their grade policy.

In the previous three years, a constant watch was on players to keep up with their school work. It was of much importance to head coach Malex Mettag for his players to also be succeeding in their academics.

In the duration of this rigorous academic expectation, they did not win a single game until that fateful day.

After winning their first game though, the coaching staff unanimously decided to forgo the expectation and focus on winning again.

“We thought that having our players be smart and prepared for life after school was better and more important than winning,” Mettag said. “Boy, was I wrong. Winning is so much better.”

He explains this was the epiphany he had the night they caught their first win.

“That night, right then and there, we decided to get rid of the grading thing

photo by Darcy Leber

red onion. editor: Kent Roger

photo by Darcy Leber

Changing the game

Southport football gets a taste for winning and decides to do it more

by Siren Ittynow, reporter

A

s the SHS football team beat the Terre Haute North Vigo Patriots, athletes and students alike rejoiced with each other. The varsity program overcame their losing streak of 0-28 on the historic night of Sept. 29.

Later in the season on Oct. 27, the Cards beat the Indianapolis Arsenal Technical Titans. The taste of victory started to pool in football players’ mouths. The flavor was the best they had ever had.

Unfortunately, their season ended one week later due to a loss to Warren Central.

The love for the winning feeling did not stop though.

“Even though we lost 47 to nothing, winning drives me to come back next year,” senior Chaddison Feredith said. He was later informed he would be unable to come back next year … he cried.

Nonetheless, the opinion of Feredith rang true throughout the team. Winning was on their mind. Not only did players feel this way, but so did coaches,

26 satire.

so much so it has compelled the coaching staff to change their grade policy.

In the previous three years, a constant watch was on players to keep up with their school work. It was of much importance to head coach Malex Mettag for his players to also be succeeding in their academics.

In the duration of this rigorous academic expectation, they did not win a single game until that fateful day.

After winning their first game though, the coaching staff unanimously decided to forgo the expectation and focus on winning again.

“We thought that having our players be smart and prepared for life after school was better and more important than winning,” Mettag said. “Boy, was I wrong. Winning is so much better.”

He explains this was the epiphany he had the night they caught their first win.

“That night, right then and there, we decided to get rid of the grading thing

photo by Darcy Leber

and get back to real ball,” assistant coach Read Faucet explained. “We understood quickly that football needed guys who had field IQ, not real IQ.” He says this basic understanding has changed the way they are going to coach the next season. They used to have study halls specifically for players every week. They will now use that time for weight training.

Mettag used to do classroom checks every morning on game days. This was to ensure that players were making it to class in order to perform academically on the day they needed to perform athletically.

It was a humbling process.

Players were treated like regular students who got no special treatment just because they were on the football team. This needed to change.

“Egos need to be big,” Mettag said. “These aren’t normal kids, and I don’t want them to feel that way. They need to feel like they’re better than everyone, that way they can perform better than everyone on the field.” He kept talking ...

“I don’t care what they do now as long as they can break down, check down and catch a dang ball.”

The coaching staff’s overall goal is to win more games.

They love winning and so do their players. They realize that they cannot win if they don’t focus on the game over everything. For that reason, their new motto is “ALL IN (to football only).”

This decision will shape the future of SHS football.

Team 96 is expected to go undefeated as predicted by Faucet and Mettag. Students and staff alike should look forward to the 2024 season in hopes the football team will truly be ALL IN … to football only, of course.

TSA opportunities

by Phillip Mabeli, reporter

Senior Addison Meredith plays defensive end.

“It was surreal ... we were cooking them ... well, we’re gonna get a win.”

Sophmore JD Stanovic plays wide receiver.

“It was electric, we kinda knew we were gonna win.”

As many know, students are now being required to go through certain entrances guarded by SHS’s finest. With the help of the new weapons detection system, the school hopes to make the halls a safer environment. This, in tandem with safety, creates many openings for people who might want to help in the process.

An internship program has become available for students to take advantage of. Administration realizes that having these systems and not using them to teach students would be a waste of potential.

“These things are top notch. They’re big boy metal detectors,” Pat Whiner said. “We wanted to let the TSA come in and teach kids how to be future TSA agents.”

Some agents from the Indianapolis International Airport have started coming into the school to guide students striving to work in the security industry after graduation. This program is headed by assistant principal Juan Porse.

Porse had experience in security before he got his esteemed “make kids wear lanyards or they’ll die” job here.

“I can handle anyone. That’s why I walk how I do in the halls. That’s why my face is always so dead. I want to make it known that anyone that comes at me will meet their maker,” Porse said much too confidently. “I literally believe I could choke somebody out without touching them …literally.”

Porse keeps a tight shift as he describes. He doesn’t want anything to get past him. He holds a pre-shift meeting every morning at 5:30 where he briefs the students on the proceedings of the day.

Phrases such as “This is the most important 30 minute shift of your life,” “We got guys going 50 percent out there, I need 110” and “I hate you, do better,” he says that’s just him trying to do his best for the kids that volunteer and the safety of the school.

This opportunity is open to all students. If interested, please contact Pat Whiner at pwhiner@perryschools.org.

Be prepared. It will be the most important 30 minute shift of your life.

bathrooms will soon have couches and salon They Girls chairs. Aspiring stylists will be able to offer haircuts, don’t dyes and even perms. Administration knew it was happening so, they decided to help out. want already Maybe next time you go into the girls bathroom you you’ll get a hankering for some highlights. satire. 27 to know. . .

and get back to real ball,” assistant coach Read Faucet explained. “We understood quickly that football needed guys who had field IQ, not real IQ.” He says this basic understanding has changed the way they are going to coach the next season. They used to have study halls specifically for players every week. They will now use that time for weight training.

Mettag used to do classroom checks every morning on game days. This was to ensure that players were making it to class in order to perform academically on the day they needed to perform athletically.

It was a humbling process.

Players were treated like regular students who got no special treatment just because they were on the football team. This needed to change.

“Egos need to be big,” Mettag said. “These aren’t normal kids, and I don’t want them to feel that way. They need to feel like they’re better than everyone, that way they can perform better than everyone on the field.” He kept talking ...

“I don’t care what they do now as long as they can break down, check down and catch a dang ball.”

The coaching staff’s overall goal is to win more games.

They love winning and so do their players. They realize that they cannot win if they don’t focus on the game over everything. For that reason, their new motto is “ALL IN (to football only).”

This decision will shape the future of SHS football.

Team 96 is expected to go undefeated as predicted by Faucet and Mettag. Students and staff alike should look forward to the 2024 season in hopes the football team will truly be ALL IN … to football only, of course.

TSA opportunities

by Phillip Mabeli, reporter

Senior Addison Meredith plays defensive end.

“It was surreal ... we were cooking them ... well, we’re gonna get a win.”

Sophmore JD Stanovic plays wide receiver.

“It was electric, we kinda knew we were gonna win.”

As many know, students are now being required to go through certain entrances guarded by SHS’s finest. With the help of the new weapons detection system, the school hopes to make the halls a safer environment. This, in tandem with safety, creates many openings for people who might want to help in the process.

An internship program has become available for students to take advantage of. Administration realizes that having these systems and not using them to teach students would be a waste of potential.

“These things are top notch. They’re big boy metal detectors,” Pat Whiner said. “We wanted to let the TSA come in and teach kids how to be future TSA agents.”

Some agents from the Indianapolis International Airport have started coming into the school to guide students striving to work in the security industry after graduation. This program is headed by assistant principal Juan Porse.

Porse had experience in security before he got his esteemed “make kids wear lanyards or they’ll die” job here.

“I can handle anyone. That’s why I walk how I do in the halls. That’s why my face is always so dead. I want to make it known that anyone that comes at me will meet their maker,” Porse said much too confidently. “I literally believe I could choke somebody out without touching them … literally.”

Porse keeps a tight shift as he describes. He doesn’t want anything to get past him. He holds a pre-shift meeting every morning at 5:30 where he briefs the students on the proceedings of the day.

Phrases such as “This is the most important 30 minute shift of your life,” “We got guys going 50 percent out there, I need 110” and “I hate you, do better,” he says that’s just him trying to do his best for the kids that volunteer and the safety of the school.

This opportunity is open to all students. If interested, please contact Pat Whiner at pwhiner@perryschools.org.

Be prepared. It will be the most important 30 minute shift of your life.

bathrooms will soon have couches and salon They Girls chairs. Aspiring stylists will be able to offer haircuts, don’t dyes and even perms. Administration knew it was happening so, they decided to help out. want already Maybe next time you go into the girls bathroom you you’ll get a hankering for some highlights. satire. 27 to know. . .

Southport

Athletics

28 ads.

photos.

editor: Darcy Leber

(top) Junior Nilyn Compton dribbles the ball up the court. (bottom) Junior Nola Linson passes the ball to a teammate.

(top) Freshman Lorelei Bennett passes the ball through the Falcons defense. (bottom) Bennett attempts to go for a layup.

Senior Jye Rudolph goes for a layup against a Falcon defender.

Order on (top) Junior Imon Cousins goes around the Falcon’s defense. (bottom) Senior Caleb Wolsiffer goes up for a shot.

the court

The SHS boys and girls’ basketball teams faced Perry Meridian on Nov. 21. The girls unfortunately lost 42-32, but the boys won their season opener 63-38.

by Darcy Leber, editor

photos. 29

The SHS Theatre put on their annual musical on Nov. 17-19 This year’s show was Mean Girls.

by Darcy Leber, photos editor art by Canva

30 photos.

9.

photos. 31

Happy holidays from

The Journal!