Digital Issue March 2024

THE Pinnacle

Photo by Hazel Donelly

The Summit Pinnacle

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Editors-in-Chief

Adri Jolie

Sarah Hawkins

Wes McGovern

Crest Editors

Jackson Crocker

Lindsey Pease

Madelyn Walsh

Features Editors

Jesse Radzik

Scout Crockett

News Editors

Dailey Arnold

Josephine Hall

Opinion Editors

Iben Orton

Lina McDonald

Sports Editor

Chris Ryder

Website Manager

Our Staff: Adviser

Will Beltramini

Staff Writers

Aidan Goldman

Anya Haar

Caitlin Houston

Dakota Bender

Felix Finley

Finley Gober

Fiona Cooper

Hannah Hatfield

Islay Andersen

Kepler Orton

Laney McDonald

Laurel O’Brien

Lauren Shein

Paige Parton

Sarah Feldman

Scarlett Tucker

William Huang

James Williams

Contents News

What’s the Deal With This Year’s FAFSA? (4)

Bend-La Pine Schools and Bend Education Association

Reach AgreemenT (5)

Crest

Opinions

Voting Independent Isn’t the Answer. (6)

Wanna be Proble[MATT]ic (8)

What’s the Deal with Duping (10)

The Smile is Much More Than a Radiohead Side Project (11)

Come on, Eileen (12)

Ghetto Cupid: Creative, Messy, New (13)

“Young people please examine your belief systems and study history before you weigh in on American politics. Administrators, it is shocking to see emails going our recommending students read this newspaper knowing critical thinking skills are still in development. Heavy, naive political leanings are woven into some of these articles.”

- A concerned parent on “Voting Independent Isn’t the Answer”

“Another yapfest.”

- Angus on “Stoicism, Broicism”

Features Sports

Another year, Another Win (14)

The Death of The Superhero Genre (18)

No Love Triangles Here (20)

Turn Your Hobby Into a Hustle (16)

Race to the Bottom (15)

An Update On Lauren Bramscher (22)

Top websiTe commenT pinnacle picks:

“The future of SNL is tiktok clips with subway surfers or slime videos on the bottom split into 30 parts that you mindlessly consume until you realize the next part isn’t posted yet and check the comments to see everyone chirping the same ‘chop chop movie boy.’”

-Anonymous on “SNLet Us Cook”

“This was a very well written article, I can relate to this article on a very personal level as someone who has struggled with her own body image issues and eating issues. As someone who participates in cross country I see it all of the time, girls looking at their bodies and then looking back at someone else’s with a sad look on their face. It hurts my heart and I am so glad that someone has finally written about it.”

- Kersie Knoll on “Body Image in Athletics”

“Wonderful, inspiring article about Greg Lampard, teacher extraordinaire… How fortunate Summit is to have him. And Caitlin, you did a beautiful job of capturing his life story, pursuing his educational goals, and dreams where his obvious passion for teaching and learning learning can be shared with so many fortunate students.”

- Sarah L on “A Career of Science That All Began With the Flavr Savr Tomato”

“It is still comedy gold that private Pentagon government documents were leaked by a member of military personnel using the name “O.G” in a Discord server called “thug shaker central.”

- Anonymous on “2023 Recap”

“I will find you.”

- Hardy’s CEO on “Playing to Wing”

“The social contract must be fulfilled, the only solution to 2 party dominance is to tear down the system.”

- Anonymous on “Voting Independent Isn’t the Answer”

What’s the deal with this year’s FAFSA?

After a three-month delay, problems with the form are frustrating prospective college students

Following its long-awaited release on Dec. 31, students and families across the country expressed outrage at the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)’s abundance of issues, largely brought about by its incomplete “soft launch.” Although the form is generally rolled out in October—allowing college applicants ample time to work through the questions before early application deadlines—this year’s version experienced delays due to restrictions.

“The government, legally, had to have this done by Dec. 31.,” said Jeff Rankin, Summit’s Future Center Director. He’s referencing the last-minute release, as the FAFSA was advertised as being released at some point in December. “So they did it by Dec. 31 and if they could have done it by 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31 they would have.” Rankin also

“The Government, legally, had to have this done by Dec. 31.”

-Jeff Rankin Future Center Director

stated that, if the FAFSA had been created by a privately-owned company, the influx of problems wouldn’t have been an issue.

The FAFSA, which provides college students with financial aid to attend universities,

Lina Mcdonald Opinions Editor

is integral. Schools across the country use its data to distribute school-based aid and scholarships. Both grant and federal loan amounts are determined by the form, and oftentimes, students base their ultimate attendance decisions on FAFSA-based financial aid offered by schools. Changes are due to the 2020 FAFSA Simplification Act, aimed at providing federal aid to

Department of Education hoped that users could report issues in real time. Rather than achieving its intended purpose, though, the incomplete form has left users confused and unable to proceed with its questions.

“When my mom tried to make an account, it wouldn’t let her continue to the next page of questions,” said Layla Parker, one of many Summit seniors currently

more students and simplifying the whole process. One major difference: the old FAFSA had up to 108 questions, whereas the new version asks students an average of 36. Still, for those schools who require the FAFSA to be submitted by Jan. 15, students are feeling the pressure to submit it with little turnaround time.

The version released on New Year’s Eve wasn’t actually complete, as it turns out. By rolling it out as a “soft launch,” the

applying for college.

Rankin believes this is due to the website’s high traffic, which the government did not plan for.

“There’s an entire nation of people trying to jump on this program at one time and it’s just like any system that has too many users,” said Rankin, referencing the widespread issues. “Within the next two to three weeks it should be abating, but everyone wants to jump on it now.”

To allow for some leniency,

colleges have gradually been extending their FAFSA submission deadlines—the University of Puget Sound pushed its priority submission date from Jan. 15 to Jan. 31, with other schools to

“There’s an entire nation of people trying to jump on this program at one time and it’s just like any system that has too many users”

-Jeff Rankin Future Center Director

follow suit.

So what does this mean for the class of 2024? National Decision Day is May 1, and colleges are generally expected to release final acceptance decisions—along with financial aid awards—by April 1 to grant students ample time to decide where they wish to attend. If the FAFSA continues to exhibit issues like it has, student submissions may be delayed as late as March.

Financial aid packages will be distributed later too, especially for those larger schools with a high volume to respond to. It’s not an ideal situation for anyone, so here’s hoping any persistent problems are resolved and students can apply for federal aid seamlessly.

Bend-La Pine Schools and Bend Education Association Reach AgreemenT

After months of negotiations, bargaining teams propose a contract for certified employees

Lauren Shein Staff Writer

After months of bargaining and contract negotiations, Bend-La Pine School District and the local teacher union, the Bend Education Association (BEA), have come to a tentative agreement. The agreement, which was made shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 29, details a four-year contract for all certified school district employees, such as teachers, counselors and learning specialists.

Bend-La Pine Schools and the BEA began the bargaining process last spring as part of a routine contract negotiation cycle. However, bargaining played out in a way that was anything but typical. According to Deputy Superintendent Lora Nordquist, this was the longest and most difficult bargaining process she had experienced in her 16 years of working for Bend-La Pine Schools, largely due to the number of contract items that were brought to the table for negotiation.

“We really have not dove into the language of our contract for many years,” said Nordquist. “It just takes time.”

Although bargaining periods occur every two years, most are partial negotiations in which only certain terms of the contract are up for revision. However, during this bargaining process, no articles or language were excluded from negotiations.

“The main priorities that

we had set were around class sizes and workload, planning time, cost-of-living and improved safety measures, and this contract our team believes is a solid start to continuing to work through those issues,” said BEA president Sarah Barclay.

The cost-of-living adjustment was a particularly contentious issue and remained unresolved until late in the bargaining process. Bend, like many other growing cities, has experienced a massive rise in housing costs in recent years, and this phenomenon has made it increasingly difficult for teachers to support themselves in the community. When the previous contract was negotiated in 2019, the median home price in Bend was 378,250 dollars. In 2023, this number jumped to a record 785,000 dollars. An appropriate cost-of-living adjustment would help close this gap and make it easier for the school district to recruit and retain quality employees.

Now, after nearly 10 months of discussion, the two parties have constructed a contract including, among other changes, a costof-living adjustment of 6.2 percent over the 2023–24 school year and

4.15 percent over the 2024–25 school year.

“That number is certainly not perfect,” said Barclay, who had originally hoped to achieve 13.76 and 14.0 percent increases over the first two years of the contract. “But 6.2 percent is the largest cost-of-living adjustment that Bend educators have had in the past.” With this salary increase as a starting point, Barclay and her colleagues will continue to work towards proper compensation for all certified employees.

However, just because Bend-La Pine Schools and the BEA have agreed on the contract does not mean the process is over. In order to finalize the contract, it must be ratified via a unionmember vote. Following two meetings on Feb. 5 and 6 during which Barclay and her fellow BEA executives shared the contents of the agreement with union members, the ratification vote was opened on Wednesday, Feb. 7 and will remain open for four days. If the contract is voted in, it will then be sent to the school board on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Provided the new contract is

ratified by the BEA members and school board, bargaining will recommence in spring 2025 to make decisions regarding the final two years of the four-year agreement. Both Barclay and Nordquist hope to further improve working conditions for educators by ensuring manageable class sizes and additional compensation. Another shared goal is passing a local option levy, a tax that will provide Bend-La Pine Schools with additional funding for teacher salaries. According to Barclay, the possibility of a local option levy will be discussed at the school board meeting on Tuesday and may appear on ballots as early as this May.

To many district employees and community members, it felt as if this bargaining process would never end, but now, with a complete contract agreement reached, it seems that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. As Bend-La Pine Schools and the Bend Education Association shift their sights forward and prepare for continuing negotiations, a bright future becomes visible, one in which education is valued and teachers are appreciated for their hard work and important role in society. This new contract is only a first step, but it is a good one, and with collaboration and perseverance, it should be the first of many.

Voting Independent Isn’t the Answer.

The impact of voter frustration on the 2024 presidential election

Iben Orton & Lina McDonald

The 2024 election is just around the corner, and although primaries haven’t yielded conclusive results yet, it’s looking to be no different from 2020: another showdown between Trump and Biden.

On one hand, you have Donald J. Trump, former president and business tycoon. Sounds fine, right?

That is, if you ignore the fact that he was impeached twice during his term—setting a new record—and is currently under investigation for mishandling classified documents. Otherwise, Trump is a fine man to have control over the country until 2028. After all, who hasn’t caused a capital insurrection at least once?

Trump’s likely opponent continues to be Joseph R. Biden, former president. Some of his issues include misappropriating funds away from the American greater good and over to war agendas, upon other things. On top of that, Biden hasn’t worked wonders for

the economy like his proponents had hoped, losing the trust of the Democratic community. Only 61 percent of

percent of respondents who were planning on voting for Biden stated their intentions as solely to have their

Democrats are satisfied with how he’s handled issues, a Pew Research assessment found. Oh, and the public is genuinely concerned about his mental competence and health. When faced with a choice between the two, many American voters have adopted a “lesser of two evils” mentality.

“When it comes to access to abortions or the IsraelPalestine conflict, even though Biden hasn’t done all that he can, he’s way better than Trump,” said Summit senior Hunter McGrane. A recent Reuters poll found that 59

votes oppose Trump. At least Biden has that going for him.

According to the average of the five most recent polls, Trump is leading in votes at the national level by 2.8%. However, 10% of the predicted votes are directed towards an independent party. That’s nearly 1.5 million people choosing to vote outside of the front-runners, according to the numbers from the 2020 election, in which voters cast 148 million ballots.

And that’s simply a projection. Those who support the independent party are only growing in numbers, as revealed

in a decades-spanning survey headed by Gallup which stated that in 2023, 43% of Americans identified as independent politically.

It’s reasonable to expect a drastic shift in voting patterns as this election heralds the largest Generation Z voter population to date: 8 million Gen Z will be joining the voting ranks, for a grand total of 41 million eligible Gen Z voters. Beyond this, an estimate by Tufts stated roughly 50% of young citizens cast a vote in the 2020 presidential election, and in contrast, a poll executed by the New York Times/ Siena College found that 87% of young Americans expressed they were likely to vote in the 2024 election.

As a whole, Gen Z tend to identify as independents; over half, or 52 percent, of such voters did not have a party affiliation. Considering today’s dynamic and unpredictable political climate, it’s understandable that Gen Z don’t like to align themselves with a majority ideology. Compared to previous generations, this isn’t typical; only one-third of voters born during the Baby Boom (1946-1964) are independently affiliated, for example.

Unfortunately, with the way that the American political

system is set up, independent parties aren’t likely to ever hold the presidency. Instead, they siphon votes from the Democratic and Republican candidates, without much chance of those votes ever leading to a win.

Despite the widespread notion that one vote can’t really change much, even a small group of voters that go independent can have a tremendous impact in terms of how an election falls. We’ve seen it in the 2000 Presidential Election, where George W. Bush (Republican) beat out Al Gore (Democrat) by a margin of just 600 votes. In short, even with the United States’ sizable population, just a few hundred votes changed the course of history. If those individuals had just chosen to side with Gore, for example, he may very well have become president. Similarly, in 2016, the Green Party’s Jill Stein likely gained enough mainstream Democratic votes to secure Trump’s incredibly close victory.

Summit Librarian

Catherine Blue was one of the passionate young voters in the 2000 election who chose to cast her vote for an independent candidate. Rather than going for one of the big two, Blue opted for someone who most closely resembled her views and ideal path for the country, rather than just choosing a majority candidate.

“When I was in college, I voted for Ralph Nader. I was all about his platform; I strongly aligned with whatever was happening at that time,” Blue said. “But we all know how that turned out. Ralph Nader obviously didn’t win the presidency.” However, Blue stated that, with age and wisdom, she no longer decides to vote independent because of the parties’ lack of political power.

“Over the years, I have

decided personally that I will choose one of the major parties because I don’t think that the independent parties have enough momentum to overthrow that system at this point,” said Blue.

“In the future, if one of the independent parties becomes really strong and it aligns with my values, I would definitely [vote that way].”

When discussing the election with the new generation of voters, however, it seems they have more hope for the independent parties’ success in future elections. Whether it be lack of voting experience or a fresh perspective, it’s more than likely political conversation with Gen Z individuals will involve contempt towards present candidates and a rather ‘what’s the point’ attitude. Summit senior Ryann Wilson expressed the desire to vote independent, feeling as if there isn’t any sort or ideal candidate for her.

“I don’t feel great about either front-running candidate right now and I don’t know if I could have either of those decisions weighing on my conscience,” said Wilson. Like her fellow Gen Z classmates who will be voting in 2024 for the first time, she takes the decision seriously. “There’s no way I’m voting for Trump, but I’m not gung-ho about voting for Biden either, mainly because of how he’s handled the Israel-Hamas war and continues to fund the genocide against Palestinians.”

Sure, maybe adding to the tally in favor of a candidate you feel is more acceptable than the other is a logical move, but what if it’s not so ingenious?

“If the candidates are Hitler, or someone who is a little better than Hitler, you do not have an obligation to vote for the ‘better

person,’ you have an obligation to overthrow your government,” explained Wilson. “When people argue that you should just ‘settle’ for someone, I think they’re insanely uneducated.”

At what point did the presidential election shift from allowing citizens to exercise democracy to drawing sticks to determine who to vote for? There is a moral imperative for American citizens to vote for a candidate they believe has their best interest at heart, yet there’s also an expectation that if you’re going to vote, it should be in an impactful way.

“I think the reason people would vote independent is because they don’t really see their experience changing based on a lot of the decisions that are presented by the candidate,” explained McGrane. He felt strongly that voting for one of the main candidates was necessary, because whichever of the pair won would have a significant impact on policy and culture for the coming four years, and it’s important to have a choice about what change is to come.

“Ideally in a democracy, you’re gonna vote for the best possible candidate,” McGrane said. “But realistically, I think even if the candidate you’re voting for doesn’t represent you, if they’re still better than the other one then it’s the smarter decision because ultimately they’re gonna be more positive for you as a person, and for your community.”

As the election creeps closer, be cognisant of the role you play. Vote like your future depends on it, because the results of this next election will speak volumes about the direction we are headed as a country.

My parents may not be heavily religious or belong to a cult, but the podcast “Kill Tony” has an occult following mostly consisting of my father. A very opinionated man, highly experienced in dark humor and a questionable upbringing through the 90s. If one day his fangirling becomes out of control and he shoots his shot up on stage, my dad would still crack a joke better than Matt Rife ever will. No offense.

Strenuous hours of consuming featured podcasts, YouTube breakdowns and a Netflix special have provoked me to riff on Rife. Comedy cannot quite define what leaves this guy’s veneerbedazzled mouth.

Within “cancel” culture and modern media, offensive standup and comedians like Joe Rogan often arise as the topic of discussion.

Comedy, a preferable coping mechanism, is a probable cause for internet upset. Take a quote out of context and a

celebrity can be banned throughout media platforms. For Rife, his looks and demeanor granted him fame and made him the talk of the town.

“Oh, that guy. Love that guy,” said Summit junior Carter Hess.

Apparently Matt Rife still has

groupies stunned not by his looks, but by his tendency to resort to tumultuously vulgar remarks.

“Oh,thatguy.Lovethat guy.”

Carter Hess Summit Junior

a handful of fans out there. He quickly gained attention, sold out venues for a comedy tour and reached #1 on Netflix’s charts in multiple countries, all to get canceled quickly after. Sure comedy, much like art, is subjective and not all jokes will resonate with people. Rife’s jokes are not resonating period. His style includes picking on people in the audience, stating the obvious and

occasionally slipping in some provocative remarks. His stand-up choices and all-edged charm are otherwise unoriginal.

Following the launch of his “ProbleMATTic World Tour,” the first stop for his grand show was none other than Bend Oregon at the Hayden Holmes Amphitheater last summer. He left shortly after his show for the next dormant town leaving neighbors and comedy

“It’s weird to base a tour off of

yourself

and [how] hardcore you are, oh, ‘cancel culture can’t get me down’. And then all of your jokes are, ‘what if we like, were mean to our partners, and cheated on them,’” said Summit senior Tess Nelson. Modern media engulfs every aspect of pop culture. Now with popularity gained off TikTok, influencers such as Rife star in Netflix movies and comedy specials to boost the app’s engagement. Still, with images circling the internet of pre-testosterone

Rife, his unacquainted charisma has kept him afloat. Fans claim Rife has subjective humor, I claim he has a subjective appearance. All jaw no lines.

“I don’t think he’s that hot. I don’t get the hype,” said Nelson.

If only Joy Koy and Rife performed a double act. Cancel culture places no constraints or

literal sense. Stand-up comedy habitually takes improvisational skills to keep the audience entertained and prevent lagging. Netflix specials have obligatory laugh tracks, a silent show

Wanna Be

not even a minute. Some form of humbling feels necessary. His short-lived fame will have lasted for more than a minute, and eventually his face and lackluster jokes will be a

Proble(Matt)ic?

“He does fit the male beauty standard.”

Hazel Southam Summit Freshman

Born to please the internet, forced to please his audience, Matt Rife ignites backlash

Madelyn Walsh Crest Editor

limits on their sense of humor. They are, in essence, deficient at comedy and were never properly humbled. Not that someone requires stand-up training to be funny, but Rife ought to receive mandatory, court-ordered, penancebased training on how not to be a schmuck.

Someone should check in on both of their masculinity.

“I think he does fit the male beauty standard,” said Summit freshman Hazel Southam. “I also think he certain features in his face that are more feminine looking so that also makes him more attractive.”

In Rife’s case, looks and a false sense of confidence cannot amount to his lack of personality. He took flying by the seat of his pants in a

“I don’t think he’s that hot. I don’t get the hype.”

Tess Nelson Summit Senior

forgotten meme. His childish perspective could even make him a vine. Rife never grew up or grew out of his parents’ guest bedroom.

Disclaimer: this article does not count as cyberbullying, he is a grown man—allegedly. As he fades away with fellow microtrends, his potential as a fullblown comedian has yet to be determined.

What’s the Deal with Duping?

What’s the Deal with Duping?

E.L.F. makeup has made a comeback and is reminding teens that good makeup doesn’t need to be expensive.

Paige Parton Staff Writer

Adupe

(short for duplicate) in the beauty world is essentially a version of a higher-end product that retails for a fraction of the price. A lot of the time, these dupes perform exactly like the original, changing the game for all ages.

As social media rises and the beauty industry expands, makeup is becoming less affordable, especially for teens. But, E.L.F. makeup has managed to dupe every single viral product, while still making it cheap and favorable. Since there is a portion of people who either can’t afford high-priced products or would rather buy less expensive products, dupes have become a necessity in many people’s beauty bags. With that being said, product placement and good marketing have allowed teens all over to have access to high-quality and affordable makeup. By making a name for themself, makeup has made a comeback in the past year and continues to impress a wide range of consumers. The influence of social media is making

teens think they need expensive products, but dupes and brands like E.L.F. are changing that.

E.L.F. has been around for a long time, and as many might not know, is an acronym for eyes, lips, face. The brand was founded in 2004 and is known for cheap makeup and beauty products. But, within the past year, E.L.F has managed to duplicate every single “viral” beauty product to a tee. From the Halo Glow dupe for Charlotte Tilbury “Flawless Filter” to the lip oil dupe for Dior’s “Addict Lip Glow Oil,” E.L.F. has managed to legally duplicate pretty much everything.

good.

“At the end of the day if you can get a version of those high ticket items that are just as good and a fraction of the cost, I kind of

“if you can get a version of those high ticket items that are just as good and a fraction of the cost, I see it as a win-win.”

lucy Misischia Summit Senior

makeup until recently since it didn’t get my attention in the past, but ever since they started duping higher end products, I’ve gotten more into it,” Jameson said.

Yes, E.L.F. dupes are actually good products, but with the help of strategic marketing and product placement in movies, they’ve become one of the top drugstore brands. The brand used to only create their own products, with no relevance to any popular trends. But, by E.L.F. choosing to replicate every viral product, and sometimes even make it better than the namebrand one, they have made an even bigger name for Misischia has a makeup routine of which about half is affordable. Misischia believes that makeup does not need to be expensive to be

see it as a win-win,” Misischia said. Through TikTok, influencers can promote E.L.F. by creating a short, 15-second clip of them using the products. Additionally, literal ads pop up for E.L.F. as soon as every other video. Let alone in the newest “Mean Girls” movie, E.L.F. products were placed throughout all of it and was basically an ad for the brand. E.L.F. also created a “Mean Girls”inspired bundle with a variety of products called “Every Day We Wear Pink.” Even if the product placement seems annoying to viewers, the fact that people are talking about it is exactly what their goal was.

Senior Ruby Jameson has been a beauty-lover ever since she can remember. But, has always used a combination of drugstore and name brand products due to her performances at dance competitions including Mac Cosmetics and CoverGirl. Jameson thinks it’s always a struggle to find good affordable products.

“I didn’t use much E.L.F.

Aside from all the facts, it’s key to think about if E.L.F. doing this is even moral. People might think that name-brands or luxury brands get frustrated with “copycats” like this, but the fact is, they really don’t care; there will always be people out there who care more for the name than the product.

By purchasing cheaper, drugstore beauty products, people often worry about what compromises might come with it. However, with E.L.F., there really are no major ones. E.L.F. is cruelty-free, clean and even hypoallergenic. Although this might not be the case with other drugstore beauty brands, it is the case for E.L.F. Other drugstore brands such as Nyx and Essence (along with E.L.F.) have made a name for themself and created good makeup that’s also affordable, especially for teens. Since some people can’t purchase luxury beauty products, these brands have shifted the momentum of dupe culture.

The Smile is Much More Than a Radiohead Side Project

With “Wall of Eyes,” Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood continue to deliver top tier rock music.

William Beltramini Website Editor

You can’t talk about the most popular alternative rock bands without mentioning Radiohead. One of the few bands who have balanced massive commercial success as well as critical acclaim, Radiohead has become icons of the modern rock scene. However, it’s been eight years since the release of the last Radiohead album, “A Moon Shaped Pool,” leading many to wonder: what has the band been up to?

Members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood have been busy with their new band, The Smile. The Smile consists of the duo Yorke and Greenwood, and English jazz drummer Tom Skinner. They released their debut album “A Light for Attracting Attention” in 2022 to

critics felt that it lacked the touch that makes so many Radiohead albums special. Throughout the ensuing tour, The Smile debuted many songs that would appear on their follow up album, “Wall Of Eyes,” fine tuning them before their eventual release.

The final product is a beautifully haunting album that improves on nearly all fronts when compared to their debut.

It is natural to immediately compare The Smile to Radiohead because of Yorke and Greenwood. However, to simply call The Smile a Radiohead side project does the band a massive disservice.

With the addition of Tom Skinner, The Smile craft a unique sound, distinct from anything under Radiohead’s name. Skinner’s influence is apparent right from the beginning, as on the opening track “Wall Of Eyes,” there is a light Bossa Nova drum beat that underscores soaring Yorke vocals. It creates this eerie feeling from the juxtaposition of a warm sounding drum beat and haunting vocals/ synths. On the following track “Teleharmonic,” Skinner lays down a drumbeat influenced by afrobeats, that gives the synthdriven song a funky feeling. The effect of his chilled funky drumming underneath layers of Greenwood

“With the addition of Tom Skinner, The Smile craft a unique sound, distinct from anything under Radiohead’s name.”

arranges strings, synths and robotic noises into this building wall of noise that abruptly ends as it leads into “Friend Of A Friend.”

Through The Smile, Yorke and Greenwood are given even more creative liberty to explore sounds that they couldn’t on a Radiohead project. Songs build in tension rising to climaxes that aren’t found on the typical Radiohead songs. There appears to be an influence from post rock in songs such as “Bending Hectic.” Throughout “Bending Hectic,” strings build and build as horns are added until the song climaxes

Much of the string and synth arrangements feel very cinematic, especially on songs such as “Friend of a Friend” and “Bending Hectic,” where the strings get louder, and tension builds in a way that horror soundtracks create suspense. The Smile seems to have focused specifically into creating a dark atmosphere of sounds.

“Wall of Eyes” could also possibly signal the direction Radiohead is heading in the future. “Wall of Eyes” in many ways feels like an expansion and improvement on the sounds explored in “A Moon Shaped Pool.” The next Radiohead album could build off of the experimenting done by Greenwood and Yorke with The Smile.

That being said, The Smile should be taken as its own entity separate from Radiohead. While there are similarities, with “Wall of Eyes” The Smile creates a distinct haunting sound that sticks with fans listen after listen.

Eileen

COME ON, ‘EILEEN’

The film adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s 2015 novel struggles to stand on its own Lindsey

Dunlop is the all too selfidentifiable wallflower, always watching and never seen. She is any plain-faced, girl-in-too-longwool-skirt of 1964, repressed as equally in her sexuality as in her identity. Her life is bleak—as is she—until in an instant, her fate is changed.

Originally a novel by Ottessa Moshfegh, “Eileen” was notably penned as a joke in 2015 via a workbook claiming anyone can write a book in “just 90 days!” “Eileen” follows its titular character through the mundanities of a secretary job at a juvenile boys correctional facility in X-ville, Massachusetts. In the book, Eileen narrates as a woman late in her 60s, reflecting on the past—or, “the

Pease Crest Editor

story of how I disappeared”—with an older, detached mind.

“Eileen,” the film, hit theaters December 1, but not to break any box office records. Starring Thomasin McKenzie as Eileen, and Anne Hathaway as enigmatic newcomer Rebecca, Moshfegh herself adapted the screenplay from her book alongside husband Luke Goebel.

Through film, Eileen’s internal fantasies have no choice but to manifest themselves onto the screen. She shoots her father. She shoots herself. It turns into a boy-who-cried-wolf sort of series of misgivings, coaxing the audience into a false sense of security everytime a gunshot wound cuts to what actually

occurred. “Eileen,” the film, is a removed perspective of a story initially entirely driven by an inner voice. On the big screen— or little screen, as “Eileen” was only showing in Bend at the Tin Pan Theater downtown—that inner voice is gone. It is replaced instead with the metallic flicks of a cigarette lighter and the sputtering of Eileen’s fractured station wagon silently poisoning her with carbon monoxide.

The women of “Eileen” are all thudding against their glass cages, trapped in an idealized femininity that Eileen herself wants so desperately into. She’s exiled from the same uglies of womanhood that Rebecca and Lee Polk’s mother, Rita Polk, are

trapped in. The same uglies that killed her own mother and sent her sister away.

The thing is, Eileen isn’t her dead mother in her expensive fur coats—driven to a suicide her husband is blamed for. She’s not her sister, Joanie, leaving home behind having faced her father’s drunken assaults. But nevertheless she aspires to be. In the book, Eileen salivates for violence. Violence sexually, violence mentally, violence physically; an overall masochist. It takes one final, real violent act to finally feel in control of herself. To feel the kind of control she thinks Rebecca, and all of these other women, have.

It’s a difficult thing when a story is considered first as a novel, and then adapted into a film, instead of conceived to exist solely for the screen. So much of “Eileen,” the film, is filled in by having read “Eileen,” the book. And sure, Thomasin McKenzie could have narrated the entire thing with her crispy Kiwi-laden Massachusetts accent. But that’s not the point of “Eileen.” It’s not a blockbuster film, nor a flashy thriller period piece. The film simply facilitates the narrative from the novel—an exclusive scarcity championed by only showing for a limited time at the one and only independent movie theater in town. It serves functionally as a companion piece, much like Eileen and her seemingly perpetual role of accomplice.

Ghetto Cupid:Creative, Messy, New

It’s not perfect, but in an era of increasingly over-saturated, cookie cutter music, albums like “Ghetto Cupid” are a breath of fresh air

Jackson Crocker

Self-released rap is a simultaneously vast and niche genre. Songs range from trap beats and aggressive yells to dreamy “plugg” instrumentals with barely audible low effort vocals. The candid photo album covers and intentionally blown out production are abrasive to be sure, but they are also—importantly— raw.

“Ghetto Cupid,” by Jaydes is a shining example of this unfiltered creativity. The vocals are barely delivered—more of a low din than lyrics—the production is

of recycled and repetitive samples. Songs are often absent of structure with simple repeated lines and the theme of relationships and selfdestructive partner chasing is as played out as it is elementary in its execution.

But something about the way “rose’s” driving, shoegaze pattern, guitar gives way to the dreamy production of “anemic” deeply infuses an addictive uniqueness into the project.

is characterized by its poorly recorded crunchy drums, the entirety of Car Seat Headrest’s iconic “Twin Fantasy” sounds like it was recorded in a closet—which is probably because it was—and Alex G’s “East Coast” is accented by constant mic clipping in the vocal track.

Each track has its own authentically textured quirks, like the air horns and spammed producer sample on “Horror” or the clunky beat switch in “<3.” These moments are more byproducts of Jaydes’ creativity than the statement pieces of the album, but still flesh the LP out into something fun and uniquely

“Self-released music isn’t just something I appreciate because of how rough everything is, but also because the songs are usually more unique than other music, which generally have more controlled production,” said Angus Anderson, a Summit senior and certified music nerd.

Albums like “Ghetto Cupid” are a specific kind of requisite experience for interested listeners, they are the only place where you can find this kind of unpolished creativity. Where else could you find a full Weezer song loosely chopped into a slow-core adjacent mumble rap track like “misery?” Or a shoegaze trap

There are a long list of other classic underground albums with the same self produced vibe. “Hunter” from Have A Nice Life’s “Deathconsciousness”

Although many genres have self released staples, the umbrella of “SoundCloud” or self released rap is the most consistent producer of these rough gems. Jaydes is deeply entrenched in this world of artists, frequently collaborating with similar creators like Rick Owens (not the fashion designer). This experience shines through on his albums, as he masterfully sprinkles the unnatural hitches and textures through his songs to curate a perfectly abrasive sound.

Far from perfect, sometimes intentionally so, “Ghetto Cupid” is a shining example of creativity over polish. Albums like Harry Styles’ “Harry’s House” are certainly more listenable, maybe even technically

better music and production wise, but sometimes that kind of homogenous Walmart soundtrack can become a little grating.

“Poppy albums are fun and low effort to listen to,” said Anderson, “but when I want something with a little flare, something engaging, I go for the self-released.”

Another Year, Another Win

U of O hockey plays at the local Pavillion

By Hannah Hatfield Staffwriter

The University of Oregon returned to play at The Pavilion, winning five to one against the University of Washington in both games on January 19 and 20. The Ducks have come to The Pavilion for three consecutive years to play two games. Each year, the game brings in

hundreds of fans and travelers to watch the two nights of fun.

“I really enjoyed how fast-paced the game was, and the energy in the audience,” said Summit junior Abigail Billiter after going to the first game. This

sentiment was echoed by junior Zoe Armor, as well as sophomore Emerson Root, all of whom absolutely loved the game.

Hockey combines stress for the safety of the players but also the excitement of the sport. Falling on the ice while sharp skates fly around is no joke, but the U of O team plays each game with grace. It is Jackson Hyman’s first year coaching for the Ducks, and he loves staying connected to the game without playing and getting to travel the country with the team.

“The Bend community has opened their arms to us over the past few years and their support and love for our team has been incredible,” said Hyman. “We come to Bend to thank them for all of their support and let them know that it doesn’t go unnoticed. We may be a two-three hour drive away, but it’s still home to us.”

“I really enjoyed how fast-paced the game was, and the energy in the audience.”

—Abigail Billiter Summit Junior

The Pavilion always has local games going on, as well as family-friendly times open for free skating and ice skating lessons, but hosting college hockey teams has to be one of the greatest events. The games bring in the community as well as travelers. The teams are respectful to the facility and bring enough excitement to fill the seats for both games.

Race to the Bottom

The lacklusTer devoluTion of sporTs reporTing

By Chris Ryder Sports editor

OnDec. 8 2023 reports began swirling that then free agent baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani was en route to Toronto Ontario Canada to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays. The main source of these reports was a private jet traveling from LAX to Toronto presumably with Ohtani inside. However, Ohtani was not on the flight, instead it was Shark Tank co-host Robert Herjavec. Ohtani was back in his Southern California house, days away from signing an unprecedented 10-year $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Almost exactly

one month later on Jan. 10 2024, the University of Alabama’s head football coach, Nick Saban, announced his retirement, creating a massive hole at the top of college football. The absence of Saban —who is nearly unanimously regarded as the greatest college football coach ever— created a massive recruiting problem for Alabama as well as a mass transfer portal exodus. The rumor mill quickly went into overdrive, and Oregon’s head coach, Dan Lanning, became an early favorite. Rumors made their way to the surface that Lanning was either in or on the way to Alabama after fans discovered a flight from Eugene to Tuscaloosa

Ala., an admittedly odd flight path. Much like Ohtani though, Lanning was at home in Eugene watching a movie with his children and the flight in question was a military transport flight, which could have been easily discovered by checking the flight’s tail number which clearly read NATO, and international alliances don’t dabble in college football. The job instead went to the University of Washington’s Kalen DeBoer, who managed to dodge any tracking of his transportation. However, when DeBoer made his journey to Tuscaloosa, he was greeted by legions of fans at the airport who had been waiting just in case he was to arrive that day. This weird trend of flight tracking is merely the manifestation of a major change when it comes to the reporting of both free agency decisions and

trades in professional and college sports. Instead of providing accurate and full information the new name of the game is to get something out first whether or not it’s true. In other words, sports media is asking for forgiveness not permission. This rapid reporting often leads to errors, best exemplified by the New York Post when MLB reporter Jon Heyman tweeted on Dec. 6, 2022, “Arson Judge appears headed to giants.”

out of, “a source has confirmed.” Anonymous sources are definitely acceptable but having some sort of clarification on where the source is involved usually helps. Providing no details can lead to lazy reporting and further incorrect reports.

Not only did Heyman misspell American League single-season home run record holder Aaron Judge’s name, but Judge didn’t sign with the Giants; he resigned with the Yankees, leaving Heyman and his tweet to become the laughingstock of the MLB world for the last two seasons. Typically, a report like this can usually be defended with a cop

Ground zero for this early reporting style is ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who has both an impeccable record and a reputation for breaking the biggest NBA stories first, so often that even his tweets have become known as “Woj Bombs” due to the importance they usually hold. Wojnarowski is good— just maybe too good. There are countless stories of players finding out they’d been traded, not from their teams, but from a “Woj bomb.” The problem doesn’t lie with Wojnarowski, it lies with those trying to emulate his style without the attention to detail. This mirrors TV’s reliance on hot takes and clippable moments to gain relevance. In a world of evershortening attention spans, sports media has adjusted accordingly. Instead of providing accurate information as soon as it’s made available, the goal is to cause an immediate reaction to capture what is left of our attention.

Turn Your Hobby Into a Hustle Summit students are entering the world of entrepreneurship

You are covered in dirty dishwater. After spending seven excruciatingly long hours at school and another 15 minutes sitting in traffic, you arrive at work to a bottomless pile of ketchup covered plates and impossibleto-scrub pans. It’s time to spend your limited free time cleaning up other people’s messes for a measly $14.20 an hour. Is it worth it? Most Summit students would rather stay broke. With schedules filled to the brim with sports and other extracurriculars, work becomes yet another time-consuming, tedious activity. So what’s the solution?

Not only at Summit, but nationwide, teenagers are turning to entrepreneurship as a creative solution to this problem. Instead of continuing to work mindnumbing minimum wage jobs, teens are getting paid to do what they love and it’s more common than most would think.

According to The Guardian, in the past decade, the amount of teens who are choosing to start their own business has increased eightfold. The study also explains that this increase is largely due to advancements in technology and the spike of social media usage. As more people promote their businesses through apps like Instagram, TikTok, Depop and Etsy, their consumer outreach expands, and more teens are drawn to this accessible way to sell their products.

Abby Laughlin is a senior at Summit who does art and jewelry commissions. Her products include earrings, wire wrapped stone necklaces, rings, custom art and birthday cards. She mainly sells her products to Summit students and occasionally a few friends.

“I’ve always liked art, but jewelry seemed like something a lot of people were interested in and I started experimenting with it a couple of years ago and found it [to be] really fun,” said Laughlin. She began selling products in her freshman year of high school and continues to do so. Her jewelry typically sells for $10-15, and the pricing of her art, and custom birthday cards depends on size and medium. Laughlin enjoys this fun pastime because her art seems to make people happy. Outside of her side gig, Laughlin is the Summit water polo goalie, jazz choir member and an avid reader. She’s currently working on building up her brand through social media. To purchase any of her products simply DM her on instagram—you won’t regret it.

By Fiona Cooper and Kepler Orton

Creating products that range from clothing and jewelry to art and other commissions, these teens are reshaping the stereotypical 9-5 job. A traditional work environment isn’t ideal for most high schoolers, so many Summit students have resorted to taking things into their own hands…

Poppy Donnell

Poppy Donnell is a Summit sophomore and has recently, like many others, started to sell clothes on Depop. She uploads clothes for sale that are either thrifted or straight from her closet and gets around two sales per week, with prices ranging from $5-50. Donnell describes her style as a blend of vintage and streetwear, which she incorporates into her thrift purchases.

She began selling clothes on Depop because of her interest in thrifting and because she wanted to make some money.

“[Teens selling their products] has definitely become more popular. People need money, there are a lot of side hustles and this is an easily accessible one for teens,” explained Donnell.

Depop is an entirely online platform, so most of Donnell’s customers are strangers, however a few Summit students follow her. Not only does she sell on Depop, but Donnell also enjoys drawing, painting and going up to the mountain in her free time. If you’re in need of a wardrobe update, Donnell’s Depop is a great place to start.

Hazel Donnelly

Summit Sophomore

Hazel Donnelly is a newly-turned wood burner. Having just begun her business at the beginning of February, Donnelly sells custom wooden tags with engraved pictures and words on them. She currently has a website and Instagram page for her small business.

“Social media influenced me to start my custom wood burning because of this lady that does it on TikTok,” explained Donnelly.

Currently, she sells her wooden tags for a cheap $2. Simply request a design or send a photo in for Donnelly, and she’ll recreate it for you. Although, the price rises to $3 if you would like a ribbon attached to the tag.

“I’m trying to really build my business and figure out all the little things,” explained Donnelly.

Outside of her new hobby, Donnelly is a bike racer, water polo player, swimmer, DJ and skier. If you’re looking for a fun gift for a friend, or even for yourself, you’ve landed in the right place.

Andra Lavik

Andra Lavik, a Summit junior, sells handmade necklaces, earrings, bracelets and occasionally rings. She’s been making jewelry for about six months and has just recently begun to sell it.

Lavik tries to make her products as reasonably priced as she can. Pricing differs depending on if the jewelry is purchased locally, or if it’s being sold on her Depop.

“I try to price [my jewelry] based on how long it took me to make, and how much I would pay for it. So I try to make it more affordable, or if I took a long time on it, I make [the cost] a little higher,” explained Lavik.

She uses Instagram and Depop to promote her products and her outreach.

“There’s so many easy side hustles that you can do now with social media, and so many easy ways of making money,” said Lavik.

When she’s not making jewelry she enjoys writing songs, traveling and meeting new people. Reach out to her for some cute and unique jewelry.

@handpickedbyandra

Egan Fridae

Summit Sophomore Egan

Fridae thrifts and resells clothing on Depop. He began his Depop journey about a year ago, wanting to follow in the footsteps of his big sister (who also re-sold clothing in high school).

So far, Fridae has sold about 20 items and has made a little over $1,000. He’s been able to turn his interest in fashion into a fun way to make money.

“I’ll go out with friends to the $10 [Old Boy Vintage sale] and [Regroup’s] bins and stuff like that so I can get more stuff to sell,” said Fridae.

However, selling clothes on Depop isn’t the only way Fridae wants to make an income, and it isn’t a long term occupation for him.

Meaning, the change that Fridae earns is largely used to go out and buy more clothes that he will later resell online, usually for around $50-100.

He refers to himself as “just a busy guy” who skateboards, snowboards, surfs … and pretty much any other activity involving a board.

The Death Of the superhero genre

Did we all collectively forget about Marvel movies?

It’s 2019, some night in April, and I just walked into the movie theater to watch “Avengers: Endgame.” “Endgame” was the movie that convinced me to go back and watch the previous

Scout Crockett Features Editor

my superhero infatuation, I went to see “Thor: Love and Thunder.”

What a disappointment. I watched as one of my favorite characters

pull together something truly amazing. But they went and threw all that potential away within the matter of a single year.

has spun into an uncontrollable web– everything is intertwined and it’s impossible to understand one movie without first watching

“Superheroes were a big part of my childhood, but they’ve completely ruined it now”

Riley paulson

Summit Junior

its predecessors. Broken into different “phases,” the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has laid out its ground for the next decade. While each of the first four Marvel phases all shone on their own, the new projects have all been preliminaries. To what they’re building up to, I’m not even sure the writers know.

They’ve forgotten what they’re all about: heroes. The extraordinary that shine light on a hopeless world. An idol for any little kid. Unfortunately, the aim for joy and laughs has failed, and just come off as cheesy. They’re pushing out meaningless project after project; it’s the film version of fast fashion. What happened to simplicity?

In the 1980’s, the most successful movie sagas were trilogies—that’s it. Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Back to the Future. All of them completed their stories in only three movies. Easy to digest, yet invigorating. What Marvel is doing by overproducing is pushing any new fans away. It becomes intimidating to get into a franchise when you have to commit to a total of over 40 movies and limited

series.

Similarly, DC studios has just fired its entire “Justice League” cast, paving the way for James Gunn, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” director, to swoop in and start the DC universe from scratch. Despite the fact that the Justice League movie came out only seven years ago, they are already remaking it. Why the need for a redo? And so soon?

Both DC and Marvel have begun to lose their devoted fans. While they proceed with their limitless and pointless projects, these ex-devotees are beginning to see through the money motives.

As an employee at the Regal Movie Theater in Bend, Summit senior Shea Miller has noticed a significant decline in the turnout for superhero movie releases, compared to packed theaters in the past.

“Audiences are simply not interested in these [superhero]

“Audiences are simply not interested in these stories anymore as they are completely devoid of thought-provoking ideas, or authentic human emotion,”

Shea miller Summit Senior and Regal Movie Theater Employeee

stories anymore as they are completely devoid of thoughtprovoking ideas, or authentic human emotion,” said Miller.

It all died along with Stan Lee, right before Endgame came out in 2019. The man who cared so much about the comic-to-screen adaptations of his life’s work has been forgotten as Marvel continues to produce more and more monotonous movies. Without the

“It doesn’t have to be revolutionary, just something people can relate to or be thrilled and titillated by.”

shea miller

Summit Senior and Regal Movie Theater Employee

guidance of Marvel’s creator, the MCU has spun out of control. The money-hungry producers don’t care about quality anymore.

Take the original “Spider-Man” trilogy, starring Tobey Maguire, as the prime example.

The classic nobody-tohero pipeline executed in such a way that awakens the superhero within the audience.

Nowadays, people leave the theaters underwhelmed.

As for the future of cinematic superheros–it isn’t looking so bright.

Producers have yet to realize people are tired of wasting time and money on a once thriving

franchise, now turned reminiscent of AI screenwriting.

“It doesn’t have to be revolutionary, just something people can relate

to or be thrilled and titillated by,” said Miller.

Unless Marvel manages to do a complete 180 from their current state, their box-office ruling will quickly diminish down to nothing. Fans don’t want to see hundreds of new spin-offs, they only want their old childhood heroes back.

No Love tRiaNgLes heRe

Even with the improbability of it, Hollywood has an obsession with this trope, and the public eats it up

By Sarah Hawkins Co-Editor-in-Chief

There are no six-foot tall brothers—one who is athletic and gorgeous, and another who is smart and sweet—who are both madly in love with me, estranged because I drove a wedge between them.

You might say, “Sarah, it would be super strange if that did happen.” The scarcity of love triangles in real life might not seem odd to you when first thinking about it, but after looking into the number of movies and shows that include the trope, you would think love triangles were common.

“I feel like a version of a love triangle may happen in real life, but movies make it much more dramatic and unrealistic,” said Summit senior Coral Reed.

Hollywood seems to have an obsession with a good love triangle. This trope occurs in many movies, not always as the main plot point, but it usually adds

some drama to the plot. A major love triangle can be found in “The Great Gatsby” between Jay Gatsby, his long-lost love Daisy Buchanan and her husband Tom Buchanan. In the case of “The Great Gatsby,” the love triangle takes up the significant plot of the movie and is the main attraction. “The Notebook” also involves some tension, with a major love triangle

occurring between Noah and his first love, Allie, and the man Allie was going to marry instead of Noah. Another classic is “Titanic,” with Rose boarding the ship promised to one man and leaving the ship in love with another, Jack Dawson.

Two things in common with all of those movies: they all turned into instant classics, and it’s always two

fighting over one woman.

According to “The Appeal of Love Triangles in Movies” by the Imperium Publication, love triangles brings drama in to a work and everyone loves drama. There is excitement in picking a side and rooting for that side.

Of course, you can’t talk about love triangles without talking about “Twilight,” in which Edward (the smoldering vampire) and Jacob (the skulking werewolf) have a longstanding feud over the same woman, Bella throughout the series. According to Forbes, the “Twilight” saga was a $3.3 billion grossing series and is one of the most well-known romantic movies. Even though the first movie came out in 2008, the love triangle is still debated to this day, with people split between “Team Edward” and “Team Jacob.”

“I think they’re entertaining and easy to get invested in,” said Arden Conde, a Summit senior. “Usually, people latch onto one of the characters and root for them through the series so you’re more emotionally invested.”

Love triangles don’t often happen often in real life, so what makes them so sensational? People may not be able to relate to the trope, but the competitive nature of a love triangle keeps the audience engaged, drawing the viewers in.

Small love triangles can work great to draw the audience in as well, such as in “The Hunger Games” between Katniss Everdeen, her childhood love and the other tribute from her district, who coincidentally always had a crush on her. Though it may not be the reason people turn on the movie, there can be just as much debate over “Team Gale” or “Team Peeta,” with multiple news outlets (MTV, Vulture, CBR, Entertainment Tonight) weighing in on the topic.

Peeta because he would literally die for her,” said Conde.

surprising that the public loves the spectacle caused by a love triangle with how

popular reality dating shows such as “The Bachelor,” “Too Hot Too Handle” and “Love Island” are, with millions of viewers tuning into the shows. All over social media, people will be debating which pairings are their favorites.

According to “The Appeal of Love Triangles in Movies,” the reason people enjoy a good love triangle is because the complexity, connection and confusion between three characters mirrors human emotions.

More disturbingly, there’s something about brothers fighting over a girl that draws viewers in.

“The Vampire Diaries,” a popular show that aired in 2009 and lasted eight seasons, involves two brothers who are both in love with one girl, with the girl dumping the younger brother for the older. More recently, this trope can be seen in the hit TV show “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” with Belly going back and forth between

childhood crush, and Jeremiah, her best friend. Towards the end of 2023, Netflix came out with a show at the end of 2023 called

“UsUally, people laTch onTo one of The characTers and rooT for Them ThroUgh The series so yoU’re more emoTionally invesTed.”

Arden Conde Summit Senior

“My Life with The Walter Boys” in which the Walter boys are both in love with the same girl.

“I think it’s both normal

competitive nature with each other.”

Once again these shows have all done incredibly well in viewings. Even 15 years after it first aired, “The Vampire Diaries” is still in the top 100 shows based on audience engagement today according to Television Stats. Season Two of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is one of Amazon’s top 10 most-watched seasons of any show. “My Life with The Walter Boys” topped Netflix’s Top 10 Shows for multiple weeks in a row.

The thing that viewers love about love triangles is that they can pick a side and watch through as there is a winner and a loser—one thing about people is that most of them love to argue. If the audience then has something to lose, they will continue to watch and find reasons why their side will win and be the ultimate match. It doesn’t matter that it’s make-believe and that they have no say in the matter; if you give people something to argue about, most times they will.

An Update on Lauren Bramscher From Craig Bramscher

As many students and staff at Summit High School know, a family in the community was deeply impacted by a crash heading up to Mt. Bachelor on Jan. 6. Lauren Bramscher, a Summit senior, and her older brother, Brooks Bramscher were involved in the crash. They were both rushed to the hospital.

For weeks, the family was seperated with Lauren and her mother in Colorado, and Brooks and his father in Bend. Recently, the family has been reunited. Now, as they continue to recover at home in Bend, the family is still on everyone’s mind.

Craig Bramscher, the father of Lauren and Brooks, has been writing updates on Lauren each week. The updates give insight to what the family has been going through the past months. After reading the updates, I spoke to Craig Bramscher and heard from him a bit about his experience as his children continue to recover.

Q: I have been reading the updates that my parents have been getting on Lauren. I think they are very well done and help keep Lauren in the minds of the Summit Community. What brings you to write those updates (in other words why do you write them)?

A: I initially began writing individual responses to convey our gratitude for all the support we’ve received, but I soon realized that my efforts weren’t quite capturing the depth of our appreciation. I discovered that typing out my thoughts late at night, when sleep eluded me, served as a form of

release. The topics and updates flowed naturally; each insight into our own journey, or reflection on what others may have endured, seemed to demand expression. I also recognized that documenting this process could be valuable, providing a chance to look back and understand our experiences during times that otherwise felt like a blur.

Q: I saw the card that many Summit teachers were signing made by Ms. Dale for Lauren and I have heard that the tennis team has come together in support of Lauren. What has the summit community been doing to support Lauren, your son, and your family during this time?

A: It appears that nearly everyone from Summit who has a connection with Lauren has shown their support in remarkable ways. The cards, notes and gifts have been truly amazing. As Lauren’s memory steadily improves, it will be wonderful for her to revisit all the tokens of support and the heartfelt messages people have sent her.

“As Lauren’s memory steadily improves, it will be wonderful for her to revisit all the tokens of support and the heartfelt messages people have sent her.”

Craig Bramscher

Q: Can you tell me a bit about what this support from the Summit Community and others means to you?

A: During the hustle of school, tennis, training, various tournaments and applying to colleges, the depth of our relationships—whether casual, occasional, or continuous—can sometimes be overlooked. Yet, in the wake of recent events, the sheer volume of support has been eye-opening. It’s astonishing how much people care, demonstrating they’re there for you when it matters most. The kindness shown towards Lauren and Brooks has touched us deeply. Finding the right words to express our gratitude is challenging, but please know that it means the world to my wife and me.

Q: Is there anything Lauren would like to say to the Summit Community about the accident, about her experience, the days since, and/or what she looks forward to as she continues to recover?

A: She is brimming with excitement at the thought of returning home to her own bed, reuniting with friends, and diving back into school and tennis. The outpouring of support and the many people reaching out have truly touched her.

As her memories continue to resurface and her short-term recall sharpens, I believe she will have much more to share about her experiences. Every day brings a bit more clarity, yet she feels as though the accident wasn’t that

long ago; her memories of the ICU and the trip to Denver are still fuzzy. For her, it hasn’t felt like two months, whereas for Jennifer and me, it seems like an eternity.

Q: Is there anything you would like to share with the Summit Community about Lauren, Brooks, and your family during this time?

A: When we read about accidents or crises, our hearts naturally go out to those affected, yet it’s difficult to fully grasp what it means to be “that family.” It’s not something you ever expect to happen to you or your children. In the wake of our own experience, whenever someone asks if there’s anything they can do, I’ve found myself responding with a simple request: please, don’t waste a moment. Tell the people you care about that you love them. Don’t wait for a crisis to express your appreciation or gratitude. Take a moment to consider if you were in this situation, what would you want your loved ones to know? Do it now. Don’t delay

“Tell the people you care about that you love them. Don’t wait for a crisis to express your appreciation or gratitude.”

Craig Bramscher

As Lauren and Brooks continue to recover, they will continue to be in the hearts and minds of the Bend community.

Photo by Hazel Donelly