Issuu

Sandra Day O’Connor High School Volume 18. Issue 3. March 2020

25250 N. 35th Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85083 thetalonohs.com

The values of school See pages 10 & 11

OHS athletes excel and commit to colleges By MACY SANCHEZ

News Editor

As he dribbles the ball talent that has landed

their seats as he takes one shoot the ball into the

PHOTO BY CINDY GARRAWAY Phoenix Payton, senior, and Tyler Kirberg, senior, sign to play college athletics at the college of their choice.

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News 4

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March 2020

By HANNAH LORENZO

Copy Chief

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By MACY SANCHEZ

News Editor

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PHOTO BY MACY SANCHEZ Racers stand at the start line, gearing up to begin their race in the rain.

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March 2020

New project inspires and excites students By PEIGHTON GELLINGS Arts and Entertainment Editor

High school students have come to dread the mere idea of school projects. They are perceived as tedious, repetitive and relatively pointless in the grand scheme of life. It is very common for a student to groan at the announcement of one, especially when it is scheduled to last an entire semester. In Rick Weyker’s government and economics class, however, students are doing the exact opposite. The stock market game was assigned at the beginning of the second semester and is expected to last the entirety of it, but most students aren’t complaining in the slightest. It is a school project that has achieved the impossible in getting students to enjoy it and gain real world knowledge. “The stock market game is an online simulation where students will take fake money and invest it into real companies. Even though they’re each given 100,000 dollars and it’s not real money, the companies are real and how much money they make is based on the actual

stock market,” Weyker said. In high school, learning topics that are of actual use in the future is a rare occurrence. The game breaks this standard and gives the students a taste of what a career in economics or what simple participation in the actual stock market looks like. Brad Reichard, senior, has done well in the game so far and is looking to apply the skills he has learned to his future. “My favorite part is just doing it; there is no better way to put it. It’s something I can see myself doing in the future so that’s what really gets me excited about it. It’s like a ‘get my feet wet’ kind of thing in doing something like this,” Reichord said. It is considered an accomplishment whenever students enjoy the projects they take part in, and what makes the stock market game so successful is its ability to engage them. Tegan Hollock, senior, shows that even if the stock market isn’t a student’s area of interest, there are still plenty of exciting qualities. “I’m enjoying it because I started off really well. I just dove straight in and just bought stocks to see what it’s

really like,” Hollock said. “My favorite part is competing with the other students and all of us collaborate to see what’s working and what’s not.” Teaching is known to be a very rewarding occupation that is constantly evolving into something new. Weyker is even known for demonstrating the real world effects of a market by selling Red Bulls for 2 dollars. With new technology and techniques emerging everyday, the learning experience is expanding and immersing students in a new

PHOTO COURTESY OF HOWTHEMARKETWORKS.COM way of thinking. their schoolwork is a constant “It’s easy to have kids enjoy battle that teachers have school; you just don’t make to go through, but Weyker them do anything. Kids love those classes. And sometimes been implementing this it gets hard to have them learn something, so if you get teaching, and has loved the those two to merge together way the students react every where they’re enjoying year. themselves and learning at “I’m always looking for the same time. That’s what anything I can do to make I love most about it: seeing the content more interesting them ask questions that they because anything is more wouldn’t have otherwise interesting than a lecture, asked and hearing that literally anything,” Weyker they’re voluntarily doing it said. “What makes this job outside of class even though rewarding is when students they didn’t have to,” Weyker actually enjoy what they’re said. doing and learning at the Getting students to enjoy same time.”

Creating and learning with new 3D printer By KADEN RYBACK

Editorial Chief

The Computer Lab (room 419) has a new device that promises students the ability to produce spectacular creations. Using funds from the CTE program, the district was able to purchase a Makerbot Replicator Plus, a 3D printer that uses plastic to build models of virtual objects. Mr. Boucher, who teaches computer science, knows the ins and outs of the machine and helps teach students how to use the printer. Boucher explains how the printer connects to the lab’s computers where it is provided a blueprint on how to print whatever object it is

ordered to. “I’m able to get into it using these two desktops, and then I have to approve each print. We just use the Makerbot software. The and then we can export them out and bring them over to the machine,” Boucher said. at OHS. At previous schools, Boucher always dreamed about having access to a 3D printer. He envisioned it as a tool to teach students coding that would give them a tangible object so they could see the results of their work. “Last year when I was teaching at another school, that was part of my vision to have the kids be able to print something that would have

PHOTO BY KADEN RYBACK New 3D printer allows for students to create while learning how to code. joints or be able to move, object move. They write the like a robotic arm, and have code, and program it to make the kids be able to make the the object move. It’s more

exciting,” Boucher said. So far, the student response to the printer has been positive. In Boucher’s classes, students have used the printer to make vehicles and complex contraptions. “For my class, we’ve had a remote control car. It’s run with a student’s phone. They printed off the whole body of it. A couple of girls put this tank together where they built the tracks, and had to put the tracks all together. There’s a crane arm that will actually grasp something and pick it up,” Boucher said. “A student did a gear box. t’s about 80 pieces of different gears. It’s like a standard gearbox for a car. Once that gets going it’ll be really cool,” Boucher said.

Jump from front page “OHS athletes excel and commit to colleges” “Being able to sign has just shown all of the hard work that I have put in throughout the years, the long days, and long nights. My sophomore year, I would wake up at six in the morning, and get home around six in the evening. So, I was doing 12 hour days. It’s all built up to this,” Kirberg said. Before fully committing to a college, the majority of these students visited their college of interest to be sure that they love the school and community as much as they love the sport.

“After this season, I was considering not playing anymore, but then Fort Lewis reached out to me, and I was really interested. I think it is a good school for me, and it is said. “I visited over the weekend and it was really cool. I like to snowboard, and Purgatory is right near there, so that is going to be really fun.” Although high school sports can be challenging, college athletics present a whole new world of obstacles. Balancing school and athletics is

task to master. Many of these students are attending colleges far away from home, so the biggest challenge to overcome is being away from family. “I am going to miss my family and my team. It is going to be a little scary traveling to the other side of the country. But, I know another girl that is going, too, so I won’t be alone,” said Lela Allen, senior. On the other hand, college athletics come with countless

opportunities. The food, the camaraderie amongst the team, and experienced coaches make the entire experience worthwhile. “I am really excited for playing in general. I am excited to meet new girls and play with a cool team. Traveling is going to be really cool. I am a little nervous, but overall excited,” Allen said. All of the aforementioned athletes have helped improve OHS’ sports teams over the past four years. Their dedication and hard work

have carried over into their school work and have had an effect on the athletes and students around them. Their legacy at OHS will never be forgotten, and the memories of their achievements will never leave them. “My favorite memory was winning state last year. It was crazy, but so fun. I’ll never forget it. I learned to push myself that season and work really hard. I have learned a lot in high school, and I am excited to learn more in college,” Allen said.

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March 2020

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FBLA leads donation drive for homeless By CHRIS BONIFAZ

Future Business Leaders of America is an organization that helps high school students learn about the world of business. FBLA is a club on campus where they teach students how to form business plans, create a resume, run their own business, and compete in competitions on important business topics. As helpful as the business side of FBLA is to students, there are many other aspects involved in FBLA that allow students to excel and learn about the community. Charity work is also a big part of the club, which is why they participated in a donation drive with The Homeless Youth Connection.

“The organization has contact with most of Phoenix because that’s where there is the most amount of homeless teenagers and homeless high schoolers,” said Rohan Patel, junior and president of FBLA. The charity has been helping teens since 2009 and aims to completely eliminate teen homelessness in the Phoenix area through donations. FBLA has partnered with charities before, such as Put on the Cape, and has been collecting donations for various organizations. “For those who want to donate, just stop by Mrs. Kurtz’s room in 420,” Patel said. They are trying to get a very large variety of items so that the kids get everything

they need to be successful rather than the same product. “We are looking for old or new clothes, and as long as it is not ripped or stained you can bring it in,” said Kurtz, FBLA Advisor.

“

I hope to spread awareness and help as much as I can.” -Rohan Patel

Clothes are the biggest item donated to the drive, but that is not all FBLA is looking for. They hope to impact all areas of these high schoolers’ lives and improve their standard

PHOTO BY KADEN RYBACK FBLA’s clothing drive has resulted in many donations from OHS students. of living. issues that are affecting their “We are also looking peers FBLA has received a for hygiene items, like lot of donations so far and toothbrushes, toothpaste, hope that the donations do razors, etc, because these not stop. kids won’t be able to get these “Not a lot of kids at OHS items themselves,” Kurtz know about this problem, and said. I hope to spread awareness Overall, the drive aims to while also helping as much I educate students about these can,” Patel said.

Hungry Robots fosters students’ creativity By KADEN RYBACK

Editorial Chief

Plastic 3-D printed robots went head to head in a competition in Mr. Boucher’s computer science class last week to decide which student would be the grand champion, and winner of a 90-count box of Welch's fruit snacks. The computer science class was split into nine teams, with two people each. Each team created a Hungry Robot, a cylinder-shaped plastic robot designed to eat marbles. The robot's body is hollow, and attached to it is an arm that the students programed to scoop marbles into the robot’s mouth. Whichever team’s robot gets the most amount of marbles in a given amount of time is the winner, and goes on to face their next opponent. One of the teams was Jesse Frey, junior, and Logan Rogers, junior. Their robot ran into some technical problems. “Round one we lost by a single marble. In the [next] bracket our robot stopped working in the middle of the round so we had to forfeit.

PHOTO BY KADEN RYBACK Hungry Robots stand ready to munch for the competition in Eric Boucher’s AP Computer Science Principles class. The hand got stuck up, so it was trying to eat itself,” Frey said. Teams were given a limited amount of time to see how many marbles their robot could consume. “Depending on which round we’re in, one person would time for 20 seconds, and the other person would have to grab the marbles and put them into the arms of these robots, and see how many marbles they could get within that amount of time,”

Rogers said. Once the marble is placed in the robot’s arms, a sensor is triggered, and the robot’s arms go up and launch the marbles into its open mouth. “Everyone had to take these little motion sensors, and there's a hole in the bottom area that you stick it in. There's an Arduino that looks through all the codes and stuff that activates a motor,” Frey said. Despite everyone using the same model for their

robots, each team had a different design choice. Even the slightest changes to the design had a major effect on how the robots performed as Noah Balma, Junior, explains. “Some people might have some people may have built it structurally better. Just little differences that add up to a lot of change,” Balma said. However, some design choices were made for fun rather than enhancing Editors-in-Chief:

Sports Editor:

Staff Writers:

Peyton Thompson Rohan Patel*

Rohan Patel

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Editorial Chief:

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Chris Bonifaz

Copy Chief:

Hannah Lorenzo*

The Talon is published as a forum for student opinion at Sandra Day O’Connor High School: part of the Deer Valley The Talon is an award winning publication with dozens of awards for it’s staff members as well as ranked the

top online publication and one of the top print publications in the state. Letters to the editor must be signed and dropped off in Room 508, e-mailed to thetalonohs@gmail. com or mailed. Letters may be edited for content and/or space

consideration. Obscene or libelous statements will not be printed. are of those of The Talon staff and do not

performance. Neil Khurana and Charity Mattingly, sophomores, created a robot named Cookie Monster, due to its blue color and two large googly eyes. Cookie Monster’s high score was 42 marbles, a relatively average score, but its adorable design could only carry it so far. Despite the cute look of their bot, Cookie Monster had some issues. “He had some problems from the beginning. He has seizures, I guess is the best way to put it. He’ll shake after he eats a marble. We consider ours the disabled robot of the [competition],” Khurana said. Boucher’s class got to learn about coding and robotics while having fun with the Hungry Robots. Each team, no matter if they won the fruit snacks or not, got something out of the experience. For Rogers, his lesson was to focus more on his robot’s strength, rather than its speed. “Ours was based on speed, we wanted to get as many in as fast as possible. But the thing is that we didn’t really care about strength, which

Chase Wyatt

News Editor: Design Chief:

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Features 4

March 2020

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Page 5

Cheer and pom get peppy with success

“I think that we did really

By HANNAH LORENZO

Copy Chief

The cheer and pom teams of OHS are always a source of high school spirit. From

think, as a team, we really Jackson, junior.

at the top of their lungs, needed energy into students’

is no exception. With another year of experience under

into their own competitions, the cheer and pom teams gain more success for their

especially for the juniors, like

Their nationals took place

“So my goal, as a senior, is to really lift up the other girls, especially the underclassmen

teams competed in their own cheer and pom went through ups and downs, with cheer winning second place and the results, the teams feel like winners in their own competition. “Going into it, we had a lot of changes...We were really shocked that we made it to day two, and let alone, got second place,” said Madysen Halawith, junior. In the cheer portion of nationals, the OHS team earned the highest raw score, three teams that made it to landed them into second place. Still, cheer saw this as

on the team, and just make PHOTO COURTESY OF OHS CHEER OHS Cheer celebrates their achievements at Nationals after much time and effort to achieve their standing. the future. team worked together,” said their step, cheer looks to a commits from the start, and we all work together, I feel, as I feel that really does affect how we perform at the end of the day,” Halawith said. While cheer did not win

own reward when it comes to competing. “Last year, we went from last place to this year, getting second place, so I was just really proud of the way the

attitudes and aim for their goals. “Next year, it would “I think that we didn’t really realize how good we actually were, since we I think that this is going to push the girls for next year

cool to win my senior year,” Halawith said. Pom, on the other hand, despite their disappointing

we didn’t realize really that the question, [or] that that With a little more pep in

highlights their growth as a connected team.

my skills,” Jackson said. Cheer and pom made long time at nationals, and new generations walk into OHS, wishing for a spot of their own on the teams. For the girls who desire to continue on or are graduating this year, they don’t hesitate teams. “I just hope that, as the years go on, the team gets realize what we’re actually

Education in the nation: Q and A By KADEN RYBACK

Editorial Chief

are scoring the highest on all

in the race, and in some we do of the things that we need to continue to do...I think it’s

The Year Award. Our talk lasted a whole class period, a testament to his in-depth answers and strength as a speaker. Now, half a year to sit down with him once again to discuss his thoughts year thus far, and to hear his thoughts on the education Q: How has this school year gone for OHS? Are there any A: assessments to the second quarter. I can’t say that we

I’m talking for all of us as a whole. We can’t stay that sometimes we can get that way as a country. Good is the enemy of great. We got Q: education is held to a high A: the whole nation, that’s kind of hard. In order to get a quality outcome, you need to When states choose not to put as many dollars as other states do, I think there's a difference there, and research will tell you that. As a whole, I can’t say our nation does

that well enough. What we do well enough is just what our nation’s founded on: come one, come all. We take

issue with a lack of respect

they’re gifted, we take them

does not happen in our nation, that high quality of respect. Teachers go to school and they’re professionals, and yet people sometimes say, ‘Oh well, they should do it that way. Well, I went to school, so I should know how

that’s where we are holding education to a high standard, putting the dollars to that. No, I think we need to do a Q:

“

Good is the enemy of great. We’ve got to keep getting better.”

-Dr. Lynn Miller

students on campus? A: I think, in some nations,

me going to a jet mechanic and saying, ‘Well, do this know what to do.’ There is that I think detracts from the professional piece, or the respectful piece… We can’t as teachers or educators take it personally when there is that

realizing that we must educate the whole child, and in educating the whole child, where they show disrespect. understood, and then guide them to show respect. Q: concern for the years ahead of us at OHS? A: My greatest concern determination

within

our

grit and determination to get through a failure, to complacent with where we’re

throne, and don’t let anyone take it from us.

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6 March 2020

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Props made possible with stage production By KADEN RYBACK

Editorial Chief

There’s more than what meets the audience’s eye when watching a play at OHS. Behind the scenes, stage production helps make sure that all the technical aspects of a play run smoothly, and with their most recent production, Beauty and The Beast, one of the students behind the prop magic was Jared Preston, senior. Preston was both a tech designer and a character in the latest production. He played Lumiere, a talking candlestick who’s a comedic character with a charismatic personality. “It was really fun to play, I got to try out a French accent. I don’t know a French accent, so I just faked it until I made it,” Preston said. Jared was responsible for creating two devices to add some life to the props

is used when the character Maurice, an inventor, makes a contraption that looks like a giant gear connected to an axe. When Maurice raises the axe and pushes it down, the gear begins to spin, and never stops for the rest of its time on stage. Jared explains that the contraption is activated out of the sight of the audience by using a little bit of technical magic. “Behind the scenes, what you really didn’t see was that on the handle of the axe, there was a little switch that I put behind the plank of wood. What [Maurice] did when he chopped the wood really quick, which turned the entire thing on, and the cog started moving,” Preston said. After being activated, the gear span continuously through the use of, surprisingly, an RC car’s motor. “I scraped something from

an RC car, a little motor. I took the cog, put the motor inside of that, and then connected it to the whole rig and powered it with a nine volt battery,” Preston said. Preston’s technical genius was used a second time when the champagne bottles came out on stage during one of the play’s most popular songs, “Be Our Guest”. As the character danced on stage, the enormous cardboard champagne bottles began shooting out bubbles from their nozzles. “I actually built the device that shot those bubbles out. I got to play around with the inner workings of an RC car, I took it all apart and repurposed it, and then I strapped it onto a bubble gun,” Preston said. The skills Preston learned to make these devices a reality was driven out of a hobby he found in his free time, and now he hopes to take his hobby further by

PHOTO BY KADEN RYBACK Jared Preston, senior, works hard to build an RC motor for the OHS stage. making it a future career. experimenting with things. “I haven’t taken a class or I’m thinking about doing anything, but in my free time, technical theater as a career I love taking things apart just path,” Preston said. to see how they work, and

ESports club starts long-awaited matches By CHASE WYATT

After over a year of waiting for approval from administration, the ESports matches against other schools across the state. Currently, the only game they’re playing is League of Legends, with hopes of more games being included in the future. Their matches are every Tuesday at 4 p.m., and they always practice for an hour and a half beforehand, coming

up with new strategies and The team has played three matches so far, winning two and losing the other. They’ve played against Apollo High School, Dobson High School, and Carl Hayden High School, beating both Dobson and Carl Hayden 2-0, and losing to Apollo 0-2. The ESports club is run by Josh Hafer, algebra 3-4 teacher, and the League of Legends team is coached by both Hafer and Tom DeVito, the wrestling coach, who only

comes in to help them during their matches. “We talked to coach and another one of our friends who’s played for a long time and they told us how to counter a strat that’s been around for a long time. I don’t think we were ready ready now,” said Eric Barron, junior. being approved for matches against other schools, the team was excited to get a chance to play for OHS.

PHOTO BY CHASE WYATT The ESports club practices playing League of Legends to prepare for upcoming competitions in the near future.

PHOTO BY CHASE WYATT Eric Barron, junior, and Elias Lopez, junior, improve their gaming skills. Ethan Hemstreet, junior, had other games to be added for mixed feelings on the matter, matches, such as Rainbow Six Siege, so that we can however. “I was kind of nervous, branch out more,” Pauling because everyone here has said. With the approval of been playing way before I have, and I only started matches, this opens up many about a month before I pathways for the team, in joined the team, so I was still terms of scholarships and learning the basics of how being able to play a sport to play League. But I was for OHS. Since their loss also excited because I’m able against Apollo, they’ve been to play with my friends and unbeatable, sweeping each play for the school which is team with relative ease. And pretty cool,” Hemstreet said. because the team is so close So far, the club only has a to each other, they often varsity team, but the club practice outside of school, also wants there to be a JV which contributes to their team if the club does expand. success in these matches. “If something isn’t Evan Pauling, junior, adds more to this detail, and also working, we’ll just keep and practicing talks about what might help playing outside of school until we the club grow. “A future plan I’d want for the club is for it to I’d like to see for the club is expand, gain more players more computers and a JV and eventually work our team, so that we can practice way towards a JV team for against the JV team before league play. I’d also want matches,” Barron said.

March 2020

Payton Jundt junior

“

I love people. I love learning about people. Conversations are interesting, and I like hearing other people’s points of view. Everyone was raised a little differently, so they grow up having different ideas, and it’s cool just expanding your beliefs. There is so much outside of this little box that we grow up in.

“

aptured

@OC_CAPTURED

March 2020

Ryan Novicki freshman

It’s just high school; there is more to it in life. Grades don’t matter as much as you think they do. It’s more about making sure you have the ability to be successful, and that doesn’t always just mean grades.

“

March 2020

Matt Flanagan sophomore

“

I relate to different people. People where they’ve all got their eyes on them when they’re in the sport. It’s really relatable. It makes me proud because they’re doing this, and nobody else like them is doing this in that sport, and that’s really cool.

“

Delaney Spanko senior

No, I don’t let the mean things people say affect me, because I know who I am, and I know that what I do is not affecting people in a bad way.

“

10 March 2020

Internal versus extern

Future grading system will impact stude By MACY SANCHEZ

News Editor

Malcolm Forbes said, “the purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” Day in and day out, OHS teachers and staff cultivate an environment in which students can the best of their ability. Dedicated staff give students opportunities to expand their minds each day. At school, a student’s main concern should not be outranking their peers or focusing on receiving a perfect grade. The objective of school, simply put, is to learn, not to achieve perfection. It is that high standard of excellence that many students place upon themselves, that leads to a crippling amount of stress. “I don’t think school is worth the stress,” said Amelia Long, sophomore. “I think students put a lot of extra stress on themselves because teachers want them to pass those tests, and kids get super stressed about doing well, and that is not good for your mental health.” School should not be a place of stress, it should be a place dedicated to teaching students and encouraging them to work hard and do the best they can. “I am kind of a nerd, so I actually like school, I enjoy learning. I am

actually taking a full day as a senior, and that is because I enjoy learning. I really like the social aspect of school. School really helped me get out of my shell,” said Julia Edelson, senior. “I always like to challenge my mind and constantly be learning, whether it is about myself or any other thing. I really like broadening my mind.” OHS is made up of students who enjoy learning, but that desire to learn is often blocked by a greater desire to impress others and be the best. In an attempt to rid the mind of the idea of perfection and rewire the way students think about their grades, a new grading scale will be implemented within the next few years. “We are hoping to move to a grading scale that gets away from one to 100. When you think about it, there is 50 percent that correlates to an F, and only 10 percent that corresponds to D, C, B, and then A,” said Robin Naylor, spanish teacher. “That strikes us [teachers] as not making sense.” Rather than a precise numerical grading scale like is used now, the grading scale will be much more rubric based and will align with classroom. The grading will include numbers one through four. “In our Spanish classes we have a standard like: students will be able to describe themselves. So

we look at the standard and say, a four would be students can do this all of the time without help. Three would be students can do this some of the time, but with help,” Naylor said. “A two would be they can do it some of the time with a lot of help, and a one would be they can’t do it at all.” Although the current grading scale does the job, it can be problematic. The grading scale used now assesses how many errors you make, and not your overall understanding of the standard. This makes it hard for students to improve and even understand what it means to receive an A. “As a student it will be kind of nice because you can look at it and say, ‘I know I’m at a three, this is what I need to do to get to a four.’ Whereas I think sometimes we can say, ‘I got a 95 on an essay,’ but what does that really mean? The new grading scale will eliminate that confusion,” Naylor said. Along with not understanding how to improve, the current grading scale creates a great deal of competition between students. Most students are no longer A, they need to be at the top of the class to truly feel that they have succeeded. That competition amongst students is counterproductive. “Sometimes students compete with each other,

and that is not healthy. I think it is better if students work collaboratively. Let’s all make sure we get this stuff, versus ‘what did you get? I got a 94. And I got a 95.’ What is the difference between the kid who got a 94 and the kid who got a 95,” Naylor said. “There is not much of a difference in terms of what they know. There is no difference between students who have a four.” This new grading scale will allow students and teachers to turn their focus to what they are actually learning, versus gaining points. “I can’t tell you how many times I hear students say ‘I just need one more point.’ Let’s not talk about points, let’s talk about what skills you need to master so that you can be at a four,” Naylor said. As always, this is going to take some time to adjust to. Next year will be the trial year, and the year after, the new grading “How we execute that is going to be pretty complicated. The pilot year will let us work out the kinks. I think it will Anytime we try something new, there is some stress involved,” Naylor said. “Once we get in the groove, I think students and teachers are going to like it a lot better. It is going to be challenging, but it will be better in the end.”

thetalonohs.com

nal values of school

ents

“ It’s really stressful if I’m being honest, but I know it’s worth it so I go through with it.” -Jack Bauer, junior

“Overall, at the end of the day I feel more inteligent from it... [and] it’s going to help me be a better person.” -Isabella Souza, junior get out of school are] social, friends, seeing my friends everyday, and interacting with my teachers.” -Katie Parascandola, sophomore

Opinions Page 12

March 2020

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With just the click of a button, the world of e-commerce is at your

3-4% sales growth. Online commerce is quickly becoming the preferred way of shopping

is still just around every corner. This has been the ongoing battle in the American economy, the war between retail and online stores. It’s a struggle occurring in an economy that is always changing, and the largest

time in history, online sales (when subtracting auto and food sales, items typically not bought online) overcame retail store sales in February of 2019. This rapid change in the market is highlighted by the corporate giant Amazon, which in 2018 was responsible for 50% of all US online sales. Amazon sticks out as the perfect showcase for how online shopping is totally dominating

at many times tumultuous course, is the preference of consumers. Now with Generation Z entering the job market, more money is being added to their pockets, and their choice on where to spend that money will determine the future of shopping in America. Will Generation Z prefer the experience and tangible reward of retail shopping, or will they take the convenience and limitless options of online shopping? Over the past decade, online sales growth in the United States has steadily been on the rise, while retail sales growth has remained stagnant. According to the US Commerce Department, since 2012, online sales growth has increased by an astonishing 13-16% each year, while retail on the other hand has produced a measly

By ROHAN PATEL

Editor-in-Chief

And then there were two. After months of campaigning, primaries, and caucuses, the Democratic presidential to two candidates: Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. These candidates represent a wide range of political ideologies, from borderline socialist to fairly moderate. However, no matter the candidate, the Democratic Party’s sole goal is to get President Donald remaining candidates, along with their beliefs, seem to be hurting the party for the general election. To begin with, all the candidates have consistently bashed one another, hurting their chances for the general election. For example, former candidate Elizabeth Warren claimed that Sanders allegedly said a woman could never be president, yet Sanders denies that these comments were ever made. In all likelihood, Warren took these comments out of context, or perhaps fabricated them in order to gain more popularity while simultaneously

younger generations are drawn to it. Amazon provides every product in one space. Users can simply scroll to a given section, whether it be Sports & Outdoors, Garden & Tools, or Pet Supplies, and easily for with the use of a search bar. There’s no time spent endlessly searching for where Dick’s Sporting Goods, or the right food brand for your dog at Petsmart. In a split second, for, all in one spot. This easy to navigate model is a huge determiner in which

bringing

Sanders

market Generation Z will spend their money, and it speaks to their changing preferences. Growing up in a rush culture where everything is about speed simply takes too much time. Just like other consumers, Generation Z cares about price. It’s a well known fact that online shopping provides cheaper deals. The reason behind these cheaper deals boils down to the online business model. One of the advantages to running a business digitally is the cut down it has on costs. Take Amazon for example. Amazon doesn’t have to worry about paying rent for a building, or paying cashiers, or providing utilities for consumers to be able to shop with ease, because all of that is not needed. Amazon has a warehouse with workers, and a website. That cuts down on costs drastically, and allows them to sell products at a cheaper price. However, that isn’t to say renting out a storefront is a net negative. The retail experiences main perks come from its ability to lead consumers into a physical space, providing them the option to see and feel products in, preferably, a warm

and welcoming environment. However, the lure of storefronts has slowly lost its appeal with younger generations. Although these areas, in particular malls, are still popular hotspots to hangout with friends, the products sold in these stores are undercut because the younger crowd knows it’s cheaper online. Advertisements on store windows that would typically get eager shoppers in droves to storefronts are now simply seen as showcases to what you can buy more easily, and cheaper online. Finally, the last major factor that makes online shopping more appealing to Generation Z is its availability. Retail websites are open 24/7, but retail stores aren’t. The amount of money retail stores have lost to e-commerce business sales in this manner is one that it can’t stand a chance against, unless said business has the resources to pay employees to keep their stores open day and night. Only a handful of corporate mega giants, like Walmart, have the ability to do that. As for others, they aren’t so lucky. It’s not unfair to say that stores such as Sears, Toys R’ Us, and Forever 21 were wasted away by the world of

down.

power struggle within the Democratic Party that is hurting candidates. However, Warren’s comments were likely perceived to be true by some voters, and these people could now alienate Sanders. More importantly, however, Warren’s comments could turn women against Sanders, who is the frontrunner in the race. Should Sanders win the candidacy, those women voters would be crucial to his success, but Warren’s statement may have cost him these votes. Even the latecomer Michael Bloomberg, who has since dropped out of the race, had been subject to verbal attacks from other candidates. During a February debate in Nevada, other candidates bashed Bloomberg for his billionaire status and claimed he was sexist. While Bloomberg is unlikely to win the candidacy, this type of handful competition has been occurring for the entirety of the election cycle. In the end, this will only hurt the Democratic nominee, as potentially damning information brought out during the primaries may be used in the general election.

online shopping. The ironic story of the death of Toys R’ Us highlighted retail’s uphill battle. In June of 2018, Toys R’ Us announced that it was closing all remaining bankruptcy the year previous. The company itself had been facing countless issues for years, but the cheaper prices and quick shipping proved to be a fatal death blow to the company. The irony at play here was that Toys R’ Us completely neglected online shopping from the onset. According to Quartz, Toys R’ Us almost struck a deal with Amazon in 2000 that would have made their shop the only toy store able to sell their products on the website. That deal went sour, and fell through the cracks. When Toys R’ Us eventually set up a website in 2006, it was too little too late. Due to current trends, and the preferences of Generation Z, it’s not unrealistic to foresee a future where modern e-commerce triumphs over the long running reign of retail shopping. As more services open up in the tech world, and as consumers continually show growing interest in these services, retail shopping will slowly lose its grip.

race, has fallen far behind. Poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire have forced him to become more reliant on other primaries, such as that of South Carolina. Biden has seemingly focused his campaign on his experience as being the Vice President for Barack Obama, a likable Democrat who still holds

The second issue with the Democratic primaries is the ideologies of the candidates themselves. In what will prove to be a crucial election, Democrats are completely divided on basic political issues, such as the economy. On one side, there is the far left consisting of Warren and Sanders who have been griping about big banks and businesses since 2016. Their beliefs have led to calls that these candidates are socialists, and even communists. While these claims are far from true, to the common voter, these comments are unnerving. No American would want to vote

PHOTO COURTESY OF CNN for a supposed communist, and rumors such as these could hurt Sanders down the line. On the other hand, moderates such as Pete Buttigieg, who has dropped out of the race, and Biden also face their own issues. For Buttigieg, his experience was a major concern as his only political experience has been as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. His youth and inexperience, as well as his sexuality, likely were forces beyond his control that forced him out of the race. As for Biden, the supposed leader at the beginning of the

Still, Biden has failed to show much more than this, and his lack of energy and motivation may not allow him to even make it out of the primary. Overall, the Democratic Party is in a precarious position with the two frontrunners holding drastically different views. Biden is a more centric Democrat set on persuading minority voters, as well as moderate voters. On the other hand, Sanders is an independent socialist, popular with young voters, but he may face challenges swaying voters that are not blue. Without a doubt, the events of the Democratic primary will follow the chosen candidate into the general election, and could possibly jeopardize their chances of removing Trump

The Talon

13 March 2020

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Star Wars and its never-ending journey By NICK FELIDES

It’s been over 40 years since Luke Skywalker destroyed the spark of hope that fueled

Republic and the Separist the large array of characters and planets and building on of the episodes follow Jedi

everyone has been exposed to the vast galaxy that is Star

George Lucas sold the rights

franchise that’s irreplaceable with all of its lore and beautiful world building with

the continuation of the story Last Jedi” hit theaters in In the wise words of Sheev

continuations of previously

character of Luke Skywalker

PHOTO COURTESY OF DENOFGEEK.COM We’ve been left with a new group of characters that lack

but it was the characters that

this show happened before

spin-off of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” will also

praise than any Star Wars Ewan McGregor as Obi Wan

season of “Star Wars: The gap between “Star Wars: Attack of the Clones”and “Star Wars: Revenge of

for Star Wars and will be

“Star

Wars:

The

Force

anticipated continuation of billion dollars and revived

Star Wars fans lost any passion for the continuation These new characters that with little to no consistency

that it strengthened the love

wanted Rey or Finn; they wanted to see the real Luke

trail of twists and turns for

future of this wonderful franchise is up in the air in

critics and fans liked the

can only hope that it will one

the war between the Galactic

AAA game development takes a dive By CHRIS BONIFAZ

outliers that exist within both don’t have to worry about

library of

crowdfunding

personal

developers don’t have a huge

titles available

a wide variety of players to

tailored for the unchanging surprisingly broken down into two groups based on

The Indie style typically Indie titles are always developed by individuals or

overview of Indie and AAA

Indie

developers

rely

accessible to audience due

the wider to several

need the latest parts in order In

sharp

contrast

developed by large studios

there’s often a learning curve that players have to work players need strong enough hardware to run the title

backed by a publisher (such

represent the expectations the AAA industry is right up

PHOTO COURTESY OF YACHTCLUBGAMES.COM

Arts & Entertainment March 2020

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Page 14

Justin Bieber presents most monotonous album By PEIGHTON GELLINGS Arts and Entertainment Editor

Justin Bieber has always been a name in conversation and a face on a cover of a magazine, whether it be Teen Bop or Vogue. He has grown up in the public eye, which is a life experience that not many celebrities have. The world has seen his rise to fame as well as his eventual fall, which have all contributed to the person he is now. Bieber released “Changes” on Feb 14, and it was probably the most underwhelming album release of his career. His songs are mediocre at best and incredibly unoriginal. It’s a different sound than his previous works, but most of the songs on his 18 record tracklist sound exactly the same. It makes the audience wonder why this album has taken so long to release. Bieber’s reputation has never been the best, and this new era in his life isn’t proving that he has changed a whole lot. He’s repeatedly gone on social media and asked his fans to use unconventional and somewhat immoral ways to stream his song to get “Yummy” to #1 on the Billboard Top 100 Chart, and with his new docuseries on YouTube that got him 20 million dollars, Bieber’s integrity is in question. The album itself is a disappointment to say the least. He has hyped his new

PHOTO COURTESY OF BILLBOARD.COM music for so long that it was just underwhelming. Fans after a couple listens, the excitement dimmed. Every song is like the one before, which makes for a very monotonous album that didn’t meet expectations. In the past couple years Bieber has done a lot of growing up between getting sober and marrying his wife Hailey Bieber. This is obvious in his music as he is no longer a heartbroken or lovesick teenager begging for his crush’s affection. The album is quite meaningful as most of the songs are written about and for his wife, but he possibly took it too far in a couple tracks. release “Yummy” was very different from what people were expecting and not in a good way. It’s a terrible

not the right way to open up the album. The track is borderline disgusting and certainly makes the listener cringe. The sex references present in his song were risks that did not pay off and only took away from what could have made it decent. “Forever” ties with “Yummy” for being the most disappointing song on the album. It is so incredibly autotuned that Post Malone’s voice is almost unrecognizable, which is the exact opposite of what a collaboration should be. Malone has a fantastic voice, much better than Bieber, and it should have been showcased in the song to break up Bieber’s terribly repetitive chorus. The next track “Running Over” is essentially just “Yummy” 2.0. The song is

almost the exact same in regards to its sound and beat. If Bieber and his songwriters couldn’t come up with any more ideas, then they should have just taken the track off the album instead of making duplicates and making his poor fans listen to the same song on repeat. Thankfully not everything on “Changes” is a complete disappointment, and there are a few songs that stand out. “Available” is the best song on the record, displaying Bieber’s vocal range and unlike most of the album, it’s catchy. It’s not exactly unique, but it’s just fresh enough to possibly be successful. “E.T.A” and “Get Me” are both hidden gems that fortunately sound like different songs. In the former, Bieber collaborated with Kehlani, and it surprisingly

wasn’t terrible as their voices worked well together and she wasn’t overpowered by autotune. “E.T.A” might be the most unique sound of the album and Bieber’s voice felt the most authentic, so overall the track was very refreshing. His marriage is a focal point in his life which was put on display in “All Around Me”, a relatively sweet song that is another one of the few good songs on the album. It’s very different from traditional love songs, which is much appreciated and a great addition to Bieber’s repertoire of love songs. “Come Around Me”, however, is a sped up version of the song and brings down the value of “All Around Me”. Justin Bieber has had to face his fair share of adversaries, with addiction and anxiety being a few, and “Changes” was supposed to represent this new phase in his life. It was just so repetitive that the album ended up being anticlimactic. When creating an album, it’s one of the artist’s goals to make everything cohesive, but “Changes” was just the same song over and over again, making it out to be an extremely disappointing experience. His tracks aren’t necessarily catchy or unique, so it is a real question of whether this album will be a success, but only time will tell.

Sonic: A surprisingly heartfelt journey By NICK FELIDES

live in a universe where a liveaction Sonic the Hedgehog Video game movies have a reputation of being dreadful, dull, and overall incredibly rough. “Sonic the Hedgehog” changes that stereotype entirely. The only other movie that’s received positive acclaim was “Detective Pikachu”.

surprisingly heartwarming story of a hedgehog that just wants to be loved. He spends his time watching from afar, as people live their normal lives, loving each other and just being happy. Under the thick surface of slapstick comedy and mediocre acting is a truly genuine story. It wasn’t thrown together in one day like “Assassin’s Creed”, “WarCraft”, or the “Resident Evil” Franchise. The greatest

testament to this is the crew that did the CGI. Everyone remembers the horrendous design of Sonic from the original trailer. The CGI company, Marza Animation Planet, came in to assist the complete redesign of the character. This ended up pushing the release date of Day

and

adding

around

movie’s production budget. Sonic because they knew fans wouldn’t be pleased. Sure, the movie has a very cliche script with some of the basic

PHOTO COURTESY OF ENTERTAINMENTACCESS.COM

this movie apart is how the ending felt so unearned A good example of an undeserved ending is “Assassin’s Creed”, starring Michael Fasbender. The main character didn’t progress in any natural manner and the story made little to no logical sense. The movie leaves off on the weirdest and most confusing note possible. Sonic very clearly changes

throughout the movie. He’s very clearly different from what he was at the beginning

One of the movie’s strong suits is fan service, albeit cheap fan service. Fans will cheer when they hear the classic Greenhill Zone track or see Dr. Robotnik sporting his cliche long mustache and goggles. Longtime Sonic fans will also recognize the nods to prior media the writers leave behind. That doesn’t improve the movie’s quality, but it’s nice to see the people behind Jim Carey steals the show as the main antagonist, Dr. Robotnik. He brings that same charm everyone will recognize from his other work, while putting a new spin on this role. He brings the script to life and turns out to be surprisingly perfect for the character. It feels as if they used a whole different set of writers to write for Robotnik because the comedic tone of almost every scene he’s in is unmatched. The same could be said for

both Ben Schwartz as Sonic and James Marsden as the furry hedgehog’s best friend. “Sonic the Hedgehog”has dragged in over 200 million out “Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey”. It’s honestly not a surprise, seeing as people have been supporting this The creators took their time to reanimate Sonic, and it show that they care, the people will care. This is why so many video game movies have failed. The writers and producers don’t understand that it takes more than a title to please fans. “Sonic the Hedgehog” may be rough around the edges, but it still brings a certain warmth and heart that not many of these movies can manage. There’s no doubt the sequel will deliver with something even better. With the mid-credits scene teasing Sonic’s best friend, Tails, it’s clear this franchise will not shy away from using characters from Sonic lore.

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March 2020

DC’s “Birds of Prey” empowers women By HANNAH LORENZO

Copy Chief

Warning: This movie is rated R. As the DC universe pours out its fair share of movies, fans have been disappointed. Annoying punchlines and nonsensical cinema screens with movies like “Justice League” and “Aquaman”. However, the newly refurbished versions of movies from the past have not completely delved into the villains of DC, which led the public to wonder if DC would fail yet again to produce something worthy of watching. In this case, there may still be hope as one villain takes the stage for her solo debut. “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” was released on Feb 7, with much anticipation from DC fans. Ever since the release of “Suicide Squad”, Harley Quinn, played by Margot Robbie, made a standout performance as Joker’s partner and one of the unexpected saviors of the world, but afterwards, it was about her own storyline. that Harley Quinn would be having her own movie, fans were over-the-moon excited, but they were skeptical, since recently, DC has not been known for their fantastic screenplays. Regardless, “Birds of Prey” had potential to be an improvement from previous movies, but still came out short with only making it one of the worst openings for DC.

Despite its possible predispositions for failure, “Birds of Prey” turned out to be one of the best productions from DC to date. The storyline never failed to keep the audience’s attention with its hilarious situations, nonstop action, and a dash of sympathy for the villains. Plus, the focus on the women of DC added a sense of sass that kicked men’s butts, making for a satisfying way to empower women. This movie centers around none other than the infamous Harley Quinn, who last made an appearance escaping prison with her clown prince, Joker, played by Jared Leto, but with a fast forward to the present, it is discovered that she and Joker have broken up. Although this is mentioned right away at the beginning, it would have been a little more interesting to see scenes with Joker and Harley as it could have added more context to their breakup. It looks like the movie intended to direct attention on Harley’s journey to independence, which was still a successful move, but either way, the storyline would not have been interrupted. With newfound freedom from prison and an insane ex, lease on life, which mainly meant a constant stream of partying and alcohol. However, this did not come easy for her because being the Joker’s girlfriend gave her immunity from the people who wanted to hunt her down. Since Joker was out of the way, Harley was dead meat, especially to Roman Sionis (Black Mask), played by Ewan McGregor,

one of the craziest villains of Gotham. It was a nice twist to see McGregor as a villain after his role as Danny from “Doctor Sleep”, and he showcasing his acting chops with a maniacal side. Harley attempts to escape death by agreeing to steal back a precious treasure from a young thief named Cassandra Cain, played by Ella Jay Basco, who actually plays a bigger role in the DC universe, which has been altered here. In the comics, Cassandra Cain is a trained assassin who grows up to be Batgirl, but her role as a mischievous orphan in “Birds of Prey” completely changes what fans have known about her for a long time. Still, this does not seem to negatively impact the movie or lore, since the focus is on Harley, but future DC productions will have to deal with the situation, for the fans’ understanding. So, Harley goes on a wild ride doing Roman’s bidding, along the way. Throughout the movie, it is absolutely amazing to see Harley develop as the main character in her own movie, away from being a servant to Joker. The feminine viewpoint is enough for the audience to cheer as she hammers her way to emancipation with her trusty mallet and some powerful women to help her defeat Sionis. DC villains turned heroes, such as Black Canary, played by Jurnee SmollettBell, and Huntress, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, continue to stand behind women’s empowerment alongside Harley, especially

in a comic book world full of arrogant men, and prove to be better than the sidekicks they were meant to be. As for the actress herself, Robbie does an outstanding job playing Harley Quinn, right down to the Brooklyn accent. Her portrayal of Harley’s craziness and selflove is well-done, along with the physique to roller skate to victory, which seems to be Harley’s specialty. Overall, the character of Harley Quinn touched people’s hearts despite her violent pastimes of falling into acid and breaking men’s bones. Rather than insert cheesy content, “Birds of Prey” was more than just a solo debut for Harley; it opened past mistakes and create something that the audience desired: a movie without the

PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDb.COM heroic cliches. “Birds of Prey” highlights a monumental turning point for the DC universe. Being the in 2020, people’s expectations were already set to the lowest setting, but this movie turned it all the way back up. Fans were greeted with not only an extraordinary Harley story, but also gained the opportunity to meet the new versions of beloved DC women, which could open more doors to create screen productions for them in the future, and hopefully better ones. Contrary to popular belief, “Birds of Prey” proves movie with real value and a can enjoy watching it with the “perfect egg sandwich”, as Harley Quinn would put it.

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March 2020

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By ROHAN PATEL

Editor-in-Chief

Bronx-based rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie dropped his third studio album, entitled “Artist 2.0”, on Valentine’s Day, which features some songs that perfectly utilize his fantastic voice, while other tracks underwhelm and blend together. “Artist 2.0” contains a whopping 20 songs, which unfortunately takes away from some of the better songs, as they were buried in the large album. However, many featured artists were brought in, such as Young Thug, DaBaby, and Roddy impact on the album. Most of the best songs from the album were the ones that had these featured artists. Not only did these songs provide new voices, but they also seemed to be produced better, as the beats comparison to the others. “Numbers”, which featured Roddy Ricch, Young Thug, and Gunna, was an example

By PEYTON THOMPSON

Editor-in-Chief

It’s a gloomy winter day as the Locke family travels to their ancestral home in Matheson, Massachusetts. Siblings Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode Locke are all but enthused about the sudden move from their previous home of Seattle, Washington. Nina Locke, their mother, decided it was time for a change, a new start, after her husband’s unexpected death three months before. exciting original show to viewers’ screens. Released Feb 7, “Locke and Key” is the thrilling story of the Locke family who travel back to the small town where their father, Randall Locke, grew up. They move into the family estate, known as

PHOTO COURTESY OF GENIUS.COM of

this. The guitar-based

the same reasons. DaBaby’s

and the featured artists were a great change-up. The verses of Young Thug and Roddy Ricch were especially good, and they allowed Boogie to shine on the chorus, where his singing ability is at its best. “Stain”, featuring DaBaby, and “Might Not Give Up”, featuring Young Thug, were another two of the best songs on the album, mainly for

complemented Boogie’s more lyrical lines, and the song was more upbeat, which suited both of their styles. In fact, throughout the album, it was clear that the faster songs often sounded better, while the slower ones dragged down the lyrics and caused them to be offbeat. One of the slower songs that managed to impress was “Calm Down”, featuring

Key House, where haunting rumors encircle the property. Quickly after everyone has moved in, youngest sibling Bode, played by Jackson Robert Scott, realizes that there is something different about Key House. Scott’s character really drives the story forward, with his childlike wonder, and overwhelming curiosity. While exploring around the grounds, he comes across the old well house and slips through the bars of the locked gate. Fascinated by the well, Bode speaks into it and unexpectedly receives a response in return. Right off the bat, the audience is pulled into the story. The absurdity of hearing a voice from a well and a creepy looking mansion, with a muddy history, tricks the watcher

into thinking it may just be another “Haunting of Hill House”. However, darker secrets await, revealing themselves piece by piece. A father’s murder, and his childhood secrets, grasp the audience’s attention as the plot twists and turns. who the voice in the well is, Bode later ventures back to Once inside, he asks the voice what it is, and she replies that she is his echo. Echo precedes to tell Bode about the wonders of Key House, it contains. She explains that the keys can do all sorts of things; one key can bring a person to any place they want, another key can turn oneself into a ghost, but most importantly, they call out to people they deem special,

Summer Walker. In reality, the song focused more on Walker, whose voice infused more lyricism and musicality. It was a good breather from the consistent rap in the previous songs, and a solid song that showed off Walker’s voice. While there are really fantastic songs, most of the tracks are boring and repetitive. Songs that were supposed to be hits, such as “King of My City”, do not

which is a slightly cliche detail. Intrigued, Bode starts on a journey in search of the keys, and it doesn’t take long before he hears their whispers. The way the keys were brought into the story makes for an almost abrupt introduction. Without much backstory, the show jumps straight into the storyline, which could be perceived Locke and Key pulls it off well. The way the writers quick bursts of background information, helped to keep the watcher guessing what could possibly happen next. “Locke and Key” takes the audience on a suspenseful journey through the town of Matheson. The Locke siblings learn more about

jump out from the album. It fails to separate itself from the others, and almost all the songs without features end up sounding the same. They all have similar lazy, slow beats, and the vocals are off rhythm. Eventually, these songs blend together, throwing almost 15 songs to waste. Overall, the album had the potential to be a great work of music, but it failed to live up to the high expectations simply due to the sheer amount of mediocre music that outweighed the better songs. Thosewith featured artists all managed to separate themselves from the others, but the entire album could have been better had that style of rap been mirrored throughout. Boogie’s fantastic voice was evident, but he failed to shine on tracks by himself because of monotonous beats, where he failed to stay on beat. “Artist 2.0” had glimpses of greatness, but it is clear Boogie needs work to become a more consistent rapper.

several keys along the way, and appoint themselves the keepers of the keys. It’s a dangerous task taking care of the keys, with certain people wanting to take them, people they can trust. the acting in this series is actually pretty decent. Through the depiction of the Locke siblings, it showcases the emotional turmoil of losing a loved one so unexpectedly with the murder of their father, and the trials and tribulations of moving to a new town not knowing anybody. It also discusses the sobriety of their mother and dealing with the reality of living with an alcoholic parent. Nina’s history with alcohol reveals the deep inner struggle she feels, coping with the guilt of the years lost and her desire to make it up to her children. The show ultimately ties in a realness factor that blends well with it’s fantasy storyline. While there were still a few cheesy cinematic moments, they are inevitably overpowered by the twists and turns of the storyline. Through acts of betrayal, intense thriller scenes, and characters, “Locke and Key” entices the audience with its suspenseful plotline. With the excitement of magic, comes the responsibility of keeping it hidden and safe.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NETFLUX

protecting it from the people who want to use it for evil, or their own personal vendetta.

Sports 4

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March 2020

Page 17

Baseball strives to live up to expectations By ROHAN PATEL

Editor-in-Chief

Varsity

The last two years of OHS baseball have seen two MLB draft picks, two playoff appearances, and one state championship. Without a doubt, this year’s team has high expectations to live up to. They started off the season against Tolleson by a score of 11-3. “The goal every year is to go to the state championship, make it as far as we can in the playoffs,” said Adam Koski, senior. OHS baseball has built a legacy where success is always expected, and this year’s team hopes to live up to those high standards. “I don’t think it’s pressure, we’re expecting to get there; keep working hard and we’ll make it,” said Colton Fedina, senior. One of the largest advantages that OHS has is their ability to bond together as a family, translating to better communication on the “We bond very well as a team. We’re like brothers, we hang out all the time, and

By PEYTON THOMPSON

Editor-in-Chief

Varsity

Beach volleyball comes back for another season, more ready than ever to dominate the competition. With two new assistant coaches and new blood on the team, it should be an exciting season. The majority of the team this year is made up of sophomores and juniors, with only two returning seniors. However, this mix of players may prove to have its perks. “With this season, it’s a super young team…and so

I think our brotherhood is going to take us all the way,” Fedina said. The team has been able to build that chemistry through constant practice, as well as the clubhouse, which has served as a place for players to spend more time with each other. “We hang out all the time, we share jokes, we hang out in the clubhouse. The clubhouse has been a big part of our friendships that we’ve made, playing ping pong, and just hanging out there before games,” Koski said. However, the team still has some slight improvements to make in order to push them over towards their goal of winning the state championship. working on keeping our energy up in the dugout. When we have a lot of energy on our side we have a lot of momentum [in] the game, and it’s a lot more fun and better for our team,” Koski said. Most importantly, the seniors hope to enjoy their last season playing baseball at OHS and leave behind a legacy for the younger players to show them the integrity of the program. “We just want to show what

we have lots of new players, and I think we can use that to our advantage,” said Morgan Pacione, senior. Because the ages of the players are so spread out, it may be harder to keep a to keep everyone on the same page, it could result in a pretty successful season. “The key to success I think is trying to keep the team united as a whole because there’s so many different ages and grades. So if we can stay together and be one, I think that will help,” Pacione said. While there may be a

PHOTO BY PEYTON THOMPSON Hannah Doyle, junior, serves the ball against Barry Goldwater on Feb 26.

OC baseball is all about; it’s a very prestigious program and just know that it’s expected to be great and be great in everything you do,” Fedina said.

The JV team has strived to mirror the varsity team in terms of success and teamwork. So far, they have achieved those goals early on in the season. 3, OHS routed Tolleson 15-0, and they hope to carry that success on throughout the season with hard work and practice. “[We’re] just practicing together, getting along, getting to know each other better in and out of school,” said Max Voeller, sophomore. Having been with the team for at least a year has also helped players understand the OHS baseball program better and become more comfortable. “Now that we already know what the program is like we can just go with it and keep getting better, and since we were teammates last year it should be even better this year,” Voeller said. The experience has also helped the team grow their bond with each other, helping

the grade levels of each player, it does not change the fact that each player has a unique set of skills and talents that they bring to the team. “I think that we did really well last year, but I think that this year we have even more talent coming in, and so I think with a combination of the returning players and the incoming players that we’ll be able to make it even further and do better,’ said Hannah Doyle, junior. This year, coach Jamey Spartz hired two new assistant coaches to help perfect the team’s skill and strategy as a whole, which is meant to translate directly into their performance at matches. “We have these new assistant coaches. And we’ve just been able to focus on skills and so far in practice we’ve seen a lot of growth in skills and in unity, and so I think that will help us in games,” Doyle said. A lot of practice time is dedicated to improving each individual player’s technique, but how players

PHOTO BY CHASE WYATT Noah Nithman, senior, swings at a pitch against Hamilton on March 5. “I think we’re all good team. We pretty much spend together, we all get along, everyday together, so we’ve grown a bond together and hate each other,” Voeller said. we go hang out on weekends and get food before practices. Freshmen I think we’re really growing freshmen have been working as a team,” Darnell said. In the end, it all comes to build chemistry with down to hard work and strengths over the course of dedication. The freshmen team has that commitment their high school careers. “Personally for me, I just to the game, which will help want to build integrity and them represent OHS in the have a strong relationship future. “It’s just about putting in with my team, and my the work for me, just going coaches and just build that into practices and giving it over these next four years,” my all and then staying late, said Noah Darnell, freshman. putting in extra work, just That relationship will form making sure it’s done right,” over time through constant Darnell said. practice over the course of *Due to The Talon going the season. to print, scores for the Desert “We’re going to improve Vista game can be found on mostly by hanging out and AIA365.org. spending time with the

work together is equally as important. “We work on a lot of different techniques, like working on different plays to run and just our general performance, like who would work best as partners. So basically, we try to have the most cohesive teams to play in matches,” said Presley Simon, junior. As the bond between teammates grows, their performance will hopefully improve in their matches. against Barry Goldwater high school Feb 26 and won 5-0. On March 4 they went up against Mesa high school and won 5-0. “To have a successful season we really want to try and work hard on the little things just staying consistent in our performance and working together well,” Simon said.

With the majority of JV being underclassmen, most of the players are still learning the ins and outs of the game, but that doesn’t damper their competitive spirit. “We have a lot of competitive people so

when we play against each other [in practice], that competitiveness improves and increases,” said Liana Huesca, freshman. A lot of the players are new to the sport altogether, and would like to use this experience to be a part of something new. “I’d like to see myself improve. I’ve never played sand before, so [having] as many wins as I can [ be the goal] too,” said Liana Huesca, freshman. The chemistry between teammates has a very large impact on the success of a match. If two people don’t work well together, the whole game strategy can go awry. “If you have a partner that you don’t do well with it can change the mindset because volleyball is a very point by point game, so if you have a good teammate that carries you on and pumps you up, that helps,” Huesca said. match on March 11. *Due to The Talon going to print, scores for the Ironwood match can be found on AIA365.org.

The Talon

March 2019

thetalonohs.com

Boys volleyball kicks this season into high gear By NICK FELIDES

Spring sports are kicking into gear, as are many is seeking improvement in every possible way, whether it be improving as leader, team player, or just perfecting the team is striving to improve all volleyball team isn’t pulling any stops when it comes to

Varsity

As the players strive for improvement, the boys volleyball coach is also

making the necessary improvement, day by, day in

“I try to always bring high level practices… make sure [the team] they’re Dueling, coach of the boys’ to make it realistic to what they’re doing in real matches, making sure everyone’s involved and mentally Sports become more than

guys are making good eye contact with each other, making sure they’re not shying away from awkward conversations with each be a learning curve, seeing as the team’s range goes from

are really engaged and make sure to help and bring along the younger guys; they work

from teammates to close

Volleyball has become almost second nature for

“I want to make sure the

it hard to see where they can “I hope to improve with my individual skills like defensive skills and mental stamina,” While team chemistry can get you a long way, skill is still the most valuable asset

PHOTO BY NICK FELIDES Boys volleyball hard at work practicing for their next game.

adversities, it becomes almost

Regarding weaknesses, this varsity team faces a bit of an “I’d say our height, because a few of us are 6’3/ 6’4 and others are 6’1, 6’2,” said Not only do the school years advance faster as the years go by, but so do the “[Varsity] is a much faster pace and a lot more work to that it becomes surprising to realize how far people have come, starting out so small, “I’ve learned to be more a team player and focus on other people’s successes,

veteran, every player has to

“I’m team captain and I really want to get the kids that haven’t experienced volleyball to get a win and a really good season in,” said without obstacles, whether it be balancing team chemistry or improving the individual’s “We have a lot of strengths passers,

great

hitters,”

most of us and the kids we don’t know, we’ve already No matter the outcome of a game, everyone comes out “I’ve learned a lot, I’ve improved a lot and I’ve only had two years of experience and just this year brings a lot

“Our [team strengths are] attacking, serving, and

Everyone is planning on bringing their A-game this

to print, scores for the next

we grow and overcome our

a newcomer or a seasoned

com

OHS’ softball legacy lives on in the new season By MACY SANCHEZ

News Editor

Varsity

After a legendary and unforgettable 2019 softball season, the OHS softball team confronts the 2020 season head on and with team’s perseverance and diligent work led them to a

chemistry we had last year,”

As always, when one door made way for the addition of a handful of new girls on the

relationship and bond formed between each team member contributes to the

to have them as part of the

In addition, their hard work and extreme dedication to softball will allow them to

has carried over into this

have new people step up and show what they got,” Scusa

Last year’s win at state is a memory that will live on

Each member of the team

underway, the varsity team is motivated by the thought of “It was really cool to be able to share that experience with a group of girls that we are in a lifetime experience,” said Despite an illustrious win at state last year, each member of the OHS softball team has continued to train hard and uphold a self-effacing “We all have the same common goal: to get back to because everyone is going to just play our game and just process and work everyday, that we could get back there, and that’s everyone’s goal,” doubt capable of making it Although, it may require a little extra effort this year, “A lot of

people have

think we are doing a good job of getting back to the level of capability and team

each other accountable, but know that we are doing it out

An attitude of humility, modesty, honor, dedication, guided the team to success in

“Practices are very intense, they are very high paced, and we try to make it so that the games are easier than the team chemistry, and most importantly attitude, all go into making this outstanding off to a great start, with

PHOTO BY MACY SANCHEZ

important hard work is to commit to six days of three “Practices are good and fast paced, so we are always just going over the basics, so we know that everyone has

much just knowing that I and knowing that I’m going to go all out, so that they know I am working hard We know that we have each goofballs, we like to joke like best friends, constantly being with each other, really helps because we just form a bond that is pretty amazing,” between each member of the team is not built solely on the outside of practices, to build the strong relationship that led the team to a state win “We do a team dinner once

things together because we like to be together,” Holtorf push each other and hold

“I think we are all pretty that we have, but we still have to earn everything that we going into this season cocky, we are going in humble, but with the attitude of knowing going to practice hard in

Following varsity’s example, is the junior varsity

Seeing as the JV team is made up of a handful of freshmen, the majority have never had the opportunity to begins, creating a team founded on friendships is the main goal, as great team chemistry leads directly to Vista, the team left with a “I think the season is going

play

as a team, the better we will perform in games,” Skinner

main goal for the 2020 season is to master every skill and discover everyone’s strengths

Not far behind the junior varsity team, is the freshman

the

opportunity

“I really look up to the working on getting closer as all get closer, we are going to play well together,” said Kira

Freshman

girls that are new to the sport, and a handful of girls that are experienced in softball, the freshman team is focused on building relationships and “As the freshman team,

we already feel like we are bonding really well as a to get close with the girls on the team,” said Ria Rich, It takes practice working together to ensure that the team will be successful on the “Practices are very structured, but they are fun,” said Kira Loomis, the hardest because she [the coach] was trying to get us all At this point in the season, the freshman team is doing the basics, working together, discovering everyone’s individual strengths and weaknesses, and really

against Desert Vista was ten “I think this season is going long as everyone tries hard in practice, has a good attitude, and follows directions, we are going to have a successful print, scores for the Hamilton

The Talon

thetalonohs.com

March 2020

Tennis comes into their season aiming high By CHRIS BONIFAZ

Boys

PHOTO BY PEYTON THOMPSON Jade Robey, freshman, serves up the ball during tennis practice to further improve her skills.

Girls

By CHASE WYATT

PHOTO BY CHASE WYATT

PHOTO BY CHASE WYATT Brian Hubbard, senior, practices jumping hurdles with better precision.

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$85 Jan 8-March 13

Presales end March 13! Yearbooks can be purchased online or in the bookstore