Volume 20 Issue 3 March 2022

Sandra Day O’Connor High School

25250 N. 35th Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85083

Volume 20. Issue 3. March 2022

thetalonohs.com

By MICHAEL BROWN

PHOTO BY GABRIEL DE SOUZA Caleb Bautista, junior, stands near his business’ advertisement that he proudly displays on his car.

By GABRIEL DE SOUZA

Editor-in-Chief

As OHS students inch closer and closer to adulthood, many are eager to step foot into the real world by contributing their time, resources, and skills to their own businesses.

Student entrepreneurs are making a difference in the lives of their neighbors, their community, and people with similar interests. From a pet waste clean-up service to crocheted ornaments, students across campus are commiting time and energy to starting their own businesses.

Students are helping the community solve problems and earning money while doing so.

“My business is a pet waste clean-up service that I started in 2017. I go up to people’s houses and I pick up after their dogs once a week,” said Caleb Bautista, junior.

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Often, what inspires one client. That’s how students to branch out and I started out, I had one start their own business is client for three months.”

Entrepreneurs face many independence from their challenges as they create parents and people around inventory and expand them. their businesses.

“There was this certain “Making inventory and lego set I wanted at the promoting the products has time. I think it was the Lego Saturn V—I was challenge,” said Ilyana 12 [years old] so that was Williams, sophomore. what was most important “When making prices for to me,” Bautista said. [the products], [I] have to “[The lego set] was $120, weigh the yarn as [I’m] and I did not have that kind of money.” product. It’s very time Students like Bautista consuming and there’s a are able to take the skills lot of math.” they already have to start Williams, who operates their companies. It may be an Etsy shop that sells a slow start, but eventually, crocheted ornaments and if enough effort is put in, miniature stuffed animals, success may come.

“I was like, ‘what’s being a small business something I can do well?’” demanding.

Bautista said. “I could pick up dog poop pretty well because that’s what I did at my house for chores.

Jump to Page 5 I started out [by] going door to door around my neighborhood and I got

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Opinions Page 12

Every year the dodgeball tournament never fails to deliver endless excitement and entertainment for all the students watching and competing. Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last year’s tournament was canceled, breaking the annual tradition. This year’s tournament did take place, yet at a later date than normal due to further pandemic complications.

Even though the dodgeball tournament was postponed it did not stop students from competing.

This year's tournament had high participation, and was full of music and fun.

“We had about 10 teams [competing],” said Brandon Ngo, senior. “We wanted to [have] more [people], like try and get 16 teams, but even with the 10 teams there was a lot of people.”

This year's theme was a glow in the dark theme.

STUGO set up the tournament with a DJ and dark lights so that the normal lights could be turned off and have different colors glow in the dark. Some competitors took advantage of the dark lighting by wearing dark-colored clothing instead of white or a color that would make them stand out amongst the darkness.

“When we walked in, they said it would be a ‘glow in the dark’ [style],” said Hudson Dins, junior. “They had dark lights, so we got to turn all the lights off.”

PHOTO BY GABRIEL DE SOUZA Lauren Fetkenheir, STUGO advisor, looks out towards her opponents during the dodgeball tournament.

By ABBY MILLS Photography Editor

Varsity The past school year has been full of change and innovation—on and off the basketball court. After implementing a brand new coaching staff, the boys varsity basketball team learned to be quick and roll with the punches during its 2021-2022 season.

A coach is an integral part of a team, as how they teach and impact students determines how well they perform on the court. Joshua Cole is the brand new boy's basketball coach making his debut this season.

He led the team to a 7-11 overall score, a good start to “You had to get to know him. You had to earn that trust but he did really well and he just brings energy and it makes us want to play hard,” said William Romley, senior.

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News

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thetalonohs.com

March 2022

Living in fear: anti-Asian hate crimes rise significantly

By ANANYA THEKKEMELEPATT Opinions Editor

Since 2020, attacks on the Asian community, especially East and Southeast Asian communities, have increased exponentially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With these attacks continuing throughout the last two years, here is what OHS students have to say about it.

“I just started getting really scared going outside, especially for my grandparents since they were the weaker target,” said Victoria Le, junior. “People started calling me a lot of bad names.”

Le is of Vietnamese heritage and was raised in Arizona. Growing up here, many kids, including Le, experienced being alienated

by fellow classmates.

“I was trying so hard to not show my culture,” Le said. “It's the fear of people making fun of us, looking down on us and what we do.”

Being of a different culture in another environment can cause people to be alienated by their peers, leading to feelings of insecurity about one’s identity. my English was not that good and I feel like that made other people look down on me,” said Kelly Choi, junior.

While different people of all ages in the Asian community were attacked, Asian elders were the easier and weaker targets. Whether it was on the sidewalk or in the stores, elders were severely and repeatedly assaulted.

“My grandparents moved

here for a better life and for them to live in fear in their country that promised to protect us, it's just really sad to think about,” Le said. “I can't even protect them.”

Big cities like New York City became hotspots for attacks like this. According to the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism, the percentage of change in antiAsian hate crimes between 2019 to 2020 in New York City alone was 883%.

“I was about to go to New York and that’s where the rates were really high…

There were attacks on the subways,” Choi said. “Once the attacks got worse, even in daylight in the middle of the city people were just getting attacked…We couldn't really do anything.”

Despite being a city with

many people, meaning many witnesses, the number of safe spaces continually decreased.

Attacks became a common occurrence, with many people killed because of them.

“It made me insecure, even though I had my mask on I felt like people were looking at me…People thought we were a disease or something,” Choi said. “People were getting killed…they were just walking.”

Stepping outside and simply conducting everyday responsibilities became a luxury that many members of the Asian community were stripped of.

“You don't know who’s out to get you,” Le said. “People just want to put blame on someone.”

Many people believe the upcoming generations

are slowly becoming more knowledgeable and accepting of other marginalized and minority communities.

“Since our generation is getting older it is getting better,” Le said. “We’re more open-minded.”

Despite these changes in our generation's mentalities, many feel that it is important to continue to push for further education and acceptance of all communities.

“There should be more education on cultures and racism,” Choi said.

As expressed by members of the Asian community, their cultural identity is not something that should be used against them.

“We’re just so stuck on ourselves; we’re not that open to other cultures,” Le said. “We’re still human.”

Ryan’s Rally raises awareness for mental health

By GABRIEL DE SOUZA

Editor-in-Chief

For years, the OHS community has come together at the end of February to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention.

Last year’s event was canceled due to COVID-19, but Ryan’s Rally for Mental Health Superheros returned this year with several activities that brought much needed attention to the cause.

Ryan’s Rally was held at OHS to bring the community and the people who knew him together and to remove the stigma around talking about one’s mental health challenges. With the stress and anxiety that school can bring, mental health is important to talk about at the high school level. Suicide and mental health can be hard topics to talk about, and the goal of Ryan’s Rally is to make it easier.

“Several years ago my brother, Ryan, died by suicide,” Christin Pike, CEO of Mental Health Superheros and alumini of OHS. “One of the things that happened after my brother died was that many of his friends and students would go up to my parents and say ‘I was worried about him; I didn’t know what to do’ and that was really hard for my parents to hear.”

A suicide in the community can have an immense impact, not only on the person’s family but everyone they

knew as well.

“Exposure to suicide can be a risk factor for suicide, and so my family became concerned knowing that a lot of the students, a lot of the people who knew [Ryan], were at risk,” Pike said. “Sometimes exposure to suicide can feel like permission.”

Knowing that the community was deeply affected, Ryan’s family decided to start an event to raise awareness for mental health.

“Our family felt very strongly that from the tragedy of Ryan passing, we wanted to give back to the community and we wanted to have an event where we could bring people together and strengthen each other,” Pike said.

Mental health is a huge issue amongst adolescents; Ryan’s Rally is one way that members of the community are trying to make resources more readily available.

“I know from personal experience that our youth are holding responsibility for themselves and for their friends’ mental health challenges without getting additional support that is available,” Pike said. “There are a variety of things that you can do to protect your mental health that aren’t just [going] to a therapist or [talking] to [an] adult. I know our youth are trying to handle it on their own and aren’t aware of the resources that are available to them.”

As mental health can be

PHOTO BY GABRIEL DE SOUZA Captain America and Ironman stand for the national anthem before the 10K rcae begins. a challenge for people of all ages, the event is a safe space to talk about those challenges with people who are willing to lend an ear.

“I think mental health goes across all ages; there are kids with mental health issues, to adults and everything in between,” said Dana Edwards, Ryan’s father. “Having a good time with family or with a group of friends makes it a little more comfortable to talk about. We want to make it a safe environment where people feel comfortable, and they’ll be able to talk to one another.”

Ryan’s Rally included running races and a variety of other activities that get your body moving.

“For my parents in particular, physical effort—

like running, bike riding, those kinds of things—was an important piece of the puzzle because we believe that when you move your body, you move your mind,” Pike said.

“Having the physical health aspect, certainly ties in to the mental health aspect.”

This year, the event was held on Feb. 19, with physical activities throughout the morning, from yoga to a lollipop race for kids, the event had something for everyone.

“There is something for everybody,” Pike said.

“There is a one-mile fun run, so if you’re not a runner and not interested in doing [the 5k] we have the onemile. We also have other events including yoga, with a mindfulness [aspect] so we can talk about mental health

as we move our bodies.”

With three different races occurring simultaneously and the races being separated by gender, there were a total this year’s 5k race was Tyler Bedgood, a 6th grader at Stetson Hills School.

“I was excited, but I was tired [after the race],” Bedgood said.

Not only did the event receive support from people in the community, but also people from far distances, coming to support each other. Rich Hadley, of Florence, Colorado, traveled for Ryan’s Rally.

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The Talon

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March 2022

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FCAhelps brings faith and positivity to OHS

By MANASI TRIPATHI

Fellowship of Christian Athletes has been predominant in the United States for years. It brings faith into students’ lives and helps enlighten them to live a happier life, which in turn helps them start their positivity.

FCA also is a way to help people get involved with the community, which allows them to stay connected and de-stress from school.

“I just really like the community FCA has and just being able to live out my faith on campus and being able to be in community with it and learn about it and support other people with it,” said Kira Loomis, junior. “It’s a great way to have fellowship on campus.”

The OHS chapter of FCA was started for athletes to give them motivation on their game day but now this has evolved into welcoming anyone who is willing to join the prayer circle or FCA. “It’s just encouraging us to live out our day and just do

the right thing and hopefully help others and encourage [others] to have fun,” said Nathan Gilbert, junior.

It is just a place that motivates students to concentrate more towards studies and sports by giving them small lessons or just meeting in the morning and reading something from the Bible, giving them an insight about how a small thing in their daily routine can make a whole day so much better.

“School can get rough sometimes, so the whole basis of [FCA] is just to have a good start in the morning and be able to crush the rest of the day,” Gilbert said.

FCA is handled by few of the most diligent groups of students. They come together to plan the schedule of the morning and make sure that everything runs smoothly during the meeting.

“We help people to grow in their faith and we set an example for living out your faith,” said Luke Fisher, senior.

FCA is based on sports, which is why the leaders tend to plan events that will inspire students to do sports

PHOTO BY MANASI TRIPATHI During a FCA meeting Gordon Wickert, guest speaker, speaks to students and try something new by schools, elementary and high going out of their comfort school. Guest speakers talk zone, which is exactly what about their thoughts and students need sometimes. spread their guidance to help “For just, it’s just like students with their goals. all about sharing our faith “I have been injured for and how we can share the about two years now but you gospel through this club and can still use those messages through sport,” Fisher said. and those discussions that we “Literally anyone can come talk about in FCA to apply it and you’ll have fun, maybe to life,” Loomis said. learn something new.”

FCA’s main motive was FCA is an association which to encourage people who goes around to many other

guide them with the help of Jesus Christ, but students who do not participate in sports are still encouraged to join the group. It’s a great way to motivate the students to do something new and interesting.

“Most of these people are athletes so we discuss how to spread Jesus in sports, but even people that don’t play sports are welcome,” Fisher said.

Adjusting to the now for FBLA, HOSA, and FCCLA

By LINDSAY STEINBERG

With the world still trying to adapt to COVID-19 and attempting to seek normalcy, clubs around campus are also adapting to the changes being thrown at them. Clubs like FBLA, HOSA, and FCCLA are all facing the pandemic in different ways and have had to adjust to online competition, with some having to tackle last minute changes.

The transition from online to in-person is impacting the clubs for how they prepare for their competitions and even the mindset they are competing with. Though,

they also have to be ready for any last minute changes with the unpredictability of the pandemic.

“Originally, we were supposed to have our regional competition in person at a West Mec campus and then it got moved to virtual last minute, due to the Covid surge,” said Megan Polliard, HOSA member and junior.

The changes do come with some pros for people, as many seek the good to highlight the situations and abrupt alterations.

“I think it [competing online] makes it harder for people to compete, but I think there are some good things about it too,” said Esha Saraswat, junior. “You

have to dress up as a business professional for FBLA and for every competition I’ve worn sweatpants and a blazer on top.”

Being online removes one vital aspect of their competitions, the in-person interaction, which can help FBLA members receive better feedback and develop a stronger presentation during their competitions.

“Online, for our regionals, it’s a little bit harder to do because you’re not in person with the judge and you’re not getting as much real people interaction, but it’s easy on the technology end because you can just share your screen,” said Lauren Bauer, sophomore.

While regionals may have been canceled last minute, state is still set to be in person and it’s an exciting moment for everyone in the clubs.

“We are competing at state this year, so we’re going to be going in March,” said Allie Gardiner, FCCLA member and junior. “I’m really glad it’s in person, I feel like it’s a lot more personable that way because we actually are presenting to judges.” time competing in person as COVID impacted their entire experience within the club, but it offers a new layer of excitement and room for opportunity.

“It’ll [competing in person] be different, especially

because my freshman year I year was completely online and on Zoom,” Polliard said.

“Everything was totally different so it’s like relearning what normal is supposed to be.”

The clubs after years of unpredictability look to the rest of this year and future years with hope and possibility of adjusting to normal in their programs, along with the chance for new opportunity.

“It’s kind of nice since everything was online last year, to be in person again this year, because everything seems like it’s kind of going back to normal,” Gardiner said.

Students prepare for sucess with the ACT

By ANANYA THEKKEMELEPATT

As OHS enters the spring semester of the 2021-2022 school year, juniors prepare themselves to take the ACT test. The ACT test is a standardized test that has been administered since 1959 and is now used for college admissions and applications.

Though many colleges and universities have decided to be test-blind up through the class of 2026 due to the pandemic, it has still been recommended that juniors take the test. But what is the

OHS and its juniors?

“The state of Arizona has now made the ACT the state assessment,” said Ray Utter, Assistant Principal.

“It used to be the AzMERIT and AzM2…that’s why it’s mandatory this year as opposed to before where it was kind of optional.”

Unlike previous years where students may have taken the AzMERIT to ‘measure their intellect,’ the state has now made it mandatory for juniors to take the ACT as a way for schools to collect data about where

their students are at.

“By giving the standardized tests, we’re collecting data on all our students…It’s like a thermometer, it helps us see where our students are at,” Utter said. “They’re using it to measure the school itself.”

But are standardized tests like the ACT even accurate ways of measuring a students intellect and readiness for college? Throughout the years, many have started to disagree with the value of standardized tests.

“When it comes to standardized testing, it’s a big philosophical debate that

people have, like ‘What’s the point of it,’ [and] ‘Does it really show what a student knows or doesn’t know,’” Utter said. “I know some students that work very hard, they do well in school but they get test anxiety and there’s some arguments for both sides, for sure.”

But no matter one’s opinion on the test, it is still a requirement. So what can juniors expect?

“If you can do 60 questions in 60 minutes, you’d be good for the ACT,” said Hridya Puthiyaveettil, junior. “Time

is a really important thing for this test.”

The ACT has a reading section, a writing section, a math section, and a science section, all of which either have the same amount of questions as time given or more questions with less time.

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Features thetalonohs.com

March 2022

How OHS counseling is paving the way for students’ futures.

By

KAITLYN SMITTEN

Sports Editor

OHS counseling is one of the largest and most well known student support systems in the school. Not only does OHS counseling help students align for their futures, but they also provide emotional support for those who need it.

In the OHS counseling department, every day is unpredictable. Even though there is no consistency in the day’s events, OHS counseling does their best to provide the highest quality of advice to any student who may need it.

“I can talk to them about where I want to go to college and what I want to experience and I know I am going to get good advice,” said Grace Richardson, senior.

The OHS counseling department is always there to aid each and every student’s needs and does their best to cater to each and every student and their needs.

“There is always something going on campus. We help students all the way from academic questions and course selections for their next school year to students who might be in crisis or need a little emotional support.

We’re here for a whole realm of reasons,” said Holly

Gillaspy, counselor.

The OHS counselors’ goals are to stay on top of students’ needs and do all that they can to help students get to where they want to be.

“We meet with students twice a year and we do units for lessons in the media center and what we do is we help educate students,” Gillaspy said.

Even though a lot of what the counselors do is behind the scenes, they still try to keep students and parents involved as much as possible.

“We do scholarships, career exploration, we speak to students about universities and post- secondary plans.

We try to help them with can be prepared for their plans after high school,” said Kathleen Giacini, counselor.

Everything that the OHS counseling team does is to overall, they do their best to make sure that every student has access to the best resources in order to succeed.

“Every one of us will applications where they need recommendations so we write those recommendations.

We’ll interview students to get more information when we need a letter of

PHOTO BY KAITLYN SMITTEN Samantha Bowman, counselor, helps students pick their classes for next year. recommendation we need offer the best resources to all they are not always the to write based on students students, and most of these that seek additional resources come from the for themselves. The OHS opportunities,” Gillaspy said. counseling department. Not counseling department’s job The OHS counseling only do OHS counselors have is to guide students in the department is always helping to help students choose the right direction and give them students get where they courses that would be best the opportunity to reach need to be, even if it’s time for them, but they also have their highest potential. consuming for them. to help upperclassmen apply “When I joined ROTC, “We’re kind of always to colleges that would best I knew I wanted to do involved with that side of suit them. something with the military things and just helping them “My counselor but I wasn’t sure what so I understand what impacts recommended me to take talked to my counselor about [their] class rank and what honors and higher level it and she told me to take colleges are kind of looking classes because I’ve always certain classes that are more at, what’s important to focus been in them and she even on maybe what you know recommended I take forensics now I am almost certain about doesn’t matter as much and because that’s what I’m most what I want to do and I don’t just kind of helping them interested in,” Richardson know If I would have even keep their priorities based on said. considered that career path what they say they want,” Even though students if it wasn’t recommended to Gillaspy said. me by someone,” Richardson OHS does their best to and applying to schools, said.

West-MEC helps students create their own future

By MANASI TRIPATHI

OHS provides many different opportunities to students, West-MEC being one of them. The program provides experiences that students’ futures and allows them to enter the workforce with ease.

West Mec gives you assurance that you will be recognized and get opportunities to put forth your thoughts later on in your career.

“These are very competitive programs, and they are well-recognized by industry professionals. Students can go to West-MEC and get a license straight out of high school to go into the working world,” said Holly Gillaspy, counselor.

Being in these programs, it gives students a vision for their future job and make life-decisions at a young age, which helps them get their desired job right after graduation..

“We have an inside clinic that we actually get to bring animals into from the shelter.

PHOTO BY GABRIEL DE SOUZA Reece Messer, senior, bends conduit to run wire through at West-MEC’s Northeast Campus.

We get to take care of them, do daily dog care, animal care, to be able to know what it would be like in a real clinic,” said Mia Whalen, senior.

This program prepares students for a variety of real life situations such as interviews, and also helps them master skills which can “It’s really fun, you won’t regret it, it might seem like a lot of work, but when you think about it, it’s going to be

so helpful in the future,” said Olivia Falgione, senior.

Teens get to be in wellhigh school because of the experience West Mec provides. These students get to work on a job right after college unlike a normal student, who will need to put more effort towards their job.

“I can already be in the I graduate at 17,” Falgione veterinary

assistant,

take

the NAFTA test for teaching already at the end of graduating.”

This program helps teens explore their choices and learn more about the community. This helps them increase their knowledge in their career in depth.

“It’s extremely helpful to also learn about the community and the different opportunities, cause there are a million of opportunities in Sometimes the timing with

West-MEC can be challenging with school schedules, but students still use their time management skills to make it work.

“Sometimes on talon time days, it’s hard because I get out at 11:55 a.m. and then my class starts at 1:00 p.m. so I have to rush over there,” said Amy Peak, junior.

This may look time consuming because these students have to attend both school and West-MEC,but the workload at West-MEC is lesser than at school.

“I do not get much homework from West-MEC, it’s actually pretty easy out of school, so it’s easier to handle than I thought,” Peak said.

Another perk of the program is that students get to meet different kinds of people with the same interests, which can help them be social and learn new things everyday, it is more hands-on studies than reading it all in a book.

“It is very very nice because you get to meet people who are into the same thing as you are and they encourage you completely along the way,” Walen said.

The Talon

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Jumped from page 2: Ryan’s Rally raises awareness “We had [the race] on our minds when we came down,” Hadley said.

As a coach, Hadley understands the importance of mental health as it can impact many people in everyone’s community.

“I coach up at the high school in Florence and we have to deal with [the athletes’] wellness all the time; mental health is part of the wellness we have to deal with,” Hadley said. “[We need to be] aware of what’s going on in their lives and so forth.”

Hadley, at 65 years old, was

concerned; about a week ago we only had 50 people signed up,” Edwards said. “We had at the end about 135 people total, which is great. It’s a little bit down from the year before, but I think we more than made up [for it] with participation from volunteers from the school. ROTC, the band, [and] different clubs came so we’re really pleased.”

Ryan’s Rally takes place at the end of February annually as a way to remember him and to celebrate his life.

“For [my family], it was very much a ‘we want to remember him at this time.’

My brother’s birthday is February 24th, so we do it in that last week of February, around his birthday, as a time to remember him, but also bring the community together and turn our tragedy into something that is a positive experience,” Pike said.

Meaningful conversations are in abundance at Ryan’s Rally as people support each other.

“It seems like every year we have conversations with

10k race in about 48 minutes. is four loops too long for me, but it was good,” Hadley said. “[The race] was nice, it’s got some pretty good hills in it.”

Due to the scale of the event, many volunteers were control, and work water stations.

“It’s been really fun,” said Mackenzie Tanner, senior. “I really wanted to do it to show that I can support people and help people out when they need it.”

Even volunteers were able to come out of the event knowing its importance.

“I have family members that suffer from depression [and] anxiety, so I know what it’s like,” Tanner said.

“I always try and help out wherever I can. It’s really important to my family; that’s why I thought it was a great event to [volunteer at].”

The proceeds of the rally organizations. event] go to the Andy Hull’s Sunshine Foundation, which is another organization

did it at O’Connor, there was a woman who came and signed up and was running in memory of her son who had past away, not from suicide, he had just passed away,” Edwards said. “She was dealing with some grief and [the event] was such a great opportunity for us to support her.”

From support to physical activity, Ryan’s Rally is a community event that PHOTO BY GABRIEL DE SOUZA TJ Bedgood, junior, showing his support by competing in the race. about suicide prevention in like giving back to the school.

Arizona,” Pike said. “We We’re hoping, if we get a lot of participation this year, O’Connor marching band— [to] fund some mental health that’s a big part of our family tradition, we really Last year’s event was

unable to take place due to COVID-19. This year, students from a variety of clubs came to volunteer and attend the event.

“I have to admit I was very

“[Anyone] can be a mental health superhero; you don’t need to have special training,” Pike said. “You don’t need to know everything about a mental health challenge to step up and talk to somebody you’re concerned about.”

Jumped from page 1: Students find new skills by starting businesses “It can be more stressful sometimes,” Williams said.

“Since I’m the only one doing it, I don’t have anyone to rely on.”

Other challenges can arise for students with small businesses that service customers on a monthly or weekly basis.

“When someone cancels, that’s an automatic decrease a [new] client pretty quickly in order to sustain [my] income,” Bautista said. “If I have two clients cancel at the same time, for me that’s $120 I’m no longer getting. immediately.”

For Daniel Broadstock, senior, who resells sneakers on platforms like Ebay and StockX, the biggest challenge

was obtaining the funds to start the business. capital and working [my] way up [was the biggest challenge I faced],” Broadstock said.

Through the challenges, support from the people closest to them.

“My parents gave me a little bit of money in the beginning and they were supportive all the way through [by] helping me out and just supporting me through the process,” Broadstock said.

Not only do parents aid in the process of starting a business, but grandparents do as well.

“My grandparents ask their friends if they want [to buy the crochets]; they helped me

way,” Williams said.

The families of OHS’ aspiring business leaders also help in the development of skills necessary in customer relations.

“When I was 12 [years old], I didn’t have very good business management skills, so my mom did most of it,” Bautista said. “It slowly progressed to me having all the responsibilities. [My mom] gave me a backbone of support in the beginning to let me get started.”

Students are using their businesses to strengthen the community and make differences for people in need of support.

“My mom is a nurse for high-risk pregnant women. I make a [crochet] bee and she gives it to [her patients]. It’s

Williams said. own bosses allows students to be more independent and have freedom while still maintaining an income.

“I decide my own hours. I decide when I can work and when I need to work, and if I need to cancel, I can cancel. I’m not constrained to someone else’s schedule,” Bautistsa said.

Through the start of their businesses, some students have been able to explore their interests further and have found a sense of community. because I’ve found other people through crocheting and I’ve joined crochet groups through the internet

and social media,” Williams share my passion and then I learn new [types of] stitches.

It’s a very supportive community because you can comment and ask what’s the best type of yarn and everybody responds. It’s very uplifting.”

The experiences students are getting while running their businesses will allow for a variety of different opportunities as they grow.

“I’ve gained a lot of money management, business management, and customer service [skills],” Bautista said. “I’m interested in engineering, so If I wanted to start my own welding company and—when I’m I’ll have these skills.”

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DOWN 1. In charge of assemblies, spirt weeks, and other activities.

2. Time when students dress funky and creative.

3. New pass system.

4. Our bigget rival.

8. School mascot.

The Talon is published as a forum for student opinion at Sandra Day O’Connor High School: part of the Deer Valley

ACROSS 5. Who was the school named after?

6. Expect the , get the , be the .

7. The school newspaper.

9. Part of our new schedule.

10. What is rumored be on top of the 400-500 building.

top online publication and the top print or libelous statements publication in the

editor must be signed are of those of The and dropped off in Talon staff and do not The Talon is an award Room 508, e-mailed to winning publication Visit The Talon online with dozens of awards for its staff members may be edited for as well as ranked the content and/or space

Editors-in-Chief:

Sports Editor:

Staff Writers:

Gabriel de Souza

Kaitlyn Smitten

Michael Brown Heaven Parson

Copy Chief:

News Editor:

Lindsay Steinberg

Aayushi Datta

Adviser:

Features Editor:

Cindy Garraway

Victoria Kirova

Opinions Editor

Photography Editor: Abby Mills

Ananya Thekkemelepatt

Manasi Tripathi

March 2022

7

Q: How do you hope to impact others?

“

I hope that I can inspire [peers] to show them that you can come from low income, you can be a minority, you cannot have the best grades in school and yet you can still do all of these amazing things because that’s everything that I was able to do .

“

Aniya King senior

Q: Do you ever feel like you should stop playing tennis?

Sanjana Kumar junior

“

“

There have been times where it’s been really stressful and I’ve been really thinking just, ‘Should I give up?’ It takes a lot on your body, it takes a lot on you mentally, but I could never just put the racket down. For the most part, I want to just go through with it and see how long I can play.

8

March 2022

“

Especially at school where not everyone gets to go home I think it’s really important that

to unite someone

“

John Zeng Sophomore

aptured Interviews and photographs by Abby Mills and Victoria Kirova

@OC.CAPTURED

@OC_CAPTURED

March 2022

Q: Why did you want to be a coach?

“ Being a player growing

Al Burge Security guard

up I’ve always had coaches who’ve impacted my life in a positive way. So just me these kids is amazing.

That’s why I started coaching.

9

“

10

March 2022

LEADER SPOTLIGHT Dante Milo National Honor Society President

By THE TALON

As the current president of OHS’s chapter Milo, senior, has been able to interact with the community in many ways. Milo knows the importance of assuring that the club is run properly and being available to help other “Being a leader means being there when people need you and people being able to look up to you,” Milo said. “It’s about accountability, like making sure you’re doing everything right so people can look up to you.”

With the numerous responsibilities he holds as president, Milo has seen and experienced what it takes to be a leader.

“The responsibilities [I have] as president, is the powerpoints for all our meetings and then Milo said. “If we do donation drives, I have to drive the donations to the [receiver]. Like, we had a Humane Society drive and I drove the donations to the Humane Society campus.” is a hard decision, but for Milo, seeing the

Leaders at OHS give ne

By VICTORIA KIROVA

Features Editor

The world is full of leaders. Whether it be a coach, a president, or an editor-in-chief, these people take initiative, support their peers, and serve as examples for their communities. The job of these leaders is one that requires a substantial amount of passion and perseverance, but these leadership positions also allow individuals to receive themselves and others.

The large selection of clubs at OHS serves in granting students diverse opportunities to connect with others and discover their interests. Thankfully, leaders are able to inspire others to be a part of these organizations, and feel a sense of pride knowing that they are stepping outside of their comfort zone and exploring new ideas. One such club that demonstrates

this mindset is Speech and Debate.

“I think being a leader just means listening to everyone's input and really trying to strike out because— especially in a club like Speech and Debate—there’s a lot of different opinions and ways to approach how to construct an argument,” said Afzal Ariff, senior.

In every aspect of life, it is essential to listen to other ideas and perspectives so that one can better understand the people around them.

This connection can also in the organizations that they choose to join.

“I really wanted a place where students could come and speak their mind about issues and really have a place that translates their passion into action,” Ariff said.

Many people aspire to be leaders for others, but it can be challenging to recognize the opportunities when they arise. However, what some

people fail to realize is that being a leader is an attitude, rather than a position.

“I think being a leader doesn’t always have to be a role. I think it’s just a mindset. If you’re always trying to uplift members of your community, or the people around you, then I think you are a

“I think being always have to b it’s just a min always trying to of your commun around you, then a leader.”

-Afzal

leader,” Ariff said.

Similarly, with leadership, the real power comes from the realization that they are not alone in this journey.

Leaders are able to shape people’s lives, and a big part of this is recognizing that collaborating with others leads to the most successful

Leadershi

do it. year, I’d see the seniors running the meetings and everything, and giving us volunteer opportunities. I just saw that it would be other people to have,” Milo said.

PHOTO BY GABRIEL DE SOUZA As president of NHS, Dante Milo, senior, volunteers his time at a STUGOorganized blood drive.

OHS Leaders launch

By ABBY MILLS

Photography Editor

Clubs play an integral role in making a school distinct; they help build a community through shared enthusiasm, allow students to gain leadership opportunities, and explore different beliefs with peers. OHS students are demonstrating initiative by creating new clubs with the help of staff and students—leaving their mark on the school for years to come.

By creating new clubs, students get the unique opportunity to leave behind a legacy. Simply starting a club from scratch—keeping it fresh and inviting—can make students feel out of place.

“Coming up with new to expand what you are

doing because with other clubs it's already set. And when you're starting it, you have to try to come up with it on your own. So just keeping it interesting for all the members can be hard sometimes,” said Samantha Sharlot, junior.

The motivation for starting a new club can stem from feeling left out or unheard by the community and a desire to voice the concerns of the unheard.

Youth for Acceptance is a recently reinstated club, created by students who want to make OHS a safer environment for students.

“We don't have that much diversity in our school.

And the small amount of diversity we do have is targeted from teachers, students, and overall just in this city. We gather and talk about issues that we

are personally dealing with based on you being different from most of the people here. We talk about solutions that we can possibly offer,” said Sanskriti Shandilya, sophomore.

Building a new club from square one gives students a chance to lead. For

“It's a lot of res

had to take mo own wallet for th because I had to fundraising.”

-Michael

they can take charge, be heard, and create a difference at the school.

“I've been in STUGO for three years, and that really helped prepare me for the leadership role I had to take

ew meaning to the word solutions.

“Being a leader for me is more about the people that I get to lead. It's a really nice experience for me to get to work with other people, and I think that a lot of it comes from having an Esha Saraswat, junior.

With all that these

a leader doesn’t be a role. I think ndset. If you’re o uplift members nity, or the people n I think you are

l Ariff

influential people have achieved, one may ask themselves the question of how exactly one is inspired to take on such a responsibility. For some people, this desire to impact others stems from important members in an individual’s life.

They’re my biggest role models. Everything that I have done in terms of leadership, I have gotten from them,” Saraswat said.

Likewise, others receive this drive due to the leaders that they got to work with in clubs and events, in the past.

“My freshman year, I joined student government.

I was inspired by those [previous] leaders, and throughout my little journey through student government, and through swim, and just through life in general. Just getting to witness those leaders and take all their skills and then apply it to myself [was Edlebeck, senior. “I really want to make a difference in the world and show love to everyone.”

For most leaders, their main goal is to help others in whatever way they can.

While the impact may be big or small, even one person

being positively affected makes a tremendous difference.

“I hope to impact [my peers] by inspiring them to become a leader, whether it be their club, their sport, their job, no matter what it is. I want to inspire someone to do what they want to do, and step up and be a leader for themselves,” said Mackenzie Greene, senior.

Overall, anyone can

out of my own wallet for the club, especially because I had to learn how to do fundraising. And we just la Pajeyl weren't expecting that like-minded many people to join [Go individuals and relate to Green Club],” said Michaela their experiences. In these Pajeyl, senior.

Laying the foundations to after-school programs, for a club can be overwhelming.

Already established clubs have an advantage— life: they are not alone.

LEADER SPOTLIGHT

PHOTO BY VICTORIA KIROVA Samantha Sharlot, junior, ponders what it means to be a leader.

“Take the initiative and work hard to be able to accomplish your goal

Samantha Sharlot Psychology Club President

By THE TALON

h clubs with ingenuity

oney out of my he club, especially o learn how to do

11

step on this journey is to recognize that it will require determination in oneself. It is important to do whatever appeals to your interests, so that you can live life to the fullest and with no regrets.

“I would say just to go for it. I say just try new things because even if you’re not entirely sure if you’re going to like it or not, try new things because you never know where it’s going to take you in life. It could lead to other opportunities,” Greene said.

ip at OHS

on in starting a club, the “You don’t see that many organizational factor, the people that are diverse paperwork. That is what around [the school], and prepared me for that. That then when you see all of them sitting in one classroom was just navigating a new you just have so much in subject [psychology] that common,” Shandilya said.

I had not learned before,” Many organizational Sharlot said. factors go unnoticed that Clubs are an these brand new leaders opportunity must grapple with. The innovators learn to balance it all. sponsibility that “It's a lot of responsibility that I was not expecting. I

thetalonohs.com

they can look in the past at previous years as a guidebook if stuck. With a new club, there are no rules.

“There was no history behind the club. There was nothing that I could go off of, so it's just making your own thing and talking about things that you have to bring up,” Shandilya said.

By creating these new clubs, students leave behind a legacy at the school for future generations of students.

“Believe in yourself; if you want to start something you can make a difference at this campus. It is a school of a lot of people so it can be hard, but if you really put your mind to something, you could start something that could be a very big deal for a lot of people,” Sharlot said.

Samantha Sharlot, junior, is involved with many OHS organizations, like FBLA, Student Government, and psychology club, the latter of which she is the president of.

“Take the initiative and work hard to be able to accomplish your goal if you have a dream or if you have something that you wanna start up.

Take that risk and try to start it up,” Sharlot said.

Being involved in multiple organizations at OHS has allowed Sharlot to truly develop her “I believe being a leader means care[ing] for people around you, putting others before yourself, putting [the] organization before yourself and are serving,” Sharlot said.

As president of the psychology club, Sharlot has had to go through many obstacles just to establish the club this school year.

“I had to talk with [Ms. Liptow] about it, I had to look up paper[work] to really make [it] happen,” Sharlot said.

Participating in various organizations and being involved with the OHS campus as much as possible has allowed Sharlot “The idea of actually taking initiative and starting [psychology club] up is something I take with me in terms of taking risks for things that I am passionate about,” Sharlot said.

4Page 12

Opinions thetalonohs.com

March 2022

Avenue 27 sets up high standards for CTE programs

By AAYUSHI DATTA

News Editor

PHOTO BY AAYUSHI DATTA Patrons of Avenue 27 see their food being cooked in the appealing restaurant space.

PHOTO BY GABRIEL DE SOUZA The trout almondine offered at Avenue 27.

The secret detriments of cryptocurrency

By LINDSAY STEINBERG

Copy Chief

The Talon

thetalonohs.com

March 2022

13

Are standardized tests a true measure of intelligence?

By LINDSAY STEINBERG

Copy Chief

Are SAT scores as important as the educational system makes students believe they are? During a student’s entire educational career they are told about these dreaded exams they must take prior to college applications and how they must study for them, with there even consisting of several websites and tutor opportunities to help.

SAT is believed to measure college readiness, which many would correlate with intelligence, and if the student is at the “level” that college will be asking of his/ her. When in reality, this could not be further from the truth. The test alone cannot trace one’s intellectual ability as a student, the credibility of the college the student wants to attend, nor the student’s potential future income and career opportunities. Instead, it simply displays how good a

student is at preparing for and taking a test, which is where the “college readiness” comes from.

Imagine a student takes the SAT and gets a 1200, without any preparation or studying, while there is another student who studied for hours on end and left the SAT with a 1500. Is this really a valuable measurement of intelligence?

Another factor is the quite evident score difference when there is a wealth gap. Many sets of data have shown wealthier students tend to score much higher on the SAT than students with a lower income. As seen in research done by Brookings in 2018, students in families with a lower income with an average of around $25,000, average around an 800 and higher income families average around a 1200. While this is not an end all or be all point, that can also differentiate depending on the person, and it’s still a pattern that many seem to notice.

With the rise of COVID-19

PHOTO COURTESY OF DREAMSTIME.COM and prestigious schools, like Harvard no longer requiring scores up until 2026, it poses the question of “Why”?

Yes, tests such as the SAT require packing a school with students to take the test, but why for such a long period of time and even when the College Board is still offering the tests. If colleges look to these exams to see if a student is ready to gain admission, it raises curiosity as to why they are willing to

put off accepting scores for so long.

From a scholarship standpoint, submitting your test scores still makes sense as they can give you thousands of dollars off your education. Maybe if you scored very well on the test and it could come off as desirable to an institution you may be applying to, it may be worth submitting to make your application stand out amongst the thousands

submitted.

Should the

tests

be

of someone’s intelligence, though?

Probably not.

There’s too many factors and studies that show otherwise.

While the SAT may be helpful and has become the normal for students planning to attend college, whether or not someone has the “intelligence” that’ll be asked of them in college.

School should function on a four day schedule

By AAYUSHI DATTA

News Editor

A long weekend: something that students look forward to during the hectic school schedules they go through everyday. However, what if these long weekends become a weekly occurrence? Amongst all the exhaustion, an extra day is very much required by the students, teachers, and staff. Weekends are not enough for students because of other plans they have, in this case school should be cut down to four full days a week Four full days of school is a much better option for students because it is more motivating than the normal schedule, students seem dull and gloomy because they did not get enough rest over the weekends. Weekends are a time when students can catch up on their work, whether Hailey Bishop, junior, and Kainoa Gesino, senior, walk through campus during their lunch hour. it is for school, or personal. not have time for themselves skip school. Teachers seem A four day week will also be Because of this, students to just relax and give their to really love teaching when helpful in increasing learning barely get time for themselves body and mind a break. It more students are present as they are always busy. in the class. An increased the time they need to grade It is known that rest is feel less stressful and boost student work, and they will needed for bodies to function their morale. make them happy. not be overwhelmed with properly. But the question is, A big advantage of the It is a known fact that work and pressure. are students getting enough four days is for the teachers. teachers work extremely The school in general will rest to keep going? An alleged Well rested students are hard for the students. They answer to this question will be very calm, hence, it will are the foundation which the cost of maintenance ‘NO.’ Student lives differ from make the teacher’s lives a lot creates a student’s future. because the work days are person to person. One person easier. Students will be less Teacher’s also need a break going to be less. Hence, there might be working for hours at distracted, more productive, to compose and recharge will be more money to save their workplace while others themselves in order to handle for the school and it can be might be spending their attention to teachings in the the students.They also have used in the future for greater weekends preparing for the class. It will also increase their own personal lives and purposes. It will also reduce SATs or other tests at school. the attendance rate because they deserve to spend quality the cost of transportation, Amongst these, students do students will be less likely to time with their own families. and utilities. Cost needed for

PHOTO BY AAYUSHI DATTA fuel will be lower because of shorter working hours. It will also be a good promotion for the school because it will attract people to come and work at a place where it only operates four days a week.

Four days of school has positives that cannot be neglected. It is surely a good thing for everyone in general and not just one group of people. Implementing the four day work week will will surely be favorable for everyone.

Arts & Entertainment

4Page 14

thetalonohs.com

March 2022

Death on the Nile, the blood cruise people of color. Whereas characters like Mrs. Bowers, played by Dawn French, and Marie Van Schuyler, played

by Jennifer Saunders, shared an on screen relationship promoting the LGBTQ+ community. Considering the time period the movie is set in, this was a bold step for the creators to take because it

By AAYUSHI DATTA

News Editor

Sequel to the Murder on the Orient Express, is the Death on the Nile. Director Kenneth Branagh continues his work over adapting Agatha Christie’s book with this sequel. The movie is a murder mystery that focuses on the murder of A main chracterThe movie consists of an A-list cast that brings in the real charm.

This talented cast has produced many successful movies over the years.

However, this movie is not one that can be claimed seemed awkward and lacked expression. It seemed like they were having a hard time keeping up the era the movie was set in. The actors also lacked the necessary chemistry that would have spiced up the story.

The director of the movie, Kenneth Branagh, also acted in the movie as the infamous Hercule Poirot. However his acting skills lacked the charisma of Poirot. His acting Christie’s legendary creation.

In simple words, his acting is boring and he could not keep the interest of the audience.

Simon Doyle’s character played by Armie Hammer

PHOTO COURTESY OF IMBD.COM was comparatively better.

His acting was moderate but character he played.

The movie has a lot of beating around the bush.

More than half of the movie was spent setting up the murder and focusing on the background to the climax, however, it was way too long to set the play for the murder. Ironically enough, the set-up did not help the viewer with anything regarding the murder. Most of the characters were just out of the range of suspicion

because of so much context.

It would have been better to start with the murder and go back and forth using been a better format and would have helped to keep the viewer more engaged. The movie just became boring after some time which is sad for a suspense-thriller.

One of the admirable parts about the movie was that it cinematography of the movie was visually appealing. The camera work that captured the pyramids and temples of Egypt really has a big impact on the audience. It consists

of a noticeable grandeur that really attracts the audience and makes them feel as if they are in Egypt themselves.

It gives the audience a 3D effect without it being 3D in reality. The scenery of Egypt was pleasurable to the human eye.

The movie did a commendable job on taking charge of some social issues.

Characters like Salome Otterbourne, played by Sophie Okenedo, Rosalie Otterbourne, played by Letitia Wright, and Andrew Katchadourian, played by Ali Fazal, helped the movie to have a cast that represents

Fortunately, this decision is instead appreciated by the audience.

The movie was a bit different from the book.

As mentioned above, the context was more focused in the movie while the book was more focused on the murder and investigation. However, there are also other changes that differentiate the book from the movie. The movie adds the character of Bouc, played by Tom Bateman.

Although he played a pivotal role in the movie, his character simply did not exist in the book written by Christie. The movie started off with Poirot’s past during the First World War. This is something that has not been mentioned in the books.

The movie is recommendable considering the entertainment factor. It had both pluses and minuses, but overall it is a good movie to watch.

“Tall Girl 2” is not standing any taller chemistry.

The large cast of quirky characters contributes

By ABBY MILLS

Photography Editor

aimlessness. “Tall Girl 2” tries to get viewers attached to a wide array of characters,

“Tall Girl 2” strikes back with a vengeance. After being heralded as one of the worst movies of 2019, there

are so many characters in this movie that it is impossible to remember their names let alone their goals or ambitions.

would make a sequel. “Tall Girl 2” accomplishes to be worse than its predecessor. rise, its quality diminishes, delivering an unnecessary sequel for a movie that no one asked for.

The Tall Girl franchise is unacceptable compared to entire plot of both movies revolves around Jodi, played

by Ava Michelle. She is intelligent, has multiple guys interested in her, and a wonderful family and friends. But she faces a tearjerking tragedy throughout the movies…being tall. 6’1 to be exact. The storyline of

PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB.COM been written by a nine-yearold going through a growth spurt. Its nonsensical, thin plot makes “Tall Girl 2” set up for failure.

Although “Tall Girl’’ is is more enjoyable to watch than its sequel. While the its face. The movie relies on run time. Jodi’s best friend,

Fareeda, played by Anjelika Washington, struggles with her clothing business and domineering parents. Stig, played by Luke Eisner, a foreign exchange student— with an atrocious Swedish accent—struggles to make friends. These two characters end up together by the end of characters have been at each other’s throats throughout

its titular character Jodi stumbles through many obstacles. She is the lead of her school musical, has never-ending boy problems, and has to cope with being above average height. But with her mental health. The only redeeming quality of the Jodi’s anxiety and imposter syndrome about crumbling under the demands of Bye Bye Birdy is a constant thorn in her side. This plot point is the backbone of the movie.

Jodi must face the greatest herself. She is so apprehensive about the musical that she begins to hear voices in her head. While this concept of Jodi’s struggles with mental health is a good sentiment, its execution is pitiful. The voices Jodi hears in the movie come across as at best cheesy, at worst psychotic.

“Tall Girl 2” should not exist. The characters are lackluster. The costumes in motley colors that do not blend together under stage times nonexistent. This movie cost almost 25 million dollars to produce. Was it a moneylaundering scheme? That is the only logical reason that could explain the creation of the Tall Girl franchise. The only feeling viewers are left with after seeing “Tall Girl 2” is the hope that there will not be a third movie.

The Talon

thetalonohs.com

March 2022

15

How Hollywood is poisoning today’s youth By

KAITLYN SMITTEN

Sports Editor

Hollywood has the reputation of making things seem better than they are.

From dystopian battles to rom-coms, the industry never fails to make people jealous of characters in television shows and movies. Although the ultimate goal of this is entertainment, oftentimes the way Hollywood romanticizes certain situations does more harm than good. is probably one of biggest perpetrators

the of

alcohol are both things that Hollywood tends to romanticize. Many movies and shows marketed to teenagers often include depictions of drugs and alcohol and how much “fun” they can be at partys. But what the industry often fails to capture is the awful and gruesome truth about what certain substances can do to the body.

Shows like “Euphoria,” “All American” and “Outer Banks,” all include depictions of drugs and alcohol in a party setting and although these shows sometimes highlight the after effects of these substances, they usually only show the fun and wild teens to participate in such

also often normalized in television shows, making it seem like everybody is doing them, which pressures teens even more to potentially also take them Mental illness and eating disorders are often also shown in the media. Oftentimes, eating disorders are not depicted in the right way and only the results are shown, instead of the process. This to participate in dangerous activities in order to look like their favorite characters.

Mental illness is also usually incorrectly depicted in the mental institutions often shown as “free for alls” and not properly portrayed as the they are, but often shown as either lighthearted or even fun.

Shows and movies Hanson” and “13 Reasons why” incorrectly depict what living with mental illness is actually like. They make it seem less common than it is and also make it seem like being in a depressive state can be fun. This makes people who suffer from mental illness feel alienated and mocked for something they can not control.

Self-harm is also not properly portrayed in the taken as seriously as it should be, or it is directly recorded,

giving many viewers ideas themselves. Many sensitive topics like this are skipped over or not taken seriously, but probably the most common issue that Hollywood tends to romanticize is toxic relationships.

Many shows and movies like “Euphoria,” “After,” “Twilight,” “Suicide Squad,” and even “Star Wars” depict toxic and controlling relationships where abuse is normalized. Most of these movies and shows are catered to children and give them a warped idea of what love is supposed to be.

A lot of the time, different kinds of abuse are often portrayed as love.

Whether it be physical, mental, or emotional abuse, these kinds of mistreatments are shown in a way in which it seems like love, when in fact it is toxic and disturbing.

In shows like “You,” and “Euphoria” toxic relationships are shown as romantic and even desirable.

“You” shows a man stalking a woman for her affection, which he ultimately receives with no repercussions. “Euphoria” depicts controlling and abusive relationships with many characters enduring mental, physical, and even emotional abuse including cheating, violence, possesion, and controlling charecters.

Manipulation in

PHOTO COURTESY OF POPSUGAR.COM relationships is also heavily industry. Majority of the time, female characters are shown as inferior to their male counterparts in relationships.

Movies like “After” really highlight the toxic and controlling side of a relationship and convinces vulnerable audiences that that is how love is. This poisons the minds and ideas of teenagers and even adults and can put people in extremely manipulative and dark relationships. show the manipulative side of relationships, but it often depicts abuse in relationships.

Whether it be mental, physical, or emotional abuse.

Many times, emotional and mental abuse is overlooked as it does not necessarily leave physical damage.

Other movies like “Twilight” show a weaker female lead that cannot resist male charm and is obsessed with him. The movie shows that the female lead cannot function without her male

counterpart and depicts her as weak and reliant.

The popular show “Euphoria” also depicts toxic and controlling relationships and quite often shows couples arguing or having a purely sexual relationship. The show itself is rated T.V. MA, but the majority of the audience is teenagers who are still easily what they see on television. is what a relationship should be like.

Teenagers are some of the most impressionable people and are very easily tends to take advantage of teens and include mature material that can destroy their relationships with people, substances, and even themselves. Hollywood as a whole should want to audiences and make it so more and more people are moved by their work. Overall, the romanticization of these types of relationships is toxic to the audience and needs to be stopped.

“Scream” screams disappointment

By VICTORIA KIROVA

Features Editor

Predictable plotlines, forgettable characters, and unnecessary violence to substitute a lack of originality. What does this describe? The new “Scream” movie. Fans desperately awaited the latest edition in this infamous movie franchise, but unfortunately it did not live up to the quality of its predecessors.

The addition of new characters was overdone. It is understandable that with

these iconic characters made appearances throughout their familiar faces, this movie would have been an even bigger disappointment.

While some of the new

additions to the cast put on exhilarating performances, like the ones done at certain moments by Jenna Ortega as Tara Carpenter, other characters were simply decent. They lacked the

than the other “Scream” movies, and it cannot be said that this contributed anything to the plot. If anything, it distracted from it because characters were constantly being stabbed in absolutely absurd ways that felt almost too repulsive to watch.

With every whodunit mystery movie, the most important part comes at the end. It is the grand

in the establishment, more characters were necessary; however, walking out of the theater, the names of every single non-iconic character escapes the mind of the viewers. This is due to the fact that there were just too many new people introduced,

explained, making it the most anxiously awaited part of any horror movie. While create a tense and fast-paced environment throughout, the ending was beyond upsetting.

When it came time for the

of them very memorable.

Fantasy-characters like

Campbell, are irreplaceable.

Thankfully, this movie took the time to ensure that

emotional performance that was necessary in order to convey the absolute terror of the events that were occurring.

The other shortfalling that was seen throughout, was the unnecessarily brutal murder scenes that were present. This movie was

PHOTO COURTESY OF FILMAFFINITY.COM

behind the attacks, viewers were ready to be shocked.

And they were shocked, but shocked at how predictable

the ending was. In fact, during the movie one of the characters even correctly guesses who the attackers are.

Also, the killer’s motive for their murders could not have been worse. It made no sense and seemed like a sloppy attempt to tie up some loose ends. I understand that this may have been done on purpose to show that even the “weakest” of murderers can cause so much pain and destruction, but the end result communicated a more With all this in mind, this cannot be labeled the worst horror movie of all Wes Craven, the director of the previous four “Scream” movies, by creating a similarly intense and absorbing movie. However, it is challenging to look past deciding if it was an overall movie in this establishment, it is important for the directors to remember to create a logical plot, instead of trying to substitute a lack of a sensical storyline with an overabundance of unnecessary violence.

16 March 2022

The Talon

thetalonohs.com

Song reviews: Spring 2022

By LINDSAY STEINBERG

Copy Chief

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF GENIUS.COM

“the lifeboat’s empty!”

by Chelsea Cutler

“High” by the Chainsmokers

“Fast Times”

by Sabrina Carpenter

“26”

by Lauv

After the release of “When I Close my Eyes,” Chelsea Cutler, who is most known for her song with fellow artist Jeremy Zucker titled, “you were good to me,” returned saying she will be releasing a deluxe version of said album, which was released on March 4 and included two songs from Cutler.

The popular EDM pop duo, the Chainsmokers, returned to the music scene after months with their new

Weeks of build up and teasers left fans of the singer and actress, Sabrina Carpenter, were eager to hear her new single “Fast Times”, which was released Feb. 18th. And left with fans of the actress with exactly what you’d expect from her, a variant of a pop song.

Though, these types of songs are exactly what Carpenter does best, adding a theme to a pop song and being able to draw listeners in, for this single a “007”, or spy theme, was taken for the song. Not only can that be clearly detected in the music video, but the beats throughout the production of the chill pop song, radiate the energy you would imagine from something like a spy movie. Pair this production with Carpenter’s vocals, it gives a beautiful combination with each complimenting the other perfectly.

“Fast Times” was a perfect introduction to what fans can expect from her next album that she plans to release within the year, which she describes as something that is almost “too personal” and has teased on social media multiple times.

Lauv returned after over a year without solo music with the single, “26,” which is supposed to excite fans for what’s next to come on his second studio album. As the pandemic destroyed Lauv’s plans to tour for his

project is “the lifeboat’s empty!.” On Jan. 28, the song was released to her fans after weeks posting teasers of the track, whether that be through, instrumental, lyrics, or a snippet of the song as a whole.

For any fan of Chelsea, “the lifeboat’s empty!,” is everything you could ask for and more. The familiarity of poetic lyrics such as, “I’m the one who breathes the smoke from your disaster,” paired with the production and instrumental that is reminiscent of songs from her album, “How to Be Human,” while also being different from songs on there with Cutler displaying some stronger vocals on more production heavy parts of the song. It’s bound to be a hit with Cutler’s fans.

single off of what is being dubbed “TCS4,” displaying where the Chainsmokers want to go with their sound on the new album.

For anyone craving diversity from their music, most of that seemed to come to a halt after their release of “Memories… Do Not Open” in 2017. After that album, most of their music comes off as if it’s purposefully catering to what’s popular on the radio, and they never fail to cater to exactly that.

“High” is what could be deemed as a cliche Chainsmokers song, a love song with something causing a speedbump. In “High,” as the title entails- the partner in this song is always high and never changes despite saying they will to better the relationship.. The track also summarizes how well the duo can combine EDM with a strong radio pop sound, which is something the duo has done their entire career.

featured well-known songs such as “i’m so tired” with Troye Sivan. Lauv hit the studio and began to work on his second album, which he has reported to be completed.

“26,” while lyrically beautiful, describing Lauv’s mental health and using the lyrics as a way to heal, which is a common theme in his music, suffers slightly from the production. For anyone who has been a longtime fan of Lauv, it’s known he loves to explore his production, but this song, at times, hits road bumps that seem off putting if compared to any of his past work. The song can be comparable to song, “Billy,” off of his debut album.

Despite the changes, “26” can be enjoyed by long-time fans or those who prefer the new sound Lauv is exploring on the track.

charts By

KAITLYN SMITTEN

Sports Editor

With beloved actors like Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, Uncharted was on track to be a hit movie from the start. The presence that certain actors and actresses bring is vital to the plot.

Director Ruben Fleischer did an exceptional job casting this movie to make it appealing for all audiences. the best parts of hit movies

like “Indiana Jones” and “Tomb Raider,” making it seem like a typical action movie, but ending up to be a loveable and family-friendly masterpiece.

The movie is set around the adventures of Nathan Drake, played by Tom Holland, and his chases after mythical landmarks. He is in search of gold, but ultimately

movie as a simple pickpocket who dreams of bigger things,

more value in life lessons learned throughout the way.

Nathan Drake begins the

treasure and become rich.

This makes for an uncanny duo throughout the movie,

makes it a perfect rags to riches metaphor, but along the way he discovers more about himself and the world, which creates a wonderful coming of age movie.

On his search for treasure, he meets Victor Sullivan, played by Mark Wahlberg, who has the same

bringing humor, trust, and friendship.

There is however much debate over if yet another action movie like “Uncharted” was needed.

Although “Uncharted” is similar to many previous adaptations of video games, it brings a sense of comfort and nostalgia to viewers. typical video game to movie adaptation, it is also an with jaw dropping action and a good dose of humor, which

PHOTO COURTESY OF GAMERADAR.COM

keeps the audience engaged throughout the whole movie.

The movie has clearly been set up with a sequel in mind, making it potentially the new “Indiana Jones” franchise. This will bring a new generation the beloved adventures that everyone loves so much.

However, the movie seems to be compensating for a lack of plot development.

In contrast to previous adventure movies like “The Goonies,” “Uncharted” relies heavily on CGI to spice up the on screen action instead of the typical structure of running away from bad guys.

The movie also heavily focused on villains that do not necessarily develop the plot at all, but there is much less shooting and intense physical exertion as a traditional action movie.

Despite this, “Uncharted” brings a refreshing taste to viewers and allows them to experience more dramatic and drastic events, with the help of CGI. “Uncharted” may be this generation’s version of “Indina Jones” or “The Crusader,” inspiring children all around the world to follow and chase their dreams.

4March 2022

Sports Page 17

thetalonohs.com

Wrestling wrestles their way to victory

By MICHAEL BROWN

As the 2021-2022 wrestling season comes to an end, many OHS wrestlers are pleased with their performance. With several placers at different tournaments throughout the year, and several matches for each of the wrestlers, many would say that the team has performed phenomenally.

The wrestlers did everything they could to prepare for the season with intense conditioning and diligent practices, and in the end it paid off.

“We’ve had a lot of champions at tournaments, a lot of placers at tournaments.

Overall we’ve done really well as a team,” said Jackson Morgan, junior.

This year, the OHS wrestling team brought eleven people to sectionals, but out of those eleven, only to state. With three people placing at state and seven people qualifying, the OHS wrestling team took 15th overall in the competition.

“Overall we got three state

placers, counting myself.

We took six or seven people to state and 11 people to sectionals. We could have done better and gotten some more people, but we still got some people and ended up placing 15th in the state,” said Matthew Mouritsen, senior.

Even though the wrestling team performed exceptionally well, one issue they still faced was the lack of wrestlers joining the team.

The entire year they had a rather full lineup but some weight classes were still empty.

“We’re still struggling with COVID from last year so we have way less freshman than we normally do, less sophomores this year then we normally do, and a lot of said.

With COVID-19 impacting wrestling in negative ways, causing a shortage of wrestlers for the last two years, some wrestlers feel as though they did not get the matches they needed. Due to last year’s restrictions and athletes frequently getting exposed and sick, matches

PHOTO COURTESY OF MADI NEIDERHAUSE Caulin Moskop, senior, competes in a match against Mountain Ridge. were often canceled. last year, some of the athletes “Some guys have not struggled throughout the gotten the experience they season more than others, but needed, especially last year,” everyone worked together Mouritsen said. “The season and came out on top. didn’t have as many matches “Overall the season [has] as we needed last year, so our been going well for the team, guys didn’t have as much some kids aren’t having the experience.” season they wanted and some With OHS wrestling not kids are having [an] amazing getting the experience needed season,” Morgan said.

With the 2021-2022 season at an end, many would say that the OHS wrestling team performed above and beyond all expectations.

“Overall my season was than previous years. This year I think my record was something like 37 and 17,” said Elijah Oh, senior.

18 March 2022

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Girls basketball shoots to Region Champs

By ANANYA THEKKEMELEPATT Social Media Manager

Varsity From having injured players, to beating MRHS in a quadruple overtime game and becoming back-to-back region champions with a region coach of the year, the OHS girls basketball team has once again proven that they do not back down from “Our season started off pretty rough but staying together as a team and as a family we got through all that successfully,” said Diya Venkat, junior. “I like the way we all come together even during the hardest times.”

Every season has its ups and downs, and this year was no different. The team faced many changes right as the season started, but as always, they overcame.

“I think with everything that happened this year, a lot of players leaving, people getting hurt, I think we got a lot closer together,” Venkat said. “More people got more opportunities to improve their skills.”

As the season went on, the varsity team showed through every game that they were improving as they raced toward region champs.

“We started off not really

doing good on offense, we were struggling to score the ball,” said Leyah Gewargis.

“As the season progressed we scored the ball a lot more, we were passing really good, making good reads to the basket.”

Every year, the newer varsity players get introduced to the varsity team as a whole, learning through new experiences and more playing time.

“Same thing that happened last year; I don’t think a lot of them had a lot of returning minutes and they came out this year ready to roll so the same things expected,” said Danny Soliman, coach.

As per all sports, the rivalry games attract the most attention. But this season set itself apart.

“We beat Ridge twice, one in quadruple overtime and one on senior night, that was probably the best,” Gewargis said. “It was honestly probably the best season I’ve had.”

Ending the season on such high notes, the seniors have demonstrated the great example they have set for the lower classmen varsity players. seniors leaving I think a lot more people are going to get opportunities and we should

make the most of it,” Venkat said. “The seniors played a huge role helping the other classmen get ready for next year.”

This season for the seniors is sure to be remembered with such high notes and successes over hardships.

“We’re able to send off the seniors on a good note by beating [Ridge] at home on senior night and winning the region,” Soliman said.

The team has gone through numerous events in just one season, so it is safe to say that the 2021-2022 season has made its mark on OHS basketball.

“Our team this year has overcome a lot of adversity…I think that’s one of our biggest things,” Gewargis said. “We always say to ‘stay locked in’ and always stay together.”

With the seniors leaving and

the lower classmen varsity players moving up next season, the responsibility is on them to prove that OHS girls basketball doesn’t back down from any challenge “Working through adversity is something that we have and it’s something we need to keep doing,” Venkat said.

Jump to Page 20

PHOTO BY ANANYA THEKKEMELEPATT OHS girls basketball faces off against MRHS, leading 30-28.

Jumped from page 1: Boys basketball makes every shot count Varsity The 2021-2022 season started awry as the team grappled with losing but losing only brought the team closer.

“We weren’t really getting a tournament and we didn’t look that good, got blown we came back and blew two teams out. Those two wins brought us together and made us a better team,” said Dallas Pyle, junior.

How a team plays at the start of the season is completely different from where they end. The varsity on the court from the beginning of the season to its conclusion.

“There were games where, at the beginning of the

season, we’d be down by 5 points and that would go to 20. Instead near the end, we’d have those close games and we’d come back and actually win it,” Romley said.

Basketball is a highpressure environment.

Players have no room for mistakes under the watchful eyes of spectators.

Combating this pressure can be challenging.

“You just have to focus on that one thing, focus on the rim, just drown everybody out and just play your game,” Romley said.

While the season comes to a close, boys varsity basketball has found something special off the court.

“Memories. We’re making good memories and it feels like a family on this team.

It doesn’t just feel like we are just playing basketball,

it feels like we’re coming together as a family,” Pyle said.

JV Boys JV basketball turns season into gold, overcoming many losses with tenacity and determination.

During the season, the JV team had a long losing streak in January. When a team is on a losing streak, their response is a deciding factor for whether or not they overcome it.

“When we were losing a lot of games, just as a whole team, we weren’t doing the best but we got through it,” said Eli Correa, sophomore.

During the season, JV faced problems with playing offensively, still they persisted.

“Towards the beginning of the season, we were playing

solo basketball, where guys would get the ball and try to run a play. But towards the end of the season, we offensive end of the court.

We shared the ball, got it moving, and actually had a purpose for what we were doing offensively,” said Tyler Olsen, sophomore.

The most strenuous part of being a team is getting along working together—on or off the court. Teamwork was a detrimental factor in the player’s wins and losses during the 2021-2022 season.

“There are a lot of things we can do to make sure we win as a team, but if we are the reason we are losing; if we are shooting ourselves in the foot with those issues and problems, then nothing will work because a house divided against itself cannot stand,” Olsen said.

As the team closes out the relationships they created throughout the 2021-2022 winter season.

“We just bonded as teammates and as brothers.

We made each other feel comfortable, we came together and played as one,” Olsen said. “We had that

PHOTO BY ABBY MILLS OHS boys basketball scores a point against rivals, MRHS.

wanted to only win for one another.”

Freshman The future of the OHS

basketball team looks promising in years to come after the freshman team learned the ropes of high school basketball this season.

The team faced many drawbacks with losing, the toughest challenge athletes must overcome.

“Anytime you lose it’s hard.

You feel inadequate and you feel like you’re not good enough and things like that so that’s something that’s hard on all of us, players and coaches as well,” said Joshua Cole, basketball coach. losses, for some players.

Teammates express that belief in yourself is essential for winning.

“You just have to bounce back and have the mentality that you are going to win every time you step on the court because if you don’t think you’re going to win, you’re not gonna win,” said Jackson Ford, freshman.

Some freshman teammates will play the sport for all four years of high school. They will slowly take in and absorb skills that they will use for the rest of their lives from the OHS basketball program.

“If you can change habits in young men then they become the best dads they can be, the best husbands that they can be and that’s the whole aim of our coaching staff,” Cole

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March 2022

19

Girls soccer scores successful season

By VICTORIA KIROVA

Features Editor

Varsity Following the conclusion of the OHS soccer season, girls soccer is able to feel proud about what they have accomplished. With a opportunity to play in the game, varsity left everything they had to offer out on the Although varsity ended up losing in the playoffs against they played an impressive game and even had to play almost the entire second half with one less player due to a that this team has had, the question arises about how many years these talented individuals have put into becoming masters at their sport.

“I started playing soccer at the age of three. I think my mom and dad wanted to get me in some sort of sport. Get me involved in things. And ever since I fell in love with the game, and just continued to play. Every time I step out of ease and peace and joy,” said Taylor Bertsch, senior.

Playing any sport requires a lot of work and responsibility; however, supporting each other and uplifting everybody on the team aids in allowing everyone to be successful.

By KAITLYN SMITTEN

Sports Editor

Varsity Playing a sport and being a part of a team is always challenging and although the OHS boys soccer team did not have a successful season, closer as a team and did not let their teammates get down on themselves.

One of the most important parts of a team sport is having good chemistry within the team. With so many different personalities and skill sets, becoming close as a team is in such a short period of time, but boys soccer challenged this and became closer than ever, despite their losses on “We didn't make it that far into our season, we only won three games but we were in every game and did the best we could,” said Braedan Judge, freshman.

Although Judge, and most of his teammates are young, they still found a way to become close and create a

“I’d say we had a few ups and downs. We had to continue to work through them, but overall I think we did very well, we worked as a team. It’s the best group of girls I think I’ve ever worked with. We were all very close and just did well together,” Bertsch said.

While working on a team provides valuable life skills that can not be received elsewhere, sometimes boundaries stunt the growth of a team. This is shown through the issue that players believe they had this season.

“As a team, probably our communication. Sometimes we don’t communicate well so then we don’t play well. We need communication to win,” said Alexandra Knudson, sophomore.

With sports, sometimes it can be challenging to stay motivated. Thankfully, players are able to recognize the reason that they stuck with their sport, and continue working diligently to be the best they can be.

“I think it’s just fun. When get to forget about everything else that’s going on in life, so I think it kind of helps with dealing with other parts of the crazy world that we live in,” said Rece Grant, junior. to realize how much time has passed from when a the sport. That is why it is important to take a moment

good environment within the team.

“I mean it was a little rough at points but I think as such a young and new team with a new coach we did really well,” Judge said.

Having a new coaching for anyone, but almost more so for returning players who are not used to the coaches’ techniques or coaching style.

“We had a new coach and a lot of new players so we weren't that connected, but by the end we were pretty close,” said Dalton Simon,

player has come.

“I would tell little Taylor that she’s very proud of herself in the way that she is today. I would say to continue to be strong, and don’t let not starting, or not playing, hard because it will all work out eventually and you’ll be at the top one day,” Bertsch said.

Overall, this year was a great one for the Varsity team.

They grew closer as a team, connected over their shared love for soccer.

“Being able to connect the ball with people, and score, and celebrate with everyone, is a feeling you don’t get in a lot of places,” Knudson said.

JV The JV team also put in the work to ensure they had a prosperous season, totaling are able to look back on this year and feel as though they worked hard to be successful a sport is being genuinely excited to come to practice each day, and make sure that there is a reason for all of your hard work. This starts with being motivated to achieve your greatest dreams within the sport.

“I was so excited when I made it [the team]. This has been a goal that I’ve set for myself, to make the school soccer team when I’m in high school,” said Amaya Kelly, freshman.

junior.

Even though the upperclassman are usually the leaders on the team, the underclassman played a major role in acclimating the team and creating a friendly and familiar environment.

“Encourage the younger classmen and stay positive and lead the team for as long as you can, that's what leads to a close team,” Judge said.

Many of the upperclassmen, especially seniors did an excellent job encouraging younger classmen and some of their other teammates,

JV has been able to experience an incredible season. Especially for the new members of the team, who were able to receive “It’s been great. Our games were amazing, we played great, I’ve made amazing friends. Overall, as an experience with soccer and relationship building, it was awesome,” Kelly said.

A large part of being successful on a team comes from having a great coach.

Thankfully, the team was not deprived of having such an inspirational leader.

“I really like when I have a good coach, and thankfully, I have a really good soccer coach. She going with it because I had times when I didn’t want to do it anymore,” said Zoee Hardwick, sophomore.

especially when it came to rival games against MRHS. time and we came back to win Even though the OHS boys soccer team did not start off strong, they always tried their best to stay in the games, and most of all, they made memories that they will never forget.

“Hearing my name and getting announced in front of people and getting to walk up and be a part of the starting line up, that was really special to me,” Judge said.

JV Following in the shadow of a varsity team is quite a challenge to face, but OHS JV boys soccer had no problems with the task.

JV soccer had a very successful season, winning almost half of the games that they played.

“It was a winning season, we had more wins than sophomore.

Although most of the team is underclassman, there was

Unfortunately, with working alongside others, comes a fear of failure.

However, on the soccer team this year, this feeling was less common.

“Sometimes I worry that I’m letting my team down, like if I make a bad pass or I’m having an off day, but honestly the girls are so supportive and it’s such a great environment,” Kelly said.

All throughout the girls soccer season one thing has been clear: it was an exceptional experience for great new friendships and the perseverance to succeed as a team.

“It feels really good. I like being on the team. I like representing myself as an just enjoyed every single part of it,” Hardwick said.

no problem with the team getting to know each other but we got closer towards the end of the season, and then we started winning more,” Wood said.

Having good chemistry to games and even allows teammates to feel more good team chemistry as the season went on, which translated into more and more wins.

“I feel like we should have beat Ridge, but a winning record is a winning record,” Although there were still some disappointments, like any sports season, the team itself helped encourage positive and uplifting behavior from teammates and made sure that no one was too hard on themselves.

All in all, it is all about having a passion and a love for the sport.

“Enjoy it. Dont be ungrateful and just work

20 March 2022

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Spiritline paves their way to success

By MANASI TRIPATHI

Cheer From breathtaking routines to the positive vibes during games, OHS cheer has always worked diligently to be a source of high school spirit. OHS has built an excellent cheer squad, which is shown by the program’s this year.

With many competitions back to back throughout the year, the team practices every day. This can be stressful for many of the members, but they handle it like professionals.

“It can be a busy schedule.

[We] have practice Monday through Thursday [at 4:00] in the morning and then after school on Tuesday, and have a game or competition that following week,” said Maliyah Samuels, senior.

During this year’s season, cheer has managed to get 5th for nationals in both of its teams: competition and 5-man. The teams will be going to the competition in California, which is a great

achievement in itself. our teams—that was super big,” Samuels said. “[We have gone] to nationals every single year I have been [on] the team, we have always Many of the OHS cheerleaders have years of experience under their belt.

“I was in all-star cheer for over 10 years and I wanted to try high school cheer,” said Abigail Fitzpatrick, sophomore. contributes to the atmosphere of school athletic events, but they also do volunteer events at Christ’s Church of the Valley and around the community to help people.

“It’s been so much fun. We do a lot of cool volunteering events and we get to be really involved with [the] school,” Samuels said.

With all the events and performances, many cheerleaders like to focus on having fun. No matter how stressful and hectic it gets they never forget to enjoy themselves while doing what they love.

PHOTO COURTESY STEPHANIE COHEN OHS Spiritline poses after winning awards at their competitive event. to make practices fun,” 19 teams and placed 5th Fitzpatrick said. “It’s just the in Jazz. For the national little jokes we share between each other that I love.”

1st and jazz placed 5th. All Pom of these performances and Pom has given many achievements have really exceptional performances made the OHS spiritline this year. From qualifying team stronger.

“I feel like [pom is] a at state, many of pom’s really good experience,” said competitions have been Madison Moten, sophomore. successful. It is hard to “The mornings are hard but be disappointed by Pom's it’s really fun when you get performances. to know everyone and just do In the state competition, what you love.” pom placed 8th out of

for students to balance their studies and sports together, but having friends and coaches who motivate and encourage them is always helpful.

“The early morning practices are kind of hard sometimes but you are with a ton of people that you have a great bond with and great connection with,” said Grace Shelton, senior. “So it is a lot of fun to just be able to push through those practices together like a team.”

Jump from Page 18: Girls basketball shoots to Region Champs JV In the same way varsity has shown and proven success, the JV team has demonstrated that they are here to win as a family.

“We’re all pretty close…

The team they make it fun,” said Chloe Beckman, sophomore. “It's just an honor to be able to play with the girls.”

Like in all sports, the JV team is also able to look up and learn from the varsity team for help and leadership, and in girls basketball it is not different.

“I got to play with the varsity sometimes too so I feel pretty prepared,”

Beckman said. “We’ve started working well together..the opportunity is just great.”

But besides playing together, the environment is very supportive and encouraging, especially before games.

“Before games, I always get really nervous so I get pep talks from the older girls,” said Sanjana Karra, freshman. “I have what I need to succeed, I don't need to change.”

But though the team is exceptionally skilled, the 2021-2022 season brought upon a number of struggles.

Luckily, the girls were able to overcome it all with such

a variety of talented players.

“We had a lot of injuries throughout the season…that brought other kids to step up and I feel like that's how we got so far into the season,” Karra said. “We have a lot of skilled players.”

Coaches have trained and taught these girls how to get through any season and adversity. Through the close connections within the team, they were able to succeed.

“I think we grew from the beginning to the end of the year by just staying composed always,” Soliman said. “That adversity makes people learn so many lessons in life.”

Going through such adversity has been a prevelent theme these girls have faced throughout the season. Fortunately, it has not brought them down but only made them stronger and better athletes.

“Usually in the games if quarter we usually overcome that,” Beckman said. “We Overall this season was a whirlwind of experiences and the newer players have gotten quite the introduction to OHS basketball.

“It was a really good start because it introduced me to high school ball and how

it worked,” Karra said. “It taught me lessons you can use on and off the court…We never gave up and we kept Ending the season like this is only promising an even better season in the upcoming years. With athletes who are able to triumph over the rough hardships, challenges, athletic season brings, these JV players show that they are here to bring OHS the win.

“When you don't feel like you're good enough just keep pushing till you get [the opportunities],” Beckman

Jump from Page 4: Students prepare for success with the ACT “I skimmed through passages since it’s not really inferring anything, you just need to look through the passages,” Puthiyaveetil said. “The science section, the concept isn’t really hard you can’t really prepare for it…but the answers are in the data, if you take AP Chemistry I heard it’s really good since it helps you analyze the data more.”

Unlike the SAT, which analyzes your critical thinking more, the ACT is

based, requiring test-takers from graphs and passages instead of inferring.

“For me personally, I read a lot and I'm good at grammar so I thought the reading and writing were easier, but science and math were not as easy, especially since I didn't take geometry,” said Anisha Tanikella, junior. “It's a lot of geometry based and you're trying to go as fast as you can.”

Apart from the test being made a requirement by the

state of Arizona, the test can still help students when applying for colleges.

“I think the ACT & SAT gives you an extra boost to your application, even though colleges are going test blind,” Puthiyaveettil said.

So how can juniors prepare for a test that is big on time, mandated by the state, and helpful for college applications?

“Take a lot of practice tests,” Tanikella said. “Your

be super easy…but then as you progress it gets a lot harder like word problems and matrices…as you reach the end you realize you don't have enough time.”

But aside from practice tests, OHS has also provided ACT prep during Talon Time every Tuesday and Thursday.

“The ACT prep course is an online course, it's self-paced and the school has actually purchased the course for the students,” Utter said. “Just get through the pages so go in and say you want to

sign up for the ACT prep.”

The value of ACT maybe debated, but for Arizona juniors it is required. So as the date for the test approaches, juniors should prepare using the resources provided by the school and take as many practice tests as possible.

Time is of the essence.

“Yes it's a state requirement but it could also potentially help you get into college, so we want to make sure that our students are just better prepared to take the test ahead of time,” Utter said.