The Tide - December 2021

News 2-3

Opinions 4-6

Social Justice 7

Centerspread 8-9

Features 10-11

Arts 12-14

Sports 15-16

Holiday songs kindle that winter spirit

by Emily Pham SOCIAL JUSTICE WRITER

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ents. A poem, a candlelit dinner and the keys to a new Mercedes are only three of the many surprises he concocts. Only a song imbued with this much musical genius could get away with a chorus that consists of the same question repeated over and over again: “Doesn’t it feel like Christmas?”

The answer is a resounding yes.

Tate Myre, Madisyn Baldwin, Hana St Juliana and Justin Shilling. These are the names of the four students killed in a tragic shooting at Oxford High School in Oakland County, Michigan on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

Chaos broke out just before 1 p.m., when local authorities received a troubling call. Ethan Crumbley, a sophomore who attended Oxford High, had opened fire in the school. Police said he fired at least 30 rounds, shooting 11 people, before turning himself in within minutes.

“I was mostly in denial, I saw a kid run down the hallway screaming that there was a shooter, however with all the prior threats and the insane year that we had already had, I mostly thought it was a joke or a false threat,” Hannah Chiu, a junior at Oxford High School, said. Hannah was, luckily, safe in lockdown with her classmates during the time of the shooting.

On Wednesday Dec. 3, 15-yearold Crumbley was charged as an adult with one count of terrorism causing death and four counts of first-degree murder. According to an article from the New York Times, “Prosecutors took the rare step of filing involuntary manslaughter charges against his parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, saying that they had bought the semiautomatic handgun that he used to carry out the deadly rampage as a Christmas gift.”

The Oxford community grieves the four students whose lives were taken too soon. Family and friends of the victims were traumatized, just as were fearful students all around the country.

“I was devastated … It instilled fear in me that I thought I forgot about,” Richard Mongtomery senior Chad Boyd said.

Incidents like the Oxford shooting continually spark debate about gun control and its controversy in the United States, especially on school grounds. To provide evidence for these claims, Education Week journalists began tracking school-related shootings. Based on their data the Oxford shooting was the deadliest of the 31 total that have occured this year so far.

“Your learning environment shouldn’t be a place of terrorism,” Chiu said.

SONGS, cont. page 13

OXFORD, cont. page 7

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Five traditional and not-so-traditional songs to celebrate the holidays

Oxford HS grieves over students lost

by Naomi Scissors

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Opinions, 6 MCPS History Classes

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BY JU Snow! Let it Snow! - Dean Martin Dean Martin was not the first to sing this glorious song, nor will ed to the near pinnacle of holiday he be the last, but he has a way of songs with the hint of a love stosinging it that transports you to a ry. “If you really hold me tight,” time of formal dress and pianists Martin sings, “All the way home in hotel lobbies. And, of course, I’ll be warm.” It’s truly the height Christmas. With all of the ruck- of romance, with an earnestness us of modern day living, is there that will have you abandoning anything more idyllic than an eve- your coats to frolic in the snow. ning spent lolling by the fire complete with “corn for popping”?

This portrait of contentment, 8 Days of Christmas - Destiny’s wonderful on its own, is elevat- Child

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All I Want For Christmas is You - Mariah Carey The gentle bells at the beginning of this iconic track, almost reminiscent of a nursery mobile, disguise the magnitude of the Christmas journey that the listener is about to embark on.

However, as soon as Mariah sings the first “I,” all pretenses of an inferior Christmas tune are abandoned. The extensive intro keeps us waiting for as long as possible, as Mariah downplays the significance of her Christmas request.

“I don’t care about the presents,” she claims, taking the admirable risk of alienating the younger demographics. When the moment arrives that her Christmas wish is revealed, all of the tension pays off tenfold. The drums come in, and the rapture begins. This song truly is Christmas, and the extent to which it harnesses Christmas magic is not to be taken lightly. Listen with caution— you may find yourself 4 transforming into Mariah Carey for the duration.

If you are not careful, you may even find yourself becoming Santa himself.

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The 12 days of Christmas may be more familiar, but realistically, does your average listener even know what a partridge is? Destiny’s Child provides an updated version that brings Christmas romance to the modern era. While the original features the inexplicable gift of eight maids-amilking, the man described in “8 Days of Christmas” knows what he is doing when it comes to pres-

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Arts, 12 Taylor Swift’s All Too Well

Sports, 15 Wrestling

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The Tide

NEWS

Blair HS stabbing reignites school police conversation

by Shelby Roth NEWS WRITER

On Monday, Nov. 8, a student at Montgomery Blair High School was stabbed by a classmate in the school’s parking lot. The attacker has since been charged with attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault and reckless endangerment.

The following day, a relative of the suspected student was brought to the attention of Montgomery County Police, who were already on campus for a follow-up.

During a search, they were found to have a weapon and were then taken into police custody.

In response, interim Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Monifa McKnight sent out an email to Blair students and parents reading: ”In recent weeks, there have been multiple serious incidents on school grounds, including some that have involved weapons. Let me be clear: We will not tolerate weapons of any sort on school grounds. Anyone found to be in possession of a weapon at a school, on school property, or at a school-sponsored event will be referred to the police.

Students will also face serious disciplinary action from school.”

The injured student was released from the hospital a few days after the incident. They suffered lacerations to their neck and torso.

After the two incidents, Blair school officials requested uniformed police officers to stay in the school to assist the school security officials.

Blair Principal Renay Johnson sent out an email to parents.

“Out of an abundance of caution, Montgomery County Police are on campus to support school security efforts in ensuring a safe environment,” Johnson said.

Earlier this year, Montgomery County Public Schools removed police from schools, as part of a nationwide movement for police reforms, spurred by the highly publicized killing of George

December 2021

PHOTO BY NIYA BANSAL

A security guard stands by the counseling center. The incidents at Blair raise concerns about the role of security in school buildings.

Floyd. The beginning of this school year marked the first time in twenty years when police were not present in school buildings.

In place of police officers, schools throughout the county have implemented School Resource Officers, known as “SROs,” in a similarly contentious policy.

“I do not think schools are doing enough for school safety.”

- Laura Ann In May, the Montgomery County Council approved funding for the retention of 23 school police officers, but rather than patrolling schools, these officers would maintain a presence in the surrounding areas. The council also added $750,000 to the budget to train middle school staff and administrators in restorative justice.

This action still raised complaints from student and activist groups, such as the Montgomery County Defund and Invest coali-

tion. In a public email, the coalition argued that “the… initiative seems designed to build a case for the Community Resource Officer (CRO) model—which simply repurposes School Resource Officers into another harmful role.”

The day of the stabbing, Lee Holland, an officer for the county’s police union, said,“This social experiment to try something different with school safety has failed. There was never a plan in place on how to keep schools safe after removing police officers. Residents need to demand changes and to return police officers immediately.”

The incidents at Blair raise questions about the county’s removal of police officers from school buildings.

In a YouGov poll of more than 9,000 US adults, 45% feel that having police officers on campus makes schools safer for students, 29% think it doesn’t have a significant impact on safety, and 14% said this makes schools less safe.

“I don’t think that the police should be in schools because the police that sometimes come to school aren’t being trained much specifically to work with students or kids,” freshman Mia Kee said.

“They were trained to work with adults, so some of the things they do are not helping in the way it would work for adults. However, I do think there should be a certain kind of new security officials that are trained specifically on how to work with students.”

“I do not think schools are doing enough for school safety,” Richard Montgomery parent Laura Ann said. “They removed the police presence but then did not put in any other resources that really help address problems as they arise. There also does not seem to be any accountability when there are incidents in schools.”

Since the event, the role of SROs and police officers has remained a contentious subject in both classrooms and board meetings.

December/January

December 11

RM Idol (CHORUS) Message in a bottle is all I can do...

December 12

Spirit week Flannel, swinter, hats, ugly sweaters and gold rush, brought to you by the SGA

December 17

Pep rally WHO’S GOT SPIRIT????

December 25

Christmas Mariah Carey’s big day

Seniors await admissions

By Hannah Lee NEWS WRITER

It’s that time of year again: the class of 2022 has completed early action applications.

The college applications process is multifaceted. Emphasis falls not only on academics, but on extracurriculars, essays, recommendation letters and standardized test scores. The Common App is the most commonly used platform, but individual schools add different supplemental essay questions. Some schools, like Georgetown and Wisconsin, use their own platform.

According to US News, early decision deadlines—which are binding—are usually set in early November, and results come in December. Early action is a similar, but it is a non-binding application that is due in November or December with results in January or February.

Regular decision applications are usually due Jan. 1, and results come in March or April.

It has been difficult for many of RM’s seniors to balance schoolwork with college applications, especially for those taking rigorous AP and IB courses.

“I honestly haven’t really been balancing them [schoolwork and college applications]—I’m just working on everything all the time until the deadline,” senior Rebecca Halper said.

Senior Eugene Kimelman agreed, adding, “There’s so much schoolwork and I’m like, ‘I just don’t want to do schoolwork, I’ll work on my college app that’s not due in like another month and a half,’ instead of worrying about a deadline that’s due tomorrow.”

Notably, all the interviewed seniors said that waiting was the most stressful part of the process. “It’s really nerve-wracking, because you can’t make any decisions about your future until you get those [admission decisions] back,” Kimelman said.

“You’re on edge, you’re constantly looking at your email,” senior Lillian Ratnavale said.

There are numerous other factors at play in this stressful situation, according to Brennan Barnard, an admissions expert.

These include financial cost, peer competition, parental expectations, high-stakes SAT or ACT testing and “hyper-scheduling”—when students sacrifice family or personal time for extracurriculars to build their resume.

RM in particular, with its IB program, is known for academic competition. It ranks seventh in Maryland for college readiness,

GRAPHICS BY JULIANNE CRUZ

and 74 percent of students take at least one AP class. Many students start preparing for college applications from freshman year, signing up for rigorous courses and extracurriculars.

S t u dents do not approve of some parts of today’s college admissions process. “I’d take a little bit of weight off of grades, because grades aren’t necessarily representative of what you know, and how well you’re gonna do in college,” Halper said. “There’s a lot of growth that can happen in between now and September of next year.”

Still, GPA is a useful metric to initially sort through millions of applicants. Researchers at the UChicago Consortium found that increases in GPA correlated with increases in college graduation rates. Students with a GPA under 1.5 had a 20 percent chance of graduation, while those with a GPA over 3.5 had an 80 percent chance. “Because of how many people apply, I don’t know what you would replace that with,” Kimelman said.

“I’m just working on everything all the time until the deadline.”

-Rebecca Halper Yet, even more than GPA, RM seniors thought that the biggest thing that could change with the process was not the applications or colleges, but high school itself.

“I feel like the main change, if I could make the change, wouldn’t necessarily be on the college apps, but on what the schools are allowed to assign while the college apps are happening,” Kimelman said. He proposed pushing back the timeline for the IB internal assessments.

“The teachers are just like, ‘We’re putting these deadlines for your mental health.’

But how about you load m e with work after my college apps?

Like, something isn’t right,” Ratnavale said.

For now, RM seniors are persevering through the college application season.

Regardless of where they are accepted, results will mark the final chapter of their high school life.

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA WU

The career center is home to college prep materials and apparel.

NEWS

The Tide

BOARD IN BRIEF Board backs down over vaccine mandate The school board did not follow through on firing staff for refusing to comply with their vaccine mandate in late November.

The policy, which would have required all staff to receive COVID vaccination or submit to regular testing for religious and health exemptions, would have been enforced starting Oct. 29. When the date arrived, 1,000 of the roughly 25,000 employees in MCPS had not reported their vaccination status or remained unvaccinated.

The reasoning behind the decision was the current teacher, substitute and support staff shortage, which a distric spokesperson classified as “dire.” A spokesperson for the board told the Bethesda Beat that the county “can’t afford” to lose anyone.

By Samantha Wu

MCPS budget increases

NEWS EDITOR

A new budget plan for the fiscal year 2023 Capital Budget and the 2023-2028 Capital Improvements Program was approved by the Board of Education this November.

The amendments primarily consist of increased funding for projects that were either delayed or received reduced funds in the previous Capital Improvements Plans (CIP).

According to the FY23 CIP, a sudden spike in materials coupled with a staffing shortage has led to a 23% increase in construction costs. “The free lunches, chromebooks for all students, COVID testing, WiFi for students, making virtual learning work, etc. has put a huge strain on the budget, as well.” sophomore Carolyn Connor said.

The Maryland General Assembly passed the Build to Learn Act (BTL)—allowing MCPS an additional $460 million from state funds over the next tenyears — to further bolster growth in capital project aid.

“I would like to see more emphasis on technical and trade schools and more dignity to those pathways, just as much as STEM,” math teacher Laura Goetz said about the development of specialty program schools.

By Akshya Mahadevan

SENIOR NEWS WRITER

Scott Joftus appointed to BoE

Scott Joftus was approved as an acting member of the Montgomery County Board of Education on Dec. 2.

There were multiple steps to his selection process, which took place over the past few weeks. The board held interviews for the eight final candidates, including Mr. Joftus, to fill the board’s current vacancy, which was caused by the passing of former board member and president Patricia O’Neill in September.

Mr. Joftus’ term will last until Nov. 30, 2022, and he will be sworn into office next Tuesday.

By Avani Ambardekar

PHOTO COURTESY OF BETHESDA BEAT

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

December 2021

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Tourists take off for winter holidays

By Annika Phase SENIOR NEWS WRITER

As the winter season approaches, millions of Americans are making plans to travel both domestically and abroad.

Although travel rates have not yet returned to pre-pandemic heights, the progressions in vaccination rates and sanitation measures that have been made over the course of the year has allowed mass travel to become a possibility in the near future.

During the winter of 2020, families were confined to the safety of their homes during the brunt of the second wave of COVID-19 in the US. Larry Yu, a hospitality management professor at George Washington University, said, “after more than a year of isolation or being limited to local activities, people showed t h i s pentup demand for travel.”

This growth in travel can be attributed to the added safety measure of the distribution of vaccines, the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions and regulations, and the reopening of international borders.

“People really miss their families, and at this point, people feel like they’re safe enough and there isn’t that initial stress because a lot of people are vaccinated,” junior Lucy Boyce said.

According to Travel and Leisure, 55% of Americans plan to travel this winter, a

5% increase from last year. Most plan to travel within the country, with plans to visit popular destinations such as New York City, Orlando, and Las Vegas. For those who desire to travel abroad, Paris, London, and Rome are the fastest-growing tourist destinations for American travelers.

There are still several risks that could pose safety concerns to travel, such as the onset of the contagious Delta and Omicron variants and the continually high rates of infection. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises people traveling both domestically and internationally to become fully vaccinated and understand the COVID-19 situation at the destination they plan to visit before leaving. Travelers who are sick, have been exposed to the virus, tested positive for the virus (even if vaccinated), or are waiting for results of a COVID test are recommended to delay vacation plans until they are fully recovered or test negative. Many travelers spend the holiday seasons with family, and the health risks to older relatives are a pressing factor.

“Of course, there is always added worry when traveling in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. You never know if anyone is sick or if they are vaccinated,” senior Camila Sotomayor said. “I also worry that people aren’t going to keep their masks on, especially in the plane. Being in such a confined space, I think it is really important for everyone to take the correct measures to keep everyone safe.”

Some travelers have taken these risks into account, adjust-

ing their travel plans and taking safety measures to protect themselves from contracting the virus. According to NPR, more families have decided to book private vacation homes over hotels, and are traveling to outdoor or natural environments, like national parks, which have seen an unprecedented growth in visitors in the past few months.

“After more than a year of isolation or being limited to local activities, people showed this pent-up demand for travel.”

- Larry Yu Boyce is planning to travel to Massachusetts during winter break. “We always wear masks whenever we leave the car and try not to make as many stops as possible just to minimize it,” she said. “I think we’re going to get COVID tests before we see my grandma.”

Sotomayor is flying to the Dominican Republic next week for vacation, and is another student who is planning to employ several safety measures during the length of her trip.

“In the airport, my family is planning to double mask and use face shields,” Sotomayor said.

“We will also have hand sanitizer at our disposal and be sure to wash our hands as frequently as possible.” But for many, the gradual return to domestic and international travel could reflect a gradual return to normalcy.

GRAPHIC BY CHLOE CHOI

Omicron variant generates mixed reactions

By Crystal Li SCIENCE NEWS WRITER

The discovery of the Omicron variant in late November has sparked worldwide apprehension, with nations imposing travel restrictions and scientists scrambling to gather data. The World Health Organization promptly labeled it a “variant of concern” alongside Delta. However, weeks after its initial identification in South Africa, the variant–and the appropriate response to it–largely remains an enigma.

“The flu mutates all the time; COVID is going to mutate all the time.”

- Nurse Gene Gambo A retesting of older samples reveals that the first cases of the virus may have originated in Europe, and STAT Health News indicates that Botswana and South Africa’s strong regional genetic sequencing networks may have led to the initial detection of the virus.

This latest variant is spreading much faster than earlier ones.

Mathematical models reveal

that Omicron’s propagation rate is nearly 2.5 times that of Delta and already constitutes three quarters of new COVID-19 cases in South Africa. “It is actually really striking how quickly it seems to have taken over,” Juliet Pulliam, epidemiological modeling director at Stellenbosch University, said in an interview with the New York Times.

This is probably attributable to two factors: the variant’s high transmissibility and its ability to evade antibodies.

“At first when I heard about Omicron I was definitely nervous,” junior Saahil Rao said.

In the past week, COVID breakouts on sports teams at five separate MCPS high schools have led to a new policy of a twoweek suspension of practices and games for any team with five or more active cases. At RM, there have been eight new student cases reported since Dec. 9, all sophomores and juniors. Twenty two students who were infected or in close proximity to the virus through contact tracing are now quaranting, according to MCPS data and press releases. This is a sharp increase from the two total cases in October and November.

Concerns about the variant’s resistance to vaccines are grounded in the fact that it contains a novel combination of over thirty mutations in its spike protein,

the segment that allows the virus to bind to human cells. Since the spike protein is what vaccines primarily target, the unusually large number of mutations on Omicron’s spike gives the variant a greater chance of being able to circumvent antibodies.

Such speculation has reframed the deliberation of booster vaccines. “Based on what we know...

I would err on the side of giving the booster,” Dr. Celine Gounder, infectious disease specialist at Bellevue Hospital Center, told the New York Times.

Conversely, some scientists doubt that current boosters would be effective. “Right now, there is no evidence that I’m aware of that would suggest that boosting the entire population is going to provide any greater protection,” Dr. Mike Ryan, a director at the World Health Organization, said.

Early research from South Africa indicates that the newest variant likely does blunt the efficacy of vaccines. But based on blood samples from a small laboratory study, Pfizer says that its booster vaccines offer solid protection against Omicron. Many vaccine manufacturers are also confident that they can easily make adjustments to current vaccines to better combat Omicron.

Experts in South Africa have noted that infected individuals

have experienced milder symptoms, with few losing their sense of taste or smell. Although it remains to be seen whether this trend will hold among older, more vulnerable populations, since those infected in South Africa are of a predominantly young demographic, these observations have been an optimistic sign for some.

RM’s health nurse Gene Gambo believes that new coronavirus variants such as Omicron don’t warrant the panic that news media provoke. “Every disease has variants,” she said.

“It’s normal. The flu mutates all the time; COVID is going to mutate all the time. I honestly don’t think it’s that big a deal.”

Furthermore, Ms. Gambo sees Delta and Omicron as signs that the coronavirus will become endemic, with new variants becoming regular and expected. “I think that eventually, we’re going to get an annual COVID shot just like we get an annual flu shot.”

CORRECTIONS On page 2, the graphic for the article “Experts warn of an unpredictable flu season ahead” is by Angelina Guhl.

On page 6, the web development class is in its second year.

On page 7, the photo caption should be “Seman,” and in the Thanksgiving article, the article should say “Native.”

On page 10, the writer for the article “Society embraces plant-based diets” is Liliana Katz-Hollander, and the continued SASA article is cut off in the second column at “...plans to.”

On page 16, in the caption for the article “Perera dominates Rockets defense,” Ethan Le is a senior. In the article “Rising Rockets: Freshmen shine on varsity,” the Rockets lost a close threeset match.

On page 14, in the crossword puzzle, Gomez Addams is the husband of Morticia Addams.

GRAPHIC BY JULIANNE CRUZ

4 The Tide

December 2021

OPINIONS

Oxford HS shooting sheds light on parental responsibility

by Livia Venditti OPINIONS WRITER

Madisyn Baldwin, 17; Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; and Justin Shilling, 17 are the four victims of the Oxford, Michigan school shooting on Nov. 30. The recent Oxford shooting is yet another in the grotesque pattern of school-related, and preventable, gun violence in America.

Gun culture in America is extremely controversial, but this polarization is based on carelessness and ignorance. Americans on either side of the aisle should stand for protecting lives over weapons. .

Around 4.6 million American children live within reach of a fire-ready gun and according to a 2015 study, 1 in 5 gun-owning households with children under 18 had at least one weapon loaded and unlocked.

The constant and nonchalant attitude towards access to guns has deadly consequences, especially for children, who lack proper training and awareness

of their true dangers. Hiding behind claims of freedom and protection is cowardly, and disrespectful to those who have lost their lives to unnecessary and preventable gun violence.

“Whenever I hear about it, it’s a little bit shocking, but not that shocking. It’s kind of like I’m used to it.”

- Rosa Darko Only 11 states have laws for safe storage legislation and securing weapons in households with children, Michigan excluded. The gun used in this shoot-

ing was essentially handed to the 15-year-old shooter.According to AP News, the father provided the semiautomatic pistol four days before the shooting as a gift, which was kept in an unlocked drawer of a bedroom. A day before the shooting, the suspect was caught at school searching for ammunition on his phone. His mother’s response over text was, “LOL I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.”

If his mother had responded differently—had decided to administer actual, tangible consequences rather than soft and weakwilled words—the bright futures of four students would still exist.

The profile of a school shooter is incredibly repetitive: a white, male student usually consumed with violent thoughts.

According to The Violence Project, over 80 percent of mass shooters were in a noticeable crisis prior to their shooting.

The recent events did not stray from the pattern, as the Tuesday morning of the tragedy, the suspect drew a picture of a gun point-

Advice for the gift-giving season

by Max Belyantsev OPINIONS WRITER

Gifts for friends:

1. Steam Gift Cards: For that gamer friend who loves the action, a gift card to one of the most popular game-buying platforms is the way to go.

2. Visa Gift Cards: You cannot go wrong with a Visa gift card: let your friend decide what is worth the most to them.

3.

Bracelets: Show your friend you care with a colorful homemade bracelet. Perfect for the holidays!

4. LED Light Strips: Brighten the mood and keep things interesting with some LED strip lights—an ever-popular lighting trend for many teenagers across the country.

5. The Balkwan Sunset Lamp: For your friends who would rather have more aesthetic lighting, consider a sunset lamp. Its gorgeous yellow-orange hue will give that soothing sunset vibe.

6. Assorted Candies: Wish your friends a sweet holiday and give the gift of candy. Kit Kats, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, M&Ms, Skittles, Starbursts, and Jolly Ranchers are just some of the most popular candy brands, perfect for a friend.

7. Gift of Nothing: Nope, that is not a typo. For that friend who “wants nothing” during the holiday season, now is your chance to deliver an awesome gag gift.

8. Plushies: Gift your friend a fluffy companion this holiday season. From cute animals to fruits, (and even a boba tea lookalike), get a gift that captures their energy.

9. Phone Cases: A stylish phone case might just be the perfect holiday gift. A wide variety of choices across different

brands allows you to choose the perfect one for a friend.

10. One Month of Spotify Premium/Apple Music: Save the gift of music for a friend. One month of unlimited offline listening is the perfect low-cost gift that will help them get in the holiday spirit.

Gifts for families:

1. Thoughtful Cards: Don’t shy away from a classic—letting a relative know how much they mean to you will uplift their holiday mood.

2. The Amazon Echo Dot, HomePod Mini or Sonos Roam: Keep the music flowing in your household and gift a smart home speaker. Perfect for nightstands, kitchen counters or any other spot in the house.

3. Blankets: For that one brother or sister who is always cold, keep them warm this holiday season with a comfy blanket.

4. Slippers: Do not miss out on the chance to get a relative some soft and cozy slippers.

5. Origami/Artwork: Create something unique and special for a family member.

6. One Month of Hulu, Netflix or HBO: Share a memorable holiday experience with your family by watching a new movie or series together.

7. One Month of New York Times Crosswords (Games): Learn some new words and put your minds to work with the popular New York Times Games selection. Complete with several puzzles and over 10,000 crosswords.

8. Custom Mugs: Gift a custom mug with a cheerful design to a family member this holiday season. ‘Tis the season for hot chocolate!

9. Gourmet Chocolates: A tin of specialty chocolates is a great way to spread the holiday cheer in your family.

Lindt, Lindor, Godiva and Ferrero Rocher are just four of the plentiful chocolatiers that are renowned for their great taste.

10. Doordash Gift Cards: Save your family the effort of holiday cooking and order in from your favorite restaurant with a Doordash gift card.

ing at the words, “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me.” His parents resisted counseling, and administrators let him remain at school with the gun in his backpack that would later be used to kill 4 students and injure 8 others. This attitude of dismissing obvious warning signs, however, is not uncommon. Displays of violence in children are often swept under a rug and action is not taken.

Yet in this case and many others, some support and a few words could have easily stopped another school from becoming a warzone.

However, there is a groundbreaking difference in this case: the suspect’s parents have been charged with involuntary manslaughter. This decision does not come without controversy, but it is the right step in holding more people responsible for cultivating an environment in which a troubled teen prone to violent thoughts can access, carry and use a deadly weapon.

Even something as simple as sharing knowledge of the dangers of gun usage can save lives.

Children are highly impressionable; they emulate the behaviors of those around them, even inadvertently, so something as critical and grave as gun safety is a topic that needs to be treated with the utmost importance.

One fact remains undeniable: school shootings are a systematic failure of our country to protect its most vulnerable population.

The fact that school shootings are almost normalized in our country is an alarm that should be ringing in every parent, school, and politician’s ear. “Whenever I hear about it, it’s a little bit shocking, but not that shocking. It’s kind of like I’m used to it,” senior Rosa Darko said.

Rather than practice conjugation in Spanish or factoring in math class, American students must practice hiding under desks, silently awaiting an armed shooter that may have sat next to them in class. This is a reality that has come true for 29 schools just in this year alone. Politicians and schools need to stop just offering prayers and condolences. They need to offer change.

Cartoon Corner

Gifts for teachers:

1. Starbucks Gift Card: With the colder months coming, consider a Starbucks gift card to warm a teacher’s holiday spirit.

2. Holiday Truffles: Anyone will undoubtedly enjoy an assorted selection of delicious chocolate truffles.

3. Tea Set: Help your teacher relax after a long day of grading with a selection of fruit and herbal teas.

4.

S’well Water Bottle: Help your teacher stay hydrated throughout the day. The stainless steel frame will keep the water cool for hours and there’s even a cool composition book design available.

5. Mug Warmer: Keep your teacher’s coffee or tea warm with a mug warmer attachment.

Especially useful during the frosty season.

6.

Holiday Pencil Cup: Keep the festivities going at your teacher’s desk with a holiday-themed pencil cup.

7. Thank You Note: Tell your teacher you appreciate their hard work with a kind and personal note.

8. Personalized Teacher Keychain: Gift your teacher a nice keychain that’ll remind them every day about how amazing they are.

9. Anker Power Bank: When your teacher is working late, keep them connected to power with a portable battery, perfect for charging mobile devices quickly.

10. Snow Globe: One of these is the perfect way to bring a little cheer and magic to your teacher’s desk.

GRAPHICS BY SOPHIA WONG AND JULIANNE CRUZ

CARTOON BY ANGELINA GUHL

The Tide

250 Richard Montgomery Drive Rockville, Maryland 20852 www.thermtide.com 301-610-8000 The Tide is the student newspaper of Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Maryland. The Tide is dedicated to keeping the Richard Montgomery school community accurately informed and to providing a forum for student expression.

1,000 copies of the newspaper are printed and distributed among students.

Any corrections are printed in the following issue on page 2.

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Editors-in-Chief..............................................Delaney Crawley, Nicole Fang, Victoria Tong News...................................................................................Samantha Wu, Avani Ambardekar Opinions.................................................................Athira Nair, Rohan Dewan, Rachel Wang Centerspread...................................................................................Natalie Weger, Shuxin Dai Features..............................................................................................Davi Jacobs, Niki Esmaili Arts..................................................................................................Raha Murtuza, Claire Chen Sports................................................................Maggie Orcev, Kevin Zhang, Corrigan Peters Social Justice.....................................................Helina Tamiru, Charlyn Chu, Elfreda Raven Photo...................................................................................................Ella Koenig, Lynna Deng Graphics................................................................Julianne Cruz, Caleb Collins, Evelyn Shue TidePod........................................................................................Courtney Kim, Jupleen Kaur Video................................................................................Avery Wang, Eashana Subramanian Social Media Manager.............................................................................Kobina Asafu-Adjaye Crossword..............................................................................................................Myka Fromm Sponsors..........................................................................Ms. Jennifer Kidd, Ms. Bonnie Peyer

OPINIONS

The Tide

Holiday Special

December 2021

A spotlight on the winter holidays and its festivities!

Spilling the beans on Santa

by Francis Paloma OPINIONS WRITER

“If I teach them too young, then they’re going to ...tell other kids that Santa’s not real.”

- Juliana Saquilayan Continuously lying to kids about Santa may develop trust issues later on. Instead, kids should be guided to their own conclusion.

According to the BBC, allowing children to come to their own conclusions lessens the blow while cultivating critical thinking skills.

When the big question of, “Is Santa real?” is asked, replies like “What makes you think that?” are valid to reduce a child’s disappointment. Answering this question truthfully and watching their world shatter as a parent can be heartbreaking. In reality, kids are quite resilient and a confirmation of their suspicions of fake Santa will not kill them.

Santa is an unmatched figure for the entirety of America’s existence that spreads joy and virtuous values everywhere he goes. Sending a child to college, driving for the first time, first steps then spilling the beans on Old Saint Nick are all monumental milestones in raising a child, so do it right.

GRAPHIC BY EVELYN SHUE

by Shoshana Peck OPINIONS WRITER

Christmas has always been an uncomfortable time for me as a Jewish person. In the US, December comes with an explosion of Christmas trees, songs, candy canes and Santa. While seen as a harmless secular part of American life, it can feel especially ostracizing to young children who do not celebrate.

While Hanukkah is now marketed as another winter holiday in an attempt to be inclusive, this rings hollow.

Focusing on a second holiday is an excuse to talk about Christmas when major holidays in other cultures and religions are never mentioned.

Hanukkah is a minor Jewish holiday that is only well known by non-Jews due to its conflation with Christmas.

In Judaism, some of the most important holidays are Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Passover; Hanukkah is far from the top of the list. I have heard people describe Hanukkah as “the Jewish version of Christmas,” both offensive and rooted in the idea that Christianity is more important than other religions.

According to the Washington Post, the First Amendment allows holiday decorations and activities for educational purposes rather than proselytizing. Christmas trees and menorahs are allowed as they are considered secular. The

Anti-Defamation League states that decorations should include a variety of holidays to avoid promoting a religion. Under these guidelines, many school decorations are legal, but that does not mean they are inclusive.

While it may be secular to you, it feels religious to me and many others.

Many argue that there are secular aspects of Christmas, but the origins are rooted in Christianity.

While it may be secular to you, it feels religious to me and many others. Christmas has no place in schools, but no one seems to have asked themselves why they feel it does. It is not to educate children about religion since the rest of the year is free of any holiday-themed billboards and activities.

When I have done winter holiday activities in class, the fact that Hanukkah was mentioned did not make it any less uncomfortable that Christmas was the reason for the activity. The idea that Christmas is a central part of American childhood is untrue and ostracizing for many people. The wider ramifications of Christmas in schools need to be prioritized over people's

attachment to traditions.

If schools were to educate children on multiple important holidays and the religions and cultures they are tied to throughout the year, Christmas would have its place in that. I would love for my peers to learn about Jewish holidays, and for me to learn about other religions, cultures and holidays. Instead, I have been bombarded with Christianity and Christmas from a young age.

Taking Christmas out of schools does not restrict freedom of religion. It is simply allowing every student to participate in the religious and cultural practices they wish to rather than those of the dominant culture. There is no need for Christmas to permeate a learning environment intended for a country as diverse as America.

GRAPHICS BY KATIE BROWN

GRAPHIC BY JULIANNE CRUZ

Thousands prepare for the day of the year when a plump man in a red suit gives away an endless bag of presents.

However, this bliss fades once the realization hits the magical man is the mundane parent. Evading the truth of Santa does not have to feel like walking on eggshells.

Santa Claus is a staple to Christmas. Instrumental Music teacher Dr. Perry said, “The unfettered gentle generosity, that symbol embodies something that we can strive for.” Santa teaches children actions have consequences while instilling a value of compassion lasting into adulthood.

However beneficial Santa is to one’s childhood, it should not last forever.

Freshman Cata Dulcey said, “I figured it out when I recognized it was my dad’s handwriting and signature fish doodle on the ‘card from Santa.’” When a child confronts the parents about Santa, the response is a make or break situation.

There is no universal or perfect moment to reveal the truth. Sophomore Juliana Saquilayan said, “If I teach them too young, then they’re going to be that [rude person] that tells

other kids that Santa’s not real.”

Treating each child on an individual basis along their Santa truth journey will ease the stress.

Dear school system: celebrate holidays other than Christmas

Homemade gifts have a sentimentality store-bought gifts cannot match

by Riona Sheikh OPINIONS WRITER

The holiday season traditionally creates feelings of enchantment. However, with the holiday season comes the pressure to get gratifying gifts for loved ones. In a materialistic society, a homemade gift is special and warms the heart to both give and receive.

Shopping from a wishlist is a foolproof way for recipients to receive items they definitely wanted. “The ideal store-bought gift should be something that the person would value,” sophomore Naisha Singireddy said.

The wishlist process appears reliable, but social media creeps into this seemingly non-problematic aspect of life. Trends strengthen American materialistic culture by pushing specific lifestyles.

An example:

the VSCO girl, a lifestyle dependent on appearance and possession of material items. These objects range from scrunchies to puka shell necklaces or a Hydro Flask. Following the VSCO rage that took over much of America’s youth came items like these taking over every teenage girl’s wish list.

“The best kind of homemade gift would be special.

Something unique and nice between me and someone else.”

- Laura Goetz Studies show a direct correlation between materialism in America and social media. Social media also provides a way through which goods can be marketed to users. Often, social media sites offer personalized advertisements for users to see as they scroll through.

The advertisements—in bright, attractive colors—prompt users

to feel drawn to the displayed items. This translates directly into gift giving: people often draw upon their own judgments, picturing the ideal gift as another gaudy, eye-catching advertisement glowing on the screen.

Growing materialism may have caused the tradition of unique homemade, hand-crafted gifts to be lost. Singireddy said, “A typical holiday gift would be something ... they have been wanting for a while.” This may not be consistent with the definition of a homemade gift, which is usually more personalized and sentimental. Still, some favor the sentiment. Singireddy said, “I prefer homemade gifts because they have more thought put into them than store-bought gifts … it takes more effort to make something special with someone else’s interests in mind.”

As material gifts grow more prevalent, it seems the value and appreciation towards homemade gifts have skyrocketed.

Math teacher Laura Goetz said, “The best kind of homemade gift would be special. Something unique and nice between me and someone else. The fact that someone put all that thought into it … really means the world to me.”

Hand-crafted goods are often less expensive than purchasing a store-bought gift while still showing appreciation for the receiver. “I once had a student who had a mug with all these quotes that I like to say while I’m teaching written all over it, and it meant so much to me,” Mrs. Goetz said.

Handmade gifts bring individuals closer together. It is no secret that as the holidays approach, people connect with their loved ones. “When my kids were little …they’d make these clay sculptures that would be the ugliest thing, but I love them because they were made

GRAPHICS BY JULIANNE CRUZ

by my kids for me,” Mrs. Goetz said. Knowing that someone put in the thought and effort to personally make a gift for their recipient can create a strong bond between two people.

Though modern materialistic culture may be preventing a clear pathway to the perfect gift, one thing is still clear: It is the thought behind the gift that matters. The holiday spirit is about much more than gifts, it is about appreciation and sentimentality. The best gifts would encompass the true holiday spirit.

PHOTO BY VICTORIA DZIASEK

A handmade and storebought gift placed under a Christmas tree.

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OPINIONS

The Tide

December 2021

Lack of POC teachers undermines minority history

by Maria Alba-Herrera SENIOR OPINIONS WRITER

Richard Montgomery is establishing new history courses focused on people of color. The school has finally taken student voices into account through the integration of courses like IB HL history of Africa and the Asian Pacific Islander Desi-American course. However, in going down the slippery slope of attempting to enrich students’ learning of other cultures, the school must make additional changes that do not just involve the curriculum, but how it is taught.

There are various issues with the current, overly westernized and eurocentric curriculum. Education systems provide a way for people to cultivate values different from familial ones. We cannot afford to indoc-

trinate students with overly eurocentric bias. Senior Nancy Mvogo Mbala said, “Acknowledging that white-centric history should not be taught as a required course while the history of so many other groups is taught as extracurricular or barely taught at all is problematic is important. By attempting to remedy that, it will create more socially aware individuals.”

As a POC student, I am disappointed to repeatedly learn about American history from eighth through tenth or eleventh grade.

It denies POC students the opportunity to recognize the importance of their historical background. The denial of this right accompanied by the blatant lack of emphasis on the history of minorities sends a message about w h o the curriculum is geared towards.

A troubling phenom-

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enon evident throughout the entire Montgomery County Public School’s history curriculum is the focus on colonization and dismal times of the exploitation of minorities. Instead of learning about their achievements and contributions, lessons spoon-feed information about their seemingly never-ending subjugation.

Although it is important to acknowledge their oppression, it is also critical to learn about the beauty of different cultures and their contributions to history.

The blatant lack of POC RM staff, specifically the Social Studies department directory, proves the new courses are an extremely surface-level change.

Curriculums can be rewritten a million times but this is meaningless without actual systemic change - including hiring more POC teachers. Mbala said, “It’s a testament to the racial disparities in education and an example that our school has a significant amount of work to provide an equitable and comfortable environment for its POC students” The significance of samerace teachers for the success of minorities is undervalued in MCPS. Increased racial representation in teachers helps minority students cultivate the idea that they can also be academically successful.

According to a recent study by the Brookings Institution, “a disadvantaged black male’s exposure to at least one black teacher in elementary school reduces his

probability of dropping out of high school by nearly 40 percent.”

This significantly highlights how diverse teaching staff inevitably aids minority students to do better in school in the long run.

“It’s a testament to the racial disparities in education, and an example that our school has a significant amount of work to provide an equitable and comfortable environment for its POC students.”

- Nancy Mvogo Mbala

Junior Paris Ye recently contributed to the creation of a new course, the Asian Pacific Islander Desi-American course, centered around the history of Asian American identities and their contributions to the US. The process was extremely difficult due to the lack of Asian teachers in the social studies department to help sponsor the course’s creation. Ye said, “The difficulty in creating

the course highlights the lack of Asian-American representation.

There’s such a problem of not having diversity within history courses - which I think is one of the most important courses in which to have teacher diversity. Especially when you’re offering new minority courses.”

The MCPS history curriculum has various flaws that need to be addressed. Thankfully, the school seems to be actively working towards long-overdue change.

Another course that is going to be offered for the first time next year is IB history of Africa. Social Studies teacher Todd Stillman, who will be teaching the course next year said, “We would love to have as diverse a staff as possible but that is going to be a long term issue. In the short term what we can control is teaching subjects that are of interest to students that are different to what they would typically learn.”

This issue, although pertinent at our school, is significant throughout the entire country. As a nation, we have grown far too accustomed to accepting and celebrating western points of view.

This complacency has prevented us from being able to enact real and meaningful change, and more minority courses are necessary to prevent RM from falling into this dangerous cycle. RM could continue to force students to participate in “anti-racism” discussions during advisory but at the end of the day that does not matter when our school continues to endorse a culture and curriculum that indoctrinates students into only believing and understanding one historical point of view.

Local metro’s closure testament to public transportation

by Kidus Walelign OPINIONS WRITER

The Rockville and Shady Grove metro stations have been closed by the WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority) since September, and will remain closed until mid-January, in order to renovate their canopies.

They have closed down two vital metro stations for four months .Snatching away the public transportation people are dependent upon is not only a shortsighted decision, but it is indicative of America’s relative disregard towards public transportation.

“In my opinion, public transport definitely is a necessity, so it annoys me that they don’t see it that way. Especially in cities and such, being able to get from place to place is essential to survival.”

- Alex Wang The stations transport nearly 15,000 passengers combined each weekday according to WTOP News. They serve as connectors to MARC stations and Amtrak trains, and receive dozens upon

dozens of buses. People rely on these stations, especially now with many businesses opening up and more people returning to work, the timing of the closure could not be any more inconvenient .

The renovations force commuters to find other modes of transport - many of whom resort to driving. In just the past two decades, people commuting alone has decreased from 70 percent to 58 percent according to WAMU. Commuters may develop a habit of driving to work, and even once the stations open up again, they will choose to drive instead.

To now indirectly encourage people to commute alone again completely reverses the progress made in the past two decades.

The WMATA could have solicited feedback from the communities that are being impacted by this closure, yet they chose not to. Herein lies the issue with America’s public transport - it is not seen as a public need, but rather a public want.

The WMATA was able to shut down these stations for practically no reason without receiving any backlash. This reveals how public transport and the people that rely on public transportation are often overlooked. They have received no acknowledgement for the four months of inconvenience they are being put through and can only find solace in the fact that they will have a niceto-look-at canopy afterwards.

Sophomore Alex Wang said, “In my opinion public transport definitely is a necessity, so it annoys me that they don’t see it that way. Especially in cities and such, being able to get from place

to place is essential to survival.”

Compared to other first-world countries, our system is outdated and inefficient. Even in the 20th century, public transport was added as an afterthought - communities were built around cars rather than buses or trains. They were built as self-contained neighborhoods with small looping roads and cul-de-sacs, which make it easier to get around with cars, but much more difficult for public transportation to get through.

President Joe Biden, however, seems to be attempting to change this. In his $2 trillion infrastructure plan, he claims he will allocate $85 billion spread out over eight

years to modernize public transit and will invest another $80 billion “to address Amtrak’s repair backlog; modernize the high traffic Northeast Corridor; improve existing corridors and connect new city pairs; and enhance grant and loan programs that support passenger and freight rail safety, efficiency, and electrification,” according to The White House.

This is the first time since the 1980s that a president has decided to prioritize public transportation over renovating highways and roads, according to the New York Times. By setting a precedent for future presidents, this infrastructure plan is an important

first step in bettering the public transport system regardless of whether Congress passes it or not.

By closing the metro stations in Shady Grove and Rockville the WMATA has abandoned the people who rely on the system, potentially contributing to a rise in traffic and gas consumption.

Their decision to not consult the people this decision would affect reflects America’s view of public transportation. Though Biden has taken an important first step in acknowledging and addressing the issue, a lot more could be done to change this belief.

American cannot run without its buses, subways, and metros.

PHOTO BY VICTORIA DZIASEK

Construction to build a canopy continues, blocking riders from entering the Rockville metro station

The Tide

December 2021 7

SOCIAL JUSTICE

People spread flowers and like items around the entrance of Oxford highschool in oder to honor the victams of the school shooting.

OXFORD, cont. from page 1 On Wednesday Dec. 3, 15-yearold Crumbley was charged as an adult with one count of terrorism causing death and four counts of first-degree murder. According to an article from the New York Times, “Prosecutors took the rare step of filing involuntary manslaughter charges against his parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, saying that they had bought the semiautomatic handgun that he used to carry out the deadly rampage as a Christmas gift.”

The first lawsuit was filed on Thursday, Dec. 9 by Jeffrey and Brandi Franz, the parents of two sisters who also survived the shooting. Senior Riley Franz was shot in the neck in front of her sis-

ter Bella, a freshman. The family seeks $100 million, their lawsuit claiming that the school district and its officials did not do enough in order to protect its students.

“Your learning environment should not be a place of terrorism.”

- Hannah Chiu

PHOTO BY SCOTT OLSEN

across the nation, are hoping for real change. “I don’t think the government is doing nearly enough to combat this issue,” Maxlow said.

On Wednesday, Dec. 15 the Michigan Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin introduced a new piece of preventative legislation. Called the “Safe Guns, Safe Kids Act”, the bill requires gun owners to safely store their firearms away from their children.

If the child uses the gun, the parent can be held accountable with up to 5 years of jail time.

In a video with BBC News, Oakland County Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard addressed the aftermath of the shooting. Bouchard said, “This wound will never go away.” The fear of school violence lingers in many students hearts.

2021 School Year: 32 shootings 53 injured 13 killed

Moving forward, the Oxford community, as well as students

MCPS pilot program brings menstrual product dispensers

by Charlyn Chu ASSISTANT SOCIAL JUSTICE EDITOR

Period poverty is the lack of access to menstrual products or hygiene facilities. Stigma around menstruation and periods causes many to feel embarrassment or shame when asking for period products. Numerous students have had to use toilet paper, towels, and other items as a substitute.

“I’ve spoken with a number of students, often low income, often students of color, who because they don’t have access to menstrual products or because

GRAPHIC BY EVELYN SHUE

they can’t afford them, their only option was to miss entire days of school,” Student Member of the Board (SMOB) Hana O’Looney said. “I think that it is a real issue of education equity when half of the human population can’t access the classroom in the same way that others can because of a biological and financial barrier standing in the way.”

While RM and many other schools offer menstrual products in the nurses’ office or the health room, students have raised concerns that it is not enough and further stigmatizes menstrua-

tion. Offices are not always open and are neither timely or convenient to those who need urgent access to a pad or tampon. The solution is having dispensers directly in the school bathrooms.

As part of a MCPS pilot program that will test out different dispenser models and menstrual products, menstrual hygiene product dispensers will be placed in White Oak Middle School and Montgomery Village Middle School starting in January 2022. These installations will be the first of many.

Plans for installation have been introduced since 2020, but recent discussion on period products in school at the MCPS Board of Education’s (BOE) last meeting moved things forward.

Additionally, Maryland mandated in May that all secondary schools must provide free and easily accessible menstrual products to students by 2025.

This mandate was a result of strong advocacy by students over the course of three years; lobbying trips to Annapolis and emails to senators about the importance of menstrual equity helped convince lawmakers to focus on this topic. After pushing at both the local and state level for a bill that would require counties to provide free menstrual product dispensers in school bathrooms, the Maryland HB205 bill finally passed in the 2021 legislative session.

State law requires that public middle and high schools must

“I think that it is a real issue of education equity.”

- Hana O’Looney

have dispensers installed in at least two womens’ restrooms

by Oct. 1, 2022, and all womens

restrooms by Aug. 1, 2025. Although the state bill only requires dispensers in female-designated bathrooms, MCPS is committed to its goal of adding them to all Montgomery County bathrooms; that includes male, female, and non-binary bathrooms.

“I felt very strongly that in order to be accepting and send a message that we are inclusive of our LGBTQ+ students and broader community, I was very very adamant on making sure that the products in MCPS are in all bathrooms,” O’Looney said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY MEDIA

Student Member of the Board (SMOB) and RM senior Hana O’Looney strongely advocates for providing menstrual products in all schools.

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CENTERSPREAD

The Tide

December 2021

TOP SONGS:

TOP FASHION TRENDS:

“Olivia Rodrigo’s music is catchy, emotional, fun, and above all else genuine.

Some of her songs are relatable and also incredibly personal. Her songwriting feels raw but also polished and refined at the same time. She’s popular for the reasons above, many people look for these things in music, but I think as an artist, she’s also extremely accessible,” junior Sahill Rao said. So, if you have not had a chance to check Olivia out, now is the time!

#2 “good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo

#2 Platform Shoes

December 2021

This past year, “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo has played countless times in the mall, grocery store and on the radio. Rodrigo, the 18-year-old sensation, dropped her hit song almost a year ago, and ever since then has created an entire album and received six Grammy nominations. “drivers license” remained #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for over 8 weeks, creating a new Gen Z star.

#1 “drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo

#1 Blazers

Written by Anushka Iyer

#3 “Kiss Me More” (feat. SZA) by Doja Cat

#3 Bootcut Pants

#4 “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals

#4 Tote Bags #5 Claw Clips

CENTERSPREAD

The Tide

#5 “Levtiating (feat. DaBaby) by Dua Lipa

Blazers have been one of the fastest growing trends of 2021, with celebrities such as Rihanna and Zendaya at the forefront of this trend. As one of the most versatile pieces in fashion, for people of all genders, blazers have become one of the most popular clothing items. Blazers can be worn with jeans or a dress, they can be worn to work, and to a casual night out.

Graphic by Katie Brown

TOP TV SHOWS:

Also, they come in all kinds of patterns and colors, you can wear them fitted, cropped, or oversized. The self-assuring nature of its structured silhouette has become a symbol of chic confidence. Their overall adaptability to any social setting has made blazers an empowering staple to the 2021 fashion scene, and a great addition to any outfit.

Graphic by Katie Brown

#1 Squid Game

Written by Anne Moser

#2 Wandavision

Graphic by Katie Brown

#3 Loki #4 The Falcon and the Winter Solider #5 Bridgerton

TOP MOVIES:

Graphic by Julianne Cruz

#1 Shang Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings #2 Venom: Let There Be Carnage #3 Black Widow #4 F9: The Fast Saga #5 Eternals

Graphic by Julianne Cruz

Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings marks a significant milestone in 2021 for both Asian Americans and Marvel fans. The movie follows Shang-Chi, played by Simu Liu, as he is forced to confront his past after being drawn into the Ten Rings Organization, embedding plentiful references to East Asian folklore and tradition.

The fresh storyline certainly had an impact: the movie now holds the record to a $71.4 million Labor Day box office debut and continued to become the highest-grossing movie released during the pandemic. Even the Regal movie theater at Rockville Town Center saw Shang-Chi tickets sell out in hours during its debut. If you still have seen it yet, you can stream it at your leisure on Disney+.

Written by Rosemary Yang

#1 Drake

Songs like, “Way 2 Sexy,” and, “Girls Want Girls,” were the main songs from his Certified Lover Boy album that helped his listener audience skyrocket. With ‘Way 2 Sexy,’ receiving more than 226 million listens. As well as ‘Girls Want Girls,’ receiving more than 166 million listens. Both accumulated a sizable following over the past year.

Written by Kai Ghebrehiwet Background by Evelyn Shue Designed by Natalie Weger

“My favorite part of the show was how well-written the characters were. They all seemed incredibly realistic and believable, and I enjoyed learning about their backstories and why they chose to participate in the games,” sophomore Nitya Donthi said. By portraying darker themes with light-hearted and nostalgic children’s games, Squid Games’ spot as the top show of 2021 is well-deserved.

TOP MUSIC ARTISTS: As 2021 comes to a close, the results from Spotify wrapped become available. Students flock to their phones to see what they listened to most throughout the year. Artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor swift pop-up repeatedly displaying a massive listener audience and growing influence. However, one male artist tops the chart again. For the second time, Drake tops the list on Billboard’s year-end top artist chart. On Spotify, Drake not only topped the Top Artist of 2021 USA chart, but he also was first for Top Male Artist of 2021 USA.

#2 Taylor Swift #3 Juice WRLD #4 Kanye West #5 Bad Bunny

From K-Pop idol groups to movies, there is one show in South Korea’s evergrowing Hallyu Wave that made its mark on pop culture. The international sensation “Squid Game” is a South Korean Drama on Netflix that topped the charts for over 80 countries. For some, the thriller earned its title because of its gripping plotline and phenomenal acting, but the students here at RM have more to add to the list.

Graphic by Katie Brown

Written by Maria Yu

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The Tide

FEATURES

December 2021

Red Cross Club starts fundraiser for measles and rubella

by Caroline Zhou and Ginger Speer FEATURES WRITERS

As a part of their international services initiative, the Red Cross Club at Richard Montgomery High School held their first fundraiser from Dec. 6-17 to collect donations for the Red Cross Vaccinate-aVillage campaign towards vaccines against measles and rubella for children in need.

RCC is an extension of the Red Cross organization that works to alleviate global issues.

In the club, there are five unique committees that aid in different services: disaster relief, training, biomedical, international and armed forces. Each committee is required to lead at least one monthly event and members of the committee are able to contribute to the event planning.

“There’s a lot of planning involved for these fundraisers and making sure that everything goes smoothly,” Doumbia said.

“Because ultimately, what we do here does directly affect people around the world.” Members signed up for the days they would be helping out at the donation stand during lunch.

For every $1 donated, someone around the world will gain access to a vaccine. $2 donated provides a vaccine and a booster shot. “In

America we often don’t think of how dangerous these diseases and viral infections can be because we’ve vaccinated against them so aggressively that we don’t have to think about them,” Doumbia said. “People think they can’t really do anything to help, but what you do on an individual scale is enough to help others.”

W h e n p e o p l e d e ve l o p a n understanding of global circumstances, they understand the deadliness of these diseases and what this means for the unprotected. Doumbia stresses the importance of staying updated and working with institutions such as the Red Cross. “If you are in a position where you can help other people and you have the resources to do so, I believe it’s just ethical to help,” she said.

The fundraiser is particularly personal to Doumbia, who has family in Mali. “Some of my extended family live in villages where there isn’t access to vaccines and they can’t get any help unless it’s through the government or foreign aid like the Red Cross,” she said. “So I really want this fundraiser to succeed.”

Doumbi also addressed

stereotypes surrounding the countries comprising Africa.

“There’s been a lot of media attention going on with government conflicts between the governments and citizens.

People tend to assume that the entire country [Mali] is in turmoil from that,” Doumbia said. “But that’s not the full picture.”

Doumbia will graduate this school year and hopes the club will continue to prosper in the future. “RCC means a lot to me and I would love to see it continue after I’m gone,” she said.

Doumbia, along with freshman Audrey Oppong and sophomore Sophia Fang, encourage students to join RCC and have an impact on their community while gaining valuable leadership skills.

“It’s so important for youth to get involved in clubs like RCC because they always help the community in some way,” Fang said. “It’s also a super fun way to get involved not only in the RM community, but also in the Red Cross volunteer community.”

“For me, the club is my way of making a difference in the world,”Oppong said. “It’s kind of an insight into what the real world is like, because if I wasn’t part of it, I probably wouldn’t be aware of how people are struggling - it just brings light to issues.”

Students interested in the Red Cross Club can email rmhsrcc@ gmail.com to get involved.

PHOTO BY DAVI JACOBS GRAPHIC TO LEFT BY EVELYN SHUE

RCC club president and senior Riki Doumbia stands in front of the donation table during lunch on Dec. 8.

Sleep deprivation affects both students and staff

by Elena Parisi FEATURES WRITER

Junior Ryan Whittaker fights to keep his eyes open. The voice of his teacher echoes in the distance. He puts his head on his desk. But no, Whittaker invokes his inner strength and combats the persistent desire to fall into a deep lull.

Struggling to stay awake is a common issue among high school students. This year, the amount of students who have been caught sleeping in class spurred the creation of @RMsleeps, an Instagram account exposing victims of sleep deprivation.

According to The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, teenagers need eight to ten hours of sleep per night.

Unfortunately, 72.7 percent do not get close to this amount.

Getting enough sleep is essential, especially for teens.

“Teenagers have a particularly strong need for sleep because they’re undergoing so many profound changes to their physical body, their emotional health, their mental health and their brain function,” Dr. Nancy Kadowitz, a pediatrician at Capitol Medical Group, said.

Lack of sleep may cause you to miss out on being a couple inches taller. “Growth hormone is excreted at night while you’re sleeping,” Dr. Kadowitz said. “If you deprive yourself of sleep, you deprive yourself of growth hormone, which helps you reach your growth potential.”

US History teacher Amber Myren is aware of this impending issue. “I ask my students frequently how much sleep they’re getting,” Ms. Myren said.

“They always tell me ‘I’m getting three hours,’ or ‘I’m getting four hours.’” Whittaker gets around six hours a night, while senior Rosa Darko gets four hours on average, but sometimes, just one.

Many teens find it difficult to get to sleep early because of a biological shift in the body’s circadian rhythms during puberty. A teen’s sleep schedule is shifted back by two hours, meaning someone who used to fall asleep easily at 10 p.m. will, as a teen, not feel tired until midnight.

High schoolers are kept up at night due to academic obligations, extracurriculars and other responsibilities. It is common for students to stay up well past midnight doing homework. Many pull all-nighters when they have an upcoming test or assignment.

Some may also put off their sleep to unwind after a long day.

“Before I go to bed, I might be texting friends or I might be on Twitter, just like the students,” Ms. Myren said. “I know you’re not supposed to look at your phone, but I do it anyway.”

Even though students stay up late into the night to work, they still must get up early for school. Many get up before 6 a.m. to catch buses.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that school starts at 8:30, so that teens can get their much-

needed sleep. However, at RM, classes start at 7:45 am.

When their alarms go off, students rarely feel prepared for the day to come. “I cannot think when I first wake up, I just want to go back to sleep,” Whittaker said.

Waking up groggy and angry is not a healthy way to start a day, but it is the reality. “I feel pissed. I feel annoyed. I don’t want to wake up in the morning,” Darko said.

Many people lay in bed for a while after their alarm rings. “It’s

students throughout the day, impacting how they work and their stress levels. “It definitely heightens my anxiety surrounding school and how stressed I am,” Darko said. “I tend to be a little bit more antsy when I’m taking my test and a little bit absent minded throughout the day, and I can’t pay attention in class.” Students want to work, but they often feel too exhausted.

For Ms. Myren, being tired causes internal fear about her

GRAPHIC BY JULIANNE CRUZ

hard to make the transition from bed to standing,” Ms. Myren said.

“My brain is so foggy, I can’t think about all the fun things that are going to happen during the day.”

This fogginess stays with

teaching abilities. “What I get stressed about is am I a good enough teacher if I’m feeling low energy that day,” she said. “Can I be energetic and interesting if I’m having a day where I’m so tired?”

Sleep deprivation impacts other areas of life outside of school. One of the biggest is risktaking. “Your frontal lobe is still developing, and that’s how you control your impulse behavior,” Dr. Kadowitz said. “[A sleepdeprived teen] might engage in more high-risk behaviors.” Teens are more likely to take drugs or text while driving when their minds are clouded by tiredness.

Sleep deprivation often leads to irritability, and can exacerbate conditions like depression and anxiety. It lessens cognitive ability, lowering memory, attention span, and creativity.

Being overly tired all the time often leads to a slip in grades.

Sleep deprivation also affects social well-being. “It can affect their peer relationships, because if you’re impulsive with friendships, that can get you in trouble,” Dr. Kadowitz said. “So academics suffer, relationships suffer.”

Students and teachers must work towards making sleep a priority and having a consistent sleep schedule. A baby step is to do something relaxing before bed, not including using electronics, which stimulate your brain.

Most students know that they should be sleeping more than they are and wish that they could go to bed earlier. However, this does not change the amount of homework they get, or how early they must get up for school. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible for high school students to get the eight to ten hours they need, and they are feeling the effects.

FEATURES

The Tide

December 2021

By the Features Team

Sophomore Marlene Orantes I saw my brother for the first time in a long time.

My family has always been super close, so it was difficult not seeing each other. Although we FaceTimed a lot, it still didn’t feel the same. I love it when he comes to visit us, it feels like the old times.

Junior Glennis Sanchez I’m taking the weight lifting for women class this year and it’s full of chaos and fun times! I met some friends and we formed the Sagittarius lifting group. The class is full of people supporting each other and we achieve goals we never thought we could accomplish­­­­—I was able to deadlift 225 pounds!

Senior Danielle Alueta I got a Shih Tzu Yorkie and he’s a year old. During the summer, I went on a roadtrip with him and he had so much fun! He had his bear with him and it was so cute! He couldn’t leave the bear alone.

Forensics/biology teacher Karl Kovacs The value of mental health counseling through therapy. That’s something this 58-year-old never thought he would ever do. But he reached out. He got some help, and it works. That’s my favorite 2021 accomplishment.

Junior Devlin Mangan I was invited to join the University of Maryland’s marching band and spent time with them for a day . Marching with their drumline, playing powerful music and meeting such skilled musicians felt amazing, even if my back almost gave out from the weight.

ALL OTHER ENTRIES WILL BE FOUND ONLINE AT THERMTIDE.COM! Freshman Gloria Liang I went out for bubble tea and ice cream with some RM people before school started. I was incredibly nervous to meet them in real life but that really helped me make some friendships at the new school. There were a lot of laughs and it was great fun.

Plus, the food was great, but meeting new people was the best part.

Sophomore Michelle Yuen I loved all the drama nights for House. It was really fun to meet and to talk to people that I usually don’t talk to, and hangout with friends. Ushering in drama is just so fun, it’s such an energetic environment and I love it!

Counseling office secretary Deanne Weiler I loved being able to go back to concerts again. I just love music and the atmosphere that’s there at a concert.

Senior Jonah Petty I got better at photography. I just brought my camera with me as I walked in the woods. I’d usually have a song playing in my mind and try to capture scenery/ photos that felt like a living manifestation of said song.

Freshman Vihaan Rathi My friend, Praneel, ran for president this year.

I was self appointed as the campaign manager and he told me he was going to wear a dinosaur costume to school to get people to vote for him after being inspired by some kid in advisory.

He pulled up to school with a giant duffel bag and during lunch, he put on the suit in the main office with all the administrators watching him slowly inflate. We walked around with the sign he made and people cheered and took pictures.

It was exhilarating-especially when we started an entire chant in the hallway. Notably, he did win the race.

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The Tide

ARTS

December 2021

Revisiting “The Fault in Our Stars” 10 years later

by Liliana Katz-Hollander ARTS WRITER

Jan. 10, 2022 will mark the 10year anniversary of the publication of “The Fault In Our Stars,” a novel by John Green. Since then, at least 23 million copies have been sold, a major motion picture adaptation has been released, and millions of tears have been shed. I have read The Fault in Our Stars about four times. Consequently, I have also cried approximately four times over the book. And despite that, I would read it again. The Fault In Our Stars was Green’s fourth solo book, and despite not being his first best-selling novel, it had an impact that none of his other books h a d .

“The Fault In Our Stars” has risen widely in pop culture since i t s release. A scene from “Ant-Man and The Wasp” features Scott Lang, the main character, sobbing while reading it—an extremely accurate depiction, as anyone who has experienced the book will tell you.

But why has “The Fault In Our Stars” maintained such popular-

ity? It continues to be a favorite among readers from tweens to adults. It was listed as one o f T i m e Magazine’s 1 0 0 Best YA Books of All Time, and Green was l i s t e d

by Time as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.

There are multiple reasons why “The Fault In Our Stars” will forever be listed as a must read, including its captivating plot, amusing dialogue and above all its characters that readers can feel an instant connection to.

“The Fault In Our Stars” features Hazel Lancaster, a 16-yearold who loves watching terrible TV and reading incredible books, and who just happens to have cancer that is killing her. It also centers on Augustus Waters, a video-game and book-loving 17 year old with one leg. Hazel is a narrator that is extremely honest with her readers, which is a significant part of what makes the novel so popular.

“The Fault in Our Stars” is a book to be read without putting it down, one that is valued over sleep and (don’t tell your teach-

ers) homework. Best described as a tragically funny young adult love story that will leave you in tears, just as the paths of Hazel and Augustus cross to form a perfect and tragic love story, so does the exceptional writing and dynamic characters of John Green to form a novel that is captivating from the first to the last word.

Books are often described as paths, with beginnings and ends, twists and obstacles. “The Fault in Our Stars” could be more accurately likened to a river. It starts, as Hazel might say, “slowly, and then all at once.”

A t the beginning, one could never guess the ending, but the plot does not so much twist as it turns. In addition to the story, it is the emotional toll that the book takes that starts slow and then grows.

It is a widely known fact that reading “The Fault In Our Stars” will result in tears. But why?

There are a number of reasons, including the obvious surface level emotional distress. But there are also undercurrents and themes that many readers are able to relate to, including feel-

GRAPHIC BY EVELYN SHUE

It’s been almost 10 years since John Green released the best-selling novel “The Fault in Our Stars,” and its effect has been lasting. ing insignificant in our world.

This is a topic that the novel addresses multiple times, both directly and indirectly. What if all we do in the world isn’t enough?

This is partially due to the fact that “The Fault In Our Stars” is a “cancer book.” In fact, in the book there is a book that is firmly opposed to cancer books. The novel also features heartbreak, hospitals, and the literal heart of Jesus.

“The Fault In Our Stars” also employs the trope of “a book within a book” which leads to

a hole inside of you that will never be filled because you can never read the often mentioned book (An Imperial Affliction, by Peter Van Houten—also made up).

“The Fault In Our Stars” is an eye—opener in the ways of the heart, brain, and lungs.

But a fair warning—“The Fault In Our Stars” will make you cry.

Taylor Swift’s ‘All Too Well’ brings audiences to tears

by Susanna Hubaker and Nandi Patel ARTS WRITERS

The highly anticipated release of Taylor Swift’s 2021 album “Red” had fans on the edge of their seats. This included a ten -minute version of fan favorite “All Too Well,” which was released with a short film directed

by Swift herself. The film featured “Stranger Things” star Sadie Sink and “Teen Wolf’’ actor Dylan O’Brien and was praised for its storytelling and acting. In a recent interview with Seth Meyers, Swift revealed that “All Too Well” had been her favorite track on the original 2012 album “Red,” after writing it on tour in 2010.

H e r record label chose not to p u b lish the song as a single because they thought it would

blr posts, relatable memes and recently, short videos on TikTok. She also brought back the tradition of the “secret sessions,” where her team invites dedicated fans to celebrate the release of her music.

This connection has allowed her to interact with her fanbase more deeply than other celebrities.

Previously, Swift has directed other music videos of hers, including “Lover” and “willow.”

Swift’s ability to create such immersive environments and tell her story using a camera is a pivotal part of the film. The long shot that circles the lovers as they enjoy an evening in an autumn wood is beautiful. One aspect of Taylor’s filmmaking that brings the film up a notch is her decision to cast her two leads with a large age difference, with the intention of making her audience uncomfortable.

This parallels with Swift’s relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal,

world, there are rising levels of loneliness among young adults which can lead to seclusion. This can be especially bad if someone is struggling in a damaging relationship and fears speaking up. To them, “All Too Well” perfectly captures their feelings and validates them, highlighting the highs and lows of a relationship. Offering a victim an outside perspective of a romance similar to theirs, Swift conveyed the message perfectly through tunes and dynamics illustrating anger and disappointment.

Fans were ecstatic to hear common motifs in Swift’s music make a return. Lyrics such as “And I was never good at telling jokes but the punchline goes/ I’ll get older but your lovers stay my age” and “You said if we had been closer in age maybe it would have been fine/ And that made me want to die” revitalizing motifs of a difference of age in lovers. Lyrics with vivid imagery, which Swift is well known for, are also featured, including “And did the twin flame bruise paint you blue/ Just between us did the love affair maim you too?/ Cause in the city’s barren cold/

GRAPHIC BY EVELYN SHUE

The “All Too Well” short film features Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien as lovers in a complicated relationship. not be popular. Contrary to their predictions, the song was a huge success and became associated with “Red” for years to come.

Many fans feel the new version of “Red” has formed a bridge marking the beginning of Swift’s pop crossover and the ending moments before her songwriting became more sophisticated. Swift has made her listeners feel close to her by engaging through Tum-

which is generally thought to be the inspiration for the song and the rest of the album. At the time of their dating, Swift was 20 and Gyllenhaal was 29.

The film, having garnered over 50 million streams and counting, featured Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink. It sparked many conversations about young abusive relationships, similar to Swift’s experiences. In a post-pandemic

COURTESY OF OPENVERSE

I still remember the first fall of snow/ and how it glistened as it fell.” The lyric of the twin flame utilizes the part of fire that turns blue when it is hottest, as she asks her lover if he too is blue. The next three lines show the transition between seasons, signifying the end of Swift’s arc through the song.

COURTESY OF BETH GARRABRANT

One of the standout parts of the short film is Sadie Sink’s acting. At only 19 years old, Sink has become a household name and is on the path to become one of the biggest names in the industry. In contrast to her work on Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and “Fear Street,” the film has no supernatural elements and is just a story of two lovers. Sink brought this character to life with her acting, allowing the audience to sympathize with her pain and frustration throughout the film.

A red scarf symbolizing the past memories of her ex-boyfriend and heartbreak, “All Too Well” describes the evil posed against many women across the world disguised in small inconveniences. Her ex makes her drive the car as a mock to feminism, “tossing [her] the car keys/ f*ck the patriarchy,” as he lazily sits in the passenger seat.

Critics have brought up that in releasing this song, Swift has res-

urrected the perception that she is a bitter, stone-cold ex who only dates men to write horrible break up songs about them, which is a criticism deeply rooted in misogyny. With the release of “folklore” and “evermore,” this criticism has been less prevalent. The complaint is that the film is just a jab at her ex; meanwhile songs written by other artists such as “Cherry”

by Harry Styles and “Instant Karma” by the Beatles write about the same things with no such critique.

The time-old tradition of blaming women for being one-dimensional while praising men for doing the exact same has been an ongoing pattern in Taylor’s career.

Swift conveyed the message perfectly through tunes and dynamics illustrating anger and disappointment.

But time after time Taylor has attempted to prove the critics wrong. She wrote “Speak Now” by herself to squash rumors that her male co-writers were doing all the work for her. She wrote “Blank Space” as a satirical dramatization of what the media believes she is like in a relationship. She included a scene in her music video for “Look What You Made Me Do” of her crashing a car as paparazzi simply take pictures. By creating the film in her vision, it captures how the song is not just a jab at her ex, but is also a communication of how her heartbreak by a much older man broke her heart, just as it would to anyone else.

ARTS

The Tide

December 2021

13

How our outfits affect our mood Top Five Holiday Songs

By Marcela Ferrufino SENIOR ARTS CONTRIBUTOR

Have you ever wondered why it takes most so long to pick out an outfit in the morning? Why do we care so much about what we wear anyway? It turns out there are many more reasons why so many care about clothing than just wanting to look stylish. When it comes to how others perceive us, how we perceive ourselves, or even the day’s occasion, what we wear plays a huge role in our everyday lives.

Ever since we can remember, clothing was used merely for protection against weather conditions, and some anthropologists even believe that it was used for cult and prestige or decoration purposes. However, as time passed and clothing became more of a necessity to survive, seasonal clothing was then developed, and along with that came ever-changing fashion trends.

Clothing has been influenced by culture, cel e b - rities, politics, climate, or whatever else is going on in the world. During the late 1900s, the punk movement of spiked leather jackets and combat boots emerged, all to display an adverse reaction towards the political situation at the time. Movies like Flashdance popularized dancewear, and the evolution of hip-hop music created brightly dyed baggy jeans. Fashion trends are not just

a reflection of society’s current events but a prevalent way to express oneself psychologically.

There is a phenomenon dubbed “enclothed cognition,” which essentially represents the idea that clothing impacts the way we think or feel daily. As the importance of what we wear has been ingrained by society for years, this phenomenon is entirely accurate, so much to the point where everyone subconsciously judges someone’s character based on what they are wearing. It is in a matter of seconds and can be positive or negative. For example, if you wear old clothes, expect most to assume you are not doing well financially. However, if you are rocking bright colors like yellow, most will likely perceive you as a joyous person. Or rather, if you wear professional clothing such as suits, people will often assume you to be hardworking.

Even more important than the judgment of others is how you view yourself. Everybody knows that your outfits can say a lot about your style and personality, but they can affect your mood and actions as well. If you are wearing all dark colors, you are probably upset as the color black has been associated with sadness, and you purposefully chose that to match it with your mood.

A study by the Semantic Scholar showed how what you are wearing (in this case, a lab coat or street clothes) can also affect your actions. The participants wearing a lab coat reported having made fewer mistakes in everyday tasks. In contrast, the ones wearing street clothes said

SONGS, cont. from page 1

PHOTO BY TORI DZIASEK

A girl looks at her outfit in the mirror before going to school. they felt rather distracted, which caused them to make more errors than those with a lab coat.

Research like this explains why phrases like “dress for the job you want; not the job you have” exist. Putting in the effort to pull together that perfect right outfit for that job interview places us in the right mindset to do well and act positively. It even changes the mentality of the person interviewing you, causing them to see you as if you already had the job simply because of the outfit you are wearing.

Though it may seem ridiculous to plan an outfit a day before you wear it, there are many good reasons why most do it. At the end of the day, you should always feel comfortable in whatever you choose to wear and be proud to show it off, while also keeping in mind how your clothing could positively or negatively impact your daily life and interactions with others.

“We Three Kings” by John H. Hopkins “We Three Kings” guides us through the emotional turmoil of the traditional Christmas story, taking us from wonder to exaltation to sorrow and back to wonder again. By the end, you may find you’ve unconsciously fabricated a false memory of “following yonder star” yourself, so vivid is the emotion of this composition.

“Ghostface X-Mas” by Ghostface Killah “Ghostface” has what so many modern Christmas songs are missing: complete commitment to the theme. He wrote about what Christmas means to him, and the result is undeniably special.

GRAPHICS BY CLAIRE CHEN

GRAPHIC BY KATIE BROWN

The best hobbies we picked up over quarantine I developed a hobby (or craving) of baking new snacks. I’m not sure if it was because of all the yummy TikToks I watched or simply because I was hungry, but I have made things from blueberry muffins to an unsuccessful Tarte Tatin. When I look back I am glad I attempted all that because it distracted me from the loneliness of online school.

- Nandi Patel, Arts Writer

I read a lot of webtoons and really enjoyed the different art styles and the way webtoon artists illustrate different facial expressions or actions. So I started drawng 2D characters, too, first copying the exact character and later designing my own. Although I don’t have time to advance further, I hope to buy a design software with proper equipment eventually.

- Courtney Kim, TidePod Writer

I started to learn how to code, mainly HTML, CSS and Javascript, since I want to major in the field of computer sciences.

This will hopefully be useful in the future and give me at least a bit of experience once I get to college so it isn’t as hard.

- Rakan MardemBey, Staff Writer

I began embroidering as a way of releasing stress and promoting creativity.

I enjoy embroidering bucket hats, both for the practicality of the item but also for the convenience. The low prep and ease of the hobby allowed me to do it almost anywhere, whenever.

- Ella Koenig, Photo Editor

I started baking because it was a fun activity. I would make a variety of foods for my family. It also became a way for me to release stress and be creative with what I was baking. I still bake now, especially recently with the holidays rolling around.

- Helina Tamiru, Social Justice Editor

I started sewing during quarantine, inspired by the sewing machine I got in third grade. I bought a few yards of cheap fabric, googled some patterns and ended making a dress and several small bags. For a couple days each week, I would do nothing but sew, which was exhausting but rewarding because I didn’t think of anything else.

- Avery Wang, Video Editor

Consumed by Pixar short films and CGI action movies, I started to teach myself digital animation. Testing out different softwares, I spent hours each day in quarantine experimenting with graphic designs and learning how interpolation would transition my static drawings into a moving action.

- Nicole Fang, Editor-in-Chief

During the granny square cardigan trend, I started a cardigan of my own, because my mom is an avid crocheter and has a ton of supplies. It helped keep my hands busy during virtual schools when I was tempted to do something else. I have yet to finish the cardigan, but I take my yarn with me to school to stop myself from going on my phone in class.

- Raha Murtuza, Arts Editor

A hobby I picked was making bracelets. I used to make them when I was in elementary school, but I stopped when I get older. It felt really good to pick up an old hobby of mine. I had to watch a few YouTube videos, but once I refreshed my memory, I quickly got the hang of it.

- Talia Kouncar, Staff Writer

GRAPHICS BY KATIE BROWN AND JULIANNE CRUZ

14 The Tide

ARTS

December 2021

How fast fashion is destroying small businesses

by Joelle Lee ARTS WRITER

Black Friday: a day everyone goes straight to the malls for a shopping spree. There are sales around every corner, and shoppers are standing in long lines to check off items on their wishlists.

But the next day? Small Business Saturday. An American holiday that was established to counter Black Friday in support for all small business owners. One day is the nation’s biggest sales day across all brand names and fast fashion companies, but the very next celebrates small businesses.

How is it that these two days are ironically right next to each other?

The controversies around fast fashion have been gaining more attention recently, as big

companies such as Zara, GAP and most recently, SHEIN, have sparked concentration on their various negative impacts in the world, including environmental damage. Fast fashion describes a business model that makes high amounts of profit by exploiting various resources and mass producing designs, often copied from other designers.

On July 16, the designer of a Black-owned fashion brand named Elexiay tweeted about how SHEIN had stolen her original design for a handmade crocheted sweater. “[I] spent hours designing and brainstorming this design and it takes days to crochet each sweater. It’s quite disheartening to see my hard work reduced to a machine-made copy,” Elexiay’s designer said.

Her sweater, a hand-crocheted

PHOTO COURTESY OF OPENVERSE

Workers protest against Walmart’s tactics and ignorance of labor laws.

GRAPHIC BY MATTHEW ADJODHA

Despite the appeal of small businesses, many people rush to big corporations on Black Friday. original design, cost $330 at the time she posted this tweet. However, SHEIN’s product using the copied design was being mass produced and marketed as $17.

This is an example of how fast fashion companies make easy and big money by robbing small businesses of their original ideas and designs. Furthermore, these actions can cause even more harm because copies are often legal in the fashion industry, since the law does not allow copyright on any “useful things, at least not in their entirety,” Julie Zerbo, the lawyer behind “The Fashion Law” blog, stated to NPR. Many people around the world have become aware of the great damage that fast fashion creates.

The hashtag #boycottShein has

been viewed on TikTok over 3 million times. Although this online awareness does discourage shoppers from purchasing products from these companies, many defenders of fast fashion point out that the average shopper cannot be put to blame for being expected to purchase a single clothing item for its original price of hundreds of dollars when these convenient fast fashion companies provide a much cheaper alternative.

Especially due to the pandemic, small businesses have been losing their voices and acknowledgement. A sample from Harvard Business Review showed that “45 percent of small businesses were temporarily closed.” Since they are usually only known to a small group of local shoppers,

they mainly depend on in-person shopping, which was not possible during the pandemic.

These small businesses are far more easily affected by more factors, such as change in trends and climate change. Additionally, the fast fashion companies stealing designs from small businesses further hinders the original designers of those products from profiting at all from their own work.

With this in mind, does it make sense to have Black Friday, a traditional day that significantly boosts the fast fashion industry, take its spot on the calendar right before Small Business Saturday, a holiday that spotlights lesser known businesses that are often robbed by the same companies that profit greatly from Black Friday?

T H E T I D E C R O S S W O R D : H O L I D AY S ACROSS

1. A large, impressive spread 6. One legged hop 10. Your mom’s mom: abbrev.

14. Outdoor seating area 15. Prefix for the hipbone 16. American pancake house 17. Christmas trees 19. Not messy 20. Tic-tac-toe essential 21. Bigger than big 22. Bar of silver, plural 24. The sixth month 25. An accessory worn to formal events, usually with a suit 26. The utmost need 29. Frida Kahlo’s defining feature 33. Drivers license, e.g.: abbrev.

34. Opposite of exo35. Thin pancake, in Russia 36. Willows, from CSI 37. Instrument usually found in churches 38. Abnormal sound with stethoscope 39. Latin abbrev. for “and others” 40. They come with caps?

41. Often pairs along with chills 42. Holiday season month 44. Cleared away pencil markings 45. Short blurbs of life history 46. Nailed, on an exam 47. To get by with what’s available 50. Baseball shortstop Rodriguez 51. Talk show on ABC, abbrev.

54. Related to the mouth 55. Parasitic “kissing” plants 58. Dinner, for example 59. Sound heard in a cave 60. Latin root for fighting 61. Standardized tests, highest score is 1600 62. The Great Barrier, for instance 63. Oscar, in Britain

DOWN

1._____ (top) predator 2. What critics might do with great enthusiasm 3. 53 and 66, for ex.

4. It is all around us 5. Bacterial fermentation of milk, in Britain 6. Military blockade 7. Swiss-German artist Paul 8. “Am ____ in the right place?”

9. A job 10. Used to make people or houses?

11. Prefix with stat 12. Line of defense, for a castle 13. Lrg. buildings of housing 18. Ancient Germanic character 23. A very small bite: abbrev.

24. “Dashing” Christmas carol?

25. Posts on the side of Greek temples 26. “Nickeled-and-_____” 27. Online relationship 28. Block of glacier ice 29. “The Odd Couple” Felix 30. Norwegian kings 31. ____ Coyote and the Road Runner 32. Secondary dummy of Bergen 34. Eagles of the sea 37. Catchphrase used by Gen Z mocking the older generation 41. “New York, New York” lyricist 43. In the center: abbrev.

44. Environmental sci.

46. “The ____ life” 47. Grocery store chain with an apple on their logo 48. Length times width 49. 16 Gold Glove-winning Jim 50. Singer best known for “Moral of the Story” 51. The lower the better score 52. What snow does 53. Largest continent 56. Result of freezing water 57. Chai or matcha, for example

Note from the Editor: “Jessica Wang created this puzzle, which celebrates the holiday season. Enjoy!” ~ Myka Fromm, Crossword Editor

The Tide

SPORTS

December 2021

15

Girls dominate on the wrestling team

by Juliette Bolte SPORTS WRITER

Wrestling, both professionally and on the high school level, is a sport unmatched in its intensity and ability to produce tough and disciplined athletes. Although it is traditionally male dominated, female participation has been on the rise, with over 20,000 high school girls competing in the U.S in 2020 as compared to 804 in 1994, according to USA Wrestling.

Among the growing number of girls drawn to the sport for its mental and physical challenges are seniors Deep Kaur and Eliana Mazin and junior Nadia Estrada, all three of whom are members of the Richard Montgomery wrestling team.

“I always hated being on the side watching the sport. I wanted to be doing it.”

- Nadia Estrada

“Over quarantine, I got into martial arts and started watching a bunch of UFC…but I always wanted to try wrestling just because it’s such an intense sport,” Mazin said.

“I wanted to push my limit,” Kaur said. “I played club volleyball almost my entire life and I needed change.”

Estrada has been competing for the longest amongst the three. She gained an interest in wrestling in middle school after watching her brothers compete.

“I always hated being on the side watching the sport. I wanted to be doing it,” Estrada said.

At first, the idea of competing alongside boys can be intimidating, with the strength gap presenting a possible barrier in such a physically demanding sport. “It’s very humbling to get taken down by a guy who is seven pounds lighter than me and eight inches shorter than me just because they’re just built stronger,” Mazin said.

However, Estrada, Kaur and Mazin have not been deterred by this challenge. Instead, they welcome the opportunity to develop their skills and athleticism.

“Even if you get beat down a lot, you learn a lot and it’s fun to put all your effort into a sport like that and then finally take someone down,” Mazin said. “That’s the most rewarding feeling.”

“I’ll see a guy that is in my weight class and I will just think to myself, “There is no way I can win against him,” Estrada said. “But, to overcome that feeling, know that just as soon you get on the mat nothing matters, gender, how strong the person is or how much better you think that person is compared to you.”

The gender barrier does not keep the girls from training and competing alongside the rest of the team. “We all go through the same practices and workouts,” Estrada said. “The only thing that is different is the cutting weight part because… [boys] can lose five pounds in three days while for me it can take up to two weeks.”

“You’ll see yourself getting stronger and becoming a better athlete whether or not you win your matches.”

because there aren’t many girls that wrestle,” Kaur said. “I was very wrong … Whether it’s drilling or scrimmaging, the team keeps me motivated through it.”

With so few girls wrestling, encouragement from teammates and guidance from coaches is especially important for ensuring the athletes can perform at their best. “My favorite part… is the bond because all the guys are really welcoming, both the ones I know and just met,” Estrada said.

And, for any girls who are interested in wrestling yet hesitant to begin the sport, Mazin suggests taking the chance. “You’ll see yourself getting stronger and becoming a better athlete whether or not you win your matches,” Mazin said. “You learn so many valuable life skills and you have a wonderful time with the other members of the team that it’s worth it to just do it.”

- Eliana Mazin

PHOTO COURTESY OF NADIA ESTRADA

Nadia Estrada wins her match, reinforcing her role as an asset to the RM wrestling team and a strong individual athlete.

Despite any differences, the inclusiveness of the wrestling community allows the athletes to feel like they are part of one team.

“Even during matches we do actually wrestle guys because it has to be under the same weight class,” Kaur said. “In general, there’s no prejudice or differentiation.”

All three agree that the positive social environment is another major benefit of RM wrestling. “I was afraid I’d be left out

GRAPHIC BY JULIANNE CRUZ

Swimmers dive into the college recruitment process

by Ari Fine SPORTS WRITER

College football and basketball are two of the most well known college sports, gaining media attention and generating a great deal of buzz around the athletes recruitment process. other non-revenue collegiate sports, such as swimming, take work behind the scenes that is often overlooked. The high school swimming recruitment process is different from other sports, as coaches directly talk to and watch players instead of scouts. This offers student athletes a more personal connection with the coaches and the college.

Across all three divisions of the NCAA, as well as junior colleges and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), there are about 500 colleges with a swimming program, compared to 700 college basketball programs.

Although there are 500 programs, NCAA Division 3 schools do not give athletic scholarships, and Division 2 either gives partial scholarships or none at all.

With the limited number of swimmers competing at the college level, opportunities for high school swimmers to claim their spot are not easy to come by, tightening the competition amongst the athletes. Everett Oehler is a senior at Richard Montgomery, and has been on the school’s

Everett Oehler dives at a national meet for his club team, RMSC. swim team all four years of high school. “I have been swimming year-round since I was 9-yearsold. I got into it by joining my neighborhood pool in the summer and I really liked the competitive aspect of the sport, so I decided to do it year round,” Oehler said.

Oehler is ranked 5th in Maryland for his class, with his best races being the 100 and 200 meter freestyle and butterfly. He won the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association 4A3A State Champion-

ship in 2020 for the 200-meter free and placed third in the 100 free. Oehler is committed to Ohio State University and will swim for the Buckeyes next year.

With so many high school swimmers dreaming of swimming at the collegiate level, athletes have a hard time standing out. “Ohio State actually reached out to me, but that was a rare case. I contacted most of the schools I talked to during the recruiting process, that’s how it goes for most swimmers,” Oe-

PHOTO COURTESY OF EVERETT OEHLER

hler said. “College coaches go to the really big swim meets with teams from everywhere in the country, like junior nationals.”

For all sports, ranging from football, basketball, and soccer, to swimming, golf, and hockey, the college recruiting process can be extremely emotional. “The recruitment process is stressful, that is true for all sports,” Oehler said. “Waiting to hear back from coaches is something that stresses me out a lot, as well as thinking of things to say in

my emails to college coaches and how to respond to theirs.”

While Oehler possesses the speed, Akshay Gandhi, head coach of the swim and dive team of RM, believes it takes more than speed to be a collegiate swimmer.

“You need to have speed, but also growth. There are many stories of athletes who transition from one sport to swimming late in high school but show tremendous potential and growth,” Coach Gandhi said. “Some college coaches take a chance on these athletes based on their trajectory.”

“Many swimmers spend their entire childhood and adolescence swimming countless hours in mornings or afternoons week in and week out,” Coach Gandhi said.”That sort of commitment continues in college swimming and for many that is the most challenging aspect… to continue with the immense dedication of time and energy.”

“The recruitment process is stressful, that is true for all sports.”

- Everett Oehler

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SPORTS

The Tide

December 2021

Athlete of the Issue

Gutmann sticks with success on the ice as good as you and if not better, so I love playing on that team.”

Though his travel team takes up the majority of his time, Gutmann does not allow it to interrupt his commitment to the RM team. He makes sure to put 100% of his energy on the ice when playing in school games. “I love playing with the RM team because I think it’s fun to play with kids from your school,” Gutmnn said.

Moreover, Gutmann has led the RM hockey team to new heights in

by Ava Lunenfeld SPORTS WRITER

For the past three years, junior Luke Gutmann has proved to be one of the most hardworking players on Richard Montgomery’s Ice Hockey team. As a captain, Gutmann has become a dedicated leader and is considered by coaches and teammates to be one of the most skilled players on and off of the ice.

Gutmann has been playing hockey since he was about three years old. “My whole family has always played hockey,” Gutmann said. “I grew up in a big hockey environment.” His older brother and a former captain, Trevor Gutmann, acted as a role model for Luke during their time playing together in high school. Their shared love for the sport has made hockey into more than just a hobby for him.

“As a newer player, he’s really good at coaching me and other players up,” senior and teammate Jack Karakashian said, “Obviously, he’s very skillful.”

As a pillar on defense, Gutmann is responsible for protecting the goal, and preventing opposing players from scoring. However, his position does not limit his talent to offensive opportunities.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LUKE GUTMANN

Gutmann remains in his defensive position, awaiting the other team’s offense to approach.

His offensive capabilities have does not go unnoticed by his been put on display as of late, most teammates. “During the Shernotably in a recent game against wood game, he went in injured, Wootton High School. Gutmann played through it and scored found the back of the net four two goals in a game we had to times, including the game-win- win,” senior Mitchell Bobys said. ning shot. “He scored four goals, Along with the RM team, Guthe was a rock on defense, and mann plays for the Montgomery he carried the power play and Blue Devils, a travel team outthe penalty kill,” Karakashian side of school. “Right now we’re said. “His IQ was on point, ranked in the top 20 in the counand passing was incredible.” try,” Gutmann said. “It’s really Gutmann’s resilience in game fun to play with kids that are just

his athletic career. Last year, the team was brought through the playoffs, all the way into the state championship. “That was a huge accomplishment, just because the school team has never made the playoffs before. We had a huge playoff run,” Gutmann said. Though the team did not end up winning the

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final game, it was a learning experience for all of the players. Beyond his marvels on the ice, Gutmann is an exceptional teammate and motivator. “There’s a reason that he’s one of the captains as a junior,” Karakashian said.

“The way he supports his teammates, it really makes playing [hockey] much more enjoyable.”

“He’s very supportive,” Bobys said. “He’ll tell you when you do something wrong, and he’ll help you try to correct your mistake.”

Gutmann is appreciative of his teammates and bond they have built over the course of the season.

“Everyone out there is extremely hard working. We all really want to win and everyone has the drive to improve,” said Gutmann. “At this point in the season we have good chemistry with one another and are good at noticing each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”

Having confidence and radiating positivity is something Gutmann feels is key in building a strong team. “You always want to have a good attitude, because at the end of the day, it’s just a fun sport, and everybody’s having fun,” Gutmann said. “And if you’re energetic, confident and just in a good mood, you’ll be more likely to play well….and do well in front of the fans.”

Boys Basketball captains shoot for winning season CAPTAIN AUFA RIZAL

Senior and captain Oliver Orcev plays the small forward, otherwise known as the ‘three’ on the boys varsity basketball team. This is his first year on the varsity team, but his third year playing basketball at RM. Oliver is working this season to build up the team’s chemistry, as this is the first year that the majority of the players have played in a game together. “I feel like I bring a lot of energy onto the court and I keep the guys motivated. I try to remind them to keep shooting and move forward after mistakes in the last play,” Orcev said. After summer league, preseason, and daily practices, Orcev and the other players are learning to trust each other. “I really appreciate the energy all the players continue to bring to the court,” said Orcev.

Despite the boys progress, there is still work to be done. “I know it’s my role as a senior to step up and help guide this new team.”

PHOTO BY RAYAN OUATTARA

CAPTAIN OLIVER ORCEV

Senior Aufa Rizal plays starting guard and appreciates the support of his fellow captains in leading the team. “I feel like the captains are well balanced with our roles, some lead by example and some lead by voice,” said Rizal. He feels the team has built a close bond and that is why they are able to play so fluidly with one another.

“We help each other with emotional issues & school work and we’re always there for each other,” said Rizal.

PHOTO BY OLIVER ORCEV

Senior and captain Chris Michalopoulos plays “the wing” or point guard on this years basketball team. As a a captain and starter, Michalopoulos works to be a leader on the team, but also appreciates constructive criticism from his fellow teammates. “Everyone listens to each other and has one another’s back,” Michalopoulos said. The coach is not the only one providing tips and guidence on and off the court. There is a sense of mutual respect that flows between the players. Michalopoulos feels that this has been key in the team’s successes. “We help guide one another so we can all be the best versions of ourselves.

CAPTAIN CHRIS MICHALOPOULOS PHOTO BY RAYAN OUATTARA