May 2024

THE TRINITY VOICE Rockin with the Eclipse

Students gather at the rock to watch the Great North American Eclipse on April 8.

NEWS OPINIONS FOCUS

Travel concerns run high admist recent accidents with Boeing planes. New technologies within the medical field create ethical concerns.

Meta has decided to censor the political content displayed to users.

LIFESTYLES

An in-depth look into the lives of Trinity Prep’s unsung heroes.

SPORTS

Six Trinity seniors pledge to continue their athletic careers in college.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

e Trinity Voice is a member of the Florida Scholastic Press Association and the National Scholastic Press Association.

e Trinity Voice is produced by the newspaper/journalism class at Trinity Preparatory School of Florida. Editorials represent the opinion of e Trinity Voice writer and are not necessarily the views of the administration, faculty, or Board of Trustees of Trinity. e Voice welcomes letters to the editor and freelance articles or photography. All submissions become the property of e Voice. Please send all correspondence to 5700 Trinity Prep Lane, FL 32792. e Voice may also be contacted via phone at 407-671-4140 and via e-mail at voice@trinityprep.org. For information regarding the purchase of advertising within e Voice, contact us by one of the methods mentioned above. The Voice is a monthly publication during the school year (with the exceptions of November and January).

STAFF

Editor-in-Chief: Ana Carolina Marques, Peyton Alch

Editor-in-Chief of Non-Print: David Steinberg

Managing Editors:Amanda Rose DeStefano, Lucy Chong, Zach Kleiman, David Hull

Copy Editor: Aarav Gupta, Jack Aaron

Layout Editors: Laziza Talipova, Fay Zhao

Social Media: Ana Herrera (Editor), Olivia Agnew, David Bryskin

News Department: Sofia Hadadin (Editor), Zach Kleiman, Aarav Gupta, Emily Lopez-Couto, Taylor Riley

Opinions Department: Nikhil Daniel (Editor), Sammy Lou, Sebastian Cabeza, Karthik Stead

Focus Department: Mila Taylor (Editor), Mia Prince, Taylor Gri th, Fay Zhao

Lifestyles Department: Sam Lou (Editor), Iris Lei, Jack Aaron, Tavish Ward

Sports Department: Emily Lopez-Couto (Editor), David Hull, Olivia Agnew

Podcast Department: Gustavo Membreno(Editor), Mohil Kapadla

Graphics Department: Caden Liu (Editor), Maxi de la Fuetne, Sam Miller, Lia Garibay

Photo Department: Jackson Napier (Editor), Olivia Kortman, Ella Eichenholz, Olivia Prince

Fact Checking Editor: Taylor Gri th, Mia Prince

Business Manager: Jack Aaron

Adviser: Erin Miller

Saint Talk

This Month’s Podcasts:

Blurbs by Gustavo Membreno and Mohil Kapadia Graphics by Caden Liu and Maxima delaFuente

Ep. 9 - Trinity Voice Issue Overview

vorite romantic comedies? Listen and Lucy Chong rank their favorites, what constitutes a rom-com and how they fuel every teen girl’s drive to survive school!

Gustavo Membreno gives an overview of The Trinity Prep Voice issue, covering the News, Opinions, Focus, Lifestyles, and Sports departments. Tune in to gain insight of what’s in store for this month issue.

Ep. 1O - Rom-Com Rankings

SOCIAL SCIENCE CURRICULUM CHANGE

Article by Nikhil Daniel

Graphic by Maxi DeLaFuente

August 2024 will mark a new chapter for Trinity Prep’s social science department as signi cant revisions to the curriculum reshape course selection, content and requirements. With hopes of expanding opportunities and achieving a closer alignment with current National Association of Independent Schools educational standards, the department hopes these changes will foster a diverse, comprehensive learning experience for students.

e curriculum committee and the social science department went through a lengthy review process culminating in a series of changes such as decreasing the social science graduation requirements from 4.5 to 3.5 credits for the Class of 2029 on, replacing civics in eighth-grade with World History I and implementing a required high school government course.

“We really wanted to keep the core of who we are in our social science requirement,” Director of Learning and Instruction Stephanie Dryden said. “But also open things up so that students could have more voice and choice.”

A key tenet of the new plan is broadening course selection.

“[Students] are going to get a wider world view, and they’re also going to have more choices,” Social Science Department Chair Robin Grenz said. “We haven’t made total selections yet, but we’re looking at things like possibly African American history, Latin American history and maybe something about World War II.”

whole to explore and learn more about di erent aspects of the world.”

Teachers support the changes too.

“I think [the changes] will help students gain a better worldview,” middle school United States history teacher Kevin Keith said. “It supports the idea that [students] want to see the world di erently.

Students are yearning for expanded course selection allowing for more indepth learning within the social sciences.

“I know a lot of people who are just interested in learning about di erent perspectives on the world and kind of how things work,” senior Eva Chong said. “I think it would be interesting and bene t the community as a

es, while often necessary, heavily impact students, faculty and administrators.

“Whenever you make a tweak in graduation requirements, that can have ripple e ects throughout your curriculum in terms of staing and all kinds of things that can happen,” Dryden said.

One e ect is that seventh-grade United States history and eight-grade Civics are consolidating into one class to make space for World History I. ough this might in the short term decrease in-depth civic education in middle school, Grenz articulates that a re ned curriculum supplements any knowledge lost due to the change.

ough increased course selection has benets, it also comes with obstacles.

“ e biggest challenge is going to be that at times teachers may have more preps [lesson plans], especially if they are wanting to teach one of the semester classes,” Grenz said.

Curriculum and course requirement chang-

“In all of our history classes, there’s some discussion about governmen, citizenship, responsibilities and rights,” Grenz said. “ at’s throughout the whole curriculum.”

In addition, a high school government requirement will prioritize civics education before college, preparing students to be informed, involved citizens.

“I think our school is on that path [and] I hope [Trinity] starts to recognize the responsibility they have to produce actual citizens rather than produce the best lawyers or the best doctors,” social science teacher and Assistant to the Head of the Upper School Sebastiaan Blickman said. “Citizens and then lawyers.”

Grenz and Dryden remain optimistic that the changes will produce a more worldly, exible social science program.

“We’re always trying to become a better school and serve the needs of our students and and meet our mission,” Dryden said.

In the fall, Trinity’s revisions to the social science curriculum will have sweeping impacts on both the middle and high school –– only time will tell if those e ects are positive.

BOEING BLUNDERS

Turbulent times shine a negative light on airplane safety

Article by Sofia Haddadin

Graphic by Caden Liu

Panic and fear fell upon passengers aboard the Alaskan Airlines ight on Jan. 5, when a door panel blew out of the plane at 16,000 feet. Cuong Tran, a passenger who sat just behind the row where the panel ripped o , felt the strong suction caused by the wind. Tran even went airborne for a brief second, but luckily remained inside of the plane due to his seatbelt. ankfully, no one was seriously injured during the incident. Next time, however, we may not be so lucky.

of some of the current events that have happened, I think some people are questioning it and the FAA is looking at Boeing and trying to gure out how some of those events came to be because they shouldn’t have happened to brand new airplanes.”

A memo published by the Allied Pilots Association (APA) states that it is determined to nd solutions to the plethora of safety issues that plague the airline manufacturing company. is is in light of a recent uptick in

ic and authorized FAA aircraft inspector Je Simon noted in an interview with Slate magazine on Feb. 2 that Boeing aircraft are still an extremely safe form of travel. He even notes that it is due to the rarity of aircraft incidents that we see such large media coverage when one does occur.

“I have own Boeing in the last week, and I’ll y Boeing again,” Simon said.

e frightening door plug accident has not been the only recent technical diculty that Boeing has encountered.

On April 7, an engine cover on Southwest’s Houston-bound ight ripped o and struck the wing during takeo . is prompted the pilot to make an emergency landing and led to an investigation by U.S. airline

e Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reviewed Boeing’s Quality Assurance processes, which include extensive testing and inspections as well as speci c airline maintenance programs in the industry. Unfortunately for Boeing, the results were not favorable.

e FAA found that Boeing has not been complying with the FAA’s manufacturing quality control protocols regarding the 737-9 MAX aircraft, the same model in which the door blew out. e issues of non-compliance were found in manufacturing process control, parts handling, parts storage and product control. From dangerous engine malfunctions to loose parts, the FAA has a lot to cover.

“ ere can’t be any question of safety of an aircraft,” said commercial pilot Rosario Raffa, not a liated with Trinity family. “In light

quality assurance concerns, which include the removal of overnight maintenance checks as well as other issues. A safety risk assess-

ment (SRA) and investigations will be carried out through the union. e association further urged its members to prioritize their focus on safety protocols instead of hurrying to complete their job.

“Don’t be pressured into doing something that doesn’t pass the ‘smell test,’” the organization’s memo wrote on the APA website on April 13. “Just because it’s legal doesn’t make it safe.”

Despite this, Oscar Patino, a pilot quali ed to y Boeing’s B767 and B757, still has faith in the airline company.

“I can attest that Boeing [aircraft] are some of the safest and wonderful to y in the world,” Patino said.

Despite the shared notion that commercial aviation continues to be a safe form of travel, Kathleen Bangs, an aviation safety analyst and former commercial pilot, acknowledges Boeing’s pressing safety concerns during an interview with Slate.

“It’s a quality control issue,” Bangs said. “ ere’s no question that Boeing has a quality control problem.”

Recent events have pushed people to reconsider what plane they y on. Online travel booking sites, such as Kayak, saw a 15-fold increase in the amount of a lter feature that allows potential passengers to change plane preferences and omit certain planes when booking ights.

While many travelers are still apprehensive about ying on a Boeing plane, sophomore Maren Marshall does not share this concern.

“If something happens, they’ve got many safety precautions that they talked about,” Marshall said. “Even something as random as the door blowing o and an engine cover hitting a wing, there are possible precautions that can be taken.”

While recent aviation issues have shone a negative light on Boeing, Ra a rmly believes that the aviation industry is still safer than ever.

“Statistically, the most dangerous part of your whole travel is your drive to the airport,” Ra a said. “Once you are in that airplane, you are the safest you are during your travels.” regulators.

Echoing a similar message, pilot, mechan-

AI REWRITES EDUCATION

Article by Ashwin Anand

Photo by Ella Eichenholz

A student excitedly shows their latest creative writing piece to a friend, who looks it over. e sentence structure is spectacular.

e punctuation is perfectly placed. e word choice is wondrous. Everything seems perfect — too perfect.

ey’ve been caught. And this student, who asked to be recognized under a pseudonym, Sam, for privacy reasons, is not alone. According to a June 2023 survey conducted by the standardized testing company ACT, 66% of high school language arts students nationwide used arti cial intelligence (AI) in some capacity last year.

Since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022, this technology has taken society by storm, leading many to question its impact on the education system. And while every department has been forced to adapt, no subject stands to gain or lose more in this new world than English.

AI has had a foot in the writing process since long before ChatGPT stepped onto the scene. Longstanding tools such as spellcheck as well as modern aids like Grammarly have become ubiquitous in online writing.

To AP English Literature teacher Dr. Robert Boerth, these tools can de nitely help improve one’s writing skills when used attentively.

“My hope is that with tools like even the spell-checker or with Grammarly, you notice a pattern where, ‘OK, I keep misspelling this word,’” Boerth said. “I think eventually you do pick up on how to spell the word correctly. And I think also with Gram-

marly, if you notice that ‘Oh, there is this regular punctuation mistake where I’m using this inappropriately,’ that you would ideally start picking up on what the rule is there.”

People who rely on AI for their creative pursuits shouldn’t be pursuing anything creative. I’m all for AI for any solutions to problems that we have. But creativity isn’t a problem that needs to be solved.

- Alex Matusiak, Film Fest Co-President

ese possible bene ts have been greatly augmented by the recent boom of generative AI — tools that can produce original, thoroughly developed content from just a user prompt — such as the infamous ChatGPT.

“A lot of us use it to help us learn, to help us get ideas, because the biggest wall you have to jump over when you’re writing an essay or something is getting the idea in the rst place,” said another Trinity student, who also asked to remain anonymous and will be referred to as Greg. “And when it comes to ChatGPT, you just type it in, and boom, you have ideas and you start writing. It makes the process so much more streamlined. I love it.”

Middle school English teacher Ann Skippers also sees the potential strengths of AI. She believes it can be an asset to human thought — if applied responsibly.

“It can generate amazing products for you, but you have to be willing to review the work and then adjust it,” Skippers said. “If it’s used as a tool instead of in place of, I think there’s a lot of bene ts. It can stretch your thinking … it can generate so many ideas that people aren’t necessarily thinking of right now.”

As this technology has grown in popularity, it has also diversi ed to provide bene ts in a myriad of genres. For example, programs like Verble are designed speci cally for writing speeches, a daunting task for many students. Other assistants, such as Microsoft’s Copilot, are equipped to help out with poetry. ese tools could allow students to experiment in genres they are not as

Since its 2022 release, ChatGPT has found great popularity with students, being used anywhere from brainstorming ideas to writing entire research papers.

Tech streamlines writing process but poses ethical issues

comfortable with, opening up new paths for blossoming writers.

However, there is no clear line as to where the use of these tools becomes problematic. Some scholars, such as North Carolina State University (NCSU) English professor Chris Anson, believe that using AI for one’s writing in any degree is detrimental to education.

“Especially in educational settings, the reciprocity of writing and thinking is essential for intellectual development and higher-order reasoning,” Anson said in a March 2023 article published by NCSU. “Asking an AI-based system to write an essay on a topic that the [human] writer has not yet explored signi cantly subverts the thinking and learning process.”

is is particularly important to Skippers, whose students’ writing is still in the formative stage. She worries that the overuse of technology could take away valuable opportunities to hone their skills and inhibit them from fully developing their voices.

“I think [my students] have a lot to say, and I want them to learn how to communicate,” Skippers said. “ at’s my biggest thing. It’s not standing in the way of them cheating or nding a work-around. It’s more the fact that they are diminishing their own capabilities.”

ese concerns become a reality for those who fall back on tools like ChatGPT to complete entire assignments, such as the aforementioned student who used the bot to write a full introductory paragraph for one of their papers.

“I felt very guilty because I knew I could’ve easily done this by myself if I’d given some effort and time,” Sam said. “But I chose not to and chose the lazy method, which could end up getting me caught and getting in trouble.”

Luckily, before submitting the paper, they wisely decided to rewrite it themselves at the urging of their friend, who recognized that the writing was too di erent from their typical style. is shines a light on another crucial aspect of AI: it lacks the ability to replicate human creativity.

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT do not come up with responses completely from scratch; they look at content in the public do-

main related to the task at hand and use that to formulate something new. us, they are con ned to certain patterns and cannot think outside the box as a human might.

“Even if you tell [ChatGPT] to do it as creative[ly] as possible, it always sounds like a research paper because it has the structure that it always uses,” Greg said. “I like to make metaphors, similes, a lot of rhetorical strategies, and ChatGPT doesn’t really do this. It just gives you facts. It gives you a structure. It gives you something rigid that sounds correct, but not necessarily creative.”

Because AI-produced writing is a hodgepodge of information without a mind to properly communicate the material, it has a very distinct voice — or lack thereof. e drab writing style simply does not live up to authentic human work. And worse, it undermines the idea that art is uniquely human.

tan conceded that AI was not welcome in the screenwriting space, prohibiting its use in writing scripts or producing source material.

While such a consensus has yet to be reached in the educational world, some teachers have found ways to incorporate AI’s drawbacks into their curricula. Boerth agrees that though AI writing can meet basic requirements, it isn’t a suitable replacement for human writing. To him, this is a great teaching opportunity.

“I would say that a lot of times ChatGPT gives you pro cient writing, but it’s not necessarily always knocking the ball out of the ballpark,” Boerth said. “And so giving [students] an example of OK writing but writing that could be improved, and using that to get students to think about revision, what could be done to do it better.”

Given that ChatGPT is still less than two years old, there is much to be learned about how, or if, it should be incorporated into writing. Skippers feels it must be further explored before a proper decision can be made.

If it’s used as a tool instead of in place of, I think there’s a lot of benefits. It can stretch your thinking … it can generate so many ideas that people aren’t necessarily thinking of right now.

- Ann Skippers, English teacher

Senior Alex Matusiak, co-president of Trinity’s Film Festival club, holds a moral opposition to AI for this reason. He believes work produced by AI takes away from the sanctity of human expression.

“People who rely on AI for their creative pursuits shouldn’t be pursuing anything creative,” Matusiak said. “I like AI in things that don’t deal with creativity. I’m all for AI for any solutions to problems that we have. But creativity isn’t a problem that needs to be solved.”

Matusiak is far from alone in this sentiment.

is issue was at the forefront of the Writers Guild of America’s ve-month-long strike against Hollywood last summer. In an agreement reached in late September, the lm ti-

“I think we need to understand more of how to use it as a tool before we can rely on it as something to be integrated into the writing process,” Skippers said. “If we don’t know how to use it properly as a tool, then we’re going to misuse it and we’re not going to communicate clearly.”

With how far technology has come over just the past few years, it’s clear that AI’s capabilities will only continue to grow, and with them, its impact on young writers. And the burden ultimately lies with teachers to navigate this with their students.

“I think one of the challenges for teachers is just going to be how to teach writing alongside ChatGPT and do it in a way that students would be developing the skills that they need,” Boerth said. “But also, I think we need to be doing it with the idea that in the world today, it is going to be the world of generative AI.”

PARKER’S PATH TO RETIREMENT

Article by Taylor Riley

After 30 dedicated years, English teacher Georgia Parker is retiring. Hired in 1994, Parker has been working at Trinity Prep for three decades, inspiring students’ love of literature throughout our community and beyond. Parker did not always know she was going to be a teacher, initially believing she was going to work in journalism. However, fate ultimately led her to the profession that she would end up spending her life devoted to.

“A job opening came up at a private school in Louisiana, where I was living at the time,” Parker said. “I applied on a whim, like maybe I’ll go check this out and see what it’s about. By the time I left the interview, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I really want this job.’ And I got it. It was the best thing that ever happened. It was one of those things where God de nitely intervenes.”

It’s full circle that Parker is ending her teaching career by moving back to Louisiana to be with her family. Although, Louisiana is not where her love of words rst began. She recalls that some of her rst memories of books took place in Houston, Texas, where she frequently visited the public library as a child.

“I remember back in elementary school, we always went to the public library,” Parker said. “ ey would only let us check out 10 books every two weeks. So I would check out 10 books, and before the week was over, I was ready to turn them back in and get 10 more.”

to teach, my favorite adult book, my favorite biography, my favorite autobiography and my favorite historical ction. I have di erent books that were my favorites at di erent times in my life. You know when you’ll hear a song and it will remind you of a certain time, like a summer or a trip that you took? I feel that way

Parker’s love of books has endured throughout her life, leading her to her English degree and career. Even now, after teaching English classes for 30 years, she still can’t choose a favorite book.

“My favorite book? at’s an impossible question,” Parker said. “I have favorites for all di erent reasons. I have my favorite book

about books.”

Parker has shared her love of books not only with her own students, but with the greater reading community. One of her greatest accomplishments is founding Trinity’s annual

Author Fest, which had its ninth anniversary this year. Inspired by Y’all Fest, a book festival in Charleston, Parker opened campus to 11 authors in an event attended and adored by many in the Winter Parker community in 2016. e event has grown signi cantly since then, and in recent years, Author Fest has hosted over 20 authors and over 10,000 participants in person and online, attending from several states and countries.

“It started as trying to do a mini Y’all Fest on our campus and then to reach not only our students, but the community, so that other people who love books and authors and reading can come and interact with the authors,” Parker said.

Although Author Fest is an incredible achievement that will live on long after Parker has moved on, she says her proudest accomplishment is the graduation of her four daughters, who all attended Trinity, one of which is current English teacher and JV softball coach Hannah Schuttler. But it’s not solely due to her family connection and her Author Fest legacy that she will always be a part of the Trinity community.

“My favorite part of this school is the traditions and the continuation of the Trinity family,” Parker said. “We talk about that, but it truly does exist.”

Parker re ects on her time here with fondness and gratefulness, reminiscing on what a special experience Trinity is for both students and faculty.

“It is very unique,” Parker said. “I think the fact that I’ve been here for 30 years — if it weren’t unique and special and wonderful, it would have just been a job. But it has never been a job. It’s always been about the kids and about being here and the experience. De nitely not a job.”

Photo provided by Georgia Parker

English teacher Georgia Parker pictured next to author Shaun David Hutchinson (left) and TPS alum and author Caroline Wright (right) during the 2021 Author Fest.

WILBUR’S LASTING LEGACY

Article by Julian Sealy

Photo by Ella Eichenholz

In the fall of 1998, Lynn Wilbur started her rst year as a mathematics teacher at Trinity. In the 26 years since, Wilbur has certainly made her mark on the Trinity community. Her son Eric graduated from Trinity in 2003 and went on to be a College Football National Champion at the University of Florida as a punter. More recently, her granddaughter Karlee Moody graduated last year and now attends Florida Atlantic University.

Over her years at Trinity, Wilbur has taught both Pre-Algebra and Algebra courses and said she has learned a lot from all the students she’s taught over the years.

“[ ey have] made me a better teacher,” Wilbur said. “I have the exibility to make changes if I need to. If they’re not getting it, I can totally just stop, go back and gure out another way to do it.”

Wilbur has had various memories over her career at Trinity, forming strong bonds with teachers and students alike. Assistant Control-

ler Karen Cary’s daughter, Ti any, helped Wilbur during her rst year on campus.

“I’m in my classroom, basically thinking …‘Oh, my goodness, what am I going to do here,’ and this little seventh grader pops in my door,” Wilbur said.

“‘She said, ‘Hi, I’m Tiffany. My mom said that you’re brand new here and I thought I would come down and see if you need any help.’”

“They mean the world to me, I would not be the person that I am right now if it weren’t for those people, I wouldn’t have even made it my first year here.”

- Lynn Wilbur, Math Teacher

Wilbur’s friendship with her former student has made an everlasting impact on her life until this day.

“I have held her children when they were born, I’ve done baby showers with her, she is a dear friend of mine now and we’ve bonded ever since,” Wilbur said.

Outside of forming lasting relationships with her students, Wilbur has formed strong bonds with her colleagues.

“ ey mean the world to me, I would not be the person that I am right now if it weren’t for those people, I wouldn’t have even made it my rst year here,” Wilbur said. “ ere are some people that I would trust with my life. I know that if anything were to come up even after I’m gone from here. If I needed something, those are people I could reach out to and I knew that they would be there for me.”

For Wilbur, the Trinity community has o ered her continuous support. Wilbur recalls one of her most memorable experiences at Trinity was after her husband’s passing in 2011, when students and teachers o ered their comfort and friendship.

“I had people from Trinity at my house that night, and they were there for me,” Wilbur said. “I don’t think I would have made it without my friends here. And it wasn’t just my colleagues, it was students as well.”

After 40 years of teaching, Wilbur is unsure of what she will do after retiring, but mentioned continuing her passion for teaching through tutoring along spending time with her family.

“I have 10 grandchildren so that’ll take up a lot of time,” Wilbur said. “I can tutor because I do it a lot right now and I actually enjoy tutoring because it’s one on one, and I actually can see the results practically right away.” ough her retirement ends a signi cant chapter in her life, Wilbur will be remembered by her dedication and passion for not only math, but the Trinity community, allowing her legacy to live on.

Math teacher Lynn Wilbur teaches her Algebra I class exponent rules for the last time before she retires after teaching for 26 years.

DOWDYS’ FINAL DASH

Article by Fay Zhao

After spending half of their lives at Trinity, science teacher Sara Dowdy and Middle School Principal Jason Dowdy are starting a new chapter of their lives in Vero Beach, Fla. During their time at Trinity, they have witnessed the rebuilding of the Brokaw building, have taught generations of students and athletes and have raised their family at Trinity.

“It has meant everything,” Mr. Dowdy said. “My kids went to school here. [Trinity] has been a huge part of our family. We were all here and this was something we absolutely loved. I was 25 years old when I walked in the doors [of Trinity]; I was a kid and I have really grown up here.”

After the Dowdys moved from Seattle, not yet married but engaged, Mrs. Dowdy got the job as a middle school science teacher. A year later, Mr. Dowdy joined the Trinity faculty as a social science teacher. e initial plan for the Dowdys was to move back to Seattle after a couple of years, however, that quickly changed

when they settled down in Florida.

“I thought ‘I’ll come down for a couple of years, have an adventure, and then I’m going back to the mountains,’” Mr. Dowdy said. “25 years later, here we are. We fell in love with Florida.”

Since starting at Trinity, Mr. Dowdy worked his way up to becoming the middle school assistant principal and eventually to his current position as Middle School Principal. Many students are familiar with Mr. Dowdy’s announcements at middle school assemblies or simply his presence in the quad.

“It’s the best job,” Mr. Dowdy said. “It is challenging but so much fun. It’s been something that I’ve truly truly loved. “I still get to work with students. I still get to be with kids and have fun… while also working with teachers and being able to have an impact on what’s happening in the classroom and what’s happening in the school at large.”

Similar to her husband, Mrs. Dowdy worked hard in the science department, serving as the Denicole Endowed Science Chair while teaching 8th-grade science classes. She founded the legendary boat race project, where students, applying their knowledge of physics, attempt to stay a oat while paddling on their cardboard boats across the pool.

“Her class is always fun, she always did fun labs,” said sophomore Elizabeth Carlin, a former student of Mrs. Dowdy. “She taught in such an interesting way that made me look forward to science.”

Outside of teaching, the Dowdys were very involved in atheltics as well. In Mr. Dowdy’s rst ve years at Trinity, he coached middle school football, one year of varsity football and was varsity for track and eld. As Mr. Dowdy stopped to focus more on his leadership in administration, Mrs. Dowdy continued her leadership on the eld as head cross country coach for both boys and girls team as well as assistant varsity coach of track and eld.

“She’s really one of the best coaches I’ve ever had,” Carlin said. “We had morning practice for cross country, and she was never late at 6 a.m. every morning for the team. I never

thought I wouldn’t be able to enjoy morning practice. She really made it fun for everyone.”

Mrs. Dowdy comes prepared to practice three hours a day, six days a week to train her runners and help them excel in their sport, never wavering in her support of her students.

“At all the meets she would always walk around with her bright pink backpack, so we’d always see her everywhere… no matter where I am on the course, I can always hear her,” Carlin said. “I can always pick her out in the crowd.”

e Dowdys have made a committed e ort to serve the students and provide them with fun experiences in and out of the classroom. From creating new engaging activities with the middle school student council to fostering traditions like Headmaster’s Day and the big brother/sister program, Mr. Dowdy has contributed much to the Trinity community.

“I will miss the things that are the traditions at the school,” Mr. Dowdy said. “I love the rst

Photos courtesy of Sara Dowdy

Clara Dowdy graduated Trinity in 2021 and now is a junior at FSU.

e Dowdys supports their son, Mason Dowdy, at his graduation in 2023.

The Dowdys depart after 25 years at Trinity

day of school and when the 6th graders come, or when the 6th graders gather around the rock with their senior big brothers and sisters.”

Whether on or o the eld, the Dowdys have supported each individual at Trinity.

“ e best part is having a coach who’s like my friend,” Carlin said. “She pulls us out and talks to us, and gures out what’s wrong. You could tell she cares about us as athletes but also as people too.”

In addition to their contributions to various programs and aspects of Trinity, the Dowdys have created a community here. eir children have grown up in the Trinity family, with their daughter Clara graduating in 2021 and their son Mason graduating in 2023.

“ ey’ve been everything to me,” Mrs. Dowdy said. “My old department chair was like a father gure to me. e old head of

school and Lawson too. ey take care of us. It’s a family. It’s a way of life. I always joke ‘ is is not a job. is is my second home. ese are my kids doing cross country ... e kids are my kids.’ My husband works here. My children went there. It truly is family in every sense of the word.”

e sense of community and spirit are one of the things that the Dowdys will miss the most. One of Mrs. Dowdy’s favorite memories at Trinity was seeing students’ support for her son and the soccer team when they won the soccer state championships. Mr. Dowdy also highlights the support he and his family received.

“It’s been special to be in a place where they went to school to see the education that they got here and the care people showed for them. en, to be able to work with Mrs. Dowdy

every day is incredibly special.”

Moving forward, the Dowdys are moving to Vero Beach, where Mr. Dowdy is taking the position of the head of middle school at Saint Edward’s Episcopal School. Although the Dowdys are leaving Trinity, their legacy remains, and Trinity will always be a part of their family.

“[Trinity] has allowed me to grow in my career and really learn how to be an educator, and so I will always be grateful to the school,” Mr. Dowdy said. “I love the traditions and the people. e most important part and the thing that’s kept me here [are] the teachers and students; that’s what’s been so much fun. It will forever be a special place for us.

Sara Dowdy poses with her cross country team after a successful senior night on October 24th, 2023.

FOLLOWING UP ON FELLOWS

Understanding the fellowship program and its functions

Article by Karthik Stead and Jack Aaron

Graphic by Sam Miller

History teacher Quinn McKenzie is an important member of the Trinity community. is is not just due to his exceptional teaching or excellent coaching of the speech and debate team, but because his time here on campus is more conditional than any other teacher. is is because McKenzie is a fellow. Rather than a full- edged teacher, a fellow is meant to stay on campus for two to three years and learn the tricks of the teaching trade. e program provides teachers with mentorship from other teachers – known as master teachers – and the opportunity to coach extracurricular activities in addition to their teaching responsibilities.

Previous fellow, Chris Newman, looks back on the program quite fondly. After being a social science fellow for two years, Newman went on to secure a teaching position at Gaston Day School in North Carolina.

“It was a blast,” Newman said. “I enjoyed going to work every single day. I loved what I did, and I loved the people I worked with. And when I left, my emotions predominantly were lled with gratitude.”

of the brain,” Lawson said. “We’ve not had a fellow in mathematics, we’ve not had a fellow PE, we’ve not had a fellow in world language and we’ve not had a fellow in ne arts. at’s two-thirds of the disciplines that we o er.”

According to Lawson, another goal of the fellowship program is to increase the number of master teachers – currently English teacher Steven Krueger and mathematics teacher Stephanie Wood – who provide feedback and advice from perspectives outside the fellow’s discipline.

Head of School Byron Lawson established the fellowship program at Trinity roughly ve years ago and modeled it after the program he ran at his previous school, St. Mark’s School of Texas. Lawson has recognized that, thus far, Trinity’s program has lacked diversity because it has included only fellows in social science and hard science.

“ ere’s just unseen opportunities for growth that frankly we don’t recognize because all of our fellows have been on sort of one side

they are not allowed to be hired as a teacher by Trinity. According to Lawson, the reason for this policy is for the fellows to continue their journey elsewhere to gain more valuable experience and use the knowledge they acquired here to bene t them in their future job.

is policy is mostly consistent with that of St. Mark’s. at school, however, is not without its exceptions: Andrew Farrar is a former fellow at St. Mark’s, but was quickly o ered a teaching position, which he accepted.

“So my understanding of St. Mark’s program is that it is a twoyear [program],” Farrar said. “However, my personal experience was that after my rst year, there was an opportunity in my department, so I was offered a full-time position on the faculty.”

“When you get to see operations from a totally di erent disciplined standpoint or just through somebody else’s eyes, it ramps up your learning process,” Lawson said. “We do pretty much the same [master teachers] inside your discipline, but we don’t do as much outside the discipline.”

e most notable aspect of the fellowship program is the policy for fellows once their contract expires. Regardless of an available position or years of experience a fellow possesses,

However, this is not the policy at Trinity. Currently, McKenzie is in his second year of the program, and after his third year, his contract will expire, and he will be unable to continue his time here. is was the same case for Newman, who after his two-year contract was up said he could not apply for a full-time position at Trinity.

ough McKenzie’s time at Trinity will soon come to an end, he re ects on the opportunity he was given here.

“I care a lot about Trinity and I care a lot about the students, about the culture, about the community, about the team and about making my classes the best classes they can be,” McKenzie said. “And so I pour a lot of myself and my energy into those things.”

PUBLIC DOMAIN PANDEMONIUM

Article by Karthik Stead

Photos courtesy of the public domain

Winnie the Pooh slaughtering innocents, Bambi getting revenge on the hunters who took her mother away, and now Mickey Mouse gearing up to commit all kinds of atrocities. ese shocking scenarios are all thanks to the public domain. e public domain is the collection of formerly copyrighted intellectual property that can be used by the public, now that the copyright has expired. e public domain has existed in the United States since 1789, but has only recently been making headlines with the release of more contemporary projects into the public domain. Some notable new arrivals include Winnie the Pooh, Bambi, and Pinnochio. e most famous of these recent public domain releases is Walt Disney’s “Steamboat Willie” cartoon, otherwise known as the rst appearance of Mickey Mouse.

A recent trend since the release of these iconic children’s characters has been to make horror properties based on them. is is best seen in Jagged Edge Productions’ “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” franchise and their recently announced project “ e Twisted Childhood Cinematic Universe.” ese productions seems to be to capitalize on the buzz around these characters being released into the public domain by very quickly making a horror movie based on the property. is strategy seems to work, with “Blood and Honey” bringing in $5.2 million in worldwide box o ce sales on a $50,000 budget. Shortly after the release of “Blood and Honey”, the same production studio announced an entire cinematic u universe with properties based on Cinderella, Bambi and Peter Pan.

pictions to a franchise based on children’s media isn’t inherently wrong if it serves a narrative purpose, and the project is explicitly labeled as not for children. e content featured in “Blood and Honey” serves no purpose other than shock value.

But “Blood and Honey” does not represent the entirety of the public domain whatsoever. Online, many sentiments have been shared that the public domain doesn’t do any good, or that perhaps the system ought to be done away with entirely. ese opinions seem to come in response to less than stellar projects like “Blood and Honey.” But the public domain, by its nature, lends itself to a pantheon of creativity that also includes horror. Many wonderful projects have been made thanks to the public domain. Public domain is what gave

Mythology and places the reader in her shoes, while watching familiar tales.

“Blood and Honey” also does not begin to represent the full scope of public domain horror. For example, Steven LaMorte, director of the hilarious parody horror-comedy “ One” is working on a horror-comedy based on the Steamboat Willie cartoon.

LaMorte has a genuine passion for horror and lmmaking as a whole that shines through all of his work.

“Start with a movie or an idea that you like. And if it belongs with an IP-driven [project]. en we’ll get there. But rst you need a story that you want to tell,” LaMorte said when asked about the development of his Steamboat Willie project.

We’re able to use this photo because this property is in the public domain.

ese movies are, to put it gently, not very good. e lms are a desperate attempt at trying to shock the audience all the while having nothing of substance to say. In addition, “Blood and Honey” also features many sexual situations alongside excessive gore. While sexual situations and gore are part of the horror genre’s DNA, the content featured in “Blood and Honey” comes across like a 12 year old’s attempt to be cool and edgy more than a terrifying horror movie. In addition, the implication of adding explicit sexual references and de-

life to classics like “Snow White,” along with a Pinocchio-inspired video game “Lies of P,” as well as “Circe” which takes inspiration from Greek mythology as well as Homer’s “ e Odyssey.” e main di erence between these projects is that they come from a place of genuine inspiration. While “Blood and Honey” reads like a generic slasher with Winnie the Pooh retro tted onto it, these projects were designed with the properties and creative ideas in mind. “Lies of P” takes the idea of Pinocchio as the crossroads between a puppet and a real boy and incorporates it into the gameplay, the more lies you tell, the more mechanical abilities you gain as you become more puppet-like. “Circe” takes an oft-overlooked character in Greek

LaMorte had started developing his Steamboat Willie project before the rights were o cially released, starting with the concept of a horror lm based on a boat.

“I really wanted to make a boat movie because once the boat takes o , there’s nowhere to go, right?” LaMorte said.

It was only once this concept had been settled upon that LaMorte discovered that Steamboat Willie was entering the public domain, and the seeds for the project had been sown. LaMorte’s project is another horror-comedy and involves a group of passengers on a late-night boat right being hunted by a murderous mouse.

“I wanted it to be another horror lm that doubled down on everything. More comedy, more kills, more of everything,” LaMorte said.

LaMorte and other directors like him represent the fundamental truth that not all public domain horror projects should be lumped in with one another. LaMorte’s commitment to making hilarious but appropriately scary horror lms should be commended in the face of an ever-growing horror lm industry.

Ultimately, the public domain is one of the most fascinating creative goldmines that we have access to, and although there is bound to be a few “Blood and Honey”s, there is an equal chance of a “Snow White,” a “Circe,” or a “ e Mean One.” So please, don’t throw the public domain baby out with the “Blood and Honey” bathwater.

AN IMPERFECT SYSTEM

Article by Ashwin Anand

Graphic by Lia Garibay

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual income for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) occupations is over double the national average across all disciplines, with such positions expecting an 11% increase in the workforce by 2032. As students enter a future dominated by STEM, it’s imperative that schools work overtime to set them up for success in these elds.

“Some version of those [STEM] disciplines make you well-rounded, capable and able to move through life at its most sophisticated,” Head of School Byron Lawson said in a February 2023 podcast. “You are talking about students who have access to the greatest careers and/ or leadership opportunities that the world has to o er.”

you to take biology, and everything else is your choice,” Jannotti said. “So unfortunately, there’s a lot of students who think that the physical sciences aren’t important. For me, it’s like a tripod [of biology, chemistry and physics]: A tripod has three legs. If one of those legs isn’t there, it doesn’t stand.”

Trinity is well on its way to realizing that goal, with a phenomenal math department and now the upcoming Nochur Sankar Science Center. But there’s still more that must be done if it wants to embrace its potential as a STEM powerhouse.

SCIENCE CURRICULUM

Science department chair Dr. Romina Jannotti has found that students lack adequate exposure to the physical sciences.

“Our graduation requirements only force

majoring in math and physics. He took AP Physics 1 and 2 at Trinity and wanted to continue with AP Physics C, which would only be o ered with enough student interest. He tried for years to nd peers who would take it with him but was ultimately forced to self-study for the exam.

Physics is an intimidating subject, so many students may choose not to take it unless forced. is is de nitely the case at Trinity, where only 65% of the Class of 2022 graduated with physics on their transcript, compared to 100% with biology and around 95% with chemistry, according to Jannotti.

Class of 2023 alum Seth Brunner attends the Georgia Institute of Technology and is

“It de nitely is a problem that there’s not really much interest in physics,” Brunner said. “Which is part of the reason Physics C wasn’t taught for a while, because it’s just a waste of resources.” is phenomenon is not exclusive to Trinity. e American Institute of Physics found in 2019 that only 42% of graduating seniors had taken one or more physics courses. ough that rate is much higher at Trinity, Jannotti won’t be satis ed until it’s at 100%.

“When you’re a science major, the rst thing that you do is a year-long sequence in [biology, chemistry and physics],” Jannotti said. “And then afterwards when you want to specialize in something, you take a semester on immunology, you take a semester on microbiology. I want to emulate that.”

According to Director of Learning and Instruction Dr. Stephanie Dryden, new courses go through a rigorous review phase by the curriculum committee, as do changes to graduation requirements, so codifying that tripod may be a di cult process. Still, progress is

Trinity’s STEM program is strong, but could be even better

being made. Recently, the Physics of Art elective was introduced for students who may not want to take an intensive, math-heavy course to receive some relaxed STEM experience, and other changes are in the works.

“We are reviewing our graduation requirements and starting to think about what’s best for our students,” Dryden said. “ ere’s a lot of di erent things that we’re exploring, and some potential additions to the curriculum that I think will be really, really exciting.”

The

tions like the yearly Ying Expo provide invaluable scienti c experience, but they su er from low student participation. Almost all the expo’s entrants come from the Independent Research class, which totals only around 10 students.

goal is to create the opportunities for students to find ways to make an impact. The more we can get you interested in driving your learning, the better o you’re going to be.

-

Alex Podchaski, Chief Technology O cer

TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING

e computer science — now Applied Science and Engineering (ASE) — department has undergone some great developments since the arrival of current department chair Alex Podchaski in 2022. e courses have been streamlined to create more focused paths, and programs like cybersecurity and robotics are receiving well-deserved expansions.

Still, it has room for growth. Senior Ben Pringle is planning to major in computer science and has participated fervently in programming and robotics over the last four years.

“As somebody who’s very interested in computer science, I’d want [the ASE department] to expand,” Pringle said. “I think compared to the rest of the departments it’s very small.”

Moreover, only half a credit of ASE is required for graduation. With this lack of emphasis, students may fail to see its value. And if few students take coursework in the department, it has no reason to expand.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Improving the academic curriculum is just a start, because STEM extends far outside the classroom and into extracurriculars. Competi-

“ ere are a couple of students that will do Ying independently, but you can count them on one hand,” Jannotti said. “And there certainly isn’t as much middle school participation as I would like.”

is lack of middle school engagement is concerning, as those who get involved early on are more likely to mature into active participants. If Trinity wants to cultivate large high school programs, it should look toward making these activities more accessible to younger students. Pringle agrees that doing so could boost membership on the robotics team.

dents know that Trinity o ers the Biology and Chemistry Olympiads, and these students have to personally recruit others. But that job should lie with the school, not on the shoulders of individual students.

Podchaski recognizes this and is working to call attention to his department in various ways, including a student-run podcast titled “Burst of STEAM” highlighting Trinity’s accomplishments in the technological eld.

“ e goal is to create the opportunities for students to nd ways to make an impact,” Podchaski said. “Because there’s a tremendous amount of learning going on, whether you’re doing programming, robotics, engineering, any of that drives your learning. e more we can get you interested in driving your learning, the better o you’re going to be.”

e impact of his vision has already been seen with competitive successes, and that’s without the facilities of the Sankar Science Center. e new building will undoubtedly help accomplish Podchaski, Jannotti and Dryden’s combined goals.

Some version of those [STEM] disciplines make you well-rounded, capable and able to move through life at its most sophisticated. You are talking about students who have access to the greatest careers and/or leadership opportunities that the world has to o er.

- Byron Lawson, Head of School

“You just need more people that are interested in [robotics],” Pringle said. “Part of that might be that I’m not sure how many people at the school know we have a robotics team.” is publicity problem goes beyond just robotics. For instance, only a handful of stu-

“Once we have the new lab spaces, then there’s all kinds of exciting stu that can become possible,” Dryden said. “And we’re in what I would call the ideation phase of it, where we’re dreaming and imagining. After the building’s built and after we’re in, then we can really think in concrete ways.” is project is a huge step in the right direction, and as long as Trinity continues on that trajectory, the future is bright.

“I think we’re on the right path,” Jannotti said. “I think that we have a really strong student base here at Trinity with really talented students. And I would like to have a curriculum that pushes them to their capacity so that when they leave here like that, they can master anywhere they go.”

A NEW ERA OF MEDICINE

Article by Aarav Gupta

Graphic by Caden Liu

Imagine a world where technology and arti cial intelligence (AI) have taken over the medical eld. Dying patients rely on 3-dimensional plastic hearts to save their lives. Robots perform complicated surgeries. Scientists genetically modify babies to t the traits the parents’ desire. While these developments could improve the healthcare industry, their costs will unfortunately go unestimated.

While the use of AI has been signi cantly growing over the years, relying on AI would be disastrous for modern healthcare and would put an end to it entirely. e rapid use of technology in healthcare must be regulated and more heavily researched before full-scale implementation. It poses severe ethical risks that could undermine equal access, data privacy and core human values. We must proceed cautiously with robust public discourse to establish guardrails.

CRISPR

DNA can get frighteningly close to eugenics, a belief and practice that aims to improve the genetic quality of the humans.

Eugenics has a painful history, as it was adopted by Nazi Germany to justify their actions.

Consequently, more than 200 patients have already been treated with experimental CRISPR therapies resulting in many unsuccessful outcomes according to the MIT Technology Review. Currently, scientists have observed many drawbacks including inaccurate changes in DNA in regions other than the target site and its e ciency and incomplete editing.

“Regarding potentially faulty information,

CRISPR is a technology that allows scientists to selectively modify the DNA of organisms. While it provides many advantages, it can be detrimental to the eld of biology.

altering genes and unmasking new problems,” said John Kupferschmid, a congenital heart surgeon at Pediatrics Specialists of Texas.

3D Printed Organs

3D-printed organs are created using bioink: a material consisting of cultured cells that are paired with biopolymer hydrogels to help construct structures.

“Since all the organs in the body consist of several cell and tissue types, a speci c bio-ink must be developed to suit their exact requirements,” said Niina Matthews, a PhD Candidate working at the University of Technology Sydney developing 3D-printed organs. “Cells organize into di erent types of tissues, and when tissues are assembled together, the end result is an organ.”

According to the National Institute of Health, CRISPR is being widely used to correct many genetic variants and mutations. However, most notably, it has been used to modify human embryo cells so that a baby carries certain traits desired by the parents. Although such practices can be bene cial when it stops the passing along of HIV from parent to child, taken too far, the modi cation of

I think that this issue is inevitable when using technology,” junior Jerry Chen said. “For example, when teachers use technology to enhance the classroom experience by displaying a presentation, there will occasionally be technical di culties.”

According to a study conducted by the University of Cambridge UK in 2021, a team of scientists found that some human embryos lost larger regions of chromosomes when they were edited through CRISPR.

“[CRISPR] is going to cause problems by

ere have already been examples of this technology being implemented. In 2023, doctors successfully implanted an outer ear which was 3D printed using the woman’s own cartilage cells on a 20-year-old woman.

“I think that in 10 years we will have organs for transplantation,” professor Tal Dvir, said director of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine at Tel Aviv University in Israel. “We will start with simple organs like skin and cartilage, but then we’ll move on to more complicated tissues.”

Multilayered skin, bones, muscles structures and blood vessels have already been 3D printed. However, many of these have not yet been approved as they have been deemed unsafe by medical experts.

Many are anticipating to place a printer

Scientists implement new technologies within the medical field

right next to a bedside of a patient su ering from serious wounds.

However, e 3D printing process is wildly unpredictable with challenges ranging from biomaterial degradation, tissue integration and biocompatibility all of which pose signi cant challenges. Since there has been a lack of cases and testing in the bioprinting eld, the eld will encounter a plethora of di culties for researchers to follow.

“ e body is very complex,” said Biology teacher Bryan Moretz, who received a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology. “ ere are a lot of unknowns when we do these types of things even. Today, when we go from human-to-human transplant, there’s still uncertainty as to what’s going to happen.”

Despite these organs being developed for all socioeconomic classes, they will be only limited to the elite wealthy, defeating the whole purpose for what this invention was originally intended for.

skill sets, companies risk the dangers of setting everyone up for failure. According to Forbes, 28 percent of providers label telehealth as extremely frustrating.

Artificial Intelligence

Google Health recently released its ambitions for its involvement in health and medicine through AI and technology. During Google Health’s annual event, e Check Up, executives shared updates about new developing AI models.

“[Biologists] are able to bring that connection that [AI] just can’t bring and so I don’t think anytime soon at least they will be replacing biologists.”

- Bryan Moretz, Biology

Teacher

Telemedicine

Telemedicine, the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients by means of telecommunications technology, is becoming more prominent in our day-to-day lives. It can often lead to incorrect diagnosis, misunderstandings, poor patient care and low adoption.

According to law rm Halberg and Fogg nearly 70 percent of telehealth medical malpractice claims were diagnostic issues.

“If I’m seeing a baby, I can tell more about that baby’s cardiac output and well-being by feeling that baby’s foot,” Kupferschmid said. “I can’t do that over the phone.”

With the rapid advancements of technology, both providers and patients are upset with the challenges of adapting to this new era, where everything is so technology driven. Because citizens possess varying levels of technological

According to FierceHealthcare’s press release on March 19, 2024, “ e company is ne-tuning its Gemini model for the medical domain, building a personal health large language model (LLM) that can power personalized health and wellness features in the Fitbit mobile app, developing AI models to help with early disease detection and researching ways that generative AI can assist with medical reasoning and clinical conversations.”

Letting companies like Google control private medical data could prove dangerous in the future as they could release signi cant billions of personal information to the government.

It was revealed in April that Google’s Incognito Chrome browser explicitly states that they collect data from third-party websites regardless of the user’s browser, highlighting their dishonesty to their users.

“[Google] might tell you that it’s private, but you should always assume that anytime that you use AI, [your private data is] going to be out there,” Moretz said. “Someone’s going

to be storing it on a server somewhere and it’s possible that it could leak.”

Future of Medicine

Slowly integrating these currently dangerous technologies into the medical system will undoubtedly bring numerous bene ts.

“[AI] has the potential of being a game changer in a couple of areas,” Kupferschmid said. “AI can handle lots of data because it’s all computer les. ere’s a million things you could put into a database, and it could really help you with diagnosing things early.”

However, scientists are implementing these technologies too quickly into the lives of humans. Without the proper testing and regulations being enforced, the future of medicine is in serious danger.

e whole point for AI was to make the jobs of humans more e cient, not replace them. ere has never been a greater need for lifting the voices of healthcare workers. A 2016 report from the University of Toronto’s Mowat Centre said Canada could see automation cut 7.5 million jobs across all sectors in the next few decades.

“In the short term, there will de nitely be an adjustment period where people may face job loss or other issues,” Chen said.

Moretz states the importance of humans controlling healthcare.

“[Biologists] are able to bring that connection that [AI] just can’t bring and so I don’t think anytime soon at least they will be replacing biologists,” Moretz said.

Implementing AI and these technologies will have devastating consequences for the lives of people and will unleash chaos in the medical eld if we do not slow down these rapid developments.

“We should never be 100% reliant on these technologies for one big reason and that is morality,” Kupferschmid said. “If you don’t have a moral code overlying [technology], all of this will get out of hand. at’s where the human comes in, something you’ll never get from machines or technology.”

DON’T WAIT, ACCOMMODATE

Article by Amanda Rose DeStefano

Graphic by Sam Miller

e National Center for Learning Disabilities reports that 1 in 5 children in the 20152016 school year had learning or attention issues, and 1 in 16 school-age children received special education services for speci c learning disabilities and attention di culties.

to ensure their success, barriers to accessibility exist across the country

lic and private schools. Trinity is no exception.

Public schools across the nation outline 33 speci c accommodations, with room for psychiatrists to request additional aids that might not be included in the document. Our school only o ers ve. e only accommodations available for stu-

While these statistics paint a picture that dents are extended time on assessments longer

than 20 minutes, allowed computer use for hand-written essays, no scantrons, use of a 4-function calculator and a copy of class notes.

nosed with learning and attention disabilities. e rst step in obtaining accommodations at Trinity is attaining a professional psychological or psychiatric evaluation. A diagnosis isn’t enough, though. Once diagnosed with some sort of disability or mental health issue, the evaluator would then recommend speci c accommodations for the student. Only if the

that healthcare professionals deem necessary. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 speci cally prohibits discrimination against disabled students and guarantees the right for them to access free public education. ere are specialized coordinators to help parents and students with the entire process, as well as a legal burden for schools to accommodate when necessary. Because Trinity does not take public funds, it is not required to follow the same guidelines as a public school.

Not only are the amount of accommodations o ered by Trinity signi cantly fewer than many public schools around the country, but there are also vast shortcomings in implementing these aids.

Students who receive accommodations are not able to use them on quizzes or assessments shorter than 20 minutes. While a possible reason for this caveat is because some teachers like to teach after giving a quiz, the integrity of accommodations could be maintained if quizzes were only given at the end of a class, or if they could be split up for accommodated students to complete at a later time.

“We can handle children that have mild learning or processing issues, but we have a minimal number of accommodations that we can make because we’re not sta ed [for more],” Head of Upper School Dr. Tracy Bonday said.

According to guidance counselor Christine Hempsted, 130 Trinity students receive accommodations, making it imperative that the school plays an active role in securing and enforcing accommodations for students diag-

recommended accommodation is provided by Trinity, then it will be given to

Being approved for adequate accommodations took an anonymous student, who receives 50% extended time for their diagnosed anxiety, nearly a semester and visits to two di erent psychiatrists after their rst diagnosis had

vided by Trinity, then it will be given to the student. been denied.

“Having diagnosed anxiety wasn’t good enough [to get accommodations],” the student said.

Public schools across the nation use “504 plans” to ensure that students receive the help

for students with certain conditions, which Trinity does not accept. Unfortunately, the size of our school is not the only reason these concerns have been ignored. According to Hemsted, the school speci cally refuses to modify the curriculum regardless of recom-

“We want to make sure that we maintain the integrity of our diploma, which is why we don’t modify our curriculum,” she said.

As a prep school, Trinity ought to emulate colleges across the nation that dedicate entire o ces to aid students who need these services. As one example, on its website, Stanford University says it o ers “modi cations to policies, practices, or procedures,” including a student submitting a written paper on the subject matter in lieu of an oral presentation or submitting

model institutions like Stanford. One reason for Trinity’s di erence in the implementation of accommoda-

and are instead left to their own

It’s clear that the Trinity faculty and sta is dedicated to seeing students succeed, but without all the right pieces, this e ort falls short.

FANS PROHIBIT PRIVACY

Article by Taylor Gri th

Graphic by Lia Garibay

Freshman Monely Balouchian picks up her phone and goes to the popular social media app, X, which she uses to get information about news events. She is scrolling until she comes upon a post that seems somewhat disturbing: “Kate Middleton takes leave from social media but speculations about her death arise.” Balouchian, a huge follower of the Royal Family, becomes instantly alarmed.

“I thought she died because of these rumors, they were spreading so much, so I thought they were true,” Balouchian said. “And so then I started talking about it with my friends and family. And I started saying wow, did she actually die?”

Gossip was then put to rest when Princess of Wales Catherine Middleton posted a video, talking about how she had been diagnosed with cancer, had to undergo abdominal surgery, and would be out until Easter.

“ e video gave everyone more explanation on what was going on,” Balouchian said. “It would have been easier to just post something, but usually when you put it on text people can view it di erently. So on video, she explained her situation, and people could not interpret it di erently.”

Rumors began to die down, however many people wondered if she was forced into making the video due to many growing conspiracy theories.

that her condition took time to explain to her children, which is one of the reasons she wanted to keep this more private.

Other celebrities have also su ered from privacy issues including popular music artist Billie Eilish. In Novemeber 2023, Eilish was on the red carpet during a Variety Hitmakers’ interview when she was outed with her sexuality to the public. Eilish responded with an Instagram post confronting Variety Hitmakers and cleared the air about the rumor. People speculated about her sexuality before

“ e video was very brave because she could have just put out a statement, but she felt it was important for people to see her, and I think that is her way of answering all the speculation with everything, “ Ethics teacher Rylan Smith said. “For whatever reason, she felt that she had to come out and address some things.”

According to a news article by Page Six, the rumors about Middleton became too much to bear and she was pressured into making the video. e statement also expressed that the family wanted to keep as much normality for her children. Middleton explained in the video

celebrities to struggle with the isolation and can overall damage their mental health. Some people will make up these types of rumors for publicity or to simply make the celebrity look bad. While some talk about celebrities is meant to be harmful, others are simply talking about it due to their curiosity.

“I talk about celebrities when it’s an interesting story because sometimes it is one of those stories where it doesn’t happen every day,” Balouchian said.

Most people realize the e ects of these rumors but continue to feed into the conspiracy theories that will continue to spiral unless addressed. “It’s not okay, but sometimes if you get certain evidence or information, you jump to conclusions without actually thinking of it, and that’s where these rumors would be coming from,” Balouchian said.

this interview, but after the incident, Eilish con rmed this with the post. As she was not able to come out on her own time, she became very upset with the interviewer and Variety Hitmakers, for forcing her to expand on her sexuality.

“Stu that we tend to take for granted, celebrities have to be very thoughtful about,” Smith said. “How they go about it and then sometimes end up sharing things that maybe they wouldn’t have liked to share if they had been an ordinary citizen.”

e isolation from regular life can cause

A lot of speculation comes from posts or videos that only show one particular piece of a whole scene. When the royal family posted an edited photo of Kate Middleton rumors spread on the reason that Middleton had to be edited in, only further contributing to the rumors about her leave of absence.

Smith agrees that a photo can sometimes not show the entire truth, so even a photo can lead to speculation and rumors.

Many celebrities su er from a lack of privacy and are not being treated with the same amount of respect that regular citizens have. To veer from this type of gossip being spread, people should wait for the whole story before posting their assumptions.

“ e power is in the ordinary citizens and the journalists,” Smith said. “If we want things to change, then we as a society have to decide we’re going to let celebrities be their own people and have their own lives outside of whatever it is that makes them popular or makes them famous.”

META MANAGES POLITICAL FEEDS

Article by Mila Taylor

Graphic by Maxi de la Fuete

In early February, Meta released a statement explaining that Instagram, reads and Facebook are limiting political content shown from accounts not followed by users. e setting was set to limit political content by default, with apps failing to notify users about the change. Many were concerned about this change, as it is implemented in the same year as important upcoming elections.

Many in uencers whose platforms focus on educating users about current events and politics have released step-by-step posts showing users how to opt out of the setting.

Accounts of marginalized communities have called out the act of censorship and expressed that the setting will make their missions of education and empowerment even harder. Despite in uencer’s concerns, social science teacher Brandon Burmeister said such changes are completely within the platform’s rights.

“Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are privately owned companies,” Burmeister said. “So they have the right to determine the content that’s on their website. If they don’t want to allow or do want to allow certain things, it’s not a free speech issue.”

According to Meta, the company added this setting to avoid spreading misinformation and accusations of news bias, along with aiming to create a more positive online space. However, the updated setting hinders people who depend on social media to stay up-to-date on current events and today’s political world.

“It could create a problem by ltering out important political news that people might not get otherwise,” Political science associate professor at the University of Florida Beth Rosenson said. “If Gen Z is getting all of your news from social media… I worry about preventing people from learning important things in the news.”

Generation Z (Gen Z) has been the biggest culprit of absorbing information about news and current events from social media. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, 34% of high school-age teens or younger get their news from Instagram. is raises concerns about whether the information is correct. However, despite discrepancies, access to social media makes it the go-to source for in-

formation. Rosenson explains issues with news from social media.

“ e positive [of social media] is the ease of access, you can just pull something up on your phone, but then there’s also the problem of information overload,” Rosenson said. “ ere’s [also] a term that scholars use called cocooning where you can just seek out sources that t with your ideology. One of the dangers is that people will only seek out media that con rms what they already believe, and they’re not being exposed to a di erent point of view.”

Along with information overload, social media is one of the biggest culprits in spreading misinformation to its users. Users also tend to neglect other credible sources when looking for news.

“ e problem is within the di usion of the manipulation of the media platform,” Burmeister said. “And the di usion of misinformation and disinformation, which is so easy to do on social media, because there’s no accountability. ere’s no fact-checking.” is issue was addressed in a study done by Dartmouth, where researchers described the importance of acknowledging the discrepancies of bias, and participation bias in social media. Young people are more likely to use social media than the older population, therefore young people’s political views are more likely to be represented, leaving out other groups that are less represented on social media. ese bias discrepancies further feed information to social media users, and create echo chambers of only certain views being shared.

“ ere’s always going to be bias in news sources,” Junior Jonah Downs says. “It’s almost impossible to ignore. When it’s on social media it is ampli ed because of the way the media is dissected, especially with how they’re trying to grasp your attention.”

Opinions shared by in uencers also have a very big impact on social media users. One example is Taylor Swift, who in uenced over 35,000 fans to register to vote. She became the topic of many news articles questioning whether she could in uence the 2024 elections. In an article by Berkeley News, Taylor Swift is described as a highly in uential role model, who, with even a small endorsement,

could in uence millions of young voters.

“Even though I try not to listen to celebrities because I don’t think they necessarily know what they’re talking about when it comes to politics,” Rosenson said, “Taylor Swift, I think is the best example if she said something about her political views, I think a lot of people would listen and they trust her. ey like her. ey believe in her so they would take what she has to say pretty seriously.”

Taylor Swift along with so many other celebrities and in uencers has a lot of power when it comes to endorsing candidates and spreading news. is can be extremely problematic for young people, especially those who don’t do further research before voting for a candidate or believing the news they hear.

Regardless of issues getting news from social media, Meta’s new default setting will greatly a ect young generations.

“I feel like everyone needs all the information they can get their hands on, for better or worse, because that’s the beauty of media,” Downs said.

THERE IS MORE TO EXPLORE

Visiting a new country can look di erent to each person traveling

Article by Mia Prince

Graphic by Sam Miller

Freshman Campbell Alch landed in Mexico but never left the resort she was staying in. Still, she marked it down on her list as one of the countries she has visited. Brooke Kalmanson doesn’t think so. Kalmanson is a sophomore who travels outside of the country frequently, inculding a trip to Uganda during spring break.

“You don’t get to explore anything if you just stay at a resort, you’re staying in one place, so you have a very one-sided view of where you are,” Kalmanson said. “You can’t see di erent perspectives of the di erent cities to fully understand where you are.”

can’t see anything of the local country. You have to be there for at least two days to really see the country and see some of the sites and talk to at least a few locals to get the full experience of being in a new enviroment.”

Cost is a deciding factor for many vacationers. Depending on the country and the local cost of food, it can be more cost e ective to stay at an all inclusive place instead of going

countries also have diseases such as dengue and malaria that make people hesitant of exploring in fear of contracting new viruses.

According to Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) the demand for all-inclusive resorts is increasing, with all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Dominican Republic averaging an occupancy recovery of 77% in March 2022. Marriott and Hyatt along with others are creating more all inclusive resorts as instead of their normal traditional style hotels due to an increase in consumer demand.

However, not everyone shares Kalmanson’s view about being able to see the country by staying at a resort for the duration of the trip.

“I think they could [say they’ve been to the new country] because in the resort there are a lot of di erent experiences than it would be from a US resort like the culture,” Alch said. “If you left the resort, I would understand how your trip was a little more but I’d still say you could experience it from staying in a resort because even driving from the airport is an experience in itself because you are seeing new things.”

Like staying on a resort, traveling on a cruise ship also restricts a person’s experience of a new country. In many instances, most people who take cruises don’t explore farther than the ports or the local beach.

“You can’t really see what’s in a country by stopping in a port,” Kalmanson said. “You

out to eat at restaurants every night.

Depending what country people are in and the prices of food can increase. Picky eaters also tend to nd more comfort in resort food rather than trying new cuisines.

When travelers are visiting a new country, there can be new aspects such as food and traditions that come as a culture shock. Certain

On the other hand, staying at a resort allows for a relaxing trip because food and activities are often included.

“It’s more relaxing if you’re just sitting at the pool and resting, which sometimes is necessary since life is pretty stressful,” Kalmanson said. Along with easy access to food and activities, transportation is also provided by the resport.

“ e pros for the resort is that you don’t need a car, so you can walk places or they have golf carts, which is nice and makes it easy to transport around the resort,” Alch said.

However this should not stop people from traveling and exploring a new country. Going out and exploring a new country is a way that you are able to see the raw culture and experience the local cuisine.

“I like trying all the food, shopping and just seeing the di erent sites and learning about new places,” Kalmanson said. “Learning about other places also helps you learn more about your own country as well, because you can see something that you only saw from one perspective in a di erent and new way.”

TIKTOK BAN’S EFFECT ON U.S.

Article by Olivia Agnew

Photo by LIa Garibay

As of Wednesday, April 24, a bill was signed into law by President Joe Biden, enforcing that if TikTok is not bought from its current owners, Bytedance, within the next 270 days, then the app will be removed from all app stores throughout the United States. Yet the President may extend this time frame to a year.

According to a recent Associated Press article, 170 million Americans are on TikTok, and many of these people are between the ages of 10 and 21. TikTok user junior Reese Tanis is against the proposed ban because she sees great value to the app.

“TikTok is such a great platform to spread ideas and your thoughts and spread awareness while also having fun,” Tanis said. “It’s just an app where mostly, all ages, can come and collaborate together, especially Gen Z, and use their voices to spread news and their thoughts and opinions on things.”

Not only is TikTok a source of entertainment, but it has also become a valuable marketing tool. In September 2023, the app

launched TikTok Shop where users can link items, foods, and clothing for their followers or any user to buy.

According to a study done by Vogue Business, TikTok Shop contributed $24.2 billion to US GDP, and has supported over 200,000 jobs last year. TikTok Shop has been particularly helpful for small businesses, earning them a total of $14.7 Billion in revenue.

TikTok In uencer Chika Uwazie, whose tiktok handle is @chikauwazie, has built up a strong following with 100.4k followers to promote her small business called e Soft Nest.

“ is app solely helps me with my business,” Uwazie said. “All my booking calls are solely built on this app.”

For many business owners like Uwazie, the proposed TikTok ban would be devastating. Yet, Head of Brand Marketing for Cash App, Mike Earl, believes that businesses will just turn to other social media platforms, TV ads, and other marketing outlets.

“I think a lot of people use TikTok in this country,” Earl said, “If it’s banned, I don’t know if it will have a massive impact per se, because I think somebody else will just replace it with a di erent product, whether that’s YouTube shorts, which is very TikTok, or Instagram Reels, becomes the dominant player.”

In uencer Kristen Bousq, whose TikTok handle is @kbousq, is planning on doing that.

“I’d de nitely just focus more of my energy on Instagram and potentially tap more into YouTube Shorts, specifically,” Bousq said.

As the in uencers and marketing strategists are working on nding a way to work

“I think the ban is a way to address a bigger issue that’s probably more corelated to social media more broadly.”

- Mike Earl, Head of Brand Marketing for Cash App

through this possible ban, from a political standpoint the ban will de nitely a ect the upcoming election in November of 2024.

In the summer of 2020, Former President Donald Trump advocated for the ban of TikTok, for similar reason of the Chinese Government being too involved. Yet, according to a published by ABC News, President Trump released a statement saying he is against the ban because he doesn’t want Facebook to become too big ‘because Facebook is more of threat than TikTok.’

Completely banning an app is going to change a lot of upcoming voters’ perspective of the candidates and could also be the reason a voter choses one or the other candidate. ere are many ways the government can x the problem at hand, and many are curious if a ban is the right thing to do.

“I think a ban is a lazy way to address a bigger issue that’s probably more correlated to social media more broadly,” Earl said.

Many people against the ban argue that, like TikTok, nearly all social media platforms collect a users information.

Until the potential ban goes in place, all we can do right now is wait.

TikTok in uencer Anahita, tiktok handle @ anahitaxo, who has 198k followers, loves TikTok.

“TikTok has changed my life,” Anahita said.

A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES

Featuring unseen sta that help everything run smoothly

Article by Sammy Lou

Photos by Jackson Napier, Olivia Prince and Ella Eichenholz

it and show it to the world. I just try to give everybody the experience of what I would have wanted in high school if we had an Instagram or social media or if we had somebody walking around that is here to do videos.”

e Trinity Prep soccer team ended their 2023 season with a bang by winning the state championship. For Trinity Prep videographer Jordan Johnson, this was just the beginning of the job. at night, Johnson worked feverishly to create a celebratory video to post on the school’s o cial Instagram page before the next day. It seemed like the obstacles were endless. First, the stadium closed, forcing him to move to a co ee shop. e next thing Johnson knew, his computer shut down. en to top it all o , Instagram unexpectedly cut out a chunk of his video. Finally, at 1 a.m., with the relief of a student nally submitting their big paper, he posted the video.

When Trinity Prep students look back on their time in high school, the rst people that pop into their head might be an inspiring teacher, a supportive coach or perhaps the school chaplain. While they all deserve appreciation, it is easy to forget those who work around the clock behind the scenes to make student life better, whether it be the security guard, helpdesk specialist or videographer.

It is not just taking pictures. Jordan Johnson is responsible for many things related to the school’s social media, from producing video marketing to creating event recaps.

Johnson has always been fascinated with lm and music, two reasons why he loves his job at Trinity.

a gamer growing up,” Gutierrez said. “I’m a computer nerd. I’ve built my own computers, like four of them. I’m also a music nerd going to music festivals. I travel for them sometimes, going to other states in California, and I went to New York.”

“I grew up doing lm,” Johnson said. “Every time I get the chance to make something more cinematic, I think it’s fun. And then I play the drums at my church, and that is just like a love for music. And then I do stu like lming small skits with my friends.”

One of the best parts of his job, he says, is getting to see student life up close and working with Trinity students.

“ e students are so unique [to me] because I grew up in the public school system,” Johnson said. “It’s nice to go in and see that magic on a day to day and be able to capture

When a student’s computer breaks or a teacher can not log in, helpdesk support specialist Je rey Gutierrez is there for the rescue. One day, Gutierrez could be investigating why a student’s computer does not turn on. e be helping chaplain scenes with up sound,

next day, he could Father Rus- sell Wohlever behind the setting videos, lighting and the stage for chapel.

“Some people think it’s just easy,” Gutierrez said. “And that it’s just a few clicks of the button and things are xed. And it’s not always that. Sometimes you got to dig a hole. You got to dig again and dig again in order to nd what the root cause of any problem is.”

When he’s not xing tech issues at school, Gutierrez enjoys a wide variety of hobbies, whether it be gaming, computers, or music.

“I play Pokemon Go, I play Fortnite, I was

Although Gutierrez has a Master’s degree in business administration as well as a Bachelor’s in marketing, he has always loved working with computers and solving puzzles, which happen to t perfectly with what he does.

“I’ve been messing around with computers my entire life, xing them, and reprogramming them and learning the ins and outs about them,” Gutierrez said. “So that’s when I g-

ured out what I wanted to do.”

From serving in the military to working in sales, security guard Scott Cassell worked in many elds before nding himself here at Trinity. e life of the security guard certainly is not easy. Cassell is constantly checking incoming tra c, patrolling the perimeter and attending school activities to ensure everything

and everyone is safe.

“It’s no joke,” Cassell said. “Even though it’s a school setting, we do live in a day and age where things have happened in the past and could still possibly happen. And that’s

why we’re here.”

Before he was a security guard, Cassell served as a corrections o cer in the military, worked in sales and even tutored stu-

dents in math.

Despite the job being tough, Cassell still

enjoys his job.

“I enjoy it because I just like helping people,” Cassell said. “ at’s it. And that’s what this job mainly calls for is assisting and making sure that everybody’s safe. Everybody’s really nice. It’s almost like a giant big family too, and I just want to make sure that my extended family here is safe.”

e overall Trinity experience is greatly enhanced by the hard work and services of these Trinity sta members, even if they sometimes go unnoticed. With this in mind, it is important to appreciate all that they have done.

A STEP IN A NEW DIRECTION

Six Trinity athletes have commited to play at the collegiate level

Article by David Hull

Photos by Olivia Prince

Following a successful year for Trinity Prep athletics, six student-athletes will take their talents to the next level.

Caden Clifton

As a three-year starter on Trinity Prep’s varsity soccer team, Clifton contributed to the 2023 state championship run with ve goals and three assists as a junior. Clifton also played club soccer at Florida Kraze Krush (FKK) while running track and cross country at Trinity. Next year, Clifton will attend Vassar College to continue playing soccer at the Division III level.

Isabella Hartung

leading the Saints to a District title. During her senior season, Hartung lost zero single matches and is going on to play in the State tournament. Next year, Hartung will continue playing the sport she loves at Bowdoin College, which is a part of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC).

Caden Alexandre

All-Area girls bowler of the year will continue her bowling career at the Division I level as an Arkansas State Red Wolf.

Julian Sealy

Sealy played for Trinity during his freshman year and helped the team win a district title. After a successful season, Sealy became a member of the Revolution Tennis Academy. Although not playing tennis for Trinity anymore, Sealy has found success and will be competing at Washington College next year.

Kelsey Wang

A member of Trinity’s baseball program since 9th grade, Alexandre has led the Saints to a successful season as a captain in his senior year. Playing multiple positions throughout high school, Alexandre will look to establish himself next year at the New College of Florida.

Amanda Lang

Although only at Trinity for one year, Hartung left her mark on the tennis program,

As a three-sport athlete, Lang has excelled for Trinity athletics since 6th grade. e 2022

Although Trinity does not have a fencing team, Wang has competed for the Orlando Fencing Academy since 2021. She quickly established herself and was reached out to by multiple colleges. After her trip to Vassar, Wang decided to commit.

“Trinity has helped me become prepared to compete at the next level because I’ve had great coaches who have taught me that there is only winning.”

- Caden Clifton, Soccer at Vassar College

“I could never imagine myself in Maine at such a small college. When I visited, however, I fell in love with everything: the campus, location, people and (most importantly) the food. I can’t wait to be a polar bear!

- Isabella Hartung, Tennis at Bowdoin College

“The lessons I’ll carry with me from Trinity to college is that with the more you learn from your mistakes, the more you grow as a person.”

- Caden Alexandre, Baseball at New College of Florida

“I am most excited to compete against the highest level of competition, make new memories with my new teammates and hopefully win an NCAA championship.”

- Amanda Lang, Bowling at Arkansas State

“I had only vaguely thought about Vassar until my coach introduced me to it, but once I visited and researched the college, I realized it was a perfect fit for me.”

- Kelsey Wang, Fencing at Vassar College

“I’m most looking forward to how competitive the environment is... college tennis is full of yelling and cheering and trash-talking and I feel that’s an environment I will thrive in.”

- Julian Sealy, Tennis at Washington College

RISKY PLAY

Unregulated online sports betting can be dangerous to new bettors

Article by David Hull

Graphic by Caden Liu

As the Super Bowl approached, 18-yearold senior Parker Brock placed a $10 bet on Fli Sports Picks, a popular and easy-to-access sportsbook. After the game, Brock looked into his near-empty account and saw that Fli gifted him an extra dollar along with an o er to purchase more Fli Cash to bet with. However, Brock decided to stick with his dollar and wait until the following day to use it.

While Brock accepted his loss, many sports bettors aren’t satis ed with making such little wagers. e expansion and popularity of online sportsbooks have made sports betting more attractive and accessible, while also raising the risks for bettors.

In 2018, the Supreme Court overturned the 1991 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, paving the way for legal sports betting in 38 states. Over the past ve years, the e ects of this court decision have been evident. $119.8 billion was spent on legalized sports gambling outlets in 2023 alone, 27.8% more than the previous year.

One of the most prominent e ects of the legalization of sports gambling has been the increase in online betting. e online sports betting industry’s revenue has increased by over 1600% in the U.S. since 2018, totaling $7.62 billion in 2023.

After Tennessee legalized sports betting in 2020, Tori Horn, a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the Institute for Gambling Education and Research at the University of Memphis, saw a signi cant increase in patients who were struggling with a sports gambling addiction. According to Horn, gambling is like many addictive substances.

As the popularity of sports gambling continues to grow, more sportsbooks are being created, making it very easy to create an account, even if the user is below the legal gambling age. With limited advertisement restrictions, leading sportsbooks like FanDuel and DraftKings can advertise widely televised games that often attract thousands of viewers below the legal gambling age.

Along with these advertisements, betting odds have become a vital component of sports broadcasting and can in uence their audience to gamble.

ers use legalized gambling outlets or practice casual betting with friends.

After drawing in new users, even popular sportsbooks have no way of restricting the age of their users who are able to use a parent or friend’s information to withdraw money.

New bettors tend to be unaware of the risks that come with gambling. Many sportsbooks don’t label their app’s currency like real money which tempts users to buy more of it. For example, Fli o ers users free “Fli Cash” to prompt them to buy more once they’ve run out. Being classi ed as a sweepstakes, the app’s age to wager is 18 instead of the federal legal age of 21.

“I’ve never really had a problem with betting too much,” Brock said. “I do get that it’s super easy to get hooked, especially now that it’s right on your phone. It doesn’t even feel like you’re using real money on most of these apps.”

“[In many states], you just have to be 21 years old and have a smartphone and a debit card or credit card to bet,” Horn said. “It [is] really di cult to treat because I can’t tell people these days to get rid of their smartphone, that’s not an option anymore. Sadly we’re heading on this trajectory of more gambling problems among younger people.”

According to the American Psychological Association, roughly 5% of adolescents and young adults who gamble develop a gambling disorder. However, according to an ESPN survey, most wagers are only $10 to $20. Horn is aware that the majority of bettors aren’t hooked and while she isn’t against sports betting, she recognizes that it must be done safely and limits should be set. Despite the dangers of gambling seeming evident, Horn observed multiple patients who were unaware or ignored the potential risks, and whether or not they felt dependent on gambling.

“It doesn’t have to be all bad,” Horn said. “Just look out for the signs that there’s a problem and try to prevent a problem from happening in the rst place, which the only way you can is by acknowledging that one could exist in the rst place.”

“Like anything that’s easy to access, we’re going to see an increase in it,” Horn said. “ e same thing happened with other substances when they got legalized.”

While many young adults like Brock are able to safely enjoy the occasional wager, sports betting is one of the leading causes of underage gambling and addiction. Depending on the state, the legal gambling age varies from 18 to 21. However, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling, between 60% and 80% of high schoolers have gambled with money within the last year. ese high school-

e same ESPN survey focused on bettors ranging from 18 to 22 years old, as the most common age of sports bettors is between 18 and 34. Brock falls into this pool of recently legalized bettors and is a good example of a safe bettor, averaging a wager of only $10 and only betting on a few games a month.

Despite seeing the potential risks associated with gambling, Horn recognizes that when done safely, simple wagers can be enjoyable.

“Gambling at the end of the day is something that can be done safely and just because you place a bet every now and then with some friends does not make you addicted to it,” Horn said. “Gambling can be fun.”

Puzzles by Mila Taylor

ACROSS

2. April 13, 2023

4. A confusing or difficult problem or question; a dilemma.

6. formal discussion with opposing arguments

8. The elephant, or slang for crazy

9. April 8, 2024

Riddles!

pencil, bluebook, computer, algebra, geometry, chemistry, biology, casual, snacks, essay, calculus, spanish, french, studyguide, cramming

1. What is the end of everything?

2. The person who makes it has no need of it; the person who buys it has no use for it. The person who uses it can neither see nor feel it. What is it?

3. What belongs to you, but everyone else uses it?

DOWN

1. association football

3. Taylor Swift’s 10th studio album

5. Popular streaming service

7. edible plant in the cabbage family.

Answers:

PHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSITION

Student Life

Juniors and seniors attended Prom at the Orlando Museum of Art on April 13. is year’s theme was “Starry Night.”

e seventh period Florida Ecology class along with UCF has been growing mangroves propagules since winter. ey will be sent o to Canaveral National Seashore in early summer where they will be planted to protect native peoples of Florida heritage sites.

Trinity Prep Alum Chuck Nadd ‘07 returns to campus to speak to the 8th grade Civics class. Nadd spoke about his military experience and the importance of civil military relations in today’s world.

Olivia Prince

Jackson Napier

Jackson Napier

Ella Eichenholz

On April 22, seniors who plan to study ne arts in college were recognized. During the ceremony, alumni Austin Burket and Alex Ferguson were inducted into the Fine Arts Hall of Fame.