midway
PAGE 6 • A&E
University of Chicago Laboratory High School
Sophomore Mia Lane’s natural creative spark has fueled the success of her gothic crochet business, Lost Oddball Crochet, where she creates and sells mythical creatures out of fuzzy, colorful yarn.
PAGE 9 • HEALTH
Almost half of all teens and young adults in the United States are now either overweight or obese. Read about the perspectives of a student and an expert on this alarming epidemic.
100TH YEAR
JANUARY 23, 2025
Volume 100, Number 7
1362 East 59th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 uhighmidway.com
PAGE 11 • FEATURES
Pingpong has emerged as a leisure activity at U-High as students and faculty alike play throughout the day to destress and have fun in the senior lounge, cafeteria and even classrooms.
Problematic ‘confessions’ shared
Students
express differing reactions on page takedown
by TAARIQ AHMED News Editor
As seniors gathered Nov. 19 in the Ken Griffin Auditorium, a senior declared to nearby friends: “U-High Confessions dropped again!” The group hurriedly yanked out their phones and opened Instagram to see the new post before the assembly began.
As students viewed posts like this — which regularly detailed sensational claims about sexually explicit acts and potentially illegal claims about classmates and their behavior at school — the popularity of the page spread for weeks before it was taken down around late November.
Dozens of U-High students followed, and more people engaged with, @uhigh.confessions, a public Instagram account that allowed users to anonymously report “confessions” about students, who were often mentioned by name, which were posted on the page. Many viewers said they believed the claims to be made up, although it was not possible to be certain.
While the page has been taken down, it flourished, despite how U-High students are educated to create inclusive spaces online and report behavior that may be considered harassment.
Dean of Students Ana Campos said that the U-High Student
and Family Handbook covers situations like this. A section titled “Malicious Publications—Electronic and Print,” reads that “publications that have the intent or impact of hurting others are inappropriate, regardless of medium (e.g., print, online, video) and regardless of whether they were created at school. Disparaging members of the Lab community in electronic or print communications, either by
name or by inference, will be treated as a violation.”
“A school is a place where students have to come every day, and they come with their whole selves,” Ms. Campos said. “They come needing to focus with their brain and study and learn, but it’s also the social center for most students. It’s where they do things that are of interest to them. And so it needs to be a space where students
can feel like they can fully participate. We have to create the conditions for a space that feels like a community and a space where people care for one another. Anytime someone creates something where the intended purpose is to make fun of or to disparage or to do any of those kinds of behaviors, it chips away at the type of community that any school should be.”
Ninth grader Debbie Lu discov-
“
Anytime someone creates something where the intended purpose is to make fun of or to disparage or to do any of those kinds of behaviors, it chips away at the type of community that any school should be.
ered the page about a month before it was taken down. She said she heard about it from peers and wanted to learn more. She was disturbed by its inappropriate content but also didn’t believe it was detailing true events. Nevertheless, Debbie said it contradicted what students are taught regarding online harassment.
“Many of the themes were improper and adult, which was especially concerning for high schoolers,” Debbie said. “I do think anyone contributing to the page is going against what the school teaches about online behavior, bullying and treating others with respect.”
A peer introduced sophomore Luca Asselina to @uhigh.confessions weeks before it was taken down. Luca thought the “confessions” were untrue due to their exaggerated nature.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Lab science mentorship program suspended for 2025-26
by ORLIE WEITZMAN Assistant Editor
Beaker Buddies, a program where U-High students mentor early childhood school students in science experiments will not run in the 2025-26 school year after the Lab administration did not approve a science department proposal for an extra-service position.
Founded in 2022 by U-High chemistry teacher Zachary Hund and early childhood teacher Michael Eldridge, Beaker Buddies has grown to include 10 first and second grade classes, totaling over 350 students.
Once a month, these young students travel from Earl Shapiro Hall to visit the Historic Campus, joining U-High science classes in activities such as egg sink-orfloat experiments, ice cream making and creating slime.
Dr. Hund expressed disappointment over the program’s suspension and said he hopes the program makes a return.
“Beaker Buddies has been my favorite part of working at Lab since I started 10 years ago,” he wrote in an email to the Midway. “The program began when my son was in Michael Eldridge’s class, and once we saw how exciting, engaging and impactful it was, it just kept growing.”
Mr. Eldridge notes how much the younger kids enjoy connecting with high schoolers.
“I love the excitement my students experience when they know we’re com-
photo by Elspeth LaCroix-Birdthistle
SCIENTIFIC SLIME. Senior Brianna Chang makes slime as an experiment with Lab first graders as part of the Beaker Buddies program, which will not run next school year.
ing to Beaker Buddies,” he said. “The science teachers are so thoughtful in their approaches to the experiments for young children and providing age-appropriate but exciting experiments.”
Junior Clara Blucher, an AT Biology student who participates in the program, enjoys sharing science with younger students.
“We can both benefit from what we’re learning,” she said. “I get to practice ap-
plying concepts while explaining things to them, and they get to see the world of science.”
First grader Esme Aschebrook also looks forward to creating experiments each month.
“You never know exactly what reaction is going to happen,” she said.
Pointing to purple slime she made in one Beaker Buddies experiment, Esme said, “I’m going to keep this forever!”
Middle schoolers who are members of underrepresented groups had the opportunity to engage in holiday-themed science experiments with older students at a Dec. 18 event held by members of the Representing the Underrepresented in Science club.
According to co-president Juliana Walker, the goal of the event was to give younger students who belonged to marginalized communities the chance to see those who looked like them succeed in STEM.
“I think a really big part of pursuing academics in general is seeing people that look like you that are also pursuing it and know that you have that mentorship and that support,” she said.
Fourteen middle school students attended. They participated in activities such as an experiment led by Juliana where students used galvanized iron to create engraved ornaments.
Juliana said the event helped establish connections between everyone who took part.
“It really did feel like I was a part of something that was helping students,” she said.
— Lila Coyne empowering everyone
Midway illustration by Sygne Stole
PRIVATE MADE PUBLIC. Instagram account @uhigh.confessions has been taken down because of its sensational claims about students at U-High. Some students criticized the page, and others supported it.
— Ana Campos, dean of students ”
Midway
Using UChicago classes
Classes
offer rigor, niche curriculums for
older students
by SOHANA SCHNEIDER
Assistant Editor
As students mill around the halls and settle into their fourth period classes, five seniors — Alexander Blander, Jack Colyer, Karis Lee, Krish Khanna and Max Gurinas — exit the high school and head to the University of Chicago for their Honors Calculus I class.
These are just some of the juniors and seniors who take classes at UChicago to pursue niche interests in a rigorous setting.
While Karis originally joined Honors Calculus I — the first class in a three-quarter sequence — to take a rigorous math class, she later found an appreciation for the theoretical concepts of the class.
Karis also gained perspective into what taking college is like.
Karis said, “Part of me, because I’m graduating this year is like, ‘Oh is this what a college class is like?’”
Junior Ruben Hayrapetyan’s C-programming class also follows a different structure than most U-High classes.
“It is definitely a more professional setting, and you are not as close with your professor,” Ruben said.
Ruben’s class is offered through UChicago’s master’s program of computer science and is a prerequisite for other university computer science courses Ruben wants to take. So far, the class has taken a lot of his time.
“Generally, the homework load was like 15 hours a week, so I did not have weekends for a while,” Ruben said. “For the knowledge gain, it was worth it, but if you don’t have the time, don’t overcommit.”
Ruben took the class because of its difficulty and his experience with robotics, and he ended up learning a lot.
“I knew this was not going to be an easy experience,” Ruben said. “But now that I did it, my comfort zone has been stretched massively.”
Parents to hold community dress swap on Feb. 4-5
With spring approaching, students scan through stores, searching for the perfect prom dress. Happy with their purchase of a pink ball gown, or an embroidered silky dress, they place the attire on display in their room, eagerly awaiting the day they can finally wear it.
After Prom, the enthusiasm begins to wear off and the dresses will inevitably be retired to a distant corner of these students’ closets. Whether they will grow out of them, or get bored of them, the dresses get forgotten.
Aiming to establish a more sustainable fashion cycle, the Parents’ Association will hold a clothing swap Feb. 4-5 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in C116 for special event dresses and concert wear.
Donations will be accepted Feb 3-5 from 8 to 9 a.m. in the high school lobby.
Not only can students get a new dress, but the dress gets a new life.
Beyond sustainable fashion, event chairs Audris Wong and Lena Jessen hope students will take advantage of this opportunity to take fashion risks and find their styles, especially by reimagining dresses.
“For people who are creative,
Taking a college course also offers the opportunity to be exposed to a wide variety of ideas. Senior Raza Zaidi took a quarter-long class titled “Policing in America: Black, White and Blue” during fall 2023 and was surprised with the diversity of opinions among his classmates.
“I think at Lab, we often come from similar perspectives, but at UChicago there were so many different perspectives,” Raza said.
Raza enrolled in the course because of his interest in public policy. He recommends other students seek UChicago classes based on their own interests.
“The classes are really fascinating, and I learned that there are so many university courses that have a niche focus,” Raza said. “You can look at topics in different lenses, which I think more people should embrace.”
this is a great opportunity to get a free dress and experiment with it however you want,” Ms. Wong said. “You’ve got a free dress. You can change the neckline. You can add an accessory.”
Students will not have to donate to take something. This year, organizers hope to get even more dress donations and more people participating in taking dresses as well. — Naomi Benton
Affinity groups to host Lunar New Year events
Two Lab community affinity groups are hosting Lunar New Year celebrations for students and families.
The Korean Families and Friends Affinity Group will host a Korean Lunar New Year event Jan. 31 from 5-8 p.m. in Judd Hall C-116.
Students and families will be able to try traditional Korean foods, play cultural games, participate in Saebae — a traditional act of bowing deeply to elders to wish them a happy new year — and more. The admission fee is $10 per person.
“It’s for everybody,” said co-founder and Lab parent Youngmi Choi.
“When we were coming up with the group, we wanted to make sure that it was for people who are interested in learning our culture as
by
the numbers
U-High students taking UChicago classes:
13 seniors in the 2024 fall term
5 juniors in the 2024 fall term
14 seniors in the winter term
10 juniors in the winter term
well. That’s why we call it the Korean Family and Friends. So you don’t have to have a Korean background. As long as, you know, you enjoy the food or just hang out with the friends and families, you’re invited.”
The Chinese Families and Friends Affinity Group will host a Chinese Lunar New Year potluck Feb. 2 from 3-7 p.m. in the Rogers Lobby in Gordon Parks Arts Hall. Open to all families, there will be cultural performances, dishes and Lunar New Year-themed activities, such as making lanterns and crafting lion masks.
Additionally, the group is hosting the student art troupe from the high school affiliated with the Renmin University of China, the partner school of Lab’s Chinese exchange program. The troupe will perform in the Griffin Auditorium from 4-5 p.m. at the celebration.
—Skye Freeman
Submit Social Justice Week workshops by Feb. 24
Students can submit proposals for Social Justice Week workshops through an online form until Feb. 24. Social Justice Week, scheduled for April 21-25, is a week of workshops and other opportunities for students to understand social justice issues happening in the community.
Some have no regrets for ‘confessions’
Luca said he felt the impact of the page on students was minimal, and while he thought it could have been slightly harmful, he didn’t know if it should’ve been taken down.
“I don’t feel like anybody actually took that much offense to the things that were posted there,” Luca said. “Everyone knew it was a joke: the stuff was so exaggerated, that it wasn’t really believable.” He said a note emphasizing to users that they could directly message the account owner to request a post to be removed was a helpful safeguard.
If he had seen his name on the page, he would’ve requested for it to be taken down, he said, but not with strong feelings.
“It probably wouldn’t have felt too good,” Luca said, “but I would’ve known the person didn’t mean much out of it. I don’t really want that connected with my name, but at the same time, I know it’s all jokes.”
UChicago offers classes in a diversity of subjects, from math to world languages to humanities. Here are a few courses which U-High students either took in the fall or are currently taking:
• Honors Calculus I
• First Year Russian I
• Introductory Finance
• Statistical Methods of Research
• Honors Electricity and Magnetism
• The Slaves Narratives
Source: Learning & Counseling
A series of student workshops will take place April 24 to foster inclusive discussions about social justice issues affecting the school, city and global community.
Organizers said these student-led workshops aim to encourage collaboration among school clubs and highlight the importance of intersectionality by uniting students through shared interests, and ultimately inspiring them to voice their passions and advocate for the causes they care about.
Jimmy Yu, sophomore and co-president of the Social Justice Committee, hopes to raise awareness for social justice issues in the U-High community and get the student body to look at the bigger picture of social justice in all fields.
“We have Social Justice Week, which is one week,” Jimmy said, “but we really want to try to emphasize to students that social justice is something that’s happening 52 weeks throughout the year.”
—Ellie Rosenberg
Lab teacher starts as interim middle school dean
After a year as a sixth grade humanities teacher, Robert Hitzelberg became interim dean of students for the middle school on Jan. 6 and is planning changes to the administration.
— Nola Baldassare
“ While I understand that some people might use it to express feelings or words they don’t want to say out loud, it’s not OK when others use it to make fun of, bully or spread false information about others. — Debbie Lu, ninth grader ”
One junior, who spoke to the Midway on the condition of anonymity, followed the page and submitted a “confession” explaining a made-up story about inappropriate use of a school bathroom facility. The junior said @ uhigh.confessions was a source of entertainment to them, and said if a new page were to emerge, they would interact with it.
“Even though it was taken down, it was still fun to see the posts at the time,” they said. “I think it’s sad that the account got taken down, because I don’t see any harm in it.”
All-school president Lisa Tao, a senior who said she only learned of the account after it had been taken down, said Student Council discussed @uhigh.confessions in a December meeting. The group has decided to discourage new pages like this because of how she said they negatively impact the student community.
“If stuff arises that you know doesn’t really go with what the Lab Schools believes in,” Lisa said, “then it very much is our responsibility to try to take care of it.”
A separate public Instagram account, which operates similarly to @uhigh.confessions, is still active as of Jan. 16. Posts were first made on the page on Nov. 20 and the most recent from late December.
A private Instagram account named @ucls2028confessions is an active confessions page aimed at ninth graders. Debbie said while she feels the content is less problematic than that of @uhigh.confessions, it’s still dangerous.
“I was surprised by what some people thought or found funny to post online,” Debbie said, adding she was against the account.
Feeling as though it contributed to unnecessary drama and tension, Debbie said she feels the page needs to be taken down.
“While I understand that some people might use it to express feelings or words they don’t want to say out loud,” Debbie said, “it’s not OK when others use it to make fun of, bully or spread false information about others.”
Midway photo by Estelle Levinson LEVELING UP LEARNING. Seniors Jack Colyer, Karis Lee, Krish Khanna, Andrew Ji and Max Gurinas enter the University of Chicago and head to their Honors Calculus I class, just some of the many students who take classes at the university to pursue their spcialized interests.
YOUR VOICE, YOUR STORIES
DECLAN SMITH, sophomore
I joined the Midway in ninth grade because I’ve always wanted to be a journalist when I’m older. Last year, I won a national award for my journalism when I attended a convention in Boston.
As a class, journalism offers more freedom — there’s so much collaborating with other students during class. I like that the process of writing a Midway story is different every time, since there’s no formula for every article. It gives you a lot more creativity and makes it more enjoyable.
On the Midway, you have so many people to collaborate with and rely on — you’re never alone in your work. In journalism, there’s a community.
Photo by Eli Raikhel
Battle fake news with literacy
After the New Year’s attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas, misinformation spread through social media. Online, people jumped to conclusions about both attacks, making up or assuming things about the intentions of the attackers and their backgrounds.
These situations aren’t new.
A survey released last fall about news literacy in America revealed that 8 in 10 teens on social media reported seeing posts that spread or promote conspiracy, and 81% of them said they are inclined to believe the conspiracy. With events like these, it is essential to be careful when seeking information about current events. Feb. 3-7 is National News Literacy Week, organized by the News Literacy Proj-
This represents the opinion of the U-High Midway editorial board.
ect. It’s a good reminder that students should seek proper sources, understand what they’re reading and visit multiple outlets instead of relying on just one, so they can stay properly informed before they trust and share something online. Students need to develop good news readership habits, and 94% of teens say they want to learn about news literacy in school.
Reading the news daily would be a good start. It helps form an understanding of how news is formatted. Checking to make sure the article is written by an expert in that field, and that the sources have the authority to speak on the issue, are two easy ways to check that the information you’re getting is verifiable and reliable. Engaging with the news can seem like a struggle, especially when most teens are exhausted by news events and are untrusting of news outlets’ biases, but by looking at reputable news outlets such as The New York Times, PBS and Reuters, students can get as close to unbiased news as possible.
Of course, every news organization has its own perspective, so students should avoid looking at
only one source for their news. Even looking at news sources that both align with or contradict your own political affiliations will help provide a bigger picture. By looking at multiple sources, and understanding what they’re telling you, students can form their own, now educated, opinion on a topic. Instead of just agreeing with the first opinion that they hear from any source, students should verify what they’re hearing before accepting the information they’re getting or sharing. Doing this will prepare students to stand by their opinion when interacting with someone with a differing one. Students need to learn to recognize truth versus shock value in news. Headlines like “The wouldbe burglar who was snared by leav-
ing smelly clue at crime scene” aren’t reporting news or any information that is to help the reader. Its only value is to get a click and scare the reader. Avoiding headlines like this, and instead reading stories that are related to current events such as “For Just Dollars a Day, Inmates Fight California’s Fires” actually increases understanding of events.
On any day, each of us knows we’ll see dozens of influencers talking about events both real and fake. But, all of the misinformation isn’t preventing any of us from understanding the news. By truly understanding the news we read, we will battle misinformation and gain the knowledge and ability to participate in civic society as well-informed, critical thinkers.
Gender-based sentiments and prejuduice must cease
by SKYE FREEMAN Features Editor
While picking up my little brother from Lab one afternoon, I noticed a teacher approach her student, attempting to confront him about his disruptive behavior in class. The student outright ignored his teacher and walked down the hallway, laughing.
As we started heading home afterward, my brother commented
that lots of his friends acted the same way. I asked him whether he thought such behavior was bad. He shrugged his shoulders and said: “Boys will be boys.”
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest recorded use of the phrase was in 1770, and it has been abused ever since. It lightheartedly dismisses any negative act committed by boys and men and can be found in bullying to sexual assault.
Not only does the phrase “boys will be boys” normalize toxic masculinity, it puts pressure on boys to suppress their emotions, which are sometimes viewed as feminine traits.
Although I hardly hear the phrase explicitly said in school, I noticed how it came into play while growing up. Most of the time in lower and middle school, if male students caused trouble, teachers would easily give up on disciplining them. Rather than choosing to work with the students and seek to find the root of their trouble-making tendencies, they’d be dismissed and shoved into the stereotype that trouble-making is an unchangeable trait in boys, as if inherited through genetics.
In high school, it varies. I’ve had teachers who don’t do anything
about misbehavior, and as a result, the whole class is disrupted. In other instances, some teachers punish all of the male students in our class if only one student misbehaves. Regardless, they are treated much differently to female students, which results in frustration throughout the student body. In a study published by the European Journal of Personality, researchers tracked the values, personalities and academic achievements of 4,100 16-year-old boys and girls in Finland, seeking to answer whether gender is binary from birth. They found that there are hardly any specific “boyish” or
“girlish” personality traits or ambitions. Thus, the phrase “boys will be boys,” which implies that the way boys act is defined through genetics, does not stand true.
The fact that it is still used today concerns me. My brother had been taught that phrase somewhere, after all. Instead of encouraging gender-stereotypical thinking that justifies aggressive behavior and suppresses children into generalizations based on their identity at birth, parents, teachers and students should make the effort to eliminate the phrase, and other gender-based sentiments, from their vocabulary.
For millions, our broken health care system turns desperation into tragedy as the midway sees it.
by LIGHT DOHRN Arts & Entertainment Editor
Last October — exactly a week before my 17th birthday — my mother was hospitalized with pericardial effusion. What had seemed like simple shoulder pain turned into a weeks-long stay in the intensive care unit, as my dad camped out with her in the hospital and my grandparents took care of me.
For us, insurance was never a concern. Access to the best specialists, treatments and accommo-
dations was always within reach — but still, as I sat alone in the hospital waiting room (or with my dad, doing trigonometry homework), many “what ifs” ran through my head. What would have happened to my mother if we didn’t have insurance? Would she have received the same level of care? Would we have hesitated to take her to the hospital at all? I was worried that the effusion was caused by cancer, that my mom would die on a hospital gurney, or that she would miss my birthday. What I wasn’t worried about? Not being able to afford treatment at all.
The question of what health care costs — or, more accurately, what it should cost — is one that can’t
be ignored, especially after the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street Dec. 4. The attack suspected to have been carried out by Luigi Mangione, whose mother endured years of unlivable pain after hitting her deductible early on, reignited a national debate about the ethics of for-profit health care — and for me, it was impossible to separate the headlines from my lived experience. Mr. Mangione’s mother suffered and suffered because she didn’t receive proper care for her condition, and he himself endured years of chronic back pain — and I would bet that had that been my own mother, I would’ve been homicidal, too.
For so many, the system seems designed to fail. Mr. Thompson’s murder was a shocking act of violence, and of course, nothing excuses blatant murder. But this specific one exposed the frustration and desperation simmering beneath the surface of our health care system.
Wealth is, and has always been, a shield in America. My family’s situation meant that when my mom’s life was in the balance, we didn’t have to weigh it against our bank account. We didn’t have to fight with an insurance company over coverage or agonize over whether an ambulance ride would send us into bankruptcy. But for many, those are daily realities. A study
from the National Library of Medicine found that nearly two-thirds of bankruptcies in the United States are tied to medical issues, either because of high costs or lost income due to illness. Obviously, that’s an extremely grim statistic. For those of us with privilege, it’s easy to think of the system as flawed but functional — and if you feel that this act of violence was uncalled for, it should give you pause to consider the millions of silent murders committed by the country’s health care system every day that target those who don’t have the money or privilege to access adequate medical treatments. The only difference? This one was louder.
time when the
is criticized, the U-High Midway seeks to inform,
and serve the community of University
School. The Midway is developed and managed by students, for students. In every story we write, the Midway should give a voice to the experiences of people at U-High. We will report on the people, activities and thoughts that make our school unique, striving to include the voices we haven’t heard yet.
Midway illustration by Kabir Joshi
TURNING MOMENTS INTO STORIES
DANNY BAEZA, senior
I joined the photojournalism team as a junior last year. Now, I’ve won first place in the nation and several other national awards for my visual storytelling.
I signed up for photojournalism because it interested me how different it was from other classes — much more freeform. It has become a way for me to express myself. Collaboration is at the heart of photography, and I’ve learned so much from it. That makes the community very close, too.
The photojournalism team is like another family for me — a place I can always turn to.
by
Photo
Eli Raikhel
arts & entertainment 6
Totally hooked
by NAOMI BENTON Audience Engagement Editor
As a child, sophomore Mia Lane not only had the talent and passion to know she was an artist, but she also displayed the boldness and marketing skills of a businesswoman.
“I’ve always been rather business-oriented,” Mia said. “I was the kid that did the lemonade stand every summer, and I was asking my mom to sell everything that I made.”
Today, Mia fulfills her childhood dream as the owner of her own art business. She started this endeavor a year ago, merging her passion for creativity and entrepreneurship to sell mystical crochet creations at art markets and on Instagram.
“I wanted a business. I wanted to get my art out there. I wanted to be an entrepreneur. And I guess this was just kind of my dream come true,” Mia said. “It made my inner child very happy.”
“ I wanted a business. I wanted to get my art out there. I wanted to be an entrepreneur. And I guess this was just kind of my dream come true. It made my inner child very
Mia first became inspired to crochet two years ago when she received an amigurumi kit for Christmas. Since then, she has been completely hooked.
While she only found a passion for crocheting recently, she has always fostered a love for art.
Mia has been a dancer for eight years, and also participates in experimental theater and the school plays.
“I’ve been an artist since the time I could hold glitter and a paintbrush,” Mia said.
Mia’s creativity is part of what makes her business successful: from forest green bunnies adorned with mushrooms to glow-in-thedark, navy blue dragons and whimsical gargoyles, she embraces a unique gothic romantic style in her crocheting.
While Mia was placing the puzzle pieces of her business together, she spent a lot of time searching for an appropriate name. Ultimately, Mia chose one that closely resonated with an essential value of her business.
Matt Rife’s
by LILA COYNE
Assistant Editor
Comedians have a mixed track record with the genre of autobiography. For professional storytellers, this medium should be ideal, but the results vary. Trevor Noah’s “Born a Crime” is an indisputably fantastic book.
Others like Colin Jost, Tina Fey, Leslie Jones and Rainn Wilson have dipped their toes into the murky waters of memoir, always with little success.
Next in this lineup comes Matt Rife’s “Your Mom’s Gonna Love Me.” Mr. Rife’s life is indeed interesting, but the memoir proves to be a lazy effort to capitalize on his current notoriety, composed of immature prose and a misogynistic arrogance unjustifiable even in autobiography.
Mr. Rife is a contentious figure. He gained fame through crowd work, asking women at every show for their personal red flags and posting the clips on TikTok for a majority female audience. He then
Sophomore Mia Lane finds confidence, develops craft through small business
“I knew that I wanted to include oddballs or something with the word odd in it,” Mia said. “A big theme in my business is that I don’t want it to be the norm of what you see from other crocheters.”
Part of the success of Mia’s crocheting business is attributed to the distinctive style of the pieces she creates.
She also credits her mother as an essential pillar of unrelenting support, even though she is not an artist herself.
“She has always believed in me and in my capability to do anything,” Mia said. “When I became serious about crochet she was re-
ally supportive, and she was logical about it. She said: ‘You know, it’s not going to be easy.’”
Her mother proved to be right: Mia’s success did not come without hard work and determination. Some pieces can even take up to six hours to crochet due to their intricate details and sheer size, Mia said.
“Crocheting is not an innate talent. It’s something you have to practice over and over again,” said Mia. “The level that I’m at right now came through me doing many, many tester calls and putting myself out there.”
Mia has created art her whole
life and values how through art she can embrace her mind and imagination.
“I think that from the time I was little, I’ve used art as an outlet for me,” said Mia. “It allows me to lose myself and let my soul flow into the art instead of keeping it confined, which I feel like I have to do sometimes around other people.”
Mia finds she can explore her inner self through art. Her talent has also provided a connection between her and her grandmother, who shared the same passion but never met Mia.
“My grandmother crocheted, but she passed on before I could meet
her. I think my mom said once that I’m channeling her sometimes,” Mia said. “I brought her tradition back to life, which I think is really nice.”
Through this tradition, Mia has formed a successful business by sharing her passion and talents with the world. She plans to expand her endeavors by pitching her business to a panel of investors. She also hopes to donate toys to kids in hospitals through the Ronald McDonald House or a therapist practice.
In a journey from lemonade stands to art markets, Mia has fulfilled her childhood dreams by crocheting rainbows, woodland elves, and sunflower demons.
With a creative mind and determination, this is just the start of what Mia can accomplish.
‘Your Mom’s Gonna Love Me’ proves lazy, shallow
opened his first special on Netflix, “Natural Selection,” with a joke about domestic violence, which faced backlash from fans and critics alike. Mr. Rife’s “apology” was
composed of a link to an adult special-needs helmet, prescribing them for those his comedy had offended.
The memoir goes out of its way
to implicitly justify these actions by painting Mr. Rife as an underdog, a difficult task when the underdog in question is a handsome six-foot-tall white man — but the attempt isn’t unjustified. Mr. Rife grew up in an obscure town in Ohio where he had few friends and a difficult home life, a standard rags-to-riches narrative. However, despite his dislike for cancel culture and its proponents, Mr. Rife falls into the classic trap of using every opportunity for vulnerability in the service of further self-aggrandizement.
Even without this propensity for boasting, the book would remain unpleasant. In the last chapter Mr. Rife claims to be voice memo-ing the memoir: “I’m walking around right now dictating this [stuff] into my phone.” I completely believe him — the writing is conversational to say the least. Countless sentences are written in all caps, desperately urging the reader to pay attention.
Mr. Rife’s desperation may be
symptomatic of his increasingly contradictory image. His previous actions alienated the female fanbase he built online.
His personal brand remains targeted toward women, yet he reaches for the degrading rhetoric used by his male predecessors in comedy.
The contrast is alive in this memoir, whose title is seemingly addressed to women: “Your Mom’s Gonna Love Me.” Yet it contains lines like, “I don’t care if you’re a twenty out of ten, if your second toe is longer than your big toe — you’re toe-tally out.”
Mr. Rife may be presenting himself as a scrawny kid turned Casanova, but his tone suggests something different. Picture the intoxicated uncles at most Christmas dinners recently, bumbling and burdensome. On the page, stripped of his attractive appearance, Mr. Rife comes across as similarly out of touch and unoriginal in his desire to use women as scapegoats for his own insecurity.
Midway photo by Delaney Connell
STITCHING A NICHE. Sophomore Mia Lane, who independently runs Lost Oddball Crochet, has found her passion creating and selling whimsical crochet plushies and figures. She began crocheting after receiving an amigurumi kit for Christmas, and used her natural talent for entrepreneurship to build her business afterward.
Midway photo by Light Dohrn
TOE-TALLY TIRESOME. Comedian Matt Rife’s memoir “Your Mom’s Gonna Love Me,” which came out on Dec. 3, is filled with immature writing and a general air of arrogance that prove the book is little more than an attempt to cash in on Mr. Rife’s preexisting fame.
Mia Lane’s crochet small business, Lost Oddball Crochet, centers around selling whimsical crochet creatures that Mia makes. Here are a few of her favorite creations. the oddballs
DEMON BUNNY
Photos by Delaney Connell
FROG-DRAGON
BABY DRAGON
happy.
— Mia Lane, sophomore ”
Injuries hinder, dishearten athletes
Varsity girls basketball team fights through various injury setbacks
by ARI NOVAK
Assistant Editor
This season, the varsity girls basketball team has experienced some setbacks due to some of their starting players being injured. The team has only secured 1 victory in 10 games this season, a disheartening outcome for some of the players.
With playoffs approaching in a few months, some players are nervous in light of the team’s recent performance.
Shooting guard Rania Khan, a sophomore, feels that the injuries have taken a large toll on the team, especially given the already limited roster.
“If we’re already at 13 players, but then we have three down, it makes a huge difference, especially in the way we operate during practice and stuff,” Rania said. “Since we don’t have enough people, we can’t even run certain drills.”
“
You’re all the way in each other’s faces, unlike volleyball or whatever, where you’re a bit more spread out. So obviously that’s going to lead to injuries, and because it’s so fast-paced
— Rania Khan, shooting guard ”
Among those sidelined is sophomore Nanak Ofori-Mante, who hyperextended her knee and tore her meniscus last year in practice. She had meniscus surgery in June. As a point guard, Nanak played close-
SITTING IN SOLIDARITY. Sophomore
Nanak Ofori-Mante cheers for the varsity girls basketball team. Nanak is one
team members to be injured during the season, after she hyperextended her knee and tore her meniscus during the 2023-24 varsity girls basketball season.
ly with seniors Alex Giles and Lucy Aronsohn last year, developing a strong connection with the two.
Forced to sit on the sideline, Nanak feels her absence has disrupted the team’s chemistry and performance on the court.
“Me, Lucy and Alex were kind of the ‘back-court,’ so we have this kind of chemistry together and feed off of each other’s energy,” Nanak said. “Now we’re missing a piece, and it’s an adjustment.”
Netflix’s ‘Starting 5’
gives
Both Rania and Nanak highlighted the physical nature of basketball as a reason for the team’s large number of injuries..
“Basketball is the most contact sport we have at Lab, since we don’t have football,” Rania said. “You’re all the way in each other’s faces, unlike volleyball or whatever, where you’re a bit more spread out. So obviously that’s going to lead to injuries, and because it’s so fast-paced.”
Nanak also addressed their lack of recov-
ery time and the rapid turnaround between games as a potential cause for the frequency of their team’s injuries.
“Basketball is very intense and we have a lot of back-to-back games and it takes a toll on our bodies,” Nanak said. “Maybe we’re just trying to get home and do our homework, so we don’t take care of our bodies. I feel like we need to take the time to ice, recover, eat well and then play in our next game.”
authentic look at life in NBA
by MILO PLATZ-WALKER
Sports Editor
The NBA is known for its unmatched energy, electrifying moments, exciting athletes and diehard fans. But for many viewers, the action stops there. What happens when the crowds shuffle out of the stands and the game clock stops? This question is answered in the Netflix documentary, “Starting 5,” which takes viewers outside of the arena and into the lives of NBA players off the hardwood.
Blending high-energy NBA gameplay with intimate behindthe-scenes footage, the series gives an authentic, emotional look into the lives of NBA stars, though it occasionally falls into a repetition of familiar narratives.
Without a traditional narrator, “Starting Five” uses player interviews to give viewers a more unfiltered experience. The 10-part documentary, which debuted on Oct. 9, follows the 2023-24 NBA season, giving viewers a glimpse into the lives of NBA players Anthony Edwards, Jimmy Butler, Jason Tatum, LeBron James and Domantas Sabonis. As players guide their own
narratives, viewers are able to see the unique perspective that each superstar brings to the table. The series does an excellent job of delivering authenticity.
This authentic approach shines in the unique individual stories of each player. Lebron James, the oldest and most decorated player in the NBA, describes the challenges of aging in a league where most players retire before the age of 30. NBA veteran Jimmy Butler expresses vulnerability as he manages physical setbacks. At the same time, Domantas Sabonis looks to honor his father’s NBA legacy while also creating his own. Jayson Tatum describes the difficult balance of NBA stardom and being a father. Anthony Edwards, the youngest featured player, gives a comedic element to the series with his bold, confident energy as a rising NBA star.
With such a wide range of perspectives and personalities within the NBA, “Starting Five” gives viewers a new respect for the sacrifices required to compete at such a high level. Seeing Mr. Edwards hugging his mom after a game or
Mr. Tatum sharing his wins with his son emphasizes how the challenges and triumphs of the NBA don’t vanish when the final buzzer sounds.
Beyond its emotional depth, the series also has refreshing comedic themes. Whether it’s Mr. James getting dressed up for Halloween or Mr. Edwards cracking jokes in the locker room, the series makes sure to highlight the joy and passion that players have for the game of basketball.
Still, I can’t help but wonder if “Starting Five” would have been better off as a movie. After a few episodes, the series becomes somewhat repetitive. With a lack of surprising elements, some aspects of the series can feel overused at times. For casual viewers, this may detract from the overall impact of the series.
Still, “Starting Five” is an intimate portrayal of NBA superstar’s lives off the court. While the 10-episode format feels repetitive, diehard fans are sure to appreciate the series’ emotional depth and authentic portrayals of the NBA’s biggest stars beyond the court.
Lower school introduces weekend athletics program
New program prepares lower school students for future competition
by KABIR JOSHI Opinion Editor
A new lower school sports program began Jan. 11 and will run for seven Saturdays through March from 9-10:30 a.m. in Upper Kovler Gymnasium.
Basketball will be the first of many sports offered to lower school families in a coed format including but not limited to intramural basketball, tennis, soccer, baseball and track.
The program will be funded by lower school parents, meaning the cost of the program will be covered by the entry fee.
Athletic
Director
David Ribbens
has helped facilitate the planning for this program, and he hopes to foster sports involvement in the Lab community. Additionally, Mr. Ribbens believes this program will help students transition to middle school sports.
I think focusing on skill development and sparking interest are realistic goals. Encouraging third through fifth graders to attend a basketball game would also be beneficial, Mr. Ribbens said.
The program will be held on Saturdays to avoid scheduling conflicts with middle and high school sports. A combination of Lab coaches and P.E. teachers will lead the program.
“We have faculty who have expressed interest, and many of the faculty who have expressed interest are our coaches,” Mr. Ribbens said.
Mr. Ribbens is looking forward to the suc-
“
It’s an exciting time — can’t wait to get the kids’ pictures up, and just promoting that. I think it’s a good use of our space to try to grow our own program. — David Ribbens, interim athletics director ”
cess and growth of this program in the next few months and is excited for more families to hopefully join.
Mr. Ribbens said, “It’s an exciting time — can’t wait to get the kids’ pictures up, and just promoting that. I think it’s a good use of our space to try to grow our own program.”
Midway photo by N.C. Gunning
of multiple
SLAM DUNK DOCUMENTARY. “Starting 5,” which debuted on Oct. 9, looks at the personal lives of NBA stars Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards, LeBron James, Domantas Sabonis and Jayson Tatum during 2023-24.
Interim
Midway photo by Zach Eagle McKnight SHOULDER TO SHOULDER. Lower school students gather around and raise their arms in unison. The new athletics program will run for seven Saturdays throguhout March in the Upper Kovler Gymnasium.
STEP INTO LEADERSHIP
I joined journalism in my sophomore year to improve my writing, but I learned more than I could have imagined: from earning national recognition, like first place in the country for my page design last year, to reporting live at events like the Democratic National Convention to becoming an editorin-chief and leading a team of amazing journalists.
I have gained life-long skills and experiences through journalism. I hope others can find the great opportunities and welcoming community like I have by joining this team.
by
JAYA ALENGHAT, senior
Photo
Eli Raikhel
health & wellness
The real weight of obesity
Amid growing pressure, students fight epidemic
by JAYA ALENGHAT Editor-in-Chief
Nearly three-quarters of adults and almost half of all teens and young adults in the United States are overweight or obese, according to a Dec. 7, 2024, study published in the Lancet, a leading medical journal. Amid this concerning trend and the emergence of new weightloss medications, obesity remains a significant epidemic in the nation, with teenagers uniquely handling its challenges alongside academic and social pressures.
Unhealthy weights, defined as having a body mass index of 2530 (overweight) or 30 and above (obese), are linked to a range of serious medical issues, with diabetes being one of the most common. While genetics can significantly contribute to obesity, nutrition also plays a crucial role.
Senior Brayden Kenny noted that a major factor contributing to this epidemic is the way food is perceived in the United States.
“I think that in general we as a society have lost a healthy relationship with food,” Brayden said. “I think there’s a lot of pushing for economic gain, fast food — quick, easy, fast — and I think just that whole notion has pushed us further away from healthy choices and leading a healthy lifestyle.”
Mona Dwarakanathan, a board-certified obesity medicine physician and Lab parent, highlighted the accessibility of ultra-processed food in the nation, noting that companies have mastered creating addictive flavor profiles.
Alongside nutrition, she touched on the importance of exercise — not only for weight management, but also for stress reduction, reducing the need for the body to lean on comfort mechanisms.
Students especially can feel this stress with academic pressure, leading to late nights and lack of sleep.
“Exercise will then lead to a change in dietary behaviors and perhaps reward behaviors, be it food, alcohol, drugs, whatever it may be, leading to a healthier life-
FOOD FITNESS FOCUS. Rising obesity rates among younger people reveal the important role of an equal balance of nutrition, exercise and mindful lifestyle. Hidden ingredients, like the fructose found in corn syrup, in a wide range of common foods may be fueling the increase in obesity rates and the downfall of public health.
style, and perhaps leading to a healthier weight,” Dr. Dwarakanathan said.
Brayden said physical activity has positively shaped his fitness and mental well-being.
“I lift or do some sort of physical activity every day,” Brayden said. “It kind of keeps me sane, takes me away from school, everything else. I can kind of live in my own world.”
As obesity rates continue to climb, the use of weight-loss medications is also on the rise, with GLP-1 drugs recently gaining significant attention and widespread popularity in the news. Dr. Dwarakanathan has observed some of the positive impacts of these medications, like taking the guilt and the failure aspect out of weight loss,
but she also emphasizes the importances of pairing medication with sustainable lifestyle changes for long-term success.
“For those people that don’t understand that you need to couple habit formation with the medication, they’re in for a bumpy ride,” Dr. Dwarakanathan said. “Most likely those patients will have weight regain, which is mentally devastating.”
Individuals should only use medication when prescribed by their physician, however. On a smaller scale, people can work towards setting their own individual fitness goals to achieve personal success. Throughout his journey to become a successful baseball player, Brayden faced the challenge of
meeting expectations to continually gain weight and build muscle to excel in his sport. Teenagers, in particular, can feel intense societal pressure about their bodies, something Brayden has also learned to navigate.
“Focusing on having a better body image no matter what I look like or how I feel is important,” he said. “Like, learning to love myself at that stage, but making sure that my goals are healthy and that they’re not driven by other people’s opinions of me or other things I’ve seen online.”
Brayden encourages those starting a fitness journey to begin with simple, sustainable activities and gradually build up. Between this individual motivation and larger
risk factor
According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, corn syrup is one of the leading factors to the obesity epidemic that has been on the rise in America. Due to the wide use of corn syrup in the American diet, many children and young adults find themselves consuming high levels, which can lead to obesity, diabetes and other health issues.
As corn production increased during the ’70s and ’80s across the country, companies started switching from the cane sugar they had used to less-expensive high-fructose corn syrup to sweeten their products. Now, corn syrup is present in many foods from CocaCola to ketchup to muffins.
Recently, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominee for secretary of health and human services in the second Trump administration, has taken a war against corn syrup and corn oil, stating that corn mills are creating products that render American children obese and its citizens chronically ill. Mr. Kennedy’s main focus is shutting corn mills, even though they provide livelihood to many citizens and provide strong economic support toward the agricultural industry. Illinois citizens would feel the impact due to corn being one of the state’s largest export crops.
Public health officials argue that Mr. Kennedy’s policies could help reduce the climbing rate of childhood obesity, while critics argue that his policies could devastate livelihoods of farmers and mill workers.
— Kabir Joshi
societal improvement, Dr. Dwarakanathan wishes for a decrease in the alarming obesity rates. “I think between the focus on weight loss medication as well as more recently the focus on ultra-processed foods in the United States, my hope is that we will see obesity level off,” she said. “I’m cautiously optimistic that we will see a slight decline maybe in the next 10 years or so.”
A better night’s sleep starts with simple changes
sleep tips
Here are some expert-backed tips from Dr. Margaret Kay-Stacey, a neurologist and sleep specialist at the University of Chicago, to help improve your sleep quality and establish healthier bedtime habits:
• Be more active in the daytime
• Limit exposure to light
• Pay attention to the timing of meals, and don’t eat too late or too close to bedtime
• Don’t sleep with the TV on
• Don’t stay in bed while you can’t sleep
• If you don’t like the dark, use red lights
• If you listen to white noise or other sources to help you fall asleep, put it on a twohour timer
• Reserve your bed for just sleep — avoid being on your phone or doing homework in bed
• Be cautious of consuming alcohol, caffeine or nicotine near or around bedtime as they’re all alerting agents
— Chloë Alexander
by CHLOË ALEXANDER Editor-in-Chief
Senior Wendell He has had trouble sleeping for as long as they can remember. They believe this comes from various factors — they fall asleep often during the day causing them to not sleep well at night. Wendell’s sleep problems are common, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 70% of teenagers struggle with their sleep.
Impacted by many things, U-High students struggle with their sleep, be it from going to sleep too late, not having a consistent and good sleep routine, or other external factors.
Wendell’s issues are mainly caused by environmental factors that trigger sleep during the day due to fatigue, then causing them to not sleep well at night. They’ve tried different remedies — warm milk, melatonin supplements, even sleeping positions — yet, their poor sleep cycle prevails. Margaret Kay-Stacey, a neurologist and sleep specialist at UChicago Medicine, might have the solution. She says there could be numerous reasons for the lack of quality sleep with teenagers, but the overarching issue is that people underestimate how much sleep they need.
SLEEP SABOTAGE. Exposure to blue light and media before bedtime can disrupt sleep by interfering with the body’s circadian rhythm, and daytime napping can reduce the natural buildup of sleep pressure. This makes it harder to fall and stay asleep, leading to increased fatigue the next day.
“You never want to just disregard it and say, ‘Oh, well, this is like how I am,’” She said. “There could be something more going on and you want to know whether or not there could be something like a primary sleep condition happening versus an underlying medical condition
that could be causing symptoms.”
People with medical conditions around sleep may find that they become concerned with exhibiting symptoms, causing them to not want to go to bed. Napping throughout the day could seem like a good way to combat fatigue,
but it actually harms your nighttime sleep.
“You have this homeostatic pressure for sleep that builds throughout the day,” Dr. Kay-Stacey said, “and when you take naps you actually then kind of reduce some of that pressure, and so sometimes then when you’re sort of ready to go to sleep at night, your homeostatic pressure for sleep and your circadian rhythm might be malaligned, and that it may make it more challenging.”
Dr. Kay-Stacey said to combat poor sleep, students should have a set bed routine and be aware of outside stimuli such as food and blue light exposure. She also said that you shouldn’t be in bed if you’re not going to sleep, if you’re having trouble sleeping don’t linger in bed, and try to not read or study in bed.
Being consistent in your sleep and wake time is important to get your circadian rhythm aligned. Even on the weekends, students should try maintaining their school-day sleep schedule. If these things don’t help aid in students’ sleep, there are also therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia that can help find solutions to poor rest and fatigue.
Midway photo by Nika Nelson
Midway photo by Ellis Calleri
WHERE CREATIVITY MEETS LEGACY
RUBY KOYNER & CLARA BLUCHER, juniors
Clara joined the yearbook team as a ninth grader and Ruby joined as a sophomore. With their teammates, they collaborated to created a national award-winning yearbook.
Journalism forces you to learn new things and meet new people. Through interviews, Clara has broadened her perspective on the U-High community. Ruby loves to connect with other members of the yearbook team.
Clara and Ruby use yearbook as a creative outlet and a way for them to preserve memories and the history of U-High.
Photo by Elspeth LaCroix-Birdthistle
Passion for pingpong
Seniors bond over love for pingpong; play during school
Dby DECLAN SMITH
Assistant
Editor
uring sixth period, two players line up across a pingpong table. The distinctive ringing sound of pingpong balls fills the room. After a thunderous smash, a chorus of laughter rings out of the open doorway, schoolwork temporarily forgotten.
Devita Smith, the project assistant in the high school dean’s office, is located just next to the senior lounge. Ever since she began working in the office in 2021, she has noticed swarms of seniors walking past her door to play pingpong.
“They start at 7:30 in the morning,” Ms. Smith said, “so they’re here early and throughout the day.”
All around the school, in the senior lounge, cafeteria, and even classrooms, seniors have picked up pingpong as a fun hobby and a continued U-High tradition.
Senior David Smith is the president of the Ping-Pong Club, which meets in physics teacher Francisco Saez’s room every Thursday during lunch. The club offers a place for both casual matches and occasional tournaments.
David was first introduced to the sport as a child when he began to play it with his father.
“It started as something me and my dad would do over the summer,” David said. “I believe over COVID we got a pingpong table, and we would play each other a bunch. I found a love for the sport.”
As the years passed, Ms. Smith noticed that this senior class played more tournaments than the former seniors.
“I think there’s more pingpong tournaments this year because I hear more of them competing than I did before,” Ms. Smith said.
Senior Oliver Go, who enjoys playing pingpong with his friends in the senior lounge, was inspired to take up pingpong after observing last year’s seniors playing.
“I think it’s just kind of become tradition,” Oliver said.
Similarly, in Ping-Pong Club, many of last year’s regulars are
now graduated seniors.
“Last year the club was really popular,” David said. “It was made up of mostly seniors, so it was difficult to sort of regain that level of popularity. But I think there have been times where we have exceeded the number of people we had last year.”
The club, which has existed since before the coronavirus pandemic, was not originally advised by Mr. Saez. He assumed the role after the former adviser retired. Ever since he became the adviser, Mr. Saez has been playing with students during club periods. Through practice over the years, he has found that one of the best
ways to increase one’s skill in pingpong is through experience with matches.
“You have to reflect on how you play if you want to improve,” Mr. Saez said.
Mr. Saez also lets his students play pingpong during some of his physics classes, which are available to juniors and seniors. David and his peers have found pingpong a nice, active hobby.
“It’s a great way to pass the time. I love playing other people, learning new things about the sport, improving my technique,” David said, “and overall I just enjoy it.”
Maya Pytel, a member of Xiaoli Zhou’s senior advisory, was a soph-
pingpong history
Pingpong, also known as table tennis, allows for a contained version of tennis. The sport originated in England in the late 1800s as a leisure activity for the upper class. The first paddles were made from cork, parchment, or replaced with books, and the first balls were made from cork.
omore when they purchased their pingpong table using their advisory funds. She finds pingpong a nice way to destress during busy school days.
“I think that a lot of times we’re
in popularity throughout the 20th century and was recognized as an Olympic sport during the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea. The game has been played ever since.
Source: Stiga US Table
very stressed when we’re at school, and it’s kind of just a nice, easy way to take a break for, like, 5 or 10 minutes,” Maya said. “It’s a nice little break from, you know, the constant pressure you have at Lab.”
Extended day newspaper inspires lower school writers
by LUCY SHIRRELL Assistant Editor
From everywhere in the cafeteria the distinct sound of giggling, lively debate and the clicking of computer keys can be heard. Scattered across a lunch table are colorful pages, Chromebooks and many, many markers.
These sights and sounds are not simply those of an afterschool hangout but of a budding newsroom.
Every Wednesday after school, during the extended day program for third to fifth graders, a group of lower school students bands together to create The Late Day News, an entirely student-curated newspaper.
Founded three years ago, the paper has grown to include sections for games, news stories, illustrations and more.
Maya Shalev, a fifth grader, was a part of the founding group for The Late Day News when she was in the third grade. Upon returning to Lab in fifth grade, Maya has seen improvement.
“It’s a lot better now. We don’t just do interviews, we actually do important stuff,” Maya said. “When we were in third grade some of the kids would just reuse articles. Similarly, fifth grader Meera Malik has been writing for the paper since third grade and is an unofficial edi-
“
It’s definitely made me write more … also it’s taught me to negotiate because we have to negotiate with staff to give us Chromebooks and stuff like that.
— Meera Malik, fifth grade student ”
tor. Writing for The Late Day News helped Meera improve her writing and learn skills of negotiation.
“It’s definitely made me write more, so like it’s taught me writing,” Meera said. “Also, it’s taught me to negotiate because we have to negotiate with [staff] to give us Chromebooks and stuff like that.”
Both Meera and Maya say they want to continue with journalism in the future, both in high school and beyond.
To create an issue of The Late Day News, members collaborate to decide on a theme, then use a combination of art supplies and school-supplied Chromebooks to create their pages, with hardly any intervention from the extended day staff.
“They’ve organized it. They put it together. They make sure that it gets printed. They follow through with it. They do everything,” extended day supervisor Spencer Bibbs said. “As a matter of fact, they don’t want a lot of teacher intervention.” The number of students who work on the paper is never consistent and changes on a week-to-week basis. Any student can contribute to the newspaper, and while some participate weekly, others choose to more sporadically.
“It really depends on the week who works on it,” Meera said. Although the staff is constantly changing, the activity of creating The Late Day News has become consistent and something its student and adult readers can depend on.
“It’s now a well-run machine,” Mr. Bibbs said. “They know exactly what they’re gonna do on Wednesday.”
As the extended day program comes to an end, reporters begin to pass out the finished paper, each one with a cover illustration and stapled into a thick packet.
Despite the chaos of creating the paper, every student is eager to return next Wednesday, ready to tackle another edition of The Late Day News.
Midway photoillustration by Daniel Baeza
SKILLED SCORER. Senior Zarak Siddiqi plays pingpong in physics teacher Francisco Saez’s room. The game has become a fun, engaging tradition.
Pingpong grew
Tennis brand
Midway photo by Ellis Calleri
CREATING CONTENT. Lower school students in extended day design pages of the student-run publication
Late Day News.
THURSDAY, JAN. 23, 2025
Flag Forward
Voting for the new Illinois state flag is now open. Choose from 13 designs, these 10 finalists and 3 prior designs.
This flag has a blue area on its left side with a six-pointed white star to represent Chicago, 21 red and white stripes on its right to represent Illinois being the 21st state, and white space between the two that creates a capital “I” to represent Illinois.
Abhay’s takes: Every resident knows that there are two symbols that represent every single city in the state of Illinois: the city of Chicago, and the number 21. Do you really need to think about anything else to represent the state? The patterns are fine and genuinely quite nice, but doesn’t this just truly represent every single aspect of the entire state so well? No, not really.
The center of this flag features a profile silhouette of Abraham Lincoln and the outline of the state, both of which are surrounded by a ring made up of 20 gold stars and one larger white star at the top right that represents Chicago. The blue background represents the state’s blue-collar attitude, and gold stars represent the state’s prairies and agriculture.
Abhay’s takes: This flag’s key symbols genuinely represent Illinois really well, but the flag is so dark and dull that it just feels boring as a whole.
by CAROLINE SKELLY
Audience Engagement Editor
Inside the Grand Hall of the Shedd Aquarium to the left stands a tank filled with vibrant fish of all colors darting among multicolored coral and aquatic plants. With yellow-and-pink bodies, a school of small fish races through the water, while a small clownfish swims in and out of a sea anemone.
To the right stands a calmer tank. Little brown fish swim in and out of the bright green leaves of a plant and other fish hide among the submerged tree branches. Between the tanks, a short pathway connects them.
These two tanks are the Shedd Aquarium’s new “Wonder of Water” exhibit, which was unveiled in December. The exhibit replaced the Caribbean Reef exhibit that had been a staple of the aquarium since 1971. This is only the third time in the Shedd’s history that it has unveiled a new exhibit.
This latest addition to the aquarium includes two massive 28,110-gallon tanks featuring saltwater and freshwater ecosystems. Periscopes on each tank show
Scan the QR code to vote now and see the additional three designs.
At the center of this flag a monarch butterfly, the state butterfly, is surrounded by 21 stars to represent Illinois being the 21st state.
Abhay’s takes: The contrast between the navy background and the monarch butterfly in this design is really pretty. Though, it was an interesting choice to have the flag center around what is also the state insect of Texas. As well as the state insect of Idaho, which also just so happens to be the state insect of Alabama. The design is nice and simple, but can a nonexclusive butterfly and 21 stars really represent Illinois?
The center of this flag features the outline of Illinois at the center of a white circle, which is meant to represent being a geographical and transportational center of the country. Alongside this central symbol, which is surrounded by 21 stars, the blue sides of the flag represent the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan.
Abhay’s takes: This flag has one symbol: Illinois itself. While the choice of symbol isn’t the most creative, the symbol itself is well emphasized and the flag as a whole actually has some really nice contrast that makes for a very enjoyable design.
A blue area on its left side forms a profile silhouette of Abraham Lincoln, who appears to be looking toward a red area on the design’s right side that takes the shape of Illinois’s western border. The white space that splits the two areas is a nod to the French flag.
Abhay’s takes: This flag works. You can’t really see the symbols at first, but the design is simple in a good way. It solely focuses on two of Illinois’s most iconic symbols, has a color palette that matches many state flags, and overall forms a flag that is subtle but distinctly Illinois.
The bottom of this flag consists of 21 green and white stripes, which represent Illinois’ agricultural roots and prairie origins. The center features a half-sun on the horizon (also featured on the current flag) and around the sun are three six-point stars, whose 18 points represent the state’s founding in 1818.
Abhay’s takes: This design is uniquely bright. It takes iconic and historic symbols of Illinois, and instead of just putting them alone in the center of an empty flag, it makes them the entire flag. This flag is more bold than most other competing designs, and it’s more interesting too.
A WONDERFUL TIME. The Shedd Aquarium’s Wonder of Water exhibit
viewers a closer view of the life in the tanks. This exhibit is a part of the Shedd’s $500 million Centennial Commitment initiative to improve the aquarium ahead of its 100th anniversary in 2030, according to the aquarium website.
The saltwater tank is home to corals, anemones, 1,500 fish and other aquatic animals like crabs. The freshwater tank has 5,000 fish
and 50 species of aquatic plants.
The exhibit aims to show how water is the single source of life for all living things on Earth, the website said. The side-by-side tanks highlight the differences and similarities between salt and freshwater, as well as the unique biodiversity that each ecosystem contains.
“Wonder of Water invites guests to step in between two distinct-
uhighmidway.com • University of Chicago Laboratory High School by ABHAY CHANDRAN Audience Engagement Editor Illinois could soon get a new state flag. Voting is now open for Illinois residents to select from one of 13 designs. Ten new designs were selected by the Illinois flag commission from nearly 5,000 submissions for the state flag redesign contest. The other three flags are the current state flag, the flag’s centennial design, and the design made to celebrate Illinois’s 150th anniversary.
The prospect of a redesigned flag was put into motion when Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law cre-
At the center of this flag is a depiction of the state flower, the violet, composed of a 21-pronged gear to represent Illinois’s industrial foundations and seven corn kernels to represent the state’s agricultural foundations.The flag’s four dark blue bars represent the Mississippi River, the Ohio River, the Chicago River/Illinois River and Lake Michigan.
Abhay’s takes: I like it. Though the design is a bit over-complicated compared to the other finalists, it is very cleverly designed and it subtly integrates several aspects of Illinois into a complex design that’s nice to look at.
This flag consists of the state seal, displayed in a similar way to the current flag, on a white background with blue and red vertical stripes on the sides of the design. It is intended to get rid of the current flag’s “seal-on-bedsheet” look by adding simple embellishments to the current flag.
Abhay’s takes: Did we really wait 54 years to add four blue and red stripes to the flag? Sure it’s more visually interesting than the current flag, but it feels like a really boring choice.
ating the Illinois Flag Commission to help decide what the state flag should represent and to help select a flag that exemplifies the values of Illinois and its people.
HISTORY:
Illinois became the 21st state in 1818, but the first official flag — the Great Seal of Illinois on a plain white background — was established in 1915 after winning a similar design contest. The state’s second and current flag was created in 1969, when, due to concerns about the flag’s recognizability, the word “Illinois” was included under the seal.
The gold star at the center of this flag is meant to represent the richness of the land and its people. The navy circle that surrounds the star is a nod to Lincoln’s top hat from above, and the navy lines represent lake Michigan.
Abhay’s takes: This is a really generic design. It has a six-pointed star, and other symbols are represented by abstract shapes, but with no other visible Illinois symbols this flag really feels disconnected from the state.
This flag consists of three blue stripes on a white background; the two smaller stripes represent the state’s various rivers, and the larger stripe represents Lake Michigan. On the larger stripe, a large white star surrounded by 20 other white stars represents Illinois as the 21st state.
Abhay’s takes: This flag, while representing many interesting symbols, shows approximately none of them. It feels generic, like you could remove a star and it would suddenly be a candidate for the Mississippi state flag.
ly rich environments and immerse themselves in the impressive variety of what life looks like beneath the water’s surface,” wrote Kayley Galassini, assistant director of public relations at Shedd Aquarium, in an email to the Midway.
“The size, scope and sensations of the two wondrous worlds spark deeper connections to life underwater and the astonishing resource that allows all beings great and small to thrive.”
The exhibit shines an important light on freshwater ecosystems, which are typically not as represented in aquariums.
“Our aquarium sits on the shores of one of our planet’s largest sources of freshwater,” wrote Ms. Galassini, “so what better way to celebrate those environments than put it in the heart of our building on the same level as a reef.”
“Wonder of Water” is a beautifully unique depiction of the diversity of bodies of water on Earth. It combines mesmerizing visuals of fish, coral and plants that enchant viewers with necessary education about the importance of water for all living things.
28,110 gallon volume of the new freshwater and saltwater tanks
1,500 fish live in the saltwater tank
$500 million invested into the Centennial Commitment initiative
53 years how long the exhibit’s predecessor, the Caribbean Reef exhibit, was on display
1930 year Shedd Aquarium opened by the numbers
Midway photo by Nathan Li
opened to the public in December, replacing the historical Caribbean Reef.
Images from Illinois Secretary of State