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[UNCAGED.] NEWS 0 6 School L un Take a H ches it

CULTURE 12 Learning A New Language

FEATURES 16 Class of '22 Says Goodbye

SPORTS 24 FHS Future College Atheletes

0 ION 3 OPIN Potter Harry : A on Reuni Experience al Magic

freedom high school newsmagazine | April-June 2022 | volume 7 | issue 2

STAFF the

from the editors Hello again, Free Birds!

Uncaged is excited to present you with our final print edition of the school year! As the year comes to a close, we’d like to congratulate you on all you’ve accomplished this year.

To the underclassmen, we hope you enjoyed your first full year of in-person high school and we can’t wait to see you next year! To the juniors, we know how eager you’ve been to come back next year as seniors, but be sure to enjoy the now; Make the most out of every minute. We wish you luck as you prepare to take on senior year!

Finally, to the Class of 22, your time here has been nothing short of eventful. You’ve faced quite a few obstacles, but here you are now at the finish line, ready to graduate and take on whatever comes next. You have grown into resilient individuals and we are so proud of how far you've come. Congratulations!

We hope you enjoy this magazine, and we wish you all a fantastic summer! We’ll be back next year, but until then, be sure to check out our website uncagedfhs.org and stay tuned for upcoming content!

-Uncaged Ed Board

Adviser Dana Baker

Editor-in-Chief Rebecca Cherian Online Editor Pratha Ravani Sports & Photo Editor Michael Baker III News Designer Hazel Nguyen Features Designer Pratha Ravani Culture Designer Jackie Buktaw Julia Buktaw Opinions Designer Pratha Ravani Sports Designer Rebecca Cherian Staff Writers Addy Welz Aidan Kruk Amogha Chetla Anya Smith Cecelia Harmon Emily Marohn Emily Ruith Hazel Nguyen Hope Nguyen Jackie Buktaw Julia Buktaw Lyndsay Lemmerman Max Villegas Olivia Johnson Tyler Byrd Uncaged is the newsmagazine of Freedom High School. The attitudes, opinions, views, and ideas expressed in Uncaged do not necessarily reflect those of this staff, the faculty adviser, Freedom High School, or the Loudoun County Public School system. Uncaged follows the county and state guidelines established for student high school publications, and disclaims any liability with respect thereto the use or reliance on any such information contained in this publication. The Uncaged staff welcomes contributions and encourages the expression of students, faculty, staff, and members of the Freedom High School community.

Cover and Back Cover Illustration by Pratha Ravani

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Letter from the Editors

table of contents news

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culture

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sports

14 23

opinion

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features

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The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom.

28 Table of Contents

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UNCAGED

The Changin [Story by Emily Marohn]

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ollege Board is a mission-driven non-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Its members are the creators and administrators of the SAT, a three hour multiple choice paper test. The purpose of this standardized test is to measure a high school student’s readiness for college, and provide colleges with one common data point that can be used to compare all applicants.

Over the years, colleges have been eliminating the pressure to attain the perfect SAT score, and is now transitioning into a test-optional policy.

They believe that this will help students to focus more on academic performance and extra curriculars instead of stressing over standardized testing. In fact, more than 1,800 fouryear colleges and universities will not require SAT scores in the upcoming admissions cycles.

With the issues of standardized testing coming to light, College Board has recognized the toll the SAT takes on students. The institution recently announced that by 2024, the SAT will go online and will be shortened to two hours. What could this mean for the future of standardized testing?

Standardized testing is a huge part of the Freedom High School culture, even though thousands of schools are test optional. Students of all grades

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I think these changes mean more test proctors are beginning to reailze that not everybody has the same advantages that affect their scores on staderdized tests- like money for prep classes or learning disabilities. I think these changes to standardized testing is a middle ground between abolishing the practice completely and keeping it the same, which ultimately would benefit more students.

- Manmayi Ghaisas FHS Junior

have participated in the SAT, PSAT, ACT and SOLs. However, many do not feel as if these tests are accurately representing the individuals they actually are.

“I have taken the SAT, but chose not to submit my scores to multiple colleges because I didn’t feel that it accurately reflected my intelligence,” said senior Briana Ausgotharp. “I believe that the long standardized tests don’t accurately record student’s knowledge because they get burnt out after hours of sitting in a room filling in bubbles on a paper, and the shortened tests in a comfortable environment will help students perform their best.”

“I think [the shortened SAT test] will benefit students. The SAT is meant to be a knowledge test, so making it

unnecessarily long doesn’t accurately measure students’ intellect but rather how long they can pay attention," said junior Manmayi Ghaisas. "Shortening the SAT will benefit students because students will be able to showcase what they know, and with the new timing, students would be less likely to make careless mistakes as their brains get tired, so their score would be a better measurement of what they know.”

Currently, only the sophomores and freshmen will have the opportunity to digitally take this test in 2024.

Their way of standardized testing is about to have huge changes, and they have optimistic feelings about it.

“I’d definitely take it if I had the option,” said sophomore Mana Lyer. “It’ll be less draining and much quicker.”

ng of the SAT

Freedom's library has many available SAT Prep resources.

However, with a different form of testing, how will study tools be affected?

Some students are worried about what will be applicable and how their preparation will need to change.

Although there are a ton of positive impacts with mental health and intelli-

gence reflection, students will need to adapt to this new type of test.

“I will have to change my study methods as I have to pace myself differently for a 2 hour test, and the time I have to read or do anything related to the test will now be different,” said junior Valeria Alvarado.

Photo by Rebecca Cherian

Future test takers of Freedom High School and all high schools around the United States are in for a big change, hopefully for the better.

This new way of standardized testing may play a larger role in college applications in the years to come.

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Promoting Diverse Books

In School

[Story by Lyndsay Lemmerman]

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rom Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” to Shakespere’s “Macbeth,” these classics have one thing in common: they were all written by white men decades ago. With Freedom High School being a diverse school, it has become increasingly important that the books assigned accurately reflect the diversity of the school.

“Reading more of these books can

benefit students greatly as they can be more educated on important topics that are applied in the real world, and if there are more diverse authors and books, students are able to access books about their own cultures and life that they may not have known about before,” said sophomore Emily Pham.

By having books written by diverse authors, teachers are more able to engage students who are otherwise apathetic towards reading. Many

students either hate reading or fell out of love with it when they hit middle school. Books, no longer a relaxing way to leave the world behind, turned into an assignment for students to overanalyze.

“In the past, I don't think that Freedom really did a good job of requiring us to read diverse authors; however, they did require us to read some books about some sensitive topics which did not age very well,” said junior Heidi Tanudjaja.

Photo by Michael Baker III

Freedom English teachers have a variety of books available for students to read in their classrooms.

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Photo by Lyndsay Lemmerman

The school library has a collection of diverse books that students can check out and read.

In recent years, Dr Michelle Picard, LCPS Supervisor of Secondary English and Reading, helped to allocate $1.3 million to provide diverse books in middle and high school classrooms.

This allowed every English classroom in Loudoun to have small libraries, which consist of around 200 books written by diverse authors, for students to enjoy. Based on the number of students, teachers will also be allotted money to buy more books for the classrooms.

“Loudoun County, the Office of Secondary English, made a huge investment in putting books in class-

rooms that have more diverse authors and characters and storylines for independent reading, which I think was awesome,” said Veronica Short, FHS English department chair,” And then at the same time, we were also going through a revamping of our curriculum. That process takes a couple of years.”

The changes to the curriculum can already be seen in the list of books English teachers are given. For instance, ninth graders won’t just be reading “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, but also “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson. While both novels explore themes of racism and injustice, one is written

by a white woman and the other by an African American man, allowing students to see these issues through different perspectives and gain a deeper understanding of them. “[Just Mercy] pairs so well with [To Kill a Mockingbird] because I love the book “To Kill a Mockingbird,” but it does have some problematic aspects,” Short said. “There's a whole white savior complex built in, so to read a book like “Just Mercy” in tandem especially, I think is just really great for kids.”

Through its efforts, Loudoun County is making strides to include more books written by diverse authors in the school curriculum.

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School Lunches Take a Hit [Story by Aidan Kruk]

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or most students, lunch is a fun time to hang out with friends in between classes while eating whatever they packed, or what the school provides. Since 2020, the school began serving free breakfast and lunches. However, students have been complaining that this food is often low quality or lacking in substance.

"I think school lunches have gotten worse, [and] I think it is due to COVID,” said sophomore Sophia Kelly. “[I feel like] the school doesn't have the funds it used to have."

Though this reduction in quality is quite subjective, what is not subjective is the lack of supplies the school seems to have for lunches. The supply chain has been a massive factor that has led them to being under supplied mostly in various different items such as plates, cups, trays and more. At one point during the second quarter, the school ran out of trays and had to hand out lunches on paper plates, this sometimes happens with the food too.

"Because of the pandemic we do not have enough supplies, with the trays and cups, with these kinds of things we are struggling,” said FHS cafeteria manager Khushboo Nooniwal.

There has also been frequent mix-ups with what was supposed to be provided versus what is actually available.

“The food we are providing, whatever is on the menu, if it is not coming in time, [we] substitute it with

Photos by Aidan Kruk

Milk served by the school cafteria served frozen and chunky on a regular basis.

something else. For example, if [lunch] is grilled chicken sandwich and we do not have it, they send us pizza crunchers, [since] there is a lot of protein in both items, and that is how we are trying to substitute both items."

As the country transitions out of the pandemic, school lunches will hopefully return to how they were pre-COVID-19.

Students feel that school lunch has been served in minimal portions.

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Learning A New Language [Story by Olivia Johnson]

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n order for students to earn a verified credit for taking a foreign language in the state of Virginia, they must have taken at least three years of a single language course or two years of two different languages. If a student is looking to earn a standard diploma, two credits in a foreign language are required. However, there are a select number of colleges and universities that require four years of a foreign language.

According to teach.com, 91% of high schools in the United States offer foreign language courses and an estimated 58% of middle schools do as well. At Freedom, there is a large variety of language electives offered, including American Sign Language, French, German, Latin, and Spanish.

Although a majority of students decide to study a language during their academic career, many of them end up dropping out of that course once they have earned the needed credit.

“In general, I find that students are highly motivated not only by grades, but students are also motivated by relationships with teachers,” said Damian Tremblay, a Latin teacher at FHS. “If they like the subject or if they like the teacher enough to enjoy the subject, they will remain in [the class].

Some students take a language or other electives because they want [to learn] the material. Other people take it because they enjoy the class due to the teacher. Some students [however] when they look at their post secondary plans, [may] see other electives, other sequences, or other courses that are desirable so they may take their language elective for instance, complete it, and then move into another area because it's simply an area which they think benefits [them] more with their college career or military plans.”

Students may not necessarily immediately drop their language course once they have earned the credit, but

Photo by Olivia Johnson

The Belgium and Austrian flag are displayed in a language classroom.

as students advance into the more challenging years of their selected language, they may begin to feel discouraged.

“I am currently taking German IV, [but] I don’t plan on continuing because it is too hard and the workload is extremely high,” said sophomore Grayson Heydorn. “I also really don’t like German as much as I used to before.”

Not only is the amount of work given in these classes higher in the later years of a language, but other factors that may affect students' progression in a foreign language course are extracurricular activities or other activities outside of school which require a lot of time and effort.

“I took three years of Spanish to earn my credit but it got harder as the years went on,” said sophomore Abdul Ebadi. “It was extremely hard to balance, [while also balancing] playing sports outside of school.”

Even though there can be potential cons that may deter students from continuing their education in another language, there are also many pros.

“I encourage students to take higher and higher levels [of foreign language] because it develops very similar skills that English language arts develops [like] reading, comprehension, critical thinking, analytical, and interpretive skills,” Tremblay said.

On top of developing specific skills while in this course, sticking to a language can allow students to stand out on a college application as the more years they take, the better it makes that particular student look.

“Don’t be afraid to practice,” Tremblay said. “If you don’t make mistakes, you never learn what is the better or right preferential way to do something [and] don’t be afraid to communicate.

You have just as much opportunity of being right as you have of being wrong.”

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B-days Have Advantages and Disadvantages [Story by Jackie Buktaw]

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-day classes have been even more behind on learning than A day classes. B day got behind A day by two or three days, which affected both students and teachers. Some B-day students have been struggling to work at a faster pace and catching up with A days even in the spring.

“For my B day classes, I am at a disadvantage because my teachers made deadlines sooner for projects we haven't started and they just moved everything up because of the snow days while a day had more time to work on their projects,” said freshman Tanvi Talusani. “On A days, I have my study hall class which gives me time to work on other assignments.”

In efforts to give students more time to turn in their work, some teachers are pushing deadlines for their B day students, but it has made them more behind.

“It affected B day for AP world students because A day had two separate tests for unit 8 and 9. Unit 9 was open note for A day, but B day had to prepare a lot more because their test was combined and longer,” said Shrikha Balaji, a Sophomore at Freedom High School.

B day students had to prepare for the test with a small amount of time spent doing notes, which may have affected their grades and stress levels.

Some A day students have an advantage, as they have more time to study and prepare for the tests. This may be a problem because towards the end of the quarter, it will be difficult for B day students to catch up with projects and tests.

It is a struggle to figure out which schedule is more effective for learn-

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A/B Calender

ing. Whether it is an eight block day having only 45 minutes in each class, or having an A and B day schedule, where you have four blocks being 90 minutes. ”I think that the A/B system is beneficial so that you don’t have all your classes in one day and you have two days to do your homework instead of one,” Talusani said. “But I think it could use some changes.”

A potential solution could be to have extra B days for the ones that we missed which would allow students that are behind to catch up and be on the same pace as a day students.

“At my old school, we had A,B,C,

and D days where we had a different elective with a core class which I think is a better system than the A and B day system,” said sophomore Cheyenne Tongue.

Tongue continues by saying his system allows students to have many electives and learn at a slower pace, however it was difficult to keep track of due dates.

There are many pros and cons to every type of system, which makes it difficult for schools to decide which system works best. With time and adjustments, b day will be able to catch up with a day and work at the same pace.

Creating the Perfect Classroom [Story by Addy Welz]

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t Freedom High School, there are many different classroom set-ups throughout the building. Each classroom is set up for the different needs of the subject.

All of the classrooms rely on the different teaching styles of each of the teachers. Each teacher has their own different way of conveying information to their students that fits their personality and their students' needs.

“The teacher has to feel confident in their delivery and knowledge of the content and be excited about it,” said Colleen Hilliker, an FHS art teacher.

Every teacher has their own different views on subjects and on different parts of the classroom. One thing that many students complain about is the amount of homework that some classes assign compared to others.

“I assign little homework,” said Kevin Winters, an AP world teacher. “One reason is [because] there is good research on the validity and impact of homework, and that research shows that homework matters much more in some classes, like math, than in my history class.”

Teachers also have to change and adapt to the way that they teach their subjects depending on the lesson.

Although teachers do make these changes when needed,oftentimes they stay with the normal flow of their classroom.

“For the most part my teachers keep their styles of teaching, and it's helpful to us students because we grasp the way they teach as a way to help us learn and understand better,” said sophomore Paige Mack.

Another thing that teachers do for their students is when students are struggling they will help them and try to teach them things in a different way that works for that student's brain.

“Students who struggle with the content and skills, I usually try to help outside of school or outside of the classroom,” Winters said. ” I have gone as far as to develop an entirely different assessment system mid-year for a student who really needed something different than what my class was offering.”

Teachers doing different lessons for certain students can be very beneficial for students who are struggling because they can get the information they need in a format that they understand. Teachers also have to grow and adapt their way of teaching every year depending on the resources that they have available to them and the curriculum that they have to teach.

Photo by Rebecca Cherian

English teacher Amelia Speirs decorates her door with students' goals for the year.

During the 2019-2020 school year, COVID-19 greatly affected many teachers and their teaching styles. “[COVID] made me really think about what's important at the root of learning/teaching. Going digital and teaching virtually for an entire year had me whittle down what kind of work and timing I would have students adhere to,” Hilliker said.

Teachers have to put in a lot of work inside and outside of the classroom for classes to be able to run and be successful and run smoothly every class.

Culture

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The Stress of B [Story by Max Villegas] ‘Junior year is the hardest year of high school’ said every junior ever.

Their experience is clouded by loading on AP classes, taking standardized tests, gaining leadership in extracurricular activities, and starting to prepare for post-high school life. But senior year is arguably the most difficult year for a high school student. Not to undermine the struggles of a junior, but senior year is unique. Senior year brings a mess of emotions unlike any other year in high school.

The process of figuring out and carrying out post-high school plans - whether it be college, trade school, military, or the workforce - is stressful on its own. The waiting period makes students feel anxious, restless, and unable to focus on anything else. The decisions - accepted, rejected, deferred, waitlisted - can make a student feel euphoric or depressed. The lack of external and internal motivation that seniors face truly shows what students care about. The push and pull between being a young adult but still living at home, or the dynamic between friends who have different goals from each other. Senior year is hard.

“I'm feeling excited for Capstone, and just graduation and summer,” said senior Shreya Krishna.

Along with many seniors, Krishna is pushing through the last stretch of high school: second semester. During this time of year, the celebration period feels so far away, it’s difficult to stay positive and focused on schoolwork or even look forward to exciting events.

Photo provided by Max Villegas

After much work, student prepares to submit their application to Boston University.

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Photo provided by Max Villegas

Student gets accepted into University of Virginia.

“Freedom teachers have honestly relieved most of my stress because they’re super supportive but the class work definitely adds to everything,” said senior Kathleen Pham.

Having a support system, especially at school, is greatly beneficial to navigating numerous emotions at once. To combat stress, FHS seniors enjoy listening to music, taking a nap, or even embracing their current mood.

The college application process has its own stressors in addition to balancing coursework and extracurricular activities. The application season is unique: No high school student prior to senior year has experienced a lengthy application process like the college process.

“Everyone’s kind of curious to see where everyone will end up,” Krishna said.

People are naturally curious about what others are doing. College is unique, because it's the first time everyone isn’t going through the same public school system. People are going to a state school or are traveling far to attend college, so everyone is fascinated by which paths people are taking. Senior Nina Cabrera admits that she’s guilty of obsessing over other people’s plans - because everyone gets to choose their own school or plan.

Despite being a short period of time, senior year can be a defining moment for learning and reflecting. Trying to figure out what to do after high school can lead to discussions

Being a Senior regarding passions and interests.

“I’ve learned how to take myself less seriously and trust that it’s okay to not be in control,” Pham said.

Pham and other seniors have found that many aspects of their life are out of their control, which can be difficult for people who constantly want to control school assignments or

in this case their future.

“I have learned that there is more to life than school. I realized some students’ heads, like myself, are completely bombarded with school life that they can’t pursue their interests and hobbies. Students gotta do things for themselves and especially, what makes them happy,” Cabrera said.

Cabrera hopes that current Freedom students prioritize what interests them, because regardless of their plans after high-school, it's important to find what keeps a student curious and interested. There’s more value in discovering passions and interests instead of aiming to receive an A on every assignment.

Photo provided by Max Villegas

Seniors Samantha Borromeo, Megan McGraw, Madison Tavares, Jordan Thomas, Haley Wulff, Jacqueline Westfall, Max Villegas, and Hannah Greer pose for a dance team photo.

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Disney Changes With [Story by Hope Nguyen]

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rom the very first Mickey Mouse cartoon to the modern Disney princesses, Disney has stolen the hearts of many. Disney movies have been defining childhoods with whimsical tales of faraway places, daring sword fights, magic spells and lovely princesses. It's 2022, and Disney has changed a lot since their company opened in 1923.

The Disney princess franchise, in particular, has grown to include more diverse protagonists and backdrops for their stories. A look back on some of their oldest movies in comparison to their newest ones can show how far they've grown as a company since then.

“I think [Disney princesses] are less feminine and weak than they used to be,” said sophomore Kaleigh Plowden.

Encanto and Mulan have themes of family, feeling like you're not good enough and have the setting showcase another culture. However, the movies are drastically different.

“Encanto is a story about generational trauma while Mulan’s is [about]

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the bravery of a girl and in all honesty the sheer capability a woman can have,” said senior Grace Nguyen, a Senior.

Mulan is set in Ancient China. As the only daughter of her family, it is her duty to bring honor to the family through marriage. However, Mulan has always been an oddball and an outsider, not fitting in with stereotypical gender roles. She feels worthless when a meeting with the matchmaker goes horribly. Then, her father is drafted to go to war to fight against the Huns, despite his old age. Mulan then makes a big sacrifice. She takes her father's place and goes in for him. Together with friends she's met along the way, she fights to save China against the huns.

“There’s a large difference in places, culture, and threats [to the story],” said senior Nicholas Powell..

The cultural aspects of Mulan were subtle but implemented well into the background of the story, as well as serving a purpose to show the sexist and misogynistic views of the time period. Colombian culture in Encanto was shown a little more upfront, with Spanish being sprinkled throughout

h the Modern World the dialogue, but was still more or less subtle and thrown into the background to make way for the plot. The conflict was also more personal, less huge as many Hispanic families related to the toxic family dynamics in the film that are often present in everyday life.

Whereas in Mulan there were many different places the characters explored and traveled to, Encanto takes place in the same setting the whole movie, their home Casita.

Mulan's story is more self-driven and has higher stakes, moved by her desire to honor her family and the threat of foreign invasion looming overhead, showcasing an intense ride.

Mirabel's story involves more than her, it's about her whole family, and has slightly sadder themes, with no "bad guy" or villain to point fingers at, but shows that everyone is flawed in their own way and that there is no true meaning of "perfect." “[I like] Old [Disney movies] just because they're classics, and I personally like the old Disney music better,” Plowden said.

Nevertheless, it is clear Disney wants to take a different approach now when making their movies, pre-

senting conflicts in more diverse ways than they have done in the past. Not every problem has to be some grand, larger than life scheme that must save the world. Some problems seem tiny in the grand scheme of things, found within the confines of one's own home. But it doesn't mean Mulan's story is any better or worse than Encanto's. Disney only means to introduce people to new and exciting tales, and through them they can show all sorts of lessons everybody can relate to, big or small and represent different cultures while doing so.

Even though old Disney was more focused on plot driven narratives, going straight from plot point A to plot point B in an easy to follow story, new Disney is focused on showcasing character driven plots, with no real storyline, but nevertheless demonstrating there's things to be learned even in the tiniest of settings.

Both ways of writing are good, and it is all a matter of preference. In the future will Disney continue down this route, or change? Who knows. For now one can only hope that future movies will be just as good, if not better than Mulan and Encanto.

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Class of '22 Sa

2021

[Story by Cecelia Harmon]

T g

Photo by Echo Duon

and Srujana Christine Jang (left) dress up for t) Yalamanchili (righ spirit day.

2022

Photo p Seniors rovided G and Jen ulnar Bankwa by Gulnar Bankw all ll na Freil ich pos a, Rachel Tulk a medals ed with , in 2022 their D as senio ECA rs.

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he seniors of Freedom High School are getting ready to graduate, and this means many stressful nights, and hard work for them. Many have already committed to the college they would like to attend, and the journey they have had these four years hasn't gone unrewarded.

As these seniors make their departure from the home of the eagles, they have begun to take on more responsibilities and make the harder decisions in life.

Senior Ceci Weigand will be attending James Madison University in the fall to study education and receive a bachelors in education, later on becoming an elementary school teacher.

“It's stressful if you don't know the environment or have never seen the college, so you don't really know how it will be,” Weigand said. “I wish there was more time in high school during senior year to do their college work.

I'm grateful that we have capstone.

I feel like it's a great alternative than staying in school for another month.”

As Weigand stated, this time has been very stressful for seniors trying to balance the workload of their classes, college and making commitments.

Not only is choosing a college a tough choice to make, but the factors the seniors must take add up.

This includes the cost, location and what they see in their future. Another senior, Annabelle Perry, has also expressed similar sentiments to those of Weigand. Perry will be attending

2021

Photo by Tyler Byrd

The senior class cheers in the stands during their first pep rally of the 2021 school year.

ays Goodbye University of Central Florida and is majoring in aerospace engineering with a minor in astronomical engineering and dreams to work in a space facility such as NASA. “The most stressful thing was trying to picture myself at different schools,” Perry said. “I didn’t want to pick somewhere that I wouldn’t like, so visiting the campuses was a must for me. The waiting for acceptance/rejection letters was absolutely terrible. It has been crazy trying to balance everything. I definitely have a harder time doing work in school because of everything going on. I am super excited for Capstone to start.”

While the seniors will miss Freedom High School, they are ready to spread their wings and fly into the real world, as an eagle through and through.

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Photo pro vided by Seniors R Ceci Weig yleigh Le and onard (le Ceci Weig ft ) and and (righ t) c junior pro m at hom elebrate their e during in 2020.

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Photo provided by Ceci Weigand

Seniors April Nguyen, Ceci Weigand and Amy Troung pose during their senior homecoming dance in 2021.

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Art All Around Us [Story by Amogha Chetla]

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rt can be one of the most expressive subjects offered in schools. Many students take advantage of the multitude of art classes offered at Freedom High School, whether to express their creative beliefs or just relax after a trying day.

Many people may determine art to be anything that involves a paint brush, but art is so much more. Art can be anything to the person who wields enough imagination to make his/her vision come alive. Art can be a relief.

Art can be respite. Art has the power to move its audience to tears or even self-actualization. Many FHS students feel the great rewards art can provide. “[Art makes me feel] euphoric, I guess,” said senior Maria Alexeenko.

“That’s not really the word I would use, but sort of conflicted, in a good way.

I'm always willing to try new things.

So for me art is sort of like barfing out anything I have in my head onto a project whether it be graphic design, sculpture, whatever I feel like. I think just the excitement of all the different possibilities that can occur through art is what makes me feel that way.”

Alexeenko is going to major in graphic communications in college and credits attending the Academies of Loudoun for Graphic Design and Advertising with propelling her decision. Many students like Alexeenko decide to pursue art in college and further education.

Understandably, it is a hard choice to make. Only 10% of art school graduates actually go on to become working artists, according to NOLA. com. A large portion of current artists do not have a bachelor's degree in any art-related field.

Art is practiced as a hobby as well.

While students may not major in arts, they still plan to continue their passion

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Art created by Maria Alexeenko

for the activity. Maddie Thompson is an example of such passion. “[I feel] understood, your creativity always takes over,” Thompson said.

“I'm very much a planner, but my artwork never comes out as planned.

But I've learned to accept that and the process makes you better understand yourself and how you deal with certain obstacles coming your way.”

Art can be planned. Art can also be simple chaos. Just like humans, art comes in many different shapes and sizes. Each can still achieve the same grace as the other. FHS students have the chance to experiment with various mediums, including and not limited to, clay, acrylic paint and charcoal. Teach-

ers are present to observe and advise students, but mainly, they have any creative liberty regarding their artwork.

“My teacher, Mrs. Z, she knows that I like to stay in my comfort zone with pencil and charcoal. That's always been my thing. But, she always pushes me to do acrylic paint. Mixed media as well as collages,” said Thompson, speaking fondly of her Art 4 teacher.

FHS art teacher Julie Kang is one of the many who teaches a wide variety of classes. Art can have a huge impact on teachers and students alike, but for people who have taught for many years of their life, art can invoke many different emotions.

“Teaching art is entertaining,” Kang

Art created by Maddie Thompson

said. “Working in a school environment is never dull. You perform in front of students, share stories, problem solve, explore ideas, and create. Teaching art is not a boring job.”

Art has the ability to make a bigger impact on the audience or the artists.

In this case, Kang is a mixture of both.

Her job is to supervise students and teach them through her experiences.

“Teaching art has helped me understand more about myself and others,” Kang said. “I am exposed to a diverse group of students with different interests and levels of skills. I get a lot of my music recommendations

from students. If I had a different career, I would have not learned as much as I have now.”

If anything, art has the universal capability to entertain, heal, and most of all, inspire. And so in the words of Bob Ross remember, “we don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.”

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The Virtual Reality World is Expanding [Story by Tyler Byrd]

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ith the coming of the COVID-19 age, many people found that the world is not as stable as they would like to believe.

Uncertainty sits behind every corner in life, and this applies to everyone.

When people were forced inside the walls of their homes, the cruel realities of isolation began to set in.

The inability to talk to others resulted in many turning to other alternatives.

Some turned to TV, some went to YouTube, others started playing video games. Despite all of this, there has been a solution that certain major companies have turned to, and this solution could be the future of the world, virtual reality.

Virtual reality has existed for many years now, with headsets existing for PC’s for roughly 10 years. The Oculus Rift was believed to be the first innovative headset in the VR world, with the only major experiment in the

field before hand being the Nintendo Virtual Boy. In 2014, Oculus, the company behind the first successful VR headset was purchased by Facebook, which led to a huge wave of enthusiasm for the industry. While the next years for VR were considered slow, with only a few new companies getting into the game, it was when Steam introduced competition to the Oculus rift in the form of the Index that VR truly became a new niche hobby.

Picture provided by Tyler Byrd

Senior Tyler Byrd plays games using virtual reality technology.

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Now in 2022, VR has come a long way, post COVID-19 lockdowns, individuals have realized that when they cannot go outside our houses, they can bring the outside world into their homes with a VR headset.

Larger corporations have been gambling bigger investments into the technology behind Virtual Reality, even resulting in Facebook completely rebranding itself to become Meta, the name also given to their project to merge our reality into the virtual world. While Meta’s attempts to merge social media, virtual reality, and augmented reality have not yet yielded any significant results, the wild west of the Metaverse only continues to grow with every passing day.

Meta's continued expansion currently isn’t without its rivals, with the before mentioned Valve also holding large holds within the VR market, though not as influential as Meta.

While Meta has revolutionized the VR world with the Oculus Quest two, the

developers at Valve still hold one of the finest Virtual Reality headsets ever produced, the Valve Index. The Quest two has wireless usage features, the Index is tethered to a PC, however the Index features revolutionary technologies such as individual finger tracking, high quality graphical display, and wall mounted motion sensors letting the Index access increased customization.

Though these two industry juggernauts continue to compete in the VR space, consumers are left to decide who's headset is better, not with votes, but with their wallets.

Many FHS students have mixed feelings about the future of the world merging with VR. “I think that it’s going uphill, and it will level off with what is happening with Meta, but I think it will have a lot more investors, and start booming,” said senior Ethan Twombly, a headset owner.

Though the industry is currently heavily involved in research and development, the future to many is looking bright, and to others, downright dystopian. It is up for the individual to decide.

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Uncaged

From Jerseys to Stripes [Story by Emily Ruith]

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any sports need referees, but calling a game isn’t an easy task. Student athletes are trading in their jerseys for a striped referee uniform as a way to stay involved and earn extra income.

Freedom High School students, Mukt Patel, Zara Hameed, and Meghan Puppla, referee basketball.

“I've learned that kids can have fun while being competitive with each other and also learn from their experiences,” Patel said.

Many students got into refereeing as a way to make quick and easy money. The nontraditional age requirement was a major factor in this decision.

“I originally started reffing because there was not a strict age restriction

which required you to be at least 16 years old, like many other jobs,” Hameed said. “This allowed me to start reffing when I was a freshman in high school, which is pretty uncommon.”

Refereeing is also a good job opportunity for students who may have an already busy schedule. It doesn't take up too much time since most games are on weekends. Especially high school is becoming too stressful but a person still wants to be a part of the organization.

For both Hameed and Puppla, being a referee offered new insight and perspective into the game. It is incredibly difficult to call every single rule that was broken. There is also the difference between playing and watching the game.

“When I was younger, I would often

complain about the refs and blame them for the outcome of the game.

Now that I am a referee, I understand the difficulty of the job,” Hameed said.

“I am definitely more sympathetic to referees than I was before,” Puppla said.

Refereeing is also an incredible learning experience.

“I’ve learned that kids can have fun while being competitive with each other and also learn from their experiences,” Patel said.

For Puppla, she learned how to stand up to the parents and coaches with their many complaints. For Hameed, she learned how to adapt to the different rules that are set for different age groups. Throughout their experiences, they both learned how to be more patient.

Picture provided by Zara Hameed

Juniors Meghan Puppala and Zara Hameed serve as referees for basketball games.

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FHS Future College Athletes Sport: Cross Country and Track Years Played Sport: 4 years Favorite memory: Placing third at states as a team in 2019

Josh Gittleman

Quote: “If you don’t put in 110% effort, someone is out working you.”

High point University Sport: Football Years Played Sport: 4 years Favorite memory: The locker room after beating Champe this year Quote: “You work hard to work harder.”

Cole Reemsnyder 24

Sports

Virginia Tech

Sports: Volleyball & Track and Field Years Played Sport: Played Volleyball for 6 years and track for a year Favorite memory: Beating Kellam High School to go to state semi-finals.

Halie Murphy

Catholic University

Quote: "If you don't believe in yourself, no one will do it for you."

-Kobe Bryant

Sport: Cross Country & Track and Field Years Played Sport: 4 years Favorite memory: Going to New Balance Nationals in NYC with the 4x8 team.

Quote: "There was a lot left in me. I never got a chance to Halie show em."Murphy -Doc College Hudson, Cars Catholic

Kenzie Keller

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Sports

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Sport: Volleyball Years Played Sport: 5 years Favorite memory: Beating Colgan in 5 sets on Senior Night.

Quote: "Don't let anyone work harder than you do."

-Serena Williams

Sarah Malinowski Virginia Tech

Sport: Lacrosse Years Played Sport: 8 years Favorite memory: Winning the state championship in 2019.

Quote:“Yolo"

Jodi Chu

Canisius College 26

Sports

Sport: Football & Wrestling Years Played Sport: 4 years Favorite memory: Junior and senior states with my team.

Bryan Guzman

Quote: "Always find a way."

Shenandoah University Sports: Football Years Played Sport: 4 years Favorite memory: Pancaking people during the games.

Quote: "If you can get through doing things you hate to do, on the other side is greatness."

Brandon Wilson Wagner College Sports

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Freedom High School's wrestling coaches cheer on their atheletes.

Photos by Michael Baker III

Coach Barnisky giving a pep to Isaac Yun on the sidelines.

Mia Durhan preparing to throw shot put.

Role Models Pave the Way For Young Athletes

[Story by Anya Smith]

Who do the athletes of today look up to? Who are the role models that are there for this generation? Are they local coaches or someone closer to the limelight?

For some of those students in sports it's the coaches that provide the students with the environment they need to grow.

“My coach is also really inspirational and always tries to lift all of us up,” said Eden Knapp, FHS shot putter.

Coaches are there for all the moments that provide a player with guidance and mentorship. Their wisdom in the sport is valuable to those that are around them. They create an environment that leaves room for teams to learn, grow and have a good time with their teammates. “[My coach] supports this support-

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ive environment and everyone has a good time at track,” Knapp said.

Additionally, the fact that coaches spend time with their athletes, spent time learning more about their athletic abilities. They are able to make them a better athlete and student. Coaches have been the backbone of many pro athletes careers.

Having a role model that is the public's eye could have inspired someone for their entire life. People look up to these professionals that have worked their way up from almost nothing into some of the best athletes in the country.

Professional athletes add a different level of aspiration to the people that follow in their footsteps. People look at them and want to fight to become the best at what they do. Pros provide platforms that will let students see themselves in positions that they

might have never seen before. They give back to people what they were once given by someone else, motivation to become more, to do more, work harder and strive to reach their best.

But for others it's someone more close to them.

Parents provide a connection and support in activities that go beyond a coach and someone that is a professional. They know what the student would need to improve on and have the information about the student to help them in every way. Having a parent as a role model or an inspiration, looking up to someone so close is a valuable thing for many athletes.

“My dad [is my role model] because he was an athlete in high school in college, and played Division One tennis,” said Anderson Church, FHS swimmer. “[He] taught me how to work hard.”

Should Students be able to Drop Study Halls?

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[Opinion by Julia Buktaw]

any students have wanted to remove study hall from their schedule to be able to take an extra class in its place.

Most counselors don't encourage students to take it out of their schedule, even though some students try and fight to get rid of it. Some LCPS schools used to offer study halls where all the students have it at the same time in the day so it is easier for them to reach other teachers. It would be better for the school to have a time in the day to have a study hall so it's easier for everyone to locate each other at the same time.

With the way our study halls are formatted, it is hard for teachers and students to find the right block of the day to meet up with their students, so since they way our study halls are, it's not reliable. It is stressful for teachers when students come into class for a retake while the teacher is busy. It would make sense that if students are

required to have a study hall, it should be a school wide study hall.

Students should have the option to choose whether they have a study hall or not. It was noticed that some students don't even use their study hall and sleep, but others use the time to get work done or finish tests. Students prefer to have a study hall because then they will have the opportunity to do their work during the school day instead of at home. They can also meet with teachers to get extra help or go to the academic support center.

Most people are either working on unfinished classwork or sleeping during study hall, so it depends on the person and what they want to do during their study hall.

Freedom has many class options and electives to choose from, and many students try to fit them into their schedule. However, students can usually only pick up to two electives per year. It is difficult to narrow one's options down to 1-2 classes, so they

should be given the option to get rid of their study hall in order to take another class.

Students should have the room to take classes that they are interested in, but it is difficult to do this when you have limited space. Sometimes it is less because they might want to double up in a subject, and schedules won’t allow everything to fit. For example, if one takes both Chemistry and AP Environmental in junior year, they only have one elective to pick. So they might want to drop their study hall in order to take another elective for the next year.

Students who want to get rid of their study hall in order to take the class they want shouldn't have to battle with their counselor for that option.

It makes sense for counselors to be hesitant to let their student get rid of their study hall because it may become stressful for the student to not have a study hall, but at the end of the day, it should be up to the student.

Photo by Pratha Ravani

Students work on homework during during study hall.

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Harry Potter A Magical [Opinion by Hazel Nguyen]

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hen the Harry Potter Reunion released on HBO Max, I was absolutely ecstatic. I have been a huge fan of Harry Potter since I was little, so going into this film, my expectations were very high.

Thankfully, just as I predicted, the reunion was beautifully-done! There is only one word that adequately summarizes this masterpiece: magical.

It was magical and captivating, and I had chills from beginning to end.

The film touched on all eight original movies and highlighted their impact on the cast, movie industry, fans, and literature appreciation. Featured actors, such as Danielle Radcliffe (Harry Potter), reflected upon the franchise’s monumental effect on their childhood and emphasized how grateful they felt to be part of such an amazing project. Harry Potter’s directors were also interviewed and given a fair bit of screen time, which was very insightful, since other members of the enter-

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tainment industry do not get as much attention and praise for their contributions. There was a big focus on the fans as well, who shared Harry Potter’s massive impact on their personal experiences. Last but not least, the film even focused on Harry Potter’s literary impact, nurturing the minds of readers to this day.

Its superb delivery on the positive messages of Harry Potter was insightful and reflective upon my own experiences as a fan. It was deeply nostalgic and touching, and the film did an amazing job of capturing all the emotions tied to the franchise. It was basically a heartfelt family reunion; it felt like coming home. So it was very heartbreaking when others were deeply critical of this film.

Naturally, I told my parents, friends, and family to watch this film. I was expecting mostly positive responses, at the very least. After all, this film deserves all the praise in the world…but no one seemed to care for it.

Some said it was okay. Others said

Reunion: Experience it was boring. A few others said they do not have HBO Max (to which I said they should get it just for this reunion).

Even a couple people joked that the Friends reunion was better. Most of all, I was mostly disappointed with my fellow Harry Potter fans, who said they felt indifferent.

I just did not understand. Was I just imagining the whole thing? Was it actually a bad film? Did I miss glaring issues with this film because I was a biased fan?

It turned out the media was also disappointed with the film. While there was a minority of critics who adored the film, the majority of the reviews were negative. Some refused to watch it because of the J.K. Rowling scandal, which is completely understandable and a valid reason to not watch the reunion. Some critics, however, claimed its sole purpose to be a marketing ploy for Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore, which I strongly disagree with. In my opinion, the film was more of a reflection on the previous movies made,

rather than promoting continuations of the series. Did they also forget that this was a 20 year reunion? The Friends reunion celebrated its 10 year anniversary. They had every right to celebrate the longelativity of the franchise without promoting any new content or receiving critical reviews. What difference does it make in a Harry Potter reunion? Yes, the release of the reunion was timely to the new Fantastic Beasts movie, but its purpose was to bring nostalgia and joy to its fans, not to revitalize a “dying” franchise.

Everyone has the right to their own opinion, but I strongly believe the Harry Potter reunion was a transformative, gorgeous experience (the HBO Max subscription is worth it just for this film). Even if you are not the biggest fan of Harry Potter, this film is a perfect family feature that appeals to all ages, all readers, and all enthusiasts of film.

If you are tired of scrolling through Netflix not finding anything to watch, please consider choosing this film!

Trust me, it is so worth your time.

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