22-23 The Whirlwind - Issue 5

TOTAL HOTTIE!!

HOW BEING BILINGUAL CHANGES YOUR VIEW (12-13)

EASY RECIPES FOR TEENS (23)

THE PERFECT

TEEN (11)

IT’S A GIRL WORLD

Learn all the hot topics and coolest secrets for girls in our current world! From the most adorable, not back-handed compliments to the trendiest self defense purse items, take a dive into the not-so amazing world of being a girl!

CONTENTS

Meet the Candidates: Profiles of each candidate running for the school board 04

Boiling Below: An in-depth analysis of the Willow Project and it’s local effects 05

Back to Bio: From surgery to recovery 06

A Breath of Fresh Air: Benefits and importance of having NARCAN in Albany 07

OPINION

Plastic Planet: A dive into various sustainable lifestyles 08

Trouble in the Mouse House: The problem with live action remakes 10

The Perfectly Imperfect Teenage Dream: What is the teenage dream? Is there a lack of discipline? 11

When Words Collide: How personality traits change with language 12

Start a New Page: The best genre is the one that gets someone to read 14

SPORTS

Sitting on the Sidelines: How athletes deal with injuries 15

Home is Where the Mat Is: Q&A with Ariana Martinez 16

Physical Education: Whether or not the class should be required 17

The Call to Arms: The importance of culture in team sports 18

An Athlete In The Making: How psychology affects performance in sports 20

ENTERTAINMENT

How the Turn Tables: Finding out how DJs work 21

Sticking to a Story: The importance of stickers to students 22

Over Easy: A list of easy recipies to learn! 23

Signature Sound: What kind of music are students listening to? 24

FEATURES

Three Purse Essentials: Self defense items under 30 dollars 27

It’s MORE Than you Think: A breakdown on Feminism and what it means 28

How to Ruin Rock n’ Roll: Reviewing the forms of Daisy Jones and The Six 25 7

DANG, Girl!: How who gives a compliment changes how it’s recieved 29

Disgusting Words: How slurs and other derogatory terms impact women 30

Close Up: Explains what ‘male gaze’ is and how it affects people 31

Cover | Mollie Brown, Mika Winder, and Gigi Roldan

EDITORS’ NOTE

As kids, we often find ourselves being pushed towards different activities, toys, colors, and more based on our gender. Although this isn’t always the case, it is easy to see the way that society has deemed to be for girls and guys.

Growing up, girls were often pushed towards things like playing with dolls, fashion, makeup, the color pink, to be “lady-like”, and other things that have been labeled as feminine. I clearly see trends in things that are perceived as feminine are often about body image or changing the way one’s body looks in various ways. Nail polish, straightening/curling hair, shaving, makeup, and more practices are all seen as something that girls, and by extension, women do.

On the other hand, boys are expected to be

THINKING OUTSIDE THE STEROTYPES

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interested in being outdoors, playing with boats, trucks, cars, planes, playing with toy guns (water guns, nerf guns), dinosaurs, sports, video games, and roughhousing. Masculine activities generally are aimed at exercise, being outdoors, and “tough, sweaty” work.

As kids, this can easily shape what we believe we are allowed to do or experience; something as simple as our favorite color can be influenced by gendered colors.

These preset beliefs can cause kids to seem like an outlier if they decide to enjoy the opposite of their gendered activities. For example, reporter Gigi Roldan often would have more fun in learning about dinosaur toys and running around in the dirt than a more feminine type of play, which often didn’t set into society’s preconceived notions.

These strict stereotypes also may cause people to feel uncomfortable with enjoying things that they like, especially if it adheres to the stereotype. In a society that also highly values individuality, being stereotypical can seem boring or embarrassing. Mollie Brown often felt pressured to be individualistic throughout middle school, and was teased based on the content that she was interested in. She was ashamed to be a Swiftie in an era where being a Swiftie was seen as basic and unoriginal, which led her to stop listening to one of her favorite artists.

Overall, strict stereotypes are harmful to almost everybody, because negativity is associated with those who adhere to and those who reject social standards.

In this issue, we have chosen a very specific design theme throughout our special section. We have referenced a very stereotypical teenage girl magazine, and paired it with stories that highlight the realities of stereotypes and how harmful they can be. Besides being a fun design choice, we hope that this issue will send our readers the message that adhering to a stereotype can be empowering.

Gigi Roldan and Mollie Brown, with support from Fredrick Wagner and Ming Wong The Whirlwind Editors in Chief

Editors-In-Chief

Gigi Roldan

Frederick Wagner

Ming Wong

Mollie Brown

News

Legend Engberg

Opinion

Avneet Dhaliwal

A’Shyia Swensen

Special Helen Whiteside

Sports

Hailey Miles

Arts & Entertainment

Marshall Hamel

Staff

Julia Berg

Jesus Cisneros-Obledo

Mina Clower

Edson S. Conn

Scotty Cummings

Tiana Harris

Fine Janzen

Oliver Kidd

Emi Ludlow

Cadence McAllaster

Yesenia Rosas

Fraser Scott

Kayla Stefan

Ishan Vashisht

Taylour Veith

Bri White

Mika Winder

Adviser

Michelle Balmeo

CONTACT US

Corrections and Letters to the Editors

Please send corrections or comments on this issue to: wahswhirlwind@gmail.com

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THE WHIRLWIND is a dedicated student forum. Content and editorial decisions are made by student staff members exercising their rights as protected by the First Amendment and the Oregon Student Free Expression Law (Ore. Rev. Stat. sec. 336.477 (2007)). Opinions are those of The Whirlwind staff and not West Albany High School or the Greater Albany Public School District.

Meet the Candidates

SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION CANDIDATES POSITION AND INTENTS WITH THE DISTRICT

In 2018, Eric Aguinaga won a seat on the school board. During Aguinaga´s tenure he states his main focus in Zone 2 of the district comes down to student and staff safety, fiscal responsibility with the school budget, and reducing class sizes. Though, he states he only ever wanted to serve one term.

“If I felt that there were people that were able to carry on the mission,” said Aguinaga, “then I could say, ‘I would be done.’ I feel there’s three really good gentlemen on the board, but they’re going to carry on the same mission that we’ve been working on.”

With the election coming to an end on May 16, Aguinaga´s seat will be filled by one of three individuals: Ryan Mattingly, Lyle Utt and Benjamin Watts. Another seat, in zone 3, is being fought for by Sean Taylor and Michael Thomson, who is running for reelection.

Watts stated that at the top of his list is equity Watts. He stated that he wants to focus on learning about others and their struggles along with their different perspectives. Watts said that he noticed its importance well in the military, after meeting a young man on a bus for basic training, who got shocked at the sight of a cow, he had never seen one before in person.

“A good example of the types of lived experiences that are just kind of foreign to me,” Watts said, “... I want to work with members of the community with parents and students to understand what the challenges and the barriers are and to help develop tools to overcome those barriers or remove the barriers…”

Along with equity, Watts stated that he also wants to focus on learning loss in district students as well as improving access to behavioral and mental health resources in schools which will, in turn, help with that learning loss.

“By addressing behaviors in the classrooms and having professionals who can help students and help teachers know the warning signs of when somebody is going into a crisis.”

Originally part of the budget committee, Utt served on the school board as a member from 2011 to 2018 in the seat later filled by current board member Micheal Thompson.

¨I assisted in the passage of the bond that started the reconstruction and replacement of West Albany High School,” Utt said.

Utt’s main focus if elected to the school board will be on monitoring the board and trying to keep it out of the news; he stated that currently they have too much unwanted exposure. Utt said that this kind of news attention, for example following the non-renewal of superintendent Melissa Goff’s contract and the recent non-renewal of two other district leaders’ contracts, will make it more difficult to retain and hire teachers.

Along with that, he stated the importance of parent involvement with board meetings, especially Spanish speaking parents who he feels should be outreached to more for their involvement.

“If you look at the population of Spanish speaking parents in our district, that’s a huge section,” Utt said. “By ignoring them, you’re not reaching some of those parents and, thus, getting them engaged and keeping their kids on track to graduate.”

For 14 years, Mattingly was the special program director for the district, retiring in 2020. During his time in the position, he oversaw special education in partnership with nursing, having to work with social workers as well.

“I managed those departments, the budgets, the staff and sort of supervise the roles of those,” Mattingly said.

He states that the direction the district is heading in is the right one, but would like more priority when it comes to student learning rather than conflict. Mattingly said that adult problems need to be kept out of schools, such as with the termination of staff.

“That’s been an issue that’s taken up time during the board meetings,” Mattingly said, “which has led to some uncivil conversation. I think there’s been a lot of push and pull on curriculum issues, issues that aren’t really relevant to classrooms.”

With what he states, his whole career being around students with disabilities, Mattingly wants those students to get access to the programs they need, and he wants to help students who struggle in a traditional classroom setting.

“I want to make sure we have options for all kids,” said Mattingly. “so that all kids can find a niche.”

The main goal of his running, Taylor said, is to take care of the community, helping with the future. He wants to make a point that he is not a politician.

“I’m doing this just because I care about the community,” Taylor said, “and my kids are going to be a part of the future of this community.”

Having found his job in contracting and gaining a small business through odd jobs during college, Taylor states that he had to work his way up in his career field to get where he is now. He believes in the worth of not just going straight into a university right after high school.

“I see the value of going to a four year college,” said Taylor, “but I also can see the value of people that either just want to start working right after high school... [or go into] technical school or some kind of career learning along those lines that isn’t necessarily a four year college. There can be immense value in that.”

Taylor said that just having opportunities that concur with a student’s passion and skills is the best way to find out what they love.

When the pandemic occurred, the school board complied with protocols, which included limited contact with individuals leading to the exclusion of in person comments when board meetings moved online. In recent months, the school board has gone away from Zoom meetings and back over to in-person meetings that are open to the public, however. Thomson says that he wants to help bring back public involvement.

“We have to. We have to figure out a way to allow people to participate” Thomson said. “We had to figure out a way for those people to comment if they wanted to.”

Though there are listening sessions where the community can give input, Thomson stated they are missing transparency with the public and says he wants to help get more community input.

“I get bits and pieces of the other [listening sessions], but I don’t get much, and there’s no record taken, so it kind of just exists in the air and goes away,” Thomson said. “And I just think this is a time especially when we have some contentious issues.”

Story by Legend Engberg and photo used with permission of candidates

MICHAEL THOMSON

LYLE UTT RYAN MATTINGLY SEAN TAYLOR BENJAMIN WATTS

ZONE 2 ELECTION CANDIDATES

ZONE 3 ELECTION CANDIDATES

A Breath of Fresh Air

HOW NARCAN SAVES LIVES AND HOW IT WILL HELP ALBANY

Story by Scotty Cummings

Opioids have very helpful outcomes when used in the correct way, but when not, they can be very dangerous and detrimental.

Different types of opioids are safe for prescription use such as; oxycodone, morphine, and codeine, which are pain relievers. However, some opioids are known for being highly addictive and harmful.

Heroin and fentanyl are incredibly dangerous and have become fairly popular in Albany according to the Albany Police Department.

Opioids may affect a person’s mood or attitude toward things in a negative matter. This could change relationships with friends or family who you could be close with.

Senior Spencer Cannaday explained, “When I was struggling with drug use, I was rude to a lot of people. A lot of the time I didn’t want to be rude, it was just because that was how the drug changed and affected me,” explains, who struggled

with drug addiction.

These opioids are often used illegally and dangerously, putting the consumer at the risk of an overdose. An overdose is an excessive and dangerous dose of a drug which may possibly include prescription drugs if taken the wrong way. There has been a somewhat recent anti-overdosing nasal spray called NARCAN. NARCAN is a very significant type of nasal spray that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose taking a big step for the health industry.

“NARCAN is a medication that you can give to people who are overdosing on opioids that will stop the overdose temporarily,” said Teacher Amber Ferguson, who teaches English at West Albany High School. Ferguson said the medication may last a short period of time, being 60-90 minutes, which is why somebody might have to administer multiple doses. These doses can be administered by anyone seeing how this is not a prescription drug.

“If somebody who was unconscious and NARCAN was given to them and they ended up not overdosing, it would not harm them and would be better than doing nothing. There is no risk,” Ferguson said. NARCAN is a medication that can be used to save countless lives. Acknowledge that although there are obvious benefits to NARCAN, there are some people that think it could do more harm than good. Some people like Cannaday argued that

the access to NARCAN could possibly increase the amount of opioid use present because they would be safer.

Ferguson says NARCAN saves lives, not seeing negatives coming from the recent access to NARCAN encouraging it for the community. “I believe that even though it may increase the chances of survival, there is still a good chance of death. It’s not 100% certain you will live. It’s still a gamble,” Ferguson says. She wants everyone to know the risk of opioids and how to possibly save someone’s life.

“It’s important to really think about how big an issue opioids are. A lot of the time it’s one of those things that people don’t really think about until it’s directly in front of them or affecting someone they know, and it is really important to consider the dangers of opioids and the significance of NARCAN,” Cannaday explains. For many people it may be easy to disregard issues that seem out of reach or not applicable to them. Learning and understanding that information can be very important when coming up with solutions.

“Being someone who works with teenagers I think it’s really important that people know about NARCAN, how it works, and that they can carry it. Being informed on NARCAN can make a difference in our community,” Ferguson concludes.

Back to Bio

HOW SCIENCE TEACHER SHANA HAINS HAS NAVIGATED HER RECOVERY AFTER SURGERY

By Mollie Brown

Let’s say you have 100 skittles. If I told you seven of those skittles could kill you, would you still want to eat any?” science teacher Shana Hains said.

Discovering a potentially lifealtering condition is understandably a very scary experience. When Hains received the news concerning her MRI that confirmed the presence of three meningioma located near her brain and a seven percent chance of going blind, her first response was to call former students.

“Jennifer Wu, who is a neurosurgeon at Harvard [and a former student], responded to my call within minutes,” Hains said. “She walked me through my MRI and told me a little bit about what to expect.”

Meningioma is a tumor that arises from the meninges, or the layers of tissue that protect the brain and spinal cord. Hains first suspected something was wrong when she experienced problems with her vision, a common symptom for meningioma.

She first consulted her optometrist, who found that her optic nerve was swollen, which is why she was recommended for an MRI. Her MRI revealed the tumors, one located on her left optic nerve, another on her frontal lobe, and a third on her brain stem. The sensitive location of these

tumors would require very precise treatment.

Fortunately, the meningioma located on Hains’ frontal lobe could be removed with a somewhat simple procedure. This was not the case with the other two.

“Removing the tumor on my optic nerve would be too much of a risky option,” Hains said.

The location of her tumor being so close to the area where her optic nerves crossed meant that removal could cause blindness in not only one, but potentially both of her eyes. Instead of a removal, a small cavity was taken out of her skull in order to make room for the tumor. This relieved the pressure it had been

applying to her optic nerve and allowed her vision to return back to normal. Unfortunately, she says this surgery was very invasive and required a long, uncomfortable recovery.

“What I hadn’t anticipated was the concussion side effects,” Hains said.

Since her brain had been displaced in order for the surgeons to complete the procedure, she experienced severe concussion symptoms, including fatigue and fogginess.

The tumor on her brain stem is located near a cluster of important blood vessels, making removal a very dangerous option. For both the meningioma located on her brain stem and her optic nerve, Hains received 30 days of targeted radiation to kill the cancer cells or stop their growth. This method of treatment uses very narrow intersecting beams of high intensity radiation to target the tumor more exactly, while also limiting the damage caused to surrounding cells.

“Where the beams cross, the frequency of the waves amplifies,” Hains said.

After 30 days of radiation, Hains said she expects to have regular MRIs to monitor the status of her tumors.

The taxing effects of both surgery and radiation therapy required Hains to take a significant time off from teaching. She said that although she felt responsible for her students’ learning, especially her AP Biology class, she knew that the time was crucial for her to recover.

After her return, she spoke positively about the community at West, and the support she recieved.

“I was overwhelmed with the amount of love I received from the staff,” Hains said.

She said that after having taught together for upwards of 20 years, the staff was very tight knit, and she was grateful for the letters, blankets, cards, and food she received from some of her close friends and coworkers.

Hains mentioned receiving a mixed response from her students, although many were grateful to return to her familiar method of teaching.

“I’ve already started using it as a teaching opportunity in my classes,” Hains said.

RADIATION TREATMENT PROCESS

CONSULTATION

An appointment is made with a radiation oncologist. The patient and doctor review their medical history, and typically therapy radiation is the chosen treatment.

SIMULATION

This step allows the doctor to find exactly where the tumor is. Sometimes patients are asked to swallow a contrast agent, or they are immobilized with a custom device.

TREATMENT PLANNING DELIVERY & FOLLOW UP

The focus of this step is planning how to deliver a high dose of radiation to more accurately target the tumor and protect the surrounding tissue.

The patient is placed in the position for treatment, then radiation therapists deliver the dose. Treatment normally takes no more than 20 minutes. After treatment, another appointment is scheduled to monitor recovery.

Science teacher

Shana Hains recieves fitting for cancer radiation treatment on Feb. 9. Photos used with permission of Chris Hains

Science teacher Shana Hains being secured into radiology machine on Feb. 9 prior to her first administration of radiation treatment

Information found from the Stony Brook Cancer Center

Practice Makes Perfect

Story by Mina Clower

According to the National Institutes of Health, 31.5 percent of people come out of surgery with a complication. That means if you look to your left, and look right, and you and the people next to you went into surgery, most likely one of you would come out with a complication. But one company here in Albany wants to do something about it.

A complication is a medical problem that occurs during or after the procedure. It can mean someone might have to receive extra surgery as a result, days in the hospital, and repeated doctor visits. Local company Lazarus 3D’s goal is to help surgeons perfect surgery without having all of their learning experiences happen in the operating room. The type of model Lazarus 3D makes is a medical device called a diagnostic radiological device. Smirti and Jacques Zaneveld are the founders of Lazarus 3d, and both studied at Baylor College of Medicine in Tex- as while getting their Ph. D.s in genet- ics. “That’s where we really identified the problem to begin with because we really wanted to know why people are having these complications,” Smirti said. So Smirti and Jacques decided to develop a technology to help prevent complications by giving surgeons more experience with risky or specific surgeries.

“Our real goal is to make one of each of a million different individual specific products that are built to care for just that one patient in a very personal way,” Jacques said.

Lazarus specifically makes products for each patient through computerized tomography scans that allows them to make a replica organ out of a synthetic soft tissue material that mimics human tissue. Through this surgeons are able to rehearse the surgery without putting the patient at risk, and if all goes well, the surgeon can de-

FROM TEXAS TO OREGON

There are very few Biotech companies in Oregon which might make people wonder, why here? “We want to be in a place that, made us feel good about having a balance and having a connection with nature, ” Lazarus 3D founder Smirti Zaneveld Ph. D. said.

According to Lazarus, there are many people in Oregon that are eager to be working on the front line of such new technology. “In In terms of the two or three large universities that have these programs that are really direct relevance to our needs,” Smirti said.

Along with these reasons Lazarus says that Albany has been a very accepting and welcoming community.“The Mayor of the City of Albany, the City Manager, the Economic Development Office, even other businesses in the city and in the state have been immensely supportive of us and just welcoming and this is not something you get in another place,” Smirti said.

“So it’s really something that’s commendable and something that Oregonians should be very proud of.”

cide to perform the surgery on the patient themselves.

“They’re going to look at the surrounding structures and if they were all intact and everything went as intended, then they are going to be ready to proceed,” Smirti said.

According to Smirti, Lazarus is the only company with FDA cleared technology to rehearse on a soft tissue organ ahead of time. They invented this technology last year. According to Jacques, the process of getting something FDA cleared is time consuming and takes years on average, requiring 21 different steps for clearance.

“Our competitors can make models of hard plastic, but we’re really the pioneers for this surgical rehearsal concept,” Smirti said.

However, they are currently only FDA cleared to print genitals and urinary conditions for patients and hospitals. “That is the limitation of where we are at today,” Smirti said. “However, this is still a pretty significant market. Seventy thousand people get diagnosed with kidney cancer and are surgically treated for it each year.”

Despite this, surgeons using the models produced by Lazarus have already seen a dramatic increase in success. “In every single case, so far, there has been an increase in surgical care with those patients,” said Jacques. On average, orthopedic surgeries that use 3D models are said to reduce operation time by 19.5 percent for kidney cancer and half a day less in the hospital recovering.

Lazarus 3D is paving the way in advancing healthcare and wants to become more accessible and have a greater selection of approved models.They are currently in the process of getting more models cleared. “What about people who have very rare conditions in their brain, or in their heart, or in their liver, or in their toes? We want to be able to build very good models that are replicas of those patients for those other complex conditions,” Smirti said.

“Our goal is for every surgery in the United States where a doctor would benefit from this technology for it to be available,” Jaqcues said.

HOW LOCAL COMPANY LAZARUS 3D IS PAVING THE WAY IN MODERN MEDICINE

OUR GOAL IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM A NORMAL COMPANY.

A digital model of a kidney growing a tumor created by bio-tech company Lazarus 3D, located in Albany.

1999

ConocoPhillips, the company that is pursuing the Willow Project, gets the land to build it.

2022

2018

ConocoPhillips began getting all the legal documents they needed to undergo the project.

THE IMPACT OF THE WILLOW PROJECT

The Willow project is a plan to drill oil in Alaska that could produce up to 576 million barrels of oil, but it will also produce up to 239 million metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere according to the Bureau of Land Management . How could that much carbon emissions affect cities the size of our community?

The CO2 amounts from the drilling would cause warmer winters, hotter summers, forest fires would become more common, and an increase in the greenhouse effect, science teacher Lucas Risinger said.

“Number one is just more CO2 and Methane into the atmosphere and [it] will just further climate change, which is already well in the works,” science teacher Gareth Engler said, “and plenty of what we’ve done is going to happen no matter what if we stopped today.”

ConocoPhillips meets the environmental mandate laws

Animal ecosystems would be affected by the Willow

project’s environmental hazards. Science Teacher Mike Garnier says that the CO2 emissions could make floods and droughts worse and could ruin the environment for animals. Animals like polar bears, penguins, arctic foxes and any and all arctic animals would be affected by the changing climate.

Aside from the environmental effects, how will the Willow project affect our economy?

According to Risinger,this project will expand the fossil fuel industry, put our economy further into the wrong direction, and create jobs, but only for a short period of time.

“I’d much rather that we didn’t do it, because now we’re trashing yet another place,” Engler said. “Once you’re [Biden] going through with it, of course, there will probably be some leaks.”

2023

President Biden signed and approved the Willow Project

Story by Tiana Harris and illustration by Mollie Brown

NOW WE’RE TRASHING YET ANOTHER PLACE

Global warming. Climate change, the environment, sustainability and eco-friendly. All buzzwords that have gradually been increasing in academic journals, news outlets, corporations, federal institutions, and the general public.

But should environmental health be anything worth stressing about? “Climate change doesn’t seem to be affecting me nor my personal life, so why should I care?” is a common argument some use, especially more conservatively leaning people, to deny the impact of climate change.

People have debates about all sorts of topics in order to see both sides of an argument. Yet, when it comes to something like the future of our planet, intense division shouldn’t be an option.

Unnecessary debate can give people a platform that would only use it to spread paranoia and misinformation. The failing condition of our planet has been talked about for decades with a multitude of warnings from environmental professionals whose work has repeatedly been disregarded.

The neglect towards the environment becomes apparent when corporations are allowed to mass produce their products for profit without boundaries and without considering how their actions hurt everyone and everything..

Science teacher Gareth Engler said, “we as taxpayers and world citizens are paying for [the damage caused by corporations] in terms of health, cleanups, and other costs.”

However, since the late 90’s, environmental education has steadily been on the rise. With higher rates of the population becoming aware of the effect they have on the environment.

A large number of people have integrated more eco-friendly habits into their daily routines. Subtle techniques like; turning the faucet off when brushing our teeth, turning the lights off when they’re not in the room, reusable water bottles and tupperware, as well as many other strategies. Yet we, as the general public, are still being pushed as the perpetrator who commits

the majority of damage done to the environment.

“It’s difficult for the average person to take control of the climate crisis, especially, with no government to follow behind,” sophomore Kelsie Buck said.

“You can’t really combat what the government’s doing”.

environment and include the government to help them get to the point [where they are working for the well-being of all, not just the economy.]”.

In all of the buzz around being sustainable and eco-friendly, the talk around environmentalism has become progressively more political. With people being pressured to take sides on whether or not they would consider themselves to be placed under the label of an “environmentalist.”

Something that some would consider a disdainful label. People forget that whatever harmful thing hits the environment will come to bite them back sooner or later. Engler said,

Despite this, the average person should not become dejected. Though sustainability is placed under the label of a trend at the moment; large brands, one of them being Nike, has launched a subbrand, Nike Grind, that is dedicated to restoring or recycling worn Nike shoes and apparel into new products.

Sophomore Imari Miller said, “When people are [recycling and reusing], they can influence a lot more people…It’s beneficial. The public should advocate for the

Plastic Planet

MAY 2023

Story and Photos by Avneet Dhaliwal

HOW STARTING SMALL CAN LEAD TO BIG ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

“ OPINION

Trouble in the Mouse House

THE STYLISTIC PROBLEM WITH DISNEY REMAKES

By A’Shiya Swenson

Ever since the 2010’s Disney has been releasing many prominent ‘live action’ remakes of their popular animated films. With the advance of CGI Disney has decided to capitalize on recreating it’s old stories in new technology. There’s an obvious reason for this phenomenon: mice like cheddar.

Disney is a company that makes it’s money through getting people to watch its films. The link to nostalgia these remakes hold guarantees the theater seats fill up. Who doesn’t remember opening up that fat plastic VHS case?

This animation trend towards realism was always predictable, ever since Disney chose to abandon it’s signature 2D style that built it up in the first place in favor of newer, less expensive technology that’s less tedious to work with but is arguably harder to look at, especially in the early days with movies like toy story.

This could possibly be attributed to the size of the company which employs more than 5000 employees. It seems the more people added to a creative project, the more likely a concept is to loose it’s personality and originality and favor income and speed over art.

Comparatively, smaller animation companies such as Studio Ghibli (182 employees) and Laika Studios (362 employees) have the ability to take more risk as they make their work based on passion. With so much development, Disney has become a corporate god, which eats money to survive. Smaller animation studios can afford to put in more care and time, while Disney needs to keep putting out movies as quick as it can.

There used to be a time when Disney took more risks with its art. Unfortunately, animated movies that spend a lot of time in production don’t always get their money back. The Disney movie Fantasia, made to showcase the animation skills and musical abilities of the Disney team was an absolute box office flop in the 1940’s, which can also be seen through other works. The most recent movie out of Laika studios Missing Link was a box office flop as well. Animation isn’t always treasured as much as it should be by theater audiences, even

if they end up being admired for their art later on. Missing link went on to win a Golden Globe award, for example.

The problem with Disney remakes is that a story is usually animated for a reason. Animation is art. It allows the creators to add beauty and specific touches to a movie that couldn’t be done any other way. Animation done well makes the movie feel as thought it is all real, rather than just look realistic. The artistic merit of a piece of art isn’t judged by how similar it is to life, but by how much it expresses real human feelings.

The Scream is visually interesting because it isn’t trying to be real. Picasso cultivated acclaim because the subjects said he didn’t paint them, he painted the essence of them.

How many people would honestly rather watch The Lion King remake than the original? Its an obvious choice for the audience both are aiming for. Compare the colors, the storyline, the life of the characters. How ironic is it that cartoon animals have more life to them than the photo-realistic counterpart?

While these live action remakes don’t have to stop, Disney need to keep testing the limits of animation. The Aladdin remake didn’t even have Jafar turn into a giant snake, which is one of the coolest parts of the original movie. These remakes have limited color palettes that aren’t interesting to anybody! Even normal live action shows have good color palettes.

The best of these remakes are the ones that take these stories and do something new. Cruella was cool. Cruella knew it couldn’t be just another remake because the Cruella remake had been done, so the writers took a spin on the character. The most unwatchable remakes take the worst parts of the original story while taking out all the magic: music, comedic characters, and colorful backgrounds in favor of realism and end up being exactly what they try to be: Dull, serious, and realistic. They’re betraying their audience, children who need some hope and magic in their lives. Adults, too.

THE PROBLEM WITH DISNEY REMAKES IS THAT A STORY IS ANIMATED FOR A REASON. ANIMATION DONE WELL MAKES THE MOVIE FEEL LIKE LIFE, RATHER THAN JUST LOOK REAL.

The Perfectly Imperfect Teenage Dream

ARE TEENAGERS NOT DISCIPLINED ENOUGH TO HARNESS THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE PERFECT TEENAGE DREAM?

By Edson S. Conn

WScroll through apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, and you will inevitably come across post after post of teenagers in the gym “shredding” their bodies, at late night parties, couples making out in the corners, and people showing off their name-brand clothes they don’t even like. These are just parts of the trend of the 21st Century, and what is a trend when you’re not part of it?

OPINION

Over the years, the connotation of the term “teenager” has gone through some changes. The word has gone from referring to a young adult to being associated with rebellion, aggression, and irresponsibility. The stereotypical teenage life consists of being able to do as one wishes: drinking, sneaking out, rebelling, hanging out with friends, sleeping in, not caring about anything, and doing high-risk activities.

they have to post pictures to prove that they work out and play their sport at an extreme level in order to feel like their peers accept them. Burgeoning student writers have to come up with exciting new ideas, even though the world feels as though it has been drained of all fresh ideas. Many teens have lost the ability to be creative. The media provides us with our every thought. On top of this, AI can now present us with clear versions of our rough ideas that we didn’t put any effort in.

THE STEREOTYPICAL TEENAGE LIFE CONSISTS OF BEING ABLE TO DO AS ONE WISHES: DRINKING, SNEAKING OUT, REBELLING, HANGING OUT WITH FRIENDS, SLEEPING IN, NOT CARING ABOUT ANYTHING, AND DOING HIGH-RISK ACTIVITIES.

With this in mind, teenagers are stressed out and putting unnecessary pressure on themselves because they don’t express their ‘perfect image’ to the world. If the media does not see their new friend group or their new outfit, then many teens become self-conscious and can’t function because they feel out of place. New versions of themselves are made to fit the new standard the world has produced for them.

Those of us that have figured out how to present ourselves still suffer from the idea of not being good enough. Athletes feel

Subsequently, with all of this comes aggression and rebellion. Because things don’t go our way, or we don’t get the things that we want, we strive to make everybody else miserable. Teens today have it easy, but also difficult. Many are struggling because they lack the discipline and critical thinking skills to live a stress free life. We want money and romantic relationships, but also don’t know how to go about finding a partner or even sometimes take care of ourselves.

Rebellions in school are more common.

Run-aways and kidnappings are becoming more common.

The saying is that “money doesn’t grow on trees,” but we can at least plant the seed of success within ourselves and give it a chance to grow without the influence of social media, stereotypes, and some discipline. Maybe, just maybe, we can achieve that perfect teenage life we so greatly desire.

The term “teenager” had not been used yet. Many were either children or adults, no split between age. Time was spent working full time jobs that required them to be patient, focused, and full of discipline. Jobs that may have caused them injury or long term health problems, like working in factories.

The idea of getting paid to do daily chores like sweeping and washing laundry (by hand) has not crossed anybody’s mind. Nine to sixteen year olds were expected to do work without complaint.

With the beginning of a new century, attitudes toward unpaid work and extra time began to change. Employers began six day work days, and on top of that, they allowed two week vacations. This extra time was spent with friends, at musical theaters, or at the beach.

The Great Depression (1929-1939) had an impact on jobs and work opportunities. The term “teenager” is introduced and teens discover that they can begin working for money since their parents are as well. Most got to keep the money they earned.

MySpace, Facebook, and many other social media platforms began to circulate around. So many teens and young adults felt the desire from themselves to document their lives on social media, causing stress and displeasure.

This is the perfect time for teenagers to utilize the amount of freedom we have. We have no idea where to begin. Work is out of the question, for now. We want to be our own people, but our identity crisis that may lack basis cripples the fighter within us, making us feel insecure and undisciplined.

HOW TEENAGERS HAVE CHANGED OVER THE YEARS

When Words

Collide

HOW BILINGUALISM SHAPES OUR EXPERIENCES WITH THE WORLD

Story by Fine Janzen, Photos by Joe Wagner

Are you more closed off in Chinese, funnier in Spanish, or more outgoing in English? This is the reality of bilingual and multilingual people. Personality is what makes us unique and different from everyone else, but have you ever considered that bilingual or multilingual people could have different experiences in each language?

I, as a bilingual person who speaks German and Spanish, have experienced this — knowing two languages perfectly, but at the same time feeling that you don’t not know any perfectly. Growing up in one culture and speaking that language, but then also living in a completely different culture and speaking a different language, shaped me and my personality.

Children whose parents speak another language normally learn their parents’ language first and then the language of the country they are living in. You would think that those children’s mother language is their parents’, but that isn’t always the case, especially in America.

“I would like to say Russian [is my mother language], but at this point, I feel like English is easier for me,” sophomore Stacy Yakavenka, a Russian speaker, who has spoken Russian for a longer time than English, said.

On the other hand, freshman Jerry Wang, a Chinese speaker, said that “Chinese [is his mother language] because it is cool,” but that it depends on the occasion.

VANISHING OF A LANGUAGE

More and more children aren’t learning their relatives’ languages because no one teaches them. Research from the UCLA Asia Pacific Center shows that it takes three generations to lose a family’s native language. It is not only sad that the children don’t know the language, but tragic knowing they are losing essential parts of their relatives’ culture.

Preserving a language is really difficult, especially when you live in a country where there is a lot of pressure to shift to the country’s culture, also known as assimilating. This makes a lot of families not only lose their language but also their culture. A lot of children whose parents immigrated don’t even learn their

[I PREFER ENGLISH]

BECAUSE I CAN ALSO SPEAK THE SAME AS [AMERICANS DO] EVEN THOUGH I’M FROM A DIFFERENT PLACE

relative’s language.

But even the children that do speak their parents’ language often don’t feel that connected to the language, and feel more accepted and understood in English and the American culture.

This makes a lot of bilinguals not feel comfortable talking in their mother language. Speaking in the language of the country where you live is easier most of the time, and they may feel more secure since everyone else also speaks English.

Bilinguals are under the pressure of the community to learn the language of the country they live in and to drop their own culture to be as American as everyone else.

This pressure of fitting in creates the issue that parents don’t bother to teach their children how to read and/or write in their parents’ language.

“I tried to learn [to read and write in Punjabi] … and then I gave up,” freshman Ritish Ratanpal, a Punjabi speaker, said; since Punjabi has another alphabet and he never learned it as a child. Ratanpal regrets that he never learned how to read and write in Punjabi.

“

I FEEL LIKE I HAVE AN ANGRIER TONE WHEN I AM SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN

DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES FROM DIFFERENT

PERSPECTIVES

Despite this fact, the experience of bilinguals is different for everyone. “The feeling [I feel when I am] talking in Punjabi is just different,” Ratanpal said. He would always choose to speak Punjabi with people if he had the choice to do so.

Others, like junior Alex Cortes, a Spanish speaker, prefer speaking English because, as he said, “We are in America.”

I prefer speaking German; it is the language where I feel I can express myself

“

WE STILL IDENTIFY AS CHINESE AND WE STILL ALWAYS AND FOREVER BE ETHNICALLY CHINESE

Jerry Wang

Alex Cortes

the best and where I feel most comfortable with knowing the most vocabulary.

Being secure and feeling comfortable in situations also sometimes make up someone’s personality. For bilinguals, it can slightly change depending on which language they are speaking.

“I feel more comfortable speaking Spanish because some people say [that] my English isn’t very good,”Cortes said.

This occurrence happens a lot where kids don’t feel as comfortable speaking the language where they live because other people say they have an accent. It makes some children more shy and introverted in English than in their native language.

SPEAKING IN A SECRET LANGUAGE

The feeling of speaking your mother tongue can give you more security; it is a kind of confidence that you don’t receive in any other language. You can be confident speaking other languages, but feeling comfortable speaking your “mother” language hits different. Speaking your parents’ language is like speaking a “secret language,” Ratanpal said, since no one else understands what you are saying.

I have experienced that feeling, too. When I am with my brother in Spain, we speak in German, so no one can understand us, but when we are in Germany, we speak in Spanish. My mother language is German and it is my preferred language. It is easier to express my feelings and emotions. I feel like in German there are more words to describe how I feel, and sometimes in Spanish or English, there is a lack of words. On some occasions I want to say something and there just isn’t the right word to describe what I want to say; there are synonyms, but not the right words.

“One language doesn’t convey feelings [as] the other [one], so I like change between them,” Wang said.

It is really common to swap words while you are speaking, especially when the person you are talking to knows both languages. You may not find the perfect word in one language, so you just say it in the other language because it fits better with what you are trying to say

One of the downsides of being bilingual is forgetting words. What happens really often is that you not only forget the words in one language, you forget them in all of the languages you know. Your brain goes completely blank. Then you have to describe the item; however, how are we supposed to describe a bell pepper or a blanket. They are common words that just aren’t in your brain. Wang came back from China and he didn’t remember the word for some animals and forgot how to spell things in English.

“I usually just pause,” Yakavenka said when they completely forget the word in a language. Yakavenka tries to describe the word and insert descriptive words to explain it to someone else.

A lot of people assume that bilingual people just translate the words in their head. Indeed, bilinguals do that with specific words, but most of the time we don’t.

“I think it is just there,” Cortes said.

Bilinguals have two different languages in their head that they’re proficient in, automatically aware of what a word is without feeling the need to manually translate it in their head.

Being bilingual has a lot of positive sides. Knowing more than one language, being able to communicate with people from multiple countries, growing up in multiple cultures, among other benefits. But bilinguals are also living in-between two worlds, being in a conflict to which country and ethnicity one should belong.They don’t feel one hundred percent accepted in either culture and having a conflict with oneself about which language they would prefer to speak in.

Academic Servants

PARENTS CHECKING KIDS’ GRADES INFLUENCES THEIR SUCCESS

Story by Ishan Vashisht

There are also a lot of other students who feel the way freshman Zyon Moevao does. “When my parents check my grades, I get a little nervous,” Moevao said. Though it can be nerve-wracking, a lot of kids do well in school because of the standards that their parents hold for them. Usually, the reason parents put those standards on their children is because they care about their kids.

For study skills teacher Shanna Turner, checking her kids’ grades weekly is, “empowering [her] kids to make sure they are holding themselves accountable,“. The reason some parents check their children’s grades is because it feels like a sense of responsibility on the parent’s part and instills responsibility within the teenager to stay on top of their assignments. However this is a good thing because it can keep the student in check and ensure their success.

“The controlling aspect comes from trust being broken,” Turner said. The trust broken mean if they start acting suspicious and secretive.

The main reason she checks her kids’ grades is because of trust. When parents check grades, it can stress students out. It is building up good stress because they can put a reasonable expectation on their kids that they can live up to. They are also creating a sense of responsibility because students know that their parents are going to check their grades; therefore, they have to make sure it is reaching their parents’ standards.

ACCOUNTABLE

It can also build their own standards and allows them to develop a good sense of responsibility that will stay with them as they head off to college or into the workforce. Turner believes that parents should guide their kids instead of controlling them. Parents should encourage students to develop their own standards for their grades by offering support .

percent of Americans high school grades are major factor for students to get in to college, according to The Pew Research Center

Study shows that parents’ involvement in checking grades, students grades have a higher level of academic performance.Then parents who are less involved with their children grades . Study also shows that parents’ involvement has a benefit on the relationship between the child and parent . The effect it has on students is that their classroom behavior turns out better when they know their parents are gonna check their grades. The good habits you develop as a young adult will accompany you as you grow older. Through accumulating responsibilities like checking your grades and being able to fix them without being nagged at by your guardians allows for growth towards independence and immaturity. This independence can apply in the workforce because you have built a good sense of responsibility and ownership of your own work. The stress that builds up from parents checking grades will end up helping students in the long run.

I THINK IN ENGLISH. I HAVE NEVER THOUGHT IN PUNJABI. I HAVE NEVER USED THE WRONG LANGUAGE

“

[RUSSIAN] IS STILL A SPECIAL LANGUAGE [FOR ME]

“

Ritish Ratanpal

Stacy Yakavenka

EMPOWERING MY KIDS TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE HOLDING THEMSLVES

Start a New Page

THE BEST GENRE IS THE ONE THAT GETS PEOPLE TO READ

Story and Art by Julia Berg

In order of top to bottom this is a ranking of most checked book genre out at the school library.

genre is fantasy. Fantasy is a very broad genre covering many topics and ideas with one connecting factor – the magical and the mythical. These things are represented in many different ways, so picking up a new fantasy book can be really enjoyable and surprising. You just don’t know how the content will be represented. Fantasy also covers a lot of interests, so it makes sense that it is the most popular genre.

OPINION

Over one million books are published each year, adding to the immeasurable number of books already published. These books can then be picked up by casual readers, or aspiring writers. Those same books could also be added to some reader’s favorites, sometimes making a bridge to new genres for the reader. Books cover a wide range of interests. These different interests are put into groups based on similarities making genres. Some people stick to one genre, making many claims and providing a multitude of arguments as to why that genre is the best, while others try to branch out by dipping their toes into many book genres. No matter what kind of reader someone is, there is most likely a genre out there for them.

The saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” is quite popular, being used to describe many things. This same thing can be said about another aspect of books – genres. The genre determines many things about a book; from the flow of the story, to the formatting of the story.

“THE BEST GENRE IS THE ONE THAT GETS YOU TO READ LIBRARIAN

For example, when you think of horror, you might think of killers, gore, nightmares, and clowns. This is how much a genre impacts the way that people view a book. Some people might even avoid a book just because it is in a genre they don’t usually read. But, on the other end of the spectrum, genres can really help direct a person to books that interest them.

According to librarian Jean Gritter around five years ago the school library didn’t look like how it does today. The library has since then been reworked to make sections for genres and ever since, the amount of books checked out has gone up.

If you look at the rankings for most checked out books at the school library, the most popular

There is a lot to explore in fantasy and other genres. Fantasy is the most checked out genre, which must imply that it is the best genre. There are a lot of people who really enjoy fantasy, making it really popular. It’s also very multifaceted so it appeals to a wide range of people. There’s really no downside to not reading the most popular genre. It is liked by a lot of people so you can talk about books to a larger audience, and many people write in the fantasy genre making access to more books easier. Just because this is the case doesn’t mean that many people enjoy a genre that others wouldn’t even consider reading. These differing tastes and opinions lead to people saying that different genres are the best genres. This is why the best genre is subjective to the reader. It is the reader’s opinion that makes the best genre, so the genre that gets someone excited to read and start a new book is the best genre. It’s not based on statistics, it’s all that specific reader’s opinion. This is why we are able to have a really diverse selection of books. People usually write books in their favorite genre because they have the most exposure to it. When people are able to take a new spin on old ideas we are able to find the book or genre that makes us want to start a new page.

JEAN GRITTER

Sitting on the Sidelines

HOW DO ATHLETIC INJURIES AFFECT ATHLETES MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY?

Story by Fraser Scott

Sports injuries grasp the reality of mental health and psychological issues that appear in athletes after the fact.

To some, sports are their life, their potential career, and a scholarship or full ride into college. Major or Minor, there are always thoughts of what’s going to happen if I don’t fully heal or can’t go back into the sport ever again?

It negatively impacts your brain and body and can be very damaging to one’s mental health towards rehabilitation outcomes and recovery. Physiological responses include denial, frustration, fear of re-injury, restlessness, reduced confidence, depression and many more.

Often injuries can be found as something common that are a part of sports, with such knowledge there are multiple solutions to quick recovery and boosted confidence and mental health for a faster transition back into one’s sport.

Junior Moriah Winn who is a lineman on the football

“

IT REALLY BROKE ME DOWN

team stated, “I was way more ambitious in the first couple of months, but as time went on it sort of just discouraged me. It really broke me down.”

Impacts of injuries aren’t just on the field they also impact people off the field. With the obvious being that it affects someone physically limiting their mobility to do day to day things.

However it can make athletes feel like they can not come back to their sport or that they won’t be as good as they used to be, with Winn stating “You get this mindset where you tell yourself that you’re going to work hard, but then you wonder when will I ever get back.” Not only is the process of recovery long and tiring, it is draining mentally.

There are multiple steps in order just to get cleared again and sometimes luck is not on your side, Winn was initially cleared by a physical therapist however once she switched to another, that clearing was revoked for an unknown reason, this made the process of getting back into her sport

much more tiring and strenuous.

Once athletes return to the field it can be hit or miss whether they are shells of their former self however for Freshman Isiah Corr things are looking bright. Corr stated “The recovery time is supposed to be seven months, but I’m looking at a lot less than at”, Some people don’t get this lucky however with their injuries impacting their future careers or even just their day to day lives.

When Freshman wide receiver RJ Fallows broke his leg on the field in a mid-season game against Dallas. He stated, “It took a long time and just being careful not to run or go too fast.”

The recovery was lengthy and took a toll on Fallows seeing his teammates play but him on the sidelines made him feel depressed as he wanted to help out his team.

Many other athletes feel this way as well as Winn saying “In the moment and with other people around me I was happy and motivated but when I was alone I let my head get to me.”

With injuries being this detrimental to athletes physical and mental health, how can we prevent injuries throughout the season? Many athletes do strive to improve their strength hoping to prevent injuries and reduce time spent on the sidelines in the future.

Following his injury Fallows said “I had to strengthen everything back to normal, as my leg had shrunk following the injury.” To this day Fallows is still putting in hard work building muscle and making sure he gets strong to this day.

RJ Fallows - Broken Femur Fallows broke his femur after a player from Dallas fell on his leg in the endzone.

Isiah Corr - Partial Labrum Tear Corr injured his hip due to repetition however he played on it for over a year worsening its condition.

Moriah Winn - Torn ACL Winn injured her ACL after tripping over her ankle at practice.

Freshman - RJ Fallows

Freshman - Isaiah Corr

Junior - Moriah Winn

Home Is Where The Mat Is

SENIOR ARIANA MARTINEZ PLACES FIRST FOR NATIONALS IN WRESTLING

Story

by Taylour Veith, photos used with permission by Ariana Martinez

At the beginning of her freshman year, senior Ariana Martinez would pass by the mat room without even a thought of joining the wrestling team. She started her freshman year off doing cross country and wanted to start another sport in the winter. After seeing wrestling as an option, she decided to give it a try and that was how her wrestling journey began.

In the two years Martinez has been doing wrestling, she has been state champion both years, as well as most recently winning the Reno Worlds Championship. Her senior year ended undefeated 46-0.

Even with all these achievements Martinez says that it isn’t as easy as she makes it look. Even though she won the state championship again and kept her title, she wasn’t satisfied with her result.

“Before and during tournaments, I always have a hard time with negative thoughts and anxiety. In my mind, I know that I can’t lose and I find myself not

wanting to let down my family and my teammates. I feel a lot of pressure to win and feel that I have no choice but to win. I don’t think that I ever get past a hard time with negative thoughts and anxiety. In my mind, I know that I can’t lose and I find myself not wanting to let down my family and my teammates.

I feel a lot of pressure to win and feel that I have no choice but to win. I don’t think that I ever get past this feeling”, Martinez says.

Due to anxiety she gets before competing, she sometimes doesn’t perform how she truly wants to. But winning the Reno tournament was something she felt like she needed to do, and now she is ready to do bigger and better things.

“I know how to settle down a little bit and get into the right mindset to push the pace. I just have to tell myself that there is really no pressure from anyone but myself, and that the only person who will feel different about me if I were to lose is myself,” Martinez says.

Despite the anxiety and difficulties Martinez has gone through, she feels that

it’s truly her biggest achievement developing as a wrestler, and learning lessons that help her. Her goal was to be a smart wrestler with the awareness and sense she needs on the mat.

Ariana doesn’t just want to prove how amazing her wrestling is to people, but herself and how much she has gained in technique and smarts while on the mat.

Martinez is already thinking towards her future in wrestling, but mainly her years in college.

While still looking for a college, Martinez wants one that will truly push her wrestling ability to be the best. Martinez knows she will specifically go to a school for wrestling, but she isn’t looking for any ordinary college.

Even though she is hard on herself, she still thinks the biggest lesson she learned during her wrestling career has been that if she truly believes in herself and sets her mind to something, she can do it.

I JUST HAVE TO TELL MYSELF THAT THERE IS REALLY NO PRESSURE FROM ANYONE BUT MYSELF

“For the next four years of my life, wrestling will be a huge part of my life. I think that once you are a wrestler, you will always be a wrestler. If the opportunity were to present itself, I would love to continue wrestling after college and take it to the world wrestling scene. Wrestling is really important to me, so I want to do it as long as I can,” Martinez says. She will most likely take wrestling to a whole new level after this year.

To her, that means she will be accepted into the school she really wants to get into. The most important thing is that she has put in the effort and worked her butt off to get where she is today.

With all this being said, the advice Ariana gives to athletes and mainly wrestlers is, “To other wrestlers and other athletes work for what you want. I believe that what you do in the mat room and the effort you give directly determines your results in competition.”

Physical education has been around in schools since 1820 but it first became a requirement in the year 1853 in Boston. There are already 4 states in which physical education is no longer required, those states are Alaska, Arizona, Colorado and Hawaii. Here at West Albany High School we are required to achieve a credit in physical education but should we still need that credit?

According to Freshman Dallin Berg, physical education is useful for some students but it’s not for all students.

There are some students who decide to go out of their way to do sports outside of school but there are other students who don’t make that decision and just decide to stay inside all day long. He also stated that physical education is useful to release some energy and you’re not just sitting down all day but overall it’s not a necessary class.

Physical education is supposed to help students with their motor skills and help out with their cognitive skills and reflexes but do we still need

WHY PHYSICAL EDUCATION SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED FOR UNDERCLASSMEN

Story by Jesus Cisneros Obledo

seen that and also get annoyed by that. He said that physical education should be an optional class like an elective because students who can’t participate due to injury or being unfit could make them feel excluded.

Obesity for people aged 2-19 increased from 17.7% in 2011 and 2012 up to 21.5% in 2017 and 2020. This could be a big problem for the future because the percentage keeps going higher each year.

Physical education has been around the whole time and it has not prevented this number from increasing but it has slowed down the increase.

There is a large portion of teens who like physical education or feel like it should be required. Here at West Albany High School 100 people voted on if it should be required and 51% voted that yes it should while 49% voted that it should not be required. The numbers are pretty even but there are more people who feel like it should be

required than those who feel like it shouldn’t be required.

Physical education has been shown to relieve stress for some teens and it can even help some teens feel more confident with themselves. It can also help some teens focus and help them improve their problem solving skills.

help with these skills?

Freshman Xavier Cabrera said that there are a lot of students who have physical education but that doesn’t mean that they will participate in it. He said that “there’s people who are standing there and it’s just kind of annoying.”

There are many students who have

While there are many students who believe that physical education should not be a requirement, physical education teacher Shawn Stinson thinks the opposite. He thinks that physical education is a class that should be required for graduation. Mr. Stinson said that kids are becoming less and less active and they would rather sit around all day and be on their phones or be on a computer instead of being physically active.

MY GOLD DAYS ARE BETTER BECAUSE I’M NOT JUST SITTING DOWN ALL DAY

“

WHAT CULTURE IS

WCulture is everywhere, including sports teams. It’s something that teams can develop through hard work and experiences, but it’s something very broad.

“Good culture, to me, is trust, selflessness, and caring,” math teacher and football coach Cole Pouliot said.

“Bad culture is when everyone wants

to get their accolades, they’re more worried about their outcomes than the team’s.”

Having a strong team culture means that every team member is dedicated to the team and values each other over the individual.

Head baseball coach Marty Johnston had a similar experience when it comes to his teams, “The most important focus is what we’re

accomplishing together. It has to be the ‘we’ before ‘me,’” Johnston said. “It has to be on what we’re able to accomplish together.”

To head wrestling coach Casey Horn, culture is all about family.

“It’s about us... we need to be a family… The goal is that we all take care of and respect each other,” Horn said. “We need to love and take care of everyone in front of us.”

The Call to Arms

CULTURE IN TEAM SPORTS AND WHY IT MATTERS: COACHES OPINIONS

Story by Joe Wagner Photography by Mia Cavazos-Ang, Richard Meeker, Grace Peña

Coach Casey Horn cheering on his wrestlers.

Culture is about each team member caring about each other.

Pouliot said, “It’s a culture of caring. The moment that your group collectively cares about the person next to them instead of themselves. You can take an average team and win state.”

HOW IT AFFECTS PERFORMANCE

State Champion teams are made by culture. It’s the secret ingredient of strong teams.

Pouliot said, “The best teams that I’ve coached have had a culture of selflessness and a love of each other,” And it’s because each win isn’t a personal achievement, it’s for the team.

“The teams that win at a high level. They don’t want to win for themselves,” Pouliot said. “They actually want to win for their teammates, and so that their teammates get to have their experience,” said Pouliot.

Teams are able to achieve a higher level of performance through developing a stronger sense of culture, otherwise they can’t do as well when competing.

Johnston says, “You can have some of the most individually talented teams. But if they’re not able to develop that camaraderie or have the team culture and truly come together, it doesn’t allow them to play off each other’s strengths.”

Players that understand each other have a significant advantage when they have to cover for one another.

And what’s a better way to learn and bond with teammates? Horn said, “We have to find new ways for everyone to work together, and the best way to do that is family.”

In the professional world, the sense and importance of culture and togetherness is even more important. Pouliot says, “That’s how high level military forces are, some of those guys talk about how they’re less worried about themselves dying but more about the person next to them dying.”

“When you get to that level of commitment, the sky’s the limit,” said Pouliot.

HOW TO BUILD TEAM CULTURE

Building culture is no easy task.

“The most difficult obstacle every single year of every single team is finding that culture,”Johnston said.

Coaches can try to build culture on their teams, but it’s not something they can force.

“We [coaches] can introduce the idea, and we can stress how important it is,” Johnston said. “But the players are the ones who have to try to create that [culture] themselves.”

Creating culture is a delicate balance between creating opportunities for players to bond and the players themselves trying to form connections.

“It has to be deliberate. It has to be intentional, you have to try to create that [culture],” Johnston said “You have 15 different individuals coming from all different places with unique experiences.”

Personal differences between players can tend to cause friction.

Which makes developing a culture and teamwork a lot more difficult.

Pouliot thought that building culture can be extra difficult for high school teams, as at that age people tend to be more focused on their personal image.

Horn said, “If I forced you to go

hangout with that crew, you don’t want that... And then you’re going to turn around and notice every annoying thing they do and it annoys you more.”

Ultimately culture is an integral part of teams, but it’s no easy feat.

Pictured above (54) senior Antonio Diaz, (45) sophomore Austin Simmons (40) junior Brysen Kachel, (29) sophomore Kane Damon, and (1) senior Noah Reese.

SOME OF THOSE GUYS TALK ABOUT HOW THEY’RE LESS WORRIED ABOUT THEMSELVES DYING BUT MORE ABOUT THE PERSON NEXT TO THEM DYING

“

Home game against Silverton on March 24th, pictured left to right junior Aiden Metzker, senior Evan Bliss, senior Camden Cyrus, sophomore Drew Rice, junior Mason Linton, and senior Marcus Allen.

An Athlete In the Making

HOW SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY HELPS ATHLETES PERFORM

Sports Psychology can often be a crucial part of an athlete’s performance. Studies by doctors of the Midwest Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Franklin, Wisconsin show that an athlete’s mind plays a significant role in improving focus, building self-confidence, and setting and achieving goals. Sports physiologists are increasingly becoming more successful and active in schools and community centers improving athletic performance more than ever before.

Basketball and sports psychology teacher, Drew Halvorson, says, “[Oregon State] is hiring sports psychologists. Will Massey is the sports psychologist there and he works with every single [sports] program.”

One of the biggest foundations to athletic performance is mental training, utilizing every aspect of an athlete’s brain to reach their full ability.

“Mental Training is the training of your brain to help put your body in a place where you can perform at an optimal level. So your mind and your body are connected. If your brain says yes, I can do this, your body can do it. If your brain says no, I can’t do this. Your body is not going to do it”, says Halvorson.

From a young age people are taught that negative mindsets and positive mindsets affect our performance on tests, school, work, and life in general. Mental Training is the exact same thing but specifically for sports, teaching your brain that if you can do it and achieve anything then you most likely will accomplish that goal, and vice-versa.

“What we’re doing is we’re creating a gateway where knowledge kind of flows easily from my brain to my body, and they’re in accordance with each other”, Halvorson said.

Nerves in your brain are interconnected to the rest of your body, having the ability to send down signals to make the mind and body one with each other. “When I’m performing an action, whether it’s shooting a basketball, kicking a soccer ball, my brain tells me hey, this muscle needs

Story By Hailey Miles illustration By Legend Engberg

to contract, this foot needs to go here… It becomes what we call muscle memory”, says Halvorson.

Visualization is key to seeing who’s around you and where your goal is, as well as hearing calls and what the people around you are saying.

Perception plays a significant role in an athlete’s performance not just in the game but mostly in practice and warm -

ing up when storing the knowledge of what needs to be done when the real game starts.

Mental training isn’t just taught to keep an athlete’s mind focused in a game, but also to prepare you for everything before and after, “It’s not only my performance, but it’s how I get ready to play, what I do after the game to get better…

Sports psychology trains pregame, during the game, and post game. It’s all facets of performance”, says Halvorson. The warmup for the body is similar to the warm-up for the mind, stretching your legs and arms is like stretching your mind and preparing yourself for focus and a positive attitude.

“What we do is we have a ping pong tournament after our unit, and during that ping pong tournament, other members of our class are going to be distracting you so you get a chance to learn about what kind of things can I do to not be distracted? Focusing on the urine now, breathing control, think visualizing things of that nature, and then you get a chance to practice them in a performance setting” Says Halvorson. Important units in the class include one on focus and one on distraction control, two very important factors in an athlete’s performance. Fun activities including ping pong and more are vital in practicing your perception of the things going on around you and to get your head into the game so to speak.

“I will say in high school the kids who take my class learn to do things like focus, eliminate distractions, they have pregame routines that they build that make their body ready to play as well. And I’ve heard them tell me this is anecdotal evidence. This is my own experience,” Halvorson said.

“There are things that come on in the class that can help them like the crowd cheering loud or somebody cheering their name and they’re not focused or somebody’s saying something about them in the crowd. And they did a great job of focusing or using the tools they learned from class on how to eliminate that distraction,” says Halvorson.

Sports Psychology has affected students positively, helping them perform at a higher level than what they would usually play at knowing the basic knowledge. Knowing how to block out distraction both visually and auditory has proven to help performance and is recommended to players seeking out colleges or higher level careers.

To him, being a DJ involves commitment, thinking, and time.

“You can’t be lazy,” Cornell said. “You have to have plenty of time to give to it because you’re going to be at the school late no matter what.”

Picking out music can also be a struggle when trying to figure out what everyone will like.

“People don’t understand how hard and stressful it is,” Cornell said.

These two seniors put a lot of work and effort into making a fun dance for people to enjoy.

One of the hardest parts about being a DJ is knowing when to make a transition. “You have to feel out the crowd,” Cornell said “Sometimes the song goes well, sometimes it doesn’t. If it doesn’t go well you gotta know when to switch it fast enough.” He

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also says,“We come up with our own transitions to do between songs, beat matching or two songs that have a similar intro or rhythm to it.”

Aside from all of the hard pieces to DJ-ing, there are fun and rewarding parts too. During the dance, students get to see people enjoying the work and effort of the DJ’s. “One of the most rewarding parts is when [they] get to turn off the lights and see everything all put together,” Buck said.

“The most rewarding and relaxing part for Cornell is “the three hours of calm before you have to clean everything up.”

In order to keep yourself going, some inspiration is relevant. Buck had a former teacher, Carter Roser, to influence him. For Cornell, he says his inspiration came from seeing other people have fun doing it and thought he should try himself.

“He also enjoys “setting up and organizing things and that’s about 90% of what it is.”

Mr. Engel, the director of the school DJ’s, says he inherited his responsibility from a past assistant principal. He thought it would

be a good fit for him because he likes music. Engel says we have students DJ instead of paying for one because, “it’s a two for one, students get to transfer their skills from Mr. Welsh into outside of school activities.”

Engel believes Cale and Calin will continue to DJ after high school, considering “they are currently doing it at the skate rink at the YMCA.”

Best hype-up songs

- Yeah (Usher, Lil Jon)

- Party In The U.S.A. (Miley Cyrus)

- Low (Flo-Rida, T-Pain)

- Hey yeah! (Outkast)

- Dancing Queen (ABBA)

- Fire Burning (Sean Kingston)

Steps to becoming a DJ

Join event tech

Have to have a vibrant presence

Have a good persona

Have to understand everyones taste is different

Seniors Cale Buck (left) and Calin Cornell (right) DJ the winter formal dance held on January 21st . Buck and Cornell are known as the “DJ Dogs”, and spend hours setting up for dances.

YOU HAVE TO FEEL OUT THE CROWD. SOMETIMES THE SONG GOES WELL, SOMETIMES IT DOESN’T

HOW STUDENTS EXPRESS THEMSELVES THROUGH THEIR PERSONAL BELONGINGS

TO A STORY

By Marshall Hamel and Ming Wong

AVERY JANE ROMEY JUNIOR

Junior Avery Jane Romey says that the turtle sticker on her laptop came with an order of her favorite harem pants. “I have three pairs and I wear them all the time and it came with one of my orders and I just love it,” Romey said. “I love turtles and I love the design on it. It looks very artsy.” She says that while she’s a purist when it comes to her electronics, her water bottle is full of stickers. “There’s like some funny stickers on there,” she said. “There’s also like stickers that have Bible verses that mean a lot to me and things that are more deeper in that way.”

KATE NICHOL JUNIOR

Junior Kate Nichol chooses to display stickers which represent specific memories in her life . “It’s like a little souvenir,” Nichol said, “like when me and my family went hiking, or when I went camping with my friends.” To Nichol, stickers act as a perfect memento that serve as reminders of special times, while dually allowing for self-expression. “Some of them are just what I love to do or what I love in general. So like, I have some Mulan stickers, a couple of outerspace and then more of camping on the coast and stuff.”

ELIZABETH MURPHEY SENIOR

Senior Elizabeth Murphey says that all her stickers represent something to her. “A lot of people just go like, ‘oh, I really like this sticker,’ but all of mine have some type of meaning stuck to me,” Murphey said. For her, she gravitates towards stickers of places she has been. “I get shirts from different places that I’ve traveled to and so I do that a lot with stickers because if I’m somewhere I’ve never been before or somewhere that I always go to,” she said. “I have a lot of surfing stickers on my car because it shows me and my hobbies and the places I’ve been.”

Over Easy

EASY AND QUICK RECIPES FOR BEGINNERS

By Oliver Kidd

CREAMY GARLIC PASTA

½ pound pasta of your choice, ¾ cup cream cheese, ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1-2 tbsp minced garlic, ½ cup water, salt and pepper to taste, chili flakes (optional)

1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to the package. Before draining, save 1/2 cup of the pasta water

2. Meanwhile in a large skillet add olive oil and garlic, cook on medium low for 2-3 minus until golden brown

3. Stir cream cheese in with pasta water until smooth, and add to the skillet. Turn off heat and Add parmesan cheese

4. Add pasta to the skillet and stir until evenly coated.

EASY MAC AND CHEESE

5 cups milk

1 lb elbow macaroni, dry

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a large pot, bring the milk to a boil.

2.Add the pasta and stir constantly until the pasta is cooked, about 10 minutes.

3. Turn off the heat, then add the cheddar. Stir until the cheese is melted and the pasta is evenly coated.

4. Enjoy!

MINI QUICHES

6 slices bacon, chopped

1 onion, chopped

5 eggs, beaten

½ cup Bisquick

1 tbsp chopped green onion

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1.Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 2 mini muffin pans.

2.Fry up the bacon until crisp, if using slices of bacon.

3.Drain, crumble, or dice, and set aside.

4.Beat the eggs. Mix in all ingredients, then spoon in greased muffin pans (fill cups to the top).

5.Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are slightly browned. Allow quiches to cool before removing from the pan with a small knife or spatula.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 egg.

1.Preheat the oven to 350°F, and place a sheet of parchment on a baking sheet.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the peanut butter, egg, and granulated sugar.

3. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on a prepared baking sheet. Flatten each ball with the back of a fork making a criss-cross pattern.

4. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool on a baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Cooking can be a fun and rewarding hobby. It’s a great way to learn new skills, experiment with flavors, and impress your friends and family. Everyone loves a good, home cooked meal, but it’s hard to know what to do when you’re first starting out. Here are some tips, gathered with the help of Dolly Victorine and some of our West Albany Bistro students on how to get started cooking.

Start with simple recipes: When first starting out, it’s best to stick with simple recipes that don’t require a lot of ingredients or complicated techniques. Look for recipes that have a small amount of ingredients and can be made quickly.

Use fresh ingredients: Fresh ingredients will give your dishes more flavor!Look for seasonal produce or grow your own herbs and vegetables. Fresh ingredients will overall lead to a healthier, better tasting meal.

Get creative with your leftovers: Don’t let your leftover food go to waste! You can use them to make new dishes, or add them to soups, salads and sandwiches.

Cook with friends: Cooking with friends can be a fun way to learn new recipes, and can help motivate beginners to not give up when first starting. It can be difficult to stick to something hard like cooking, but having someone to do it with can be a great source of motivation, and add a little fun to your cooking experience.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes: Cooking is all about trial and error, and nobody is perfect when they first start off. Don’t be afraid to learn from your mistakes or try new things.

Signature Sound

WHAT ARE STUDENTS CURRENTLY LISTENING TO?

SIGNATURE SOUND: PARTYNEXTDOOR BY PARTYNEXTDOOR

FAVORITE SONGS: BREAK FROM TORONTO

“I associate the album with winter where it’s not snowing but the snow that falls but doesn’t stick.”

SIGNATURE ALBUM: HEROES AND VILLAINS BY METRO BOOMIN

“When I’m feeling like a lover boy or in moments of disparity I’ll listen to creeping but if I’m feeling dangerous and deadly or ready for competition I will listen to something like Superhero.”

SIGNATURE ALBUM: TAKE ME HOME BY ONE DIRECTION

FAVORITE SONGS: MAGIC AND I WOULD

“I associate this album with Summer, my sister, my 1D friends and my childhood.”

SIGNATURE ALBUM: AT LONG LAST ASAP BY ASAP ROCKY FAVORITE SONG: EVERYDAY (FT ROD STEWART)

“It’s very versatile, it has rap , R&B and hip hop. It has a mixture to it and that’s why I like it.”

SIGNATURE ALBUM: FORWARD / SLASH BY LEANNA FIRESTONE

“It’s really relatable for me it’s an understanding that life is going to be okay.”

Story and photos by Yesenia Rosas

Freshman Jake Ly

Sophomore Brianna Williams

Junior Noel Mayer

Freshman Aileen Alvarado

Freshman Santana Lazada

Taylor Jenkins Reid recruited Blake Mills to help write and produce the released album ‘AURORA’

Daisy (Riley Keough) and “The Six” started playing together to make music from the book. They made their first single “Honeycomb,” which is on Spotify with 13 million streams.

This album is the definition of passion. Each voice that you hear is filled with fire and you can feel the chemistry between the singers. Sam Claflin (Billy) and Keough, who are the lead vocalists of the band, they didn’t even have proper training in music before taking on the role, but they sing effortlessly.

Keough had to take vocal lessons to reach the rasp Daisy Jones is known for. Keough and Claflin have voices that complement each other. The voice of Daisy is dark. The voice of Billy is soothing, and it is clear that he wants to right his wrongdoings. The push and pull make this an out-

Agrim, broody, and unhinged book written by Taylor Jenkins Reid has hit every box office, has a TV adaptation, and an album. It brings a suitcase of emotions to the plate, and it’s worth unpacking. The book is written like a documentary, full of interviews to give the reader a deeper impression of the characters. Her use of interviews reveals the dark moments where drugs take advantage of even the best people. The music industry was a brutal world in 1977, and Reid didn’t miss a single detail.

Jenkins Reid brings her characters to life, specifically Daisy Jones. She’s described as a maniac. But she had ideals and a voice and didn’t want to be an inspiration for someone; she wanted to be her own person. She couldn’t wait to leave her family, so at a young age, she left home and tried to find her voice. She had nothing out yet, but a label recognized her talent and asked her to add color to a band that couldn’t help but be beige.

Brothers Billy and Graham Dunne created a band called The Dunne [pronounced ‘done’] Brothers. They were already a band when they were in their late teens. But after a while, they realized that a small band wasn’t going to cut it.

That’s when they met Karen Sirko, a killer of keys and hearts. After Karen had started to play for the band, she didn’t think the name “Dunne Brothers” was fitting. That’s when the name “The Six” was born. I think the name of the band is a little bland but at the same time, it adds a little mystery. It sounds like a hit band, and it’s catchy In the book, Daisy was asked to make more music with The Six, which created a “push and

How to Ruin Rock N’ Roll

REVIEWING ALL THREE FORMS OF ‘DAISY JONES AND THE SIX’

pull” effect in the band because Billy hated the idea of Daisy being part of the band, if Daisy was going to be making music she wanted some of her songs on the upcoming album. The pull between Daisy and Billy was outstanding. Daisy would make a song that spoke directly to Billy and had so many hidden meanings, and Billy would tear the songs to shreds to have a conversation back with Daisy. Jenkins Reid made sure that Daisy and Billy were constantly trying to make the room feel tense. It was key that the emotion was visible. Even as a reader, I could feel it, and watching it on the screen was intense.

However, in the show, I felt like some of the characters changed. Daisy Jones in the book was reckless and never reliable, but in the show, there wasn’t as much representation of it. Daisy (Riley Keough) was crazy and outgoing, but it almost seemed like she was numb and oblivious to her actions in the show. I had such a big vision of Daisy and for her to be dulled in the show is

heartbreaking.

Billy Dunne, played by Sam Claflin in the show, experienced extreme hardships with his wife and kids in the book; it was constantly brought up and used against him. While watching the show, those key character traits seemed almost overlooked. Instead of being used against him, the others ignored his struggles and disrespected him when he needed help. I hated how the characters were so ignorant and self-absorbed.

Character Eddie Roundtree, the bassist in the band, had some conflicted thoughts and brutal arguments with Billy Dunne. Eddie felt overlooked, and in all honesty he was. Billy never took into account anyone else’s opinion besides his own. In the book, it was brought up every single time the point of view switched to Eddie’s. It was impossible to miss that Eddie wanted out of the band, yet at times in the show it would seem as if the choices that were made with Eddie were more of Billy’s doing. Eddie expresses his hate towards Billy in the book, but in the show, Billy is the one yelling and fighting.

It threw me for a loop for sure.

Karen is naturally a very private person throughout both the book and the show. She wanted to keep things to herself, but I do appreciate that the show included a better bond between Karen and Camila. Camila is married to Billy Dunne and she is very loyal and forgoing, but she isn’t forgetful. She remembers all the mistakes Billy has made but understands and knows that they are worth the fight.

1977 Year of

In the book Camila is almost too understanding, she has few moments of rage when it should be constant. While in the show she had more of a temper, which in my opinion is more realistic. I wouldn’t expect a calm and collected reaction from someone when you just betrayed them.

The show and book have almost exact scenes and moments laid out, but at times the characters were either too much or too little. The actors played their parts beautifully, but that doesn’t stop me from asking, “Could there have been more?” All three forms of Daisy Jones and The Six were phenomenal.

Story By Kayla Stefan Images from Taylor Jenkins Reid and Prime Video

GIRL TALK

The HOTTEST GOSSIP

about growing up as a girl in 2023!

What makes OUR FAVORITE MOVIES our favorites!

Page 31

She said

WHAT?! Page 30

Three Purse Essentials Under $30!

In 2023’s crazy world, the it-girl’s purse essentials have changed! Along with your lip balm and wallet, try carrying some of these trendy personal safety items with you for some invaluable peace of mind!

Talk about little, but mighty! This Birdie personal alarm is a great option for any girl who prefers a nonviolent self defense option. With a loud 130 decibel alarm and flashing strobe light, this alarm packs a punch! Since it’s non-violent, the Birdie is also TSA approved and travel safe, as well as usable at a distance.

This little knife is fatally feminine! It’s impossible to resist the adorable Hello Kitty characters and graphics printed on this knife, making it the cutest option on our list.

“I was surprised to see how sharp the knife actually was,” said one buyer on Etsy.

The knife comes complete with a pastel pink plastic handle and a chain to attach to keys.

This pepper spray is popular, but well-deserving! As a brand, Sabre designs and manufactures every type of personal safety tool imaginable, but their pepper spray is far and away the most popular. As the number one trusted pepper spray brand trusted by police and consumers, (sabrered.com), the peace of mind that comes with this pepper spray is invaluable! The canister contains Sabre’s maximum strength formula and a 10-foot spray range.

Story and photos by Helen Whiteside

MORE

than you THINK

What is feminism? Perspectives from all views.

“Feminism, when it’s applied correctly, is really cool. It is definitely something that I think that sometimes we’re lacking”. -Sophmore Noah Mortensen

eminism. The concept is something that no one can quite describe. Sophomore Symeon Braman defines it as “Advocating for women’s rights and equality”, but isn’t it more?

There are many feminists in the world, from the women who marched in the 19th century advocating for the right to vote, to anti-rape chants. Commonly, people confuse feminists as only women when truly they are of all genders.

In its purest form, feminism is for everyone. It’s a concept that can be so personal, yet also very communal. It is meant to better the world.

Unfortunately, it’s often hidden by people who take it past what it is meant to be. The realm of hating men. For example the book ‘I hate men’ written by Pauline Harmange, was written to let the prejudice against women be heard through a different voice.

From this book a toxic thinking that all men should die appeared throughout social media, instagram users titles hateful titles such as i hate men, and we hate men appear and say that men are the root of all problems, and so on.

“Everyone says it’s not about making one higher than the other, it’s about making it equal that makes some people uncomfortable but that is a good thing” Sophmore Ethan Leffler

“Some things just cannot wait. Men must stand up now for women’s equality.” Rick Goings

This is not feminism, but instead a hate crime against many people that support feminism. The real enemy is misogyny, which is a dislike or prejudice against women. Something that brought the need for feminism in the first place. There is no one phrase that can describe something so vast, so next time you think of feminism, just remember; it’s more than you think.

“All men should be feminists. If men care about women’s rights, the world will be a better place”-John Legend “Misogyny is a cage for everyone—as long as women aren’t free, men won’t be, either.”-Noah Berlatsky

Story, photo and illustrations by Emi Ludlow

women’s

2013 Malala Yousafzai’s education

2006 Gulabi Gang

1993 Declaration of Elimination of violence against Women

1960 Mirabal sisters fighting for equality

FRESHMAN IZABEL VIDRIO

“Compliments feel better coming from girls because it’s more meaningful. They understand the time and effort it takes to get ready...I get complimented by girls quite frequently and it makes me feel good about myself.”

FRESHMAN MYA REED

“I get complimented by girls a few times a week, sometimes they’re silly little compliments but they still mean quite a lot. I’ve been catcalled before and it made me want to cover up, I felt gross. Compliments from guys don’t really feel like compliments, it always feels fake and like they’re joking around.”

FRESHMAN JADE FEE

“I feel like when girls compliment you it’s genuine. She means it and gets how hard you work on your appearance. But when a guy does it, it feels flirty and not sincere. I’ve been catcalled before. I was walking with a group of my friends to a restaurant and there was a group of guys that looked like they were in their 20’s. They kept whistling at us and I’m pretty sure one even barked.”

1848 First Women’s rights convention

1911 International Women’s day began

1926 Aba’s Women Riot

DANG, girl!

Catcalling has been a part of society for many years, but that doesn’t make it acceptable. It’s considered rude because it objectifies and sexualizes strangers, without any regard for equality or value outside of physical appearances. People often mistakenly equate catcalling with flirting, but the two are quite different.

Flirting is a balanced exchange that implies an element of playfulness, while catcalling is done with the intention to degrade and control. Flirting typically occurs in a one-on-one situation, while catcalling is often done by a group of men towards a single woman.

Catcalling is not flirting, nor is it an appropriate way to show appreciation or admiration for someone. It is not okay to tolerate any form of sexual assault, from inappropriate comments, to stalking, to rape.

If we confront the lesser forms of sexual violence, as well as the reasons why these acts occur, we can make a big difference in reducing gender violence in our society. Catcalling is a huge reason why compliments from men can often make girls and women feel uncomfortable.

Complimenting people without sexualizing anyone is easy, theres just a few rules to it: Be unique and sincere. Make sure you mean the compliment and are aware of how they might feel. Make sure your compliment isnt backhanded. Don’t just compliment their physical appearance, this can make them feel like the only thing you notice about them is their body and not the more important things like how their mind works or their personality.

Hottest compliments that don’t sexualize anyone!

You bring out the best in me

I love talking to you

You have such and interesting mind

You light up every room you walk into

You are perfect the way you are

I love your style

Your smile makes my day

You make me feel whole again

You look great today

I feel safe with you

I’m so happy you’re in my life!

You have a kind heart

You’re more fun than bubble wrap

You’re such a go getter

I love how you...

Why compliments feel different depending on who they come from

Story by Cadence McAllaster

Freshmen Izabel Vidrio (left), Jade Fee (middle), Mya Reed (right)

Photo used with permission of Izabel Vidrio

The history, meanings, and impacts of various derogatory words aimed at women and how they should be used today

By Gigi Roldan

In a high schoolers’ life they will hear various kinds of curse words. They can be used to express anger, excitement, disappointment, pain, and so much more, all depending on the context and tone of the conversation.

Curse words often will range from describing an action that is usually perceived as indecent, calling somebody a horrible person, or literally meaning something like feces. But one meaning is often repeated throughout all of these words, centering down to one group: degrading and shaming women.

There are many words and phrases that specifically have roots in looking down upon women. Various words focus on dehumanizing, sexualizing, and shaming women in various ways.

“I obviously have experience with being called [b-word], especially by men to use it against women,” junior Noel Mayer said. “I’ve also seen it being used against family members… like my mom or my aunt, they’ve both been called the [b-word] in a derogatory way.”

Even though these words’ meanings have changed over time, they are still used in a similar way: to demean and look down on women. Even if the person doesn’t identify as a woman, these derogatory words are still thrown at people who look feminine, or even to shame masculine people.

“I dress the way I dress, so a lot of the time slurs are thrown at me. I get called the s-slur for women a lot,” junior Maeryn Fisk said. Fisk often dresses up in a goth clothing style, causing them to receive a lot of unwanted negative attention.

“Just walking by random people, usually

men or by little boys, especially in the gym,” they said.

They can also be used to attempt and show dominance over women. “Sometimes it’s just by someone who’s trying to exert power over someone, like a significant other,” Mayer said.

Based on the ways these words have been used to hurt and shame, should they be considered as slurs, or as something else?

“I think slurs are a little silly in general because it just gives more power to the word,” Fisk said. “But to not call it a slur gives more power to the people. I would rather give the word more power than the people.”

Mayer feels that the word doesn’t need to be labeled as a slur; instead, she feels people should consider what they are saying before they do say it. “I don’t think that people should be saying [slurs] as frequently as they do, and I don’t think it should be used against someone,” Mayer said. “People should think more about what they’re saying.”

Although many of these words are associated with a negative tone, many women and feminine presenting people have reclaimed them, to become a playful or endearing method of addressing friends. “I think it’s hilarious to call my friends some of the different words. It’s just a fun way to make these words my own,” said Junior Lucy Rouse.

o a a

These words have ingrained themselves into the English vocabulary, and it is near im possible to get rid of them. However, we can educate ourselves on the meanings behind them and realize the harmful effects they have had on others, and in turn, hopefully stop the derogatory use of these words.

SHESAID WHAT?!

d nt c ll m e th t SH*T!

WHAT IS THE ‘MALE GAZE’?

When asked about movies with the best female characters, freshman Ashley Mitchell had an immediate answer.

“My mind goes to the new[est] Little Women movie, the 2019 version by Greta Gerwig. The characters in it are great for representation. There’s so many female characters and they have such diverse personalities.”

This movie is one of many that have been released in the past few years that received positive reviews from its female audience about its characters. What makes these movies more appealing? Sometimes, the answer lies with the concept of the ‘male gaze’.

For many people, the idea of the ‘male gaze’ is nothing more than a buzzword used to vilify any film or filmmaker that doesn’t create an accurate depiction of the feminine experience. But what is the male gaze in reality? It doesn’t just mean a man looking at a woman.

The male gaze is defined by the Oxford Dictionary of Media and Communication as “a manner of treating women’s bodies as objects to be surveyed, which is associated by feminists with hegemonic (dominant) masculinity, both in everyday social interaction and in relation to their representation in visual media.”

In popular culture, it is a manner of viewing women in films, videos, and images that empowers the viewer (the titular male) while placing the woman in a weakened or sexualized position. It views the woman as an object that exists only for the viewer’s satisfaction.

‘Little Women’ and similar films have been praised for avoiding the male gaze and other similar concepts, but other films are not so lucky.

Senior Ky Barksdale believes that the difference between a sexual woman and a sexualized woman is whether or not it is on her own terms.

“With Margot Robbie, for example, when she was playing Harley Quinn, the producers and directors wanted her to wear super-duper tiny shorts. She didn’t want to wear them… and that’s when I feel like [it’s detrimental], because she wasn’t comfortable and it just sexualized her.”

Despite all this, the male gaze can be easily avoided if precautions are taken in the film-making process. Junior Olivia Kottre believes that making sure women are on the writing board and production team is a simple way to avoid creating unrealistic female characters.

“When we have film and media that is for women, usually produced by women or someone who doesn’t think women are inferior, I feel like that is very empowering. When it is obvious that… she is in control and has made that choice for herself, I think that shows confidence and that is something that I am a fan of.” She finds it can also be enlightening to examine one’s biases and consider the media you consume in a critical light.

Junior Sam Howard has a unique take. “As someone who is perceived as a man, I always have to look at it from an outside perspective. [Sexualization of women] is especially sad when you see the result of these standards in day-to-day life, in how women exist in a near-constant state of fear and how men are emotionally isolated and perpetrate misogyny and views that lead to rape and sexual assault so frequently.”

In a study by the American Psychological Association Task Force, it was discovered that the repeated viewing of content that contains sexualization of women can lead to increased depression and anxiety in young girls. This can become dangerous over time, since the CDC recently reported that suicide rates among teenage girls is seeing an unprecedented increase.

So what helps certain films avoid this? Mitchell believes that diversity of characters is the key.

“If you can include multiple female characters, it can avoid stereotypes and misrepresentations. I’d also like to see positive representations and more female friendships.”

Story and illustration by Mika Winder

-Toxic -