BIZARRE MEMORIES

West students share their peculiar stories.

COMPILED BY JESSIE LI

DESIGN BY MCKENNA STEPHENS

BLOODY KETCHUP!

“I was sitting in my car two years ago, and I was parked somewhere, waiting to pick up somebody. I had these ketchup packets that I bought from Wendy’s. I was bored, and I was twisting the ketchup packets continuously. And then they exploded. My mom saw it and got angry at me. Not all the ketchup [came] off because it soaked into the car’s walls and the stuff around it. It looks like bloodstains; like I killed somebody in my car.”

Stuck In A Cycle

“I was in fourth or fifth grade, and my mom asked me to do the laundry. The laundry room was outside of our apart- ment, so I took the laundry out, and I put it in the wash- er. The laundry room was big, so I had to walk into it to get to the washer. [Then] some worker outside locked it. I tried to open the door, but it wasn’t opening, so I [started] panicking. I was like, ‘Oh, what do I do?’ because it was on the eighth floor. At that moment, my brain went blank. So then, I just knocked on the door, waiting for someone [to let me out].”

Taped Skin

“I was in kindergarten, and I was doing this project for Mother’s Day. I was going back to my seat, and I tripped [on someone’s leg] and hit my head on the table. I had to go to the office for my mother to pick me up. When she came, I gave her the [Mother’s Day] gift, and then we went to the hospital … They taped [my skin] back together [at the hospital] basically. [Once my skin healed,] I had to peel it off and it hurt really badly.”

SQWUAK!

“One time, my family and I went to the Saint Louis Zoo. This was about a month and a half ago, so I think it was December. We went into the penguin exhibit, and the glass was really low, and a penguin swam up to me and I decided to poke the penguin. Then out of the corner of my eye, this big man starts yelling at me, and he’s like, ‘Ma’am, get out! Get out!’ I got kicked out of the pen- guin exhibit at the zoo for touching a penguin.”

Double Trouble

“I had sleep paralysis when I was 11 and I couldn’t move and I also couldn’t breathe, and then I passed out because I couldn’t breathe … When I was 15, I was putting on a seatbelt and then I broke my collarbone. Well, I had a cyst in there, [that the doctors] didn’t know [about]. And then there was this huge crack just from putting on a seatbelt.”

With the 95th Academy Awards around the corner, now is the perfect time to make predictions about the winners with a ballot.

WSS BEST PICTURE: Everything Everywhere All at Once

BY JACK FURLONG

Best Picture

Ten films were nominated for Best Picture this year, with ”Everything Everywhere All at Once” leading with 11 nominations due to its popularity. Despite its lead, competition will still be tough. “Banshees of Inisherin” won Best Drama at The Golden Globes and is second in line with nine Oscar nominations this year, tying with “All Quiet On the Western Front.”

Actor In A Leading Role

Of the five contenders, a clear three stand out. Colin Farrell’s quick-witted yet heartfelt performance in the “Banshees of Inisherin” has become a critic favorite, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy. Austin Butler’s transformation into legendary singer Elvis Presley landed him the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama. Brendan Fraser has also earned recognition for his industry comeback in “The Whale.”

Actress In A Leading Role

The ever-growing support behind “Everything Everywhere All at Once” gives Michelle Yeoh a great chance at taking home the Oscar for Best Actress this year, being the first ever Asian actress nominated for this category. Her main competition is Cate Blanchett, who starred in “Tár” with both winning their respective categories in Comedy and Drama at the Golden Globes.

Think you know who might win? Give your best guess below with this ballot containing a few of the most popular categories this year by dropping your ballot off in the box outside of room 111. Those with the most correct answers will be entered into a drawing for WSS merch and a model Oscar trophy!

Name: ________________

BEST PICTURE

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN

ELVIS

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

THE FABELMANS

T Á R

TOP GUN: MAVERICK

TRIANGLE OF SADNESS

WOMEN TALKING

Actor In A Leading Role

AUSTIN BUTLER (ELVIS)

COLIN FARRELL (THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN)

BRENDAN FRASER (THE WHALE)

PAUL MESCAL (AFTERSUN)

BILL NIGHY (LIVING)

Actor In A Supporting Role

BRENDAN GLEESON (THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN)

BRIAN TYREE HENRY (CAUSEWAY)

JUDD HIRSCH (THE FABELMANS)

BARRY KEOGHAN (THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN

KE HUY QUAN (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)

Actress In A Leading Role

CATE BLANCHETT (T Á R)

ANA DE ARMAS (BLONDE)

ANDREA RISEBOROUGH (TO LESLIE)

MICHELLE WILLIAMS (THE FABELMANS)

MICHELLE YEOH (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)

Actress In A Supporting Role

ANGELA BASSETT (BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER)

HONG CHAU (THE WHALE)

KERRY CONDON (THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN)

JAMIE LEE CURTIS (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)

STEPHANIE HSU (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE)

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