Harbinger May 2022

HARBINGER Vol. 54, Issue 7 May 2022

Zionsville Community High School 1000 Mulberry St. Zionsville, Indiana

Note from the editor

Elizabeth Rexing, Print Editor

Nine months under our belt and three weeks to go. As cheesy as it may sound, I cannot believe school is almost over; where did the year go?!

Even though the last day of school is the only thing on all of our minds, there is still so much to look forward to before that last, final bell.

Most obviously, today, jedis and droids alike celebrate Star Wars Day (p. 14). May the fourth be with you!

Seniors can enjoy some of their last high school lunches ever with the addition of Food Truck Fridays (p. 7).

Additionally, seniors can be on the lookout for the special Harbinger Senior Issue that will be handed out to everyone during MAP on May 18.

The issue will be one last chance to remember our teachers, classmates, and memories from ZCHS. But, the end of the school year doesn’t mean everything stops; (student) life continues on and a lot of our articles in this issue feature plans for the upcoming sum-

mer months.

While construction has seen major progress since August, there is still a lot to do and work will continue this summer along with other improvements to the building (p. 4).

Students have shared a lot about how they will spend their free time when school ends: concerts (p. 12), unique trips, jobs, and camps (p. 18), and for all the student athletes, summer conditioning (p. 8).

It has been an honor to bring school news to your desks this year and while I am certainly ready for summer vacation, I am sad that this will be my last editor’s note to ZCHS. I hope you enjoy this final issue of the Harbinger magazine and good luck on final exams, AP tests, and anything else you have to conquer before we reach summer vacation!

Elizabeth Rexing, Print Editor

Staff Print Editor Elizabeth Rexing Digital Media Editor Logan Seiler Social Media Editor Riya Patel Photo Editor Sarah Maniscalo Podcast Director Josh Nieman

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Feature Editor Staff Kailey Wallenius Josie Brackett Student Life Editor Daysun Brown Lucy Robinson Jack Farrar News & Sports Editor Arianna Gimona Mary Demarco Dax Lara Opinion Editor Adanna Mbanu Gretchen Drews Tate Quinn Art Director Jake Young Brooklyn Brown

Editorial Thanks, Teachers!

This week is teacher appreciation week and as a staff, the Harbinger wanted to take the moment to acknowledge everything, big or small, seen or unseen, that every one of our teachers do for us.

There are a million ways that our teachers have touched and changed our lives. Most obviously, they grant us the skills and knowledge to pass their classes, graduate, and enter the world as competent adults.

Teachers also are there to talk to, to listen to our highs and lows, to ask us how our days are going, to encourage us to keep working hard, to congratulate us on our successes, and to comfort us in our failures.

While there are too many to mention, here are a few teachers that stood out to us this year: Susan Kirk, thank you for keeping every day fun and unique in Earth and Space Science. She makes us look forward to class and makes learning about weather interesting.

David Schurger goes above and beyond as a teacher. Not only is he passionate about music but he also takes so much time out of his day to make sure that we’re all doing okay.

Ann Bender is always so open and we always feel so comfortable talking to her about anything. She also planned the best prom!

Eric Harrington is helpful and likes to be relatable to his students. He also has very delicious orange mints.

Finally, we want to shout-out a teacher that deserves all the recognition in the world. The Harbinger (and yearbook) adviser, Lauren Wagner makes this magazine possible. While the magazine is student-run and organized, Wagner is always there to answer questions, provide feedback, and offer advice; she is the best mentor.

To Wagner and all our other teachers, thank you SO much! We appreciate you all more than you know. Stay strong these last couple of weeks and enjoy your very well deserved summer vacation!

The mission of the Harbinger is to provide both the student body of Zionsville Community High School and the local community with the unbiased truth. The staff strives to handle every topic they take on with respect and objectivity, while also providing a source of entertainment and intriguing content for the reader. The Harbinger aims to reflect the true atmosphere of ZCHS by including students of all walks of life in the publication.

Contents News

Sports

4 Construction 8 Sporting in the Continues Summer 6 Start Your Engines! 9 Rugby Reset 7 Food Truck 10 Love the Game Fridays

6 Student Life

11 Dividing Line 12 Bring the Beat In 14 May the Fourth be With You

11 Opinion

Feature

16 Q&A with Ady Achenbach 17 The Wheel Deal 18 Adventure Awaits

Cover photos and design by Sarah Maniscalo and Brooklyn Brown

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20 Horoscope Hoax?

21 Tyrants of Testing 22 On Edge Over the Pledge 23 Student Survey 24 Harb Highlights 3

CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES New classrooms, offices, cafeteria to open next year

By Lucy Robinson, Student Life Editor

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s construction around school continues, some areas are projected to open up before or during next school year, including a portion of the new classrooms, the new office space for administration and counseling, and the new cafeteria. In addition, gender-neutral bathrooms will be added as new areas of the school open.

“We hope that a section of classrooms is released to us to use to start the school year,” principal Tim East said. “We more than hope; we need them because we’re running out of space.”

The first set of new classrooms will be used for Intensive Intervention and Life Skills classes that are currently across from the library in what was originally an LGI. In the science hall, the first six classrooms will extend the current science hall.

New Hallway

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“From there on down, it’s still somewhat to be determined,” East said. “Until you get almost to what will be the new cafeteria.

There are two rooms there that are designated for tech theater and for some support for the Performing Arts Center classes.”

Along with these classrooms, the new cafeteria space is projected to be available by January.

“For those who like to sit in large groups, there’s going to be that,” East said. “There’s going to be seating for those who like to be with a little more intimate group of friends, with four or six at a spot. There’s going to be a space for those who just really prefer to disconnect and unwind to be in kind of more singular seating areas or small, very small, group seating areas.”

In addition, there will be a new outdoor

courtyard attached to the cafeteria. The courtyard will be fenced in and available for students during lunch.

“People are going to, in the nicer weather, enjoy the opportunity to go outside,” East said.

Once the new cafeteria has opened, construction can begin on the old cafeteria, turning the space into more classrooms.

“We’ll bring more art classes closer together; the business classes will have a new area,” East said. “It’ll bring some things together and make it easier for students to find those business classes that now are in the 600 Hall.”

East said room numbers will also be relabeled by next year, dividing the campus into zones. The current main campus will be considered the West end. What used to be the Freshmen Center will become the East end.

New Commons

The area between the two will be the Center campus.

“So there will be a W 101, C 101 and an E 101,” East said.

The construction also will include the addition of more non-gendered bathrooms.

In total, there will be five gender neutral bathrooms added around the school, primarily in the main campus.

“As a school it is always our goal to meet the needs of all students,” East said. And as

we seek to serve a student population who are non-binary, we want to make sure that they have a place where they can take care of their needs throughout the day, in a place where they feel safe, and their classmates feel safe.”

More areas of the construction will finish next year, but open up and be used in the 2023-2024 school year, including more of the new classrooms and the new commons, located in the area of the old counseling offices and new classrooms.

Timeline Beginning of school year: New offices and some classrooms Second semester: New cafeteria opens up 2023-2024: New classrooms and new commons available

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Second NAHS Mural in Works

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new wall mural designed by the National Art Honor Society (NAHS), will be finished by August. According to Colleen Squier, junior, the first NAHS mural involved a small group so this year they decided to design as a team.

“We’re trying to open it to all of NAHS to make it more involved in our actual community and more representative,” Squier said.

The new mural will compile the different aspects of Zionsville and the school.

“We’re going to try to incorporate all the different aspects of life at Zionsville, because not everybody loves the same thing. Not everybody even loves art,” Squier said. “We

New Classroom

know that we have a very strong musical presence in our community, we have a lot of theater, we have a lot of sports, and we have a lot of academics. So we really wanted to reflect that in how we have our hallways, and to be welcoming and inviting for all of the communities.”

The mural is going to be worked on by the NAHS members over the summer and be done by the start of next school year.

NAHS has decided on the general theme of upholding the schools “Strong In Every Way” message. Currently NAHS is working on brainstorming for the piece.

“What we’re doing is everyone’s creating

little sketches that we’re going to try to bring together in some sort of cohesive way to represent all the different parts of the school,” Squier said. “It’s really fun, because we’ll just go into the hallway, and we’ll brainstorm and everyone has fun sketches. And we’ll be like, ‘Oh, we have very similar ideas, how can we put those together? Or make them interact?’

So the mural feels like a whole.”

NAHS hopes to make this an annual project to continue to liven up the blank walls of the school.

“When we incorporate art into the hallways, it just creates a much more inviting and welcoming environment,” Squier said.

New Cafeteria

photos by Logan Seiler

News 5

T R A T S R U O Y

By Elizabeth Rexing, Print Editor

T

he Indy 500 is a race like no other, junior Lily Nault said. She associates the race with the “heat coming off the tar,” the smell of “smoke and really sweet popsicles,” the colorful balloons being released and, of course, “the big cheering crowd.”

“The tank tops are on, the hats are out,” L. Nault said.

The 106th annual Indy 500 race will take place on Sunday, May 29 and the green flag will wave at 11 a.m. A live broadcast will be on NBC. The race will take place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), the largest motor racing venue in the world. The race consists of 200 laps, 500 miles, and 33 racers. The IMS, also known fondly by the people of Indianapolis as the “Brickyard”, will host upwards of 250,000 fans in the stands and draw the international attention of millions more on television. This year’s race will see a return to full capacity.

The Sunday before Memorial Day is “Race Day,” L. Nault said. “My family and I wake up at 3 a.m. to get to the track.”

Nault and her family have a special tradition for the Indianapolis 500. Rising before the sun, she, her mom, and her brother, wish her dad luck. Ricardo Nault, is the Vice President of Operations for the IndyCar team, Rahal Letterman Lanigan.

The company’s new headquarters are being built in Zionsville.

“The 500 is the pinnacle of our sport so it carries a lot of prestige,” R. Nault said.

“Everyone wants to win this race. It’s what we’ve spent a year thinking of and working on.”

While senior Colten Seiler is not as personally invested, as the Naults, he and his family are still avid fans of the Indy 500.

Seiler has been to the race 11 times.

“When you first walk in, they have all this fanfare going on and it just seems like a

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Lily Nault, Ricardo Nault, and younger brother Raymond Nault, sophomore, pose together during one of the many Indy 500 races the Nault family has attended. photo submitted by L. Nault

giant festival,” Seiler said. “I just love all of the fans.”

L. Nault said racing has been a part of her life forever. She attended her first Indy 500 when she was less than a year old. L. Nault even says that “the reason I’m even alive is because of racing” because her parents met while both working at Rahal Letterman Lanigan.

“Some of my fondest memories are of me being at the track,” L. Nault said.

Part of the tradition for Seiler is drawing names of the drivers and rooting for them to win. Seiler and his family pool money together and divy up the cash to the winners.

Seiler sits with his family on the straightaway where they can see the start/ finish line.

“Watching the cars come down the front stretch in preparation for the green flag, anticipation is just building,” Seiler said.

“You can hear the engines starting to rev up and there’s really nothing like it.”

From these seats last year, Seiler watched his favorite racer, Hélio Castroneves, make history with his fourth Indianapolis 500 win. While Seiler appreciates the skill of Castroneves today, he picked Castroneves as his favorite driver when he was younger based on the colors of the racecar.

“It was very exciting to see [Castroneves] become the four-time winner and run up and down the track and jump on the fence to celebrate,” Seiler said.

The atmosphere is built off of “the amount of fans there,” R. Nault said.

“Their enthusiasm is palpable and their voices are thundering. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.”

With less than 30 days until the race, R. Nault said that the team gets “more and more excited as the days roll on.

“There is over 100 years of history and we all want to be part of the story,” R. Nault said.

Food Truck Fridays

By Brooklyn Brown, Art Director

S

eniors this semester have the opportunity to use senior privileges for a unique and delicious social event.

Food Truck Fridays is a student-run series of gatherings at Jennings Field. Each day of the event, students are able to try out a new food truck vendor for around $10.

A portion of each of purchase will go to Thy Kingdom Crumb’s charity food truck program.

Thy Kingdom Crumb was started by Carson Wentz, a former football player for the Indianapolis Colts. By donating to this charity through Food Truck Fridays, seniors are aiding in the charity’s goal to provide food to local areas of food insecurity.

Senior Sarah Maniscalo is the social media assistant and a volunteer for the event.

“Our main goal with Food Truck Fridays is to provide a place for seniors to hang out during lunch,” Maniscalo said.

Seniors with senior privileges are permitted to leave the school during their lunch period and often drive to Anson or further into Zionsville to buy food.

Food Truck Fridays simplifies this lunch trip by serving interesting food The vegetarian option from Bearded Bagel on March 25. photo by Brooklyn Brown

closer to the school.

“Everything will be ready to go for [seniors] to just stand in line, give us your ticket, and pick up your lunch,” Maniscalo said. “This will make it really easy for them to just walk over to Jennings Field and grab something to eat with their friends.”

The first Food Truck Friday took place on March 25 with seniors from each lunch period flocking to Jennings Field, rain or shine.

“I really enjoy walking out to get my food and missing all of the traffic of senior lunches,” senior Allison Soards said as she left the Bearded Bagel food truck.

Food Truck Fridays is much more than just a meal though, it allows students a variety of meal options and a place to hang out with friends away from school.

The first event proceeded despite poor weather; 73 seniors attended.

“Food Truck Fridays is a very good opportunity though it is a little rainy today,” senior Stephen Price said while he faced the rainy weather for his beef bagel sandwich. “This bagel smells very tasty, and it is very warm, and I cannot wait to eat it.”

The unique steamed sandwiches were different from meals students would be able to purchase on an ordinary lunch day, and the rest of the events plan to keep that same theme.

“It’s a nice alternative to driving somewhere else to get something different than the lunch food,” senior Ibrahim Bata said as he enjoyed the avocado in his veggie bagel sandwich.

The rest of the Food Truck Friday events take place closer and closer to summer,

Seniors Ibrahim Bata (left) and Lee-Ann Kao enjoy their warm bagels on the rainy day. photo

by Brooklyn Brown

The Origin Story Food Truck Fridays was started by senior Daysun Brown when she heard from a teacher that past students had hired food trucks to park at Jennings field. The dwindling amount of senior privileges Brown observed only watered the seed her teacher had planted in her head, and the idea grew into reality.

“We missed out on a lot of different events because of COVID-19 so I thought I would do something special for my class and this seemed like the perfect thing to do,” Brown said.

The fun idea proved to be much more complicated than Brown originally anticipated, as she had to negotiate with the school administation’s initial disapproval.

“In spite of the school’s disapproval I decided to go ahead with planning,” Brown said. “It quickly turned into a project full of learning and growth.

I’ve learned so much about management, sales, accounting, marketing, banking, and community relations.” meaning they will likely allow students at Jennings Field to enjoy much more pleasant weather and games.

“I think it’s a really cool idea,” Soards said. “I am super excited for the rest of Food Truck Fridays.”

News 7

Senior Ainsley Stump dribbles during a summer soccer training session. photo by Aerie

Sporting in the Summer

By Josie Brackett, Staff

N

o matter the sport, summer is the season to start.

Training for most sports begin in the first couple weeks of June.

Soccer player Reese Nehlsen, junior, said the team spends mornings lifting and doing small games. The team’s afternoon training is usually scrimmaging and drills.

“There’s a lot of early morning practices.

I hate waking up early in the summer and it

Freshman Jack Turnbull stretches on the curb at one of the cross country summer practices. photo by Claire Schellhase

8 Sports

can make you have to change different plans for things outside of soccer,” Nehlsen said.

The boys cross country team trains every week day for two hours and are expected to do at least one run on their own over the weekend. They do different types of runs and slowly incorporate the weight room and core work, according to coach Gabe Porras.

“The first couple of weeks, we’re getting used to being consistently running every day,” Porras said. “We are trying to work our way up to 45-minute runs so we can run comfortably.”

Summer training for cross country can be an exciting time for teams.

“I look forward to meeting the new runners, establishing the culture, and getting a sense of what the identity of that team is going to be,” Porras said.

When summer training starts, that also means getting to know future teammates.

“I love being around all the girls and being immersed with different people in different grade levels that I wouldn’t always be around,” Nehlsen said.

Team bonding is a big part of Zionsville athletics summer training, which is why athletes love it.

Volleyball player Sadie Meenan, sophomore, appreciates playing with a variety of players throughout the summer.

“I really like how you can start playing with people that you haven’t played with

in a while because a lot of the girls on my team, they play club, so we go a full season without having played together,” Meenan said.

Other students like freshman Jack Turnbull like going to summer training to have fun and “work towards something that I know is going to benefit me in the future.”

Typically, towards the end of July and beginning of August tryouts begin for Fall teams. Athletes may face tryout anxiety.

“I always have the doubt that I’m not going to make the team, even if that’s kind of far-fetched,” Meenan said.

Even after getting used to practicing with new people or after the stress of not making the team, there is still anxiety about competition and pushing yourself to the limits.

“I get really nervous when I have to test myself, especially when I’m competing against people that I know are really good,” Turnbull said.

Summer training is important for improvement and growth for many students.

“In the years that you aren’t on varsity, it’s a lot scarier because it feels like you have to prove yourself,” Nehlsen said. “But I think after you get over yourself making little mistakes and do what you have to do, it’s a lot easier to experience.”

Rugby Reset The rugby team gathers in a scrum during their away game against Westfield on March 25; the team won, 12-5. photo by Sarah Maniscalo

After a season of too few players, ZCHS rugby goes club

By Elizabeth Rexing, Print Editor

“R

ugby can be brutal sometimes,” senior Jeromy Moss said. “It can be really hard and intense, but I think that when you go through that together, it creates a strong bond.”

This is Moss’s second season as a rugby player. The former-football player joined rugby his junior year after wanting to “try something new” and watching several friends join.

In the first official game of this season, they won, 12-5, against Westfield on March 25. In the April 16 game against Brownsburg, the team won, 17-10, and on April 20 against Fishers and HSE, they lost, 0-34.

Their next game is May 4 at 6 p.m. at Mulberry Fields versus Westfield.

In past seasons, the rugby team was affiliated with the high school. However this season, the team cut ties with the high school to become a club team, Zionsville Rugby Club, to allow students from other schools to join the team.

According to head Coach and former professional rugby player Jean-Jacques (JJ) Oelofse, the change from a school team to a club team was difficult but was ultimately forced as they could not recruit enough players.

While 30 players is the ideal number, last year, the team only had 16 players. Normally, 15 players are on the field but COVID-19 changes last season allowed the team to play

with only seven. With the return to the typical line up this year, the group didn’t have enough to have an ‘effective team’ Oelofse said.

“The decision to make the change was not taken lightly,” Oelofse said. “The school and sports department had done all that they could do to support us, which we are very grateful for.”

Moss is thankful for the numbers they’ve found this season: 27 practicing players.

“Rugby is nonstop and really tiring,” Moss said. “You’re also prone to getting hurt so the more players, the better. Numbers are so important.”

While the team is now fully equipped with enough players, they are facing other obstacles because they are no longer associated with the high school. Team manager Sydney Hubbard, junior, said that when affiliated with the school, the team was supplied with a bus to travel to and from games. Now, with many players being underclassmen without licenses, transportation is a “pain.”

Additionally, before, they had access to indoor training facilities, like the Fieldhouse, whereas now finding indoor facilities to use in the winter is a “major challenge,” Oelofse said.

“The cost and availability has made us work hard on finding temporary solutions,”

Oelofse said. “We are working on raising funds to cover the costs for next season and find a more permanent solution for indoor training.”

The team currently practices indoors at a location in Stonegate and outdoors at Mulberry Fields, where they also host their games.

But no matter the obstacles, the team continues on the road to state finals.

“Our slogan is ‘embrace the suck’ and it’s true,” Moss said. “We make sure to stay motivated in practice and practice like we play.”

Despite the small numbers last year, the team won all four of their games. In their final game of the last season against Westfield, Hubbard said that the team “dominated” and “crushed them.” While the team should have qualified for State, Hubbard said that they did not have the required numbers to compete.

With the success from last season and the momentum from this year, Oelofse believes they “have the opportunity to do really well this year.”

“We need to manage the players well, but the core of the team is settled,” Oelofse.

“There are a number of very talented players that, if they work together, will produce excellent results.”

Sports 9

LOVE the Game

By Sarah Maniscalo, Photo Editor ost of Zionsville’s athletes compete solely with school teams, but some students take it a step further. How do these “pro” tennis players balance their lives on and off the court, at school and out of town?

Senior Sophie Herrman has been playing tennis since she was six years old, and she started competing when she was about 11 years old. She played individually for a long time, eventually representing Central Indiana from ages 12 to 14 and representing Midwest in a team tournament when she was 14.

Herrman played on the ZCHS team for her freshman and senior years and says the biggest difference between that and her individual schedule is the time commitment.

The high school season is from March to May, but everything else runs year-round.

“I train close to 15-20 hours a week, even during off-season,” Herrman said.

She balances the rigorous routine of interval training, conditioning, lessons, and competing with a healthy, balanced social and academic life.

“I think I have a pretty good balance.

Obviously, there are times when it’s pretty difficult,” Herrman said. “Overall, I think it’s just about keeping your priorities straight. School comes first, but you always have to make time for practice and social [time] too.”

Senior, Cole Chappell, has played tennis casually since he was five and professionally since age eight.

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“I got really serious about it when I was 12,” Chappell said.

Chappell recognizes that it can be difficult to balance his six-day-a-week training regimen but emphasizes that balance is the most important factor.

“It’s difficult, obviously… sometimes when you have a bunch of tests in one day it can be very challenging,” Chappell said.

“You just have to make sure you make space for everything and plan everything out. I have a lot less free time than others because of [tennis].”

Both Herrman and Chappell have taken additional time out of their schedules to be on the high school teams in their senior year.

“I just want to enjoy senior season and have fun with the team,” Herrman said.

“Seeing how far our team can go in the state tournament would also be really fun. Just being able to bond with all the girls and the coaching staff.”

Herrman is signed to play for Rhode Island College, so recruiting season is no longer hanging over her head. While she spent her time focusing on her individual career last year, she can return to high school tennis for her final year in Zionsville.

“It’s a good opportunity to explore more of what being on a team has to offer, especially going to a college team,” Herrman said. “I thought it’d be a good way to say goodbye to high school.”

She has enjoyed the season so far.

“It’s nice to be around such a large group of girls who are all working towards the same thing and focused on having fun together,” Herrman said.

Junior Naya Pease has played for the high school team since her freshman year.

“This team is like family. We all bond so well and everyone is included!” Pease said.

“During the off-season, we do lots of fun bonding and volunteer activities to maintain this strong connection.”

One of her favorite aspects of tennis is the team atmosphere, which promotes encouragement on and off the court.

“My favorite memory personally as a player would be all the teammates cheering me on when I would be playing,” Pease said.

“It really helps calm the nerves and makes playing a lot less stressful.”

Senior Sophie Herrman hits the ball across the court. photo submitted by Herrman

Dividing Line AJ Hainer divides his time between Offensive, Bass line

By Daysun Brown, Staff istening to his coach in the football locker room, senior AJ Hainer can also hear the organized footsteps of the Marching Eagles performing their halftime show. The season is almost finished, leaving Hainer with mixed emotions. He will miss football but now looks forward to his last season of Zionsville Indoor Percussion (ZIP). To Hainer, there isn’t a major difference between the two; he’s just excited to see his friends after they’ve been separated on the football field by their respective roles.

“The change [from football to Indoor Percussion] is only the type of art you’re doing,” Hainer said.

Hainer has been a member of ZIP all four years of high school and is Bass Five for the drumline this year. Football and Indoor percussion are two activities that stereotypically don’t harmonize, but for Hainer, they go hand in hand.

“I have to go out of my comfort zone from being an aggressive football player to wearing makeup,” Hainer said.

The abrupt shift from one activity to another has not stopped Hainer’s passion.

“Both [Indoor percussion and football] build that family atmosphere where you know people have your back if you’re down or if you need someone to help you out,” Hainer said.

This family atmosphere is what draws Hainer back to both each year.

Hainer’s older sister spent three years in ZIP and this gave him the motivation to join.

“I’ve been [in and] around Indoor for six, seven years. So it’s kind of become something special to me, and something that I embrace and love,” Hainer said. “It’s not that difficult to switch from one mindset to another.”

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“I have to go out of my comfort zone from being an aggressive football player to wearing makeup.”

- AJ Hainer, senior Hainer remembers being a shy freshman especially because he was playing football instead of forming bonds with the other members of the marching band who also were in Indoor. Some of the older students reached out to him and helped him learn the basics to Indoor; he wants to do the same for current underclassmen.

Freshman Nate Cook plays cymbals but hopes to switch to Bass Drum Five next year with Hainer’s help.

“I’ve been mentoring and…giving him the ropes because that’s one of his goals,” Hainer said. “When I graduate, if I come back for the Homecoming game, and I see him on Bass Five, I want to be proud,” Hainer said.

Hainer and Cook have

been working side by side this year to help Cook improve and prepare to audition for Bass Drum Five.

“He has made me more confident in my decision. Before I was on the fence but now I’m 100%,” Cook said.

ZCHS director of Percussion Michael Rennaker said “It’s exciting he’s “blown away” by the to see both effort of the the musical students.

It’s and personal incredible growth stuto see “their dents are able ambition to set [ZIP] up to achieve to succeed in the future through our acthrough tivity and permentor cussive arts as relationships,” Rennaker said. a whole.”

Part of - Michael being an Rennaker upperclassmen in ZIP is taking the underclassmen under their wing and showing them how each section works.

“It’s exciting to see both the musical and personal growth students are able to achieve through our activity and percussive arts as a whole,” Rennaker said.

Hainer has seen success in football and ZIP, heading to State for the past two years in both.

AJ “I can’t say enough Hainer posing depicting his about how hard these two respective kids work to make their roles. photo goals a reality,” Rennaby Sarah ker said. “That translates Maniscalo directly to competitive success.”

Student Life 11

Bring the

As mask mandates lift, live music returns and students share experiences, tips and more.

Beat In

By Gretchen Drews, Opinion Editor

Brady Cochran, junior

T

hough junior Brady Cochran says he’s only been to eight concerts, he’s seen far more than you could

count.

“In my hometown in Illinois, there were people playing music almost every weekend in the downtown area,” Cochran said. “We called it The Circle. I’ve been going to those my whole life.”

One of Cochran’s all-time favorite bands is Grateful Dead and last year, he was able to see Dead and Co., a spin-off of Grateful Dead consisting of original band members and other artists.

“Being a big dead head, it was just a surreal moment to be dancing and singing with old dead heads,” Cochran said. “The culture that the Grateful Dead made is a positive community and it was a blessing to experience that with a bunch of people. It is hard to put in words the feeling that I felt.”

Another memorable concert of Cochran’s is when he went to see Lil Dicky with his friend. It was Cochran’s first time in the pit and Lil Dicky was standing right in front of them.

“I just remember that night I said something to my friend and Lil Dicky laughed,” Cochran said. “I don’t know if he was laughing at my joke or something else, but I like to think it was my joke.”

When Cochran goes to concerts, especially ones in the summer, he loves to be outdoors. Not only does he love the atmosphere, but it also reminds him of when he was young.

“You see the sunset, you get to breathe fresh air, and to me it feels more intimate when it’s outside for some reason,” Cochran said. “It takes me back to those days where I’d listen to random bands and artists perform in the middle of The Circle.”

Junior Brady Cochran blows a bubble at a Dead and Co. concert. photo submitted by Cochran

Tips for Attending a Concert 1. Always bring a friend Whether it’s going to the concert or even just the bathroom, always have a buddy 2. Stay hydrated Get water before the concert starts so you don’t have to leave mid-concert.

If you’re in the pit, you don’t want to get too dehydrated and pass out 12 Student Life

3. Wear clothing with pockets Everything you bring will have to be on you at all times 4. Bags If your venue allows them, check what sizes are acceptable or you may have to pay a fee 5. Check the weather

6. Be aware of your surroundings 7. Charge your phone beforehand

Grace Lizama, senior

F

Senior Grace Lizama poses at Summer Smash. photo submitted by Lizama

rom Post Malone to Jon Bellion, from Lil Uzi to Khalid, senior Grace Lizama has seen it all. Having been to a whopping 24 concerts, she’s seen a variety of her favorite artists.

“My favorite concert was NF,” Lizama said. “He is my favorite artist and I have been listening to him forever. His style consists of Christian hip-hop, and I had been wanting to see him for so long so that was a really amazing experience.”

In addition, Lizama has also been to two music festivals in Chicago, Lollapalooza and Summer Smash.

“Lollapalooza was the greatest experience ever,” Lizama said. “I got to go with a couple of friends and watch so many of my favorite artists perform. The environment of Lolla was just so good and the positive energy it brought was overwhelming.”

Marina Fahmy, junior

A

vid Harry Styles’ fan and fashionista Marina Fahmy, junior, has been to three concerts, two of them being Harry’s.

“Both were so amazing,” Fahmy said. “It’s so much fun getting to see your favorite musician live. I loved the vibe of ‘Love on Tour’, and it was so cool meeting and talking to other people who love listening to the same music as you do.”

As Fahmy has only been to a few concerts so far, she tries her best to stay off her phone.

“I do like recording some videos of a concert to watch back later for memories, but I like to stay off my phone and enjoy the concert in the moment,” Fahmy said.

One thing Fahmy’s learned about concerts is that for each of them, there are completely different styles and dress codes. Fahmy enjoys taking the fashion aspect of concerts seriously as she think it’s what makes them fun.

“What you wear to a concert depends on the artist you’re seeing,” Fahmy said. “When I went to ‘Love on Tour’, me and a lot of other people I saw dressed up and wore things inspired by Harry, compared to the Conan Gray concert which definitely had a more casual vibe.”

At Lollapalooza, Lizama was also able to participate in Rock & Recycle which is an activity where concert goers are able to walk around the venue and help pick up trash and litter.

“It made me happy knowing that something like this was available,” Lizama said.

“When I was walking around people would come up to me and put their trash in the bag. It was such a fun way to interact with people and enjoy the performances while helping keep the environment clean.”

Since mandates have lifted, Lizama noted how much she loves concerts as they are a place where everyone can gather together to share their passions.

“Each concert I have been to I always meet such kind people and there’s a type of culture and togetherness that concerts bring, one filled with so much love and good energy,” Lizama said.

Summer Concerts Wallows, 6/6 - Indianapolis Lumineers, 6/14 - Noblesville Wonder Road Festival, 6/11-6/12 - Indianapolis Tears for Fears, 6/17 Noblesville

Junior Marina Fahmy poses in her Harry Styles inspired outfit. photo submitted by Fahmy

Something important about concerts is that what Fahmy wears reflects her sense of style.

“A lot of looks I’ve seen from people at the concerts I’ve been to have definitely been inspired by the artist you’re seeing and the type of music they play,” she said. “For example, I saw so many people wearing boas at ‘Love on Tour’, and at Conan Gray’s concert people wearing outfits that Conan would wear. I think it’s important to dress up for concerts because it’s fun, and cool seeing what everyone else wears that was inspired by the artist playing.”

Summer Smash, 6/17-6/18 Chicago Rex Orange County, 6/20 Columbus, OH Doobie Brothers, 7/14 Noblesville Zac Brown, 7/28 - Noblesville

Student Life 13

MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU In a galaxy super close by, three students reflect on their favorite Star Wars moments, memories

By Kailey Wallenius, Feature Editor

Favorite Character?

“I really like Plo Koon, the orange guy with the mask. I have a lot of legends and comics, he embodies really well what the Jedi is supposed to be.”

Favorite Movie?

Isaac Brown, 12

“My favorite movie is “Empire Strikes Back”; the Battle of Hoth scene is very cool. Luke also gets his hand cut off, and finally gets Jedi training which is awesome.”

14 Student Life

Least Favorite Movie?

“My least favorite movie is the 8th one. It was just bad, with the space casino stuff and all the sideline characters. I did like the female admiral.”

Would you Recommend Star Wars to Others?

Senior Isaac Brown shows off his homemade stormtrooper helmet. photo by Riya Patel

“Yes, I would recommend Star Wars to other people.

It’s just a very enjoyable series. There’s something for everybody. You don’t have to like the movies, there’s comics, there’s TV shows.”

Hassan Hashmi, 10

Favorite Character?

“I really like Anakin’s character development, and then Darth Vader as a concept is really cool.”

Best TV Show?

“The first season of The Mandalorian was really new, and it wasn’t based on the old movies, so I liked that. And I’m excited for the new Obi Wan show.”

Favorite Trilogy?

“My favorite trilogy is the original trilogy. I think it’s just my favorite because Luke Skywalker is my favorite character.”

Best Casting?

“McGregor as Obi Wan is a classic, and people hated Hayden Christensen but I really liked him [as Anakin].”

Sophomore Hassan Hashmi points out his super cool and retro Star Wars sheets. photo by Riya Patel

“My favorite character is Anakin Skywalker. The actor, Hayden Christensen, portrays Anakin’s internal conflict in such a convincing way which sets the tone for the trilogies.”

Favorite Movie?

“My favorite movie is “Revenge of the Sith.” I feel it best depicts the main conflict of the saga; good vs evil. Additionally, ROTS is full of action!”

Least Favorite Movie?

“Although I love each Star Wars movie which contributed to such an incredible plot, Solo is my least favorite film. The characters were poorly cast, and everything felt rushed.”

Sophomore Taylor Tylicki shows off her Star Wars sweatshirt. photo by Kailey Wallenius

Taylor Tylicki, 10

Favorite Character?

Student Life 15

A Q &

with Ady Achenbach

Freshman Ady Achenbach races during dirt-bike competition season from March to November Reporting by Reagan Manwaring, Guest Contributor

Q: What is the track at your house like?

A: The track at our house is decently small, but also big enough to practice on. It’s just a classic dirt track, nothing special, but we have a decently large amount of space to put our track. We’re always adjusting it to new difficulties and new track pieces, like whoops [little lumps of dirt] and table tops [a plateau mound of dirt that you skip the back tire over].

Q: What’s your biggest accomplishment in the sport?

A: So far, I think my biggest accomplishment was beating someone who was riding on a way bigger bike than me. She’s a little bit older than me. It was one of the first times I had ever raced. It just really gave me a bigger sense of accomplishment, like I could really achieve my goals. That was my first time getting first place.

Q: What’s your biggest struggle with the sport?

A: One of my biggest struggles is probably not getting too competitive. Sometimes I feel like I’m not good enough for it but then I try to remind myself that it’s just a hobby. Even if I don’t make it in the big leagues someday, that’s okay because it’s just fun for now.

Q: What advice would you give to a person interested in dirt biking?

A: I would probably say, “start small.” You definitely don’t want to start out with too big of a challenge. It can be hard sometimes.

Start by practicing if you have a track at home. Then, later on you can work yourself up to start racing. I feel like racing is the most fun part. It’s a really big goal to reach but it’s really fun.

16 Feature

Ady Achenbach races through her dirt-bike track at her house. photo

by Sarah Maniscalo

Q: What got you into dirt biking?

A: I started dirt biking a few years back, probably around age 10.

I wasn’t all that interested in it, though, and started off riding our little pit bike around our property. Just last year I’d decided it might be fun to start learning to jump and ride an actual race.

After that, there was no turning back. Once I got my current bike, I started to gain a lot of speed and before I knew it I was catching up to my brother a lot more, so we entered into our first race as of last year and I’ve never really looked back since then.

Q: What are your goals for dirt-biking in the future?

A: In the future, I hope to make a lot of progress on my speed and technique. Technique is the key to success when trying to gain more speed, as you need to have perfect form when jumping and turning corners, or something could go seriously wrong. I would also like to move up to a bigger bike soon, probably a 125 [engine size], because I’m getting a little too tall for my bike now.

Dirt biking is something that I really enjoy, and I can see myself pursuing the sport for years to come.

Q: Would you consider dirt-biking hard?

A: Lots of people think you’re just sitting on the bike and the bike is just doing the work for you, but it’s actually physically demanding. You have to build a lot of muscle to control the bike, especially if you’re on a bigger bike.

The

WHEEL Deal

E

By Adanna Mbanu, Staff

Featuring students driving old or unique cars

very interest has an origin. Junior Evan Bothwell first watched the movie, “The Story of the Hypercar,” with his dad. “It was about this Swedish brand Koenigsegg and how they were trying to break all these records,” Bothwell said.

“That’s really what got me into cars.”

Greg Albers, owner of Albers Motorcars in The Village, currently sells high end Rolls Royce and Bentleys in The Village, but inherited his love of cars from his father.

“Cars were sort of my dad’s thing,” Albers said. “He was into classic American cars. And I just kind of caught the bug. I knew by the time I was in six or seventh grade that I wanted to get involved with cars.”

Others’ lifelong love of cars began in childhood, too.

“I’d say my initial interest started around third grade,” Jack Bourquard, senior, said. “But I really got interested in it in seventh grade.”

Many people interested in cars have one car that engrosses their thoughts. Although these cars may seem unattainable, they are still nice to think about. Bourquard currently owns a 1987 RX7 and has his sights set on something slightly more rare.

“I’d want the 1995 model,” he said.

“Which is a new body style and it comes in a twin turbo configuration, so it’s cooler, faster, sleeker.”

Researching and taking interest in a certain vintage car is one thing, but being able to find a car that specific can be a whole other ordeal. Many car enthusiasts take to locating these cars from resellers online.

“I was looking around Craigslist,” Bour-

quard said. “I looked at one [model of car] in Chicago, Indianapolis, Bloomington, I think Fort Wayne, and I didn’t find anything I liked there. Then my mom was like, ‘you should try Cincinnati, it’s not that far.’

The first result on Cincinnati Craigslist was the exact car I was looking for; low mileage, really clean, everything you’d want out of a car.”

If finding a car from a reseller doesn’t work, car shows are another option.

“I love going to car shows,” Bothwell said. “I went to this big one called Mecum a while ago. They have multi-million dollar cars.”

Car meets are another kind of event that the car community tends to frequent. “[At] car shows, people just park their old cars that were store built or just super expensive high-end cars and people walk around and look at them and ask questions,” Zach Griggs, junior, said. “And then car meets, that’s where you find people that modify cars. They’ll do drag racing, drifting, stuff like that.”

Car drives are also events that take place within the community.

“Drives normally consist of a car club of some sort, having a des-

tination, picking roads to go on, preferably not interstate, so you have nice scenery and stop places for lunch and enjoy the camaraderie of other people,” Albers said.

Car enthusiasts have very strong beliefs about purchasing an older car instead of new.

“I think buying a new car in general is just a scam,” Bothwell said. “The second you buy it, it just lost all its value. And the second I bought my [used] car, it’s already worth four times more than what I paid for it.”

If you’re fascinated by older cars and are intrigued by the idea of possessing one, make sure you take advice from someone who’s already gone through the process and experience of owning one.

“Spend your time on it,” Griggs said.

“Do your research. That’s best I can about it because that’s what I did. Watching YouTube, looking it up, finding what you like, and going to car meets because you’ll find people.”

ar. ’s c d r y ua urq d b Bo mitte k Jac o sub d t r pho rqua u o B

Feature 17

Adventure Awaits

Not all students, teachers spend their summer vacations the same. Here are some unique summer plans

Sarah Mingus

By Josie Brackett and Adanna Mbanu, Staff

China

Sophomore Sarah Mingus spends her summers on a 3-week-long trip visiting and sightseeing in China. Because of the pandemic, she hasn’t been able to visit since 2019.

“Usually I’ll go to visit family and I have a couple friends there,” Mingus said. “So I go see my friends. The last time I went, though, we just went sightseeing and we went to the Great Wall of China and all these other places like the Summer Palace.”

Although sightseeing can potentially take up a lot of time while on the trip, Mingus still had enough time to participate in different camps offered in the area.

“I had to take my cousin and babysit him the entire time,” Mingus said. “It was a camp for Asian Americans who lived in the U.S. to go there and do stuff. I went to two different ones. They were each a week long. It was to immerse yourself in the culture.”

Ben Debaltzo Show Choir Camp

Junior Ben Debaltzo does show choir camp for Royalaires.

According to Debaltzo, show choir camp is a week-long day camp where they learn material for the fall set.

Debaltzo spends quality time with his fellow Royalaires, which is why he likes camp so much.

“It’s fun because there are people you haven’t seen all summer and you get to spend the whole week with them,” Debaltzo said. “We can go out after to get food or hang out.”

Choreographers are flown in for working on higher level skills in workshops.

“We majorly improve in our technical skills throughout the week, especially the rookies,” Debaltzo said. “Some people come into this with no dance experience and you can see their change from the beginning of the week to the end of the week.”

Molly Zucker IU Honors Program

Royalaires follow along as they learn their choreography during the week-long show choir camp. photo submitted by Debaltzo

18 Feature

Due to COVID-19, junior Molly Zucker’s exchange trip to France through the IU Honors Program was postponed to this upcoming summer.

“I felt like it would be an exciting thing to experience because we don’t have a lot of exchange trips in our school,” Zucker said. “So I think it’s an exciting opportunity.”

Since this is her first time visiting the country, Zucker is overwhelmed with excitement for this program.

“I’m most excited to probably live with a host family,” Zucker said.

“I’m excited to get to know the people who live there rather than just the other people that I’m traveling with.”

Freshman Alia Benson (center) stands with her sisters on a dock at sunset in Glacier National Park. photo submitted by Benson

Danielle Wilson Asian Pacific

Teacher Danielle Wilson will be spending her summer traveling throughout the Asian Pacific.

Wilson plans to visit Hawaii, the Philippines, and Japan. She will spend that time studying World War II from the perspective of different Americans, Filipinos, and Japanese, Wilson said. “[My trip] is part of the Lilly grant that I won in 2021. It’s part of the Lily Edge Teachers’ Creativity endowment.” Wilson said.

Wilson was supposed to go on her trip last summer but couldn’t because of Covid restrictions. Japan was not open to visitors and the Philippines were still closed.

“It is part of my grant to become scuba certified, which I’m terrified to do, because I am a little bit claustrophobic,” Wilson said.

Zoe Klotz

Hebrew Summer Program During a majority of the summer, senior Zoe Klotz spends most of their summer participating in a Hebrew summer program named Avodah. This camp spans over a duration of 8 weeks and serves as a “counselor in training” program.

“For the first two weeks I was on Migdal crew, which means I was a climbing specialist and I’d help kids with the climbing tower,” Klotz said. “And then the second rotation I was on the kitchen crew, then infirmary and pool, where we got lifeguard training and helped with the infirmary and got basic medical training.”

Even though the camp entails a lot of hard work for no payment, Klotz still enjoys every second of the experience.

“It’s very rewarding work and it’s a great experience,” Klotz said.

“You get to bond with your friends and get yourself comfortable doing hard things.”

Alia Benson Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park has been a part of freshman Alia Benson’s summers since birth.

According to Benson, her parents’ loving investment in being involved at Glacier extended to her, so much so that she spends most of her summer working there.

As a dockhand, Benson is in charge of renting canoes, rowboats, kayaks, and various other types of boats to visitors. In addition, she’s also responsible for selling tickets for boat tours on historic wooden boats.

The group of people at Glacier has had an immense impact on Benson. A lack of normal amenities, such as Wi-Fi in the area, has resulted in a tight-knit community.

“The community in Glacier is very unique because there are people who’ve worked there for about 50 years in the summers,” Benson said. “So I’ve grown up with them as a second set of grandparents or just people I’ve grown up around. But I look to them as role models and friends in a way because there aren’t any kids who live in Glacier besides me.”

Hannah Mckenna Band Camp

For the past two years, sophomore Hannah Mckenna has spent two weeks, six hours a day, at summer band camp. The camp is an immersive two week experience leaving members equipped to have an eventful season.

The routine for each day is fairly typical, starting out with the basics as well as stretching. The group also goes over the choreography for the shows and adds on new segments to the show. Then, using that learned choreography, they’ll add music to it. But no matter what, the day ends with the full run of their show.

The end of the program brings everyone closer together and extremely prepared for the upcoming season.

“The effort may not seem worth it in the moment, but the end result makes me so proud to be a part of this huge group of amazing people,” Mckenna said.

Feature 19

Horoscope

Hoax?

How truly accurate are our star signs?

By Mary Demarco, News and Sports Editor

L

et me guess. You’re a Libra. Wrong?

Okay. Then clearly a Gemini. No? Wrong again? Well, I just don’t know at this point.

We have all heard people judge each other based on their zodiac signs. But how much meaning do these birth signs really have?

According to any quick Google search you could make, star signs are not backed by science. Astrology is a completely different realm. It is based on one’s own universal beliefs. Just like if someone were to believe in ghosts or if someone had a lucky hair tie they wore while playing in a game.

“One of the people at my table tried to bring up what my horoscope was. I said, graphics by Brooklyn Brown

20 Opinion

“I love learning about people and knowing their zodiac sign makes it easier for me to get to know them better.”

- Joanna Hernandez, sophomore

‘Okay let’s play this game. Guess,’” junior Matthew Tandy said. “They spent the next twenty minutes guessing wrong answers and I laughed at them the whole time.”

Horoscopes just seem like a basic description of characteristic traits that could fit anyone without getting too much into the specifics. So what is it that people actually like about them?

“I love learning about people and knowing their zodiac sign makes it easier for me to get to know them better,” sophomore Joanna Hernandez said.

You feel more connected to someone when you see them wearing the t-shirt of a singer you like or supporting something that you support.

It’s like that with zodiac signs. Maybe they mean something, maybe they don’t.

It’s fun to see what people you know were born in the same time period.

Zodiac signs also get you to think more about your own personality traits and feelings. The more you look inwardly, the better equipped you are emotionally.

“I don’t think Zodiac signs determine how your day will go, but it can determine how you will react to what goes on during

your day,” Hernandez said.

What’s so cool about zodiac signs is that they can get you thinking about who you are as a person and what you are presenting to the world.

They can even help try to predict someone’s personality traits and the ways in which they will react.

“I’m passionate about Zodiac signs because it helps me understand people more.

Learning my friends’ traits can help me comfort them or learn why they are reacting or feeling the way they do,” Hernandez said.

Zodiac signs become problematic when people try to base too much of their lives around them. Yes, they’re cool. Yes they’re unifying and help you to look inwardly at yourself, but not all life events are connected to them. Assuming that everyone born within your star sign is going to have a similar day to yours is completely crazy. It brushes aside the idea that each person has a separate life with separate problems and activities going on.

Tandy sums it up best, “You’re trying to ruin your individuality and your individual intelligence by doing that. You’re clearly very intelligent, don’t say that it’s because everyone born in the same month as you is really smart. You are smart. Don’t boil yourself down to ‘this month is smart people month,’” Tandy said.

So, check your zodiac sign, but don’t plan your life around it.

Tyrants of

TESTING

College Board costs students stress, money

By Kailey Wallenius, Feature Editor

W

hen I walked out of the SAT What really bothers me however, is Coltesting room after 3 hours of lege Board itself. College Board is an orgamind-bending questions, I nization completely separate from colleges thought I would feel relieved, but instead and high schools, meaning that the tests are I was more anxious than ever. I was scared being decided by a group who is not experithat I had just failed horribly and I would encing modern education first hand. not get into any colleges because my scores With evolving technology and levels of would be so low. The SAT, PSAT, and AP education, the materials high schoolers are exams, run by College Board, can be super tested on should change, too. frustrating and even seem pointless.

Also, if you haven’t taken any standardWhen I was studying for the SAT, I first ized tests yet, please do not put your email logged onto Khan Academy, because I knew into the box. You will receive so many that I didn’t remember everything I learned pointless and annoying emails from every in math from the last five years. I tried to college ever due to College Board selling memorize as much as I possibly could and your information. repeat it back during the exam.

I don’t appreciate how expensive it is to But, what measures intelligence is not take all of their tests. The SAT alone costs how well you can memorize grammar $55, and many students take it multiple and math equations. Why should such a times. AP tests, and the average student small test become so important to college takes at least 2 AP exams in high school, applications when we spend four years in cost $96 for each exam. You do the math; high school studying and working hard? I it’s a lot of money. am happy that many colleges have become Overall, College Board needs to make test-optional, but I think that most students some changes to their system. Their moend up taking the tests anyways, just in case. nopoly over the testing curriculum in the The whole structure of the test is also United States isn’t fair to test takers across pointless. Taking a test that just shows the country. I want students to understand how well you can regurgitate formulas and that this one test doesn’t define them, and memorize facts shouldn’t display to colleges that while studying hard for the test is whether you deserve to get in. Yet, getting a important, don’t waste too much time on a bad score can ruin your application. test that only represents a small part of who It also should be noted that the SAT is you are. not standardized. This means that not every test, which changes every month, is the same level of difficulty. It also means that tests that are easier, are graded on a harder scale. According to TheUproar.org, in 2018 the June SAT was notoriously an “easier” test. So, it was graded on a very harsh curve, having students lose 30 points from one missed question, when it would take three or four missed questions on other tests. graphic by Brooklyn Brown

Opinion 21

On edge over the

ph oto f

rom

Un iv

ers al

Im ag es

Gr ou p

Pledge The perspective of a foreign exchange student

By Arianna Gimona, Staff

A

s an exchange student from Italy, I didn’t even know countries with a Pledge of Allegiance actually existed.

“Did someone die?” “Is today a celebration day in the U.S.?” These were some of the thoughts that flowed through my mind the first time I saw people standing up with a hand on their heart. In Italy, as in other European countries, we do not have such a thing as the Pledge of Allegiance.

As my time here went by and I started to understand what the Pledge is, I started to notice how this is such a divisive topic.

While there are people who don’t stand up at all, there are also people who seem to take the Pledge very seriously. I started to question what the meaning of the Pledge was for me, as a foreigner.

I asked another student, junior Anna Devine, about the Pledge to get a better understanding of its meaning to Americans and the debate surrounding it.

“I think the Pledge of Allegiance can be a good thing for a lot of people because it can help people have more spirit for their country,” Devine said.

The Constitution is pretty clear about how the First Amendment defends the right to freely express ideas, and opinions, and protects political speech as long as it’s not disruptive.

22 Opinion

So, if students who decide to not stand up are expressing their opinion legally, what is the problem?

“I don’t think you should force everyone to say it, because not everyone feels represented by it,” Devine said. “For example, it says ‘One Nation under God’ and not everyone believes in God.” The controversy may start in unclear and differing state legislation. There are states who completely ignore federal law, states that delegate the choice to local schools or parents, and states who do not have any legislation about the topic.

The Indiana Code Title 20 Education states that while all schools must provide the Pledge each day, students are not required to participate if they or their parents do not want to. However, according to indianacentralnews.com, this did not stop a teacher in Terre Haute from removing an 8 years-old child from class and making him practice the Pledge alone.

After reading so many stories like this I cannot reach any conclusion other than that people have to make the difference where laws cannot.

Devine says she personally stands because, having family in the Army, she wants to respect the sacrifice of soldiers.

I also stand up as a sign to respect the

country that is hosting me because I perceive the Pledge as custom here in the U.S. In order to recite the Pledge and realize its purpose to the fullest, everyone should think about what meaning the Pledge has for them and find the best way to participate without damaging those who think that the Pledge does not have a positive meaning or a meaning at all.

Devine found her meaning by reciting it in Spanish.

“I feel like being truly myself,” she said.

“It feels like I’m not disrespecting either my Mexican or my American culture.”

This is a good way to give the Pledge real meaning rather than just standing up only because everyone else does the same.

Personally, as a foreigner, even by putting myself in the shoes of an American citizen, it is really hard to find a personal meaning in the Pledge. But I understand the importance it holds to many Americans.

I encourage all those who stand to look for a personal meaning in the Pledge rather than just standing because you feel pressured or because you do it out of habit.

It is symbolic for many citizens, for many different reasons, and it’s important that everyone finds their own special reason.

In a Google Survey of 59 ZCHS students. graphic by Brooklyn Brown

Opinion 23

Harb Highlights Left: Senior Kailey Wallenius (left) and junior Emily Chlystun pose with Hoosier Star Awards.

Wallenius, and the Harbinger staff, and Chlystun, and the Aerie staff, won the top state award in their respective divisions. photo by Lauren Wagner Bottom: Junior Kailyn Meyer runs with the ball past her opponent in the JV home game against Fishers on April 15. The team tied, 6-6. photo by Sarah Maniscalo

Senior Dylan Thompson throws the shot-put at the Unified Track Meet on April 14. The team’s next meet is the HCC Championship on May 7. photo by Sarah Maniscalo

Spring showcase When: 7 p.m.

Where: PAC

13

Choir Finale

Varsity and JV When: 5 p.m.

Where: 875 Sports Complex When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: PAC *Additional shows on May 14

May

11

Girls Tennis

May

09

Band Concert

HCC Championship When: 11 a.m.

Where: Westfield track

May

07

Unified Track

May

May

May

What’s What’s next? next?

Check the schedule below to find dates, times, and locations for upcoming ZCHS events Subject to change

14

Boys Golf

25

Last Day of School

Varsity at the Brownsburg Invitational When: 9 a.m.

Where: Trophy Club

What time is it?

SUMMER TIME!