Arlingtonian, vol. 4

Fe b r u a r y 2 2 , 2 0 1 9 | Vo l u m e 8 2 | U p p e r A r l i n g t o n H i g h S c h o o l S t u d e n t N e w s m a g a z i n e | 1 6 5 0 R i d g e v i e w R o a d , U p p e r A r l i n g t o n , O H 4 3 2 2 1

What’s the Use? An exploration of teen drug use and the culture that surrounds it.

by Dylan Carlson Sirvent, Katherine Dominek and Sophie Yang, ‘19.

READ ON PAGES 8-14

COVER GRAPHC BY KATIE ZHAO

2 | ISSUE 4 | F EBR UA RY 22 , 2019

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ARLINGTONIAN CO-EDITORS IN CHIEF

Dylan Carlson Sirvent Sophie Yang MANAGING EDITOR

Katherine Dominek COPY EDITOR

Dear readers, W

and Gen Z going off to college, social media and the internet have officially entered the “adult” realm. Through interviews with students who use Snapchat to purchase marijuana to one who finds acceptance in her anonymous Instagram account, this Arlingtonian issue explores just this.

In “The New Smoke,” we and managing editor Katherine Dominek interviewed students to unearth the culture of substance use at UAHS. What we found is how influential social media has been. One student said vaping would not be a big thing if it weren’t for social media. And the internet is what has allowed students to purchase fake IDs with just a few clicks and a debit card.

In “Unidentified Violet,” op/ed editor Hallie Underwood interviewed a closeted transgender student at UAHS who started Unidentified Violet, an anonymous social media account. In a Q&A, the student explains the story behind her account—a story of how the internet lets us take on alteregos when we cannot be ourselves in our day-to-day lives. And in “Opine Online,” copy editor Sammy Bonasso explains how we must approach the culture of the internet with a cautious eye.

As our student body changes with the times, Arlingtonian itself is adapting its stories with videos, graphics and interactive layouts. Sammy Bonasso, Molly Mitchell and Hallie Underwood have developed the first episode of our new podcast—The 3:05—posted now on arlingtonian.com.

We are the first generation to grow with the online world. As you read this issue, consider the nuances of the internet. Is anonymity good? Does it allow us to find communities we can’t find at home, or has it aided the rise of dangerous fringe ideas? Has the internet connected us all for the better, or has it also connected us with more drug dealers and questionable sources? These questions are barely scratched by our stories, and only time will tell what the online landscape becomes as we become the “adults.” ith millennials well into the work world

— arlingtonian co-editors in chief FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @UA ARLINGTONIAN

PHOTO BY GRACE CAL

Sammy Bonasso FEATURES EDITOR

PHOTOGRAPHER

Molly Mitchell

Grace Call

NEWS EDITOR

GRAPHIC ARTIST

Matthew Shepherd

Sophia Shen

OP/ED EDITOR

ADS EDITORS

Hallie Underwood SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Katie Zhao Chris Liu

Clare Driscoll

BUSINESS MANAGER

SPOTLIGHT EDITOR

Chris Liu

Josie Stewart

ADVISER

STAFF WRITER

Carol Hemmerly

Maya Mattan ARTS EDITOR

Katie Zhao

PRINTING REP

Jason Basch, Hopkins Printing

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EDITORIAL POLICY Arlingtonian is a studentproduced newsmagazine published by Journalism III-A students at UAHS. The publication has been established as a public forum for student expression and for the discussion of issues of concern to its audience.

It will not be reviewed or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution.

Arlingtonian welcomes letters to the editor, guest columns and news releases from faculty, administrators, community residents, students and the general

public. The Arlingtonian editorial board reserves the right to withhold a letter or column and return it for more information if it determines the piece contains items of unprotected speech as defined by this policy.

The Arlingtonian staff raises and pays all printing and production costs through advertising sales, donations and fundraisers.

The editor or co-editors shall interpret and enforce this editorial policy.

To read the full editorial policy, visit our website at arlingtonian.com.

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PERSPECTIVES COMPILED BY DYLAN CARLSON SIRVENT, KATHERINE DOMINEK AND SOPHIE YANG, ‘19. PHOTOS BY GRACE CALL, ‘20.

? Can students be friends with teachers?

“Yes, I think it’s possible to be friends with a teacher. [One of my teachers] and I are pretty close [as] I also dog-sit for her sometimes. It’s fun to talk to her outside of class too.”

—senior Heidi Heuerman

“Students can be friendly with teachers but I don’t think students can be friends with teachers.

With my Euro teacher I sometimes send him blue hearts in his Remind messages, and he might bring it up on a tangent in class and laugh about it and go back on with the lesson. Like, cynically it can be very beneficial [to be friends] with teachers because they will tend to be more lenient with you and understanding, and it can also help you develop connections and have a better rapport with them. They know you better and they better understand your personality.”

—junior Ryan Sharp 4 | ISSUE 4 | F EBR UA RY 22 , 2019

“Yes. Friendship doesn’t really have an age limit. You can be vastly different ages and if you still have the same interests and get along, you can call yourselves friends. I consider my [Community School] teachers my friends. Especially [my language arts CS teacher].

My friends and I are really comfortable talking to her.

We tell her a lot of stuff that’s happening in our lives. I still go back and visit my middle school teachers [from Jones] too.”

—junior Chloe Miller

“To a certain extent, you can have a good relationship with your teacher but to the point where it’s not disrespectful to them.

You should keep things between academics and should remember that you’re still their student and they have actual authority over you. Teachers should care for their students and vice versa, but there should still be a boundary.”

—freshman Nora Dimitrov

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“I’d call teachers my friends but not close friends. With my history teacher, it’s just 13 of us in the class. We talk about how he’s reading Harry Potter for the first time and somebody spoiled the ending for him. I care about my teachers and they care about me.

I think you can be a friend of a teacher but it’d be weird to hang out outside of school unless you’ve graduated. Like my mom is a professor at OSU and she’s really close friends with a lot of her former students now. They come over for tea.”

—junior Oliver Jonaus

“Yes, you’ll be more successful at school if you’re friends with teachers. With [my physical science teacher] we relate about a bunch of things: [mostly] baseball...

More specifically the Cleveland Indians. We used to talk about baseball a lot and now it’s more about science, but we still talk about who the Indians played and team statistics.”

—freshman Mitchell McConnell FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @UA ARLINGTONIAN

“Some teachers are cool and students want to be friends with them. [We can joke about] anything that comes up, literally anything.

I was friends with a teacher and I aced his class. You just learn better when you like your teacher.”

—sophomore Aislinn Matthews

“My history teacher this year was always very nice. He was a great teacher, definitely someone I can get along with. But I wouldn’t consider teachers friends. I don’t see it as a friend relationship. I just see it as a studentteacher relationship, which is almost the same as being friends, just don’t put the ‘friends’ on it. Friends are usually people you hang out with. I don’t see myself doing that with a teacher.”

—sophomore Cameron Koffel

“Yes. A teacher’s main job is to help students learn, so I think a way to be a good teacher is to be friends with your students rather than just people you see once a day.

—senior Zack Stabile

PERSPECTIVES AND THE 3:05 Perspectives is a segment in which students share their experiences in response to an open-ended question. This issue’s Perspectives spotlights the relationships students and teachers build—the same topic explored in the first episode of Arlingtonian’s new podcast, The 3:05. Listen to the first episode of The 3:05— featuring history teachers Nate Palmer and David Griffin—released on Thursday, Feb. 21 on the front page of arlingtonian.com. GRAPHIC BY SOPHIA SHEN.

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6 | ISSUE 4 | FEBR UA RY 22 , 2019

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Played off?

Public Speaking will no longer be a graduation requirement for incoming students following a recent administrative decision. BY SAMMY BONASSO, ’20.

S

the incoming freshman class of 2023, high school students will no longer be required to take Public Speaking in order to graduate.

“Public Speaking will still be offered as a course, and public speaking is a requirement and will remain a requirement for our current freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors,” said Amanda Fountain, a Public Speaking teacher at UAHS. Although not a requirement for incoming students, Fountain said Public Speaking teachers still strongly recommend students take the course.

Fountain said she feels disappointed and even blindsided by the administration’s decision, but she thinks no ill will was involved and that the administration wants what is best for students.

“I felt like there were some missed opportunities for honest communication and deliberation about the course,” Fountain said. “And I always see irony in things like that, when we’re talking about a communications course, that maybe clear communication or effective communication tarting with

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did not transpire throughout the process.” lay foundations for increasingly challenging Public Speaking teachers did not have speeches,” Varner said. a part in the decision, according to Public Fountain said students themselves have Speaking teacher Greg Varner. seen the value of Public Speaking once “[Superintendent Paul] Imhoff they have graduated. indicated that the decision to remove the “I know a lot of students have come graduation requirement was back, contacted me through an administrative option,” email and said, ‘Hey, Public Varner said. “He indicated Speaking was a really valuable The decision to remove the that the two members of the course when I had it at the graduation school board committee felt high school. At the time I requirement is strongly that the graduation didn’t realize it, but when I got an administrative requirement should be to college I realized that I had option. removed, suggesting that some skills that enabled me [to PUBLIC SPEAKING the course content could be be successful],’” Fountain said.

TEACHER GREG VARNER embedded in other courses Public Speaking teacher and indicating that other Bruce Campbell said he saw schools don’t have this students’ self-confidence requirement.” grow after taking the course. He said he Varner, among other Public Speaking would prefer keeping Public Speaking teachers, said he finds the course beneficial. as a course over placing Public Speaking He said he recognized many students’ fear elements in required courses. of it, but he said it was a distinguishing mark “Just requiring the activity of talking of UA schools and that communication in front of us isn’t actually teaching them skills were becoming increasingly important anything,” Campbell said. “The other in the modern workplace. disciplines have so much to cover already “Historically, the public speaking course content-wise. They don’t have space in their has provided lower-stakes opportunities to curriculum to also teach public speaking skills in a way that they need to be taught.”

Principal Andrew Theado, however, did not mention an integration of public speaking elements into all other courses.

“We’re actually prototyping a public speaking course right now through our R&D [Research and Development] called ‘UA Idea Seminar,’” Theado said.

“We had some of our teachers from the language arts department work on infusing some of those things from the public speaking course into a Capstone course.”

Theado said he hopes for these skills to flourish throughout the student body.

“We keep some of those skills alive in our required courses [like the Capstone GRAPH IC BY K ATIE ZH course]. They’re still really important skills AO and content that are beneficial for kids,” Theado said.

W W W. A R L I NGTO NI A N.COM | 7

THE NEW

SMOKE Vaping and other substance use sweep the culture of UAHS.

BY DYLAN CARLSON SIRVENT, KATHERINE DOMINEK AND SOPHIE YANG, ‘19.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY GRACE CALL, ‘20.

L

ast year during spring break,

senior John* and his family decided to go on vacation out-of-state. That meant he couldn’t bring his Juul along—he didn’t want to get caught.

As days passed without access to his vape pod, what was supposed to be a relaxing break from school instead became a miserable one. “[There was] the really fun part of vacation, but then damn, I really want[ed] my Juul,” John said.

This wasn’t just about wanting to Juul, he said. It was something much more serious: withdrawal. John’s senior year, which he said has been his most stressful so far, has only made him more dependent on vaping.

“I treat it as a way to reward myself,” John said. “I’ll pressure myself to finish homework and then I can vape. Or I’ll leave my vape in my car when I go to work. I’ll use it as something to keep me going.” for the last decade,

high schools had been winning the fight against smoking. From 2011 to 2018, according to the CDC, cigarette smoking among high schoolers decreased by 16 percent—from 1 in 10 to 2 in 25.

But as teen use of traditional cigarettes waned, a new technology was

on the rise: e-cigarettes. These are batteryoperated devices that heat nicotine, flavorings and other chemicals into a water vapor which is to be inhaled. Since nicotine is extracted from the tobacco plant, health agencies regard e-cigarettes as tobacco products. Due to the growing prevalence of vaping, tobacco use among high schoolers has changed little since 2011, even as use of traditional cigarettes and cigars have fallen off.

In 2018, according to the CDC, nearly 1 in 5 high schoolers reported vaping in the previous 30 days and there are no signs that e-cigarette use among teenagers will be slowing any time soon.

As ingrained as e-cigarette use now is among high schoolers, it is easy to forget just how new this technology is. E-cigarettes were not introduced to the United States until 2007.

And the Juul was first released through Pax Labs in 2015. It wasn’t until 2017 that Juul Labs was founded. But just a year later, they had 68 percent of the e-cigarette market share and were worth $15 billion.

In 2018, 11 U.S. Senators including Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown penned an open letter to the CEO of Juul Labs, Kevin Burns, accusing him and his company of “putting an entire new generation of children at risk of nicotine addiction.”

J

he has a nicotine addiction.

He’s tried to quit before, but said it’s hard to escape the culture of substance use at UAHS. “Everywhere you go, there’s someone [vaping],” John said. “There’s such an influence to do it.”

In a recent voluntary Arlingtonian survey of 234 students, about 82 percent said they had seen another student vape since the start of the school year.

Nicotine consumption from vaping is now the second most prevalent form of substance use among teenagers, falling behind only to alcohol, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

And though drinking alcohol is still visible at UAHS, vaping is more so. Only 62 percent of students who responded to the Arlingtonian survey said they had seen another student drink alcohol since the start of the school year, a 20-point drop from those who said they had seen another student vape.

“Just stand at the intersection of Northwest ohn admits

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and Zollinger and see how many kids have a Juul in their mouths,” John said.

There lies another trend beneath the rise of vaping among high school students: more and more middle schoolers are also starting to use nicotine.

According to the CDC, from 2011 to 2018, e-cigarette use among middle schoolers increased eightfold—from 0.6 percent to 4.9 percent.

“I think eighth grade was a big switch in our class,” said freshman Paul Renner, who attended Jones Middle School. “So many people that I know have been getting involved in it. I know I don’t know everyone, but it feels like more and more people are doing it.”

Jones Middle School principal Jason Fine wrote in an email interview that up until last year he had experienced zero instances of students using illicit substances.

John, who said he did not start using substances until the end of his sophomore year, said he thinks students are now encountering substances at younger ages than before.

“My [underclassman] brother tells me stories, and I’m like ‘How?’ I’m a senior and I haven’t done that,” John said.

Renner said he thinks some upperclassmen have played key roles in influencing underclassmen to use substances.

“There are a few upperclassmen that help the freshmen make bad decisions,” Renner said. “I know of people who buy their drugs and alcohol from upperclassmen.”

Freshman Godiva Regan said she knows of peers who began using substances after hanging out with current seniors this past summer.

But Renner said substance use among underclassmen is an issue. He said since many students receive allowances from their parents, they’re often given the freedom to purchase whatever

The New Smoke

Below: A cartridge which is placed into a vape pod is shown at left. Students will often share vape pods while simply switching cartridges. At right is a USB charger for the vape pod.

they want with few consequences. Regan also said money plays a role in allowing students to purchase substances or devices they would otherwise not be able to get. “[It] makes sense how these kids could get ahold of [these substances] because they clearly have the money to.

Some of them have very, very fortunate families,” Regan said. “I feel like they just take advantage of [their wealth] and it’s something that shouldn’t be taken advantage of like that.”

John said he’s bought e-cigarettes from a Columbus-area vape store without having to show any form of ID. He said all he needed was enough money.

“If they know you’re underage, they’ll overcharge you,” John said.

“That’s why I stopped going to that place. I was spending all my money.”

He said he was typically up-charged by $5. The exact amount varied depending on how much he purchased.

Another student source said her younger 1 0 | ISSUE 4 | F EBR UA RY 22 , 2019

sibling, an underclassman, also purchased e-cigarettes from the same store.

Jon Rice, the student resource officer at UAHS, said he had heard similar allegations about this store and had since notified the Franklin County Task Force, which works with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to investigate the store’s business practices.

Rice also said he had reported a Columbus-area convenience store for selling alcohol to minors.

Both stores are not named because as of the time of writing, Arlingtonian has been unable to secure any official documents confirming investigations into these stores or any confirmation of selling illicit substances to minors, aside from accounts given by students and Rice.

O

n dec.

18, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams declared vaping a youth epidemic. But as a trend that has spread largely through social media, some UAHS students also see vaping as an extension of meme culture.

“I think some people vape as a kind of joke,” freshman Meredith Bailey said. “They play it off like, ‘Oh, look at me. I’m Juuling. I’m vaping.’”

John said in social situations, vaping is commonplace. “[Vaping] looks cool. Everyone talks about it. It’s kind of like the vibe,” he said. “If you’re all hanging out and no one’s vaping or no one’s smoking [marijuana], then it’s kind of like ‘What are you doing?’”

But Renner said although he has been offered e-cigarettes, he has never felt pressured into using any illicit substance.

“As far as the peer pressure goes [or like] ‘you’re not cool unless you do this,’ I haven’t gotten any of that. My friends have been pretty relaxed about that,” Renner said.

Bailey, who attended middle school outside of Ohio, said social media exposed her and her classmates to vaping in eighth grade.

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The New Smoke

Vaping is a product of social media, exposing students to substance use earlier and earlier “I never saw it until people started Instagram and Twitter with regular posts making memes about it online, posting it on ranging from memes to reviews to videos their story,” Bailey said. of people blowing smoke rings.

John said social media is exposing students to substances iting the in ways previous generations skyrocketing Vaping looks cool. have not been. popularity of Everyone talks “People put stuff on their e-cigarettes, the FDA about it. It’s kind of story all the time,” John said. announced in November a like the vibe.

“They think it’s cool because slew of proposals targeting gas SENIOR JOHN they see it on Instagram.” stations, convenience stores, Without social media, vaping online stores and the use of would not be as prevalent social media influencers by among teenagers, Bailey said. vaping companies.

A 2018 CNN investigation found that But this backlash has caught adult Juul Labs had been encouraging and at times smokers trying to quit through e-cigarettes paying social media users with thousands of and law-abiding vape stores in the followers to promote their products. crosshairs, said James Jarvis, president of But Juul Labs’ paid influencer program, according to a statement emailed to CNN from company spokeswoman Victoria Davis, was short-lived and paid fewer than ten influencers who were all smokers or former smokers and 28 years old or older.

The company still engaged on social media in other ways, commenting on posts, offering discounts on products, using popular hashtags and reposting photos of Juuls taken by other users, according to CNN. According to one study published in the medical journal BMJ last May, the number of Juul-related tweets in 2017 was 17 times the number in 2016, rising from roughly 20,000 to 350,000 tweets. Another study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in November estimated that 25 percent of users who retweeted content from Juul Labs on Twitter were under 18.

Many anti-smoking groups pointed to Juul Labs’ social media presence as the root cause of why so many teenagers were using their products. With increasing pressure from the FDA, Juul Labs shut down their official Instagram account on Nov. 13, 2018.

On Twitter, their last post dates to Dec. 18, 2018 and is in regard to youth usage of e-cigarettes. The account continues to reply to tweets, most of which are complaints from users about their pods leaking.

The hashtag Juul remains popular on

C

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the Ohio Vapor Trade Association.

Jarvis also owns Vapor Station, a chain of vape stores with five locations in Central Ohio. He cited the FDA crack-down on e-cigarettes and negative media reports as having cast a dark light over his business and the vaping industry as a whole.

Although he rarely vapes, Jarvis said the reason he chose to invest in the vaping industry is personal—at age 16, he watched his grandmother die from lung cancer.

“I watched her take her last breath,” Jarvis said. “I always had that in the back ▼ A red sign sits by the register at Evolved Vapors. People must be over 21 to buy tobacco in Upper Arlington and Columbus.

Photo by Dylan Carlson Sirvent

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Vaping among students has blown backlash on to law-abiding vape stores and cigarette smokers trying to quit of my mind.” organizations to bring vaping prevention In 2008, Jarvis and his programs to central Ohio high schools. friend, who he said quit Principal Andrew Theado said the smoking traditional cigarettes administration is hoping to implement a vaping eight months after taking up prevention program next year as an alternative an e-cigarette, started Vapor disciplinary route for those caught using Station. e-cigarettes.

Jarvis said anyone who walks As of Feb. 13, the sites of several local vape into his stores is asked for an ID. stores and their sale portals could be accessed His stores’ websites have big, on school-issued laptops on UAHS internet. black warnings— This product contains n december 2018, the nicotine. Nicotine National Institute on Drug is an addictive Abuse found e-cigarette I feel like Upper Arlington fosters chemical—and use nationwide had soared to a a culture where his stores do not record high of 37 percent among being as privileged carry any Juul high school seniors while alcohol as we are, people products. use had fallen to a low: only are less scared of getting in trouble.

Jarvis also said 17 percent of seniors reported any member of having been drunk in the past SENIOR BEN the Ohio Vapor month compared to 26 percent Trade Association in 2013. must have a sign But this does not mean alcohol explicitly stating that service is out of the picture. In Arlingtonian’s survey, will not be provided to those 3 in 5 students reported seeing a student drink under 18 or 21 depending on alcohol since August. And Rice said there have the store’s location. In Upper been instances this year of students coming to Arlington and Columbus, school drunk. only those over 21 can buy an Senior Ben*, who first started drinking e-cigarette. alcohol sophomore year with his sports team, Evolved Vapors, located in said students are typically not bothered by Grandview, is a member of the potential consequences.

Ohio Vapor Trade Association “I feel like Upper Arlington fosters a culture and has such a sign by its where being as privileged as we are, people are register. less scared of getting in trouble,” Ben said.

“We don’t play any games Ben said even when students face here,” said Josh Norris, 27, an repercussions for their actions, they do not have employee at Evolved Vapors. a significant impact on students’ behavior.

Jarvis said he doesn’t “I’ve seen people put on probation but seven understand why so many months and they’re off,” Ben said. “It’s not underage teenagers are terrible.” trying to get their hands on Renner said even if parents are against their e-cigarettes. children drinking alcohol, the consequences “If you’re not old enough, they face are typically minor. why are you messing with them “The majority of [freshmen I know] the anyway?” Jarvis said. parents try to get them to stop,” Renner said.

He added that the Ohio “But I think when it’s alcohol, it’s just a little Vapor Trade Association slap on the wrist. [Parents] tell [their children] has discussed the possibility * denotes source who requested anonymity of working with health

I

1 2 | ISSUE 4 | FEBR UA RY 22 , 2019

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TheLorem New Smoke Ipsum

Below: The red solo cop has become synonymous with alcohol. As more students go on to college or work, social media posts chronicling their substance use may end up coming back to haunt them.

to stop, but they don’t really care that much.”

John said discipline like suspension is particularly ineffective.

“I think suspensions are one of the stupidest things there are,” John said. “People literally just go home and then sometimes kids’ parents don’t care.”

Theado said he agreed on the ineffectiveness of suspensions and said that is why the administration stresses rehabilitation and counseling.

Ben said his parents, like the parents of his friends, became more lenient with his alcohol consumption as he grew older.

“There were a couple months where I got in trouble,” Ben said.

“Then [my parents] saw more people doing it and being safe with it. I don’t really hide it now, I just tell my parents I’m going out.

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There’s a mutual understanding.”

Ben said he and his parents did not reach an agreement on alcohol use until the spring of his junior year.

“When I was sneaking around my parents I felt like I wasn’t being safe,” Ben said. “Now I can tell them more of what’s going on.”

But Theado offers caution. He said that parents who are aware of underage alcohol-use at a party their child is hosting are liable for any injuries or incidents that may occur. And this year, Rice said, several underage students—not necessarily from UAHS—have been prosecuted for having parties in Upper Arlington with alcohol.

Ben said he drinks more now than when he was a sophomore as more parents trust their children to stay home alone where most parties with alcohol occur.

“When it’s a larger party, I

think the parents tend to be away,” Renner said. “But sometimes people try to sneak things under their noses.

I heard about one party where the parents were home and [the students] still consumed alcohol.”

Renner said freshmen are generally discreet about any substance use. Still, Renner and Bailey said they thought alcohol use among freshmen was normalized in Upper Arlington.

“Once things get normalized, it’s not as big of a deal,” Bailey said.

She said freshmen she was familiar with had stolen alcohol from parents’ cabinets to drink at parties. “[They] don’t have to do anything to get it,” Bailey said.

John said he gave alcohol to his brother, an underclassman, but stopped around August.

“It’s only certain nights,” John said. “But I feel like I know my brother and I know what’s best for him. I’ll step in if he has a problem.”

John said his friends purchase alcohol from local stores using fake IDs ordered online. Several fake ID purchasing websites were accessible from school-issued laptops on UAHS internet as of Feb. 11.

“All you need is a place to ship it to and [money],” John said. “Online, they cut down the price a lot. They

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The New Smoke

Both students and administrators agree education is key to preventing substance use. But can it be effective? just go a big group and get a bunch of fakes.”

Although John himself does not have a fake ID, he has gone to stores and purchased alcohol with his friends who do. Before entering a store, John said the group will look at the clerks and make a judgement on whether they can get away with buying alcohol from them.

“If it doesn’t look like someone who’s chill, they don’t go to them,” John said.

Ben said most alcohol is purchased by peers with fake IDs. “It’s not the classic ‘go to your older brother,’” Ben said.

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n 2011, the concerns of

a possible increase in heroin usage at UAHS prompted Arlingtonian to investigate the culture surrounding the illicit substance.

What followed was “Heroin in High School,” an in-depth story highlighting the effects of heroin on the student body and administration.

Approximately 0.5 percent of individuals aged 12-17 used heroin in 2011, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

In Arlingtonian’s survey, since the start of the school year, approximately 48 percent of students have witnessed a student use marijuana and 8 percent have witnessed a student use cocaine.

Only about 2 percent have seen another student use heroin.

The NIH’s 2018 Monitoring the Future survey showed opioid abuse at record lows. In 2018, only 0.2 percent of 10th graders and 0.4 percent of 12th graders used heroin nationally.

With a decline in heroin usage, cocaine has budded as a new hard drug of choice and marijuana

usage has become a visible trend.

Rice said he has seen an increase in the number of e-cigarettes with THC oil, the primary active compound found in marijuana. Last year he had none, but this year several THC pens have been confiscated from students using them at school.

“O

ur ultimate goal

is to help students,” Theado said. “There are consequences for behaviors but the consequences are designed to help teach behaviors.”

Jones Middle School principal Jason Fine said to counteract substance use at the middle school level, the school invited the STAND Project—a local nonprofit made to educate parents on teen substance use— to speak to students.

“We also cover this topic in our health curriculum and we try to maintain a presence on our school social media accounts,” Fine said over email.

Sonya North, executive director of the STAND Project, said they run social media accounts, send a monthly newsletter and manage a high school outreach group. They recently released a six-part video series on vaping that was shared with parents and guardians via email by the district on Jan. 27.

The series features UA administrators like Theado and Fine as well as a local medical expert discussing topics ranging from teen brain development to medical risks of e-cigarette usage.

While the STAND video series was geared toward parents, Hastings Middle School principal Robb Gonda believes that providing students with

1 4 | ISSUE 4 | FEBR UA RY 22 , 2019

information about the risks of drug use and decision making tools is necessary for prevention.

“This is also coupled with being vigilant, having positive relationships with students and listening when students bring a concern to any adult in the building,” Gonda said over email.

While junior Cass Turner finds that Our ultimate education on this matter goal is to help students. There are is necessary, she said it consequences for may be more beneficial behaviors but the for students to meet consequences are with those who have designed to help teach behaviors. struggled with substance abuse.

PRINCIPAL ANDREW THEADO “Education for me is key,” Turner said.

“In my own personal experience, the more I know the better my decisions have been. So I think for some people it would be really helpful to have someone come in to just be like, ‘Hey, this is my experience and I think you can benefit from learning about my experience.’”

J

he thought the administration’s presentations on substance use sometimes had an opposite effect on students.

“It was always the same thing. ‘Drugs are bad, alcohol is bad,’” John said.

“They just make you want to do it even more.”

Renner also said he found the administration’s efforts had little effect.

“I think kids still do what they want,” Renner said.

Theado cites these sentiments as to why there have been fewer town hall meetings.

Turner said she would like to see changes moving forward.

“Everyone knows it. We all know people vape. We all know people do drugs.

It’s not a secret. It’s just one of those things the administration could just be more open with ourselves and our parents and give us the tools to help each other.” ohn said

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THE ARLINGTONIAN MULTIMEDIA FORMAT As the platforms of news shift, Arlingtonian shifts with them. This issue rotation staff members created multimedia stories, from video features to Spotify playlists to interactive content design.

ISSUE

4

Arlingtonian aims to deliver students and community members with thought-provoking media. We hope this format either sparks introspection and discussion or just brightens your day by providing a change of pace.

Besides this format, we keep you up-to-date with student personality profiles, reflective student opinion pieces and in-depth investigations on www.arlingtonian.com. We also update Twitter and Instagram with short teasers, story links and behind-the-scenes Arlingtonian action.

@arlingtonians

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@uaarlingtonian

MULTIMEDIA ONLINE NOW ON ARLINGTONIAN.COM

From the Clubs of UA by Sophie Yang, ‘19.

Arlingtonian highlights 17 club leaders and their stories.

Bullet Journaling 101 by Maya Mattan, ’20 and Katie Zhao, ’19.

Watch Arlingtonian’s guide on how to design your own bullet journal.

FIND MORE STORY LINKS PUBLISHED ON OUR TWITTER

W W W. A R L I NGTO NI A N.COM | 15

1 6 | ISSUE 4 | F EBR UA RY 22 , 2019

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Here’s the Handbook Students try to make sense of the student handbook and its various applications.

BY CLARE DRISCOLL, ‘19, MOLLY MITCHELL, ‘20, JOSIE STEWART, ‘21 AND HALLIE UNDERWOOD, ‘20.

GRAPHICS BY SOPHIA SHEN, ‘21.

W

hen sophomore Quinlin Scherl decided to campaign for class treasurer, he wanted a memorable campaign slogan. So he decided to go with “Q the Jew.” But then he posted a photo on Instagram with the slogan as the caption. Not long after, he was not on the ballot for treasurer of the class of 2021 and he said he had been given a warning from the administration not to post similar content like that again.

But Scherl said the intention of the joke had been misunderstood.

“Someone apparently thought it was offensive, even though I was talking about myself,” Scherl said. “I don’t think I should’ve been taken out of the race. I think [the administration] should’ve just asked me to take the post down.”

Scherl was also suspended on two separate occasions for vaping—the first time being three days and the second four days.

“Compared to other people, [my punishment] was complete bullsh*t,” Scherl said.

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W W W. A R L I NGTO NI A N.COM | 17

“My punishment was complete bullsh*t.”

He said he felt the consequences he faced were disproportionate compared to the disciplinary action taken against other students, whom Scherl said had committed graver disciplinary infractions.

Principal Andrew Theado said although administrators try to follow the Students’ Rights and Responsibilities Handbook disciplinary guidelines as closely as possible, they cannot ignore context when considering the appropriate response for some disciplinary infraction.

“There are some things that we are always 100 percent, but there are some things that we vary based on the student’s past experience,” Theado said. “So there may be some variation from student to student. If a student didn’t learn the first time we did something, we may change the consequence to be something more severe.”

The student handbook outlines the disciplinary actions the school will take in response violations of their guidelines.

RUNNING RUMORS Few incidents go unnoticed by UAHS students. From videos of student fights being shared through group chats to reports of drug use, students often spread rumors riddled with inaccuracies.

Theado said the administration’s scope over student affairs is limited.

“I would say that [the students] know more than we do,” Theado said. “There’s stuff on social media that you may see and be like, ‘Why hasn’t administration done anything about this?’ It’s probably because 1 8 | ISSUE 4 | FEBR UA RY 22 , 2019

we have no clue.”

But as rumors spread, students and parents often wonder why the administration doesn’t clarify any falsehoods. Often, Theado said, FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, prevents teachers and administrators from disclosing students’ records, meaning the administrators cannot release specific information about certain student actions.

“As a public institution and a public school, I can’t just go out and say, ‘Hey, this is what happened and here’s what the student did,’ even though that would make our lives a lot easier. We can’t because of the federal law,” Theado said. “It’s a good thing that we’re not sharing those things about students, but it makes the rumor mill go a thousand different directions.”

Theado said he’ll only address an incident when it starts affecting a large number of people.

“Sometimes things start to affect all students and the community, and in those circumstances, I send out information,” Theado said.

SAVING STUDENTS Administrators do not inform teachers why a suspended student will miss class.

Assistant principal Jennifer Mox said students fear teachers will think differently of them if teachers know why a student has been disciplined.

“I think it’s important to talk to [students] about the fact that they are under

no obligation to tell teachers about why they are out,” Mox said. “Students are already upset anyway, so you don’t want them to worry about having to go back to class and having the teacher think poorly of them.”

Mox also said the meeting between student and counselor in which students can prepare for returning to school is an important step in the discipline process.

“When a student is out for their suspension, we have a re-admit meeting,” Mox said. “That’s just kind of a good reset.

They’ll talk about making sure they were able to access all of their assignments on Schoology and if they need help setting up times to make up tests. It’s a way to start off on that first day back on a good foot.”

Theado said he wants students to know that no matter what mistakes they make, the administrators still think of them as great people.

“Typically, my assistants do a very good job of making sure the students know that we don’t think poorly of you,” Theado said. “Like when you come back from suspension, we’re [still] going to fist bump you and say ‘Hi’ in the hallways.”

SHARED SUSPENSIONS “I know I did some stupid things but I’m hoping when a college sees my grades and activities, they won’t care about the two suspensions,” Scherl said.

The handbook does not specify where suspensions and expulsions of students are recorded, and although students may have JOIN OUR SCHOOLOGY GROUP @5DFWH-VXFFP

a permanent record, records of disciplinary infractions and suspensions are not recorded or sent to prospective colleges.

“Currently, the Common App asks something along the lines of ‘Have you ever been suspended from school?’ [Students] have the opportunity to answer that and respond yes or no. [The administrators are] not checking your Common Apps, and it’s not on your transcripts,” Theado said.

The administration may not send information about suspensions to schools, but students’ records can be sent if requested.

“The military academies are the only ones that ask about academic performance,” Theado said. “Otherwise, we don’t send any disciplinary information.”

ACCORDING TO ADMINISTRATION The main thing that assistant principal Matthew Jordan said he wants students to know is that their main goal is to provide a safe and happy learning environment.

“It’s important that everyone knows that nobody is out to get anyone. That’s not the idea. if we can go through every day with everybody doing what they should and just getting along than that’s what I want and that’s typically how it is,” Jordan said.

While junior Emma Mitchell appreciates the guidelines listed to help victims of bullying, she said the administration’s need to play everything by the book kept her from getting the help she needed when she was the victim of bullying last year.

“Coming to school every day was and still is really difficult for me. It was partly because of the things that people were saying to me in the hallways, but also because I felt really strongly that I wasn’t supported by the people at our school who are supposed to support the students,” Mitchell said.

She said the handbook’s definition on harassment was not comprehensive enough.

But for Mitchell, whose case didn’t fit the handbook, she said it can feel like the administration is trying to make the day easy for them, not the student.

“It’s like you know that more should be done, but you also kind of understand that there’s only so much they can do or that they’re willing to do, which is unfortunate,” Mitchell said.

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“There are some things that we are always consistent on, but there are some things that we vary based on the student’s past.”

W W W. A R L I NGTO NI A N.COM | 19

The Road to

‘Images by Susan’ Junior Susan Kim reveals the trials and tribulations of owning a photography business.

I

BY SOFIA IMITOLA, ’21.

PHOTOS COURTESY SUSAN KIM

n the halls of UAHS, junior Susan Kim has always had a niche. In Middle School, it was Susan Kim the fashionista, always wearing the quirkiest but coolest outfits and setting herself apart from the crowd.

Freshman year it was Susan Kim the acclimating student, blending into the crowd and focusing on her studies.

“Then sophomore year, bam!” Kim said. “Images By Susan!”

As a self-taught photographer, Kim has a knack for creative ideas and a curiosity to find exquisiteness in the most uncommon places.

But Kim was not born with a Nikon D850 in her hands.

She had to learn, fail and succeed to get to her current level of skill. With her senior year capstone project—Images

by Susan—approaching, Kim said she reflected back on her journey from naive novice to thriving artist.

Kim said she had her first spark in photography after a casual but successful photo shoot with her friends, Aryanna Carpenter and Theryn Dick.

Since her brother

had already given her all of his photography equipment from high school, Kim learned how to properly use a camera online.

Years later, Kim said she has maintained her interest in photography due to her desire to learn more. Her curiosity to learn can be traced back to her first photography workshop in downtown Columbus. She expected to be the youngest one there, but she didn’t expect to be the one with the least equipment.

“I didn’t know you had to come with your tripods, and people there obviously were super experienced,” Kim said.

Kim eventually worked with what she had. After a “brief photography basics 101,” Kim said she fell in love with photo taking.

“Photography is like a second language because apertures, shutter speed, lighting, exposure were so

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foreign to me,” Kim said.

Kim said the pictures turned out well, and ever since, she has been working on improving other skills like the depths of flash photography and Photoshop.

When starting out, Kim said she had many firsts, including taking her first senior pictures.

“Oh my gosh, they were terrible! I don’t even understand how she liked them!” Kim said. “In a photographer’s eyes, it was bad.”

Kim said she didn’t really know what she was doing, but since then, she has done numerous senior picture photo shoots. She has also moved from informal photo shoots with friends to shooting at events and fundraisers.

Through the halls of UAHS, some students may consider Susan Kim’s talent as something she was born with.

However, Kim said she isn’t perfect and that everyone is always going to have doubts in what they do.

Those doubts don’t stop her though, and Kim said her passion for “plac[ing] a light on some people who aren’t known that well” has allowed her to persevere through the hardships of owning a business and making her artwork public.

Kim’s intentions for the future do not include photography, but Kim will apply the amount of passion and hard work into whatever comes next.

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Looking for a Summer Job? The perfect summer job is just around the corner! Apply today to be a lifeguard with UA Parks & Recreation Department.

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A World Tour Is Upper Arlington really “the bubble” everyone says it is? Here are a few stories of Bears who have lived far and near. TEXT AND PHOTOS BY DYLAN CARLSON SIRVENT, ’19 ◀ JUNIOR RAIKHAN ABDUGALIYEVA Junior Raikhan Abdugaliyeva is a full-year exchange student from Aktobe, Kazakhstan. But her path to the United States was far from easy. The exchange program she applied to had an acceptance rate of 2 percent; for comparison, Harvard’s undergraduate acceptance rate is three times higher. From crashing into a tree while skiing in Colorado to scoffing at the cold weather in Ohio, Abdugaliyeva has had an adventurous start to her year abroad.

Her favorite Kazakh word is ainalayin, which stands for “honey.” And her favorite food is beshbamark, a traditional Kazakh dish consisting of horse meat, noodles, potatoes and onions.

SOPHOMORE J.C. YAN ▶ Sophomore J.C. Yan lived right on the border between France and Switzerland in the town of Saint-Genis-Pouilly. Yan was dropped right into the French public school system, not knowing anyone or any French. That wasn’t helped by the fact that he left halfway through fifth grade, starting the year at Tremont Elementary and finishing at the École Maternelle Publique Le Lion. And sixth grade started for him at the Collège Jacques Prévert but finished back in Ohio at Jones.

Apart from traveling across countries halfway through the school year, Yan said his time there made him more resilient. His favorite French slang phrase is ta guele which means to shut up. And his favorite food might scare some with easy stomachs: escargots, otherwise known as snails in English.

◀ FRESHMAN BHADA HAN Freshman Bhada Han had two short stints living in Busan, South Korea. During her third and fourth grades, she started school in the United States only to finish it in South Korea. Apart from her hectic life moving across oceans, Han has a passion for poetry and a disdain for BTS. She recommends listening to South Korean band Epik High instead, as well as listening to the music genres of Korean R&B and Pansori, which is traditional Korean music.

Her favorite Korean word is daebak, similar to “Wow” in English.

And her favorite Korean dish is Tteok-bokki, which are rice cakes with vegetables and fish cakes.

+

From Guadalajara, Mexico to Aleppo, Syria, these stories are part of a larger online work featuring 20 UAHS students who have lived abroad. To read the rest, visit arlingtonian.com.

2 2 | ISSUE 4 | F EBR UA RY 22 , 2019

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T

BY KA O IE ZHA

UAHS student Unidentified Violet tells Arlingtonian her story as a closeted girl.

PHIC G RA

Meet Violet

BY HALLIE UNDERWOOD, ’20.

U

started her Instagram account March 19 of last year, setting her profile picture to the transgender pride flag. The biography on her social media handle says “You probably know me, but not the real me. I’m a closeted girl.” nidentified violet

Arlingtonian conducted an interview with Unidentified Violet via Instagram direct messaging, learning about what it means to be a closeted trans girl at UAHS. Q: Why did you start Unidentified Violet?

VIOLET: I started this account because I wanted a place where I could be myself.

The origin of my username was the fact that no one really knew the real me, and those who knew me knew I wanted to be called Violet. I just put two and two together and made @unidentified_violet.

It’s beneficial to have this account because I can express myself.

I could change and become like the other girls, but as time went on, I became less and less like them.

I was heartbroken and started isolating myself from people, which didn’t help my mental state.

Q: How has living in UA made you afraid to come out?

VIOLET: I feel like UA has a difficult relationship with the LGBTQ+ community. On one hand, there are many people who are supportive, very easy to talk to and make you feel loved. But there are also those who don’t understand and are ignorant toward our community which is the main reason why I haven’t come out publicly.

Q: How and when did you first know you were transgender?

Q: How does it feel to be misgendered even when you are closeted?

VIOLET: I feel like I’ve always known I wanted to identify as female, but I couldn’t because I didn’t want others to make fun of me.

VIOLET: Despite the fact I am closeted, I do feel a little offended when I get misgendered, but I don’t blame people because I don’t correct them.

Q: What does dysphoria feel like to you?

A: Why are you closeted?

VIOLET: Well, I’ve been depressed for a number of years. It started about the time I started puberty. I’ve always wanted to identify as female, so I was always uncomfortable with my body. But once I started puberty, I became more conscious about my body and how it was changing and becoming different. I was hoping that FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @UA ARLINGTONIAN

VIOLET: The reason why I’m closeted is more for safety. I’ve heard too many stories of things that have happened to women at the high school that I don’t know if I’d be safe. Another issue is the fact that neither of my parents accept me, so if I was to come out and try transitioning, I would be homeless, which could put me in further risk of danger.

Q: Now or after high school, what would be your “dream” way of living that best allows for your happiness and safety?

VIOLET: I would probably be on [Hormone Replacement Therapy] taking [Estrogen], being able to dress however I want and be surrounded by people who love and support me for who I am.

Q: Have you reached out to any support groups or talked to anyone else who is transgender or in the LGBTQ+ community?

VIOLET: I have talked with several trans people in our community, some of whom are closeted. Having this connection with other closeted people actually makes me feel closer to the LGBTQ+ community because I know I have people to talk to who are going through similar things as me.

Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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SIX

- SUSHI 10

W W W. J A PA N M A R K E T P L A C E . C O M

24 | ISSUE 4 | F EBR UA RY 22 , 2019

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No Smooch Zone

GRAPHIC BY SOPHIA SHEN

down the hallways and we all want it to stop. I’d say we all agree no one wants to see you grabbing each other while walking to class.”

According to a voluntary Arlingtonian survey of 198 UAHS students, nearly 94 percent said they have seen public displays of affection, or PDA, in the hallway. But the Student affection is a controversial percentage of students subject among the student body. who said they had participated in PDA

BY HALLIE UNDERWOOD, ’20 at school was a small minority at 9 percent. lastered on the walls of While the majority of students said UAHS with Scotch Tape, there they have seen couples publicly displaying was a piece of lined notebook affection, the exact definition of PDA is paper with a message written unclear. Many students responded to the in red letters: “No smooch zone.” Below: survey with questions about hugging and “Please stop; you’re making everyone platonic affection. uncomfortable.” Students took pictures of Senior Daria Williams said PDA is only the sign as they passed the wall near the bothersome when couples are kissing. staircase, opening a conversation on public “I think as long as it’s kept to holding displays of affection. hands and hugging, it’s completely fine,” Senior Kate McLaughlin said she saw Williams said. the sign between classes and posted a photo The Student Rights and Responsibilities of it on her Instagram story.

Handbook says “Affection between students “Basically, I thought it was really funny,” is personal and not meant for public display.

McLaughlin said. “We all see it walking This includes touching, petting, or any

P

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other contact that may be considered sexual in nature. Sexual activity of any nature is prohibited and will result in disciplinary action.”

Junior Molly Kershner often encounters couples displaying affection during class changes and she said it can be annoying.

“In my opinion, it seems like people think they need to prove to everyone that they are in a relationship,” Kershner said. “We all understand that there’s going to be people who date. The whole student body doesn’t necessarily need to see you making out while we’re just trying to change classes.”

When Williams sees students being intimate in the halls, she said it reminds her of her high school relationships.

“I honestly love high school relationships because everyone is still young and want someone who will love them for who they are,” Williams said. “I think they do PDA because they want to let others know who’s taken and want to show that they are fine with the idea of dating and expressing it.”

Senior Maddie McConnell admits that while she and her boyfriend engage in what some consider PDA, there are often misconceptions outside of the relationship.

“If I’m really real, I hate PDA. But I only hate it because of the public idea of it,” McConnell said. “It’s actually a really difficult topic for me. I can’t tell if I’m being bullied or I’m doing a punishable action. But how can something so pure and happy and good in my eyes be something the administration needs to crack down on? When I see other couples, I get it, but when I hold Chase’s hand, I can’t imagine stopping.”

McConnell said she and her boyfriend senior Chase Dyer met freshman year and began dating after attending winter formal.

“He has never lost his temper with me in the three years I’ve been dating him.

The only thing he cares about is making me happy, and he’s the only reason I get to believe I deserve it. I’m in love because I found my best friend. We just happen to be dating,” McConnell said.

McConnell said male students have groped her in the hallways and put food in her hair.

“Shaming PDA is about more than the kids doing it,” McConnell said. “I think any hateful reaction to love is more shameful than when he kisses my cheek. It says more about you than me.”

W W W. A R L I NGTO NI A N.COM | 2 5

Arlingtonian Cartoon Caption Contest This quarter, Arlingtonian released this cartoon on Schoology and asked: what should it be captioned? Here are the three winning lines. Cartoon by Katie Zhao.

First Place “Stupodity.”

Freshman Ceci Dapino

Second Place “In Pod we trust.”

Sophomore Addie Jay

Third Place

“Stupodity.”

Freshman Ceci Dapino

“High school is a joke.”

Junior Conor Rollit Watch for Arlingtonian’s final caption contest of this year on Schoology.

EIGHT in EIGHT

Eight students respond to a question in eight words. COMPILED BY JOSIE STEWART, ‘21 AND MATTHEW SHEPHERD, ‘19.

If you could write an article for the Arlingtonian, what would you write about?

The benefits of laptops over iPads for students.

What Mr. Palmer really uses his shovel for.

FRESHMAN KYRA DAPORE

FRESHMAN COLLIN BARRETT

I would write about the current scrunchie epidemic.

SOPHOMORE AMANDA JANES

26 | ISSUE 4 | F EBR UA RY 22 , 2019

Where does the water in the toilets go?

I would find out what mustard really is.

SOPHOMORE THOMAS WOLFE

Theado and Vazquez are part of the Illuminati.

JUNIOR CASSIDY BADGELEY

JUNIOR JAYKUHN SONG

How Thomas Wolfe stole my idea for this.

I would write something promoting my Twitch channel.

SENIOR TOMMY DIBLASI

SENIOR AURORA SCHERL

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By the Numbers

Yay or Nay

Explore UAHS through statistics.

COMPILED BY JOSIE STEWART, ‘21

COMPILED BY SOPHIE YANG, ’19. GRAPHICS BY KATIE ZHAO, ‘19.

6:43

The average UAHS student wakes up at 84%

in the morning on school days.

The junior class wakes the earliest, followed by seniors and freshmen. Sophomores wake the latest with an average of 7:01 a.m.

7 in 10

students know someone who has circumvented the UAHS internet filter. The filter was updated before the 2017-18 school year to work on school-issued laptops at home.

43% of students have a dislike for tomato compared to 49 percent who dislike rare meat, 47 percent who dislike mushrooms and 28 percent who dislike fish.

You support the administration’s switch from laptops to iPads.

10% YAY, 84% NAY, 6% UNDECIDED

You believe that UA students do not receive enough calamity days.

65%

65% YAY, 22% NAY, 13% UNDECIDED

40%

Students receive fair punishments from the school when/if they have a disciplinary infraction.

27% YAY, 40% NAY, 33% UNDECIDED

70% of students identify as Generation Z, 16 percent identify as Millennials and 14 percent identify with neither group.

Out of all grades, sophomores were least likely to identify as Gen Z, most likely to identify as Millennial and most likely to identify as neither. Pew Research Center defines Gen Z as born from 1997 to 2012, but cutoffs range from the mid-1990s to mid2000s with no clear consensus.

Are sophomores the real ones with senioritis? The average Upper Arlington student spends

2

hours

You have attended a student party or gathering where drugs and/or alcohol were present.

64% 56%

26% YAY, 64% NAY, 10% UNDECIDED

and 47 minutes

procrastinating every school day.

Sophomores were the most prone to procrastination (2 hours, 57 minutes) followed narrowly by juniors (2 hours, 56 minutes). Seniors weighed in at 2 hours and 43 minutes, their productivity only outmatched by freshmen (2 hours and 26 minutes).

Pencils are the superior writing utensil. Over of students preferred pencils over pens.

According to The New York Times, the built-in eraser on the pencil was added in 1858 by stationer Hymen Lipman.

60%

70%

You consider yourself environmentally aware.

70% YAY, 11% NAY, 19% UNDECIDED

You plan on attending the high school’s production of Mamma Mia.

58%

58% YAY, 30% NAY, 12% UNDECIDED

PDA is a problem in UAHS.

53% 47%

The average Upper Arlington student received their first cell phone in

5th

grade at around 11 years old. But while the average senior was almost halfway to 12 years old when they received their first cell phone, the average freshman had just turned 10.

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AB OU T Data for this By the Numbers was compiled through a voluntary Arlingtonian survey of 238 students.

Surveys for By the Numbers are posted quarterly on Schoology for all students to take.

Additional student surveys are posted at arlingtonian.com.

24% YAY, 53% NAY, 23% UNDECIDED

Social media has impacted your political views.

57%

57% YAY, 30% NAY, 13% UNDECIDED

DATA FOR THIS YAY OR NAY WAS COMPILED THROUGH A VOLUNTARY ARLINGTONIAN SURVEY OF 392 STUDENTS.

W W W. A R L I NGTO NI A N.COM | 27

Going Green in 2019 Arlingtonian interviews Upper Arlington chief operating officer Chris Potts on energy efficiency in the new school building. BY MAYA MATTAN, ’20 AND SOPHIA SHEN, ‘21.

WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO TO BE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY:

Sea Level will rise 1 to 4 feet by 2100.

- Have a metal straw keychain.

- Don’t use plastic bags to pack your lunch.

- Avoid buying disposable drinks at school; bring your own drinks in a water bottle.

According to the IPCC, the planet will reach the threshold of 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels by as early as 2030.

- UA Rise offers discounts when students bring their own bottles.

- Unplug appliances and chargers when not in use.

There is 410 parts per million carbon dioxide molecules in the air, the highest in 650,000 years.

The Arctic is likely to become ice-free by 2049.

Arctic ice is decreasing by 12.8 percent per decade.

Earth’s polar ice sheets are losing 413 gigatonnes of ice per year.

Q: How much energy does the school use each year?

Global temperature is up 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880.

This can lead to decreased soil moisture and droughts.

POTTS: Light sensors that operate with motion help reduce electricity when rooms are not in use. There are also certain peak demand events that happen throughout a calendar year. During these times, if schools dial back the air conditioning a few degrees or shutting it down, [they] can have a significant impact on your use and cost of power. We already do this throughout the school year on weekends and evenings.

POTTS: The new school is being built with sustainability and efficiency in mind.

Using highly efficient and new HVAC systems will help greatly. Currently, we use steam to heat the high school which can be very expensive. The new school will also have LED lights. The school will be equipped with trash and recycling areas to promote less waste. Close attention is being paid to the exterior envelope and windows, which plays a huge role in how efficient the building operates. It is important to remember that the new high school will be over 100,000 square feet bigger than [what] we have today, so that must be kept in mind when comparing energy use. We did look at solar panels, but at this time [they are] too expensive, and due to the cost we are currently paying for our energy, we would not see significant savings.

Q: Are there plans for the new building to be eco-friendly?

Interview edited for length and clarity. Data for graphic from NASA.

POTTS: For the 2017-2018 (July 2017 Dec. 2018) school year, the high school used 2,863,700 KW-hours at a cost of $274,319.

Q: How does UAHS reduce our electricity usage?

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- Use eco-friendly school supplies like mechanical pencils.

WHAT UAHS CAN DO/DOES TO BE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY: - Purchase can crushers.

- Bring recycling bins to the cafeteria.

- Have more houseplants.

- Hold community service days.

- Encourage the lunch room to avoid using plastic.

- Educate students on how to be environmentally conscious.

WHAT UAHS STUDENTS CAN DO AT HOME TO BE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY: - Replace CFL light bulbs with LED light bulbs: they last 3 times longer than CFL light bulbs and 21 times longer than incandescent light bulbs.

- Wash laundry in cold rather than hot water: this conserves a significant amount of energy.

- Take showers—showers can use under 14 percent of the water of a bath.

- Don’t run water while brushing teeth.

- Turn off lights when leaving a room.

- Recycle at home.

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GRAPHIC BY SOPHIA SHEN

Opine Online Columnist discusses approaching extreme opinions on the internet.

“T

I can’t decide for you if you is a boring believe the internet’s benefits arthouse movie. What’s with those 20 surpass its drawbacks. I can opening minutes without dialogue, list just the “facts”— however anyway? Also, women don’t deserve polluted by my views—about it. suffrage because they support the welfare state, The good news vote emotionally rather than first.

For one, the rationally and are generally internet allows us irresponsible. And lastly, the to be Renaissance Holocaust never happened, men like nothing and you should be ashamed else before it. Can for believing those Jew fantasy a book give us the stories.You might first note sheet music for how one of these things is not “Only the Good like the other. Strike that—you Die Young,” define might first note how much of “human paraquat” a misogynistic, anti-Semitic and allow us to buy Holocaust denier I am, and clothes all in a matter with poor taste in film at that.

BY SAMMY of minutes? Can any BONASSO, ‘20.

Luckily, I actually claim none movie do this apart of these opinions, all of which from Tommy Wiseau’s “The I paraphrased from the internet. Mostly YouTube, Room”?

The internet also has actually. revealed countless academic Growing up, our parents couldn’t access the same breadth of views we see every day; unlike us, they had opportunities. It enables us to forge relationships across states, no risk of being traumatized, disgusted or distracted countries and continents far by the Web. Knowing this, would life improve better and faster than anything without the internet? And if so, how should we cope with the often depraved ideas found on this medium? else. You likely know all this already; I’m only refreshing you Beyond coping, how do we know which views to before exploring the negatives. adopt and which to ignore? here will be blood”

30 | ISSUE 4 | F EBR UA RY 22 , 2019

You’ll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than on the internet, and I say this in fuller confidence than Obi-Wan did. Only our generation has had access for our entire lives to the Web’s scope of opinions—perhaps why I hear so many disturbing, off-color jokes from my peers in person and online.

In any matter, disturbing content changes a person’s worldview, especially a young person’s. Indeed, some of the depraved deep web tales I have encountered, however fictitious, have inspired some hopelessness in me and would impact younger kids even more.

Beyond disturbing people, the internet often misleads. I reject the ideas mentioned in my intentionally offensive, cold open lead, but my culture has taught me different for a decade and a half; I can only imagine a fifth grader accessing these viewpoints and then believing we need to repeal the 19th.

But these extremes occur rarely, and they’re valuable in that they show multiple perspectives exist for every issue, even ones we’ve thought were non-negotiable our entire lives. Emphasizing this benefit, even, above the many drawbacks can help us cope with extreme opinions.

Moreover, we willingly believe one-sided stories, but only when they’re less offensive (think Trojan Horse). Two sides exists for every stance: How should we know which to adopt?

For trivial subjects, we obviously should align with opinions that resonate with us most, such as with entertainment (unless it’s regarding “The Room,” then you must accept its masterpiece status). This goes without me saying. But doing the same for society-shaping, widely-reaching issues— namely in politics and history—would be irresponsible.

So above all, I recommend we choose sources with views supported by the most facts. Of course, quantity does not count solely—they must be credible. How you determine which facts are most objective is paradoxically … up to you. Uh oh, the simulation is breaking!

Until we derive a quantity-quality equation for the sources of an ideally unbiased article, we must use our shrewdest judgment. Who knows, by the time we master objectivity, maybe we’ll be the outmoded elders watching the youngins move to another platform.

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The Costly Divide Columnist discusses privilege in UA.

T

his is the second time I have written this column. The first one, I promptly deleted after reading it to my parents. It was about me trying to understand how fortunate I am to live in Upper Arlington, as even thosewho have the least in UA have more than others outside our area.

I deleted my writing, however, because, as I wrote this thinking I came from a family that had never had any financial problems, my parents told me their story: how my dad lost his job when I was a toddler and filed for bankruptcy, forcing us to move into a different house in UA. My parents told me how they did everything possible to keep my sisters and I in this school system.

Although my family is now financially stable and living comfortably in South UA, it took some convincing to allow my parents to let me write about this topic in Arlingtonian. But I think that it needs to be written.

Most people in UA don’t realize how well off they are. There are some people who are not stable in UA, and others fail to realize that fact.

Even I have struggled to realize it.

Especially now that I know I was one of those people.

I am happy to live in UA. Even though it may be “the bubble,” the education here will take me far and I know I’m in a safe environment. I am happy that my parents did everything to keep me here, and I wish that I would recognize how much I have.

I consider my house to be nice, but I never think I have as much as my friend who lives in a massive

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house with extra bedrooms, a closet that I who they know wouldn’t understand. see in my dreams and a backyard bigger Instead, it stays hidden and kept a secret in than my own house. every way possible. We are My parents’ friends are in a time when judgment is all doctors and lawyers who almost at an all-time high, make a fair salary, while my and UA is unforgiving to parents only work at OSU. problems like this.

Even so, it shouldn’t matter.

UA is ranked 497 in The constant the nation and 19 in Ohio comparison to the people for education according to with the most only leads the U.S. News. Is it really fair rest of us to disappointment that families struggle to stay and erroneous thinking. here because it’s not a given The argument that you that the education will be always have something more adequate somewhere else?

BY JOSIE than someone else is not fair, Of all the many flaws this STEWART, '21. but in the case of privilege, country has, education is it can be strikingly real. near the top.

You don’t know everyone’s story— You are lucky to be a student at UA. neither do I. I didn’t even know my own Privileged, in fact. While the argument that until recently. “whatever you have, someone always has My mom drives a Mercedes, but my less” is never really fair, in education, it’s sister drives a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta. sadly true.

I’ve had people comment on how much You really never do know the story. money my family must have and am given From meeting students in districts less surprised or confused looks when my sister fortunate than ours who are astounded by drops me off in a car that’s louder than the our facilities to even close peers hiding their radio. financial aid when buying lunches at the It’s not often that someone will school. We all live in UA, but that’s not the offer a story about how they’re end of the anecdote for every family. struggling to live in UA to people GRAPHIC BY SOPHIA SHEN

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VOICES FROM THE FRONT LINE We need to talk about substance use.

But town halls don’t work. It’s time to think outside the box.

STAFF EDITORIAL

W

e all know the

murmurs that emerge from students as soon as a DARE officer or administrator starts lecturing us about drug use. We all know it’s a serious topic, but coming from people who most likely have never done drugs or had to overcome addiction, it’s hard to take it seriously. Instead of an educational meeting, it morphs into a parent telling us: “Drugs are bad. Don’t do them.”

Although DARE is now only a memory, athletes still hear the drug discipline policy every Meet the Team night. Freshmen get the traditional spiel during orientation on not doing drugs and being accountable for themselves.

Yet it still seems like don’t have as many “drug talks” as before. Indeed, principal Andrew Theado said the school has been trying to take a more individual approach.

But while an individual approach focused on rehabilitation rather than punishment is a right step forward to tackling substance use at our school, we need larger discussions. No, don’t bring back monthly town halls. What is important is to expose students to reality—to the reality of addiction, the reality of withdrawal and the reality of what substance use can do to our lives.

We need speakers at our high school who have gone through these things. Because 32 | ISSUE 4 | F EBR UA RY 22 , 2019

when someone is talking about the pain of quitting drugs and the struggle of staying sober for years, it’s not so easy to laugh anymore.

We shouldn’t stop there.

As James Jarvis, the president of the Ohio Vapor Trade Association, said in this issue’s spotlight “The New Smoke,” the association is considering working with health organizations to bring vaping prevention talks and workshops to high schools. These are insiders to the industry who don’t want teenagers vaping, and their voice is one that should be heard more.

The problem with town halls is their lack of intimacy. There is no possibility of having a conversation. On the first day of school, rather than sitting freshmen through a detached presentation, the school should invite people who truly understand substance abuse to speak in small workshops—in groups of 40 or 50—to forge a real connection. These speakers can also become resources for students who are using substances and want—or are struggling—to stop.

UAHS student resource officer Jon Rice said he has had students ask him for advice on how to quit substances or drop by his office for a casual conversation. But some might be scared about going face-to-face with a police officer, so having these speakers could provide students someone to reach out to—someone who can help them quit, knowing from experience the difficulties, relapses and withdrawal symptoms that often come when trying to quit using addictive substances.

Einstein once famously said that insanity is trying the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome. Town halls don’t work. We need to innovate. Students are much more aware of the harms of substance use than adults might think. The discussion needs to be moved forward, and the best way to do so is by bringing those who have overcome addictions to lead the conversation forward.

EDITORIAL CARTOON BY KATIE ZHAO

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JOURNALISM II STAFF STAFF WRITERS

Ayah Elsheikh Ty Fredrick Sofia Imitola Noah Mizer

Sydney Moore Ben Rigney-Carroll Alexa Roberts Olivia Smith

ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS ARLINGTONIAN CO-EDITORS IN CHIEF

Dylan Carlson Sirvent & Sophie Yang ARLINGTONIAN MANAGING EDITOR

Katherine Dominek ARLINGTONIAN COPY EDITOR

Sammy Bonasso

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HAO

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BY K

L CA

ORIA EDIT

ARLINGTONIAN ADVISER

Carol Hemmerly ARLINGTONIAN GRAPHIC ARTISTS

Katie Zhao & Sophia Shen PRINTING REPRESENTATIVE

Jason Basch, Hopkins Printing

DONORS Arlingtonian is provided free to all UAHS students and staff with contributions from the generous people and businesses below.

Special thanks to Norwester for sponsoring this issue of Arlingtonian.

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EDITORIAL POLICY Arlingtonian is a studentproduced newsmagazine published by Journalism III-A students at UAHS. The publication has been established as a public forum for student expression and for the discussion of issues of concern to its audience.

It will not be reviewed or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution.

Arlingtonian welcomes letters to the editor, guest columns and news releases from faculty, administrators, community residents, students and the general

public. The Arlingtonian editorial board reserves the right to withhold a letter or column and return it for more information if it determines the piece contains items of unprotected speech as defined by this policy.

The Arlingtonian staff raises and pays all printing and production costs through advertising sales, donations and fundraisers.

The editor or co-editors shall interpret and enforce this editorial policy.

To read the full editorial policy, visit our website at arlingtonian.com.

COLUMBUS: A CITY WORTH SHARING

BY THE JOURNALISM II EDITORIAL BOARD

C

olumbus, ohio: the state’s forgotten middle child.

Despite it being the state’s capital, Columbus is often forgotten between its more widely-known cities: Cincinnati and Cleveland. Although Columbus is not the most historic city around or the one with the best baseball or basketball team, it is a city of which we should all be proud.

When we think of America’s greatest cities, it’s easy to jump straight to the belief that the bigger the better.

The names at the forefront of our minds are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and others. And although it may not seem like it at first, a lot of the things that we think make these cities great can also be found in Columbus: diverse communities, rich histories, intriguing sights and renowned cuisine.

We need to appreciate Columbus for what it is: a city that has a lot to offer. To do so, we need to get out and discover the city and see it for ourselves.

Downtown, the Short North beckons, a district chock-full of local shops and authentic food. Just north of the city is the Columbus Zoo, ranked as one of the top five zoos in the nation. Columbus is also home to The Ohio State University, the nation’s third largest university and the Ohio

State Buckeyes. With thriving local music, food and art scenes, there are so many things to explore.

But what really makes Columbus a great place to live is the community that inhabits it. It doesn’t take much to see how active our community is. Just this past year, when we all thought the Crew might leave Ohio, the movement #SaveTheCrew began and managed to keep the team here with the support of over 300 local businesses and state investors. Voices from all over Columbus and Ohio convinced new ownership to take over the team. It is this collection of small voices becoming a larger one that makes this city so special.

If we want to see our city continue to grow and thrive, we need to support it and do our part. Whenever we can, we must support small businesses instead of online sellers. We must use our unique voices in both our local and state governments, and all of us who are eligible to vote must do so. Lastly, we must share all the great things about Columbus with others. Help those who don’t know our community see its potential and vibrancy. Tell them C-bus is a community worth visiting and supporting. It’s what we give to Columbus that ensures the city can continue to give back to us for years to come.

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Light Candles in Your Mind “I’m definitely failing this test.”

“I feel like I’ll never understand this.”

“My grades are so bad.”

Every day as I walk the halls of the school, I feel an overwhelming sense of stress radiating off of students as they discuss their grades and fears for the future Conversations are no longer about the latest news or plans for the weekend but about trivial tasks to finish and tests to take.

At lunch, my friends spend their time with their noses in their books and fear in their eyes, anxiously preparing for upcoming assessments. I’m definitely no exception and a majority of the time I spend on my phone is refreshing the PowerSchool app as I bite my nails in anticipation of any change in my GPA. For a lot of students, school is their entire future. But such thinking clouds any other part of the future that’s worth any optimism. The idea that everything is worth stressing about is breaking us down.

It’s unhealthy how much we subconsciously allow every task to invade our minds.

There is this outlook amongst our generation that any task that requires effort is one that will make our lives more difficult, and that hurts our chances of success in every sphere of life.

Columnist speaks on stress and how she deals with pressure associated with school.

BY AYAH ELSHEIKH, ’20

For a time, I caught my subconscious taking a hold of my mind, making my outlook more negative and changing the way I carry out my day and interact with the people around me. It became physically and mentally draining to even think about my education. There was a point where I lost hope for my future.

It was on one particular day when I watched one of my friends pace the room, pale-faced, yelling at us all to be quiet because she couldn’t afford a B on her science test, that I realized I was looking at a reflection of myself.

Since that day, every time I find myself slipping into a stressful state, I put down everything and light candles in my mind.

Of course not literally, but I close my eyes, breathe and imagine myself enveloped in the warmth and light of a few brightly glowing candles. There are so many pieces of life that are out of my control, but this is the one piece that is completely mine Students who walk the halls and feel that overwhelming sense of stress can find a way to control how they deal with the situations they are confronted with. This generation has the opportunity to make their futures brighter if we all just light a few candles.

GRAPHICS BY AYAH ELSHEIKH

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Columnist discusses importance of safety

W

alking down the street as a woman has become increasingly dangerous.

According to CBS News, America is the only western nation that is in the top ten most dangerous countries for women.

Instead of telling women that they need to change the way the dress or the way they present themselve in public, we should give the the freedom to act however they want while being able to keep themselves safe.

Women have long been told to hold our car keys between our fingers as a potential weapon in case of attack. New methods of self defense are coming out every day. A Nov. 29 article published on A Secure Life, a website managed by security experts, recommends using a One item Lemmon discusses are personal alarms that are easy to use and hide. The loud, ear-piercing alarm will grab the attention of anyone around.

Pepper spray is also easy to use and

effective to disable an attacker for Congo, Pakistan and Somalia. We can’t around 15-30 minutes. People do need make the whole country safe for women, to understand that it will not stop the but we can give them a way to protect attacker—it will only slow themselves. them down.

Instead of telling women There are so many more what not to do, we should options than just weapons. encourage them to do what Since this is the digital they want while taking age, it is only appropriate care of themselves. There that there are apps. For shouldn’t be restrictions instance, when activated, due to the actions of other the PANIK app will send people. out distress calls and alert We should be able to users’ friends that they need pride ourselves on the help. The app also sets safety of our country even

BY ALEXA ROBERTS, �21 off an alarm and flashing if that means creating new colors on the screen to non-lethal weapons. When attract the attention of bystanders. women walk down the street, they should Another option is self defense classes. have confidence in their ability to keep Upper Arlington Jiu-Jitsu offers a women’s themselves safe. America’s top priority self defense class every Thursday at 6 p.m. should be to get off that list. Americans America is in the top 10 countries most always talk about freedom, but women in dangerous for women, along with India, America don’t have the freedom to live Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of their lives peacefully.

Spring Supplement Crossword Find the answers in the stories from this issue.

CREATED BY OLIVIA SMITH, ’20

ACROSS 5 What museum showcases the works of Ferdinand Howald and George Bellows?

6 What is one of the most popular attractions at The Franklin Park Conservatory?

8 Where does the event “Friday Night Meltdown” take place?

9 What area in Columbus has modern and vintage clothing stores?

10 What band created the EP I Don’t Like Being Honest?

11 What Asian café is located next to Giant Eagle Market District?

14 Which mall in Columbus has an indoor and outdoor shopping area?

15 What is the indoor rock climbing facility in Worthington?

DOWN 1 What company contains pinball machines and giant Jenga?

2 Whose career is highlighted in the movie On the Basis of Sex? 3 What store in German Village has 32 rooms filled with books?

4 What new restaurant was just added to Lane Avenue?

7 What colorful and kid-friendly restaurant is located off of 5th Avenue in Grandview?

12 What popular taco restaurant is located on North High Street?

Answers to this crossword can be found at our website at www.arlingtonian.com. Search “crossword.”

13 What day has free admission at the Columbus Museum of Art?

14 | IS S U E 4 S PR I NG S U PPL E M E NT | FE B R UA RY 2 2 , 201 9

Q: What inspired you to create this project?

don’t pretend to be able to do that better

than the police who have been working on A: My colleagues and I were young kids at the time and it was something that stuck with this case for close to 40 years. We just want to see if we can see it from a different point us forever. I was in third grade and the guys of view. that are on this with me were around the Q: You mentioned you had lived in Upper same age. It removed the innocence from all Arlington at the time of Asenath’s murder. How of us. It was this moment that we realized did this affect your life and the lives the world is not all good and of residents, the community? Was that bad things can happen to there a significant change in the you. At the crux of it was that After this, way residents were living? our parents and teachers were everything A: I think the biggest trying to protect us from the changed. crime itself and what happened consequence for the people who We realized weren’t to not scare us, but in the directly involved in the something case end, I think it never gave us was that we played outside bad could closure. As we grew older and all day long. Our parents would happen to send became adults, we acquired us out in the morning and kids and tell the resources and skills to help us to come home when it there are got answer some of those questions dark. We all walked or rode bad people our bikes to school, we played that other people from our out there at friends’ houses and we ran generation have too.

who wanted

Q: Do you plan to release any new information on the anniversary of Asenath’s death? Is that still the plan?

A: The plan is to release information as we can, as the case is technically still open.

We’re not exactly sure where this will lead, but we aren’t going to stop until we think the story has been told.

Q: What will happen if the case isn’t able to be solved?

A: The truth is we may never be able to solve this and we might not have an answer, but at least we’ve answered a lot of the questions that have remained over the last 40 years. We want to be on the same page of what happened, why it happened and why is hasn’t been solved.

Q: Could this potentially lead to an arrest if any new information or evidence was revealed?

around. After this, everything A: Absolutely. We’re not suggesting we’re Q: What gives you and the to hurt kids. changed.

We realized something others working on this project the the people to provide that information. bad could happen to kids and authority to cover this case?

The whole community of Upper Arlington there are bad people out there may have seen something that they thought A: I think the only authority that we have is who wanted to hurt kids, and that wasn’t in wasn’t impactful to the case but really is and that we care deeply about it. We have put our mindset before. It scared parents too. they may come forward. The technology the time in and we have done the research.

Everything changed. It wasn’t so carefree keeps advancing and it’s really hard to run We lived through it and although we might and it wasn’t so innocent. away from the DNA not be as close to it as some, everything Q: What was the evidence that can now we are doing is with the utmost respect for general response to the be used to prosecute Asenath, her family and anyone touched project? Have people people.

As far as we by this murder. Part of the challenge is that reached out to the are concerned, there’s there is so much misinformation on the program? always an opportunity internet and message boards with rumours to solve this.

A: The response has and gossip. With our knowledge we could been really positive. potentially clear up all of that and provide Q: With technology We have treated facts. That is why everything we do is done today, other cold cases this with the utmost diligently with referencing and we have are being solved, such sensitivity. We want attorneys that review the work that we put as the murder of Christy to provide accurate forward.

Mirak, a cold case from information and when Q: You mention in the website that content 1992. Why hasn’t this the project began, we is reviewed by a legal team. How large is this been used in this specific intentionally took it team and how many are actively working on this slow and put pieces case? Is there something project? preventing it? of information out in order to see the A: Currently there are seven active A: We don’t know reaction. It’s a sensitive members of the group. It is not an exclusive the answer to that subject and the last group. People that have reached out to us question.

We have thing we want to do and want to help have been included. We been working with the is upset anybody or have people from all different disciplines and UA police which has A safety spot sign, used to hurt anybody. We just professional expertise that make a really been fantastic.

Until indicate locations where want to help to provide great team. Three of them happen to be the case is closed, closure. Within the first attorneys. They are our three person legal children could find safety. they can’t release two months, we’ve had team.

IMAGE COURTESY OF THE LONG WALK HOME information to the over 6,000 visits to our Q: When this project was first realized, was it public. We don’t know the website. We have over 200 followers among your goal to solve the case? If so, has progress our social media pages, so the interest is still state of the DNA evidence, what is left, been made to find justice? or what remains from the crime, as it is there. We continue to solicit messages from nearly 40 years old. There were several people who lived through this just to get opportunities to use DNA testing in the their point of view and what it was like to first years of this technology and we don’t live in Upper Arlington during the time. But know what’s left over that can be used. The also, we receive messages from those who only people that can answer that question remember Asenath and the person she was. are the Upper Arlington police.

We don’t want that to get lost in all of this.

A: I think the ultimate goal was to solve the case, but we were a bit naïve in that. The biggest thing we want to do is pay respect to Asenath, clear up a lot of the rumours and provide closure to people even if that is simply understanding what happened. We

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E

ASENATH DUKAT: IMAGE COURTESY OF THE LONG WALK HOME

Unsolved tragedy from almost 40 years ago continues to provoke community, search for answers. BY NOAH MIZER, ’21 very school day at 3 p.m., 8-yearold Asenath “Seannie” Dukat began her daily walk home from Barrington Elementary School. Her walk took her down Barrington Road where she turned the corner at Waltham Road and continued down to Malvern Road, the street on which she lived. In all, the commute from school to home was slightly less than one mile, a walk that most likely would have taken Asenath about 20 minutes to complete.

But on June 3, 1980, Asenath never completed this short trek home. At 4:34 p.m., her parents contacted the UAPD and a widespread search began. At approximately 7:30 p.m. that same night, a police officer found Asenath’s body on

the grounds of First Community Village, a retirement home by Riverside Drive. A 20-pound rock to the head had killed her.

An autopsy conducted later also found she had been raped.

Less than a month before Asenath’s death, another girl had been attacked while walking home from Tremont Elementary School. Her assailant had strangled her and left her unconscious before fleeing for an unknown reason. Initially, police believed the same person had committed both crimes, as witnesses reported seeing a man on a red bicycle before each incident.

But, no one was indicted for the crimes, and both the assault and Asenath’s murder remain unsolved.

Next year will mark four decades since

Asenath’s murder. To commemorate this, an anonymous group of UA alumni have created “The Long Walk Home: The Asenath Dukat Project” in October.

Through the project’s website users can share memories of Asenath and how the murder affected them. Additionally, the website details the events of Asenath’s murder. Donations given through the site will go to the Joyful Heart Foundation, a national organization dedicated to supporting and healing sexual assault survivors. An active member of this organization shares insight below. The member has chosen to remain anonymous to focus on Asenath’s memory and not to receive credit for any for any work being done.

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S I T E S

Spring Staycation

T O S E E

Arlingtonian recommends sites for a quiet afternoon. BY SOFIA IMITOLA, ’21.

PHOTOS COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

▲ THE COLUMBUS MUSEUM OF ART The Columbus Museum of Art has something for everyone. For history buffs and activists, it has the Back of the Bus exhibition, showcasing drawings from Floyd Cooper’s “Powerful Children’s Book Illustrations,” bringing artistic life to the story of Rosa Parks’ now historical act of refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Alabama bus to a white man. Also, for people who wouldn’t normally choose to spend their Sunday afternoons at a museum, they have the Wonder Room—an experimental gallery dispalying textile-based works of art in creative and colorful ways. On weekdays, student admission is $9 but Sunday general admission is free.

◀ FRANKLIN PARK CONSERVATORY The Franklin Park Conservatory, a botanical garden located on 1777 E. Broad St., will be beginning one of its most popular attractions— Blooms and Butterflies—just in time for spring break. The Conservatory releases hundreds of butterflies in the Pacific Island Water Gardens, allowing people to immerse themselves in natural wilderness all while indoors. The Franklin Park Conservatory offers much more to explore for students with and without a love for nature and art. General admission is $19.

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Spring Staycation

G E T MO V I N G Interactive fun that gets everyone on their feet.

BY BEN RIGNEY-CARROLL, ’21 AND AYAH ELSHEIKH ’20.

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ertical Adventures at 6513 Kingsmill Ct., is an indoor rock climbing facility in Worthington. Although it is a 20-minute drive from UA, it’s well worth it. The facility is spacious and clean, offering over 100 routes for experienced climbers and a number of auto-belay setups for those less experienced. Climbing gear can be rented in-house. A waiver is required to enter the gym and can easily be filled out online or at the facility. However, those under 18 must be accompanied by someone 18 or over. For students, a day pass, harness and shoes will cost $23 per person. Because climbing is tiring, students should also make sure to bring healthy snacks like protein bars and fruit and take breaks to avoid burning out.

PHOTO BY BEN RIGNEY-CARROLL

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he Chiller Ice Rink at 3600 Chiller Ln. is there for anyone looking for an icy alternative to the spring weather. Grabbing skates and getting on the ice is a smooth process, and with friends, it can be a great bonding experience. The ice rink also has a snack bar if students want to grab some quick food and refreshments. Students who want to go skating with friends but don’t know how to skate can start at the Chiller, as they offer lessons for anyone at any age. In addition, spectators can enjoy both hockey and figure skating events held at the facility. But if one just wants to strap on some skates and glide on ice, it costs between $7 and $10 to do so, depending on age and the amount of time spent skating.

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ucked into a repurposed downtown warehouse, Pins Mechanical Company is an ideal hangout and dinner spot. Featuring all things retro, the place is constantly buzzing with energy. The smells of different foods are everywhere and the beeps, whirrs and clicks of pinball machines become white noise, broken by the occasional crash of falling pins from the bowling alley. Located at 141 N. 4th St., every square inch of Pins has something different to explore. There are dozens of pinball machines and ping pong tables. The main room boasts eight full-sized candlepin bowling lanes. And on the patio there is cup pong, foosball, giant Jenga, and spots for up to four different food trucks at a time. Food trucks are regularly brought in, with an average of ten unique trucks every two weeks, so regulars never try the same food twice. Because Pins is also a bar, those under the age of 21 should keep in mind they are not allowed in after 8 p.m.

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reakout Columbus offers a unique experience for friends and family looking for a collaborative adventure. Located at 835 Grandview Ave., Breakout Columbus is only a few minutes away for those living in Upper Arlington. Groups of two to eight players are put in a room in which they are given a limited amount of time to strategically find their way out. Every escape room has interactive puzzles, riddles and clues that match a theme like “Museum Heist,” “The Kidnapping” and “Island Escape.”

Tickets are $25 per player and spots must be booked in advance on their website. Although offered for all ages, individuals under 14 are required to have a parent or guardian present.

PHOTO COURTESY CATHERINE DOLBOW

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Spring Staycation

S H O PPI N G Columbus may not be a shopping hub like New York or Paris, but there certainly are hidden gems sprinkled throughout the city.

BY OLIVIA SMITH, ‘20.

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lthough staying in columbus over spring break might limit the possibilities to tan, or generally get some sunshine, the city contains shops worth visting.

There are all types of attractions to occupy the students staying in Columbus for spring break 2019.

The Short North is a great place to walk around and shop on a nice day because of its variety of stores. Many enjoy the graffiti and wall art that seems to be on every blank brick facade. There are modern clothing stores like the women’s boutique Ladybird. There are also vintage clothing stores like Smartypants Vintage which gives off a homey feel. The Short North welcomes all ages with its range of prices and different kinds of shops. The store Cub Shrub contains unique and high quality children’s apparel, gifts and toys.

PHOTO BY OLIVIA SMITH

▲ A large mural welcomes people to the Short North near its iconic arch.

PHOTO COURTESY POSTDLF VIA WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

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aston town center provides premier shopping along with a pedestrian-freindly outdoor area for those looking for something fun to do over spring break. This mall contains over 190 stores spread out over an outside shopping area and an indoor mall. Many Columbus locals spend full days here because of its surplus of stores, compared to Polaris or Tuttle Mall. The fountain at Easton is a popular area for relaxing and enjoying the lively atmosphere, families strolling by and groups of friends laughing nearby. Whether shopping is a major hobby or just a task of necessity, anyone can certainly find an enjoyable day at Easton’s unique and popular spots.

▲ The outdoor mall of Easton contains a fountain that is replaced by an adornate Christmas tree during the holiday season.

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tudents can also spend warm days at the shops in the German Village. The Red Stable is a two-story shop located in a remodeled 46-year-old stable. It’s situated across the street from the iconic restaraunt Schmidt’s. The upstairs level contains Ohio-themed art and handmade souvenirs. The Red Stable features local vendors and artists who create rare art and gifts for any taste.

▲ The second floor of The Red Stable is filled with unique paintings specific to Ohio.

PHOTO BY OLIVIA SMITH

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Spring Staycation

EN T ER T A I N ME N T MOVIE REVIEW: "On The Basis Of Sex"

BY NOAH MIZER, ’21 AND ALEXA ROBERTS ‘22.

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upreme court

life are an unnecessary, and distracting, addition to the film.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the movie is the authentic depiction of the 1950s and 1960s, concerning the treatment of women. The film explores how cultural change was perceived amongst the older generations compared to the younger generations.

The scenes during Ginsburg’s first influential court case are inspiring. It’s unconventional to see gender roles challenged in courts, especially in legal dramas.

While the movie includes parts of Ginsburg’s life that don’t necessarily add to the plot or display how she worked to achieve her goals, it provides a lens through which the feminist movement can be viewed.

It’s a reminder of the change in our own society and how far we have come from the social standards of the 1950s when genderbased and race-based discrimination was more prevalent and entrenched than they are today.

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justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s landmark 1972 court case Moritz v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, has officially arrived on the big screen with the 2018 release of “On the Basis of Sex.” Although the movie’s plot centers around a tax code that prevents a bachelor from receiving tax benefits for taking on a caretaker role, Ginsburg’s background takes front and center, tracing her progression from a student at Harvard Law and Columbia to her time as a professor at Rutgers University Law School.

Through time jumps, the movie contrasts the concept of feminism in Ginsburg’s generation to that of the generation of her daughter, Jane. But this contrast does not always contribute to the overarching story and feels rather forced. Moreover, the filmmakers make a point of showing the relationship Ginsburg has with her husband but compared to her accomplishments as a lawyer, the domestic aspects of her

ALBUM REVIEW: When My Heart Felt Volcanic

BY NOAH MIZER, ’21.

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ollowing their 2012 debut EP I Don’t Like Being Honest, Utah-based indie pop group The Aces released their first full-length album, When My Heart Felt Volcanic on April 6, 2018. The album provides a creative spin on the classic bubblegum pop often associated with girl groups.

The vocals of lead singer Cristal Ramirez, while delicate and drawn out, contribute to the group’s youthful and upbeat sound.

Songs like “Stay” and “Stuck” draw nostalgic parallels to the pop music of IMAGE COURTESY RED BULL STUDIOS the 1980s.

But When My Heart Felt Volcanic, as a whole, seems to be rather formulaic. Some songs on the album sound too similar to others as if The Aces were too fearful to deviate from what they know.

All of the songs have a similar synthetic beat. But a few standout hits on the album, like “Bad Love” and “Hurricane,” highlight their potential as a young band with a growing fanbase who all hope for a strong follow-up album.

The Aces are scheduled to play at the A&R Music Bar, located on Neil Avenue, on March 8. Tickets can be purchased at TicketMaster for $13 each plus a service charge.

E RT SY FO C F US TU EA RE S

Spring Staycation

NORTHMARKET

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hirty-five Distinct Personalities, one Incredible Place,” reads a sign near one of the entrances to the Columbus North Market. Located on 59 Spruce St., the North Market hosts vendors from cultures oceans and seas away while also expanding Ohio’s local cuisine.

From Hot Chicken Takeover, selling spicy fried chicken with white bread, to Bretzel, with an assortment of soft pretzels and sauces, to Lan Việt Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine, with steaming fresh Phở bowls and Bánh Mì, to Pistacia Vera, with various French pastries and sweets, and everything in between,

there is something for everyone at the North Market. One can dine upstairs, which boasts an overhead view of the entire market complex.

For those not looking to dine in, options such as Omega Bakery and North Market Spices sell food that can be taken togo. The prices of these foods depend on which restaurant one chooses to buy from.

While the sheer amount of restaurants put together can create a grand labyrinthian feel, maps posted around the facility can help one navigate this rich cultural hub of central Ohio.

SWEETCARROT L

ocated off of 5th Avenue on Grandview is Sweet Carrot, a colorful and kid-friendly restaurant.

Customers can come in and read the menu as they wait in line. It is decorated with pastel colors that create a relaxing and minimalist environment for customers.

Once their meals are ordered, customers seat themselves until their food is ready. The menu is barbeque-style

with staples like cornbread, mac and cheese, salads, soups and sandwiches. The sandwich bread can be sweet bread or corn bread with a choice of pork, brisket or turkey for the meat. For drinks, Sweet Carrot provides a choice of old-fashioned sodas. Most meals remain under $20.

Sweet Carrot strives to separate themselves from the average barbecue place by making their meals neat and colorful.

LIGHTBULB L

ight Bulb Asian Cafe in Kingsdale Shopping Center provides a casual but rewarding dining atmosphere.

Students looking for a reasonably priced

sit-down meal will find Light Bulb a good option for lunch out with a group of friends, a date or even a family dinner.

Light Bulb serves a variety of traditional

American Chinese food and a selection of bubble teas in light bulb shaped glasses.

Portion sizes are large, but expect to pay between $15 and $30 per person.

Food section written by Ben Rigney-Carroll, Sydney Moore and Ty Fredrick.

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Spring Staycation

F O O D CONDADO T

aco restaurant Condado is located at 2977 North High St. just outside the downtown area. Condado is lively with upbeat music, good lighting and murals on all the walls. The whole restaurant provides an energetic feel. Service is quick, and system of checkbox menus is intuitive and unique. As a taco shop, Condado offers a selection of original tacos and the option for customers make their own from a long list of ingredients.

Condado offers a selection of original tacos. However, its best f lavors come from make-your-own creations from their 48 available shells, proteins, and toppings. Tacos are sold individually and cost between $3 and $5. Dips are a few dollars each and drinks are between $1 and 3. A few tacos, chips, two dips and a drink will the total between $10 and $20. Considering both the quality of the ingredients and the volume of food you get for you money, Condado is best with friends and well worth the price.

PHOTOS BY BEN RIGNEY-CARROLL AND SYDNEY MOORE

BRASSICA N

ow located on Lane Avenue as well as in the Short North, Brassica provides a creative and healthy twist on Mediterranean food. By allowing customers to create their own meals, Brassica is a fun lunch experience while containing healthy and fresh ingredients. Customers are given a choice of two bases: a salad or a pita sandwich. Toppings consist of pickled vegetables, choice of meat and choice of six unique sauces. Brassica also provides

additional sides like fries and falafel balls. Customers can choose from a wide variety of drink including old fashioned sodas and “minty� lemonade. A salad or sandwich with toppings and a drink generally remain under or around $20.

Adding an extra serving of meat is an additional $3. Although more expensive than most self-serve restaurants, Brassica meals provide a healthy alternative while still remaining a quick and easy meal for almost any time of day.

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C O L U MBU

STAY C AT I O N This spring break, take a chance to explore the city of Columbus.

BY JOURNALISM II STAFF. LAYOUT BY JOSIE STEWART, '21.

PHOTO COURTESY PIERCE THOMPSON, '21.

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Politics Closer To Home The 2018 midterms usher in new legislators with new policies.

BY TY FREDRICK, ’22.

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record-breaking 49 percent of eligible voters turned out for Nov. 6, 2018’s midterms, the highest turnout since 1914. These elections determine not only many of the legislative seats at the federal level, but elect key positions in state governement as well.

The Ohio state government plays a significant role in creating or changing many policies that are hotly debated today like gun control, abortion laws and educational curriculums. Despite this, only 25 percent of students in a voluntary Arlingtonian survey of 137 students said they felt they had a good grasp on the structure of Ohio’s government. Only 23 percent felt they were familiar with the policies and priorities of the current Ohio administration. However, in another voluntary Arlingtonian survey of 160 students, 91 percent said they plan on voting, much higher than the nationwide 31 percent turnout among voters aged 18-29 during the midterms.

OHIO’S OPIOID CRISIS

Many new faces appearing in the legislature could change the landscape for Ohio’s laws and regulations surrounding issues like the state’s opioid crisis. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the rate of opioid-related deaths in Ohio is 33 per 100,000, more than double the national average.

“Ohio is in the grips of an opioid epidemic that is devastating families and stretching our first responders and law enforcement to the limit,” House Speaker Larry Householder’s website said.

During his campaign for governor,

Mike DeWine developed a 12-point plan to solve the problems created by the crisis. One part would implement advanced drug education in schools across a wider range of grade levels.

“One of the ways we want to do prevention is directly in school, K-12, every kid, every year,” DeWine said at a Jan. 29 community meeting. “No matter where they are, something that’s age appropriate and something that’s proven to work.”

OHIO’S EDUCATION Drug education reform is not the only change DeWine’s administration plans to bring to the public school system.

“Standardized tests are limiting educator’s creativity and forcing them to teach to a test. This interferes with a child’s ability to think creatively and problem solve,” DeWine’s website said.

The website also said both DeWine and the lieutenant governor of Ohio, John Husted, want to cut the number of standardized tests students are required to take every year.

“It’s important to make sure we have more dreamers, more thinkers and more innovators here in Ohio,” DeWine said

GRAPHIC BY KATIE ZHAO

in his inaugural speech .

Current Senate President Larry Obhof agreed, saying on his website that “he has voted to cut unnecessary standardized testing and supports more local control over academic standards.”

Students may see this administration influencing their paths even after graduation. DeWine’s website outlines his ideas for making higher education more accessible: “The DeWine/Husted administration will implement less testing and more learning, increase access to technology in all schools to ensure students are college-ready or job-ready, and make the cost of college more affordable.”

House Democrat Allison Russo also has similar intentions according to her website.

“Ohio’s lawmakers must face the issue of college affordability head-on, and I believe that increased higher education funding and programs to make college graduation attainable should be a statewide priority.” Russo’s website said.

Most seniors and juniors will be eligible to vote in the 2020 election, and all high school students who are currently 14 and U.S. citizens will be eligible to vote in the 2022 midterms.

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An Artistic Decision A prospective and current art school student weigh the benefits of art school.

BY SOFIA IMITOLA, ’21.

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s uahs senior leela waters went back and forth on whether she wanted to apply to art school, her mother supported her, giving her this piece of advice: “I wasn’t brave enough to pursue art and I want you to be.”

Even as more and more students consider taking nontraditional college routes like going to a professional school, community school or art school, stigma surrounding them still persists. UA alum Caroline Chidester, who is now a sophomore at the School of Art Institute of Chicago, still faces questions about the validity of her chosen academic pathway.

“There are still a lot of people who are like ‘Are you sure you want to go to art school? How are you going to make money? What are you actually going to do?’” Chidester said.

For Waters, choosing an art school over pursuing an art major at a traditional college wasn’t easy. It was only at the beginning of her senior year that she finally decided she would apply exclusively to art schools. Waters said she chose art school for the community.

“At CCAD, I would be with 700 other creative people who are going to go all over the world and do cool things,” she said.

Both Waters and Chidester said the prospects of networking played a big role in their decision for where to apply to college.

“I had already met a lot of Columbus artists and I think

▲SELF PORTRAIT "Smush, " a portfolio piece drawn by senior Leela Waters in Honors Drawing.

Photo courtesy Leela Waters. ◤ COLOR CONCEPTS A photo by UA alum Caroline Chidester in Logan Square, Chicago for her Color Concepts class at SAIC. Photo courtesy Caroline Chidester. ◥ COLUMBUS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN (CCAD) CCAD is the closest art college to UAHS, located in downtown Columbus.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

a lot of art school is about branching outside of people you know,” Chidester said. “[It's about] branching outside of people you know and making new, important, long-lasting art contacts in the art community.”

Chidester also said one of the benefits of going to an art school is that students there don’t need to take math or science classes unless they are relevant to their major.

Both Chidester and Waters said students should only apply to art school if they have a strong passion for art, keeping in mind that it’s an investment.

“If you’re still on the fence about pursuing art, don’t jump into art school,” Waters said.

Otherwise, she suggests pursuing an art major at a more traditional university. Chidester, on the other hand, said it’s good for students to challenge themselves.

“Be willing to be humbled and admit that other artists at the school are definitely going to be better than you,” Chidester said.

When Waters was first considering applying for art school, her worries almost got the best of her.

“I become really, really invested in something really, really fast and then I don’t care about it in a couple of weeks,” Waters said. “I was afraid that picking a career path would be like that.”

After months of reflecting, she said she wanted her passion for art to overweigh any other pressures to conform to more traditional college pathways.

“I’ve loved art since I was five and I’m still kicking with it,” Waters said.

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Tailoring �nna’s & Alterations

NORWESTER 2019: Breaking New Ground

DON’T DELAY IN ORDERING YOUR 2018 YEARBOOK! The price for the 2018 Norwester increases as the year progresses. Go to http://tinyurl.com/NOR2019 to order your book today.

For Men & Women Fast Service • Quality Work Monday - Saturday 2170 RIVERSIDE DRIVE • UA, OH 43221 • (614) 486-5088

Yearbooks can be pre-ordered until the end of March 2019. We typically order a few extra books; however, we quickly sell out of these extras. Order NOW to insure you get your copy of the 2019 book.

SENIOR ADS are being sold for the 2019 book.

Information on advertising can be found at http://tinyurl.com/nor2019advertise.

BABY ADS are new! Information can be found at http://tinyurl.com/nor2019babyad.

The 2018 Yearbooks Are Sold Out. BE SURE TO PURCHASE YOUR COPY OF THE 2019 YEARBOOK TODAY! 2 | IS S UE 4 S PR I NG S U PPL E M E NT | FE B R UA RY 2 2 , 201 9

Fe b r u a r y 2 2 , 2 0 1 9 | Vo l u m e 8 2 | U p p e r A r l i n g t o n H i g h S c h o o l S t u d e n t N e w s m a g a z i n e | 1 6 5 0 R i d g e v i e w R o a d , U p p e r A r l i n g t o n , O H 4 3 2 2 1

SPRING SUPPLEMENT Get ready for

Spring Staycation Columbus offers variety of diversions for a fun week in town READ ON PAGES 5-11

Seannie’s Story: Unsolved murder from 1980 continues to trouble UA community READ ON PAGES 12-13 COVER GRAPHIC BY SOPHIA SHEN