All That Glitters Dec. 2, 2016
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EDITOR IN CHIEF: SELENA QIAN
selenaqian@chsacumen.com
ASSOCIATE EDITORS:
Alina Husain, alinahusain@chsacumen.com Sitha Vallabhaneni, sithavallabhaneni@chsacumen.com
12.02 REPORTERS: Jordyn Blakey, jordynblakey@chsacumen.com Jessica Mo, jessicamo@chsacumen.com Rachael Tan, rachaeltan@chsacumen.com Emily Worrell, emilyworrell@chsacumen.com GRAPHICS ARTIST: Aditya Belamkar, adityabelamkar@chsacumen.com PHOTOGRAPHERS: Divya Annamalai, divyaannamalai@chsacumen.com Shraddha Ramnath, shraddharamnath@chsacumen.com < DESIGNS AND PG 2-3 PHOTO // SELENA QIAN; COVER PHOTOS // ELLIOT CHOY
NON-STAFF CONTRIBUTORS:
Elliot Choy, echoy@hilite.org Chelsea Dai, cdai@hilite.org Mike Johnson, mjohnson@hilite.org Selena Liu, sliu@hilite.org Apurva Manas, amanas@hilite.org Sabrina Mi, smi@hilite.org Lin-Lin Mo, lmo@hilite.org Gabby Perelmuter, gperelmuter@hilite.org Nyssa Qiao, nqiao@hilite.org Rebecca Qin, rqin@hilite.org Adhi Ramkumar, aramkumar@hilite.org Sameen Siddiqui, ssiddiqui@hilite.org Shiva Vallabhaneni, svallabhaneni@hilite.org Christina Yang, cyang@hilite.org Raiha Zainab, rzainab@hilite.org
Dearest reader, All that glitters is not gold. A lot of the time, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sequins. Or sparkles. Or rhinestones, holiday lights or stars. Implied in this idiom is deception, the idea that a glittery surface hides something, disguises the truth. Our world is becoming ever more glittery, glitzy and glamorous, yet often there exists a hidden depth underneath that vaunted exterior, that shiny façade. We at the Acumen strive to bring forth what lies behind the
surface glitter and foster conversation on these human stories. In this issue, we look at the various forms of glitter, the different ways that people and things shine, or maybe only seem to shine. Indeed, all that glitters is not gold. From the loose sparkly powder that sticks to every imaginable surface to the majestic beauty of the stars above, this is our take on all that glitters. -Selena Qian, editor in chief
ALL THAT GLITTERS | 03
IN THIS ISSUE 06
Q&A // Fashion Flair
08
Highlighting How-To
09
Gold Cards
10
Cheerleading
REBECCA QIN // PHOTO
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SHIVA VALLABHANENI // PHOTO
22
26
SELENA LIU // PHOTO
14
Scavenger Hunts
16 Wishes 22
Stars
24
Lights
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Sequins
30
Is Not Gold SELENA QIAN // DESIGN
08
16
CHRISTINA YANG // PHOTO
ALL THAT GLITTERS | 05
Q&A
JANINE HOLMES | FASHION FLAIR QUESTIONS | JESSICA MO PHOTO | REBECCA QIN How did you become interested in fashion?
I’ve loved fashion all of my life. I’ve wanted to be a fashion designer since I was around six. I love planning out outfits, I love sewing and I love watching fashion shows (during) Paris or New York Fashion Week. It’s been my dream my whole life to have my own label.
What is your favorite aspect of fashion or fashion design?
My favorite thing about fashion design is that I get to use my ideas to create fashion for absolutely everyone, and I love to showcase my ideas.
What do you feel is the most important part about designing for you personally?
I think the most important part of designing clothing, for me, is making sure that I stick to my ideas. I make sure that (the clothes I design are) not influenced by what people think I should be wearing, what people think I should be designing, just design what I want and keep my vision constant.
What ideas do you express while designing? I really want to include elements of avant-garde into basic women’s fashion and also include elements of men’s wear. I think it’s a very classic look. A lot of the stuff that I want to design doesn’t exactly look practical. I like things that are slightly wild, but, in general, I like neutral things and things with interesting silhouettes.
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Junior Janine Holmes works on a dress she designed. Holmes said she likes to have a small area of detail, such as embroidered patterns or a little glitter.
What would your ideal clothing line be like?
My ideal line would include a lot of neutral colors, very dark palette. I love interesting silhouettes and I like the inspiration of men’s wear in women’s fashion, so I would include a lot of elements of tuxedo jackets. I love pants, and then very interesting shoes.
Many people think fashion is really flashy and glittery. Do you feel like that’s for you?
No, I don’t follow trends. That’s something I’m absolute certain of. I don’t think I own anything super glitzy in my closet—I own a lot of neutral colors.
Would you say a glittery feel is the norm in the industry?
I’d say it definitely depends. I know a lot of designers design clothing on trends and go off of what everyone else is wearing. I love avant-garde, which is completely not going with trends. It’s wild silhouettes and things that don’t look normal. So I would say it’s definitely split in the fashion industry. Some people like to design the glitzy, and some people like to design the weird stuff.
Where do you see yourself going in fashion in the future?
If everything goes according to plan, I would love to attend Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, (New York) and I would love to have my own SEE THE FULL Q&A AT ready-to-wear label and work in New York or Paris. CHSACUMEN.COM
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SELENA QIAN // DESIGN
ALL THAT GLITTERS | 07
A GLITTERY GLOW WORDS | GABBY PERELMUTER PHOTO | SHRADDHA RAMNATH
Learn how to achieve a glowing face in this breakdown of how to apply highlighter. Laura Gellar Rose Gold Illuminator A natural and buildable powder highlighter that gives a gold glow
Becca Backlight Primer A foundation primer that can give any look an extra glow when applied underneath your makeup
The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer A powder highlight perfect for all skin tones
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone A golden cream highlighter perfect for light to medium skin tones
MAC Hush Cream Color Base A cream highlighter that gives the perfect rosy glow
Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips in Waikiki Strip A powder highlighter that creates a bronze glow on a budget
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HOW TO APPLY YOUR HIGHLIGHTER
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Start by applying foundation and concealer. Once you have a good base, apply a cream highlighter to all of the high points of your face with a brush or your fingers.
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After applying a cream highlight, use a brush to set it with a powder highlighter to get a more intense glow.
WHERE TO APPLY YOUR HIGHLIGHTER
THE PERFECT SWIPE A closer look at company gold cards and why they appeal to consumers.
ALINA HUSAIN // GRAPHICS AND DESIGN
Interested in owning a card that literally catches the light in facets of metallic gold and gives you free drinks? Starbucks is currently the only company that personalizes a Gold Card to incentivize customers in its rewards program. Teachers and students at CHS said they enjoy the gold status that provides special perks applicable outside of the general program. Allison Hargrove, Starbucks Gold Card holder and U.S. history teacher, said, “(Starbucks) gave (the Gold Card) to me when it was brand new; it was the first day they were offering it. I think they gave it to me because I was already buying so much there that they said that it would benefit me.” According to Starbucks’ website, the program is based on accumulating “stars,” which are translated to free drinks every 125 stars for gold level members specifically. Although the Gold Card is unlike any membership card in the consumer market aesthetically, there is a general consensus by teachers and students that it is not the reason they were interested in the program or have continued to use it. John Burlace, avid Starbucks customer and choir director, said, “(I got a Gold Card) mostly for the rewards program they have, where you buy a certain amount and get something back for free and get discounts on certain things. It’s not like anybody knows I carry a Gold Card around; it’s primarily for the free
WORDS | LIN-LIN MO PHOTO | DIVYA ANNAMALAI
Allison Hargrove holds up her phone with her Starbucks Gold Card on it. The Starbucks app allows members to access their Gold Cards directly from their phones.
ALL THAT GLITTERS | 09 refills and the rewards. Sometimes the company lets you know about things in advance, but mostly it’s just to save money.” In addition to giving free drinks, the points system is associated with the Starbucks card and many other gold rewards, cards also provides an incentive for many customers to come into the store. Hargrove said, “It also makes me want to go there more because I know I’m accumulating points, (and) in my mind it makes me feel like it’s ok to go. I justify it more for myself. We go to Scotty’s (Brewhouse) a lot, they have
a really cool kids section and they gave us a card, not a Gold Card, it’s a little different, and we will use that as a reason we go there more often too.” However, others like Lenna Gottschild, Gold Level member and sophomore, found that while they enjoy the special card, it is not very useful for them on a daily basis. Gottschild said, “If you drink Starbucks all the time it’d be worth it; however I don’t during the school year, so it’s basically trying to see if I can even get halfway to the maximum amount of stars I can get.” A
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FLYING HIGH WORDS | NYSSA QIAO
Despite long-standing stereotypes, cheerleading proves to be one of the most dangerous sports for athletes.
ALINA HUSAIN // DESIGN
I
n December 2012, cheerleader and freshman Kaitlyn Sheets was warming up with her all-star cheerleading team at a competition in Kentucky before performing a routine for a panel of judges and a full audience. As the “flyer,” she would be the member of the stunt group to be lifted in the air. Sheets was brought into a position that her team had practiced numerous times before; she would flip in the air over another flyer and her teammates below would catch her. But, this time, although her teammates caught her, Sheets hit her head onto the concrete ground of the warm-up room. Sheets said she heard a loud pop and afterwards could not remember anything else from the event. She said she was going into the stunt, she had a bad feeling about it and felt an “odd, spine-tingling feeling ... like cold chills.” Sheets suffered from a severe concussion that day. “When I had (the accident), I had the risk of dying almost because it was really bad. It just put me at risk for long-term effects,” Sheets said. “I had really bad memory—I still do—and then just had
really severe headaches and noise sensitivity and light sensitivity and I wasn’t able to think that well.” Cheerleading today is far more athletic and dangerous than a generation ago and certainly more than pop culture references would have audiences believe. In fact, according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina, cheerleading is the highest-ranking sport in fatal injuries for female athletes in 2011—only American football ranked higher when compared to all sports. The center also said, “65.2 percent of all catastrophic injuries in youth sports occur in cheerleading.” Live Science reported cheerleading statistics to be equally as grim in college cheerleading and said the collegiate activity accounts for 66.7 percent of all female fatal sports injuries, which in the past was an estimated 59.4 percent. Patrick Cowherd is a cheerleading coach at Hollywood All-Stars with 35 years of coaching experience. As a former cheerleader for the University of Louisville and the National Cheerleading Association, Cowherd said
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ALL THAT GLITTERS | 11
Freshman Kaitlyn Sheets (top) and sophomore Emily Sheeks (bottom) are members of the CHS varsity cheerleading team. Sheets has been cheerleading since she was three years old, and continued despite suffering a severe injury a few years ago.
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KAITLYN SHEETS // SUBMITTED PHOTO
there are a lot of aspects of cheerleading that do not get enough attention. “Mostly, (injuries have) just been head concussions. There’s so much science that needs to be done behind it,” Cowherd said. “A concussion can put you out for six to eight weeks; it can put you out for three months; it can put you out for good.” However, although there are numerous cases of catastrophic injury in the activity, cheerleading has not yet been officially declared a sport by the Indiana High School Athletic Association
(IHSAA). As a result, Cowherd said even though cheerleaders train like athletes in any other sport, those who say cheerleading is not a sport are not technically wrong. “Until it’s declared a sport, it’s not really a sport. We need to push for it to be a sport. If (cheerleading) becomes a sport, then we will get the safety, we will get the athletic trainers, we will get the right mats; the schools will be forced to put in regulations. So to an extent, they’re right; it’s not a sport right now,” Cowherd said. “We train just like any other sport; we train five to six days a week… but we’re just not recognized.” Cowherd also said although there have been critical height studies done for cheerleading, he believes they should be brought to the forefront. He said if cheerleading became an official sport, there would be stricter guidelines in place to help make the sport safer, such as performing on twoinch mats. “Is it really safe to (cheer) on grass now? Is it really safe to do it on a rubberized track? No, because when you fall and you hit those things, there’s nothing there to really absorb that fall,” Cowherd said. “If you made (cheerleading) a sport, then we would have to tend to it and look at it a little better as a sport.” Sheets said she wants people to know stereotypes about cheerleading are largely false. “People have the conception that (we) just stand there practicing cheers when in the reality of
it, it’s people getting hurt,” Sheets said. “It’s not a popularity contest. Doing all these different skills can really badly injure you.” “In the all-star sector, (cheerleading has) become more of a couture sport,” Cowherd said. “It’s about beautification and the big bows and everything else; people are looking past the safety aspect of it. I think once we can dress the part a little bit more and get everything that’s supposed to happen in our sport like it needs to, then I think we’ll get taken a little more seriously.” A
CHEERLEADING INJURIES When flying high, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to fall hard. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a closer look at injuries in competitive cheerleading.
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Competitive Cheerleading is ranked as the female sport with the most catastrophic injuries. When compared to male sports, it comes second only to football.
Types of Injuries in US Cheerleading Strains and Sprains Soft Tissue Injuries Fractures and Dislocations Other Injuries Lacerations and Avulsions Concussions and Closed Head Injuries
0
10
20
30
40
Percent of Injuries
50
60
Of all 103 serious and deadly injuries in female high school sports in the United States until 2007, 67 were a result of competitive cheerleading. ALL THAT GLITTERS | 13
Cheerleading is the fourth most popular female sport Approximately 400,000 students participate in cheerleading every year High school cheerleading is primarily a female sport with only about 2 percent of participants being male
25 65
percent of the total spent on student athlete injuries in 2005 was spent on cheerleading injuries percent of catastrophic injuries in youth sports that occur as a result of competitive cheerleading LIVE SCIENCE, CBS NEWS // SOURCES ALINA HUSAIN // DESIGN AND GRAPHIC
Scavenging for
kindness WORDS | RAIHA ZAINAB
Students participate in the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen.
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elcome to the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen (GISHWHES), also known as a week full of people having tea parties in junk yards, creating homemade vehicles of mayhem and destruction, dressing up as stormtroopers to clean swimming pools, going down water-slides dressed as nuns, getting mountains on Mars and more. Why, one might ask, would anyone want to do something so seemingly odd? For senior Kate Bentivoglio, her journey started in front of a computer screen. Two years ago, Bentivoglio was scrolling through actor Misha Collins’ Twitter page when she stumbled upon an event he was hosting called GISHWHES. At the time, she thought it was really weird. And impossible. And slightly crazy. Soon, she would come to find that the week was all of those things and much more. She set upon her first week of GISHWHES with a single friend, 13 strangers and no knowledge of what was to come. Every summer, Collins hosts a week-long scavenger hunt that unites thousands of participants from all over the world that strive to complete tasks and scavenge for items on a 250-item list created by the
doing is really impacting them in a huge way; it’s really changing their lives.” Beth Karaba, a member on Bentivoglio’s team from Wisconsin, participated in the scavenger hunt with the goal of spreading kindness and putting smiles on people’s faces. Throughout the week, Karaba and her daughter did that by bringing ice cream to their local fire department, promoting breast cancer awareness, walking dogs at a local animal shelter and giving out what they called “kindness tickets” with kind words and good feelings to their neighbors. “It’s shown me that even if your day is crappy, doing one little thing of kindness for someone else can turn your own day around,” Karaba said via email. “Helping people in the smallest way can bring a smile to their faces and also your own. Kindness breeds kindness.” In one week, over 15,000 people came together from all over the world in order to complete the same goal of spreading the kindness that Karaba and Bentivoglio had. Karaba said, “Every individual can be a catalyst for positive change in
12.02 GISHWHES team. During the event, teams of 15 earn “GISH points” for completing items on the list, and the team with the most points earns an all-expenses-paid trip to an exotic locale with Collins himself. The point, however, is not to win this trip, but rather, according to the GISHWHES website, is to make a difference, escape “normalcy” and commit to random acts of kindness, all while having fun in the process. This year, Bentivoglio participated on a team named “Gnome Girls Love Hot Topical” with a combination of a group of her friends and a group from Wisconsin. “I never really realized the impact that our service does until after GISHWHES,” she said. “That GISHWHES week, I was so happy. I was always smiling because I just enjoyed doing items. The items (that required) service really helped me open my heart, open my mind to the people I was helping. It helped me realize what I’m
the world and in his or her own life.” The positive change, however, was something that not only impacted the communities of “Gnome Girls Love Hot Topical,” but also impacted the way the members viewed themselves. Over the course of the scavenger hunt, each individual said they came out as slightly changed people. For junior Mackenzie Gonzalez, another member of “Gnome Girls Love Hot Topical,” this meant getting out of her comfort zone and sharing a part of herself with the world. She chose to complete a photography task in which she was prompted to take a photo that says something about society. For her picture, she split her face down the middle, depicting two sides of her personality. Being halfMexican and half-Caucasian and often being mistaken for a guy, she painted half of her face white with more masculine features and the other half with more makeup and feminine features.
SITHA VALLABHANENI // DESIGN
KATE BENTIVOGLIO // SUBMITTED PHOTO
Junior Mackenzie Gonzalez depicts what she believes is the notion of identity in the 21st century in one of her submissions. The items on the GISHWHES list are thought-provoking, community-service related or random. “I was trying to portray a split person,” Gonzalez said. “You see me from one side and I look like one thing, and you see me from the other and I look like a different thing. (The picture) just shows how the individual can be affected by how society sees them.” Gonzalez said she was originally nervous but eventually decided to just go with it and share her project with the world. She said she was glad she put herself out there and was less worried about how other people viewed her. “Putting myself out there like that is not something I would regularly do,” she said. “What I was feeling about that kind of thing is not something that can be easily expressed. But to see a physical manifestation of that was just calming and cathartic.” Like Gonzalez, Bentivoglio said the week was one that changed and helped her find who she was.
“Most of my life I’ve been really quiet and insecure,” Bentivoglio said. “But with this, with all the team members, people who I didn’t even know and some of my really close friends, it really helped me come out of my shell and showcase my talents. It helped me get out there, go into the community, become less shy and enjoy who I am.” Though “Gnome Girls Love Hot Topical” didn’t win any prizes, Gonzalez and Bentivoglio said the members spread kindness, grew closer with their communities and grew as people. On the GISHWHES event website, Collins said he created the scavenger hunt to encourage people to escape normalcy. Collins wrote, “Maybe it’s giving us a chance to remember that the real possibilities open to us at any given moment are limited only by our imagination. At the very least, this lark, this GISHWHES, has given us the chance to see a nun go down a water slide, for which I will always be grateful.” A
ALL THAT GLITTERS | 15 KATE BENTIVOGLIO // SUBMITTED PHOTO
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KATE BENTIVOGLIO // SUBMITTED PHOTO
Senior Kate Bentivoglio illustrates her submissions to complete items on the GISHWHES list. The scavenger hunt accepts submissions by photos, drawings, or videos.
when �ou
WISH STAR
upon a
WORDS | JORDYN BLAKEY PHOTOS | CHRISTINA YANG
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The Make-A-Wish Foundation brings smiles to the faces of children with life-threatening medical conditions, including CHS junior Isabella “Bella” Simons, and makes memories for the entire family to share.
SELENA QIAN // DESIGN
ALL THAT GLITTERS | 17
SELENA QIAN // DESIGN
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As junior Isabella “Bella” Simons reminisces about her trip to Hawaii, she smiles at the pictures in her scrapbook. While in Hawaii, Simons and her family had a professional photographer take pictures of memories, such as the time when her family met Mickey Mouse. Left: Submitted photo with Mickey Mouse from Simons’s trip to Aulani
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unior Isabella “Bella” Simons spent last summer in Hawaii at Disney’s Aulani resort. But, without the help of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Simons may not have been able to go on the trip at all. “Honestly, (Make-A-Wish) just gave me a break from all the medical appointments and treatments, and it was just so nice to just feel normal again and be with my family on vacation in such a beautiful place,” Simons said. Last year, Simons started to notice unusual symptoms such as vomiting and frequent headaches. “I was in shock for quite a while, (and) I had no idea; I had figured that I had caught some crazy virus,” she said.
What Simons did not know was that the vomiting was caused by a tumor putting pressure on her brain. She said it was difficult to deal with the symptoms. “(My family and I) were all very shocked. We knew something was wrong, more than a cold or the flu,” Simons said. After Simons had an MRI, the doctors figured out what was causing the symptoms. In October of last year, she was diagnosed with craniopharyngioma, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a benign brain tumor commonly found in children and older adults. “We never would’ve guessed that I had a brain tumor. It was shocking to my
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ALL THAT GLITTERS | 19
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Kelsey Leichtnam, Make-AWish development officer and CHS graduate, points to a map of Indiana with tacks for each child who has received a wish. Leichtnam said the foundation restarts the map in August, so the tacks only show a few of the total children Make-A-Wish has served.
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SELENA QIAN // DESIGN
This sign sits on Leichtnam's desk at work. She said it serves as a constant reminder to keep working hard to grant the children's wishes.
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whole family,” Simons said. “It’s very just overwhelming; it was kind of unexpected. I wasn’t doing very well at all. It was just shocking that it had been a brain tumor.” As soon as she received the diagnosis, Simons needed surgery to remove the tumor. She spent three days at the Riley Hospital for Children. “Here I thought I had some weird virus, and then I go to the doctor and they say, ‘Actually you have a brain tumor and you need surgery tomorrow because you could die,’” Simons said. While she was in the hospital, her mother referred her to the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. “She knew I was going through a hard time, and she thought Make-A-Wish would just cheer me up and lift my spirits because I’ve been through so much,” Simons said. Simons said she wished for a trip to Hawaii because she wanted to go on a photography trip but could not, due to her illness. “I always wanted to go to Hawaii, so I decided ‘Hey, here’s a great opportunity,’” Simons said. Then, after Simons’s wish was approved, wishmakers granted it. Morgan James, a wish program associate who helped with Simons’s case, contacted the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Hawaii and spent several months planning the trip. “Initially I was really excited. I was just really hoping I would get a Make-A-Wish because it’d be a fun experience to kind of get my mind off everything that was going on medically,” Simons said.
12.02 James said she has a personal connection to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The foundation helped her best friend’s sister in 2013. “I remember the excitement she had coming off of her trip, and for a while we all forgot she was sick. I was so impressed and touched by everything Make-A-Wish did for her that I made it a goal to work here,” James said via email. “The fact I get to do this every day is awesome. It’s like a dream job for me.” Similarly, Kelsey Leichtnam, Make-A-Wish development manager, also said she has a personal
WISH GRANTING GRANTING 101 101 WISH The The Make-A-Wish Make-A-Wish Foundation Foundation helps helps children children with with
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connection to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In 2004, her brother received a wish from the MakeA-Wish Foundation, an experience he enjoyed before he passed away in 2011. “For me and my family, the impact is, since you don’t physically have him in your life, you rely heavily on memories. The memories that you make, especially during a wish experience, are pretty profound,” Leichtnam said. According to Leichtnam, the Indiana chapter has granted around 250 wishes this year. She said these wishes can help the children and their families by taking their minds off of the medical treatments. “The family feels more like a family because they didn’t have to think about hospital treatment or anything like that. We always get great feedback from the kids too. They send in artwork and pictures and thank you notes to us if they can,” Leichtnam said. The Make-A-Wish Foundation also works with the community to raise money. Carmel Clay schools, including Creekside Middle School, Clay Middle School and Cherry Tree Elementary School have all contributed to the foundation, according to Leichtnam. “In Carmel, we’re working with a lot of the schools. It’s pretty exciting,” she said. Leichtnam said she hears from many of the kids that the wishes give them an escape when they’re lying in a hospital bed or undergoing treatment. “It kind of provides them that time to get their imagination back or take their mind of
REFERRAL REFERRAL REFERRAL Potential wish wish kids, kids, medical medical professionals, professionals, parents, parents, Potential Potential wish kids, medical professionals, parents, Potential wish kids, medicalmembers professionals, parents, legal guardians and family with detailed legal guardians and family family members with detailed detailed legal guardians and members with legal guardians and family members with detailed knowledge of the child's current medical condition knowledge of of the the child's child's current current medical medical condition condition knowledge can initiate of thethe referral process. knowledge child'sprocess. current medical condition can initiate the referral can initiate the referral process. can initiate the referral process.
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MEDICAL ELIGIBILITY ELIGIBILITY MEDICAL MEDICAL ELIGIBILITY The potential wish child must be diagnosed with The potential potential wish wish child child must must be be diagnosed diagnosed with with aaa The life-threatening medical condition and be be within within The potential wish child condition must be diagnosed with a life-threatening medical and life-threatening medical condition and be within life-threatening medical condition and be within two-and-a-half and 18 years old. two-and-a-half and and 18 18 years years old. old. two-and-a-half two-and-a-half and 18 years old.
THE WISH WISH THE THE WISH Make-A-Wish foundation volunteers volunteers learn learn of of the the Make-A-Wish foundation Make-A-Wish foundation volunteers learn of the Make-A-Wish volunteersthey learn ofto the child’s wish and then do everything can child’s wish and andfoundation then do do everything everything they can to child’s wish then they can to child’s wish and then do everything they can to make the wish come true. make the the wish wish come come true. true. make make the wish come true.
FUNDING FUNDING FUNDING Wishes are funded by donors, sponsors, volunteers, Wishes are are funded funded by by donors, donors, sponsors, sponsors, volunteers, volunteers, Wishes fundraisers and promotions. promotions. Wishes are funded by donors, sponsors, volunteers, fundraisers and fundraisers and promotions. fundraisers and promotions. ALL THAT GLITTERS | 21
off the things that a child shouldn’t have to experience,” Leichtnam said. “Also if they’re exhausted from their battles, sometimes it recharges the batteries to have them keep going and just kind of re-instilling that will to fight and push through any kind of tough times.” Simons agreed with this sentiment. “I got to meet a lot of the Disney characters, and it was just a fun experience,” she said. “I was just so happy after months of recovering from brain surgery and adjusting to essentially my new life.” A
WAYS TO TO HELP HELP WAYS WAYS TO HELP WAYS TO HELP Tune in to 99.5 WZPL today Tune in in to to 99.5 99.5 WZPL WZPL today today Tune toinrequest request song in in Tuneto to 99.5aaWZPL today song to request a song in exchange for donation. to request aaa song in exchange for donation. exchange for a donation. exchange for a donation.
Chili’s will donate 15 percent of your Chili’s will will donate donate 15 15 percent percent of of your your Chili’s purchase when you you presentofthe the Chili’s will donate 15 percent your purchase when present purchase when you present the voucher found at oki.wish.org. purchase when you present the voucher found at oki.wish.org. voucher found at oki.wish.org. voucher found at oki.wish.org. CHELSEA DAI // GRAPHIC CHELSEA DAI CHELSEA DAI DAI // // GRAPHIC GRAPHIC CHELSEA WISH.ORG////GRAPHIC SOURCE CHELSEA DAI WISH.ORG //GRAPHIC SOURCE WISH.ORG//// SOURCE WISH.ORG // SOURCE
milky way
twinkle twinkle. 12.02
‘Why Do Stars Twinkle?’ And Answers to Other Stellar Questions
We are all made of star stuff."
SHIVA VALLABHANENI // GRAPHIC EARTHSKY, THE CURIOUS TEAM, UNIVERSE TODAY // SOURCES
"
Astronomer Carl Sagan
Stars twinkle because of astronomical scintillation As the atmosphere stirs, the light from the star Earth's is refracted in different directions, atmosphere also called astronomical scintillation. Atmospheric layers move in different directions, causing the star's image to change slightly in brightness and position. Hence, stars “twinkle” and sometimes change color.
Planets don’t twinkle because of distructive interference
Light is refracted in a distorted path before reaching the Earth Planetary disk
The light coming from these celestial bodies does not bend much due to Earth’s atmosphere.
Mars
Zig + Zag
Planets always appear as tiny disks. As light from these disks is refracted by the atmosphere, the zigs and zags of light oppose each other, creating destructive interference. The destructive interference allows the light to pass without any distortion.
= straight wave of light
Destructive interference ALL THAT GLITTERS | 23
Stars shine because of fusion reactions in their cores
H1
H1
H1
H1
pressure gravity
fusion
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gamma + ray energy formed star
These gamma rays are trapped inside the star (creating pressure), pushing outward against the gravitational contraction of the star.
photons to visible light photons
Photons are released, and over a long period of time, reach the surface, becoming visible light photons, traveling through space forever.
Light UP THE WORLD
WORDS | ADHI RAMKUMAR PHOTO | APURVA MANAS GRAPHICS | ADITYA BELAMKAR & SITHA VALLABHANENI
Students of different faiths use light to celebrate their holidays.
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ophomore Gabi Ruderman said she is excited for the holiday season and the bright lights that usher in the various festivities associated with it. But while the majority of her of peers celebrate Christian holidays, Ruderman celebrates the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Despite many differences, many festivals during the holiday season, like Hanukkah, place a huge emphasis on lights. “I think it’s just the festive spirit, and (lights) also shows neighbors, if they look closely, that we’re celebrating (a) holiday. The same applies for other holidays such as Christmas,” Ruderman said. According to the National Retail Foundation, money invested in holiday lights and decorations this year is expected to increase by approximately 3.6 percent from last year. Ruderman said light has been celebrated for centuries through Hanukkah.
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Sophomore Gabi Ruderman lights her menorah. The menorah, or “hanukkiah,” is used to symbolize the oil lamp that, instead of one night, kept the eternal flame lit for eight continuous nights.
One of the most important holidays in Hinduism and the Indian subcontinent, the holiday celebrates the return of Ram from exile. The lamps and light signify the triumph of good over evil.
Diwali
“There was this civil war going on and this guy named Judah the Maccabee won this war. It involves oppression of the Jews, and it was a really significant victory for the Jewish people. There’s (also another) story that most people know regarding Hanukkah in which there was only enough oil to last a lamp that was supposed to always burn for only one day, and the oil lasted for eight days, until more could be found,” Ruderman said. “So every night, we light our menorah, or ‘hanukkiah,’ as a family, and one more candle is added for each night. There’s a main ‘helper’ candle in the middle, and we use that candle to light the other ones. We also have (a) menorah which lights up when you screw in light bulbs, and we place it in our windowsill.”
Loy Krathong
Christmas is one of the most widely celebrated holidays, primarily celebrated in Europe and the United States. During the holiday, families decorate their homes with Christmas decorations and lights.
Christmas
Ruderman said there is a more symbolic meaning to the lights associated with Hanukkah. Ruderman said, “(In) the story of the menorah, having this oil last for so much longer is portraying perseverance of the Jews of that time and also of this time, and the fact that we still exist post-Holocaust (and) post-everyone that’s tried to kill us in history. We have this light in the front of every synagogue called the ‘Ner Tamid’ or ‘eternal flame,’ which is always burning, and that’s also connected to the menorah, where it’s all about (the concept of ) lasting.” Similarly, junior Olivia Shafer celebrates Christmas, with a heavy use of light. Shafer said, “We use holiday lights because it’s very festive; Christmas is definitely a very happy time to celebrate. Our Christmas tree has ornaments we’ve collected since I was a baby and new ones that we get each year. Sometimes, (our tree has) sparkly lights,
The holiday lasts eight days with a candle for each day. The candles are held in a special candelabrum. Light is sacred in the Jewish culture because of the eternal flame that lasted eight nights instead of the expected one.
SITHA VALLABHANENI // DESIGN
Celebrated in Thailand during the 12th Lunar month; people create vessels out of banana leaves that hold a candle. Casting these krathong out with a lighted candle symbolizes the release of bad luck.
Hanukkah
“Given the number of religious-based hate crimes that we are hearing about, a lot of our Jewish community is debating whether or not they should put themselves out as ‘Jewish’ and keep the menorah on the windowsill this year because they fear the reaction of their neighbors,” she said. However, according to Carmel mayor Jim Brainard, the city of Carmel is trying to celebrate all holidays and foster respect among people of different religions. Brainard said via e-mail, “Almost all cultures have winter festivals of some sort— from the Roman festival of Saturnalia to Christmas, Diwali, Chinese New Year and others. The essence of the timing coincides with these being the shortest days of the year where darkness prevails more than light.” In fact, the city of Carmel hosts Holiday on the Square yearly in order to celebrate all of these festivals by putting up various
ALL THAT GLITTERS | 25 garlands, just anything that glitters. I think definitely the ornaments are a big thing. They represent all of our family traditions and all of our history. We’ll (put) ornaments we’ve collected from certain places, ornaments I made during preschool, and ornaments from all the holidays we’ve spent together.” According to Shafer, light serves as a symbolic representation of God in all religions. “I took art history, and one of the things we analyzed is light in works of art. Especially in early Christian works, light was a symbol of God and so I think that’s important in every religion, and we want to use as much light as possible to celebrate holidays in different religions,” she said. However, Ruderman said many Jewish families fear discrimination during the celebration of Hanukkah.
decorations of different holidays. Brainard said, “In a joint effort, the city of Carmel and the Carmel Arts Council started Holiday on the Square to provide a kick off the holiday season about 12 years ago. With the wonderful diversity shared throughout the Carmel community, Holiday on the Square offers entertainment from many different organizations and cultural experiences with vendors and atmosphere performers. Holiday on the Square is the official kick-off for the holiday season in Carmel.” Shafer said, “Whenever I see lights and decorations, it makes me very comforted. It makes me really excited about the holidays, and I think it’s really pretty, especially with the snow. It’s really weird that sometimes even snow glitters. I think (lights and decorations) affect everything in the holiday season.” A
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SITHA VALLABHANENI // DESIGN
BEHIND THE
Seams WORDS | SAMEEN SIDDIQUI PHOTOS | SELENA LIU
Moms of choir students volunteer time for Holiday Spectacular costumes.
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ostume moms for Holiday Spectacular are working on costumes for the show’s 25th anniversary, which will continue through Sunday in the auditorium. According to choir director Kathrine Kouns, the theme for the Holiday Spectacular costumes have been the same throughout the years. She said each year they try to incorporate lots of different costumes.
ALL THAT GLITTERS | 27 Shawn Horrocks, member of the Ambassadors and sophomore, said, “I like how many costumes we have, especially as Ambassadors, because there’s just so much work put into them by the costume moms. I remember last year as a freshman being amazed with how each costume for the Ambassadors went well with all the boys and girls, and how it all looked really good as a whole. The moms don’t spare anything; they just throw everything that they have into making all the costumes perfect.” According to head costume mom Jana Nordeen, there are one or two moms who are in charge, while the rest help sew costumes. She said this year there is an average of four to five moms helping out per choir. Nordeen said the costume moms’ jobs are to fit the costume pieces, whether reused or new, to each student perfectly by the time fall break comes around.
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“Many of the costumes are reused, except for the ones that specifically go with this year’s theme. There’s a tropical, African and Latin theme for certain songs, so the outfits will help represent that. All the costumes will generally be sparkly because all the sequins, shiny stuff and different types of material the costumes are made of helps what makes it all so spectacular, ” Nordeen said. “Depending whether how serious the song is versus the more fun types, the costumes will help go with the number. This year, for the first time since I’ve been here, the Ambassadors are doing a Hallelujah chorus, so they will be dressed in more traditional choir robes, while in other songs students will be dressed in outfits like Santa and peppermint outfits.” Nordeen said during rehearsals and performance nights, the sewing rooms are always open with volunteers because each time a button will inevitably come off or someone will lose a costume piece, so there is always someone to help in any of those cases. Horrocks said he has never experienced any costume problems, but he had heard last year about two kids in the choir who swapped shoes on accident, leaving one to perform with two right feet shoes while the other had to wear the left ones. “What takes the most time with helping with the costumes is organization. Every hanger has to have the name of the choir and the person, and every (item of) clothing has to have a name on it,
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She said this takes a long time because they try to prevent any possible malfunctions, so they start fitting students on Sept. 28 and continue the process of getting all the costumes ready until the Monday after fall break. “This year’s show is called ‘Let There be Peace on Earth,’ so the theme this year will be focused more on multiculturalism and everything is about holidays around the world which takes our whole opening of the show to Africa. There’s all these African pieces in the beginning, so we specifically had ordered African stoles and new materials that are authentic to a lot of different African cultures...Everything is always determined based on whatever the song is. Hopefully the costumes will help represent the song, so when people are watching they are hearing and seeing things that go together,” Kouns said. Sydney Greene, Ambassadors member and sophomore, said they try to get the audience in a holiday spirit during every number with their songs and costumes. She said every member of Ambassadors receives a variety of costumes, from dresses and suits to funny gingerbread men and elf costumes. Nordeen said depending on the choir, a student will usually have around three to four costumes. She said it often varies, such as with the Ambassadors, who will be getting around four to five costumes, whereas the freshmen Counterpoints Men will only have two. Horrocks said there is never a time where the Ambassadors perform on stage wearing the same costume twice.
Costume mom Betty Torres looks through the Holiday Spectacular dresses. The moms make sure every choir student has an outfit to wear for the songs they’re in. 12.02
Shawn Horrocks, member of the Ambassadors and sophomore rehearses one of his songs for Holiday Spectacular during a dress rehearsal. The costume moms are backstage for every performance in case a choir student has an issue with their costume.
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so when the costume is separate from the hanger the kids know which clothing goes with which hangers. Since we have 1,300 costumes, there are 1,300 hangers with 1,300 labels attached, so it’s pretty time-consuming. But it all pays off in the end with seeing the Holiday Spectacular outfits on stage,” Nordeen said.
SITHA VALLABHANENI // DESIGN
Costume mom Barb Sullivan sews a flower to a dress for Holiday Spectacular. Many of the dresses are reused from previous years, so the moms tweak the dresses each year.
men costumes and, for many, costumes usually depend on what their sizes are. She said the gingerbread men costumes were for the bigger guys, but there were a lot of smaller boys who really wanted to have the costume too. Nordeen said the moms try to do what they can, so 99 percent of the time the students are
ALL THAT GLITTERS | 29 “One of the hardest things about the performance is changing in so little time. You have to make sure you have your costumes set up and a system (down), such as the people who help you change. Everyone is in such a hurry and in the shuffle it’s really easy to lose a costume piece. It helps that some of the costumes have velcro to help quicken up the changing process because then you have more time to make sure you have everything set,” Greene said. According to Kouns, for the most part the students love dressing up. She said it’s impossible to please all 450 students in the program, but she thinks most of the students really enjoy and love it. Nordeen said she was fitting the boys for gingerbread
satisfied with what they get, but there will always be that one percent that are not happy with what they get. “It’s fun; it’s a lot of hours and a lot of work, but it’s fun to see it all come together and the kids all excited about it, so I enjoy doing it year after year. I’ve been doing this since my son was a freshman in choir, so this is my third year. It’s really been nice to be able to come in and support him and what he’s passionate about,” Nordeen said. “It’s nice to be able to share one of his passions and help him and the choir. Every year the show is always good. I always worry that we’re not going to get done or that something’s going to happen but every year it turns out great. I’ve never been disappointed by Holiday Spectacular.” A
ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT ALWAYS GOLD WORDS | SAMEEN SIDDIQUI PHOTO | SELENA QIAN
Reporter Sameen Siddiqui explores the dark side of consumerism as she shares her personal experiences with the dangers of fraud.
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ast year during October, I was volunteering at an event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While I was there, I kept my debit card inside of my phone case on the table next to me as I was storing glasses in boxes. After I finished, I turned around to find that my new iPhone 6 and debit card were nowhere to be seen. At first, I thought I had misplaced it, but when I checked on my Chase
insurance for it. Many have also shared a similar experience by getting their cards stolen or card number recorded and used by someone else. According to American Banker, 47 percent of consumers in the United States have been victims of credit card fraud in the past five years. Within those five years, a few cases of fraud became widely known, such as the Yahoo breach and the Target credit card breach
account, it showed that my card had been used at a local Kroger nearby. My conclusion then was that it was stolen. We quickly called Chase, and they cancelled my card and they reimbursed me for the money the thief took, but we had to pay for another phone since we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have
during the holiday season of 2013. The Target breach alone exposed 40 million credit and debit card users to fraud. Fraud is so widespread because of the genius of hackers and a lack of knowledge among consumers. Many victims of fraud are usually at
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fault because they don’t know who to trust. E-mails might claim to be from one’s bank account or any large corporation that they’re a part of, but they are actually hackers looking for access to personal information. In addition, most people don’t memorize their bank’s phone number and might accidentally give away their Social Security number while trying to update their account by phone call. According to the Federal Trade Commision, in 2011 about 11 percent of U.S. adults paid for fraudulent products. That’s 25.6 million people. Fraud can affect a person in many ways depending on how serious the situation is. It can lead to bankruptcy, loss of employment or damage to a profitable
business. Using false information, fraudsters can get their card approved and get products for free while the store makes no profit. That can cause the company to lose a lot of money. Fraud is a big problem in the United Sates and too many people are becoming victims to it. People should make sure that the source they are getting messaged from is the right one before giving out any information. The best way would be to just physically go to your bank or the company’s building, such as an AT&T store, to avoid any potential fraud that may come your way. Also make sure you switch up your email password every once in a while to help prevent hackers from getting in. Prevention is the best way to avoid this problem. A
FRAUD IN THE UNITED STATES
A closer look at the different types of fraud and their prescence across the country.
MOST COMMON FORMS OF FRAUD Identity Theft:
when someone assumes your identity to commit fraud or other criminal acts
Credit Card Fraud: the unauthorized use of a credit
card, debit card or card number to fraudulently obtain money or property
Telemarketing Fraud: a scheme that steals money or
property from victims by calling and promising a special reward in exchange for immediate payment
1 in 10
Americans have been victim to credit card fraud at some point in their life ALL THAT GLITTERS | 31
STATES WITH THE HIGHEST FRAUD RATES
12,157,400
number of Americans who have been victim to identity theft
States with high identity theft States with high credit card fraud States with high identity theft and credit card fraud
64.1
percent of Americans who have reported identity theft as a result of credit card fraud STATISTIC BRAIN, INVESTOPEDIA // SOURCES ALINA HUSAIN // DESIGN AND GRAPHIC
IN THIS ISSUE: Holiday Lights Treasure Hunts Wishes Stars Watch the “All That Glitters” issue video at chsacumen.com