8 minute read
LOST
& FOUND
BY STAFF | Photography by Mia Goldstein, Ella Rosewarne and Cate Weiser
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A lost and found bin can be unassuming. At first glance, it may appear to be a heap of items not worth a second glance or thought. It might be stowed away in a corner, kept out of the way of school hallways and classrooms. It might be a temporary home for sweatshirts, jackets and lunchboxes. And it might be a last resort when looking for something missing. But sometimes, things that are lost and things that are found are not always physical objects to be neatly kept in a bin. Sometimes, personal growth or societal change may underline FOUND transitions in our life — transitions where we disxcover something new of depart from something familiar. In this edition, The Communicator jounralists sought to explore these changes. CHS students and community members featured in this edition gave reflected on what they have lost and found: hobbies, obsessions, emotions, relationships. The stories presented provide a glimpse into the growth that accompanies losing and finding not just items and objects, but larger, more complex emotions and problems. We hope you enjoy.
Abby
Abby Frank, a CHS sophomore, has been looking forward to college since she was three years old. To avoid stress later on in the process, Frank is already looking into options for college. She has been searching for the perfect university since she was 10 years old and now finally feels like it is okay to be excited.
Frank is trying to find the best ways to utilize her time before she heads off to college. This year, Frank decided to no longer play softball and focus on theater and her studies. Cutting back on multiple extracurricular activities is helping Frank discover the passions and interests she would want to pursue after high school.
“I’ve just realized the things that are important to me and what I really want to dedicate my time to,” Frank said.
Though Frank is happy about her new lifestyle, this was not a decision that she made on her own. Her parents have been supportive this year and have been looking out for Frank in ways they never have before. They are constantly trying to help Frank find what is best for her; right now is crucial as Frank begins her college search.
“[My parents] have definitely helped me find things about myself before, but this is such a big life change to think about,” Frank said. “Going to college and starting to think about what I want to do with my life once I move out of their house has created this new little pocket in our relationship.”
Frank’s parents share their own college experiences with her. They discuss regrets and things they wish they would have done differently, and they share the things they enjoyed. Her parents are really good at talking through situations and not just telling Frank what to do, she said.
For Frank, these conversations have been intriguing and helpful. Her parents have provided her with their friends’ contacts, so she can hear other experiences and know that everyone’s experience and route is different in college.
Frank has always been certain that she wants to go to medical school, but she is still exploring all the options and finding out her passions. One of her big interests right now, which she is unsure if she wants to continue after high school but has looked into, is theater.
“I definitely never thought I was going to end up being a theater kid,” Frank said. “Now, I’ve dedicated this whole chapter of my life to it, and I absolutely love it.”
Frank found theater when she was a freshman at CHS. She heard that clubs were a great way to make friends. This led her to choose theater, more specifically because of a character from a book that she looked up to who was part of theater. Another factor that led Frank to theater was the fact that she grew up sewing with her grandmother.
“I’ve definitely discovered that I’m more of a creative person than I thought I was,” Frank said. “I’ve always been really into science and math, and I just assumed that was where my life would go. I hadn’t considered doing anything artsy in high school, and so it really helps me just see that I can be a science and math nerd, but I can also enjoy things that bring out my artistic side.”
Frank is finding new things about herself and gaining confidence through theater. Her parents have reassured her that she made the right decision to focus on theater. This was just one of the first decisions that Frank’s parents had assisted her with. These hard choices and discussions are building a deeper relationship.
“I feel like I’ve always had a good relationship with my parents,” Frank said. “But it’s even stronger now as I figured out what I want my life to look like —I’ve been able to connect with them more. I like having a little more time on my hands — because I’ve stopped playing softball — to hang out with my family. So that’s really grown my relationship with them, and Covid gave that to us as well.”
Ryan
The global pandemic that began prompting closures and lockdowns just over a year ago created massive job disparity, with over 22 million people losing their jobs at the start of the pandemic alone. However, even in the face of that loss, many people have been able to bounce back. Many jobs have been lost, but many are now being found. This is the case for one CHS sophomore, who recently found a job at Goodwill.
This is Ryan Villanueva’s first job, and one he picked up about a month and a half ago while browsing the Goodwill where he would often shop.
“I wasn’t looking for any other jobs,” Villanueva said. “I just saw it and I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll just do it.’ I didn’t expect anything to happen, but I got hired.”
Villanueva says that this experience has been much better than he thought his first job would be. His bosses and coworkers have played a large role in that.”
“I like how casual it is,” Villanueva said. “At some jobs, you have your break at a certain time, and it has to be exactly 15 minutes. But here, I could just tell my boss that I was tired and ask for a break, and he would usually say yes.”
Of course, working a job in retail during a pandemic is a whole different issue than it would normally be. Especially since it was only two weeks in that Villanueva started working the register in addition to the clothing restocking he already did. Customers can be difficult and rude, especially when it comes to mask wearing. Luckily, for Villanueva, that has rarely been the case.
“Everyone’s pretty respectful,” Villanueva said. “If someone doesn’t have a mask, we quickly tell them they need a mask, and so far it’s all been okay.”
But on the rare occasion that customers are unkind, Villanueva has his coworkers there to help.
“They’ve been showing me how to deal with pressure better and how to talk to people who are kind of snappy,” Villanueva said.
Margaret “ There are pe p o le t ha t t I interact with a lot more now because we bond ed o v e r our love for One Direction. ”
Margaret Alpern was unaware of the number of fans One Direction had until July 23, 2020 — One Direction’s 10 year anniversary. Social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter were flooded with reposts commemorating the anniversary.
Alpern began listening to One Direction right before the pandemic hit in March of 2020. She quickly became obsessed.
“I didn’t actually look into [One Direction] a lot before,” Alpern said. “It was just their popular songs on the radio, that aren’t their great songs, and then I heard a song by Harry Styles.”
Now, Alpern listens to all of the band’s music and the members’ personal music; her favorite member is Harry Styles. Their music was never something Alpern would skip on the radio, but became a means of expression. One Direction’s lyrics surround mental health and their personal struggles — which are both things Alpern can relate to.
Alpern’s new obsession with One Direction, right around the 10 year anniversary, also helped her reach out to peers that she had never really talked to before.
“I didn’t know that so many people loved them that much,” Alpern said. “There are people that go to Community that I interacted with a lot more now because we bonded over our love for One Direction.”
This was a new experience for Alpern. She had never been a huge fan of any artist of band before. But the biggest change for Alpern were the kinds of people she was attracting and the emotional connections she was able to make with those people.
“We felt more comfortable sharing our feelings and talking about deeper things with each other,” Alpern said. She has made friends from other interests and extracurricular activities before, but non have been like the friendships she has formed around One Direction.
“[Making friends from soccer] is not something you can really look into,” Alpern said. “It’s just kind of like, ‘Oh yeah, I play soccer, too.’ Whereas with music, you can look at the lyrics and find out what they mean. That was just something that we could bond over more deeply.”
