The Communicator, Edition 1, v. 51 by The Communicator

THE COMMUNICATOR MAGAZINE VOL. 51, EDITION 1, OCTOBER 2023

Seven pairs of students and staff reflect on their connections to each other. Exploring these relationships from two different perspectives reveals the deeply personal nature of connection. Page 34

About the Cover This edition centers on connection: from where it takes root in the brain to where it branches out to create communities. The cover depicts two hands outstretched, grasping for connection. When you open the magazine, you see that connection realized, illustrative of the need to delve deeper — past the surface — to form genuine and meaningful connections. PHOTOGRAPHY BY SERENA O’BRIEN 3

Dear Readers, The world we live in is huge and infinitely complex. But part of being human is taking a big planet and making it a small world. It is through the connections we build that we can lay anchor in a sea of anonymity — find a place for ourselves. It is no small task. As young people we struggle to be known. We yearn for individuality just as we long to fit in. We put down roots only to tear them up and start again, grasping for new connections as we watch old ones wither. It’s dizzying. Journalism awards us with the incredible opportunity to connect more deeply with the people around us. Our advisor is always telling us that journalism is a gift — it gives you the power to sit down and talk with anybody, to hear anyone’s story. We took this opportunity and chose this theme, exploring the complicated concept of connection: what it means to our staff and students and what it means to our community. We have stories about the distance between us, physical and metaphorical. We have stories about the communities that connect us, from the cultures we’re born into to classes we take for a semester. As we worked on the first edition of “The Communicator” for this year, we made new connections and we rekindled old ones. We connected to our community: laughing through awkward photo shoots with strangers and tearing up at the intimate glances into their lives that their interviews revealed. We bonded with each other over chocolate chip cookies and disagreements, growing closer as we peered over shoulders at pages on fluorescent screens and debated cover options in the hallway. It is our hope as journalists that every piece we write contributes to a tighter-knit community. By reading our work, we hope you feel more connected to us, just as we feel more connected to you in sharing it. We urge you to consider what connection means to you and to make it a priority in your own life. We can think of nothing more worthwhile to do with this precious life than share it. Your Editors,

PRINT EDITORS-IN-CHIEF ISABELLA JACOB SERENA O’BRIEN RUTH SHIKANOV WEB EDITORS-IN-CHIEF ADDI HINESMAN ANJALI KAKARLA AILISH KILBRIDE SANA SCHADEN SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS-IN-CHIEF CLARA FREETH MORGAN MCCLEASE LUCIA PAGE SANDER ART DIRECTOR BEE WHALEN PHOTO DIRECTOR DANIEL GING ADVISER TRACY ANDERSON SECTION EDITORS LYDIA DEBORD LEILA DURRIE AIDAN HSIA VEDHA KAKARLA BRIDGETTE KELLY CHARLIE LAMAN ISABELLA MALDONADO EDDIE MOBILIO BRECK MAHIR SOOFI CLAIRE STEIGELMAN ANTHONY WANG SPECIALIST JOURNALISTS EVAN OCHOA HANNAH RUBENSTEIN

STAFF KLAVA ALICEA MARISA ANDONI-SAVAS ALLEGRA BLACKWOOD LILAH BURDINE JONATHAN CARTER LEO CASTILHO EMMY CHUNG PIPER COOKE CECE COSTELLO-SAILE GABE DEEDLER CARLOS FINKS MIA FLETCHER JASPER FORGEY KAYLEE GADEPALLI KYRIE GARWOOD EMMA GOBLIRSCH KATE GROVES STEPHANIE HADLEY MOLLY HAMALAINEN EDISON HANNAHS LUCA HINESMAN ANNABELLE HOARD EILIDH HUTCHINGS JONAH KLEIN VIOLET KNYAL FINA KUTCHER CLAIRE LEWIS JACK LEWIS REAGAN MASEK ELLE MCCREADIE IVY MILLER JANAKI NALLAMOTHU GREY PHILLIPS MEGHAN PILLOTE PAIGE PLAVNICK MIA RUBENSTEIN PAYTON SLY IONIE STEUDLE ELAINE STEVENSON LYDIA STRASZEWSKI ZANE SWERDLOW NINA TINNEY MALLORY TOWERS MARIAH ZEIGLER WILSON ZHENG

Columbia Scholastic Press Association Crown Finalist 2022; Gold Crown Finalist and Winner 2021-2022, 2020-2021 and 2019-2020 National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker Finalist and Winner 2022, Online Pacemaker 2021-2022, Pacemaker Finalist and Winner 2020 Pacemaker Finalist and Winner 2019 The Communicator Policy The Communicator is a open forum for student expression created by Community High School students. The Communicator does not represent the views of Ann Arbor Public Schools. The Communicator staff seeks to recognize the individuals, events and ideas relevant to readers. The Communicator is committed to fair reporting, providing a platform for student voices and equitable coverage. For our complete Guidelines & Policy, please go to www.chscommunicator.com 4

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Table of Contents VOLUME 51, EDITION 1 | OCTOBER 2023

Story Package

News

34 Connection Stories In this edition, we highlight the significant connections we have between other people and ideas. In our cover story, we highlight a multitude of relationships and gave each side a chance to share their perspective of the other.

France Trip

Breaking Records: CET’s Path To The Fall Play

This past summer, the French department took 21 CHS students to France for the first time since the start of COVID-19. BY AIDAN HSIA

CET prepares to the put on the play “Museum.” Rehearsals ramp up as the performance dates in November approach. BY HANNAH RUBENSTEIN, IONIE STEUDLE, JANAKI NALLAMOTHU AND LUCA HINESMAN

Photography by Daniel Ging, Isabella Jacob and Serena O’Brien

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Features

Opinion

Arts & Entertainment

Long Distance Connections

Girlhood

The Summer of Barbie

Whether by circumstance or by choice, students have friends that live far away. How do they keep in touch?

A look at how women create a sisterhood and safe space for each other through the lens of girlhood.

The “Barbie” movie had a profound impact on how students see the world.

BY SERENA O’BRIEN AND KYRIE GARWOOD

BY ISABELLA MALDONADO

22 The Connection With Culture Students explore how they’ve grown into their culture while battling stereotypes and microagressions in the classroom. BY ISABELLA JACOB AND JANAKI NALLAMOTHU

BY ELLE MCCREADIE AND LYDIA DEBORD

Art Profile: Cassidy McKenna

Readers Write

Sophomore Cassidy McKenna shares how her family and friends inspire her art.

Students reflect on the most meaningful connections they’ve built through short narratives.

BY BEE WHALEN AND NINA TINNEY

BY STAFF

Connections With The Teenage Brain Experts explain the development of connections in the teenage brain, as well as how the rapidly changing brains handle stress. BY RUTH SHIKANOV AND MEGHAN PILLOTE

30 Advanced Calculus Comes to CHS CHS expands math offerings with new advanced calculus curriculum, offering an extra challenge for ambitious students. BY CLAIRE STEIGELMAN

32 Social Media’s Complex Web Students reflect on their relationships with social media and how it has shaped them for the better and worse. BY IVY MILLER, PIPER COOKE AND EDDIE MOBILIO BRECK

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NEWS

Photography by Danny Ging Ryan Silvester and Joslyn Hunscher-Young walk through St. Andrew’s church, filled to bursting with students celebrating Opening Day. Teachers and other personnel were introduced by the Forum Council presidents with a departmental strut down the aisle. “It’s really helpful to introduce new teachers,” Kinga Jung said.

A New Focus: Opening Day 2023 CHS gathers together at St. Andrew’s Church for its annual celebration of Opening Day. BY SERENA O’BRIEN

The church filled to the sound of smooth jazz, a contrast to the hymns that typically echoed through the space, as 8

CHS students and teachers lined the pews. CHS settled smoothly back into its Opening Day routine, despite it being only the second year since the pandemic forced the district online. Excited conversations and laughter radiated along N. Division St., as the student body filed down the road and under the arches of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. “I’m super hyped,” said Ellie Maloy, senior. Her sentiments towards the school year starting were reflected by many of her fellows, including Leila Bank, senior. “Summer is scary because there’s no structure,” Bank

said. “School helps me to have structure.” She’s looking forward to the “good stress” of being back to school — knowing what she needs to do and when to do it makes it easier to get things done. Once all several hundred students were seated, the ceremony began. Dean Marci Tuzinsky welcomed new students, then passed the microphone over to Forum Council presidents Morgan McClease and Isabella Jacob, and vice president Addi Hinesman. The three served as emcees of the event. In time-honored tradition, teachers were introduced by department, dancing with varying levels of enthusiasm down

the central aisle to thunderous applause. The presidents also announced the school-wide focus for the school year: forum. “After COVID-19, a lot of forums lost their familial connection,” said Lina Bailey, CHS junior and Forum Council representative. Due to that loss, many forums are less tightly bonded. Forum Council hopes to resurrect the spirit of forum by introducing additional forum bonding events, including an inaugural Fall Field Day. Although forum is a key part of forming connections, dozens of clubs offer countless opportunities for students to find a place in the community.

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Over 25 leaders and representatives took the lectern to rouse interest in their groups. From long-running and well-loved classics like Ecology Club to brand new groups like pickleball club, all hit the new year running with an elevator pitch to the whole school. After the festivities of Opening Ceremony concluded, students returned to their forum rooms, where the day had been kicked off with many forums having breakfast together before heading to the church. Tia Cocciolone, a sophomore, was welcomed back to the Yager forum with donuts. Ella Hamalainen, a freshman, enjoyed her first Brent forum pancake breakfast. Back in forums, students were divided into groups for a scavenger hunt designed to help incoming students get their bearings and make connections with their peers. “I got to bond with the new freshman without feeling the pressure of being in a big group,” Cocciolone said. Beyond bonding, the scavenger hunt provided an early opportunity for upperclassmen to impart the wisdom they’ve garnered over the last several years. “I can remember looking up at the seniors when I was a freshman,” said senior Charlie Rosenfeld. “I’ve had a lot of experiences in high school, and I’m ready to kind of transfer what I’ve learned to younger people.” As a senior, Rosenfeld feels he can be helpful in the same way that seniors and older students were to him when he was a freshman. Those connections, born out of a genuine desire to support each other, are what forum, and community, is all about. “Although school does have some struggles, it really brings students together,” said sophomore Sam Magee. Although the start to the school year still feels surreal, she’s excited to continue growing into herself and making connections with the people around her.

Photography by Danny Ging and Jonah Klein Top: Serena O’Brien (left), Kyrie Garwood (middle) and Allison Mayer (right) introduce Ecology Club. Middle: Forum Council Vice President Addi Hinseman addresses CHS students seated in St. Andrew’s Church. Bottom: Miles McDonald (left) and Grey Phillips (right) introduce Film Club.

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Counselor’s Corner

Fo-Co Column

Kelly Maveal shares her hopes to connect with as many students as possible this year. BY EDDIE MOBILIO BRECK

Becoming a counselor was not Kelly Maveal’s intended path when she entered college. She majored in psychology and education as she has been interested in those two fields forever. It wasn’t until Maveal had time in a classroom that she got to actually work really closely with a school counselor. This is Maveal’s second year as a school counselor at Community High School. Prior to coming to Community, Maveal had previous experience as a counselor at Ann Arbor Open. Maveal’s career started in teaching as an elementary school teacher in Milwaukee. She has been in the counseling field for about seven years and is a lifelong advocate for mental health and education. “I just had a newfound interest in learning about what’s going on outside of academics and in kids lives and due to confidentiality rules the counselor wasn’t able to ever share much more about what she was learning about a student with me and I remember feeling physically frustrated by that,” Maveal said. During the first year, Maveal has been pleasantly surprised about how much voice the students have in the CHS community. Based on her experience during her first year of counseling at CHS, Maveal felt that the students were open to having conversations and sharing out about their lives. “I feel like oftentimes they’re the ones leading and guiding even me in my role,” Maveal said. “What surprised me is that shift in balance and power compared to other schools that I’ve been in. It’s this hierarchi10

Photography by Eddie Mobilio Breck Kelly Maveal enjoys a sunny day on the front lawn of Community High School. She’s realized that students shouldn’t need to limit themselves when telling their stories. “All stories matter,” Maveal said. “There is not just one reason why it would be necessary or beneficial to talk to a counselor.”

cal nature of teachers and staff and then students on the bottom, and I feel like Community dramatically shifts that in a really great way and I’ve been honored to work here for that reason.” As for students who might be hesitant to talk to a counselor or even step into Room 206, Maveal has some words of wis-

dom. “I would just say that it doesn’t need to be a big thing,” Maveal said. “I would love the opportunity to connect with a student whether that means grabbing a coffee from across the street or taking a walk together and hearing about your weekend, or your life or your future.”

As the leadership team, I, Morgan McClease, my co-president, Izzie Jacob, and our vice president, Addi Hinesman, plan to accomplish several goals during this upcoming school year. Over the summer Izzie, Addi and me, along with our FoCo advisor Ryan Silvester met to plan the opening day ceremony, as well as talk about the Sept. 27 Fall Field day. In the past few weeks we have been continuing to meet on Thursdays at 2 p.m. in room 220. Without being too ambitious for the start of the year we have started to work on three key sub committees within the council: the middle school outreach committee led by Izzie Jacob; the communications committee led by FoCo treasurer Parker Haymart and Sam Austin; and the events committee led by Addi Hinesman and me. Along with separation into subcommittees, there was also a smaller election within the council to appoint representatives to treasurer and secretary positions. Parker Haymart won the treasurer position and Ebie Lamb won the secretary position. By the end of October we will have planned the Halloween Dance, Spirit Week and jump started the new system for middle school outreach. In the meantime, follow us on Instagram @chs_forumcouncil for Forum Council updates!

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The Windy City Challenge CHS students travel to Chicago to compete in an international Mock Trial competition. BY SERENA O’BRIEN AND ISABELLA JACOB

Charlotte Rotenberg, junior, pulled on a pair of black socks, donned a blazer and prepared to sue for negligence. The fact that she was heading to a mock trial didn’t do much to curb her nervousness. Stripping off her watch and shoes to make her way through the metal detector at the Federal Building did little to shake the illusion that she’d be handed down a ruling at the conclusion of the trial. That first trial ran until 10 p.m., leaving Rotenberg and the rest of the team asleep on their feet. “I’m going to be honest,” Rotenberg said. “I barely remember what happened.” Rotenberg, alongside nine other CHS students, had arrived in Chicago the previous day, Oct. 21, to compete in Empire, an international Mock Trial tournament held each year. The Empire team was composed of CHS Mock Trial veterans, coached by Judah Garber, a volunteer coach for the CHS Mock Trial team during the MHSMT (Michigan High School Mock Trial) season, and captained by Isabella Jacob and Serena O’Brien. With the majority of preparation happening over the summer, the team had limited opportunities to practice all together. In the weeks leading up to the competition they were able to hold a few run-throughs, but the team still felt somewhat unprepared going into the weekend. Jacob and O’Brien, presenting the pre-trial oral argument

Photography by Isabella Jacob Charlotte Rotenberg (left) and Abbi Bachman (right) walk through Chicago on their way back to the Palmer House hotel. The team stayed in downtown Chicago for the duration of the competition. “Getting to explore Chicago was really fun,” Ari Taylor said. “And I got to meet teams from all over North America.”

for the Plaintiff and Defense respectively, felt especially unsure going into the weekend. The oral argument is a staple of collegiate mock trial, but is not a part of MHSMT, so it was a new experience for them both. In the oral argument, a student attorney prepares an argument on an issue; in this year’s competition the issue at hand was the constitutionality of a statute the Defendant was charged with. The attorney presents their argument to a judge, fielding their questions throughout. “Going into my first trial I couldn’t find my oral argument notepad,” O’Brien said. “It was definitely a little terrifying, because I was already stressed about it, and I might have almost cried when Izzie called me to tell me that she couldn’t find it in our hotel room, but it ended up being kind of exhilarating.”

Rotenberg doubled for the team, portraying Justice Carbo, the Plaintiff, on one side of the case, and Jackie Staub, an expert, on the other. As Carbo, Rotenberg was a guest witness. This role is a unique part of the Empire competition, in which a guest witness from one team is assigned to another team for the duration of a trial. The guest witness has 15 minutes to prepare a direct examination (their version of events to present to the court) with an attorney from the other team. Rotenberg valued the opportunity to get to know people from other teams. “It was very much a competition,” Rotenberg said. “But it’s still friendly.” Not only did the CHS team send away a guest witness each round, they also received one each trial, providing the team a chance to interact with even

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more of the teams competing. The CHS team competed against, or alongside guest witnesses of, teams from states ranging from Florida to California. The team competed against four rounds in total, twice representing the Plaintiff side, and twice representing the Defense. With three wins and one loss, the team placed 11th out of 32 teams from over a dozen states. Ari Taylor, who competed as a witness, was grateful for the opportunity to spend time with her teammates and get a leg up for the upcoming MHSMT season. “I really feel like we’re in great shape for regionals, states and maybe even nationals,” Taylor said. The team is looking forward to the MHSMT case drop on Oct. 23, at which point the CHS team will start practicing in full force. 11

The Goal of French After the cancellation of their 2020 trip due to COVID-19, CHS French classes were finally able to visit France at the start of the summer of 2023. BY AIDAN HSIA

Rain began to pour from the sky and 21 Community students were stuck in the middle of it. It started suddenly, and within just a few minutes, they were soaked. But it wasn’t just any rainfall — it was a down12

pour in the middle of Paris, France. “Even though we were completely soaked, it was kind of just fun in the streets of Paris and pouring rain,” said Kinga Jung, a student who went on the 2023 France trip. At the start of the 2023 Summer, students got the chance to visit France — an opportunity given once every few years. One of the French teachers and advisors on the trip, Danelle Mosher, thinks international trips are important for learning a language. “That’s the goal,” Mosher said. “That’s why I want to teach — so that students can interact with other cultures. The fun of speaking another language and to feel that success.” This year’s trip came after

the disappointment of the 2020 trip being canceled due to COVID-19. However, with many COVID-19 restrictions now being lifted, CHS French teachers Marci Harris and Danelle Mosher were able to take French students on the trip. During the first four days in Paris, students saw many iconic sites like the Palace of Versailles and the Eiffel Tower. Students also went to some of Harris’ favorite Paris spots like the Les Colonnes de Buren. This year, Paris is undergoing construc-

tion and renovations for the 2024 Olympics. “Everyone was back traveling on all these trips, it was the first real summer [after COVID-19],” Harris said. “It was crazy enough without the Olympics.” Even with Paris being crowded, Harris felt the two teachers’ styles of handling the chaos paired well together. Though they have worked together for almost six years, this was the first trip they had done together. “Figuring out our styles and

Photography by Vedha Kakarla The group visits iconic Paris sites like the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe while spending their first few days in the city. During their plane and bus ride through the city, students got to see many of the places they would visit from afar. “When we got there and we were driving on the bus and the driver said, ‘You can see a view of the Eiffel Tower from here’ that was a really cool moment,” Lila Fetter said. “But I feel like seeing it from afar does look really cool.”

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our personalities and how we work together, it was fun,” Harris said. “I loved it. When something was confusing, my reaction was like ‘Woah!’, and Danelle was just so calm.” While planning the trip, Harris and Mosher were able to choose from a list of towns for a homestay: a couple days for students to spend time in an actual French home. With this year’s trip taking place during summer — rather than spring break — the teachers chose the Southern-seaside city of Montpellier and its surrounding towns. Jung, a junior who had just completed French II, traveled just southeast to the town of Aigues-Mortes for her homestay. This was her favorite part of the trip.

Photography courtesy of Marci Harris Students pose on the Pont Alexandre II, an important Parisian landmark. Mosher and Harris chose a Fat Tire Bike tour to allow students to experience something new. “The whole thing about traveling is to push yourself and to try a new thing,” Harris said. “The fact that the students did it, it’s an accomplishment.”

“It was a really small town and it wasn’t very touristy,” Jung said. “To hang around this tiny little town by the sea and to go to these little markets and bike through the vineyards was really fun.” Jung met her host-sister’s friends and got to experience some of the things the family enjoyed most, which included Jung meeting Miss France. Alongside that, Jung loved being able to immerse herself in the French language. “Seeing people authentically speak French, not just teachers in class, gave me a new perspec-

tive and it’s a really beautiful language to listen to,” Jung said. One of Harris’ favorite moments from the trip was a simple moment. With Paris being a big city, students got many chances to explore areas on their own. Near the Arc de Triomphe, two students decided to go to a restaurant. “I looked and there were two students in the window of a restaurant and the French waiter was right there,” Harris said. “They were speaking French and that was when I was like, ‘Oh, they’re doing it.’” But some of Danelle Mosh-

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er’s favorite moments were the ones that were unexpected — like the sudden downpour. “There were like five umbrellas between us and I had three camera bags and Marci was navigating where we were supposed to be going and everybody was just running,” Mosher said. “My shoes didn’t dry for days.” With the trip wrapped up, Marci Harris and Danelle Mosher are looking forward to their next trip to let students experience authentic French. Later this year, they’re planning for a trip to Quebec, Canada, to provide another opportunity for students to immerse themselves in French. And the CHS French teachers have another trip to France in mind — set for summer of 2025. 13

September of CET Over the first month of school CET announced crew positions, held auditions, announced casting roles and rehearsed for their fall play “Museum.” BY HANNAH RUBENSTEIN, IONIE STEUDLE, LUCA HINESMAN AND JANAKI NALLAMOTHU

CET Director, Emily Wilson-Tobin, auditioned the largest cast she has seen for Community Ensemble Theatre’s (CET) fall play, “Museum”— breaking a record. Exactly 42 new and experienced actors from AAPS high schools showed up to auditions on Tuesday, Sept. 12 and Thursday, Sept. 14 to fill the spots of 40 different characters. However, CET strives to include everyone, leading Wilson-Tobin to add in two extra roles, ensuring that everyone could participate. “The play allows a large number of performers to explore interesting characters, there is truly no ‘lead’ role,” Wilson-Tobin said. Over the first month of school, CET announced crew positions, held auditions, announced casting roles and rehearsed for their fall play “Museum.” On Tuesday, Sept. 12, 12 out of the 17 crew leaders met to discuss crew positions. Crew positions were then later announced on Wednesday, Sept. 13. “Finding out I was stage manager, I was overjoyed and thankful,” Parker Haymart said. “I excitedly thought of all cues to be called and blocking notes to be made for ‘Museum.’” “I’ve had an absolute blast with acting, and I’ve always wanted to step on stage into the spotlight, but I also have always been curious about crew,” Bee Whalen said. “Working on props sounds like the perfect match for me, since I really like working on art, whether it be sculpting or painting. I think being on crew will be a really great memory I’ll be able to remember in the future.” In preparation for auditions, 14

each actor was required to prepare a section from the script, or a monologue that the director previously gathered. Assistant stage manager, Mallory Towers, was sitting outside of the theater, assisting actors before their auditions. “I would tell someone thinking about auditioning to not worry – don’t stress over it – because no matter how you do, you’re going to get a part and you’re going to be able to be a part of this fun experience,” Towers said. Even with the comfort of a promised role, emotions were everywhere for returning member of CET, Mathias Tackas. “Being nervous is something that I have gotten used to after a while because I’m a junior and I’ve been doing this for three years– I haven’t skipped a show,” Tackas said. “It’s kind of conditioned, I know that it is coming.” Sophomore, Malcolm London, was beyond excited. “I already know how it works, so I can continue on from last year, instead of having to relearn everything,” London said. London started off freshman year being cast as one of the Blind Men in “The Visit” and starring in “Cabaret” as Cliff Bradshaw. Rosie Matish, freshman, was feeling nervous as well, even though they have an older sister who participated in CET in the past. “This was my first real high school audition, but I felt a lot less nervous knowing a lot of people have done this before,” Matish said. “During auditions my mind went blank but I think it still went well.” Both days of auditions ended at 5:30 p.m. Wilson-Tobin an-

Photography by Hannah Rubenstein Robin Sickman-Garner is the co-crewhead for the costumes crew this show. She has been on the costumes crew since the beginning of her freshman year. “I love being on costumes crew,” Sickman-Garner said. “Everyone has unique ideas that as a group we are able to bring together to create a cohesive vision.”

Photography by Luca Hinesman Leila Bank is playing the role of Barbra Castle in “Museum.” During the first month of CET, she has been able to feel out who her character is. “I based my character off of Mrs. Darbus from High School Musical,” Bank said, “So, it was easier for me to envision her as a real person with character traits aside from what I know.”

nounced that call backs may or may not happen and she would let them know by Thursday night. “A number of factors went into the decision about callbacks. I have already been considering whether or not they’d be necessary because there are so many roles and the casting is

so flexible,” Wilson-Tobin said. The cast list was then announced at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16. CET is ready to start rehearsals and crew meetings in preparation for their shows performing from Thursday, Nov. 16, thru Sunday, Nov. 19.

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Robotics Back in Action Zebrotics, the robotics team at CHS, has newfound goals for this year’s competition season. BY WILSON ZHENG

On Sept. 20 2023, Zebrotics held its first team meeting of the school year to welcome new members to high school robotics. As the team lost many members the previous year, they hope to bring the recruits up to speed to prepare for the upcoming season. During meetings, the team offers a multitude of subjects to work on: fabrication for the more hands-on members, coding for the more practical members and even business. There are also other intriguing tasks such as engineering, design and wiring. This year, Zebrotics is taking part in two competitions: Washtenaw Area Pick-Up Robotics (WAPUR), a one-day, low-pressure contest for high school teams within Washtenaw County, and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), an international high school robotics competition where teams work throughout a six week period to create a robot suited for the corresponding year’s game. “It’s really fun to see the ideas in the teamwork and the growth from people that didn’t know how to apply all these engineering concepts,” said George Lancaster, head coach of the team. “It was really great to see all the stuff that I teach really helping the robot come together and do what it was supposed to do.” Each year, new games and rules are set to make sure that each season is unique. For example, this year’s WAPUR involves passing balls over a wall and loading milk crates filled with books onto bookshelves,

Photography by Wilson Zheng Dominic Nazario presents a simple robot used to practice coding. Teaching different topics such as programming and fabrication to new members always helps. “Our plan for this season is getting all the new freshmen used to robotics,” Nazario said.“We’re just trying to skate through the season.”

Photography by Wilson Zheng Zebrotics team members huddle around a robot motherboard, an essential piece of hardware that controls all parts of the robot. Hardware is very fragile and expensive, so these group meetings help make sure that everyone knows how to handle the parts of the robot. “It’s important to know how different parts of the robot are integrated and interact with each other,” Elon Shaffer-Green said. “Everyone will work on a bit of the robot at some point during the season.”

with the winning team taking home the coveted Can of Beans. Zebrotics is planning to use this event as a chance to get the ball rolling for new members. In the winter, the team is going to attend FRC, the main event of the season. Teams are required to design and build a robot from scratch for a chance to compete at Worlds. When Zebrotics attended the last FRC season, they performed well — but the season was not without its challenges. “There’s always room for improvement,” said River Rountrey, engineering lead of the team. “For example, our system of delegating and organizing tasks within our group members was definitely something we could improve upon and we hope to improve on.” Last year, the team had a couple of concerns about certain members doing the bulk of the work, which led to not everyone being able to perform the tasks they wanted to. But this year, the team leads are working to make sure that every member gets to take part in what they want. Even though the team attends various THE COMMUNICATOR

competitions every season, their main goal isn’t to win but to use them as learning experiences. “Yeah, it would be nice to do really well in competition, but that’s not our main goal. Our main goal is, you know, to educate and inspire,” Rountrey said. “FIRST stands for, ‘For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.’ And that is our goal. To spread that love of science and technology to my colleagues.” Being a small team, Zebrotics often lacks the manpower and material needed to be able to create a complex robot with fancy code. Despite all these drawbacks, they still have managed to make it to finals in competition and win plenty of awards in the past couple of years. “You know, we’ve got a great group, a lot of people with good experience, and a lot of good people. So I really hope everybody learns a lot from this fall season,” Lancaster said. “And then, I hope we can come together and be able to have a successful robot that can meet all the objectives of the new game once we find out what it is.” 15

CHS CLUB FAIR Photography by Danny Ging Sumaya Berki (left), Hyacinth Held (middle) and Grieta Ham pose next to their club fair booth. The three represented Space Club at the annual club fair. “Through being in Space Club I’ve learned so much and I’m having lots of fun,” Held said.

Alien Encounters: CHS Space Club CHS Space Club kicks off the year, reflecting on their interests in space, whether new or old. BY MALCOLM LONDON, MARIAH ZEIGLER AND MIA FLETCHER

Her dad insisted he had never seen anything like it before. On a late-night drive, Sumaya Berki and her father spotted peculiar bright pillars in the sky. “They were moving really strangely, like an animal,” Berki said. She and her father were instantly curious. They chased the lights for about 20 minutes in their car. All the while, Berki checked her phone for possibilities. Were there meteor showers in the area? Satellites? Could anything explain this phenomenon? As her Google searches came up empty, her excitement grew. This could be it. “My dad, he really believes in aliens. I mean, I guess I do too, because the universe is really big,” Berki said. Could this be the moment they’d been waiting for? As Berki and her father approached the source of the mysterious luminescence, their hearts sank. “We felt really foolish when we end16

ed up in the parking lot of a trampoline park,” Berki said. In front of the building, there was a large projector, creating the dancing lights. Their search for extraterrestrial life would have to wait. Despite her disappointment on that night, Sumaya Berki, junior, still believes in aliens. As a member of CHS’s Space Club, she explores her love of the unknown. Space Club members gather every Friday at lunch and exchange views about the universe and beyond. They take field trips, including an excursion to the UM planetarium last year, and are also saving up to buy a telescope. “When I first came to this club, I barely knew anything about space,” said Hyacinth Held, another member of Space Club. “I couldn’t even list all the planets off the top of my head. But then through being in Space Club, I’ve learned so much and I’m having lots of fun.”

One topic Space Club frequently discusses is the potential for life on exoplanets. “Exoplanets are planets outside of our solar system, orbiting a different star than our Sun,” Berki said. Many such planets contain an atmosphere similar to our own, which could be conducive to life. Berki explains that the presence of natural features or water on an exoplanet might give a clue that the planet is capable of supporting living creatures. But of course, there’s a big difference between discovering an atmosphere and discovering the creatures themselves. “It’s more likely that aliens will come and find us. We haven’t really gotten that far in space. The farthest we’ve gone is to the moon,” Berki said. She concludes it’s unlikely we would discover them first, “unless there’s some secret alien meeting on the moon.” More mundanely, she also notes that simpler forms of life, “like little microbes or bacteria” could be found outside of our planet. Those, too, could be viewed as aliens. Space Club members discuss a smorgasbord of issues across the cosmos. Students interested in exploring the mysteries of space should stop by room 307 on Fridays during lunch.

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Feminist Club Forges On Feminist Club returns for another year of advocacy and bonding. BY PIPER COOKE AND IVY MILLER

Community High School students make their way around arrays of folding tables, tri-folds, and sign-up sheets. This event is known as Club Fair. Lila Fetter, CHS senior stood next to the Feminist Club stand, ready for all the excitement. Sophomore Emma Goblirsch is ready to create positive change during her second year as a member of the Feminist Club. “I’m excited to see what kind of projects we do this year because I really like doing the projects that help a lot of people,” Goblirsch said. “Last year, the club ran a menstrual product drive and was able to provide free products in every school bathroom”. The Feminist Club also had a Feminist March where guest speakers came to meet with Community students. Some of these speakers included Michigan state representative Carrie Rheingans and Goblirsch’s mother, Lisa Groh. “It was really enlightening to see people from all different walks of life come together to support one cause,” Goblirsch said. She also hopes that the club will attract many new members this year. One of these new members is Ryan Grant. He is passionate about feminism and believes that more men should be interested as well. “I hate the patriarchy,” Grant said. When Grant first learned about sexism, something changed inside of him. “We’re all in this together. The world is a big place. And there’s a lot of people and we need to be inclusive of all.”

Feminist Club leader Fetter plans to make inclusion a focus in the club this year. “I like to encourage people to share stuff about their lives,” Fetter said. “And not just discuss feminist issues and gender equality and stuff you see in the news, because I also want to know each member individually and what they’re interested in. That’s something I really want to focus on this year.” Fetter is also passionate about racial equality in feminism and thinks of Laverne Cox as one of her role models. “I at least want to talk about, in terms of intersectionality and how women of color, especially in terms of feminism and gender equality, and trans people of color, they need to be more centered in those discussions,” Fetter said. She aims to provide a safe and communicative space for all students to learn about feminism. Payton Sly and Zola Saigal are sophomores who are starting their first year as part of the Feminist Club. They hope to inform themselves and others on how to be better feminists. “We’re just super interested in being feminists, considering the fact that we are female,” Sly said. “It’s an issue that’s still around and it’s been around for so many years.” The Feminist Club is ready to start its year strong, and many new members are joining them. The club meets on Fridays during lunch in room 213 and encourages students to drop in and see what feminism is about.

Photography by Danny Ging Lila Fetter poses next to the Feminist Club booth. Fetter was excited to see so much interest in her group, and she’s excited to get to know new members this year. “I also want to know each member individually and what they’re interested in,” Fetter said. “That’s something I really want to focus on this year.”

Photography by Aidan Hsia Lila Fetter (left) and Nicky Singer (right) shake hands. Singer considered joining feminist club. “I like encouraging people to share stuff about their lives,” Fetter said.

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Leaders Revive Old Tradition and Make it New This year brought a new tradition to bring Forums together through competition. BY AIDAN HSIA AND JONAH KLEIN

The forums’ goal was set: to do their best at Field Day. But unlike the past few years, there wasn’t Tug of War or a mile run during late Spring at Delhi Metropark. Instead, it was during a crisp fall morning and CHS was split between three locations: the newly-opened back lawn, Wheeler Park and Riverside Park. The opening game: students had to pass a ball from one end of a line to the other — but only using their feet. The Fall Field Day, spearheaded by CHS teacher Ryan Silvester after discussions in Forum Council, featured different games than that of the spring. The day took place on Sept. 27, a day that would’ve been a half day, however, some felt that taking the half day to let forums bond through Field Day would be time better spent. “Fall Field Day gets forums to bond early in the year instead of waiting for the spring,” said Courtney Kiley, Forum leader and teacher. “To get that comradery and stuff going early.” In recent years, the Spring Field Day is also seniors’ last day, cutting short the time the whole forum can spend together. While Spring Field Day features a school-wide tug of war, relay races and a mile run, the Fall Field Day features games that Silvester learned through his time counseling Interlochen for Huron High School. Unlike the Spring Field Day, the games weren’t meant to be as competitive but rather to get 18

students to spend time with each other. Kiley liked the reduced competition, feeling that getting students to have a good time is more important. “It was more just, go out there be goofy and have fun,” Kiley said. At her forum’s location, Riverside Park, cheating occurred throughout several games, however Kiley, who considers herself a competitive person, didn’t really mind. “If you need to hold onto a ball with your hand when you’re running, it doesn’t really matter.” During the day, Kiley took notice that many students did seem to be having fun, laughing and spending time with each other and not on their phones. She considers the Fall Field Day to be a success and hopes the tradition continues. Silvester also hopes to keep the Fall Field Day in future years. “It’s a great opportunity to get outside because the weather is nice and kind of a refresher,” Silvester said. “It’s a really fun time to be together. That bonding element goes with the way that we’ve been focusing on forum this year.” “It was a real crisp fall day, the weather held out for us and I saw the majority of kids laughing and smiling, and like you’re kind of forced to be goofy, but everyone has to be goofy,” Kiley said. “And there were very few kids are on their cell phones. I saw a lot of smiling and very few cell phones, so I think it went well. I had a lot of fun.”

Courtney Kiley announces the next move in the game of Simon Says. With the commands in quick succession, Kiley was determined to knock out as many seniors as possible.

Matthew Gallego-Strasma and Seven Steiner pat each other’s heads during a game of Simon Says. They were some of the last to keep in the game.

Ellie Maloy and Pao Eagle pose after one of the activities.

NEWS

The Root forum walks to CHS after their day of activities at Riverside Park.

Students wait in line for the first Fall Field Day. The Root forum was getting primed for the next game, a spork relay race. “The problem for me was that there was just a lot of waiting in lines to do things,” Kai Ellison-Batt said. “I feel like they could try and make it less waiting, but I’m not sure how they would do that.”

The Whiteside forum plays “football.” The game consisted of passing a ball down a line of people, using only their feet, which became smaller after the forum concluded with each ball. “You know, it was interesting for sure,” Grey Phillips said. “I think we needed to be a little more coordinated, but I think that the more we practiced the more we were gonna succeed, but I had fun. I definitely had a good time during Fall Field Day and it was fun. I think we should continue it in the future.”

At Riverside Park, seniors hop while playing a game of Simon Says. The game gave seniors a variety of movements, from moving like a robot to just patting their head, but ended with a several-person tie. “I feel like it was a good idea in theory, but the thing is [seniors] have the most experience being bossed around by teachers,” Steiner said. “So Simon Says is not really a good game. And that’s why it ended with a lot of us.”

Kevin Starkey juggles tennis balls as he waits for the next activity to begin. Starkey played his favorite songs for the forums at Riverside Park.

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Amy Boeving competes in a relay race that requires balancing a ping pong ball on a spork. During the game, Boeving noticed a lot of cheating from forums which ended with people just running as fast as they could. “So there was no real competition besides how fast everybody could go,” Boeving said. “But it was really fun to scream at each other and get each other to go really fast.”

SPORTS

Rowing Against the Current CHS sophomore Paloma Edmonds’ journey as a varsity rower and transgender athlete highlights the pursuit of excellence on the water and a path to diversity in sports. Currently rowing for Pioneer, he hopes to continue on his journey by leaving an impact. BY MAHIR SOOFI

Paloma Edmonds stumbled upon his calling in the rhythmic movement of rowing oars through water. What began as a stepping stone during eighth grade at Pioneer eventually led to him being a varsity rower. He was driven by nothing but his dedication to challenge himself on this journey. Aspirations play a role in the level of commitment that being a varsity rower requires. The season demands daily practices and weekend races that only the utterly dedicated can handle. From aiming to make it to collegiate rowing to striving for victory at every turn, the challenge is substantial. Edmonds found in rowing an enduring passion that provided sanctuary from the snap judgments of team sports such as soccer. By embracing the repetitious, syncopated aspects of rowing, Edmonds could concentrate entirely on honing the nuances of technique. 20

Photography courtesy of Tomiyo Wemert Center: The Pioneer row team getting in their positions and preparing for launch to start a race on Sept. 23, 2023. The regatta at Orchard Lake against St Mary’s and Skyline demanded physical and mental toughness throughout the day. “We normally have to be there from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., but even with these shorter days, they’re still pretty long,” Edmonds said. “Parents set up tents and meals for us during these days.”

“I’ve done a lot of sports in the past, most of which I didn’t like,” Edmonds said. “I like rowing because it’s that same movement over and over again. You don’t need to worry about what you’re doing, really just focus on how you’re doing it.” Rowing, a sport that thrives on teamwork, boasts a one-of-a-kind dynamic that can’t be found anywhere else. Picture a symphony, with each rower serving as an instrument that comes together in perfect harmony. Although not mandatory, camaraderie among the rowers is crucial to the sport. The pinnacle of rowing events, regattas, offer opportunities for shared experiences. Edmonds’ journey with rowing wasn’t only about the sport. It was also about the

bonds made along the way. Comradeship was built over endless practicing and a mutual love for rowing. The path from novice to varsity showcased both development and comradeship, with many starting from their days in middle school. Long stays at school to complete homework, exemplifying diligent time management, were a part of his routine as he balanced rowing, academics and personal life. But as the racing season gained speed, finding moments for leisure with friends became a rarity. Edmonds’ introduction to rowing was a game-changer. Though he favored indoor activities, rowing allowed him to step outside and connect with the external world. Edmonds’ newfound interest in rowing

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facilitated friendships and strengthened personal development. Rowing was more than just a sport to him. Edmonds’ unwavering passion for rowing persists, despite his thoughts of what is to come. Although he is attracted to the idea of rowing in college, his true appreciation for the activity stems from the pure bliss it brings him. While he acknowledges the sport’s competitive nature, he cherishes it most for the joy it provides. “I think theoretically it’d be cool to do in college, but I don’t know if I’m that serious about it,” Edmonds said. “I row because I think it’s fun. To row in college, you have to have a very competitive edge.” The year’s rowing calendar is divided into distinct and different challenges. Fall is abundant with longer, leisurely races

that allow all rowers to indulge in the pleasure of rowing. The examination arises in spring when fiercely competitive, short races determine the strength of a team and every stroke matters. For Edmonds, every stroke is a testament to his determination. As a transgender athlete on the men’s team, he navigates the challenges, aiming to bridge the speed gap and row at par with his peers. “I want to get better,” Edmonds said. “I’m on the men’s team and I’m trans, so I’m slower than most of the other guys, but I want to be able to row with them, it’s important to me. That’s my main drive.” Determined by an unyielding drive to shatter expectations and break down barriers in the water, he simultaneously seeks balance with his team as a pioneer on a

Photography courtesy of Tomiyo Wemert Pioneer and Huron compete in a scrimmage along Bandemer Park on Sept. 16, 2023. This marked the first race of their fall season, and both teams practiced there every day leading up to this race. “It’s a very chill and pretty short race,” Edmonds said.

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quest for equality. He understands that if he were on the women’s team, he would undoubtedly stand out as a significantly strong rower. Nonetheless, his desire to compete with the men remains undaunted, as he eagerly welcomes the challenge. “Everyone’s nice, there’s no problem socially,” Edmonds said. “It’s hard because if I was on the women’s team, I’d be an above average rower. Being on the men’s team means that I’m slower than a lot of them are, which means that in the more competitive races, in the spring, I don’t get as much of a chance to row.” In the echoes of adversity, Edmonds stands resilient. With each race, he seeks improvement, and with each stroke, he inches closer to his goals. While he’s aware of the challenges he faces, he keeps pushing himself to be the best version of himself he can be for his team. This season, the goal is simple yet profound: to progress, to triumph and to keep winning races.

Bridging the Distance Three individuals explore the importance of maintaining their connections in spite of distance — and the challenges that come with it. BY KYRIE GARWOOD AND SERENA O’BRIEN

ELIZA BRAUNSCHNEIDER At the start of this semester Eliza Braunschneider packed up her belongings and made the long trip to The Mountain School. The school is situated on a hilltop farm in Vershire, Vermont, and offers a semester-long experience for high school juniors. Eliza has settled in amongst 49 classmates, substituting traditional electives for farming and hiking. Although Eliza does use technology to communicate with friends and family back home, she doesn’t rely on it. Instead, she does much of her communicating via letter. It feels like a unique way to stay in touch, and it makes her communications with those back home feel more personal and fun. “When I get a letter it feels like a gift,” Braunschneider said. Braunschneider adores the letter writing workshops she attends, which are hosted by a staff member. She gets to pick out stationary, stickers, and envelopes. The opportunity makes writing home a lot more fun. Sheets of stickers she’s saving now cover her desk, just waiting for the letters she’ll use them on. Sometimes she needs a more immediate form of communication, so she supplements her letters with calls from her parents most nights before she goes to bed. The calls allow her to check in and wind down. More than that, hearing her parent’s voices helps her to feel a little more at home. Braunschneider admits that communication with people back home can be hard. Her packed schedule leaves her with limited availability, but she makes sure to text from her computer when she gets a chance. Although it’s important to her to 22

stay in touch with her old friends, she has been prioritizing spending time with new friends. She’s excited for the opportunity to meet people with such different life experiences from her.

ABBI BACHMAN Abbi Bachman and Kaelyn Brooker never would have met without their shared taste in music — in one band in particular. The two were introduced by a mutual friend, who knew that they were both interested in the same musical group. Their common interest spanned the several hundred mile distance between them, connecting Bachman in Michigan to Brooker in Kentucky. Hours of online conversation about the band’s music turned into long winded discussion of other interests, experiences and aspirations. It turned out that they had more similarities than liking the same music. “We ended up having a lot in common,” Bachman said. “It was one of those moments where you’re like, ‘Wow, I’m really comfortable with telling these people things.’” She recognizes that some of the ease she felt in sharing with Kaelyn was due to the distance between them — some things felt easier to reveal to someone completely disconnected from her day to day life. Although Brooker was undeniably a real person, Bachman and her friend (who had confirmed each other’s existence) delighted in teasing her about it. “We would tease Kaelyn and be like, ‘Are you actually real?’” Bachman said. Brooker would joke back that she was actually an old man masquerading as a teenager. “We ART BY BEE WHALEN

would say, ‘Prove it,’ and they’d send a picture of themselves and eventually we were convinced that she was actually real.” This past summer Brooker proved her corporeality once and for all when a trip with her grandparents to Michigan allowed her to spend the day with Bachman and their friend in Ann Arbor. Once she got used to seeing her online friend in the flesh, Bachman found that it wasn’t any different from hanging out with her IRL (in real life) friends. The in-person visit came as somewhat of a shock to Bachman, as the two hadn’t been in consistent contact for several months. Amidst the craziness of their schedules, neither of them were able to prioritize staying in touch. “You can’t see them on a day-today basis,” said Bachman, noting one of the hardest parts of having a friend who lives so far away. It takes conscious effort to interact with her — there are no shared classes or conversations in the hallway to keep them in touch. “If you ever want a break from your phone, or from social media, then you’re also taking a break from that person,” Bachman said. “Even if you don’t mean to, it’s not like you can put your phone down to go hang out with them.” There is also an issue of being able to relate to each other on certain levels — especially shallow ones. They don’t have many people in common, like teachers or friends, which prevents the same kind of conversation that Bachman has with her IRL friends. Regardless of the challenges, Bachman appreciates having Brooker for a friend and is grateful that they’re able to maintain that friendship despite living so far apart.

FEATURE

ZOE NIEMI Kyrie Garwood and Zoe Niemi have been friends forever — or at least since kindergarten. Their relationship was put on hiatus when Niemi’s parents, geology professors at the University of Michigan, took a sabbatical, forcing Niemi to complete second grade in Boulder, CO. When reunited, the two girls bounced back together as if there hadn’t been any time apart at all, but hoped that was the last time they heard anything about a sabbatical. Things were looking good for that goal until last year, when Niemi’s parents broached the subject of their next sabbatical — discussing where they should head next. The news was not warmly received. Niemi did everything in her power to stay in Ann Arbor with her friends, begging to stay with her grandparents, or anyone really, but her efforts were to no avail. She has found herself tagging along on their sabbatical anyway. “I’m so bored here,” Niemi said, holed up in her bedroom in Rennes, France. “There’s nothing to do.” Staying in contact with friends back home has been one of Zoe’s biggest priorities since her one way flight from Detroit touched down in Paris on Aug. 30. The change in time zone has posed a challenge, with Zoe six hours ahead of her friends back home. Kyrie and other friends take care to schedule phone calls immediately after school so they can catch Zoe before she goes to sleep. “They don’t wake up until I’m eating lunch,” Niemi said. “So I have to go like half my day with like zero communication.” Facetime has

become their main form of communication, as seeing the faces of her friends and family help Zoe feel as though she’s back home. “You can like actually see people’s reactions to what’s going on and you can give reactions,” Niemi said. Before her departure, Garwood and Niemi saw each other every day. With Kyrie diving for Pioneer and Zoe swimming, they got to check in, chat, and connect at the pool. Since hearing the news of the long-dreaded sabbatical, Garwood had been brainstorming memorable ways to stay in touch. She eventually landed on writing letters — a practice that the two have history with. THE COMMUNICATOR

Throughout elementary and middle school, Niemi’s family summered in Jackson Hole, WY. Too young to have phones, the girls would write letters back and forth all summer long. As a going away present, Kyrie designed personalized stationery for Zoe to keep the tradition alive. Although Rennes, France might not be where she intended to spend her junior year of high school, Niemi has figured out how to stay connected with friends as they count down the days until she returns from opposite sides of the Atlantic.

FEATURE

The Connection With Culture CHS students explore how they connect with their culture and different parts of their identity through fashion, family and embracing their true selves. BY ISABELLA JACOB AND JANAKI NALLAMOTHU

Photography by Addi Hinesman Kaylee Gadepalli, CHS sophomore, connects to her Indian and Chinese heritage in many ways. In the past, she found it difficult to do so. “I think one culture would be hard enough on its own, but with two it’s always like you’re second guessing yourself,” Gadepalli said.

When Ari Taylor sat in the hallways of CHS and was asked by an older peer if she could ‘touch her hair,’ she was stunned. She had seen people that look like her been discriminated against in the same manner on the internet, but never had it happened to her personally. The microaggressions, though, were not a new phenomenon. Taylor had grown up in Ann Arbor, MI with little to no diversity. She has gotten used to being the only Black person in a classroom, especially at CHS. Growing up surrounded by predominantly white people, there weren’t many opportunities to connect and find what Black culture meant for herself. She recalls being in elementary school trying to fit in with her peers. She straightened her hair for years because no one in her class had type four curly hair like her. She straightened so routinely at one point that she didn’t even realize her natural pattern. “It became so damaged, but I just wanted to fit in so bad because like as a little kid, you just want to be like everyone else,” Taylor said. “You want to look like everyone else, even if it is super detrimental to who you are.” Taylor has also not felt completely a part of her own community because she’s never felt that she fell into stereotypes that surround the Black community, leading her to be labeled as whitewashed. “There was this girl in middle school that asked me, ‘If you’re a Black, how come you don’t listen to rap music?’” Taylor said. “I was like, ‘okay, well, I do listen to rap, which is not the only thing I listen to be-

cause we’re not a monolith.’” Not being part of these constraining and enforced stereotypes has led Taylor to be ostracized by those outside and within her community. In school, her white counterparts have said they were surprised she wasn’t one of “those Black girls” or “ghetto.” Within the Black community, she’s been labeled as whitewashed. “It’s harmful because it reinforces the idea that we’re all exactly the same when we’re not,” Taylor said. “Being Black or being a part of Black culture means you’re free to be anything. You don’t have to fit a specific set of rules, but not everyone agrees.” She has felt like she doesn’t have as many ‘cultural traditions’ because of the fluidity of Black culture. Her family doesn’t know where exactly they are from, just that their lineage traces back to Africa somehow. “I don’t really know where I’m from. I just know that I’m Black American and that I was from Africa, at some point hundreds of years ago,” Taylor said. “I don’t know where in Africa, so I don’t know which traditions to connect with.” This uncertainty has left Taylor feeling lost and jealous of those who can so easily connect with their lineage, something she’ll never be able to truly know. “Black people have no idea where we’re from because of slavery,” Taylor said. “Those records were just erased so I can only trace my family so far back.” Since Taylor doesn’t know exactly where in Africa her family is from, she can’t just pick a culture to take part in. She understands the size and complexity of the continent THE COMMUNICATOR

and the subcultures that exist within each country. “I can’t just celebrate African culture,” Taylor said. “Nigeria is different from Cameroon, and I don’t know where I’m from. So I don’t know which cultural traditions to take part in.” On top of the uncertainty, Taylor has often heard the statement like Americans don’t have culture. She disagrees, especially as it pertains to Black Americans, and knows there’s a culture within the uncertainty of lineage. Nevertheless, with all of the conflicting viewpoints and family’s history, it’s been hard for Taylor to find what culture means to her. Finding a sense of belonging, identity and courage can be difficult, especially at a predominantly white school. She’s found that though CHS, and Ann Arbor, prides itself on its progressive values, microaggressions, discrimination and prejudice persists. Taylor commonly finds being spoken over by her white counterparts. She understands why, but also realizes how detrimental it can be. “They’re trying to be helpful when they speak for people of color, but they don’t understand what it’s like,” Taylor said. One way Taylor has found what culture means to her might not be in a physical space but through social media. She’s learned methods on doing her natural hair and subscribes to messages from influencers that reinforce positive messages like the fact that type four curly hair can be pretty. Social media has shown her that you don’t have to straighten your hair to be pretty, a lesson her elementary school self didn’t know. 25

“You don’t have to be like everyone else to be pretty,” Taylor said. “I found that by watching TikToks by other Black creators I’ve seen the beauty in my natural features and have grown into them.” Taylor has come to understand that it’s not bad to be unique, but beautiful. As Taylor continues to grow up, she strives to learn about and implement Black fashion, music and hairstyles into her life. Two years ago, for the first time, she started to wear braids. She decided to do so, not only to try something new, but to connect more with herself. As Ari Taylor grows, so does her value and appreciation for her culture. Kaylee Gadepalli, a sophomore at CHS, also values her unique sense of identity, but she hasn’t always. Being biracial, she’s felt it can be hard to know how to identify. “I think one culture would be hard enough on its own, but with two it’s always like you’re second guessing yourself,” Gadepalli said. In her childhood she grappled with not feeling ‘Indian enough’ or ‘Chinese enough.’ Without speaking either language, it was hard to connect. Looking back, Gadepalli was more connected to both of her cultures than she thought. She experiences Indian and Chinese culture everyday: like getting her haircut at a Chinese salon, eating Indian food or celebrating cultural holidays. “I used to go to Chinese Sunday school,” Gadepalli said. “There would always be a big celebration on Chinese New Year. We’d go to this big auditorium and all the different classes would have their own event they put on. Every year we had to sing a song in Chinese and wear outfits and dance.” After the COVID-19 pandemic, she and her family haven’t been able to take part in as many cultural celebrations people where they don’t acknowledge her efforts and the journey to how she got where she is. She feels she not only has to represent herself but also other Asian American women. “If I do or say something that people don’t like, then it doesn’t just fall harshly on me. It falls harshly on every Asian, every female, every biracial person,” Gadepalli said. “It kind of feels like your whole race is riding on you.” She’s always been self aware of who she is and what she represents. She used to worry if people would take what she said the wrong way and always second guessed herself in everything she did. Gadepalli realized that she isn’t responsible for how people act and instead tries to do the best from her own standards. Gadepalli finds a sense of happiness from being connected to her culture. “I think it’s special because my family and my culture have always been connected,” Gadepalli said. “We always do things together.” Throughout an awareness of intersectionality, Gadepalli can better acknowledge herself and her values. She strives to be true to herself and not allow anyone to define her. She relies on people with more experience for their advice and wisdom. “It’s always going to be a mix,” Gadepalli said. “It’s not going to be black and white.” 26

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THE COMMUNICATOR

Bee Whalen’s illustration displays brain connectivity tracked by Dr. Monk. These neural networks were derived during an emotion processing task, displaying individual-level connections. The nodes shown are the: amygdala (Am: gray); dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dAC: yellow); dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dm: green); insula (Ins: blue); orbitofrontal cortex (OF: dark red); subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sg: dark blue); and ventral striatum (VS: purple).

ART BY BEE WHALEN

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Wired to Work How environmental and genetic factors impact adolescents’ brain development and connections. BY RUTH SHIKANOV AND MEGHAN PILLOTE

It controls every thought, emotion, breath and every single process that regulates our bodies. It, or the brain, is going through a significant amount of change during teenage years. Imaging studies of the brain and its development display a kind of ‘cleaning up’ from the back of the brain to the forward part of the brain. The forward part of the brain is involved with executive functioning — the process of being able to slow down, make decisions and think through them, not reacting impulsively, staying organized and being able to make complex decisions. Joanna Quigley, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the University of Michigan (UofM), believes that there are significant physical changes that take place during the teenage years, impacting the connections within the brain. “Your brain is literally growing up during your teenage years, so those areas of the brain are connecting more efficiently,” Quigley said. “That’s why some kids might struggle with consequences of behaviors or decision making.” Amidst growing up and the changes that teenage brains undergo, there are a multitude of stressors that impact teenagers, like socioeconomic and environmental factors. “There may be more exposure to bullying or other stressors,” Quigley said. “It’s all a big soup of change that happens at the same time and some of it is physical in your brain and some of it is environmental.” Similarly, Christopher Monk, a professor of the Department of Psychology and Department of Psychiatry at (UofM), specializes in adolescent brain development and how their development differs from adults. Monk says that the symptoms of psychopathology — the study of mental illnesses and disorders — stems from adolescence. “To reduce mental health disorders, it’s important to start looking at adolescents,” Monk said. “As well as trying to understand how to prevent mental disorders in the first place.” On one hand, Monk shares that anxiety can emerge in childhood, but becomes prevalent during adolescence. On the other, depression is not as present in children — depression starts to surface in adolescence or young adulthood. Part of this is due to the fact that brain connections are made quite early during the brain’s development, even prenatally. Humans are born with thousands of synaptic connections, where neurons connect to communicate with one another. Monk notes that babies create more connections, compared to adults, before they get ‘pruned away’ as too many connections prove to be overwhelming.

“You’re born with all these connections, but they’re really weak connections,” Monk said. “It’s really up to the environment to sculpt them, and figure out what connections are going to get stronger and what connections are going to get weaker. You don’t want all those connections, that actually would not be a good thing, in terms of processing information.” The most important connections are the connections that you’re going to maintain for the rest of your life, Monk says. During infancy, that is the time when the brain can learn multiple different languages. This is because the brain is much more moldable, being able to differentiate sounds, whereas the adult brain is much more fixed. “Your brain is a sponge and can just acquire all this knowledge,” Monk said. “Adults lose that ability to absorb our culture and the environment.” Another significant factor in determining how the brain creates connections is dictated by genetics and “what’s going to be wired and what will be forgotten,” but it is arduous to identify what genetic markers impact connections, as there are a myriad of genes that increase susceptibility for having a condition. “When we’re looking at most mental health conditions, particularly something like anxiety and depression, it is very complicated in terms of what genes may relate to it,” Monk said. “But the idea is that certainly, genes and the environment are interacting with one another to increase the risk for depression.” That being said, each brain is different and Monk discloses that some individuals who have experienced hardships may be fine, but others who have experienced something similar may have a mental health condition. “There are just individual differences of brain connections and it’s just because of that person’s response, both genetically and environmentally, that their brain is the way it is,” Monk said. “It has adapted to their environment as best it can be.” Monk’s research focused on trying to understand from a physiological perspective why some brains may be more susceptible to depression or anxiety, wondering what factors impact the adolescents’ brains and their development and connections. Monk’s research focuses specifically on children growing up in low income backgrounds. To understand how stressors impacted their brain connections, brain imaging and assessment of their mental health was conducted, beginning when they were 15 years old and continuing to now, when they are in their early to mid twenties. “Sadly, many of these now young adults were exTHE COMMUNICATOR

posed to violence, experienced marital hardships and neglect,” Monk said. “But at the same time, there’s a lot of great things going on with these families as well.” The challenges that Dr. Monk documented, such as violence exposure, were examined and were shown to alter brain activation, connections and myelination in the brain, all at 15 years old. But Monk feels that these complex experiences altered the network connectivity across the brain, not impaired. “We’re not talking like neurological impairments; we see alterations in the brain due to these challenging situations and our interpretation of this is how the brain is changing in response to those situations,” Monk said. “It’s not like it’s good or bad, it’s just adapting to these environments.” Childhood experiences and the impacts of those environments will influence the connections of the brain and how people live their lives. In addition to childhood experiences, age impacts the efficiency of connections because of the presence of myelin, a fatty sheath that covers axons, a part of the nerve cell which carries electrical impulses. These axons fire ‘action potentials,’ allowing the brain to communicate with different areas of the brain. Although crucial for fast connections between different areas of the brain, humans are born with relatively little myelin; throughout the first 20-25 years of life, humans develop more and more myeloma. Monk shares that this was surprising to find, as this indicates adolescents have less myelin than adults. But this is a double edged sword. For adolescents, myelin allows for more rapid communication between different areas of the brain. For young adults, they may have faster communication than an adolescent, but at the same time, they have more myelin covering, meaning there’s less plasticity, less flexibility in the brain, and less ability to learn new information. “They process existing information really well, but have less ability to make new connections,” Monk said This development is not only restricted to mental cognition; athletic areas grow just as fast during adolescence, as teenagers learn new skills and improve their athletic capabilities. “You have this nice balance from a neurological perspective in terms of being open to learning information, being coachable and being able to adapt, but also being incredibly fast,” Monk said. Adolescence is the prime time for new experiences and learning, and some of those new areas of exploration include substance use. There’s new research coming to the surface about the impact of substance use in teenagers and its impact on brain connections; in Michigan, as well as other places throughout the United States, cannabis has been legalized and is more prevalent. The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, partly conducted at the University of Michigan in addition with a handful of other institutions across the country, are conducting brain imaging on thousands of kids, starting at age 10 and following them into adulthood. “We will be focusing on the relationships among childhood experiences, brain maturation and mental health 30

ART BY BEE WHALEN

and how these influence one another over time,” said Dr. Mary Heitzeg, a leader of the study on their website. The primary focuses are identifying factors that impact one’s environment: family, friends, their neighborhood etc. These aspects help shape lives and their connections within the brain, resulting in harmful or beneficial outcomes. With the focus of modern adolescents’ brains and their connection, Monk observes that Gen Z is much more open and accepting of individual differences in regards to mental health. This is exceptionally different compared to previous generations, when the norm was to

QUICK FACTS 1

The prefrontal cortex matures gradually, extending over the course of adolescence into early adulthood. (Association for Psychological Science)

One piece of brain tissue the size of a grain of sand contains 100,000 neurons and one billion synapses. (Northwestern Medicine)

The brain keeps working even when you’re asleep, using about 20% of your body’s energy. (Northwestern Medicine)

Connections between the emotional part of the brain and the decision-making center are still developing. (Stanford Medicine)

Your brain can generate enough electricity to power a lightbulb. (Northwestern Medicine)

Your brain can process information up to 120 meters per second, allowing you to react quickly to the world around you. (Northwestern Medicine)

conceal and deny hardships one experiences, Monk says. Today, in addition to unique environmental factors that impact individuals, there are other factors — such as technology and economic stressors — which contribute to the “mental health crisis.” Specifically, the influx of iPhones and the relevance that social media holds in society today is a major aspect in many teenagers’ lives today. “But it is a real potential risk,” Monk said. “Things like cyber bullying, fear of missing out on something and just constantly being on your phone, always trying to have to curate whatever on social media, it’s a constant stress.”

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Monk believes that there are potential ties with mental disorders and social media focused interaction: “You can stay in on Friday night because you can just talk to your friends through social media, rather than going out and then maybe something is lost and that could somewhat result in depression and anxiety,” Monk said. Beyond the surge of technology, economic stress is another crucial factor worth noting; Monk shares that there seems to be an assumption that a growing number of individuals, particularly among the millennial and Generation Z demographics, will not be as economically successful as their parents, casting a cloud of anxiety. “An assumption until recently in the United States is that offspring, in general, would do better economically,” Monk said. “Now, things are less and less secure. I think that increases anxiety and fear a lot.” Undoubtedly, COVID-19 led to an increase in anxiety and depression, as well as eating disorders, Monk shares. This is consistent with a study conducted by three doctors at UCLA — Denise Chavira, Carolyn Ponting and Giovanni Ramos — who found that 17% of youth had a probable mental health disorder in July 2020 compared to 11% in 2017. Monk believes that being home for that extended period of time is one of the primary reasons why anxiety and depression rates increased. “Being at home all the time can be a real stressor for everyone and people get on each other’s nerves and worse,” Monk said. “That was certainly the early signs that it contributed to worsening mental health in young people.” Needless to say, stressors can significantly impact teenage brain connections; Quigley, who works with kids with a variety of different mental health care needs, believes there’s a possibility to work preventively. To Quigley, getting treatment during adolescence for a mental condition leads to healthier brain development. Moreover, it can reduce the risk of a mental illness being severe in adulthood and better equip those with a disorder with the skills to manage it. “If you get cared for now, you’ll have better outcomes as a grown up,” Quigley said. “All this change going on in your brain can have a really big impact over time.” The brain makes connections on the level of the cells in the brain: neuron and glial cells. There are also different types of neurotransmitters that are released and used by the cells, and it is through those connections between the cells, which are part of bigger pathways in the brain, that connections are made between different parts of the brain. An example of this is serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is responsible for happiness. “Serotonin is a molecule that has actions on different types of cells,” Quiqley said. “When the cells interact with serotonin, it can then trigger other processes in that cell or other pathways to get activated.” Quigley feels that these areas are most likely less developed during the teenage years in part of being able to embrace independence and have risk-taking tolerance, which may look like leaving the home you grew up in. “Those risks go way, way back, like to go out and hunt on your own, gather on your own, do those things on

your own, feeling comfortable trying new things,” Quigley said. “There was a role for it, but we live in a world where we’re dealing with really complex levels of decisions.” One of the challenges of studying the brain lies in the fact that “we can’t break your head open and look at it.” As a result, brain researchers rely on MRIs and complex psychological tests to get a glimpse under the hood and hopefully better understand one’s emotions, behavior and personality. Currently, people who have higher use of technology and social media are being studied, wondering how they are doing in terms of their emotional health and in their ability to make decisions. “We’ve been able to look at that by how long you spend on certain platforms, and it looks like kids who spend more than a certain amount of time might struggle more,” Quigley said. There are similarities across teenagers and their brain connections, especially when teenagers are going through a period of self improvement as well as questioning their

identity — they tend to deal with pretty strong emotions that can feel like all-or-nothing. “All these things are going on at one time and that’s pretty universal for all teenagers,” Quigley said. “How likely someone is to be impulsive or how likely someone is to worry more or be vulnerable for depression, all those things are different on a person to person basis.” During these times, the different parts of the brain are still communicating with each other, it’s just not as efficient. “The parts of your brain that deal with emotion, and even risk taking, are working pretty well and then the connections to that part of your brain then helps you slow down and put the brakes on decisions,” Quigley said. “Those connections are still developing, they’re just not talking as well to each other, so you don’t slow down.” Stress and trauma can have a big impact on the brain and its connections, a sentiment shared by Monk and Quigley, but substance use is another determining factor. “That’s why, as doctors, we get worried about alcohol use and cannabis use and any substance use during this time of your brain growth,” Quigley said. “There are changes or probably impacts of dealing with serious depression or really, really bad anxiety, which is why it’s so important to be getting treatment for those.” THE COMMUNICATOR

Advanced Calculus Comes to CHS A new class has arrived at CHS. Advanced Calculus provides students with the opportunity to challenge themselves with a full year of college-level math. BY CLAIRE STEIGELMAN

When Shanon Kawata moved back to the U.S. from Japan halfway through fifth grade, English and Social Studies were not her strongest subjects. Math, on the other hand, she found easier to understand. “Math was an easy class for me to follow along with everyone else rather than feeling isolated,” Kawata said. Her math classes in Japan were more advanced than those in the U.S., and what she was learning in fifth grade had already been taught to her in third grade. It wasn’t until just before freshman year of high school that she realized she could jump ahead. Beginning freshman year, she took Geometry AC at Pioneer High School and Algebra II at CHS. “The Geometry class I took at Pioneer was an AC class, so it was a rather fast pace, but here at Community, because I was taking Algebra II, I was surrounded by more upperclassmen, whereas at Pioneer, it was my age group,” Kawata said. “The 32

age group made a huge difference in the atmosphere, but because I spent most of my time here at Community, I felt like I fit in more.” Beginning the second semester, Kawata continued taking Geometry AC and Algebra II, but took the first semester of Precalculus online. She later completed the second semester of Precalculus over the summer, allowing her to take Advanced Calculus this year. Advanced Calculus is equivalent to college-level Calculus I and Calculus II, each of which are typically a semester long at the college level. Prior to this year, CHS had only offered a calculus course equivalent to Calculus I. This course closely resembled AP Calculus AB, so many students who took the class opted to take the AP exam for the course in May. Still, there were others who wanted to take the AP Calculus BC exam, which corresponded with a course that covered content from Calculus I and II. Maneesha Mankad, the

Photography by Isabella Jacob Shanon Kawata (left) and Oliver Jacobson (right) work on a math problem. They both elected to take Advanced Calculus this year. “I really only had two options: Calc AB or Calc BC,” Jacobson said. “I’m a sophomore right now, so I have a bunch of free time on my hands, and I figured I could take one pretty hard class, so why not?”

CHS calculus teacher, and her predecessor, Anne Thomas, helped kids who decided to take BC to succeed on the exam. “I would help those kids by providing all the resources and guiding them, giving them old tests and practice problems and videos and resources for prepping for the BC exam,” Mankad said. Last year was different, however. Approximately 10 students opted to take the BC exam. Mankad set up an independent study that met two blocks a week during the second semester where those who were interested in preparing for the exam were mentored by CHS students who had taken Calculus II at either the University of Michigan or Washtenaw Community College. “The students learned a second semester’s worth of college calculus in the second semester at CHS and they took the exam,” Mankad said. “Then kids started saying, ‘Hey, Maneesha, why don’t we have this as a class’ because it’s hard trying to do

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a whole semester’s worth of course work, in two, three or two and a half months.” This was on top of the coursework from the second semester of the Calculus I-equivalent course. Mankad and Marci Tuzinsky, Dean of CHS, thought that there was potential for the Advanced Calculus course to be offered in the future, but it soon became clear that the class should be offered the next year. The results of the student course interest survey sent out towards the middle of the second semester each year saw that around 20 students were interested in taking the course. That is how Advanced Calculus came to be at CHS. To prepare for the course, Mankad attended a summer workshop hosted by College Board. “I had to really figure out the pacing,” Mankad said. “That’s what was kind of getting me, like how are we going to fit all of this? I talked to colleagues and collaborated with other teachers who teach BC to discuss the pacing of the class.” Although the Advanced Calculus class follows the AP Calculus BC curriculum closely, there are differences between how the course is taught at CHS versus other schools. Although CHS doesn’t offer official AP courses, Mankad believes that the equivalent calculus courses are just as rigorous and prepares students sufficiently for the AP exams in May. However, Mankad doesn’t just target the AP exam. “I’m targeting what are you going to need in college,” Mankad said. “I’m targeting how can you be college ready. That’s my goal, so when my kids who are taking Calc II at WCC come in and say ‘Oh my gosh, I knew the lesson already. Nobody else in my class knew the lesson but I already knew,’ that’s the feeling I want my kids to have when they go to college, like we got this.” Another aspect that sets CHS calculus apart from the other schools is how class time is used. “I think having a 55 minute class for calculus versus having a block long class is a huge difference,” Mankad said. “It’s the same amount of time in a week, but I feel like when you come to a block schedule,

yes, you see the snapshot of the topic, but you get all this time to then just sit and mess around and work through problems with your peers. These longer class times also allow students to get a start on and ask questions about homework, the lesson and prepare for the test. “So I hope we are able to foster a collaborative environment so that kids feel comfortable,” Mankad said. “It’s a challenging subject to learn, and why not leverage all the expertise in the classroom because we have the time to do that.” That is not where the support ends, however. “At CHS, we don’t track,” Mankad said. “We don’t restrict anyone from taking calculus and if someone is really struggling I find ways to alleviate that struggle and to help that person figure it out rather than saying ‘maybe this is not for you.’ I will never say to anyone, this is not for you because I don’t believe that. I believe that everyone can do it if they wanted to. I truly believe that and that is what you will see in my classes. I will make it happen.” Kawata has been enjoying the class so far. “I feel like it’s a very interesting class,” Kawata said. “A lot of the time when we get confused we share out different theories or ideas to try to support our claims. It’s always interesting to look at or listen to other people’s thinking and try to make sense of it yourself. I feel like it’s a real explorative class. It’s really cool. And Maneesha is a really nice math teacher.” The collaborative environment helps students keep up with each other and the content, which moves quicker than they may be used to. “I think kids take calculus because they want to learn something challenging, even if that’s not something they’re going to use later. And I think the reason they feel comfortable is that there is lots of peer support.” As the school year kicks into gear, the Advanced Calculus class will begin to progress at a faster pace, the goal being to finish six units by the end of the semester, giving students a taste of a college-level course with the usual support that CHS provides. THE COMMUNICATOR

“Something that made me decide to take Advanced Calc is because I always had this knack for math and just things that make sense,” Ben Shalinsky said. “And so I was already having the idea that I’d probably end up splitting enrolling with Pioneer or Huron to try and take this Advanced Calc, but when it was offered at Community, I took it.”

“I’m interested in going into STEM, so this is just like the next logical step in that journey,” Sam Austin said. “I really love the class. Everyone in that class chose to be there and everyone in that class is really engaged and interested in their own learning, and so it makes for a really great environment.”

Social Media’s Complex Web CHS students navigate social media, which can aid in developing connections, but it can also lead to disconnect. BY EDDIE MOBILIO BRECK, PIPER COOKE AND IVY MILLER

Social media can give people a chance to communicate in all kinds of ways, but what happens beyond the screen? Emma Goblirsch’s TikTok feed is full of videos about dance and horses. But sometimes, there are random posts that have nothing to do with her interests. “Everything’s so fast on social media,” Goblirsch said. Goblirsch is a student who spends time on TikTok, Instagram and Youtube. Goblirsch thinks staying safe on the internet is a must. “I would say to not post any personal information on social media,” Goblirsch said. “I would be careful with what platforms you trust, and I’d be careful with what people you trust.” While trust is a big thing, being able to control who and what you see on social media — if you choose to use it at all — can be a very important issue too. Freshman Walker Ledbetter has never used social media and plans to stay away from it for as long as he can. “I did not have a phone until I got into high school so I’ve had a phone for maybe three or four weeks at maximum,” Ledbetter said. “Secondly, my parents don’t allow me social media at all, and then thirdly, personally, 34

I feel that either calling somebody or texting somebody is enough.” Ledbetter thinks that social media should be mostly used as communication like it was before. In today’s world, some parts have shifted to picture-posting and false information central. Fake news is often spread in order to get people to learn things quickly so that they don’t have to wait for a newspaper or other publication with a slower turnaround. We’re now at a point though where social media spreads so fast that the popularization of potentially untrue ideas can’t really be stopped. For example, there could be false information circulating that could be anything from a simple rumor to a conspiracy theory that can influence an entire nation’s politics. As soon as that message is sent or that post is publicized, boom: a whole lot of people now believe something — whether it’s a fact or not. Those who don’t do their research tend to only believe what they see, which can be extremely detrimental and even very dangerous. Ledbetter began to sense these dangers when his sister was confronting some difficulties with social media use. Ledbetter’s sister began to use social media for only

Photo Illustration A CHS student holds up a phone that is swamped with notifications, which are constant interruptions througout the day.

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about an hour a day initially before doing something else. Over time, that hour began to increase gradually each week. As this progressed, Ledbetter noticed that she hadn’t been talking to him as much or communicating with others face-to-face in general like she used to. He felt a sense of disconnect and surmised that she had become somewhat addicted to her screen. Ledbetter hopes to not get pulled into the “fake” world of social media, because as he now personally knows, social media can change people significantly. For others though, social media can be beneficial in plenty of ways and can even help students to maintain friendships. For sophomore and German exchange student Emily Walker, social media is an excellent means of communication for her and her friends who are 4,188 miles apart. Checking their stories and sharing posts with each other helps the group to stay connected. “But I think social media also has a really negative side,” Walker said. “Influencers sometimes post very edited photos… I am not a big fan of it because it’s just not realistic.” Unfortunately, Walker had to watch as misinformative content affected her friends’ lives and permanently changed them. Though Instagram has been a great resource for exploring her many hobbies, such as photography, the negative effects are still prominent and watching the people around her struggle with body image has been extremely difficult. Walker and many others know that the effects of social media are real. This is why she thinks keeping harmful things at arm’s length is so important. Despite these challenges, Walker’s personal connections remain strong thanks to social media, and she tries to stay away from the damaging aspects. She supports and empathizes with those facing body image issues and encourages them to seek help. Walker’s experience with social media in Germany has a few interesting contrasts to her new American lifestyle. In her German social circle, having a relatively low following count with minimal posting was typical. However, she has more recently found that Americans are more active on social media, with higher followings and frequent postings. Overall, Walker has found the most significant cultural difference to be the following counts. “I have friends who were like, ‘Emily, how do you have 300 followers?’” Walker said. “If someone has 1000 followers, then good for them. I do not really care how many people follow me.” She understands how popularity could be very easily tied to this number, but it is not a concern of hers. Since the creation of social media, it has been a resource to communicate and interact with others. Students’ stories uphold the fact that Instagram and a variety

“

I realized social media is really bad for my mental health,” Gold said. “Because looking at all these prettier people who have their life together makes me feel like crap.”

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of other platforms can keep connections in a multitude of ways. While it is a tool with many strengths, virtual connection also has a dark side and it is important to support those around us when feasible and remember to use responsibly as social media has the ability to change someone forever. Like Walker, Autumn Klus-Salisbury has also been able to maintain connections using social media. Klus-Salisbury first got social media when she was 11 years old. Klus-Salisbury has found social media to be an accessible tool to bridging distant relationships. “I think social media helped me get back in touch with people during and after we were done with online school,” Klus-Salisbury said. She feels that social media was damaging to her during the pandemic because it replaced in-person connections. Shannon Kawata is yet another student who doesn’t have social media but worries it could hurt her. Kawata doesn’t want social media to make her feel insecure, which is something she knows many teenagers face. “I don’t find social media necessary for me, so I don’t really use it,” Kawata said. She sees the positive and negative ways that social media can influence people, and she is not interested. One thing Kawata thinks social media would be good for is connecting with friends. “I feel like there are ups and downs, but I feel like overall, I can live without social media,” Kawata said. Another student who is recently learning to live without social media is Jean Gold. Gold has spent her time on social media comparing herself to others for the last three years. During freshman year, Gold often found herself prioritizing how other people felt about her over her own happiness. This frequent comparison quickly started to become a problem to the point where the people around Gold were noticed the change, even her parents. Thanks to the concern of friends and loved ones, Gold was able to recognize the issue and address it. Since her personal elimination of social media, Gold has been able to heal her relationship with herself in addition to forming and deepening connections beyond social media. “In retrospect, I let myself be who I am,” Gold said. “I feel better about myself. I am better now.” However, this sacrifice did not come without its challenges. Naturally, Gold sometimes feels the need to go back to old habits and use social media in a harmful way. But, her friends have been able to help her through these new adjustments, always asking permission to post photos, and generally respecting Gold’s boundaries. In such a social media-saturated environment, it can take time to navigate our connections, but Gold’s experiences prove that balance is possible. 35

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[Oxford Languages] THE COMMUNICATOR

CONNECTION

POPPY

EMILY & BY SERENA O’BRIEN

Poppy Magee and Emily Yesowitz have only been friends for a few years, but it feels like a lifetime. Off-the-record, Poppy would trade Emily for 100 million dollars. On-the-record, Emily could lose Poppy for 20 million. POPPY ON EMILY

oppy knew within the first week of meeting Emily in person that they were going to be close. After a mid-pandemic Snapchat message from Emily suggesting that they “be friends,” the two hadn’t spoken at all. She thought that might be the end of it, but from their first face-to-face interaction, it was clear that wasn’t the case.. “She just felt like a person I was meant to be friends with,” Poppy said. As they spent more time together, Poppy realized just how much they have in common. The two have found countless shared interests, from writing poetry to fashion to collecting sea shells. Poppy relishes how poetry allows her to appreciate just how intimately she knows Emily, secretly delighting in being able to understand all of her hidden references. “It makes you feel like an insider,” Poppy said. “Everyone else thinks that it’s some grand metaphor, but I know exactly what she’s talking about.” She likes to be on the inside, but she also wants everyone to get to know the Emily that she does. On a cruise with Emily’s family, she got the opportunity, pushing Emily out of her comfort zone and into doing karaoke for the whole ship. At breakfast the next day, her grandmother

thanked her for helping bring Emily out of her shell. She felt lucky to be able to lend Emily the confidence that she gives her every day. “Her and I are very suited to each other,” Poppy said. “Just in terms of our dispositions and senses of humor and everything.” She never has to worry if the feeling is mutual. Emily is not shy about showing her affection — showering her with it. “Every time I’ve ever been sick during our friendship she comes and drops a gift off at my house,” Poppy said. “Just last week she said, ‘I’ll bring you any treat you want,’ so I got her to bring me ice cream.” There is no shortage of “I love you, dude’s” between them either. Why hide how much you care? “We’ve become very sentimental and sappy,” Poppy said. The sentimentality occasionally gives way to mild negativity — the two love to complain together. “Complaining is one of our favorite sports, per se,” Poppy said. She can always count on having Emily in her corner. “I love the way she’s able to be such a hater,” Magee said. “But she’s also such a lover, and probably the most empathetic person I’ve ever met. She cares so much about everything, but then she’s also able to

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ISABELLA JACOB AND SERENA O’BRIEN

make fun of things.” Sometimes Poppy is in awe of her empathy: she can’t imagine getting sad on behalf of her stuffed animals. The two went on a cruise together, where Emily’s sentimentality got the better of her. “We weren’t allowed to take out shells on the boat and she cried because she loved her shells and I felt really bad about that,” Poppy said. Poppy loves that her friend is a caring and introspective person. Emily notices things that other people don’t. Poppy admires how far she’ll go out of her way to make everybody feel included, accepted and cherished. Even when they fight, it feels different — comforting somehow. Poppy has a unique faith in their friendship’s capacity to weather even the most tumultuous of storms. “With other friends, if I accidentally say something mean I’m like, ‘Are they not gonna like me anymore? What’s going to happen? This is stressful,’” Poppy said. “With Emily, I feel like I can always trust that Emily and I are good. We’ll be fine. We’ll move on.” To those wondering why they should want to be Emily’s friend, Poppy replies, “Well you shouldn’t, because she’s mine.”

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EMILY ON POPPY

mily had just moved to Ann Arbor from New Jersey when the pandemic forced school onto Zoom. She’d spent the entire year with her parents, feeling isolated without any friends in her new town. When she saw Poppy’s profile photo, and heard that she was in fact as cool as she looked from a mutual friend, she tamped down her anxiety and decided to make an effort. “I was in my ‘it’s worth a shot’ era,” Emily said. “I was like, ‘What’s the harm?’” Her moment of bravery paid off — Poppy has become one of her dearest friends. “I love having someone that I can connect with on a level that I can’t connect with other people on,” Emily said. “I think we’re two different versions of the same person.” Sometimes they are even too similar. Both of them have a tendency to bypass talking about things that hurt them — often leading to one not knowing the other is upset. “I know that I can be very blunt and sometimes say something and not mean it,” Emily said. “I don’t think Poppy always says something when I say something that was not so nice.” Emily wishes she could always know when Poppy is upset, so that she can make it better. She never intends to hurt people with what

she says. “I consider myself to be a nice person, not because I always say nice things, but because I mean nice things and I truly do wish the best on everyone,” Emily said. When they do fight (which is rare), Emily is posed with another issue. Poppy is her go-to source of moral support — or at least commiseration. “Poppy is normally the person I complain with, so it is really tough for me when I’m annoyed with Poppy,” Emily said. She usually resorts to talking it over with her mom. The step back allows her to cool down before saying something she doesn’t want to in the heat of the moment. Even those things about Poppy that annoy her are just another part of the friend she loves so much. In fact, the only thing she’d change about Poppy is her palate — in one very specific way. Emily loves cooking for her friends, but there’s a major obstacle. The only thing she knows how to make is pasta, but Poppy can’t stand eating it. Fortunately, there are other ways for her to show how much she cares. Emily relishes hours spent finding, or making, the perfect gifts for her friends, and she loves that Poppy reciprocates that time and effort.

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She’s excited for a not-so-secret gift she’s been working on for Poppy — a charm bracelet that she’s been dying to finally put together. It’s the least she can do for the person who has done so much for her. Poppy is extroverted where she is introverted, helping her come out of her comfort zone and take leaps she never would have taken without her — take the karaoke on the cruise they went on together for example. But Emily never feels like she needs to change anything about herself for Poppy. She never pressures her into doing anything that she doesn’t want to do. “She makes you feel welcome and comfortable and happy with yourself,” Emily said. “She just makes me feel good about myself.” Emily can always count on Poppy to be her most stalwart supporter. In big groups, where she would sometimes feel uncomfortable, or out of place, she knows that Poppy is looking out for her. “She’s just like a haven in a big group of people,” Emily said. “Someone that can remind you that you’ve got someone.” Though they sometimes argue over Emily’s love for New Jersey (opposed to Poppy’s love for Michigan), Poppy has helped make Ann Arbor feel like home.

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MARCI

& DANELLE BY SANA SCHADEN

Danelle Mosher and Marci Harris are longtime friends, whose lives have overlapped in a myriad of ways through work, family and the French language. MARCI ON DANELLE

arci and Danelle’s lives overlapped in many different places before they ever began teaching together — one of those ways being their husbands, Bill and Nick, and their children. The two families would often run into each other at sporting events and neighborhood gatherings. “Nick, Danelle, Bill and I would always gravitate to each other because we were all teachers, and not everyone was a teacher,” Marci said. “And so it was kind of fun to compare notes about what was going on in Ann Arbor and how things were going at all different levels.” In 2018, Marci made a change and stopped teaching at Slauson Middle School. She accepted a full-time position as the district World Language Curriculum Coordinator. However, Marci soon realized she missed the classroom. Luckily for her, Danelle was looking for another French teacher due to an increased number of students hoping for a higher level French at CHS. “I’ll forever be grateful for Danelle for thinking of me and being like ‘Would you want to do this French IV class,’” Marci said. “Danelle is one of those people. Because she’s been here so long, she was my go to person to ask everything.” Amazingly, Marci describes their relationship in a very similar way to Danelle, even making the same com-

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIEL GING

parison to Yin and Yang. “She’s got such a calming way to her,” Marci said. “She and I work really well together because I’m so ‘whoooo’ and she’s so laid back. It’s a really good Yin and Yang sort of thing. I think we compliment each other very well.” Both Marci and Danelle have countless stories showcasing their beautifully balanced personalities. Marci points to an example on the last night of the school trip to France. The hotel staff had thought that the group would return in the evening instead of the afternoon, so the rooms were not ready. “My first reaction is like ‘What? Are you kidding me?’” Marci said. “I just want to get in there and fight, which is not how you solve any problems. And Danelle was like, ‘What can you do to help us?’ She was just so calming and I appreciated that in those moments.” At the same time, Marci was able to take charge when needed, which Danelle appreciated. Even after returning home from France, Marci and her husband Bill could not get enough of their pals Danelle and her husband Nick. “I will tell you we got back from that trip and we had so many inside jokes,” Marci said. We kept sending each other funny pictures, and then we had them over right away because we missed them.”

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DANELLE ON MARCI

anelle Mosher and Marci Harris go way back. Over the years, their lives have intertwined through work, kids, spouses and so much more. The two began as neighbors, however it wasn’t until they both joined a French discussion group, that they got to know each other better. Because Marci and Danelle were both French teachers, they found it useful to have a space to connect with native speakers and ask questions about the language. Once Marci began teaching at CHS, Danelle and Marci realized they complimented each other perfectly. “I think we’re the best team,” Danelle said. “We are Yin-Yang, you know. We are just the two opposites, but we have a ton of overlap. We balance each other really well.” This year, Danelle and Marci had a chance to put their teamwork in action, as they embarked on a school trip to France with 21 of their students. Because there were so many details they had to hammer out, Danelle and Marci used their opposite personalities to their advantage. Oftentimes Marci would come up with many activities for the group, and Danelle would help organize and narrow down the list. “I think sometimes she gets all these great ideas and I can say ‘that would be fun but maybe let’s pick two’,” Danelle said. “But she’s also really good with throwing three or four ideas out there and knowing that they’re not all going to stick. So we would talk through things and be able to find the best option and what made sense.” A few days later, it was time to send the students off on their homestays with French families in Montpelier. This was the perfect chance for Danelle, Marci and their husbands to spend some quality time together. And after a long and somewhat confusing trek to their hotel, Danelle and Marci set out to look for a place to eat as it was getting late. “Whichever way we picked was the wrong way,” Danelle said. “There was nothing. And we ended up in this little tobacco shop. We got different potato chips and bottles of

Orangina or something like that. We asked people where there was food and everyone was like ‘no everything is closed’. And we thought, all right I guess this is dinner.” The next day, Marci and Danelle discovered that about two or three blocks in the opposite direction was a very upbeat and happening area. They found plenty of ways to fill the days, including renting a car to visit nearby cities and meeting up for dinner each night.

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CONNECTION

SAM & CHARLOTTE BY ISABELLA JACOB

Sam Austin and Charlotte Rotenberg have been best friends since freshman year, but it feels like forever. CHARLOTTE ON SAM

s a shy freshman, Charlotte Rotenberg, walked into a Room 109 for American Sign Language (ASL). It was freezing. She ended up taking a seat next to Sam Austin — wrapped in a winter coat with his hood up and mask on. All you could see was his eyes and the tufts of his hair peeking out from under his massive jacket. Charlotte laughed at the amusing site of this stranger, who immediately proved himself to be full of humor and wit. It was then that Charlotte knew Sam would become her best friend. “We were at the same table and I just remember him being a really big goofball,” Charlotte said. “He was just always focused on trying to make someone laugh.” Since meeting their freshman year, the two have been inseparable. The two hang out so frequently that they’re almost always found together. When people ask, “Where’s Charlotte,” the answer is “with Sam,” and vice versa. A lot of her favorite memories with him are intertwined with the language they’re learning together: ASL. During their very first ASL final, the project was to sign a story about a deaf tree. The pair had gone outside to record and capture the absurd essence of the story they were assigned to recreate. “I just remember we had to repeat it so many times and it was like the exact same story probably 100 times,” Charlotte said. When they went outside the cool spring morning made them chilly, 42

but as they returned to the building they were warm with memories and coated in sweat from the effort they had put into the project. A testament to how their friendship brings energy into everything they do. Even more than the laughs, what Charlotte values most about their friendship is their continuous empathy towards each other. “I feel like we can be there for each other. Even when times are tough,” Charlotte said. “Even though there are a lot of things that one person has experienced that the other can’t relate to.”

Their relationship reminds her of a specific movie she loves dearly: “When Harry Met Sally.” “There’s this scene from ‘When Harry Met Sally,’ about how guys cannot be friends with a girl,” Charlotte said. “Don’t get me wrong. I love that movie. But that line is not true. I think our friendship has shown that.” The pair continue to take ASL together and are growing as language learners and people. They are currently enrolled in ASL 3, still in Room 109, which thankfully has substantially better temperature control and now a lot of memories.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIEL GING

FEATURE

SAM ON CHARLOTTE

hen Sam Austin stood in front of a vending machine as Charlotte Rotenberg fished her money back out without an ounce of fear, he knew he had found a best friend. “She just seemed so exciting and fun to be around and I would never have the guts to do that,” Sam said. After meeting by chance in ASL, the pair became even closer through Mock Trial. Sam has felt that Mock Trial fosters the development of close bonds with teammates and he felt there was where they started to become very close. “We were both freshmen and we were both playing witnesses for the first time,” Sam said. “It was really hectic but it was good to have someone else who was going through the same experience as me, who could relate to me. I think that kind of drew us together.” The two continue to compete in Mock Trial and have been glued together ever since. They joined the Ecology Club together and even participated in the annual up north trip this past winter, where they played cards, hiked outside and laughed nonstop. Another extracurricular activity they joined is Forum Council. As they have continued to participate in

activities together they have even decided to attempt to run for leadership positions as a pair. “Charlotte and I have become so close that we’ve actually decided to run for Forum Council co-presidents next year,” Sam said. The two are excited to take on yet another challenge the only way they know how: together. Charlotte is the person Sam spends the most time with inside and outside of school. “I just know that Charlotte is that person that I can rely on when I need someone to do something for me, or when I’m having a tough time, or when I just want to talk to somebody that’s who I can go to,” Sam said. Being friends with Charlotte has taught Sam how to be a better communicator and has taught him that it’s the basis of any strong relationship. “Communication is really important, even when one of us is upset,” Sam said. “We’re always open to talk about it and try to understand each other’s points of views. I think communication is the key to a friendship.” Through the ups and downs Sam knows that the two will stay friends for a long time because he enjoys her presence more than anyone else’s.

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CONNECTION

LEO

ELIAS & BY RUTH SHIKANOV AND SANA SCHADEN

Dubbed as his ‘evil twin’, Leo Wywrot and Elias Kirsch’s friendship quickly blossomed, creating a long-lasting, authentic bond between the two. LEO ON ELIAS

lias Kirsch was just a random freshman to Leo Wywrot. When Leo was a sophomore, school moved from its temporary virtual state to being in-person. Being in the same forum, their first interaction took place on Forum Day. While their first interactions may have been awkward, they started to warm up one another. Together, they walked to Jerusalem Garden, talking about their shared interests, from music artists to quips they both found funny. “We always kind of have something to talk about,” Wywrot said. “I feel comfortable around him, and I think that just leads to a good friendship.” Although Leo didn’t learn his name on that first day, Elias became one of Leo’s first friends at Community. He describes their friendship in one word: closeness. In just a matter of months, Leo and Elias became extremely close, sharing a bond that Leo feels he “can’t really describe.” “We just connect really well together,” Leo said. “ He’s always been there for me and always been someone I could go to and talk to about whatever I wanted.” As they grew closer, Leo’s friendship with Elias became more playful, as they both tease one another. “I like making fun of him because he likes to listen to NAV,” Leo said. “That’s all like, ‘haha, silly,’ but it’s fun.” 44

Leo feels as if he can say whatever is on his mind — he never feels like needs to conceal any part of himself, completely free to talk about whatever, whenever. “He’s always been there for me and always been someone I could go to and talk to about whatever I wanted,” Leo said. “He’s just a good person to be around.” Their friendship is composed of unique moments that have formed a bond like no other, from buzzing Elias’s hair to recording songs on Forum Day. Sleeping over at Camp Talahi, Elias had brought his laptop with the intent of recording a song. Although a loyal fan of Big Planet, featuring both Elias and Eliam Rosenberg, Leo started to hate Big Planet’s music, even after attending all of Elias’s concerts. “It was really late at night and I was trying to go to bed and he was making this song for English class,” Leo said. “‘I just want my girl now, she’s mad at me, she’s so very small, she’s so hard to see,’ — he kept playing it probably about a bajillion times in a row. It really made me mad, and I have not listened to a single Big Planet song since then.” But jokes aside, Leo admires and supports Elias and his music journey. Once, Leo had received an ominous text from Elias who wrote, ‘that’s my evil twin,’ and Leo responded, expressing his confusion. ‘You’ll see,’ Elias wrote with suspense. But this suspense was shortlived, telling Leo he should listen

to his latest song. Being the devoted fan Leo is, he did just that and was met with a pleasant surprise. “The new song said, ‘I just hit up Leo. That’s my evil twin,’” Leo said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m featuring on a Big Planet song. This is like celebrity interaction.’”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIEL GING

FEATURE

ELIAS ON LEO

lias Kirsch had already established a solid group of friends his freshman year. Although Elias found Leo to be somewhat shy and quiet at first, he would soon experience a very different side of him Through a series of mutual friends, Leo Wywrot was added into the mix of people Elias hung out with in Forum.“We knew Leo was probably cool,” Elias said. “Then we started talking to him a little bit and realized dude was super cool. He just lights up a room.” Though Elias speaks very highly of Leo and his other friends, the same could not be said of the group’s opinion on Elias’ music taste during the past two years. “We definitely bonded over my bad music taste,” Elias said. “Whenever I was on aux, I would play purposefully bad music that only I like and I’d think it was so funny. Then they’d start making fun of me. It was really fun.” Despite slandering him for some song choices, Leo also inspired Elias to venture outside his usual genre. In fact, Elias discovered some of his favorites, including Faye Webster and other indie style artists, largely because of music Leo would play. “I never really explored what I used to think of as feminine music,” Elias said. “Until I realized hey, a lot of people do, and I thought ‘It’s really good music.’” In addition to becoming a part of Elias’ music taste, he also became a part of one of Elias’ songs through a bar that references Leo by name. “I was bored in the studio, and I was making a song,” Elias said. “The lyric, ‘I just hit up Leo, that’s my evil twin’, came to me, hit me in the head and now everybody knows it.” Going beyond music, Elias feels that Leo helped him become more comfortable in group settings and as a person in general. “He showed me how it can be okay to show sides of you that other people wouldn’t necessarily be comfortable with,” Elias said. “I don’t really care what anybody thinks now, and I think he’s definitely influenced that a little bit.” Before meeting Leo, Elias did not always find it so easy to discount

other people’s judgment and opinions. “I cared about what people thought of me and how annoying I was being,” Elias said. “He influenced me in a way that I don’t really care anymore. I can just be myself without worrying.” Elias and Leo are very comfortable making fun of each other in a playful way. Their friend group has always enjoyed messing around, and having the friendship of an expert class clown like Leo has helped Elias become more comfortable both making and taking jokes. “His ability to make fun of people definitely influenced me,” Elias said. “He’s really good at it. It made me better at making fun of people and more comfortable being made fun of as well.”

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CONNECTION

MARCI TOBIN & BY CLAIRE LEWIS AND LUCIA PAGE SANDER

A tight-knit mother-son pair, Tobin and Marci’s relationship leans on humor and honesty. Throughout their relationship, they have navigated the balance between competitiveness and sentimentality. MARCI ON TOBIN

n order to understand the connection between Marci Tuzinsky and her son Tobin, first you have to have an understanding of the family dynamic within their household. Tobin is the youngest of three kids. And Marci believes the influence his two older sisters, Marina and Nadia, have had on him is significant. “I think that his sisters influence who he is, which then has an impact on the types of relationships and connections he’s allowed himself to have with anybody,” Marci said. Marci’s kids have all grown up with her at Community High School. She was pregnant with all three of them as a teacher and by bringing them through the halls, they became familiar with her life both at home and at school. But when Marci took on the dean position in 2014, her job became more demanding. Whether it’s staying late at school, or taking phone calls at home, it became more important than ever for Marci to find moments to sustain her family relationships. She’s always finding ways for their family to spend time together. Whether it’s a friendly (highly competitive) game of cards, hanging out outside, or the simple act of driving to and from extracurriculars, she 46

prioritizes creating connections. The Tuzinskys are a competitive bunch, and much of the time they spend together reflects that. But even though they’re a playful family who pick on each other, they also acknowledge the fact that they all have a different amount of flack they can take. That empathy towards Tobin has been reflected towards the rest of the world and is something that Marci has always admired in him. “Tobin has never really cared a whole lot about what other people thought of him,” Marci said. “If he has an interest he shares with somebody he’ll hang out with them, he doesn’t care if someone else thinks they’re not cool, none of that fazes him.” Marci likes to learn more about Tobin through the eyes of people he spends time with. She loves when he invites his friends over and when she can interact with teens. When she was a kid, Marci’s house was always full of people and she likes having a piece of that in her house now too. Marci enjoys having these connections to Tobin’s life, because in turn it allows the pair to have a stronger connection with each other. Marci and Tobin’s relationship has always been grounded in reality but enhanced by the goofy, and playful situations they always seem

to find themselves in. At the 2023 Community High School graduation, Marci, Dean Rebecca and Dr. Swift (the superintendent of Ann Arbor public schools) were all on stage along with the counselors, waiting to do their opening speeches. Tobin however, had been on the other side of the auditorium ushering people in. Before the ceremony started, Marci had told Tobin that he could come down to sit next to her after her speech. Dr. Swift sat at the end with Marci right next to her, so as Tobin walked down the rows to meet his mom, he was met by no open spots beside her. But as Tobin looked between himself, his mom and Dr. Swift, an unspoken agreement was met and Dr. Swift moved over. Marci shook her head in disbelief. But the situation only escalated as Tobin reached down into Dr. Swift’s purse, thinking it was his mom’s and took out a piece of gum. Ultimately, the relationship between Marci and Tobin has always been a balancing act, but it’s one that has worked for the two of them. “My connection with Tobin has always been that we have fun together,” Marci said. “I appreciate him, but we’re also very real with each other.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIEL GING

FEATURE

TOBIN ON MARCI

lthough Marci Tuzinsky’s job as dean requires her to hold a firmer hand during school hours, she’s the “chill” parent at home according to her youngest, Tobin. Laid-back and always willing to have a gaggle of teenagers over, Tobin’s boisterous friends remind Marci of her days as a CHS forum leader. “She’s just like the fun mom when everybody’s over,” Tobin said. “But my friends still call her Dean Marci, because they can’t get used to anything else. And when people are talking about school though at my house, she kind of removes herself.” As a result of being together at CHS every weekday, Tobin’s mom has an inside perspective on his high school experience in a way that most other parents don’t. Between having personal connections with his teachers and friends or an inside look at his grades, working and learning in the same environment for three consecutive years has brought the pair even closer than before; they’re able to help each other with school-related things and joke about them too as mother and son, not as dean and student. Beyond school, Tobin’s mom is one of the most influential figures in his life and is the one who puts things into perspective when he’s stressed and overthinking. “She’s the person who is always really patient and she just takes time to sit down with me,” Tobin said. “She helps me with literally anything, it could be hockey or school or my mental health. Whatever it is, she’s just there.” Next year though, chances are Marci and Tobin won’t be spending so much time together. A competitive hockey player, Tobin plans to billet, or take part in a hockey custom where high school graduates spend a gap year (or a few) out of state playing “junior” hockey in order to prepare for the physicality of college hockey. Players who billet stay with a host family near where their team plays rather than commuting to faraway places. Although he’d like to stay close to home and

play for a team in the region, Tobin may end up hundreds of miles away from his home and family. Throughout this process — just like the rest of Tobin’s life — Marci has been his rock. She’s been steadily instrumental in helping Tobin navigate the stress of making significant life decisions. “She’s a very patient person, which annoys me sometimes,” Tobin said. “But she’s helping me figure all this out. She also said that no matter where I’m playing she’ll still take some time to come out and watch some of our games. So she’ll come see me and I’ll come back and see her, but I really don’t want to be too far from Ann Arbor and my family.” In the end — wherever Tobin ends up — Marci will support him, and when he visits, she’ll be glad to have her son home.

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CONNECTION

EBIE & MAGGIE BY CLARA FREETH

Sisters Maggie and Ebie Lamb find moments of connection through movies and silly sing-along sessions. EBIE ON MAGGIE

idy room, messy room. Early bird, night owl. Homework turned in early, homework turned in at the last minute. Ebie and Maggie Lamb. “We look like 12:00 and 12:01, but we act like day and night,” Ebie said. When they were younger, Ebie and Maggie were almost perfect reflections of each other. Even though they’re two grades apart, elementary school consisted of matching outfits, matching hairstyles, the same after-school activities — the list goes on. As they grew into middle school, the sisters started branching off into their own unique interests. Over the summer, the pair started a new tradition of seeing movies together. Ever since they were little, movies have been at the core of their connection, from matching Cinderella & Gus Gus Halloween costumes in elementary school, to seeing “Frozen 2” as teenagers. Two bags of popcorn: one with butter, one without. Two slushies: one blue, one all-mixed-up. Even with a fear of driving, especially on highways, the drive to the movie theater isn’t all that bad: just two turns. One night, they decided to go see a movie later than they normally would have. 48

On the way home in the dark, Ebie took a wrong turn and the pair ended up driving away from home. As the realization dawned on them, Ebie started to get flustered. Maggie immediately jumped in, calming her down and guiding them to a nearby gas station to regroup. After a few minutes and a small army of maps, they were back on the road. This time, with a plan. “Maggie was giving me all sorts of directions to help me get home and it was great. We got there in time for curfew,” Ebie said. “She helps me handle my anxiety really well.” With the stars above them on nights when one of them needs to talk, the sisters have ‘hot tub time’, where conversation ranges from frustration with math homework to discussions of big grand ideas. Listening to her sister point out the constellations above — Orion’s Belt, the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper and the North Star — Ebie feels safe. Just like the North Star is constant in the night sky, Ebie knows that Maggie is her constant, her goto person, her North Star. “You can always find your way if you can find the North Star. Your person is your North Star,” Ebie said “You always know that they’re going to guide you.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MORGAN MCLEASE

FEATURE

MAGGIE ON EBIE

ome alone, Domino’s New York-style pizza in hand, Maggie and Ebie Lamb sit down for a sister’s night in. Maggie dives right in, while Ebie picks the cheese off first. Tonight’s movie: “Frozen” is a particularly nostalgic watch for the pair, a familiar childhood favorite. “Frozen is a story about two sisters, and the younger one is spunky, and the older one is kind of bossy, and I feel like that represents us a lot,” Maggie said. Maggie, two years and 10 months younger, is typically upbeat and a bit hectic — constantly in motion. Her free time is spent wearing purple practice pennies and mouthguards, her hair up and shin guards on. Ebie, almost three years older, is an early bird — a go-getter. She is always excited for the day and spends her free time either on the field or the stage, wearing turf shoes, in the spotlight, or caked in stage makeup. Even though they don’t share all of the same extracurriculars, Maggie and Ebie don’t let that get in the way. They are often seen listening to music in the parking lot before school or laughing in the hallways between classes. “We constantly support each other and lift each other up. She comes

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to all of my games and I go to all of her games,” Maggie said. As the opening scenes fill up the television screen, memories of childhood sing-alongs in detailed handmade costumes fill Maggie’s memory. The characters get older and so do Maggie and Ebie as they fight with each other and eventually make up again, reminded that their bond is the most important thing. They know that no matter what they’re doing, it’s worth doing it together. “If anything’s a one-person job, now it’s a two-person job,” Maggie said. As the movie progresses, constant commentary can be counted on from both of them, always eager to share their thoughts with one another. Later in the night, they might find themselves in the hot tub, once again dissecting their days, gossiping or planning their next adventure — just enjoying each other’s presence. As the movie comes to an end and the credits start rolling, furniture is cleared to create a make-shift stage of silly sisterhood. The possibility of embarrassment is disregarded as dramatic duets are belted at the tops of their lungs and the ache of laughter fills them.

CONNECTION

COURTNEY & MARCY BY AILISH KILBRIDE

Marcy McCormick and Courtney Kiley became inseparable, both inside and outside of the classroom. COURTNEY ON MARCY

eing able to count on someone in any season of life is something that Courtney Kiley looks for in a friend. This trait is something that she saw right away in Marcy McCormick, a best friend. After the two met during Marcy’s CHS interview, they became inseparable. “I’ve known her for so long,” Courtney said. “I’m growing up with her and when we hired her, I told her, I was like, ‘I’m gonna grow old with you. Like in our workplace, but then as friends.’” The two have recently started playing volleyball together, on a team full of CHS faculty and staff. They play games each week and have been able to spend time together outside of school doing physical activity, one of their favorite things to do together. Courtney has also learned from Marcy’s teaching style. Due to the fact that Marcy is now the head of all FOS 2 and FOS 3 classes at CHS, Kiley has been able to benefit from Marcy’s expertise and organization. “Marcy’s graphics are like none other,” Courtney said. “She is much more coherent. I am spastic and all over the place and she is not. I think though, we both really love the FOS department because of its project-based and hands-on discovery nature. So in that way, we had the same teaching philosophy, but I think we’re probably different in the classroom and she’s way more put together than I am. And she smells

really good.” Along with being able to bring a sense of organization to her classroom, Courtney also believes that Marcy is able to incorporate current events into her lessons, which keeps students engaged. Other FOS teachers within the department have been able to follow Marcy’s lead which is something that Courtney is proud of her for. The two’s relationship revolves around fun. They spend their time together trying to make the best out of every situation. “We just have a ton of fun,” Courtney said. “I mean we laugh so much inside and outside of school or anytime we’re together. She’s really funny. She’s totally quirky. And I love that.” Their bond grew after the two trained for a half marathon together. They would spend long hours going for runs together building up the endurance to be able to conquer 13.1 miles. “Crossing the line with her was the best, just so good,” Courtney said. “I think it’s fun to train for something that is a hard thing to do and to cross the finish line holding hands and struggling together was amazing.” Courtney is so grateful for the years of connection that have brought her and Marcy together. “I don’t think I tell her enough what a great mom I think she is to her kids,” Courtney said. “She and her partner have done an amazing

job raising their kids. I think I show a lot of my love by making fun of people and the more I make fun of you will probably mean the more that I love you. And I just respect her and love her so much. She stands up for what she thinks is right and always stays true to her convictions.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIEL GING

FEATURE

MARCY ON COURTNEY

eing able to find her place in a department full of faculty that supports Marcy McCormick for everything that she is, is something she is forever grateful for. One of her biggest supporters being Courtney Kiley, CHS science teacher and forum leader. Courtney was a part of Marcy’s interview at CHS when she first applied for the job in 2012. During this interview, she came to find out that both of them went through the same masters program at the University of Michigan. Marcy knew right away that they would be on the same “wavelength.” In 2014, when the two were together in Colorado at a National Science Teachers conference, they came to discover a strange commonality. “I remember we were walking when this really bizarre thing happened,” Marcy said. “A street light went out as we walked by it, and I noticed it, and I noticed that she noticed it.” Later on, the two discovered that they are both a part of a group called the “Streetlight Interference Receptors” which is a community of people that claim to have the ability to turn off street lights. Although Marcy knows that there is no “scientific basis” behind this group and no “logical reasoning” behind that ability, having this in common with Kiley is something that bonded the two. Along with bonding over their uniqueness, Courtney has also helped Marcy transition to a new teaching style at CHS. Coming from a district where things were done much differently than at CHS has taken time to get used to. “She reminds me not to take things too seriously,” Marcy said. “It took me a little time to transition because I was so used to working in a very different environment. It was a reminder that education really needs to be about the enjoyment of learning and that is at the heart, so important. You’re not going to want to learn something that you don’t enjoy or be in an environment where you’re not enjoying

what you’re doing.” At CHS, Marcy has tried to take this new approach of making learning more enjoyable for her students by incorporating activities into class everyday. Marcy often starts her classes with conversations about how students are doing and encourages them to share things about themselves with the group. Along with starting class a certain way each day, she also celebrates Mole Day with all of her classes and often does events with her students before holiday breaks. “I will always encourage my students to do their best, but I also try to connect with them and let them know that I’m here and that I care about them,” Marcy said. “But also that we’re going to have fun as well.” Outside of school, Marcy and Courtney have also connected through the time that their families spend together and the dedication they both have to their own kids. Since their kids are similar in age, they often do activities together and spend time as two families. Marcy also remembers a trip with Kiley to the Biostation in Northern Michigan with the Ecology Club a few years ago. “We went outside of our cabins one night by this small lake, and it was frozen over,” Marcy said. “We all went outside because someone heard an unusual noise and the ice on the lake was sort of like just moving slightly and it was making this crazy humming noise across the lake. And in that moment where we all just were under the stars, a perfectly clear night, listening to this crazy noise was an incredible thing to be able to experience with my colleagues and students.” Marcy is grateful for connections that she has made with Courtney and the FOS department at CHS. She believes that her teaching style and the success of her classroom environment stems from supportive colleagues. “I think I’ve told Courtney, but I hope she knows just how grateful I am to have her here,” Marcy said.

THE COMMUNICATOR

Connection is Key STAFF EDITORIAL

Connection is built on shared experiences: whether that’s a tedious class lulling more than one pair of eyes closed or a near-death experience (walking through the CHS parking lot on a Monday morning). These experiences are good and they are bad. They are monumental and they are insignificant. They are isolated incidents and they are routine occurrences. But just as the experiences vary, so too do the connections they forge. Some are fleeting, others enduring for a lifetime. Some lift us up and others bring us down. But they are always important. Without connection to those around us, the world around us, we are alone, adrift and indistinguishable in a planet teeming with billions of people. Every person in our school has spent a year in isolation, shuttered away from the rest of the world as a virus put our lives on hold. Although the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is long behind us, the memories of long hours of Zoom and lonely months cooped up in our homes linger. It is during this period of seclusion — left alone with our thoughts and our families — that we came to recognize the value of connection. It was when we no longer had them that we realized how essential shared experiences are. Anything you can think of can be the basis of a connection, whether that be a shared like (or dislike), a common interest or a collective goal. Sharing a moment of vulnerability between two people can make even the most trivial matter integral in a relationship. It can take bravery to turn a stranger into a friend — a leap of faith. But in order to take that leap, you need the stepping stone: an infatuation with an old rock band, a fierce debate over food combinations or ten minutes waiting for the bus on a chill autumn morning. How can we find

ART BY BEE WHALEN

OPINION

those stepping stones when we aren’t together? And how can you make the leap without those stepping stones? How could our senior class find connection during a freshman year on Zoom? It was different, and it was difficult, because nowhere was the absence of connection more jarring than at school, where it is integral to our culture. CHS has staked its reputation on the importance of connection — opening its doors wide and sending its students out into the community to build relationships, dedicating class time to school wide bonding events like field day, tearing down the barrier of formality by allowing students to call teachers by their first names. It is a community that offers connection at every turn: sleeping under the stars next to peers on Forum Day, meeting teachers as equals in conversation, interacting with vendors at the Farmer’s Market across the street. Our community suffered without those experiences, but every day we come closer to the interconnectedness that our school should have. In spite of the obstacles in our path, we are more tightly-knit than seems possible. The size of our school permits intimacy — knowing the people around us past what is presented on the surface. We have the foundation for connection everywhere, and with everyone, through the very thing that stunted our immersion into the community: the pandemic. It was, perhaps, the greatest shared experience of all. We now know what it means to be isolated. We have seen first-hand how our lives suffer without the countless connections we form and foster each day. We now have the opportunity to take full advantage of each and every chance to connect — each and every one of us should make the most of it. So talk to someone new, extend that coffee invitation, join the club. Take a leap, bridge the gap and build a connection. You won’t regret it.

THE COMMUNICATOR

The Summer of Barbie An intricate look at Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster, and its impact beyond the screen. BY ELLE MCCREADIE AND LYDIA DEBORD

In 1959, the world had an idea. Adorned in a striped swimsuit, the first Barbie doll was marketed as a new generation for toys and women alike. Her versatility separated her from the rows of baby dolls because, unlike them, Barbie didn’t represent a destiny. Rather than only being a mother, Barbie could do whatever she wanted. Barbie was a pop-star, a teacher, a doctor, an astronaut. All while reaching an untouchable standard of beauty. Barbie could be unstoppable in a world where women were encouraged to be anything but. On July 21, 2023, cinemas began showing the summer’s blockbuster: “Barbie.” The film, starring Margot Robbie, ushered in an era of pink and girlhood. Though characterized by brightness and a tremendous soundtrack, the film was not a trivial pursuit. Expectations were shattered and tears were shed. Early on, Ryan Gosling, who played Ken, warned viewers to heighten their expectations. “It’s not what you think it is,” Gosling said. Nevertheless, you had to see it to believe it. “I’ve never really seen Barbie in the way that they portrayed her on screen,” Rosie Matish said. Matish wasn’t alone in this perception; many other viewers, gender aside, were convinced the nature and subject of the movie would be insignificant. In a world defined by labels, 54

ART BY BEE WHALEN

viewers leapt to trivialism. The overwhelming pink, the doll main character — all aspects of a concept more advanced than one movie. Conscious or not, these assumptions stem from the patriarchy: the same force the movie desires to untangle. These initial reactions display the reality of womanhood that the movie seeks to portray; it reflects how society dismisses women before they are given a chance to prove themselves. “I think it touched on a lot of topics that aren’t really talked about,” Mallory Towers said. The story centers around Barbieland: a Dreamhouse infested paradise where Barbies and Kens live in peace, harmony and total feminism — until Stereotypical Barbie discovers depression, dread and cellulite. In order to save herself and her friends from this fate, she must travel into the real world. Ken comes too. When entering the real world, Barbie is shocked to discover the atrocities of patriarchy and the heaviness of human emotion. But it’s worth it to meet Gloria (America Ferrera), a working mom, and her daughter Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt). Together, they teach Barbie about womanhood. Barbie eventually brings them back to Barbieland where Gloria delivers her powerful speech about the societal torture of being a woman. “And it turns out, in fact, that not only are you doing everything

OPINION

wrong, but also everything is your fault.” For many viewers, Gloria’s speech was a defining moment in the movie and went beyond the movie screen. “I was like, wow, like what just happened to me,” Amelia Sandstrom said. Takeaways from the speech are as vast and varied as its contents. “A lot of the time there’s this pressure to have to be absolutely perfect constantly,” Matish said The speech gave Matish a sense of validation in their own experiences. It let them know that the challenges they face aren’t theirs alone. Along with its message, the movie brought a realization: we are a community. The normalization of atrocities like catcalling and assaults are horrible, but being raised in a society without accountability brings girls together. Sitting on the couch with my friend, a phone buzzes. Both of us immediately pick up our phone to check for the notification. There’s an understanding between us, a silent bond, and this film highlights it. Instead of dwelling on the bad, Barbie inspires the good. Within each woman is a passion, a passion that can be represented by Barbie. And Barbie should be more than an idea. She should be a reality. Together, we are stronger. Together, we can all be Barbie.

THE COMMUNICATOR

Forum is the Foundation Forum is a pillar of our school. Without it, CHS would not be what it is today. How do students utilize forum to create strong connections? BY ANTHONY WANG

I vividly remember my first day at Community High School. I wasn’t prepared for high school, and two years of quarantine made every interaction strange. But there is one task I had to complete on my first day at CHS: I had to find my forum. For students from different grades and backgrounds, forum is one of the most important ways to connect. For all the freshmen at CHS, knowing their forum first was their task on the first day. As a junior, it has been two years since my first day of forum. Looking back at these two years, I’ve gradually come to understand the importance of forum bonding and the uniqueness it has brought to CHS. Max Johnson, a junior in the Mosher forum feels that forum is more than just an advisory — it’s a place where strong bonds are made. “There’s a first impression. It’s like homeroom advisory, but it’s different because it feels a bit more personal,” Johnson said. “Because we have these forums, it’s a lot different than other high schools. It’s more personal, more connected.” Students spend hours every week with each other in forum, and bonding is what makes these hours meaningful. Forum bonding is straightforward: for four years, students get to connect with different kinds of people. Throughout this bonding process, all grades intermix. In the first year of high school, most freshmen are still figuring out their academic and extracurricular interests, but in forum, upperclassmen can advise underclassmen to explore their interests and encourage them to perform better academically. When those freshmen become upperclassmen, the cycle of mentor56

ship continues. These connections supported me through the transition from middle school to high school. When I was a freshman with no knowledge of the nuts and bolts of high school, those peers and upperclassmen in my forum taught me those necessary skills for high school. Throughout these bonding events, I learned more than just the basics (the importance of doing extracurriculars, GPA, etc.,) They taught me how to expand my extracurriculars, properly communicate with teachers, and most importantly, how to enhance my connections with the people in my forum. Gradually, I realized building connections in forums is important because I am with those people for all four years of high school. Additionally, bonding brought more benefits that students might not have noticed. I observed that after a long day of school, when students come into the forum, most of them are either thinking about their homework or going off to their sports. Forum offers a place for students to focus on different topics outside of school. Danelle Mosher, a French teacher and forum leader for 29 years in CHS, talked about the importance of bonding after school. “When we have a focus day, we spend the day together as a group and talk about the fun things we are going to do,” Mosher said. “That relieves a lot of the pressure.” Among those bonding activities, Forum Day is the most special. Students get together in their forum to celebrate the start and end of the school year. Seniors get to enjoy the last bit of time they have at CHS. Students can spend a day outside ART BY BEE WHALEN

of school without worrying about coursework and solely making connections with their forum. Differing from lunch or after-school forum, students are less rushed and more relaxed. Students have a different mindset on how they are going to spend the day because of the abundance of time they have to spend together outside of school on a Forum Day. In retrospect, the time that I spend with my forum on a Forum Day strengthens our connections, and it is an experience only offered at CHS. Last year, we came together one day and made it happen after all the preparation. Throughout this process of planning and executing, we had a lot of fun and shared experiences together. Forum Day brought us together, and it gave us an opportunity to enhance our connections as a forum. “Those bonding and events just give you friends really,” Johnson said. “You could talk about planning, hang out, or whatever you want. Friends will make you go to the forum. Those bonding events brought us together, and it was fun.” Forums make CHS special, and there is a historical reason for it. When Community High was opened in the 70s, the founders of CHS wanted to create forums composed of students and forum leaders; in the school’s blueprint document, Forum was essential to the school’s foundation and mission. The founders in the 70s had Forum as a fundamental idea of CHS. Forum is more than just bonding. It is the foundation that has connected students together for over 50 years. We need to remember this and not take the time we have together for granted.

OPINION

Worth the Mess Spit enrollment often calls for leaving classes early, arriving late and BY JAKE WILLIAMS

Split Enrollment is a mess. On an average day of school, I’ll miss the last 10 minutes of my second hour at Pioneer and I’ll be 20 minutes late to my next class at Community. It’s a stressful, hectic experience, but I love it anyway as it’s the only way I can experience Community classes while not being enrolled full time. Without split enrollment, I wouldn’t be able to enroll in classes like Journalism or the History of the 1960s and for that I am forever grateful, but I would be lying if I said that it didn’t come with its sacrifices. Making one schedule with the classes from two different schools is insanely difficult and it only gets harder once you realize that you won’t be able to do half of the classes because they’re either full, start at conflicting times or they aren’t offered the specific hour you need them. These are all problems I’ve run into while trying to juggle two schools at once, but I’ve managed to work around them with the help of teachers and certain counselors. Split-enrollment isn’t just hard in practice; most of the struggle actually comes from trying to get the classes you want. At 8:00 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 21 —the earliest time one can register for split-enrollment — I walked into my counselor’s office ready to get the classes I had been planning around for the last two weeks. One hour later, I walked out with two Pioneer classes, two Community classes, one online class and one free period that would hopeful-

ly be filled at a later date. This is the last thing I wanted and I still don’t really know how it happened or how my counselor let me leave his office with that schedule. Over the next two weeks through a series of emails, phone calls and meetings, my schedule would go through five different iterations until I finally ended up with the one I have now being four Pioneer classes and two Community classes. It got to the point where my counselor decided that he couldn’t be bothered to help me anymore and he told me that I would have to talk to the administration to fix my schedule. So I did. About halfway through the first week of school, my schedule was finally settled, but that didn’t take away from the insane amount of stress I had to deal with not knowing if I would get the classes that I wanted or, more importantly, needed. Thankfully there were people who were not only willing to help but wanted to help me. If split-enrollment didn’t exist, I would’ve just had six classes at Pioneer. I’d have saved myself a whole lot of stress, but I then wouldn’t be able to take classes at Community. I wouldn’t be able to take Ryan’s 1960s class and I wouldn’t be able to write this article for the Communicator. Even with all of its ups and downs, I’m still incredibly thankful for split-enrollment and I will happily continue to do it for the rest of my high school career. THE COMMUNICATOR

ART BY DANIEL GING

OPINION

Girlhood – beauty, rage, love, confusion and the perilous journey to reach an unattainable standard of being a woman. BY ISABELLA MALDONADO

Being a woman comes with its own culture. Women exist in all different ethnicities and religious groups, and they have culture within that, but just being a woman comes with a community. That look that girls give other girls when they don’t feel safe, every woman knows exactly what it means, that’s our language. The so-called “Girl Dinner,” that’s our cuisine. So many girls trek through life without knowing that there will always be a culture behind her that has experienced the same exact thing, that she is not alone. Addie McCreadie, a freshman at CHS, has seen firsthand the unity amongst girls strengthen since the release of the “Barbie” movie this summer. In the movie there are powerful messages on what it means to be a woman in a man’s world, and showcases common experiences that most women face, whether it’s mansplaining or simply not knowing what you are made for. The “Barbie” movie created a sense of community. “The ‘Barbie’ movie can connect to women in the world. It’s really special that we can have a sense of community,” McCreadie said. “There is this unspoken thing of supporting each other. Especially with the inequalities that women will face in the world. You’re born with this built in sisterhood, girlhood.” Before watching the “Barbie” movie McCreadie didn’t think very often about her female support system, but after she took the time to examine how being a girl has shaped her life. The wave of social media support for women following the movie sparked her realization that girls do have an unspoken community. “It was eye opening for me to see how the “Barbie” movie has impacted other people and how even when I don’t realize it impacts me,” McCreadie said. The “Barbie” movie not only brought out teenage girls but also every generation of women flocking to theaters to watch the movie. From babies to elderly women, the movie gave a voice to all women. Being a part of girlhood doesn’t mean currently being an adolescent girl, but rather it’s a community that connects women to each other. No matter your age, even if you’re 102 you’re still going to be a part of girlhood, you’ll always have a place there. There is always going to be an older generation of women to learn from. For me, it was my Abuelita who was the most important woman in my life. She taught me not just what it’s like to be a girl, but also what it means to be Latina. The biggest lesson I ever learned from her was that you keep moving forward, even if you aren’t on the path you need to be on yet, you don’t dwell in the past because

that does nothing for your future. My grandmother moved her family from Utuado, Puerto Rico to New York City in the 70’s, after her youngest son (my father) was taken from her. The move wasn’t easy, she had two young children, spoke no English and worked in a tile factory just to be able to provide for her children, all while dealing with the loss of a child. Nevertheless, she persisted. She made a life so my aunt and uncle could go to college, own a house and have the future she always dreamed of for her children. And even after her death, I don’t think anyone will ever be able to teach me more than she did. Her story is the definition of what being a woman means to me. Growing up being the youngest of three girls McCreadie always had plenty of female role models in her life, but her twin pillars of strength have been her two older sisters, Kaitlin and Elle. “I kind of got an idea of how the world works before I even experienced it,” McCreadie said. “My sisters taught me to know my worth and how I should be treated. They really set a strong foundation for me to learn from them but also be who I am.” McCreadie has spent her entire life trying to be like her sisters even when they pushed her out of her comfort zone. She distinctly remembers ice cream days with them. Her sisters would order first then make McCreadie order something different than what they got, teaching her independence and to speak up for herself. But ice cream isn’t the only thing that her sisters took her out of her comfort zone for; they made a constant effort to give McCreadie the chance to speak for herself. “Choosing what ice cream flavor you choose doesn’t really matter, but it set me up for bigger things so I can choose what I want to do with my life,” McCreadie said. There’s always going to be someone out there looking out for you when you’re a girl. Even in a world that feels like it’s against you, you have all these women that are holding you up and supporting you. McCreadie believes that the unique side of girlhood is that even if you don’t like someone or don’t even know them, if they are in trouble you will be there for them. “If they’re going through something, if you see they’re in an unsafe situation girls put aside their other thoughts and really focus on women supporting women and being that support system for them,” McCreadie said. No matter the trials and tribulations that come with being a woman, girls will always find a home within the walls of girlhood.

THE COMMUNICATOR

An Open Door The CR Program has opened many doors and new opportunities through its unique structure — allowing students to design their own schedules. BY AILISH KILBRIDE

During my time in high school, I have looked for something each day to challenge myself. Whether it was staying after class with a teacher to dive deep into a topic that I wanted to better understand, going for a six mile run or cooking a new recipe with my mom at home for dinner, my day is never completed until I feel challenged. This mentality brought me to a seat in Dr. Hick’s class during my junior year. At CHS, we don’t have Advanced Placement or honors courses, but we do have the Community Resource program which allows students to take college courses at local universities, such as the University of Michigan (UofM). As I sat with my guidance counselor, I felt that I had not met my larger challenge goal for pushing myself academically during my junior year. “I think that you should take a class at the University of Michigan,” she said. “They aren’t easy, but if you really want to push yourself, a college course at Michigan will do just that.” Right then I knew — that was my next challenge. I began my search to find a class that would be rigorous but also fulfilling. While I was searching, I stumbled upon “ALA 170 - Applied Liberal Arts Topics - Social Identity, Social Inequality & Social Media: An Introduction to Intergroup Relations.” I was immediately drawn to the parallels it made with my interests in social inequality on social media, as it relates to my generation more than ever. I knew right away that this was a class that I wanted to be a part of. Adorned with limitless bundles of knowledge and wisdom, Dr. Hicks led us through a beautiful course about the Cycle of our Socialization, microaggression, racism, intersectionality, prejudice, stereotyping and ending with critical media literacy. Through presentations by classmates, lectures by Dr. Hicks and challenging con60

versations, I truly began to understand the power of privilege and the importance of learning your place in society in order to make a difference for generations to come. Dr. Hicks helped us learn that we can’t ignore our history and the inhumane practices that took place in America, but rather learn that the power lies in our hands to make the world a more equitable place. We spent time learning about intergroup relations and the challenges that can occur. Although it can be seen as the study of division of groups furthering the separation and stretching us further from equality because of the identification one feels the need to have with a single group, I believe that through educating young people about the parallels between separation and unity and their complexities respectively, we can start to uncover what it truly means to create a coexistent society. On a side note, I had the opportunity to experience the complexities of intergroup relations first hand with my first group project. While we were all in a similar broad social group as students, the human tendencies to categorize one another was evident: the leader, the procrastinator, the complainer and the antagonist. We had to put all that we had learned into practice and find common ground to successfully complete our project. This experience sparked an interest in intergroup relations and the learning of how people of all walks of life interact with one another — the good and the bad. The Community Resource program at CHS has allowed me to discover a love for liberal arts writing and topics through the class that I am currently taking at the University of Michigan and the one that I took last semester. The program allows students to explore topics that inspire each individual. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to take classes at the U of M and hope that other students take advantage of this unique and incredible opportunity. ART BY SANA SCHADEN

OPINION

We Need Each Other Taking a closer look at the impact that different models of society have on us as individuals will help us understand how to better engage with each other. BY SANA SCHADEN

Our communities force us to be less selfish. In a highly individualistic society, it can be difficult to understand this model of thinking. It is true that isolation plays an important role in cultivating a deeper understanding of ourselves. However, the act of existing within a web of people that share a common identity is essential to understanding yourself within the context of the world. In a more collectivist society, such as India, community is baked into the culture. Households commonly combine nuclear families with extended relatives and parents. Family goes beyond blood relation and instead seeps into every aspect of daily life. According to a study done by the National Library of Medicine, “Indian society is collectivistic and promotes social cohesion and interdependence. The traditional Indian joint family, which follows the same principles of collectivism, has proved itself to be an excellent resource for the care of the mentally ill.” Some of my own relatives from India have decided not to immigrate to the U.S. largely because they are afraid to lose that sense of community. In a collectivist society, interdependence is an expectation. The phrase “it takes a village” is often lost on the U.S family structure. Having a safety net is so important to us as humans, in all walks of life. That is why finding community in your life matters. Learning what it means to lean on someone for support and give yourself up to support them makes us more selfless. American individualism makes people more selfish. Their society doesn’t accept support from others in the same way, and in turn they also don’t offer that support back. Sometimes having community shoved down your throat from a young age can stunt individual growth and develop a sense of self. That is why it is our responsibility to seek our own communities. This may mean

your close group of friends or a network of people who share common goals, interests or spaces. Whatever form it takes, humans need to need each other. According to a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, companionship decreased 14 hours a month and social isolation increased 24 hours a month from 2003–2020. Even pre-pandemic, Americans were struggling to find community in their lives. Though it’s vital to give yourself to a community, it’s equally important to identify the disadvantages. Many communities, including my Indian community, need to respect my boundaries. The distinction to make is that I must set boundaries for my health and well-being rather than those that preclude me from fully immersing myself in the community. Different communities also include different boundaries. For example, my relationship with my Indian family and community includes sharing food, traditions and culture. In the Indian community and many other immigrant communities, there is a large focus on creating a successful livelihood in this country. I often watch my grandfather refer patients to other Indian doctors, partially because there is a strong reciprocity and interdependence within the community. At the same time, there are some aspects of myself that I don’t typically share with my Indian family and community, due to the stigmas attached to certain identities. There are other boundaries in other communities. In workspaces, it’s necessary to set boundaries within personal time. Whatever the community may be, boundaries are a key aspect to preserving your own identity and well-being within the space. The important thing is that we must engage in our communities, and there are many ways to do so. Setting boundaries in our communities, and branching out across different communities makes us empathetic. THE COMMUNICATOR

AGREE TO

Social media hinders the way we communicate in real life and has negatively effected our relationships with others. BY PAIGE PLAVNICK

Even when my phone is in my pocket, my head is in a world full of likes, comments and shares. Before social media, we were able to communicate and connect with each other by simply having a face-to-face conversation, but now we rely on social media. As a result of this, we are losing the ability to be able to have face-toface conversations and diminishing our authentic, human connection. As I walk through the halls, I watch as classmates are buried in the world of their phones. The constant scrolling through Instagram and the disruptive TikTok audios that I will never understand. Growing up in my house, social media has never been the norm. The only time I spent on social media was looking over the shoulder of my friends. It is hard to make conversation with someone while they are always checking notifications on their phones. Most of the time I feel like I am being overlooked. I will be interrupted mid-sentence by the buzz of a phone and them looking down to see the notification. As teenagers are shielded by their screens and hidden behind social media, cyberbullying has become more common. Nina Tinney, a junior at CHS, has observed this phenomenon. 62

“When you’re behind your phone and in the comfort of your own home, people can just make fun of each other,” Tinney said. This can harm the mental state of high school students and jeopardize connections with one another. As we are becoming more and more addicted to social media and our screens, we are destroying our opportunities to engage with each other face-to-face. Kelly Maveal, one of the counselors at CHS and social worker, shares a similar perspective with this view. Maveal strongly believes that the time that we spend on social media is interfering with the time that could be spent with other people. She has also experienced some negative side effects of social media firsthand. “I’m seeing people less, I’m engaging with my community less, and as a result, I feel less motivated and in a lower mood,” Maveal said. She also observed an interesting correlation with students who are more addicted to their phones and less interested in having real-life connections and conversations with people. Maveal noticed how those students are the ones who tend to have both a harder time in school and in finding where they belong. She also argues that even though con-

ART BY GABE DEEDLER

nections made through social media can feel rewarding at the time, in the long run, they don’t help with the feeling of loneliness or having a sense of belonging. Growing up in a household that restricted social media use, I have learned how to cultivate genuine, in-person connections with others. I have watched as my friends spend all of their time on social media, only to later realize the scarcity of their in-person connections and interactions with others. This leads to feelings of loneliness and a lack of sense of belonging. Social media can become addicting and this causes it to turn into the default go-to whenever someone is bored. Caitlin Smith, a sophomore at CHS, holds a similar point of view. “When people have any free time, they just immediately go on their phone, which is sad,” Smith said. Smith also spoke about how easy it is to get sucked in and spend an excess of time on social media. As the world of social media begins to expand, it is becoming more and more crucial to sustain our real life connections with each other. Even though social media connections can be good for a short period of time, real-life connections is what makes us feel like we belong and is what should be prioritized.

OPINION

DISAGREE

Social media enhances how we communicate with each other by helping us stay in touch and strengthen relationships. BY MIA RUBENSTEIN

It had been weeks since I saw my friends’ faces. The small, dark storage room in the basement became my classroom. My siblings became my classmates. My parents became my teachers. The COVID-19 pandemic completely altered how I connected with people. Social media had become one of the only ways to engage with friends. “I think that social media is always kind of seen as a negative thing,” Rosie Matish said. “But, especially during COVID-19, it was a really nice way to stay connected and socialize with people who you wouldn’t usually talk to.” Although this seems like an obvious example of how social media positively affects us, there are several other less obvious examples. Social media helps build people’s communities. It’s used to post about religious services, political protests, sports events, school dances and other social and academic happenings — communities are built in real life through social media. In order for organizations to succeed in a community, they need to raise money. Social media can be used to raise money for schools, food and homeless shelters, religious institutions, hospitals and museums. Without these organizations, there are fewer ways to con-

nect in real life. Finding work and promoting skills or talents in the real world is another positive outcome of social media. A high school calculus whiz can post their availability to tutor on social media, which could result in connecting with peers. Other postings could include babysitting, music lessons or photography shoots. Life coach Laurie Greenberg, who works with small business managers to create clarity in their lives sees social media benefiting real-life connections. “For my leadership clients, I think social media can be helpful because a lot of them use it for marketing,” Greenberg said. “It gets their business online and gets people aware of their business, especially for people who are just starting.” Social media can be used in advance of meeting face-to-face. I used Snapchat to meet a camp friend months before camp, and when I arrived, I already felt connected. Additionally, college-bound students often use social media to connect with potential roommates before heading to college. “I think maybe for some people, it’s easier to connect [on social media] rather than in person, especially when people are physically far apart,” licensed social worker and THE COMMUNICATOR

psychotherapist Stoltz Favus said. Matish also uses various forms of social media to connect with others. “Well, I like to keep in touch with my friends,” Matish said. “It’s nice to know what’s going on in their lives.” Greenberg expanded on the idea of connecting through social media with people who are distant. “There are people that I haven’t seen in 20 years, but I kind of know what they’re doing because I follow them on Instagram or Facebook,” Greenberg said. “I think it’s really nice to be able to keep in touch with people.” Social media can be an unproductive diversion from one’s daily routine if used without self-discipline, but it can be positive if it detracts minimally from time spent doing other more enriching activities. Stoltz Favus believes that practicing balance and understanding what the research shows about the negative side of social media is imperative. “I would say that you can use social media in a better way when you curate what you see, versus following whatever Instagram or TikTok decide to show you,” Greenberg said. Social media has a multitude of benefits, and when we can control ourselves and use it in moderation it can be an extremely valuable tool for connecting people in real life. 63

NARRATIVE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RUTH SHIKANOV

OPINION

Inseparable, yet Separated How one of the most important friendships in my life taught me the power of connection, withstanding separation. BY RUTH SHIKANOV

It felt like there was no air in the room. Hot tears rolled down my face as I sat on the hard wooden floor of my bedroom. The summer heat was dwindling and I could only hear the sounds of crickets chirping. The moon illuminated my room as pictures and trinkets were scattered across the floor. Although months had already passed, the realization had finally hit me. My best friend lives 500 miles away from me. I have known Lizzie ever since I was in middle school; we followed each other on Instagram, had each other’s Snapchat and shared mutual friends, but we went to different schools. Later on, we wouldn’t even attend the same high school. It was fall of 2020, and I was starting my freshman year of high school online. Sitting in my dining room, I was surrounded by screens daily. When I wasn’t on my computer doing homework or logging onto Zoom, I was on my phone for hours, scrolling aimlessly and texting friends I hadn’t seen in months. Undoubtedly, there was a social disconnect between me and my peers. I felt overwhelmingly alone, and had been told a myriad of times that freshman year was like no other year in high school — “this is a crucial time, it lays the foundation, both academically and socially, for the next four years.” But I wanted to face my discomfort. I pushed myself to talk to those outside of my social circle, which were my friends from middle school and family. The pandemic eliminat-

ed socialization that school instills, but I didn’t want that to dictate the social life I knew I could have. I shared this frustration with a friend, and she told me that she thought Lizzie and I would be a perfect fit: same humor, similar interests and personalities that just meshed. Quickly, we made plans and I couldn’t help but feel excited and nervous simultaneously. At a young age, I was shy, keeping to myself rather than actively seeking out friendships, and under the circumstances of the pandemic, new heights of shyness and discomfort arose. But these fears immediately dissipated as I was met with Lizzie’s warm and caring nature. My evenings mainly consisted of lengthy FaceTimes with Lizzie, dissecting our days, watching a show together or simply enjoying each other’s presence as we completed homework. In a strange way, the pandemic deepened our budding friendship. I did miss the ease of seeing friends in person, but these new margins allowed for a different kind of intimacy. The summer going into my sophomore year was full of unforgettable memories: late-night movies with copious amounts of popcorn spilled everywhere, long and sunny daytime walks near Argo Park and sitting on the floor of her living room, playing Egyptian Rat Screw as our favorite songs filled the ambiance. I knew that sophomore year wouldn’t be like the year before; we were going back to school, but I didn’t fear that THE COMMUNICATOR

our friendship would diminish — our bond was unbreakable. The year went on, and Lizzie and I spent as much time together as possible, or at least we tried to. Our schedules tended to make that unfeasible. Lizzie’s schedule consisted of hours and hours of homework alongside her rigorous volleyball practices. I was commuting from school to dance, spending the majority of my days downtown as I also had mountains of homework to complete. All of my free time vanished. But there would be the rare moment where we’d both be free, jumping at the chance to see each other. Amidst sophomore year, the news broke. Lizzie was moving. The aching feeling didn’t truly hit me until senior year. During junior year, it was riddled with overwhelming extracurriculars and never ending homework. Standardized tests loomed over my head, taking the forefront of my mind. I felt disconnected from everything around me and the one person I felt most connected to was gone. As mawkish as it may be, Lizzie is my other half. She gets me in ways that no one else does, always there to support me, even when she isn’t here physically. Whenever she comes back to visit, it feels like no time has passed — being in her presence instantly makes me feel better. While we may be apart the majority of the year, she’s always only a text and a call away, I remind myself, constantly connected. 65

NARRATIVE

Los Tres Entrenadores Studying abroad, learning a new language and living by myself at the age of 15. BY KLAVA ALICEA

After coming home from my nine months in Spain, I realized that there are three people that shaped my sophomore year of high school. On Sept. 9, 2021 I began my journey to Spain. On the flight to Madrid from Chicago, I sat with a Spanish family. I spoke to the mom, Sara, and she introduced me to her family. I was sitting amongst the entire family and grandparents. The family had finished their trip to the United States and were returning home. Sara asked where I was going to live in Spain, and I replied — it was where she said they were from. I thought that was a nice coincidence. Sara asked me where in Andelucía I was going to live and I told her Huelva. At this moment her face dropped. “We live in Huelva!” Sara said. The size of Huelva is the same as Ann Arbor, and it is definitely not a common place for exchange students to live. Out of the hundreds of seats on that plane, I sat next to what could have been the only other people from Huelva. The story gets better. I began asking Sara where they 66

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I threw myself into not knowing what the other side would look like.

went in the U.S. and she said they visited Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan. They had been to my home and now I was going to theirs. The story gets crazier. When I arrived in Huelva, I sent Sara a text sending her my location to see how far I was from her house. It said I lived three minutes walking to Sara’s house. Once I realized that I didn’t write the address wrong and I really did live three minutes away from her house, I couldn’t believe it. Throughout my year in Spain, I would go to Sara’s house for dinner. I enjoyed spending time with Sara’s three sons while watching the 2022 World Cup. Sara’s family generously invited me on trips, which allowed me to see more of Spain. Sara is a beautiful, strong and kind mother who opened her doors to a random girl on a plane. I will forever be touched by her generosity and kindness. I want to be as welcoming and generous as Sara was. Second, my Lengua teacher Don Miguel was difficult. Don Miguel was an older man known for being the meanest teacher at Maristas. He decided he would make fun of me in front of his class. He would speak to me in Spanish, looking me dead in the eyes knowing I didn’t understand a word he was saying. The class would laugh at the things he said to me, but I was never laughing. I had never experienced this level of disrespect in my life, and I wanted to shrivel up and become a fly on the wall. I would dread Lengua class with Don Miguel every week. I was scared to sit up straight in my seat, and I would quite

OPINION

literally sit in the back of the class behind someone so I wasn’t in his eyesight. He treated me as if I was a complete idiot and made sure everyone knew what he thought. I don’t remember the moment, but at some point I stopped being scared of him. I realized he would never respect me and it didn’t matter because it was mutual. I always showed him kindness even when he was mean to me and that made me pity him. He was being mean to a fifteen year old girl because he was bored. Don Miguel taught me more than any teacher I have ever had: he taught me to never be afraid of looking someone in the eyes; he taught me to never hide behind someone because I am scared; and he taught me to never let someone make me feel that helpless again. Towards the end of the year, I would make jokes to Don Miguel that the students in my class were too afraid to say. I jokingly tried to set him up with my grandma, which became an ongoing joke for the class. I gained a new level of confidence in his class. At the end of the school year, I bought him a thank you gift: I gave him a cactus plant. Lastly, my host parents María and Gustavo. I count my host parents as one person because to me they are one strong unit. When I was young, I was worried that when I got older that I would be less silly and goofy and life wouldn’t be as fun. María and Gustavo proved me wrong. Almost every Friday, my host parents invited their friends over to our house. They would eat, sing, dance and laugh together while blasting music on the balcony.

The parties really began at midnight when María and her girlfriends became acrobats, professional singers and choreographed dancers. Many times these gatherings would go on until 5:00 am. My host parents were special, but an overall theme that I saw was that the Spaniards liked to have fun. When people were together, they rarely talked about the future because they were too busy having fun in the moment. María and Gustavo showed me that there is no age limit to fun. I want to have fun like María and Gustavo, and I aspire to focus less about the future and be more present in the moment. Sara, Don Miguel and María and Gustavo taught me valuable lessons: to be generous, to be confident and to enjoy life. Getting on that plane in September, leaving my family and going to a country where I knew zero Spanish was intimidating to say the least. I threw myself into it not knowing what the other side would look like. I came out of it stronger because of the people I met. The people made my experience. Photography provided by Klava Alicea Left page, left photo: Klava Alicea at the Rocío festival in front of the church of Santa María while the pasos present themselves to the church. Right photo: Sara and her family walking home after a night trip to Sevilla for sushi dinner. Photography provided by Klava Alicea Right page, left photo: María and Gustavo yelling at their friends from upstairs in a couples costume for a Halloween party. Right photo: Klava spontaneously running into María with her friend at a bar in the streets of Huelva. Her host mother Maíra embraces Klava in a hug and kiss.

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NARRATIVE

READERS WRITE ABOUT CONNECTION

OPINION

CLAIRE LEWIS I never understood what it meant to be known. Not until I sat down and wrote about it. Sleepy-eyed and slowly waking up on summer mornings, I sipped the coffee. The sun beat down on my face. I didn’t have to fight to be heard or try to listen. Writing was a mutual ritual and understanding, between the morning and I. Sometimes it felt like the rest of the world hadn’t woken up yet. When the sound of the coffee grinder had faded out into the mugs I’d known my whole life. The mornings were always made up of little things I’d known forever. A book sat on the coffee table, a ring of water stained the corner. My school picture that rotated each year, hung alongside two paintings that never changed. My pen glided against the page, aching to be put down. Creativity seemed to drift in and out of focus, as did everything else. And I had still been mourning a lost breakthrough. I tilted my head back and forth, the soreness from a bad night’s sleep creeping up on me. My legs folded in on each other and the sound of the clock seemed louder than usual. On the days that my house was quiet, I found myself there, on my big green chair that sat at the end of the living room. These were the mornings I could bring myself to be something. Most of the time the rest of the world felt too loud. But here, in the space that I made, it was just me. On those days when the rest of my family, my neighbors, the world, weren’t there, I could be challenged not by the volume of everyone else but by the temper of my own voice. I started with the date. This was my only job. Everything that followed wasn’t my responsibility. This was the time I allowed myself to be defined only by the way I decided to fill up the page. I had spent too much of my life trying to figure out the rest of the world, sometimes I had to decode myself. The mornings that were once bathed in sun stretched into the fall. This ritual became more of a practice. I would write a line, or maybe two, and then read it out loud. My voice filled up as much space as it could. Touching each corner of the house, bouncing off the walls, consciously finding its way back to me. Each day I became more comfortable with hearing my own voice, and my identity started to become intertwined with those pages. Writing became my way of connecting with myself and communicating with the world. Although this was a solitary act, it helped me figure out where I wanted to be. What I wanted to share with everyone else, and what I wanted to keep to myself. I learned the hard way; I pushed myself into acknowledgment before I knew what I wanted to be acknowledged for. And in turn, I’ve discovered that being known within the world comes by connecting with your own voice first.

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NARRATIVE

ZANE SWERDLOW

Sometimes connection is a chore. Sometimes you “just don’t click” with someone, and sometimes friendship is a herculean task. This year and the year prior, I have been part of an exchange program with American and Israeli high school students. An exchange is all about connection, but so many barriers stand in the way. These kids are from the other side of the world, and we’re just supposed to get along? This is what I thought, greeting them for the first time in Israel, awkwardly shuffling, hearing heavy accents and foreign slang. I felt like an outsider when they laughed together at a funny Hebrew joke. The trip could easily have coasted along just like that, making occasional small talk and keeping to our separate groups: the Israelis and the Americans. But what would be the point of that? A teenager is a teenager, and teenagers can get along. When we began to reach out, we discovered that laughter has no language. That we all have family, and we all have homework, and we all hate homework. In broken English they began to open up to us, to welcome us into their culture. And as we explored all our differences, favorite foods and unspoken rules, we also found our connection. Now they are here in America, and it becomes my job to open up. Show them my favorite foods, my life and my math homework. If there’s one thing this exchange has taught me, it’s that the world really is small. Not in the conventional way, where everyone knows each other through some mutual friend. But that everyone can be friends, that you have the potential to connect with anyone in the world. Because we are humans, and we all laugh, and sometimes we all hate our homework. So the next time you think you don’t click, reach out. Make the effort, break down the barriers. You’ll find that connection has been waiting for you.

OPINION

ISABELLA MALDONADO Pink sparkling flecks covered every crevice of my hands. A pink mesh bag filled with coins and jewels hung from my arms and big wings bobbed on my back. I was going to see the fairies. Holding my mother’s hand, I walked up and down the streets of downtown Ann Arbor, looking around every corner for a small door — a fairy door. I could see it in the distance. It wasn’t just one door, but a village of fairies. I dropped my mother’s hand immediately and sprinted head on at the village. The treasures in my bag make an enchanting clink with every step, just waiting to be given to the fairies. When I finally reached the fairy community, I stepped up on the short brick wall and tried my best to peek into the winged creature’s home. I took shiny pennies, sparkling jewels and little jars of pink glitter, and pre-

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday starts off the same. I go to CHS for my first block journalism class, and then I sprint to my car to make it in time for the rest of my school day at Skyline High School. Though the two schools are only a few miles away from each other, to me it feels as though they are part of two different worlds. I never planned on attending Community High School, even if it was only for one class. In eighth grade, it was the last thing I wanted to do. I almost prayed that I would have a high number on the waitlist just so I didn’t have to go. Even though all the alumni I knew had nothing but positive things to say about Community, I longed for the old-fashioned structure and the “traditional” high school experience. So when I got 277 on the waitlist for the CHS lottery, I was beyond pleased. That was until my dad informed me that I would be split-enrolling to take Tracy Anderson’s journalism class

sented them on the doors of each home in the square. As soon as I was done gifting the fairies, my mom took my hand once again, and we were on the hunt for the next fairy door. My mom and I did this practically every weekend when I was in kindergarten. It always seemed as though there was magic everywhere inside my home, but as I grew older the magic faded. The light shining through the windows was no longer magical, just annoying. I would give anything to see through the vibrant lenses of my six-year-old self’s eyes. And now I mourn her. I mourn every version there ever has been and will be of me. I am never the same, minute to minute, year to year, I change begrudgingly. I see the younger version of me within the halls of my home. I see me.

VEDHA KAKARLA

at CHS whether I wanted to or not. At first I was very disappointed because I didn’t want anything to do with Community High, but as the summer before my freshman year went on, I learned more about the class and how it worked and became curious and excited. Now, having a full year of taking only one class at CHS under my belt, I’ve come to realize that I no longer yearn to disassociate myself with the school, but rather I long to form the connection to the community and school that students who go to CHS full time have. I’m not in a forum, I don’t know anybody besides the upperclassmen in my journalism class, and most of all, I don’t really know anything about the CHS community. It’s a weird feeling because technically I do go to CHS but at the same time it feels like I don’t. It makes me wonder what it’s like to be a “normal” CHS student and have the opportunity to form a thorough connection with the unique and beautiful things CHS has to offer.

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REVIEWS

Out Out Loud. Loud. Three albums to hear now. BY EVAN “GUMMY OCHOA

“everything is alive” by Slowdive When discussing the genre of shoegaze as a whole — a term literally coined from performers looking down at their shoes during shows, due to the music’s signature usage of guitar pedals — it’s arguable that Slowdive is one of the most influential in that field of music. Comparative to other shoegaze outfits such as My Bloody Valentine and Ride, Slowdive always offered a sweeter side of what shoegaze could sound like: galactic trip through a starry night or arrays of light green meadows contrasting a bright sky. After a six year hiatus following their self-titled comeback album, Slowdive comes back with reinvention to their sound via “everything is alive.” Comparative to their other works, “everything is alive” has a greater emphasis on soundscapes and synthesizers; its greatest example being the fully instrumental “prayer remembered.” Nothing but guitar tones and glitched out synth pads spread off into the distance, separated by sparse drum hits. In contrast, songs like “alife” and “kisses” feel less massive and existential than other tracks on “everything is alive.” Instead it takes the form of a pop tune with the same lush environment to serve as a backdrop. Their inclusions help chop up the heaviness of other cuts, especially since tracks like “chained to a cloud” hit you with overwhelming waves of synths and instruments that meld together into a shoegaze monster. If any track towers above the rest with its oppressive sound, it’s the fittingly titled “the slab.” Leaning into different shoegaze influences, a cacophony of distortion touches everything in its path, creating an intriguing mix of tones that makes the final outcome sound harsh and serene all at the same time. Despite Slowdive not necessarily making any new waves on this LP, “everything is alive” still justifies its place in Slowdive’s limited, yet stacked discography.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

“UTOPIA” by Travis Scott

“MID AIR” by Paris Texas

Since Travis Scott’s successful “Astroworld” released back in 2017, his music releases have been sparse. Other than a couple small side projects, nothing but anticipation, drama, and tragedy has filled the time between his last two studio projects. Along with a star-studded, albeit, forgettable single teasing the new album, my skepticism was present throughout the rollout of “UTOPIA.” Despite my reservations, however, Scott has pushed himself musically to give “UTOPIA” its own identity, instead of being an “Astroworld” 2.0. With the explosive intro that is “HYAENA,” the landscape is painted out to be rugged, with its clipping, distorted drum samples and plucky guitar riffs. The rest of “UTOPIA” describes Scott’s world of late as a dystopian fantasy. The glamorous “THANK GOD” includes Scott accounting on his life, celebrating its chaotic nature, while “MY EYES” is a moment of introspection, as Scott reflects on his career. Tracks on “UTOPIA” range from experimental to right in Scott’s lane. The dance-inspired “DELRESTO (ECHOES),” with Beyonce’s feature holds a stark contrast with “MELTDOWN,” where Scott and collaborator, Drake, remake the magic of their last collaboration “SICKO MODE,” showing that lightning can strike twice in the same place. Its unimaginative cuts, however, is what sets this album back in its quality. Tracks such as “SKITZO” or “CIRCUS MAXIMUS” both feel like renditions of old material in their own way. The former feels like an “Astroworld’’ leftover, while the latter sounds like a rip-off of a Kanye West song off of “Yeezus.” However, unlike “Astroworld,” “UTOPIA” usually keeps things fresh by switching up styles in its production, being more akin to Scott’s debut studio album “Rodeo.” If anything, “UTOPIA’’ exceeded my expectations.

Louie Pastel and Felix formed the LA based duo Paris Texas in 2018, and they’ve since released projects fusing elements of hip-hop, grunge and punk. With their debut studio album “MID AIR” continuing to make waves in rap and the music industry as a whole, Paris Texas is just one part of the history of artists blurring the line between rap and rock. From Kid Cudi’s grunge-inspired “Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven” to, more recently, Lil Yachty’s psych-rock epic “Let’s Start Here,” Paris Texas takes a different approach with distorted bass and frantic punk beats. “MID AIR” has a consistent theme of being in flight or fight mode, with lyrics and production reflecting feelings of being on edge and overwhelming anxieties. Paris Texas is surrounded by the feeling of death and uncertainty on “Everybody’s Safe Until…,” with grimy, grunge guitar riffs fusing with dusty drum samples to create a sludgy sound. On the other side of the spectrum of intensity, “Sean-Jared” kicks off with frantic, rock drum samples under a whiny rap delivery. What’s even more jarring, however, is the midway beat switch into an 80s hip-hop instrumental akin to Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” — easily one of the most creative beat switches to come out this year. The project is filled with highlights, such as the tightly delivered and produced “DnD,” featuring a reflective verse from collaborator Kenny Mason; the tongue-andcheek titled “Lana Del Rey,” which builds up into a punk frenzy as a trap beat drops at the end of the track with a voice echoing “let it go”; the infectious “PANIC,” embodying a feeling of paranoia with its off-kilter synth-arps and drum rhythms. After seeing “MID AIR” perform daring stunt after stunt, it shows a chock-full of potential for duo Paris Texas.

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REVIEWS

One Piece An action-packed series that will keep you on the edge of your seat. BY BRIDGETTE KELLY

I went into Netflix’s new live-action series “One Piece” thinking I would last five minutes. Fast forward to the end of the episode and I was hooked — anxious to watch the next episode. The intense but catchy soundtrack played over pirate battles and sword fights immediately pulled me in, and the colorful costumes, unique hair colors and strong personalities built a crazy world that still managed to feel real. It was a very stimulating watch to say the least, which is perfect for someone like me who can’t sit through most series. The show starts off with the main character, Luffy, stranded in a sinking boat in the middle of the ocean. We learn that his lifelong dream is to become a pirate so he can find the ultimate pirate treasure: The One Piece. With each episode, Luffy is able to add to his crew and defeat other pirates standing in his way of finding The One Piece. Although the show was mostly full of action-packed scenes, there were some heart-wrenching moments that revealed a character’s backstory and motivation which kept me rooting for them from beginning to end. Each episode ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger that kept me binging until late at night. I wanted to see the characters

Mexican Gothic A socialite in her twenties goes to save her cousin from the eerie house of the family her cousin married into. BY CLAIRE STEIGELMAN

“Mexican Gothic” entraps you into the story like how the flora entraps the main character Noemí Taboada within High Place, an old Victorian mansion on a rocky outcrop above a dying former silver mining town in the 1950s Mexican countryside. The presence of Noemí, a freedom-loving socialite from Mexico City, at High Place comes as a result from her cousin, Catalina, who is married to the heir to the Doyle family fortune, or rather what is left of it. The letter requesting Noemí’s presence is cryptic and frightening. Catalina believes she is being poisoned by her husband. Noemí’s father sends her to investigate this marriage that he did not approve of with the promise of paying for her to seek a master’s degree in anthropology at the National University, an activity that he also didn’t approve of. Noemí arrives at the forgotten town enveloped in poverty via a rickety train that occasionally services the town. The isolated world of High Place is unusual to her and out of place in the high Mexican mountains. The Doyle’s are living in a different time period. Everything 74

succeed and watch them battle it out using each of their particular abilities. With all this said, being such an over-the-top action show, it did come with some ridiculously cliché and drawn-out fight scenes. Some of the villains could have killed everyone within seconds but just had to get their life story and some maniacal laughs in, causing them to wind up defeated. The series also came with a fair share of cheesy dialogue that made me squirm in discomfort, such as Luffy’s infamous “Gum Gum Wip!” but both these complaints of mine did add to the suspense and heartfelt nature of “One Piece.” Overall, this series completely blew past my expectations. It was definitely out of my comfort zone, but I am glad I decided to give it a try. I even got my dad hooked on it, which might be the greatest compliment I could give to “One Piece.” I will be checking the dates closely for season two — I can’t wait to devote another night to the next season of this amazing show! is almost as it was when they first immigrated to Mexico from England in the mid-1800s to make their fortune in silver. The old Victorian house almost commands the silence its owner, the patriarch of the family, commands. The family and their antiquated ways disgust her. The patriarch holds a similar affinity of anthropology but believes in old-fashioned theories of superior races. He makes a snide comment on how her skin tone is darker than her cousin’s. His desires and secretive past fuel his obsession with race, and in turn the family’s. He wants the Doyle line to continue but not for the reason you may think. The more time she spends there, the harder it is for her to leave. Her cousin is indeed sick and believes she sees ghosts, but the Doyle family and their physician won’t let her seek help at nearby mental institutions. It’s 1950, so Catalina’s husband is technically the only person who can make legal decisions for her. Noemí begins to see the ghosts too. The ghosts and their story tell her to leave, but she can’t go without Catalina and Francis, the only family member who is willing to be close to her. They have to fight to leave the house and its power of unkempt rot holds them at bay. Moreno-Garcia artfully begins to unravel the mystery she has woven as their will to leave and the house’s power grows exponentially. Who are these ghosts? What terrible things happened here so long ago? Why is the rest of the family so secretive? Will Noemí, Catalina and Francis make it out?

Available on Netflix “One Piece” is based off of the 1997 Japanese manga series which was also made into an anime television series in 1999.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Bottoms A raunchy, lesbian comedy rife with bruises and battles. BY LUCA HINESMAN

Hilarious, raunchy and original, “Bottoms” by Emma Seligman (director and writer) is the comeback queer movie that lesbians needed. “Bottoms” centers around a duo, Josie and PJ, who are entering their senior year of high school. Josie and PJ are the lesbian social outcasts who can’t compete with the celebrity status that the school’s football players have achieved. They are the “ugly, untalented gays” of the school and have been crushing on two of the hottest cheerleaders. Both halves of the duo still have their virginity cards, leaving them desperate and willing to do anything for sex. When it is rumored that Josie and PJ have spent time as juveniles, they decide to run with the rumor in order to win over their out-of-league crushes. After gaining the identity of being tough and invincible, they decide to create a self-defense club to further attract women. Intense fighting, blood, bruises and broken bones — which

are shockingly allowed — draw multiple women into the club, including their two crushes. “Bottoms” truly encapsulates the experience of being an awkward, out-of-place teenager and has great queer representation. I loved how Emma Seligman (writer) and Rachel Sennot (actress and writer) made the characters’ queerness just another part of their identities, as opposed to a huge burden. It shows queer people at their best and their worst, ultimately creating an outrageously funny setting that I believe fits right in with other lesbian comedies like “But I’m a Cheerleader” and “Booksmart.” Although I can see this film becoming a staple of the LGBTIA+ film genre, I did see some flaws in it. The editing is a little too rapid at some points and feels as though too much was cut out of the movie. I believe a director’s cut would be super interesting and potentially better for the plot. Not only that, Seligman could have gone further to shock the audience. The movie doesn’t lack drama or bloody moments, though Seligman could have made those moments feel less tame in the moment by stretching the insanity even more. Even though “Bottoms” is set in an insane fantasy world, you will be entertained with its hilarious outcomes.

Available in theaters Bottoms is directed by Emma Seligman and stars Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri.

of neon lights and city noise. Underscoring the faded Tokyo lights is a beautiful soundtrack, completing the lonely feel of the film and perfecting the handheld sequences of city streets, making you feel like a wandering wide-eyed nomad in the massive urban sprawl. This movie feels like a small sip of a hot drink on a cold day, descending into your stomach and warming your whole body for a brief moment, before leaving you just as cold as before: the isolation of a new city and the spark of confused love. Then, as quick as they came together, Bob and Charlotte must part ways. Both of them return to their mundane lives and unhappy marriages. It’s not a happy ending, but it’s not a sad one either. Like the rest of the movie, it ends with a deep feeling of ennui. The knowledge that life is often lonely and sad, and that happiness is all too often fleeting. But it shows the beauty in this, and the beauty that can be found in all corners of life. As they exchange final glances, “Just Like Honey” by The Jesus and Mary Chain fills the speakers and a sort of knotted weight fills my stomach every time.

Available on Netflix “Lost in Translation” was released in 2003. The movie was directed by Sophia Coppola, and stars Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. Coppola won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Lost in Translation A deeply moving portrait of life’s fleeting moments BY ZANE SWERDLOW

“Lost in Translation” is not a movie with a story. Yes, things happen; there are characters, emotion and progression, but this is not where the value of the film lies. “Lost in Translation” is a movie of atmosphere — a movie trying to make its viewer truly immersed. It works through color, music and sense perception. Where most movies would compare to a realistic painting, one of dramatic scenery or a famous event, “Lost in Translation” symbolizes like massive blank canvases filled with only one color. It’s not about what you see, it’s about the visceral reaction that it evokes. The movie centers around two main characters, Bob and Charlotte. Bob is a tired, middle-aged man, a formerly successful actor relegated to C-list advertising gigs. He has come to the city of Tokyo to be the “sophisticated” face of a new whiskey campaign. Charlotte is young, guileless and beautiful. She was brought to Tokyo by her husband, a photographer who pays her very little mind. They are both lost in life: alive but unhappy, sinking ever deeper into their respective ruts. Bob and Charlotte are very, very different, yet their lives have brought them together. And despite their superficial differences, they soon discover that they are very much alike. The movie follows the characters as they realize this fact, connecting deeply and experiencing the alien landscapes of Tokyo together. As they travel through the city, their bond is the oasis in a vast desert

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REVIEWS

Cassidy McKenna One CHS artist reflects on how both their family and friends have inspired their art and encouraged them to keep creating. BY NINA TINNEY AND BEE WHALEN

Cassidy McKenna has always been surrounded by creatives: art teachers, classmates, grandmothers and older siblings — all of whom McKenna credits with shaping her into the artist she is today. Growing up, McKenna and her siblings would often visit their grandmother’s house to work on art. Together, they would experiment with watercolors, colored pencils and different drawing techniques. During these visits, McKenna’s grandmother would provide 76

tips and tricks, patiently helping whenever needed. “I always liked to see what my grandmother was making,” McKenna said. “It’s really cool being around someone that makes art because it lets you see a possibility for the future.” McKenna was constantly watching what those around her were doing. As she sat at the kitchen table, she would take quick peeks at both her grandmother and older brother’s papers. McKenna used her awe

of their artwork as motivation to continue working and putting in the practice. Years later, McKenna continues to follow in her family member’s footsteps. Her older brother of two years had already been involved in the CHS art department, so when it was time for McKenna to start high school, she very quickly acquainted herself with the CHS art world. Already familiar with the school, McKenna signed up for several art classes, joined the art club and has

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been involved ever since. “My sibling had already been staying after school for art club,” she said. “So I thought ‘Why not stay too?’ Then my mom doesn’t have to drive back and forth as much.” McKenna has found that there is great camaraderie in art club. She enjoys sitting with the other members and bouncing ideas off one another. Last year, McKenna worked with her fellow club members to create an interactive exhibit for the Fool Moon Festival, a local celebration featuring handmade luminaries. In the days leading up to the night time spectacle, they pieced together old cardboard, scraps of wallpaper and paint cans. Working with limited time and materials, McKenna found problem-solving with her peers to be an incredibly rewarding experience. As McKenna continues to grow as an artist, she realizes the importance of this creative community. “Art wouldn’t be as big of a thing if there weren’t people helping build each other’s concepts,” McKenna said. “So many different techniques were created by the collaboration of people — it wasn’t just one person. Art is all about experimentation and if there is a group of people it will only get better and better.” Drawing inspiration from the people around her, McKenna now has an eclectic, whimsical style. From the days spent watercolor painting with her grandmother to her hours spent in high school art classes, her art has changed drastically. She hopes that when people look at her unconventional watercolor pieces, they feel something — whether or not she intended to make them feel that way. At the heart of McKenna’s creations are all of the connections she’s made with others. Whether she is drawing with her family or working on a project with her peers, it is their artistry that encourages her to keep working on her own.

Art courtesy of Cassidy McKenna Pictured on the left is “Baker Birds” and on the right is “The Cliff.” Made with watercolor and acrylic paints, the two paintings took hours of time and attention. McKenna considers the two paintings to be a great representation of her unconventional style.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

CON NEC TED THROUGH FASHION BY MORGAN MCCLEASE AND ADDI HINESMAN

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FASHION

SEWN INTO OUR

IDENTITY Fashion is more than just a form of self-expression, for some, it is what gives them a sense of connection to not only themselves but the people around them. Emily Yesowitz, a senior at CHS, discovered the way she dressed could help her feel more like herself, but before high school that wasn’t the case. Before entering high school, Yesowitz did not wear a lot of colors, sticking to a more neutral palette, contrasting with her style now — full of color, patterns and life. Yesowitz describes her style as childish; she incorporates many different colors and patterns. “I’ve really come up with the philosophy that I only wear things that I love, that make me happy,” Yesowitz said. The most important thing in Yesowitz’s outfit is that it represents her uniquely as a person. Even on Yesowitz’s worst days, the act of piecing together an outfit brightens her day, even in the slightest bit — her outfit is what carries her through the day. “It’s just kind of it’s kind of a pick me up, it makes me feel confident — you kind of just have to fake it till you make it,” Yesowitz said. “Looking powerful makes me feel powerful.” Not only has fashion empowered Yesowitz to express herself, but she has also been able to connect with those around her, gravitating towards individuals who used their style to express themselves in similar, yet unique ways.

Eva Beals (right), Anya Akhoury (middle) and Emily Yesowitz (right) find common ground in fashion. Though their tastes differ, the three bonded over their shared interest. “I think having the similarity and also the difference in styles just creates a comfortable dissonance,” Yesowitz said.

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“We’re all so different, but also similar in so many ways,” Yesowitz said. “I think that having the similarity and also the difference in styles just creates a comfortable dissonance.” Anya Akhoury, a senior at CHS, has found that fashion has allowed them to surround themselves with people they love, becoming something that connects them, and allowing them to celebrate their similarities and differences. “Our styles are similar in some ways, it’s kind of like a mix and match between a lot of my friends,” Akhoury said. High school has given Akhoury the opportunity to develop their style, unlocking a deeper connection to themself. “In middle school, I didn’t really know anything about fashion, but during high school, I’ve figured it out a little bit,” Akhoury said. “It’s a universal thing, there is so much to learn.” Eva Beals, a senior at CHS, also felt more connected to the people

she surrounds herself with through the clothes she chooses to wear, allowing her to develop close friendships with like-minded people. “All my friends I feel have very distinct styles, that’s part of what I love about them so much, they’re all so unapologetically themselves,” Beals said. “Fashion allows you to do that, you have to be yourself through fashion.” Beals has always been more of a shy individual, allowing her to turn to fashion as a way to put herself out there in a way that makes her feel comfortable. “Fashion allows me to show people a part of myself without having to actually go and tell them these things,” Beals said. Beals began focusing more on what she wore when she began high school and since has been on a journey of developing her style. “I felt like my clothes weren’t really speaking to who I was,” Beals said. “Now, I feel like I’m expressing myself in the way I want other people to see me.”

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FASHION

Abbi Bachman

Abbi Bachman wears a gray graphic t-shirt, a black long sleeve, corduroy pants, Adidas Sambas and some of her favorite jewelry.

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Ebie Lamb

Ebie Lamb wears a flower crocheted top, black ripped jeans, rainbow-laced Converse and gold jewelry.

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FASHION

Parker Haymart

Parker Haymart wears a blue dress shirt, black cargo pants, sneakers and a necklace he bought at a Farmers Market.

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Allison Mayer wears a dark gray button-down with a white top underneath, tan pants and black Converse, all paired with gold jewelry.

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PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE

Tessa

APREA

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Tessa

APREA

Marcel Proust’s questionnaire, created in 1890, featuring Tessa Aprea.

BY SERENA O’BRIEN AND ISABELLA JACOB

What is your idea of perfect happiness? When I’m satisfied with where I’m at. When I don’t need anything else. What is your greatest fear? The dark and being alone. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Being a procrastinator. What is the trait you most deplore in others? When others are cocky. What is your greatest extravagance? Clothes and dance stuff. What is your current state of mind? I’m very chill and trying to flow through. On what occasion do you lie? The question “Did you get your homework done?” What is the quality you most like in a man? Someone who is kind and not egotistical. What is the quality you most like in a woman? Probably humor or someone who is not drama filled. Which words or phrases do you most overuse? Probably “lol” and “what.” What talent would you most like to acquire? The ability to learn something right away. When and where were you happiest? Over the summer when I’m at my cottage. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I would change how difficult it is to do my hair. Where would you most like to live? Somewhere tropical but I’ve also always wanted to go to Switzerland but I’d probably want to live in Italy. What is your most treasured possession? I think it’s my first pair of pointe shoes. What is your most marked characteristic? My humor or the fact that some people say I do really well in school, even though I procrastinate. Who are your favorite writers? I’d say Jenny Han. She wrote “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” Who are your heroes in real life? My mom and Misty Copeland. What do you value in a friend? I value honesty and kindness. Like I don’t want to be friends if someone’s super judgmental. What historical figure do you identify with? Ruth Bader Ginsburg. What is your greatest regret? Not staying in contact with certain people. How would you like to die? Of old age. What is it that you most dislike? Annoying people. What is your motto? What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Photography by Addi Hinesman Tessa Aprea stands against the ivy wall in Kerrytown. The freshman spends her free time dancing and hanging out with friends.

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SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Donors Thank you for supporting the production of our publication. Suzanne Admiraal Patrick O’Brien Kristin Gapske Peter Gergics Lauren Katz Joel Rubenstein Carol Deahl Seker Family Ronny O’Brien The Jett Pack Holkeboer Family Sue Ann Savas The Shikanov Family Adam Lauring Carolyn Yoon Fred Feinberg Suzanne Davidson Beth Nazario Elana & Jonaman Greenberg Sarah Munro Darrin Greenawalt Wasco Family Jackson Hunter Roshayne Jaimon

Nat Leventhal Regan Knapp John Scudder Linda Young & Bob Carroll Kristin McGuire Carrie Bank Linda & Bill Anderson Kate Albertini The Tirico Family Ana Baylin Jenni Lane Yun Huang Dr. Karla Blackwood Mark Newman Valerie Jo Taylor The Pellerin Family Alisse Portnoy Mark Rothstein Meghan Wernimont Noah Garfield The Freeth Family The Freiwald Family Abbie Lawrence-Jacobson & Alan Jacobson

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HUMANS OF COMMUNITY

Humans of Community Whom do you feel connected with? BY DANNY GING AND JONAH KLEIN

Amadou Kouyate “Soccer has given me connections that are really important to me. I play it every day. And I’ve been playing it ever since I was six years old. I’ve met a lot of people through soccer because I’ve played for three clubs, which has been hard, especially because it was hard for me to get playing time after the first switch. But when I just switched to my new club, it was a lot more fun because now I start, which feels really good. I’m really close with most of my teammates I think it’s important to be close to your team because if you’re closer with your team, you’re gonna be a stronger team overall. You’ll have more fun and more chemistry.”

Dexter Idzikowski “I’m connected to my cats. I’ve had them for I think six years. I remember coming home one day and my mom had a surprise in her bedroom and it was two cats, two very small kittens. They were small enough to be held in my hand, and they’ve been around me most of my life I can remember. Every day when I come home, I just see them sitting on my bed or eating food or messing around with the garbage can or something. It’s always been nice to have a little person there to eat by my side.”

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Kelly Maveal “I am connected to my nieces and nephew. I moved back to Michigan after college to really be closer to them and it was right around the time that my sister was giving birth and I’ve lived here since, so I’ve had this really sweet opportunity to watch them grow up. We have this special bond. When I don’t have kids of my own, they’re the closest thing I have to it. And so it’s also nice because you can be the fun aunt who stops over and brings cookies and takes girl trips out and about, but then when bedtime comes around and the emotions start to come out, I get to say, ‘See you soon.’ So I’m really grateful to be an aunt. It’s one of the most special things in my life. They go to Ann Arbor schools, they live right down the street from Community so I’m seeing them all the time, oftentimes doing pickup, drop off, you know, impromptu dinners and barbecues in their backyard and going to soccer games. I see them all the time.”

Elliot Mason “I’m connected to my friends, mostly my best friend Liam McNeil. We’ve been friends all our lives. His mom was the anesthetist that helped my mom give birth to me so I like to say we’ve been friends before we were born. We’ve been through everything together. Like most of our life experiences were together. We went to preschool, elementary and middle school together. We don’t go to high school together because he moved away but we still live right down the street from each other. We’ll always play video games together and call each other about whatever. We’re going to be separated for college because we both plan to go to different colleges, but we’ll stay close.”

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CRAVE

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Spaghetti all’Assassina BY RUTH SHIKANOV

I never thought too deeply about dinner. Yes, my family and I eat dinner together every single night, but it was only recently that I thought about the memories a meal can hold at the dining table: the set of four white pristine plates, a vibrant, colorful salad and the aromatic smell of whatever dish was cooked. From an early age, I started cooking with my dad, curious about the different smells of spices, tastes of different vegetables, textures of different kinds of foods and the list goes on. Spaghetti all’Assassina, or Assassin’s Spaghetti, is one of the many comforting dishes I have made as I feel it brings me closer and more connected with my dad. We work together as a team; I chop, he stirs. I drain, he plates. We have a routine when it comes to cooking and the click of the gas stove and the sound of oil sizzling provides a sense of nostalgia. To prepare it, you place raw spaghetti in a pan and cook it in crushed-up tomatoes. The result is slightly burnt, yet crispy caramelized spaghetti with a rich, spicy tomato flavor. I hope you will have the opportunity to create it with someone you are close with and get to appreciate the joy of cooking such a simple, yet delicious dish.

Ingredients: 400 grams of Bucatini 150 grams of Tomato Puree 100 grams of Tomato Paste 1 liter of Water, for the Broth 3 cloves of Garlic 150 milliliters of Olive Oil 2 Red Chili Peppers Salt and Sugar to taste Parmesan cheese and basil to top with Directions: 1) Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and allow it to sizzle until it starts to turn golden. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, water and salt. Bring to a simmer. But once it starts simmering, reduce to low heat. 2) Pour olive oil into a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat and season with chili flakes. Heat until chili flakes start to sizzle, then add raw spaghetti. Toss until well coated with the chili oil. 3) Pour in about three cups of the tomato broth. Move pasta with tongs to evenly distribute the tomato broth with the pasta. Cook until most of the broth has been absorbed or evaporated and the spaghetti starts frying in the pan. 4) Keep cooking, turning the pasta around until the pasta starts to brown. Let it lightly char as well. 5) Slowly add the remainders of the tomato broth and repeat the process: turn the pasta to guarantee an even distribution of crispiness, allow it to sit and add the tomato broth. 6) Plate the pasta and top with whatever toppings you desire such as parmesan cheese, basil and a generous drizzle of olive oil.

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OUR TURN

Our Turn Staff members talk about connection. BY BRIDGETTE KELLY AND MARISA ANDONI-SAVAS

Bridgette Kelly “One thing I have a connection to is food. My mom always cooks delicious homemade meals. Some of my favorites are tandoori chicken, pasta bake and meatloaf. Coming home after a long day, it’s always nice to sit down at the dinner table and eat food that is so familiar and so scrumptious. My parents and I connect through food by trying new recipes and restaurants. We like to talk about what spices or herbs we think are good and bad and also try new combinations of foods. My family and I have laughed through all these weird combinations that I try and we learn more about each other through the foods that we like.”

Luca Hinesman “I would say I am most connected to my older sister, Addi. She has been in my life from the very beginning, and we have seen each other through it all. We are completely different people in many ways, but we relate to each other in a way only some siblings can. She is someone that I can look across a room to when something weird happens and know that it might become an inside joke that we could momentarily be cackling about. I have seen her through her very awkward teen phase and now I have seen her grow up into a great leader. I’m proud of her and all she has accomplished at such a young age and I know she can say the same about me.”

Wilson Zheng “I think that I’m probably most connected to my grandma. When I was young, my parents never really had time to take care of me since they were always at work, which led to my grandma taking care of me and my younger sister. She made us warm meals, took us to the park, read us stories at night and punished us when we weren’t behaving well. Now that she’s older, she can’t take care of me anymore, but I’m still really grateful for everything she’s done for me and my family. Now we often spend time together watching Chinese drama shows and baking her favorite treats, which I am more than happy to do.”

Jonathan Carter “I’m most connected to my mom. She’s a role model in my life and she’s the one I look up to and inspire to be in both my career and personal life. She used to be a dental assistant, but before that she worked at the city of Oak Park as an administrative officer. Back when she was a city rep, she hadn’t finished college and she realized she was tired of it, so she went back to college and worked hard and got her bachelor’s degree. She’s just such a hard worker and I feel like all that hard work really is inspiring. I also think it’s rubbing off on me.”

Aidan Hsia “I’m most connected with my dog, Luna. She is a Great Pyrenees and is turning eight in December. Me and my brother were saying, “we want another dog,” so my mom took us up to a farm near Oscoda. She said it was a “Michigan Safari.” I really love her. She really likes snow and I love being out there with her because she gets so excited. I’ve been trying to find places to walk her longer, places that are more in nature and have trees. There’s a pond near my house and it’s secluded. It’s out in the woods and a beautiful area, especially in the winter. She was originally named Munchkin, but when we got her but we named her Luna because Luna is moon in French, and she’s a pretty white color.”

Ionie Steudle “These past couple months I’ve been really connected to music. I feel like I have a crazy big range of music. I’m not like ‘if it’s not this genre, I’m not listening to it.’ If it’s good music, it’s good music. I listen to a lot of stuff like Fiona Apple and Phoebe Bridgers. I feel connected to music because it’s hard to express my emotions vocally, so listening to music when it’s relatable makes me feel less alone. I feel like music can help, it’s such a beautiful thing not only listening to but also making music and playing instruments.”

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