The Communicator, Senior Edition, v. 51

VOL. 51, SENIOR EDITION, MAY 2024

About the Cover

In keeping with tradition, this Edition, a magazine centered on and around the senior class. Every member of the class of 2024 was invited to have their portrait taken in Room 300 — with full creative freedom. The result? 98 portraits, ranging from silly to serious to doubly silly. Those portraits were then compiled to form our cover, giving each senior the opportunity to see themselves on the front cover of a magazine. For some, it

Dear Readers,

This is the first year in many that our print editor team is made up entirely of seniors. We will be turning the task of making The Communicator — translating the world around us into neat lines of justified text — over to a whole new set of hands.

There are things that we are unlikely to miss — playing the endlessly frustrating game of “to capitalize or not to capitalize,” making last minute edits to make the text line up at the bottom of a page and attempting to concoct a full spread design without a single pre-existing design element, but as we think about the future, about Boston, about Chicago, about the deep South and all those places in between that our classmates will be heading off to, we think about the community that we are losing.

We’ve written about late production nights, the Room 300 special (we may not have originated banana peppers and feta on pizza, but we’d like to take credit for reviving it as a staple) and Tracy’s world-renowned chocolate chip cookies before, but we have no choice but to make mention of them again as we think about the prospect of leaving them behind. The Communicator has taken up minutes, hours and years of our lives — what will fill all that newly available time?

However much uncertainty the future may hold, we will always find comfort in the memories of our time at Community. In this edition, we continue our long held tradition of putting the spotlight on seniors, taking this final magazine of the year as an opportunity to celebrate the senior class and all that they have accomplished.

We, alongside our peers in the class of 2024, joined the Community High School cohort virtually. We saw each other’s profile pictures before we saw each other’s faces. But we have come so far from those days of forced isolation. Now, we have seen so much of each other’s faces — seen all the emotions that we have felt ourselves reflected back at us: disappointment at a college rejection, joy at taking home the Forum Competition Week trophy, excitement at polishing off the last of JTP’s FOS IV quizzes and desolation at being matched up with the Yager Forum (the reigning champions) in tug-of-war.

Throughout our time in high school we have grown and changed in countless ways, and we will continue to grow as we move into a wholly new stage of life, but we hope that this edition provides a snapshot of who we were in this moment. We won’t ever get to live it again.

Your Editors,

PRINT EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

SPECIALIST JOURNALISTS

ALCUMBRACK

JACQUELINE

JONATHAN

PIPER COOKE,

COSTELLO-SAILE, GABRIEL DEEDLER, MINT DRISKILL, HELIO FONG, ALLY FREIWALD, KAYLEE GADEPALLI, KYRIE GARWOOD, EMMA GOBLIRSCH, AVA GRIFFITH, KATE GROVES, STEPHANIE HADLEY, ANDREW HADLEY, MOLLY HAMALAINEN, LUCA HINESMAN, ANNABELLE HOARD, DANIEL JACOB, JASMINE JENNINGS, VEDHA KAKARLA, AUGUSTUS KASCHUBE, VIOLET KNYAL, SERAFINA KUTCHER, CHARLIE LAMAN, MAX LAWTON, WALKER LEDBETTER, CLAIRE LEWIS, JACK LEWIS, MALCOLM LONDON, ELIJAH MAKMANLEVINSON, ISABELLA MALDONDO, ELLE MCCREADIE, WILLIAM MILITZER, IVY MILLER, EVA MILLWOOD, JACK MORGAN, JANAKI NALLAMOTHU, SAMUEL OLIVER, PAIGE PLAVNICK, MIA RUBENSTEIN, AMELIA SANDSTROM, ESHWAR SCHADEN, ALEX SCHWARTZ, ELON SHAFFER-GREEN, NEILA SHEE, PAYTON SLY, IONIE STEUDLE, ELAINE STEVENSON, ZANE SWERDLOW, RIA THOMAS, NINA TINNEY, MALLORY TOWERS, MARIAH ZEIGLER, EMMA ZELLER, WILSON ZHENG

Columbia Scholastic Press Association

Crown Finalist & Winner 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019

National Scholastic Press Association

Pacemaker Finalist 2024

Pacemaker Finalist 2023

Pacemaker Finalist and Winner 2022, Pacemaker 2021-2022

Pacemaker Finalist and Winner 2020

Pacemaker Finalist and Winner 2019

The Communicator Policy

The Communicator is an 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

Table of Contents

VOLUME 51, SENIOR EDITION | MAY 2024

Story Package News

7

Senior Profiles

In this edition, we continue the Communicator tradition of senior profiles. Seniors share their favorite memories, the people they’ll miss and advice for the underclassmen.

CHS Mock Trial’s A Team wins the Michigan Mock Trial state tournament and advance to the national competition. Nationals Bound: CHS Mock Trial Takes First in State

BY SERENA O’BRIEN

11

Forum Competition Week Is Back and Better Than Before

Forum Council plans Forum Competition Week in an effort to help forums bond and build school pride.

BY LUCIA PAGE SANDER AND JACQUELINE BOYNTON

Photography by Addi Hinesman and Clara Freeth

15

Destined To Dance 107

Marisa Andoni-Savas describes her evolution as a dancer and how she plans to incorporate dancing into her future.

BY NINA TINNEY

17

BY HANNAH RUBENSTEIN Seniors of CET

Seniors that have participated in CET reflect on past productions, experiences and memories they have made.

23

Closing One Door To Open Another

Two seniors talk about leaving home and CHS as they look forward to creating their own path at new schools.

BY ANJALI

KAKARLA AND AILISH KILBRIDE

25

BY STAFF College Essays

Seniors were given the opportunity to submit college essays that they were proud of, including their Common App essays.

31

Letters Home

The Communicator alums detail their first year away from CHS and how they’ve created new homes for themselves.

BY CHS ALUMNI

BY MORGAN MCCLEASE Senior Mock Awards

2024 Senior Map

High school superlatives for the class of 2024, as voted on by their peers.

The Senior Map illustrates the many places our seniors will be heading next year.

BY RUTH SHIKANOV

103

Readers Write 109

Short personal narratives written by senior staff on their high school experience.

BY STAFF

Senior Ebie Lamb discusses her passion for art in all mediums and her decision to go to art school.

BY NINA TINNEY

Artist Profile: Ebie Lamb

not

kind of doing alright.’”

Nationals Bound: CHS Mock Trial Takes First in State

After a fraught state tournament, CHS Mock Trial advances to nationals for the first time in nearly a decade.

BY SERENA O’BRIEN

Tensions were high: wooden pews overflowing with spectators — practically spilling out onto the blue-carpeted floors, the jury box lined with scoring judges and six CHS students anxiously awaiting the verdict before their teammates and coaches. Would they be making a tradition of runner-up or breaking the pattern?

Chloe Root, CHS Mock Trial head coach, vividly remembers the previous year’s state competition, which resulted in a second place finish for the team. A particularly brutal final round in the 2023 tournament had left a bitter taste. Two years before that, in 2021, the team had faced a nearly identical loss, with a close championship

round culminating in a disappointing second place finish.

But on March 23, 2024, no such disappointment was in store. A nail biting few minutes of acknowledgments yielded the tournament’s conclusion: for the first time in nearly a decade, CHS Mock Trial would be advancing to the national tournament.

The courtroom exploded with applause as the realization that the team had placed first in the state set in. The feeling of elation that swept through the team members in the crowd was somewhat delayed in reaching the competing members in the well, who were, admittedly, dead on their feet.

It had been a long day for all involved,

Photography by Anthony Wang

The CHS and Kalamazoo Central High School Mock Trial teams pose with their first and second place plaques, respectively. After a close final round, the CHS team took home the State Champion title. “I was both shocked and

at all shocked,” Rotenberg said. “Just because during the trial I kept going back and forth like, ‘Oh, we’re doing amazing,’ or ‘Oh, wait, the other team is

with registration beginning at 8 a.m. and the final round continuing well into the evening. The first two rounds of the day had been the qualifying rounds, with each side of the team (Plaintiff and Defense) guaranteed an opportunity to compete.

The Defense side competed in the first round, followed by the Plaintiff side in the second. From there, the top four teams from the preliminary rounds advanced to the semi-finals. Because the Plaintiff side had competed in the second round, the Defense was on the docket to compete in the semifinals.

It would follow then that the Plaintiff side would compete in the finals. However, since the teams representing the Defense from both semi finals advanced, the matter was settled with a coin flip, which came in favor of the other team: 21-time state champions, Kalamazoo Central High School. They chose to compete as the Plaintiff.

Charlotte Rotenberg, who portrayed Cambridge Leone, a witness for the Plaintiff side, was shocked. She’d been expecting to have to compete in the final.

Root had mixed emotions. On the one hand, she felt for the Plaintiff side, who would only have gotten to compete in one of four rounds. She also felt for the Defense, who would have to compete in their second consecutive round and their third of the day. On the other hand, she thought that the Defense had an edge in the case.

“I wasn’t happy about Plaintiff not getting to go in the last round,” Root said. “But I was relieved that out of the two sides, regardless of who had been on whichever team, that Defense was going because I was like, ‘I think we have an advantage here.’”

Despite Rotenberg’s initial disappointment at missing out on an opportunity to compete, she was excited to watch her team move forward. Rotenberg, originally a member of B Team, was thrilled to have been able to compete at states, as her team hadn’t advanced from the regional competition. However, as a result of an A Team member being unavailable for the state competition, she stepped into the role.

“It was a little nerve-wracking,” Rotenberg said. “Like what if I’m not doing as well as they did because we play witnesses

differently?”

Despite just one month for Rotenberg to prepare with her new attorney partner, her round went off without a hitch, as the Plaintiff won all three ballots — a critical contribution that allowed the team as a whole to advance to the afternoon rounds.

Although 11 team members competed in the state tournament, the national tournament allows just nine competing members per team. All competing seniors at states had been guaranteed a competing spot should the team make it to nationals, which left just one more spot for a junior member, a decision that, like the assignment of sides for the final round, came down to a coin toss.

Sam Austin, junior, won the position. He, along with seniors Abbi Bachman, Indigo Guikema, Moose Gultekin, Isabella Jacob, Keegan Malestein, Serena O’Brien, Ari Taylor and Sylvie Zawacki represented Team Michigan at the national tournament, which was held in Wilmington, DE from May 2-5.

Photography by Anthony Wang

Top: From left to right, Serena O’Brien, Isabella Jacob and Lina Bailey shake hands with the presiding judge from the final round, Hon. Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Right-top: Sam Austin and Indigo Guikema embrace in the jury room, celebrating the team’s advancement to the final round of the state tournament.

Right-bottom: Abbi Bachman and Serena O’Brien anxiously await the announcement of which side of their team would be competing in the final round.

Counselor’s Corner

CHS counselors Kelly Maveal and Brian Williams share their thoughts on upcoming graduation and emotions shared with them by the senior class.

BY MIA RUBENSTEIN AND MALLORY TOWERS

As we near the end of the 2023-2024 school year, CHS counselors Kelly Maveal and Brian Williams are busier than ever. They’ve had their hands full helping seniors enjoy their last few months of high school and cope with the anxiety that comes along with that. Though every senior has their own plan post graduation, from taking a gap year to starting college right away, Maveal has noticed a shared sentiment among the class of 2024. For many seniors, this time of year brings an amalgam of emotions.

“The seniors that I’ve talked to are in this limbo stage of being excited about what’s to come and getting their plans finalized for the fall,” Maveal said. “A lot of that comes with exciting energy and healthy fear, but also trying to soak up the short time that we have left.”

She has seen seniors approach graduation with one of two mindsets. Some have

caught a case of “senioritis” and can’t wait to be done with high school. They’ve been struggling to find motivation to do their schoolwork and have found it challenging to show up to school for the last month of the year. For others, the thought of graduation evokes feelings of melancholy. Once May is over, their future is uncertain. These seniors are leaving the safe and structured environment of Community to go off into the unknown. Most of the kids they’ve seen in the hallways for the past four years they will never see again.

While graduating means more freedom for the seniors, it also means leaving behind a chapter of their lives. Not only are they are leaving their friends and family, some may be leaving the town that they were born in.

“I recognize the space that they’re in and why they’re feeling that way,” Williams said. “Either excited or not, whatever

way that is, we figure out how to get through these next few weeks. Then, we also plan ahead a little bit, like, ‘Once you do get through, how do you either keep yourself excited, motivated or refocus on that next step?’”

Graduation at Community is unique in that it offers each senior the opportunity to give a short, 30-second speech. Preparations for graduation start long before the end of spring. Williams and Maveal meet individually with seniors to discuss what their speech will look like. Alongside that, the pair help to organize events at graduation where seniors can show off their skills. For Williams, this is a highlight in the school year.

“I love graduation,” Williams said. “It’s fun to see students look forward to our abnormally long graduation ceremonies. We get a chance to hear all the seniors with their last little ‘this is me,’ and are able to reflect on that.”

and Kelly

The two are looking forward to graduation and celebrating the accomplishments of this year’s seniors. “It’s fun to see students look forward to our abnormally long graduation ceremonies,” Brian Williams said.

In the weeks prior to spring break, much of our meeting time was dedicated to the planning of the second annual Forum Competition Week, which is designed to promote bonding within CHS forums by encouraging friendly, intramural competition.Forums were pitted against each other in activities ranging from musical chairs to a school-wide scavenger-hunt-esque “Riddle Run.”

The week-long event, which ended with a second win for the Kiley Forum, was a success, with school-wide participation. The new Forum Council administration plans to continue the tradition next year.

Now that the forum festivities have concluded, we’ve redirected our focus to planning for Commstock. My co-president, Morgan McClease, and I, Isabella Jacob, have spearheaded those efforts with the support of vice-president Addi Hinesman and secretary Ebie Lamb.

We have divided into five subcommittees, equipment, logistics, food, music and activities. Together, we have also been setting up the audition process. This year’s leadership board will form the review committee, which will select and approve acts for the annual music festival.

Planning Commstock for my last year at CHS is bittersweet. I have countless fond memories of Forum Council and the time spent with Ryan and with my peers will be dearly missed. However, I am excited to see all that the new administration will accomplish once we have passed the torch.

Photography by Daniel Jacob CHS counselors Brian Williams

Maveal pictured.

Staring at the Sun

The sun, moon and Earth aligned to create a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. For the first time since 2017, Ann Arbor was in an ideal location to experience the eclipse.

BY JANAKI NALLAMOTHU AND IVY MILLER

Students gathered on the back lawn and looked up at the sky, seeing a ring of light. All over the country, students took off from school, parents drove to be in the path of totality and everyone took a moment to look at the sun.

The moon came between the Earth and the sun, creating an eclipse and covering our view of the sun. On April 8, Michigan was close to the path of totality for the eclipse. For most of the United States, this would be the only opportunity to observe a solar eclipse for the next 20 years.

Within Michigan, CHS was an ideal location for eclipse viewing; southeastern Michigan was the best part of the state for seeing the eclipse, which peaked at around 3:13 p.m. EST. As April 8 was a regular Monday schedule for CHS, many students were out of school by the time the action happened. However, a lot of CHS students

decided to stay with their friends to watch the eclipse.

At CHS, students picked up eclipse glasses in the main office. Many seventhblock classes and students who stayed later with their friends gathered outside to watch the eclipse. Dean Rebecca Westrate was playing music for students and staff to enjoy.

Senior Ebie Lamb had a seventh block, and her whole class decided to sit outside and wait for the eclipse. Lamb and her friend, Anya Akhoury, spent the extra hour drawing with chalk and enjoying the warm weather. Right before the peak of the eclipse, Lamb, as well as many other CHS students, grabbed their glasses and sat on the back lawn.

“It was so great because we turned the corner to the back lawn and it felt like all of CHS was sitting there,” Lamb said.

As the sun became more and more covered, Lamb noticed changes in the atmosphere. The temperature dropped and the sky looked gray.

“It was kind of like a mood change,” Lamb said. “It was weird, especially the temperature differences.”

While Ann Arbor was a great place to view the eclipse, it was not directly in the path of the total eclipse. Many students traveled south to places such as Toledo,

Ohio, which is in the path of totality. In the path of totality, the sky will be dark as if it is dawn or dusk. According to NASA, Ann Arbor experienced a 98% full eclipse, but areas of Ohio, to the South, were in the path of totality and witnessed a total eclipse.

Anya Knoepp, a senior, also left Michigan. They drove down to Arlington, Ohio to be in the solar eclipse’s path of totality. The roads from Michigan to Ohio were packed, the highways crammed and cars barely moving.

“My dad had a really good pair of binoculars,” Knoepp said.“We were able to look at the fully eclipsed sun and see the solar flares coming off the side.”

Sitting on a soccer field and looking up at the sky, Knoepp saw the total eclipse for almost four minutes, one of the longer times in the United States. When the total solar eclipse occurred, the sky darkened and Knoepp was able to see stars. Birds stopped chirping and mosquitoes came out.

The next total solar eclipse that can be seen from the United States will be in more than 20 years: during the summer of 2044. Many students, including Lamb and Knoepp, will cherish the memories of the day and these memories will fill their minds until their next total solar eclipse experience.

Forum Competition Week is Back and Better Than Ever

After the hype of last year’s competition, students were determined to put their forums on top.

BY LUCIA PAGE SANDER AND JACQUELINE BOYNTON

On the first day back from spring break, CHS kicked off its second annual Forum Competition Week. With activities ranging from a high-stakes round of musical chairs to a 3 vs. 3 basketball tournament to a student-organized scavenger hunt, students were able to represent and earn points for their forums in a variety of ways.

Ultimately, the goal of Forum Competition Week is to bond forums and build school pride. Last year’s Forum Council co-presidents, Matthew Castillo and Zoë Simmons, pioneered the idea as a strategy to “invigorate” the student body and bring forums back to their legendary pre-pandemic level of cohesion.

“It’s about breathing life back into forum,” said Ryan Silvester, Forum Council advisor. “It’s a really great opportunity for forumettes to bond and to get some school spirit going again.”

Despite missing the final half of the week due to the overlapping CHS Jazz trip, Sean Kennison, Yager Forum junior, felt that the event was effective in achieving its objective. Kennison focused on giving his all in the basketball tournament to secure points for his forum and was glad for the positive atmosphere surrounding the contest.

“Even though I could only play for one day, I really felt the hype and the excitement of it all,” Kennison said. “It was just a beautiful day and a perfect environment.”

Overall, Kennison appreciated the opportunity to connect with his classmates outsides of an in-class setting in addition to the change of pace from a traditional school week at CHS.

as she takes a look at her less-than-stellar euchre hand. Despite Garwood’s forum’s first round loss in the

tournament, they made it to the semifinals of the basketball tournament. “Even though we lost, it was really fun,” Garwood said. “I wanted to win it all. I think we can do it next year.”

Going forward, he hopes to see a wider variety of sports added to the docket and thinks the newly grass-covered back lawn would be the perfect venue for a soccer or football game.

Forum leaders enjoyed the competitions just as much as forumettes: forum leader Jessika Whiteside thinks inter-forum competitions are a way to improve attendance and contribute to intra-forum bonding. Since last year, Whiteside noticed an increased sense of motivation among her students and a willingness in her forumettes to help with anything for their forum.

“It’s good to have something to do cohesively,” Whiteside said. “We can enjoy it and make it what we want to make it.”

The event is organized entirely by Forum Council, who repeated and built on aspects of what worked well last year and replaced some other facets. For example, last year’s art competition and enormous game of “Simon Says” were replaced with musical chairs and a talent show finale to wrap up the week.

Annie Zheng, a freshman in the Kiley Forum — who were the week’s ultimate winners — believes it was her forum’s enthusiasm that made all the difference. While Zheng was initially drawn to CHS because of its smaller size, she has been

pleasantly surprised by the numerous allschool events. Over the course of the week, Zheng especially had fun hunting for ducks throughout the halls.

“There were so many fun activities that we could do together,” Zheng said. “My forum really likes duck hunting. It’s all they talk about in the [group chat]. They’re really intense about it and I’m always looking around frantically when I’m in the hallway too.”

Forum Competition Week is for everyone. Whether it’s showing off basketball skills, playing guitar or solving riddles, the aim of the week is to offer opportunities that all students are excited to take part in. Just like this year’s Halloween dance’s multiple activities demonstrated, CHS is a place for every student to enjoy themselves and participate in things they like.

“It’s certainly unique, and it’s certainly different,” Silvester said. “No other school does anything like this, so why can’t we inject more fun into work? We’re allowed to be cool here at Community.”

As for the future of Forum Competition Week, Silvester and Forum Council plan to continue organizing and expanding this tradition in years to come. They would love to hear input on the event from all of CHS in order to better represent the school’s interests.

Photography by Daniel Jacob Kyrie Garwood laughs

euchre

by Esh

Jacqueline Boynton, Daniel Jacob and Daniel Ging Students and staff participate in, prepare for and judge various of the week’s events. The first week of April marked CHS’s second annual Forum Competition Week. “It’s about breathing life back into forum,” said Ryan Silvester, Forum Council advisor. “It’s a really great opportunity for forumettes to bond and get some school spirit going again.”

Photos

Schaden,

Celebrating Our Seniors

A CHS tradition brings joy to our community as we watch our beloved seniors leave high school.

BY AMELIA SANDSTROM

For the last three years, Poppy Magee and her mom have signed up to Celebrate a Senior, carefully picking out gifts for a few seniors randomly assigned to them. Magee, now a senior herself, is on the receiving end of this tradition.

“You watch all these seniors do these special things, celebrating their graduation, and you’re like, ‘Someday that’ll be me,’ and before you know it, it is,” Magee said. “It’s crazy.”

For her, Celebrate a Senior isn’t super important, but it is a fun way to make someone feel special, and, as a senior, to get some recognition for her time at CHS. Marisa Andoni-Savas, another senior, agrees with Magee. She finds the tradition super fun.

“I’ve looked forward to the moment of getting my senior gift since the beginning of freshman year,” Andoni-Savas said.

At the beginning of the second semester, all of the seniors were sent a form where they could sign up to receive gifts. They listed their favorite coffee shop, candy, as well as other things to help the parent or family they were assigned to find the perfect gift. Over three months, each senior who filled out the form received a total of three small gifts, one each month.

“I got a little bag on my doorstep and it had some little treats for me in it,” Magee said.

The bag contained a mug, a gift card from her favorite coffee shop and a KitKat. She loved it.

Seniors all across CHS are getting ready to leave high school. Making final postgraduation plans, attending prom and eventually saying goodbye to CHS. These gifts, though small, are a well-deserved thank you for their involvement and dedication to the community.

Magee loves this tradition and it makes a time that can be sad a little happier, even if it’s in a small way.

The PTO organizes this, creating the form, assigning seniors to their respective

gift-giving families and taking care of all the other details that make this possible.

“I feel like they had the timing right and they made a really good Google Form for information about what gifts people should get and they’ve been pretty on point,” Andoni-Savas said.

She and her family, like Magee, gave gifts to seniors in previous years.

“I had to get a gift and we went out and we got it every month,” Andoni-Savas said. “It was really sweet and I loved it.”

Through this gift exchange and other activities, the PTO strives to give seniors the best possible final year at CHS, beyond the work they already do to make all four years more memorable. This event serves to interconnect the community, one family to another.

Despite the challenge of getting all the gifts in on time, Katie Page Sander, a CHS parent, loves the experience.

“I had a fun time trying to think of unique things to give to my person,” Page Sander said.

She hopes that the quality and thoughtfulness of her gifts make up for the timing of them. Andoni-Savas, Magee and Page Sander agree that the tradition is an important and fun way to celebrate.

Community’s Ultimate Duo

A timeline of two seniors and their journey with Ultimate Frisbee.

BY KYRIE GARWOOD AND LYDIA DEBORD

Between the outfield wall of the softball field and the fence of the tennis courts, an energetic and enthusiastic group of students practice a sport that you won’t find on Pioneer’s athletics website. The members of Flickity Split, Pioneer’s Ultimate Frisbee team are hard at work. As team members weave in and out, trying to get open, two CHS seniors can be heard above the noise, directing, encouraging and leading their team. Charlie Rosenfeld and Mo Arendall are two of Pioneer Ultimate Frisbee’s three captains. Although the ultimate frisbee team practices daily and competes throughout the spring season, the school does not recognize it as an official sport, in part due to its lack of coaching staff or other adult guidance. However, this is just part of what makes ultimate frisbee so special.

“There’s no referees, and it’s kind of self-officiated,” Rosenfeld said. “So there’s more integrity built-in with this idea of just trying to include people in being genuine.”

Inclusivity has been one of the hallmarks of the sport since its inception in 1968. There is no gender division in the sport. This welcoming environment was part of the draw for Arendall as he grew up playing highly competitive baseball.

“I realized that I don’t need to be like the most competitive person to be having a good time,” Arendall said. “I think the most important piece of me playing a sport is connecting with people and also teaching other people about the sport.”

Most of the members of Flickity Split only compete for Pioneer, but Rosenfeld has

taken his talents to a bigger stage. The summer after his sophomore year, a senior on the Pioneer team invited Rosenfeld to join a club team that ended up making it to nationals. This offer led to him committing more time and energy to ultimate and putting track, which had been his main sport, on the back burner.

And that momentum kept rolling. Throughout their careers in ultimate, they made their dedication to the team abundantly clear. By the end of the 2023 season, Rosenfeld and Arendall were called upon by that season’s captains and their other teammates to lead the team the following season as co-captains.

Senior Athlete Spotlight

A recap of a few seniors’ time spent in sports.

BY KYRIE GARWOOD AND LYDIA DEBORD

Charlie Laman

While being a leader in any regard is a major responsibility, the captaincy is even more of one on a team where that position is the highest rung on the leadership ladder. This year, there have been more resources provided, but the trio of captains still face the brunt of the load.

“We’re doing the practice schedules, we’re communicating with other teams, we’re planning scrimmages and the players are learning from us,” Arendall said.

Captaining is a challenge that Arendall and Rosenfeld have both conquered, and now they move to their next one: college ultimate frisbee. Both athletes have found ultimate frisbee communities at their new schools and hope to find the same solace they’ve found in the sport at the high school level: a specific brand of teamwork that has helped them grow, both as athletes and as people. A brand of teamwork that they could and would recommend to anyone.

FIRST PLACE FINISHES

“In cycling, you have 20-30 races a year. It’s most of my life now, it’s most of my free time. And half the time you’re getting completely smoked. But you go give 100% on race day, and that’s all you can do.”

“Hockey’s been a really fun experience. I’ve made a lot of friends I didn’t think I would make because they go to different schools, or they’re in different grades. I was a two time all confrence honorable mention in my time at Skyline, and I think it’s really cool that my coach nominated me twice.”

3

Aidan Moran

2 ALL CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTIONS

CHAMPIONSHIPS

“With my team, I learned that tennis can be as much of a team sport as any other. Having constant support from my team and being able to talk to them before and after a match raises my level of play and keeps me motivated.”

Bridgette Kelly

Destined To Dance

Marisa Andoni-Savas describes her passion for dance and its role in her future.

BY NINA TINNEY

Her hair slicked back and costume carefully put on, a 10-year-old Marisa Andoni-Savas stood anxiously in the wings. It was the opening night of her first-ever performance in Randazzo Dance Studio’s production of The Nutcracker. Butterflies rocketed through her stomach as the lights started to dim and music filled the theater. But it was when she finally stepped onto the stage that Andoni-Savas realized she could do this for the rest of her life.

Andoni-Savas first started taking dance classes at just 3 years old. Both in and outside of class she was constantly dancing: in the living room, in the kitchen and even in grocery store aisles. But around fifth grade, Andoni-Savas decided she wanted to take her dancing to the next level. Joining Randazzo Dance Studio was the first time she was exposed to the regimented nature of classical ballet. The French terminology, the exams and the annual performances were all a bit of an adjustment for the young dancer.

“My first year at Randazzo was a little overwhelming,” Andoni-Savas said. “Half the time I didn’t even know what my teachers were saying. But regardless, they were always so welcoming and sweet so I stuck with it.”

Taking classes in ballet, contemporary, tap and jazz, Andoni-Savas slowly worked her way up the ranks at Randazzo. By the time she reached high school, she had performed in dozens of Nutcrackers and was even given the opportunity to choreograph a piece of her own for the studio’s spring recital.

The process of choreographing a piece was unlike anything Andoni-Savas had experienced before. Acting as both a director and a dancer, Andoni-Savas was able to choose the song, the steps and make something that was her all own. Taking inspiration from one of her favorite songs, “golden hour” by JVKE, Andoni-Savas was able to play around with the musicality and really

bring her vision to life.

“Getting to choreograph was such a special opportunity,” Andoni-Savas said. “It honestly made me fall in love with dance even more.”

Now, after years of performances and classes, AndoniSavas has realized dance is much more than a casual hobby. At times, it is an emotional release, a chance to channel her feelings. At other times, it is a vessel for storytelling, a chance to connect with her audience.

“For me, dance really is a form of communication with the outside world,” Andoni-Savas said. “It helps me to share my story or a different perspective.”

As her graduation nears, Andoni-Savas’s time at Randazzo Dance Studio is coming to a close. Even though it’s bittersweet, her dance journey is far from over. In fact, her love for dance played a large part in planning her future. With passions for singing and acting, Andoni-Savas didn’t want to study either one of the disciplines if the curriculum did not include dance. Because of this, she has ultimately decided to pursue a BFA in musical theater. It will give her a schedule filled with dance classes and keep dance a part of her life long after high school.

“Singing, acting and painting, people have so many different ways of expressing themselves,” Andoni-Savas said. “But for me, no matter what, it has always been dance.”

The excitement of getting ready for a performance, the satisfaction of learning a new dance or the simple routine of showing up to class everyday — that is where her passion lies.

The dream her 10-year-old self realized in her first-ever performance of The Nutcracker is the same dream she is pursuing today. Whether she becomes a big Broadway star, a dance teacher or studio owner, dance will forever be a part of her life.

The curtain has closed on CET and the seniors are reflecting on their time in the Craft Theater.

BY HANNAH RUBENSTEIN

“Emily has always been willing to let people perform, regardless of their skill.”

“It’s

been great being a part of an amazing club, even if it ruins my sleep schedule.”

“CET has taught me so many things about cultivating a community in theater. Personal relationships and trust are at the center of a successful show, and everyone in CET has displayed that over and over.”

“When I joined CET in freshman year, I was welcomed so warmly and freely. I’m so grateful to have had this experience, and I’ve met some of my best friends through this program in the past four years. Joining was one of the best decisions I made in high school!”

HANS ROBER

LEILA BANK

ROBIN SICKMAN-GARNER

JACOB KOSNIK

“CET has helped me realize my potential as a person and performer. I credit a lot of my confidence and friendships to my participation in theater, and I’m really going to miss the friends I’ve made in CET over the years, but I’m also so to go into college as the person CET has helped me become over these past four years.”

“CET has allowed me to find my place within Community, grow as a leader and collaborator, and make close friendships!”

“The feeling of togetherness in CET is unmatched and will forever hold a special place in my heart. CET does unique shows and commits to truly impactful storytelling.”

“I would not be the person I am today if it wasn’t for CET. CET brought me out of my shell and allowed me to come into myself as a leader. I’m so grateful for the experience and I will miss the people dearly.”

“CET has been such a central part of my experience at Community that it’s always the first thing that comes to mind when I think about this school. The people are always =wonderful, and I think the environment really helped me grow as both a person and an actor.”

“I’ll always be thankful to CET for introducing me to some of my favorite people, I’ll miss everyone and of course whatever is in the air that makes us delusional with laughter.”

PARKER HAYMART

SADIE BARBER

EVA BEALS

MADDIE GALLEGO-STRASMA

ANYA AKHOURY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CARRIE BANK, LUCA HINESMAN, MARGIE MORRIS AND HANNAH RUBENSTEIN

IVY IDZIKOWSKI

“Creating art is one of the most beautiful things in life. When it’s combined with one of the other most beautiful things in life, communities of people, it’s unbeatable. So many times during this show, I’ve simply paused and breathed in the air of communal art. It smells kind of like feet in this case. But somehow it’s still wonderful.”

“I think CET taught me to be brave. It’s where I put myself out there to make new friends, went to auditions, and mostly got over a fear of embarrassing myself. I think it’s where I learned to share my heart on stage, give my full effort, and trust my friends will have my back when I do.”

“CET is such a wonderful, welcoming space, and I am truly so grateful for the experience it has given me.”

EMILY YESOWITZ

“I’ve always loved theater but finally finding the time and energy to join one of CET’s shows has been such a wonderful experience! There is truly nothing like the friends you make when you spend hours upon hours every day together singing and being silly!”

“CET really changed my life at this school. It gave me confidence, kindness and so many new friends I will always remember.”

POPPY MAGEE

ELIANA ADLER

“I remember when I first joined CET for ‘She Kills Monsters,’ I wasn’t sure if I would fit in. I’m so glad I joined. CET made me feel welcome and helped me fall in love with theater. Now I’ve done six shows, two ‘Just Desserts’ and been a part of both cast and crew. I will always remember it as one of the highlights of my high school career, and saying I’m sad to be leaving would be an understatement. I’m really going to miss CET.”

“I’m so glad I decided to join CET last year. The friendships I’ve made on both cast and crew have been so meaningful and special to me, and I hope to keep these people in my life for a long time.”

HANNAH RUBENSTEIN

“CET has given me friendships, learning experiences and unforgettable moments that I will cherish forever. I am so incredibly grateful I joined CET my freshman year (even though it was on Zoom).

I can’t wait to come back to see shows in future years!”

HYACINTH HELD

“CET has introduced me to new people and helped me get out of my comfort zone. The people in CET make me feel seen and part of the group, something I often struggle with.”

SEVEN STEINER

LAUREL PETERSON

“I doubt I’ll ever find a place as full as CET of passionate skill, powerful camaraderie, and hair dye.”

JOHN BEACH

“CET

is sometimes

stressful, but I would end up leaving tired with a smile and new memories.”

BRIAR NORDSTROM

“I was around people in CET for a while before I joined in the second half of junior year, but I only wish I had sooner. ‘Cabaret’ was a magical, haunting experience — it solidified my love for theater. Every performance led to my ultimate role as Prince Bolkonsky. His voice shall forever live in my head, ready to spring out at any time. I have every song and quote in ‘Great Comet’ memorized (mostly). CET utterly captured my passion, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“CET gave me so many different experiences that it’s really hard to express it in words, but I’m grateful it allowed me to push myself while still feeling supported. Especially when I was on crew, it felt like people truly cared what was best for everyone and the show, and it made for an amazing creative space.”

CLARE MARTIN-SCHWARZE

Closing One Door to Open Another

Two seniors reflect on their experience at Community and leaving their families behind as they enter their next chapters.

BY ANJALI KAKARLA AND AILISH KILBRIDE

Dropping her brother Kenan off made home feel weird. Home, Ali O’Brien’s place of comfort, became different once her family of six became a family of five. Dropping her second brother off, while sad, strengthened the bond between her and her younger sister Blen. They connect over cracking jokes about their older brothers and their close ages.

“We talk silly to our parents and mess around,” O’Brien said. “But I’ll always care very deeply about Blen, no matter if it was a family squabble or not. It’s just nice knowing that I have somebody else to connect with at the house apart from my parents,

so that’s nice.”

O’Brien believes that her parents and siblings have been integral parts of her high school experience. Whether it is just that they are in each others’ company or they are doing something as a family, O’Brien is grateful for all of the time they have gotten to spend together, changing and growing as people.

“I’ve watched my older brothers go, which has been hard, but I’ve watched them succeed and thrive in so many ways,” O’Brien said. “I definitely will miss my mom and dad because I feel like I’ve been with them through everything and it’s gonna be difficult leaving them as

the third child. I’ll definitely miss my sister too. I wish her the best with her high school career and everything else that she is going to do. It’s just a little weird because I’ve talked with my parents so much about my siblings’ college experiences and now it’s my turn.”

O’Brien is grateful for the strong foundation that her family has given her. Being able to come to school everyday knowing that she has support at home has helped her find success at CHS. She is grateful to Courtney Kiley for being there for her “no matter what.” She first connected with Kiley during COVID-19 and online instruction.

grappling with the prospect of leaving their families and friends next year.

“I’m going to miss living with my sister and my parents,” Wernimont said.

“Especially the immediate support that you can get when you’re living with someone you’ve lived with for the last 17 years.”

Photography by Daniel Ging and Morgan McClease Ali O’Brien (left) and Emmy Wernimont (right) sit on a stool at CHS. Both are

“I was like the only one who had their camera on for class [during online school],” O’Brien said. “That is really what built our connection initially. I can always depend on her if I need anything. I ended up switching into her forum because we had made such a good connection during online school.”

O’Brien is also grateful to Jen Niner for pushing her out of her comfort zone and into something new.

“My American Sign Language teacher has had a big impact on me because she got me to love this new language,” O’Brien said. “Learning this language has helped me connect with the hearing and deaf community at the same time. Being able to connect with both communities is very valuable.”

O’Brien is looking forward to continuing her passion for American Sign Language (ASL) at Western Michigan University, where she hopes to pursue a major in Cybersecurity and a minor in ASL.

Emmy Wernimont, another senior, is still undecided on which school she will attend next year. She is down to four final contenders, which she hopes to narrow down to one final choice.

“I’m going to visit my last colleges and then hopefully I can make a decision after that,” Wernimont said.

When considering a college, Wernimont’s most important factors that she has been considering are the school’s vibe and whether she could see herself spending the next four years there. Wherever she ends up, Wernimont is excited to jump into a new experience.

I’m definitely excited for this next step,” Wernimont said. “I think it will be a really great experience, but I’m also really nervous to leave all the people I know like my family. It will be a lot of change in a short amount of time.”

One constant Wernimont will miss in her life is the presence of CHS teachers. Wernimont has been a part of George Lancaster’s class since her very first semester of freshman year. She is grateful for all of the hands-on learning and building she has been able to experience that is unique to the Engineering & Design classes Lancaster teaches.

“Another teacher I’ve really connected with on a personal level is Maneesha,” Wernimont said. “I only had one class with her, Calculus, but that was a rough class and she was a really good teacher. I could tell that she cared about my success as a student and a person.”

Emmy will be leaving her parents and younger sister, Lizzie, when she attends college next year. Although both the Wernimont sisters are busy with the many sports and

extracurricular activities they both participate in, they have a strong bond that Wernimont hopes to maintain despite the distance they may have to deal with next year.

“I’m going to miss living with my sister and my parents,” Wernimont said. “Especially the immediate support that you can get when you live with someone. I know I’ll have a roommate but that’s someone I just met and it’s not the people I’ve been living with for the last 17 years.”

COLLEGE ESSAYS

Seniors share their Common Application essays and supplementals.

Aidan Hsia The University of Michigan

I’ve heard my last name pronounced more ways than I can count. I used to hate it: the way no classmate could say it correctly, the time it took for people to finally say it right, and the pause as people read “Hsia,” deciding how they should say it.

But that’s changed.

Hsia — pronounced like Shaw — is a family name that’s endured longer than most countries. It’s a name whose roots spread back to ancient China. And now, I see it’s more than just a difficult name to say.

It’s my bountiful family tree, memories of family on my dad’s side. It’s warm meals shared with my aunt and uncle; a well-decorated shrine of Chinese artifacts at my grandparents’ house; memories of my parents and grandparents as they are now and in the past; the retelling of my ancestors’ legends long ago; and stories of my grandparents’ hardships as they navigated — and thrived — through 20th century China.

So it’s not “Ha-se-a” or “Zha,” and it’s not just Hsia; it’s a name that’s survived hardships, gone across the world and is now shared with me. It’s my hardships and my triumphs.

It’s being stuck in a California hospital through Christmas and New Years when I was eight, news of Long-QT syndrome inherited through the same DNA that I inherited Hsia from. It’s the ability to live with it — own it — and even strive with it.

It’s a long line of musicians, knowledge of my guitar and thousands of hours played, whether in front of my school or a large audience. My fumbles in the notes but something learned from each one.

Hannah Rubenstein — University of Wisconsin-Madison

More than one hundred areas of study including anthropology, global health, Spanish, research, and travel, the University of WisconsinMadison is everything that thrills me coming together in one place. I have lived with food allergies my whole life — from carting my own cupcakes to birthday parties to bringing my own buns to barbeques, safety has always been on my mind. In 2016, research suggested that peanut allergies could be prevented with early exposure to peanuts; my parents had been told the complete opposite. This made me curious about the connections between diets in other cultures and food allergies. For example, in Israel, there are not as many peanut allergies due to their popular infant/toddler snack, Bamba. Latin America has little to no research relative to peanut allergies. Is this tied to diets in that region? For example, peanut products are not commonly eaten in Costa Rica. I wonder how many people in Costa Rica have peanut allergies and don’t even know it. With the multitude of courses offered through UW-Madison, I would have the opportunity to merge multiple areas of study together that will align with my interests around these questions. Moreover, through the study abroad program I can research this topic while exploring another country, culture, and diet. I would also look forward to strengthening my Spanish skills through coursework and clubs.

Anthropology is aligned with my interests and goals, as it will help me further explore food allergies. With this major and a Global Health Certificate, I would be able to study the intersection of culture and epidemiology. I’m excited for classes such as Medical Anthropology and Food, Culture, and Society. I’ve been fortunate to work as a research assistant for Dr. Charles Schuler and Dr. Ian Slack in Allergy and Immunology at the University of Michigan, and a course like InterLS 260 would help prepare me for further internship experiences.

Not only am I drawn to the large number of opportunities that are available at UW-Madison, but I’m

also interested in finding my place in a smaller community. There were 60 students in my elementary school and currently 132 students in my high school class, making the Learning and Affinity Communities appealing. Some that stand out are Bio House to connect with others interested in science, International Learning Community to improve my Spanish, and The Studio to fuel my creative side. Outside of my professional goals, I would love to continue my interests in stage managing by taking part in the Undergraduate Theatre Association. Clubs such as the Anthropology Circle and the Undergraduate Genetics Association would help

inform my learning through peers who have similar interests. Practicing my Spanish through the Spanish Club at UW-Madison and Teatro Decimo Piso would help make me more language proficient for traveling abroad. I would also want to continue my love for photography and crocheting with the Photography Club and Knit for a Cause.

The University of WisconsinMadison is the perfect place for me. The learning opportunities academically and beyond the classroom are vast. I would be honored to be within the orbit of students and faculty with deep knowledge and diverse perspectives.

Morgan McClease The Common Application

As a child, I had one reoccurring nightmare; I still can’t forget. It started like any normal dream. My mom took me to the park, which was just a short walk away from my home. There were two twin girls, similar to those from “The Shining,” who stood smiling at me with perfect pigtails and matching outfits.

With my mother watching over me, I crawled through a rainbow tube, but I emerged from the other side to a new world — an eccentric, abnormal place. The warm sun was replaced with a gloomy overcast, resembling a scene straight out of a horror film.

Frightened by my surroundings, my head snapped to the twins, who stared at me as if I were nothing. I remember them looking as if they could see right through me. Desperately, I tried talking to the twins, but there was no response — just long, eerie stares. Suddenly, they began to chase me: I ran and ran, until I abruptly woke up, unsure of why they were chasing me.

My dreams are an ode to my subconscious — a fear of mine manifested into a nightmare. Though I was just a child, the fear of not fitting in consumed me. To a child, fitting in is everything. I didn’t want to get picked last in dodgeball or be the one without a partner. In my dream, running away was the simpler fix than facing the demons of my subconscious. I grew to understand the root of my fears. As a biracial girl, I never knew where I belonged.

My whole life I’ve been stuck in two different worlds, similar to the ones in my dream. I have always been one of the few students of color in predominantly white schools, often leaving me feeling like an outsider. Throughout grade school, I would find ways to make myself look like my classmates: straightening my natural curls, buying the same clothes, and wearing the same shoes. I was quiet because I didn’t want to be heard, hoping people would look through me and not at me.

The changes I made didn’t matter. Either way, I was repressing a part of me. In my mind, I had to make a

choice: white or black. I couldn’t live in both worlds.

Starting high school, I discovered a new dream. Not a nightmare I didn’t fit into, but an insightful dream where I was meant to stand out. Embracing myself for who I was, I began to focus on my interests, expressing myself in ways that ultimately made me a leader. At the end of my sophomore year, after two years of writing as a journalist for my school’s publication, The Communicator, and riding on a wave of self-inspiration, I took the initiative to apply for the position of Social Media-Editor-In-Chief, which is a position I have held throughout my junior and senior years. Through

my years as an EIC, I have learned lesson upon lesson teaching me that it is okay to be heard, to use my voice and let people really see me. I have strengthened my skills as a leader as I have led a seventy-person staff to state and national awards. Though it was a new dream that sparked the potential inside of me, I owe it all to my nightmare. It helped me realize I didn’t have to fit into either world—black or white, sunny or gloomy. I needed to create a vision of my own, becoming the WOC leader that I had needed when I was younger. Now it has been years since I’ve had my recurring nightmare; I no longer fall victim to the fear that once limited me.

Addison Hinesman — The Common Application

I always want to see red. Despite the expression’s negative connotation, the color brings out my happiest feelings. Red connects me with the women in my family: it was my great-grandmother’s favorite color, a preference she passed on to my mother, who I have to blame for my golden brown eyes and feisty personality. As a child, I promised myself that one day I would share the passionate, creative, dominant personalities of the women I admire most in my family, who saw the red in life and went bounding after it.

However, at 14 years old, all I could see was blue, losing sight of the things that made me who I was. I used to love writing, being able to type the words I could only think of, but as I got older, my routine school papers left me uninspired. My creativity dropped away, and after the tragic loss of a family member, anxiety controlled me, creeping its way into every aspect of my life until the womanly strength I used to feel had vanished. My anxiety refused to let me sleep, fixated only on my fear of death. I drifted to the lens of blue, wishing I could float amongst its deep waves — passionless.

Sitting on my bedroom floor, I glanced over at my floor-length mirror, watching as it reflected someone I was not proud of. Despite the rhythmic movement of her chest, she looked lifeless. Looking away, I picked up my computer beside me and returned to my journalism homework. At the beginning of the semester, I decided to explore a new form of writing after reading my first issue of The Communicator magazine. My writing for journalism class drew me in with its unfamiliarity, forcing me to tell a story through someone else’s words. Hours passed as I typed, and I felt a light wash over me. I looked up and saw red. Outside my window was the first sunset I had seen in months, with red smeared across the sky. I had found my new source of red: journalism.

My article portrayed a story of empowerment and strength, giving my writing a purpose. I told the story of someone who also saw the world

through a red lens — my mother. She shared how just being a woman wasn’t good enough for a maledominated profession, but that her strength and resiliency are what got her to her destination. Writing her story helped me to see that potential comes from within, and I continued interviewing women in maledominated professions to inspire young women. Ultimately, I created a series of articles featuring strong, passionate, and creative women in professions from firefighting to consulting. As always, my stream of red, my inspiration, started with my mother.

Journalism opened my eyes to my endless potential. When I am writing, I never feel at home, instead daring myself to do more. After sophomore year, I took a leap of faith and applied to be Web Editorin-Chief of The Communicator,

believing that I had what it took to lead a staff of journalists — I did. Red exploded within me, taking on the role of a leader — emulating the strong women in my family — guiding our staff to be a Pacemaker Finalist at the NSPA journalism conference. I worked hard to manage and collaborate with staff journalists, using my voice to make an impact. Each day, I felt myself growing not only as a journalist or leader but as a person.

I will continue chasing after red; the closer I get to it, the more pride I will feel for the woman I am becoming. This time, I can look in the mirror and see myself smiling back, recognizable and radiant, the future I hope for within reach. If I stare at my reflection long enough, all I begin to see is red. I have passion, creativity, and strength, embodying my favorite color — red.

Ruth Shikanov — The Common Application

I’m cursed.

My tongue feels rotten as mispronounced slova [words] roll off, my stomach aches with piercing butterflies, and my throat burns as my muscles contract, forming an uncomfortable lump. My family goes back to their conversation as we set the table for dinner, yet I am stuck in time.

I try to focus on the plethora of food, shimmering underneath the light of my grandma’s dining room, but I can’t — the Ashkenazi delicacies only encourage an escape as Russian conversations engulf me.

My head throbs with the painful reminder that I can only speak English, despite being an immigrant just like the rest of my family.

While I couldn’t form the foreign yet seemingly familiar words, food requires no language; I was in the kitchen as early as I can remember, always eager to help. It was the spring of 2022, and my grandma and I were cooking for Passover.

There were rows of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, lined up like soldiers waiting for their commander in chief. She handed me a knife, instructing me in Russian while she prepared dozens of dishes scattered around her kitchen. I understood her, nodding confidently, and began cutting the vegetables.

Unexpectedly, she sparked a conversation, asking me about school and friends.

I froze, feeling my chest contract and my jaw tighten. I stared at her blankly as she waited for an answer. She reworded her question, asking again in Russian. Just try to talk, I tell myself. I open my mouth, feeling my tongue curl, but no actual sentences come out, just quiet, mispronounced words. I seal my lips, and my eyes are locked with my grandma’s — pity is visible in her eyes. She repeated the question, again, but in English. I quietly laughed, hiding my embarrassment and answered her as she resumed jumping from dish to dish.

Maybe, just one day, the sadness will disappear from her eyes, I thought. And my family wouldn’t think twice about having to cater to me. I was tired of not knowing my

mother tongue.

I knew I had to start somewhere, so I downloaded Duolingo. Five minutes of daily practice turned into 20, and soon, I needed more of a challenge. My mom kept shelves of Russian children’s books, so I started to read them, page by page.

I consumed Russian media daily, through articles and podcasts, and insisted that my parents speak Russian to me more than English. As I listened to myself tirelessly try to perfect the proiznoshenie [pronunciation] amidst conversations, a sense of shame deepened with each syllable. Tears formed in my eyes, and that familiar tight sensation grew in my throat. Why did I wait so long to learn the language that my entire family speaks, I wondered, feeling a pit in my stomach. This shame had haunted me for so long, but I knew I was more than this. I already had come so far with my journey and I wasn’t going to stop.

I continued to unapologetically immerse myself in a culture I knew was mine at heart: I folded pelmeni [dumplings] with my parents, laughing as we covered ourselves in flour; my dad and I made sauerkraut, and we would enjoy the fermented cabbage as its stench permeated through the kitchen; my grandma and I bantered in Russian as we cooked in her kitchen; I was comfortable expressing my thoughts and feelings; and I printed out Russian handwriting practice sheets, meticulously tracing the Cyrillic script.

Every day, I continue to push myself, learning hundreds of words weekly. Now, the words I once failed to form seamlessly roll off. This shame slowly transformed into a series of moments that allowed me to be confident within myself and even more so within my culture. My grandma looks differently at me now. Her eyes are full with pride. I’m not cursed; I’m blessed.

Isabella Jacob — The Common Application

My eyelids were heavy, holding memories and lingering melodies. I laid on the green couch nuzzled into Grandmama and let the drone of her voice carry on. I told the living room to listen, and pressed record as I set my phone down with tired palms. Her stories put an energy in me, and I was in need.

Unaware of me recording her, she told tales, but also sang her mother’s song.

I caught bits and pieces of the foreign familiarity. Words I knew in my past life. She revealed the meaning, like magic, of what she was saying. This song was about Unniyarcha.

Unniyarcha was a figure of folklore, subject of songs they sang in the paddy fields to make the day go by, to differentiate the sunrise from the sunset. She was a warrior who wielded a specific style sword from her native land in India, an emblem of female courage, a brown woman in 1600 British-India with hands meant for swords instead of sorrow. It was my great-grandmother’s favorite song.

I have constantly searched for a connection to my past. After my family immigrated to America for a chance at a better life, we were cut off from the motherland’s embrace. The knowns of my history are through intangible, invisible stories. It’s the reason I’ve been infatuated with listening to others.

I connected deeply with Unniyarcha because she’s a tangible story: I could see her when I looked in the mirror.

All my insecurities suddenly became my superpowers. We had the same brown skin, and if she wore it bold, so could I. Our matching calloused palms equated to grit, and dark eye bags displayed persistence.

I became obsessed with Unniyarcha’s story. We searched for songs, read articles, I asked my grandmother every question and looked up every answer she didn’t give.

Grandmama didn’t have answers to my questions regarding the folklore, but she did have memories that proved Unniyarcha’s strength was a genetic trait I had inherited

from her. Over my high school career, I’ve gathered a collection of interviews with my grandma and named it the “Maremma Diaries.”

This frantic thirst for knowledge wasn’t a unique event. My intense curiosity for understanding the whole story is a reflection of how I understand my own. I am passionate about uncovering people’s stories and shining a light on those who have been in the dark.

This is most clearly shown in my reporting for my school’s magazine, The Communicator.

Once my friend and I wrote a piece called “Our Power, Our Beauty” focusing on the harm of western beauty standards and its disproportionate effect on women of color.

For historical context, we interviewed a professor at the University of Michigan as well as a student on her experiences with colorism.

We wrote it because it was our truth, as well. The article gained

recognition, but the biggest compliment I received was a simple comment: a woman contacted me saying she was going to show the article to her daughter because the message was crucial for children like her

Her daughter looked just like me I felt unmuted even though I hadn’t spoken a word. I wielded my words like a sword and understood the gravity of being a storyteller. My drive and persistence come from Unniyarcha, but the root of my passions comes from my grandmother. My purpose is to listen to those who have been silenced.

Daily I walk with Unniarchya in mind. I fight like her, write like her, and look like her; I strive to be unapologetic and feisty with a deep stare and intent, dark hair and dark eyes, and surrounded by spirits. I will be a little more like Unniarchya in this lifetime. I will tell the stories that have been muted for centuries and hope that Unniarchya will let me sing with her.

LETTERS HOME

The Communicator alums detail their first year away from CHS and how they’ve grown into their new community and home.

Scarlett London

University of California Los Angeles

Right now, I am taking a one-credit class on meditation and resisting the “attention economy” created through social media. In one lecture, we discussed our society’s definition of productivity and success and how we tend to rely on external validation (promotions, wealth, impressing others, etc.) to feel like we have accomplished something worthwhile. This lecture really spoke to me.

Over the course of my first year at UCLA, I have realized that this kind of external validation is almost entirely unattainable. Everywhere I go, I find myself in a sea of overachievers, all taking a million extra classes and still finding time for consulting clubs, intramural sports and internships. I often miss the bubble of Community, where I had close relationships with teachers, familiar faces in every class and lots of social and academic validation. I miss the feeling of accomplishment that came with publishing a story in The Communicator or performing in a show for my family and friends. It took me a long time to figure out how to feel successful here. There were months when I was sure I needed to participate more, work harder or meet more people. I constantly compared myself to those around me and placed much of my self-worth into the amount of external validation I was getting. But I soon realized I was — and am — the only one who could determine my success here. I needed to set my own standards in order to make myself proud and, therefore, successful.

During the first week of school, UCLA threw an event called the “Enormous Activities Fair.” From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., most of the

school’s 1200 student organizations filled rows of booths and passed out t-shirts, fliers, stickers and GroupMe QR codes, all while a dozen-ish members tried to convince all the scared first-years that their “closeknit” group would be the best place for them. I was completely overwhelmed. That day, I somehow joined a backpacking club (I have never once been backpacking), a baking activism club called “Confections for a Cause” (at my best, I can make a rudimentary snickerdoodle), the LA ski and board team (I cannot ski down a black diamond) and a host of other organizations.

Sometimes, the payoff was huge — some of my closest friends here came from those first few weeks of club socials and meetings. But most of the clubs ended up being singleafternoon memberships for me. It felt a bit like throwing spaghetti at a wall and seeing what stuck.

Moving across the country to a completely unfamiliar place, I felt like I was rediscovering myself every week, finding new passions, hobbies, and perspectives. I traveled to many new places in California, spontaneously went gluten-free for a while, spent many afternoons swimming in the ocean and traded out my familiar ballet classes for bouldering with the climbing team every week. I met a bunch of interesting people, all with strange hobbies and life experiences, who inspired me to try new things with them.

Meanwhile, I took classes in everything from jazz to 1960s politics to astronomy and life in the universe.

This process has been scary; it’s

nerve-wracking to put myself out there without a single remnant of familiarity to cling to. But it has also been, by far, the most rewarding aspect of college. Each new experience is something to be proud of and, thus, a metric of my success here.

Finding something new to love, to obsess over, or to do in my free time makes me feel much more confident and excited for the next few years. And as I continue meeting Californians who can’t point to Michigan on a map, it feels good to have the warm, supportive, familiar environment at Community to come back to every summer.

Raffi Avedissian

University of Southern California

As I write this, I sit atop a water tower located in Elysian Park. I look towards a perfect view of the downtown skyline. I see no stars. I see no trees. The only thing that fills my view are the lights from the sprawling, seemingly endless city in front of me. This view, to me, serves as a symbol of how far my life has come and progressed in just one short year.

Ever since I moved to Ann Arbor from Los Angeles at the age of 8, I always wanted to go back. My dream was to go to my parents’ alma mater, the University of California, Los Angeles, or UCLA (very ironic, I know), to escape the cold, escape my seemingly perfect suburban neighborhood which felt totally secluded from the life I once knew, and escape the cultish tendencies of Michigan fans. In my futile line of thinking, there was no conceivable way I would be able to enjoy where I was and where I saw myself heading.

In an incredibly ironic turn of events, in large part due to my time at Community, when the time came to finally go back, after experiencing all of these beautiful moments and creating all of these strong friendships, it was not initially easy. I had a severe distaste for college during the first few weeks. I felt I had to pretend to enjoy being around people out of the sheer desire to see if there was even the slightest chance that I would be able to connect with them, which I found incredibly frustrating, particularly because I felt I had such strong friendships back home. I had trouble giving people a chance. I disregarded the possibility of friendship with so many people I came across out of some irrational line of thinking that made me feel like trying to create legitimate connections with people would somehow disregard the ones I already had. Adapting to the college workflow and expectations was also a challenge, especially when trying to balance it all with being on 12-hourlong days on set each weekend, as well as trying to develop personal projects. All of this led me to have

to drop a class, and get scolded by my cinematography professor for not putting in enough prep work for a final. However, despite these moments leading me to question my abilities as a student and as a filmmaker, I became better at it. All of the setbacks I experienced socially and academically led to a personal growth that may not have been experienced otherwise. Luckily, I would eventually acknowledge my stubborn ways and allow myself the grace of new people: allowing me to meet individuals who have opened my worldview and perspective on life in a way I would have never expected. On campus and in the greater city, there is such a wide variety of people and ambitions: fashion designers, architects, DJs, aspiring professional golfers, whatever a “creative director” is. The aspirations of people here feel almost endless. But, most importantly, I have been able to find a group of collaborators that have allowed me to flourish creatively and professionally.

I’m in the process of producing and directing my first music video. The ability to conceptualize and develop this project has significantly developed my creative disposition and regimentation, none of which would be possible without the incredible people who have trusted me enough to contribute to this project. Developing this project also forced me to always keep balance in consideration, as planning a shooting day with 10 people while also dealing with an incredibly ill-timed paper and exam was an interesting challenge, to say the least. However, my abilities to balance the components that now define my life are much better all in part due to dealing with and overcoming the issues I faced early on.

Despite this, I still feel quite a bit of pressure from myself and others. I have felt this inclination that I must always be moving: that if I am not in my current moment working on something that will guarantee the progression of my professional

career, then I am wasting both time and money. But I am learning to accept that work and progress ebb and flow, and to accept where I am and that I am always working in my best interest. I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I’m having experiences that I couldn’t have imagined a year ago, both socially and professionally. I have found myself going to every single one of my friends’ improv shows at 10:30 a.m. on Mondays, impulsively driving to Malibu at 1 a.m. with friends and going to a total of eight concerts and counting. I have shot a video for an artist who performed at Rolling Loud, been an extra on a very anticipated upcoming biopic (which I unfortunately cannot reveal the name of), and had dinner with an Oscar-winning cinematographer. In all of this, I carry a small part of Community and Ann Arbor as a whole. The view I sit in front of, in its robust aesthetic distinction, reminds me of where I am from and the experiences I have had, and that it is okay to accept the innate and inevitable nature of progression.

Ria Lowenschuss

Wellesley College

Last year, when I was Print Editor-in-Chief of The Communicator”magazine and working tirelessly to put together the class of 2023’s Senior Edition, I tried to picture myself writing a letter home. It was impossible. I had a mental block surrounding college — I simply couldn’t see myself a year down the line, new friends, a new city, the beginning of an entirely new life. It was terrifying.

When I got the text asking me to write a letter home, detailing my year of adventure (love and heartbreak, success and failure, joy and blues), all of those feelings from last spring came rushing back. I was newly 18 again, full of anticipation for the start of my adult experience. It felt like I was back in Room 300, beginning the harrowing process of writing an article, trying to get my words on the paper. But then I blinked, and here I am, almost a sophomore and loving every second of it.

The transition to college took me by surprise. It was at the same time easier than I expected and incredibly hard. There were days on end when I hardly thought of home, so immersed in meeting new people, absorbing information in my classes and creating a community for myself. There were also days where I felt paralyzed by loneliness, homesick for the feeling of familiarity and acceptance that I inherently felt in Ann Arbor. I felt constantly “on”: always putting on a facade, always looking for new connections and opportunities, always not allowing myself to let go. It was exhausting, although the exhaustion was accompanied by immense pride and fulfillment as I fell in love with my surroundings. Nobody can tell you how different college is from high school until you experience it yourself, but I’ll try, for the sake of The Communicator Tracy Anderson and my love for Room 300. I was suddenly surrounded by 2500 other students, all smarter than me, passionate about their interests and with an immense desire to learn. I was a small fish in a tiny pond, where everyone knew everyone,

everyone had their niche and everyone talked. My anthropology professor described it as the culture of Wellesley College, an environment so tight-knit and defined that it was hard to get in and harder to get out.

I arrived at the Detroit airport for winter break, desperately ready to hug my mom, dance with my sister and return to my childhood haunts, I realized that it had happened: I had been absorbed into Wellesley’s community. I missed my space deeply — I felt out of place in Ann Arbor, even though it was wonderful to be back. I started referring to Wellesley as “home,” a change my mother winced at whenever it slipped off my tongue in front of her. I chafed against the restraints of being a kid again, missing my freedom, missing my friends, missing the life I had begun to love. For me, the liminal moments have been the hardest part of my college experience. The hours spent in airports, the bus ride back to campus, the unpacking of my suitcase over and over again. When I am home, I’ve realized I can’t think about returning to college. And

when I’m ensconced in college life, surrounded by my new community, I can’t imagine getting on a plane and flying back to Michigan. This compartmentalization has worked for me — I am starting to live more deeply in the moment, starting to appreciate where I am when I’m there. It is a work in progress, and it comes from a place deeply scared of change, but I am choosing to look at the bright side.

That’s another thing about college: you learn to find the silver lining. As I face three more weeks of my first year of college, I know I wouldn’t be the person I am today — a person I am proud of — without my time spent as a journalist for The Communicator. It taught me the meaning of community, the importance of criticism, and the necessity of snacks (specifically chocolate chip cookies) when I am writing an essay. Room 300 shaped me, through tears and laughter, through good articles and very, very bad ones. I will take the experiences I shared in Room 300 through my next three years of college, and beyond.

Sofi Maranda

Smith College

If I start from a year ago today and try to put it into words, I find myself sifting through the layers of dread and loss and settling new. I dreaded the end of senior year, of leaving Community’s mural-covered halls — there are no tigers, no dragons lining my walks to class these days — and officially marking the end of all I’ve known.

I dreaded commitment day. I couldn’t fathom any of it being real, couldn’t think about any aspect, just please don’t ask me about nextyearfuturegoalswhatareyougonnadowhatdoyouwanttobe? I was sitting on waitlists, crying about every little thing and trying to commit every happy moment — laughing, dancing, drifting through last days together — to memory.

Come summer, I dreaded its end, too. I watched my friends pack up their lives, stood in driveways and waved them off. Yet even when my turn finally reached me, buckling myself teary-eyed into a rented minivan, it still hardly felt real. Now, sitting on a bed that almost feels more mine than the four-poster in my blue childhood bedroom, I try to wrap my head around the lessthan-a-month left of freshman year.

I could’ve unlocked my squeaky door for the first time last Tuesday, or maybe it was three years ago. Since then has been a blur of newness, and settling. New rituals I’ve fallen into.

There’s the expected, of course: learning how to pull myself out of bed and make it to a dining hall then class without someone calling my name from downstairs and how to shower with shoes on while someone’s playing “Fight Song” in the stall next to you. But, too, family dinner becomes inseparable from a suspiciously sticky table and girls you’ve known for a month.

Sometimes, though, I wonder if I really like it here. When my tongue is tied and suddenly I can’t even raise my hand when I remember how bad I am at keeping in touch and it’s a physical ache, when something hits me and I can’t even explain why I’m crying.

Coming home for Thanksgiving,

it almost felt like I was lying when I’d smile and say, “Yeah, it’s good! Definitely a change, but I’m settling in nicely.”

These feelings didn’t come from a place of misery, but an impossible expectation of a perfect fit. I thought that somehow everything would fall into place perfectly, that new friends and classes would seamlessly become a part of my life – that I’d fall in love with my school.

Such changes can’t be perfect, but it still stings when you can feel the stretch and pull of growing into something new.

What do you learn in a first year of college? I don’t know if I can quantify the changes of a world flipped on its head. I do know, however, what I love to learn and what I still wish to understand. I love hearing what my classmates gathered from the passage we’re poring over, especially

when something completely different stood out to me.

I wish I could find more confidence in my voice. I love learning to really pick apart lines and language. I wish I knew what people say during office hours when they go to just “get to know the professor.” I love finding my footing in a class, through anxiety and nerves.

I’m still running from things, just as I was a year ago. In some ways, the questions remain the same. What direction, what major, where do you see yourself going, are you doing enough? I still can’t bring myself to think of an answer, still find it hard to think about the future.

I try to allow myself space to explore my interests and myself. I remind myself that at the center of expectations and uncertainty, I remain. Change will catch up. You can turn to face it, I promise.

Senior Profiles

BY STAFF

As is Communicator tradition, the following pages detail the class of 2024’s high school experiences: their favorite classes and Field Day triumphs, the people they’ll miss and why they elected to take a chance and come to CHS in the first place, which factors made school feel like home and which events at the end of this year will put a bow on the last four. The soon-tobe graduates leave advice for future Rainbow Zebras and reflect upon how CHS and all of its personality and opportunities to blossom have prepared them whatever comes next. And as usual, what comes next for this batch of CHS students will send them across the country and the world as they pursue what their discovered passions are, or continue in search of their respective North Stars.

anya akhoury

“A teacher that had a big impact on my time at Community was Beth. When I first came here, I was even shyer than I am now. I didn’t really talk to anybody. She helped me come out of my shell. We also have a very similar art style. She likes to pull from what’s happening in her life and I was like, ‘Oh, I like to pull from what was happening in my life too,’ so that was nice to see someone else do that. In sophomore year, I had to combine two different artists together. I made this pop art thing where I combined Jackson Pollock’s pieces and more logistical pieces and I ended up with a yellow background with a woman on the phone in the middle of it and then a sweater with a pink and black and blue splatter painted part in her hair. That was one of my favorite pieces I made. I would like to be an art teacher. I love teaching kids about art and just doing art in general. I would like to be an elementary school art teacher, maybe high school, I’m not sure. I’ll probably sell my art on the side too. I’m excited to see what else is out there, but I will miss Community and my friends.”

kyan alcumbrack mcdaniel

“I’m not particularly sad to leave Community. It’s been a good experience here. I’m glad I went to Community. I think it went better here than it would have gone if I went to Skyline or Huron. The name Community really just fits this school. It’s a very large community sentiment. And while I didn’t really partake in a lot of that community sentiment, it’s pretty hard to deny that it was there and everywhere around you. If you wanted to participate in it, you definitely could. I think I’m just happy to move on from high school in general. Going to college just sounds like a nightmare. For me, four more years of school sounds awful. Also, I’m more of a guy who just likes working with his hands and I can get that with trades. I want to go get an apprenticeship in plumbing as soon as I can. I was hoping to go straight out of high school, try and get an apprenticeship, get paid, even if it’s a kind of small amount, straight off the bat, just to start saving up to be independent and hopefully have a stable income source as soon as possible. I don’t want to be like a millionaire or anything. I’m not aiming to be super successful or rich or famous. I just want to live a life that’s good enough for me.”

ash anderson

“I have a family history of people being artists, musicians and all that stuff. My dad used to do art when I was younger, and I kind of just decided that was something I was gonna keep doing myself and I’ve been doing it since the midpoint of elementary school. And one thing led to another and now I’m a really good artist. I take a lot of inspiration from the media I’ve watched since I was younger. I liked Studio Ghibli movies and that had a heavy influence on my desire to keep drawing. And eventually, rather than just being a person who uses the anime art style, I decided I was going to change it into my own thing. I haven’t done realism for a very long time and I picked up doing it again from Mock Trial because I didn’t get a big role. So it was just like, ‘You know what, I’ll pick this up again.’ Being critical of my art, it’s been helpful, especially with doing Mock Trial. But still deciding that it’s good and it’s still worth giving to. I’ve been giving my art away after practices because I don’t need to keep all that stuff, but it also means a lot of people are very happy with getting pieces that I deemed not perfect and being reminded of that from my point of view, I may not like it that much, but that somebody who didn’t sit there drawing it the entire time does.”

marisa andoni-savas

“There’s this quote that I always say after every show: ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.’ I take that quote very seriously because it’s so true. If I dwell too much on the sad, I’m not going to appreciate and be grateful for all the things that happened: all the people that I’ve met, the experiences I’ve had and the memories I’ve made. It’s really important for us to remember all the fantastic moments we had. I think coming to Community made it easy to meet people. I met most people online during COVID-19, but after that, it meant more to be in-person and to share that experience with others through connection and friendship. My freshman year was all about making friends, learning a lot and getting a good education by doing everything right like having a good retention rate with all the material I was learning. It was all about the education and learning, but now I feel like it’s all about finding myself. I’ve learned something new about a friend every day and being able to have that is a really important skill to be able to do that makes a high school experience. I feel like everyone kind of wants to have a footprint and impact to be known for something. Of course, there are some people who everyone’s gonna remember. I just want a few people to remember me and stay connected with people. Not people just in my class but being able to connect with people in other grades. I feel that’s leaving enough of a footprint and enough of an impact for me.”

mo arendall

“Every summer of my life since I was, I think four years old, I’ve been camping at least a week. In the past few summers, I’ve been going on bigger backpacking trips. I have recently gone to New Mexico and Canada for extended trips. It’s something that’s been part of my life and I would never want that to change. I was walking to my campsite on the second night of a trip. Our guide was out in front of me, maybe like six feet, and I’m the second guy on the trail right behind him. All of a sudden, he jumps, I swear, like seven feet in the air back into me and almost knocks me over. Then I hear this rattle super loud and right where he was about to step, there was a rattlesnake just lying across the trail. I’d never heard it before. It is so surprising because it’s ridiculously loud. You’d never expect a small snake to be able to make that much noise. It was buzzing for at least the next five or 10 minutes and then it slid off, and it was really shocking. I’ve been fishing and hiking a lot throughout my life and now finally in Ecology class. We were learning how to identify different trees and it’s really useful to me because I’m around that stuff so much and getting to practice. We went on walks outside with Ecology class and we identified 20 different tree species based on bark or leaves or fruit depending upon the season.”

abbi bachman

“I thought I’d be more excited to be done with high school, and I want to be, but it’s mostly about losing the people and worrying about all the people that I’m grateful for and having to move on from them is really rough. I really love my parents and I really love my family and I love my friends and I don’t really want to leave people. I don’t have this desire to ditch my parents or my life right now. I feel like learning to be with people who care about me and who are willing to tell me if I mess up or if I need to fix something and knowing that I have a lot of people that I really love and am able to communicate with have really helped me to feel like I have a foundation built here. I have a better understanding of who I am and how to manage my emotions and my wants and my dislikes and all that. It’s something that sort of came with growing up with hearing aids. No one can read your mind. I’d have to speak up if I couldn’t hear something. I had to learn how to advocate to the teachers for myself and then also talk to my parents and be like, I don’t really need this anymore — learning what I actually need and what I don’t. Now I’m going to have to figure out this new life where I sleep in a dorm room every night.”

leila bank

“I feel like my time here at Community passed really quickly. Being a senior is really scary for me because especially when I was a freshman, I was already freaked out about college. I was like, ‘I’m a baby. How am I supposed to go and be on my own and be independent?’ College is the first step for the rest of my life — which is just terrifying. I’m kind of still coming to terms with the fact that I’m gonna go away soon. I’m not going to be here forever. That’s what’s really scary. Next semester, I’m not going to be here. I’m not going to be taking the same classes with the same people I’ve known for four years. I’m going to be elsewhere with new teachers and new buildings, and that’s really scary. When I was a freshman, I was just sad. I did not have any friends because we were online. You don’t tend to realize how badly your mental health is affected by not having friends until you have them. I was terrified of high school. I was already scared of going to school in person, even though Community is the smallest school in the district. But obviously, I don’t feel like that anymore. I feel like I’m part of the school. I belong here. I do think Community is named so aptly because we are Community!”

sadie barber

“It was fall Forum Day my junior year. We were camping at Crooked Lake Campground in Pinckney. Everybody was stargazing on the dock at night, trying to find Orion’s Belt, but I guess it wasn’t out at all. But we kept looking because we didn’t really know what it was gonna look like except for the belt part. And we listened to the story of Billy the Killy, which is supposedly this forum horror story that has been in the forum for a long time. We spent so long just hanging out on the dock and waiting to see the moon so we stayed up till like 3 a.m. Even though I was so tired, I just felt so happy and it was such a moment of togetherness. Even though the moon never came out because it was cloudy, it was such a special memory. There are so many moments of togetherness at Community, like hearing the bells and getting to play them. Even if they sound bad, sometimes it’s just beautiful. You feel it in the air. There are so many happy people in Community and there are so many different kinds of people with different personalities. Even though it can be easy to be judgmental, it’s a happier way of living to just see the beauty in other people and Community helped teach me that.”

john beach

“It’s been challenging, but I’ve made good friends that have made it easier. Teachers are for the most part great. They feel approachable. Sometimes, the office hours don’t always work for me since I split-enroll. A regret I have is the lack of camaraderie around sports like football or basketball. I play golf for Huron. But I just don’t feel that connection or camaraderie because that’s not my school, I’m not there as often as I am at Community. The feeling of your school team making it to the state playoffs just isn’t present at CHS. The closest thing is Mock Trial and Robotics, but it’s not the same. I started going to Magic Club and I’m in CET, so I’m involved in clubs and extracurriculars — something hard to do because of me also going to Huron for the band. I’ve tried to push myself in ways I never thought I would. I think that’s just the opportunities available to me now versus middle school because I went to a small parochial school that was a preschool through eighth grade. I know I’ll be grateful for CET as much as I like to bash it. Some of the things my experiences at CHS have been great and some have been bad. It’s one of those things where every con has a pro, and every pro has a con.”

eva beals

“Community was definitely the right choice for me, and I think it really allowed me to grow as a person and as an artist. My parents have always supported this passion of mine for art. They’ve always given me the means to make whatever I wanted to by buying supplies and encouraging me and helping me whenever I get stuck. I think in a way it has given me confidence. My parents, among other people and other things, allowed me to join theater and join costumes crew and become a crew head, and I think that theater has had a really profound impact on me. It allowed me to find new passions and really come into myself a little bit because I’ve always been a really shy person, and it was difficult for me to get out there. I never really saw myself as a leader, but joining costumes crew really helped me to see that side of myself and it’s given me so much more confidence that I can do a lot of things and I can be in charge of something. I think I would have been a lot more nervous about going to college if you’d asked me two years ago. I did struggle with a lot of social anxiety — and I still do — but I feel like I’ve really grown past it. I feel like I can actually do it now. So while I’m still nervous, I have more faith in myself.”

amy boeving

“I have taken away learning how to work with other people and hear other people deeply. We have so many open school-like discussions, and even in classes, I get to hear so many different perspectives, and I feel like I’m going to take that forward in college, in life, and in the work that I might do afterwards. I like being open to all opinions, and I think I used to be kind of closedminded and always had something to be done a certain way. But now, I feel like I can understand people so much better, and I think it’s because of the way that Community is set up and the people I’ve met here that everybody is kind of the same but also different because we all want to express ourselves. My final words are that I’m going to miss CHS so much. Honestly, it’s because either I’m going to go to a big school or I’m going to go to this little freaking school. I could do the same thing for the next four years or I could do something different, and it’s like, do I step out of my comfort zone or not? But I really love CHS. I think being here was the perfect choice for me. It was like it was such a big jump because I, essentially, wanted to cut off all my friends and just come here and have something different. And I think it was the best choice I could have made. I really love it here.”

noa boyce

“I’ve definitely mellowed out and come into my personality a lot more. I was a lot more energetic and outgoing, but right now I’m a lot more reserved and introverted. I think COVID-19 really shaped this, being by myself for a year in my room. You can really get stuck in your thoughts. Freshman year was online for me. It was hard to get to know people and get to know my teachers and be committed to school. Sophomore year was also really weird. It was like having two sets of freshmen, the sophomores and the freshmen who all don’t know where they’re going. During junior year, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. It was hard because I was worried about so many other things that I just didn’t want to worry about my future anymore. People make such a big deal out of it, and it is a big deal, but I don’t want it to be everything on my mind. Senior year was honestly a lot more stressful than junior year. I think it’s because of the Health Sciences Program that I’m in at Pioneer. After going to Pioneer for a while, I’m glad I go to a much smaller school. I’m just not used to not calling people by their first name after four years of doing it at CHS. Don’t take Community for granted, honestly. Be good students, don’t start fights.”

henry brehob

“I really like the general freedom that we’re given at Community. I had an engineering class last year, Engineering Principles, and during the second semester of that class, we did a lot of team-based problem solving type stuff. I think that was really cool, getting to work with other people and having to be creative. I got to be in a group with all these people and we were all solving a fun puzzle. I don’t think I’m gonna end up doing engineering, but it gave me a more broad idea of what engineering was and allowed me to make a better decision on what I want to do. I also liked the class because George was a very welcoming teacher. I bothered him a lot with questions and he was always happy to answer and help out and have fun. I really enjoy being in class with teachers that promote my creativity such as Beth and George. I like making my own decisions. I get pretty bored easily if I’m just being told to do this thing or do that thing. It’s just more engaging to come up with my own direction. In classes like Salvage Art and Engineering Principles I’ve been able to make creations that I am proud of and learn so much from the process because there were no strict guidelines of what I had to do.”

“CET was pretty great. I’m going to miss it. Theater has been a very large part of my life for a long time. Being able to continue it at such a good program like here at Community was just perfect. At Community, the students could be trusted to handle more mature themes and more willing to work together and organize well to be able to conduct these musicals and plays. With my experience during these past years, we’ve had a lot of serious topics that we’ve covered, but there’s also been the fun moments and the warm feeling of stuff. The online freshman year was definitely pretty tough for me, but I ended up doing the ‘Tempest 2.0’ production. It was pretty great because it helped me during that time with being able to express myself through creative outlets with others, which helped out a lot. Personally though, I was able to properly sort out my emotions and learn how to communicate properly with others which made socializing with people a little bit easier.”

nova carr

emmy chung

“Soccer adds so much to my life. The connections that you have with your teammates allow you to push yourself and hold yourself to a higher standard while you’re at practice. I’ve been playing soccer since I was six years old, and my older brother played soccer as well. That’s where I really found my love for competing and now I get the opportunity to play in college too. Right now I’m injured and it’s the first time in my whole high school career that I’ve had an injury and not been able to go to soccer practice for months. I’ve just missed it so much. One thing that this injury has given me is the time to realize that I wouldn’t be okay with not doing this sport for the next four years. My parents taught me that all of the struggles you go through and all of your pain will one day become your strengths. You go through what you’re meant to go through. Looking back, I wish that I had put off my homework or just gone out to get ice cream with my parents or my friends. I wish I had not been so hyper focused on doing homework for hours. Because when you think about it, it’s just high school, it really doesn’t matter as much as you think it does. But I have no regrets whatsoever, just because I wouldn’t have gotten the perspective that I have or known everything that I do now going into college. I am so thankful for that.”

aurora cook

“My favorite memory from Community is just a random one. But at some point, me and some friends were sitting eating lunch on the third floor in Liz’s room. There were two people in the back arm wrestling, and one of them ended up screeching because they were getting too competitive. It was funny because Ryan had to come in and make sure no one was getting murdered. I’m going to miss all the teachers and underclassmen. I was friends with the seniors and mostly sophomores during my freshman year. Now I’m a senior and I have a bunch of friends who are sophomores and freshmen. We’re probably not going to keep in contact and I’m not going to see them for a while most likely. My advice to the underclassmen or my freshman-year self would be don’t doubt yourself and find a better way to keep track of what your assignments are and when they’re due.”

alita cunnigham

“I always thought I was really bad at science because I never knew all the facts. There were always these kids in elementary school and middle school who knew all the facts. I think that I definitely had a couple science classes here that made a big difference for me just thinking and starting to wonder, I can actually understand this and understanding it feels good. It’s kind of like math, when you understand it, you want to keep doing it. I remember being like, ‘I’m gonna hate chemistry,’ then my junior year when I had FOS III with Liz, I had a really fun table. It was my first hour and I was always late, but whenever I was there we were doing something cool and I actually liked being there and genuinely understood it. And that made me, sort of first get more interested in science. When I answered questions I would get them right sometimes and that made me start to be like, ‘Okay, science can be at my pace.’ I’m by no means a science whiz or anything, it just made me think that maybe I wasn’t science stupid, which I never really felt before. I think I’ve actually enjoyed the science program here more than any science program I’ve taken split-enrolling at Pioneer. All my science teachers here have been great. Just the flexibility here and I feel like the teachers do noticeably care about you more here and want to help. Anyway, I’m planning on studying something in Environmental Science in college. I think taking science at Community definitely played a role in that, and I really want to put it in the real world and actually get stuff done.”

“Think about what kind of environment you want. If you want a liberal arts feel, where it’s a lot smaller and cozier and you get to know each other more intimately, then I would go with Community. In my sophomore year it was a really awkward period because I had forgotten how to talk to people and everyone was kind of in the same boat. We were all really anxious and it was hard to strike up conversations and I didn’t know anyone. It really helped me when I studied abroad in Oxford, England the first semester of my junior year because I made a lot of friends there and I felt a lot more comfortable interacting with others. It was the really tight-knit community at my school. It was an all-girls school and we were really close. It was a small class. It was very academically rigorous, but we could talk about our shared interests and we chose the classes that we were in so everyone who was in a class really wanted to be there. I came back and I was able to apply those skills. Don’t waste your time trying to change yourself for other people, you could grow up and you wouldn’t end up liking them anyway. Then you realize you just wasted your time turning into someone that you don’t really like. Spend more time trying to figure out who you are.”

leah eddins

“I’m really happy I chose to stay at Community. I have a small group of friends that I’m close with and the teachers are great. They’ve all been really supportive and helpful in my education and my learning. They’ve all helped me in some way and shaped what I want to continue on in college. I think all the little things that I’ve been doing throughout the years just prepare me for the bigger classes in college. I went on a mission trip with my church, and we helped rebuild a house that was destroyed in the San Juan hurricane in 2017. That was an eye-opening experience because it felt really good to help. My plan is to go into animal science, possibly related to animal care or nursing. My grandma has had this farm for 45 years, and she set the foundation for my love of animals. She had a rescue horse there and I really bonded with him and that set up all the things I have done up until this point. It’s been such a big part of my life for so long. Try to mold Community into what you want to do, if you want to go to college or not. Take classes that are going to set you up for success, and ask teachers for help whenever you need it, whether it’s for your future plans or just schoolwork in general, because they’re so, so helpful, and they have a lot of knowledge to give.”

“High school is as hard as you make it. You choose your classes and if you want to have a rigorous course just know that it’s going to be stressful, but in the end, it’ll help your application in going to college. Don’t just take required courses. I did that for all of sophomore year and that might’ve been my worst year — the most boring. I had the lowest motivation because none of the classes were fun. Don’t just try to get all the credits out of the way, actually try and enjoy your classes. I’m very glad I took a few CRs, it gave me an experience I wouldn’t have gotten if I had just taken classes at Community. I would always suggest for people to take CRs, unless you’re a freshman, then it’s kind of difficult to take a CR. But I wish I had taken more CRs. Don’t take classes that all your friends are in if it’s not a class you’re interested in. If you’re just taking it for your friends, it’s not going to be enjoyable. Take mental breaks when you need, even if you have perfect attendance. If you’re in class and you’re getting really stressed, teachers will understand if you just say, ‘Hey, I’m struggling right now. I just need to go out in the hall for a few minutes.’ They will most definitely understand.”

alana eisman

lila fetter

“I really didn’t think I would end up teaching two classes like I am this semester. I didn’t even know if I would stay in jazz all four years and to have it be three of my six classes now is kind of crazy. In the future, I would like something such as teaching a choir or band, but mostly I think I’m really interested in doing private lessons. I found over the course of my teaching this year that I really like working with kids individually. I think Community, in terms of the jazz program, has helped me in terms of understanding music theory, and what makes a good song even though the songs I write are completely different genres. I think jazz has really helped me grow my songwriting ability and just my performing abilities in general. I think that now that I’m moving forward with my more recent album, recording in a studio with other musicians is really crazy to see how much my music was able to evolve and being able to play with actual other people and recording live sessions just in one take.”

“It’s been a pretty good experience overall. I’ve never been the most enthusiastic about school but Community has definitely been accommodating and helpful. Some good aspects that I appreciate are teachers like Maneesha because without her I wouldn’t have been able to pass Algebra II. Marcy was also really helpful through all two years of FOS. I have more freedom. Overall, I’d say people just let you exist here. As long as you’re not breaking a bunch of rules, you can do your own thing. I am going to take a gap year to work in that time to save up money. After this, I am interested in things like the trade school. Homebuilding is basically an introduction to the trade school and it involves you and a group of 15 other people building a house. You start with a foundation at the beginning of the year, and then at the end, it’s a full house and it gets sold. It’s a really good opportunity to learn the other side of the world when it comes to work. The thing I’ll remember the most about this school is walking through the hallways, honestly. Looking at the art on the walls, I think this building just has its own memorable vibe.”

maddie gallego-strasma

“I have a Google Doc where I just write down every single idea I have but with the expectation that I’m probably never going to use them. Even if it’s a bad idea I try to still write it down. I call the Doc ‘Stupid Story Ideas’ so I feel less committed to them. I don’t have to follow through on any of them, they’re no pressure, they’re just there. I could talk for hours about characters and stories. It’s a good way for me to process a story because I can hear myself and then that makes me think of new things that I wouldn’t have thought about if I was just thinking to myself. About a year ago, I watched a cartoon series called ‘The Owl House.’ It’s very gay. The main character is a nerd and gets transported to this fantasy realm. There were so many things in seeing that character that made me think of myself when I was younger. I’m planning on majoring in film. I definitely want to do stuff where I could write or direct trans characters who get to have moments of being empowered in a story. What if we flipped what’s usually the norm and I got to write a trans character who is in a high societal position? I want to write characters that people like me can find comfort in. What I would define as success for me… is being able to look at your community and be like, ‘I’ve done good things for all these people.’ And you feel like you’ve made a difference in the lives of your community.”

cecelia fortson

“I took darkroom photography at first just because I needed a class there and I needed an art credit. The first time I took it with Steve, and I just fell in love with it. It was so much fun and I really enjoyed the class and especially with the open campus where you can go anywhere, take pictures of anything. It’s just such a great opportunity that the school has. We’re also the only high school with a darkroom, so being able to just use that and it’s just such a fun process taking the pictures, processing it, doing, printing the pictures and actually if your friends in the class it’s so much fun. I have this one picture. It’s like a close shot of some flowers. The picture itself isn’t really anything that special, but it’s just the processing I got. It’s so clear that I just really love it. I love [Italian Art and Culture] as well. It’s so great. We just kind of talk about whatever we want to in the moment and we bring food and the projects are so much fun. We’re going to Steve’s house this weekend. We’re gonna go make pasta and then sit in his sauna. And it’s just such a good environment and everyone wants to be there. And Steve’s amazing. So I really enjoy that class. Take advantage of all the resources Community gives you. Don’t just come here and not do anything. There are so many things you can do at this school that other schools can’t do.”

daniel ging

“I think the biggest thing from Community that I learned was responsibility. You learn how to be responsible for yourself and understand your responsibility in life. This is really what Community is all about. At Community, people trust each other and people know they belong. It is a place where people can laugh and have fun. When I was doing Connect with Community there were some parents that asked me, ‘What’s your favorite part of Community?’ and I was like ‘Dude, I don’t even know, my favorite part about Community is Community.’ Community seemed like a small school and I liked that feeling, I got to know a lot of people through that. I think my impact on Community has mostly been through The Communicator. Tracy’s passion for her students has really pushed me into developing my craft, and I feel like I wouldn’t be as interested in photography if it wasn’t for Tracy constantly pushing me. The more that she trusted me and the more that she gave me the opportunity to thrive really developed my passion for photography and made me really enjoy it. I feel like a lot of people benefit from having someone that makes you want to pursue something. Now I definitely want photography to be a side gig forever. I’m going to be the guy in the family with the camera that takes the photos of every family gathering.”

“There are so many good opportunities here. You have to be proactive and take opportunities as they come. I’m really happy I went here. Everybody’s letting everyone else be. I really liked Calculus because it was the first time I was like, ‘Wow, I really actually like this math a lot and I want to be doing it.’ And I feel like Calculus, just learning that you see all the connections to all the different fields and the point of why you were learning all that other math before that which might have seemed just like rote memorization. I love Mock Trial. I really like the team and I like the competition and the memorization and the drama of it all. Going into high school, I was very stressed out about, ‘Oh, I need to get the best grades and get into the best college.’ I’ve done really well. I still hold that goal, but I’ve learned how to actually want to learn stuff. High school has taught me how to care about learning and the world. I found my identity as someone who cares about social justice. I’m never going to the same school as my friends again, having any of those awesome high school experiences of, ‘Oh, you want to go get boba real quick?’ or ‘Want to walk downtown and hang out?’ I’m sure college will have a lot of new good memories, but it’s kind of sad to leave all the old ones here.”

moose gultekin

“This is way easier said than done, but find your people. Just finding people that I clicked with, laughed at the same stuff that I laughed at and being able to just make friends. I know I’m also a loud person and I’m super extroverted. So I make friends easily but finding people that kind of are just okay with me being me is also a really nice thing. To have people that are like, ‘Oh, s*** changes,’ nothing is permanent. You’re going to change and we’re still going to be friends. And so I found those people pretty early on, like Indigo and I have been friends since my sophomore year. I’ve been friends with Alana since my freshman year. Things like that where I have people in my life that have always just enjoyed me as a person and I haven’t felt like I’ve had to be someone else. I feel like I am Moose around those people like I’m not ‘Moose Gultekin’ or anything like that. But also, just being in spaces in which there’s like a lot of power dynamics and cliques in particular. Feeling that I don’t fit in has always been one thing that I’ve always hated and it’s been scary, I guess. Just not having people has been terrifying as well as not having opportunities to show my worth and show my value as a student and as a person. I think if I didn’t have community, I would still be a little bit lost. I truly don’t know what I would have done if I had ended up at Pioneer and I don’t know if I want to think about it.”

stephanie hadley

“My dad actually went to Community. He has a mural here on the first floor. So my parents really wanted me to come here. Pioneer is my home school, but I definitely didn’t see myself there. So I was grateful when I got in because I had a lot of really close friends that didn’t get in, and I just felt like I at least had the opportunity and then I took it and I’ve been really grateful for my experience here. I really like how open everyone is. Everyone’s very caring here, and everyone wants the best for you. Whereas I feel like I went to another high school you’re kind of just one of many or you’re just kind of a number and a computer system. Whereas here all the teachers know your name. Everyone’s kind of like one big family. There are also a lot more opportunities that we have. We’re right downtown, so having the open campus has been really nice. I like being able to build my own schedule, which has been nice and has given me more opportunities to work around my work schedule as well. I’m definitely gonna miss my forum and Dianne. I really think Dianne is one of the best forum leaders. She always pushes and fights for us and I think we just feel like a really close community within our forum. I’m also gonna miss all the time with my friends. I know this is our last time being all in the same place here. I’ve just been really grateful for the time I’ve been able to have with my friends.”

hyacinth held

“Community offers me a lot of freedom, not just because it’s an open campus but because people are more accepting of different types of people. There’s no specific group people fit into; they can just be who they want to be and don’t have to conform to a group. I think especially coming out of COVID-19 and not knowing anybody, Forum was a way to actually know and meet people. A lot of people I know come from my Forum or from connections through other Forums. I think Forum really helped me after we came back from the pandemic. The teachers were also really understanding of our situation. They didn’t really treat us like sophomores, and not in a bad way, but they wouldn’t talk down to us or anything. They understood that we didn’t really know anything about the school. I feel like freshman year is important for meeting new people and making friends that you’re going to have for most of your high school years. But since my freshman year was completely online, it was kind of hard meeting new people and not really knowing anybody for a whole year.”

“I think I came into high school being very, very, shy and not really knowing how I’d fit into this school. And, then I joined journalism and Tracy was kind of just like ‘Hi’ and I was a little bit thrown off by her energy. At first. I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness, she sounds crazy’ but then I was like, ‘Oh, wait, no, this is fun.’ So she kind of really pushed me to apply for editor positions and gain more confidence in that class just through interviewing and meeting new people or learning to write and speak in my voice. I joined Forum Council with Ryan. I think it was the same thing with him. I think I kind of owe it to them for who I am today. Right now in dance, we’re doing Cinderella, which is really fun. That’s in two weeks, which is scary, but I got cast as Cinderella which is really cool. So, that’s been a really new experience because it’s been a while since our studios have done a story ballet. I think it was really cool to have a different way of expressing myself because like I said, I was very, like, I didn’t like sharing my opinion a lot just because I felt like sometimes it was wrong or people may react badly or something like that. With dance, it was really cool to be able to have that safe space because I mean, there were times when things were going on outside of school and outside of dance and it was like, ‘Okay, I need to just dance it off.’”

addi hinesman

johana horvath

“Throughout the four years at Community being surrounded by forum and supportive teachers has helped me become who I am. I never had Dianne, my forum leader, as a teacher, but I definitely think that she has had my back throughout all four years. It’s a nice feeling to know that she’s always supporting me and on my side and that I can literally go to her for anything. Dianne is kind of like a cheerleader for her forumettes. She’s always the one I go to first to talk about anything, even about what sport I would be playing in college. Next year, I will be playing field hockey at Oberlin College. Playing field hockey was a last-minute decision, I hadn’t thought about it until the summer and then my coach asked, ‘Have you ever thought about playing in college?’ I was unsure if I was even up for doing it, but I realized that I enjoy doing the sport and whether or not I committed or went to a bigger college and did club field hockey, it was something that I wanted to keep in my life because I have made so many great relationships and memories through sports.”

“I wanted to go to art college before Community. At Community, I got to have a ton of art classes, and I could just do whatever I wanted. I wouldn’t have learned or wanted to have done well without Beth and Hannah. Their classes aren’t rigid or very structured at all. They encouraged me to just sort of do whatever I want. With most other teachers, I think they would not be like, ‘Okay, Aedan, do whatever you want to do in this class.’ The first year when the art room was cut in half and there was a giant wall, we could all just doodle on the wall. At Fools Moon, we did the alien kitchen. I liked seeing the space exhibits that the other people did. There were some cool cat pictures and chalk drawings. And all I can think about is the existential dread of AI. I feel like it’s a little inevitable at this point. AI bros aren’t gonna listen to the plight of artists because they care more about efficiency. There’s no natural craft that goes into it. I guess if you are an artist, have a backup plan of some sort of other career at this point. You can still do art as a hobby, but it’s the beginning of the end, I think, so… try not to be too sad. Art has created jobs. It has created political status. The way people are trying it out is what’s fun. Art fart.”

“I went to Ann Arbor Open and it’s pretty free, you get to call teachers by their first name. I heard that the environment is pretty similar here at Community. So I wanted to do it again. I think I’ve definitely matured coming into freshman year. Especially journalism has kind of changed the way I talk to people. Because you can just go up and interview somebody. I’m forced to do it, but also I want to do it at the same time. I’m not an outward person, but I can talk to a lot of people. Even if they’re not my friends, I can still joke around with them, like in New York and Paris. It’s like you put these 10-20 kids in a bubble. You come out of it after a week and they become a lot better friends because they have to socialize a lot during the trip. Taking from what I learned from CHS, I have a plan for what I want to do. But I’m also gonna go with the flow because I know, even if I have a super strict idea of where I want to go, life is life. So there’s a very small possibility that I’m going to be able to just go directly towards it without any part of life steering me off that course. ”

“A lot of people have existential feelings about [being a senior], but I don’t. I’ve learned to realize the cruelties of other people and to accept my mistakes as they are. I’ve also learned that little hard-to-identify mistakes aren’t threatening or life changing, but they’re okay and beautiful. I’ve just learned to enjoy myself and find beauty in my actions. Giving the speech ushering in the Jones School Bicentennial was especially really powerful. Having that responsibility, I feel like it motivated me for the things I want to do now, which is to help local historians and people who fight gentrification in Ann Arbor and other things like that. The purpose of my part of the speech was to open up the emotional floodgate, so I was trying to get people to understand the gravity of what we were doing. I felt like I represented that well, and it was really satisfying to know that I can make other people happy in that way. I realized that all you need to accomplish things in this environment is motivation. We have all of the tools necessary. I realized that I want to help people live freely and happily. In some cases, that means helping them document their history. My job right now is helping someone who went to Jones School write their memoir. I just want to make life easier for everyone. Everyone deserves to live freely.”

aidan hsia

ivy idzikowski

isabella jacob

“I feel like in middle school, I was a very shy and reserved person. I came into middle school in seventh grade and I wasn’t part of the district, so I didn’t know anyone. It was really scary to just be dropped into this random place with a school of 600 kids and my old school was pretty small, so it was a crazy change. Going into high school, I was really looking for my group and my place. I think all the people at Community really helped me come out of my shell and grow into the person that I am now, the friends I’ve made, and also the teachers. Ryan and Forum Council helped me grow my leadership skills while Tracy and journalism taught me to write about what I’m passionate about. With forum, I’ve made more really strong friendships. We went into forum freshman year thinking this is a silly little thing but I ended up meeting Morgan and Anya A and we became really good friends and stuck together through forum for the past four years. Now they’re some of my closest friends on the planet.”

mason jett

“I like being around the people that I’ve grown up with for the last eight years. I’ve just gotten used to them. They’re very fun. I feel like I understand them and they understand me. A lot of its humor. Our humor is very one of a kind. It’s so unique. I’m looking forward to meeting new people in college though, but I’m gonna miss the people I know now. I have also been really enjoying my running lately. It’s not as much of a chore as it used to be. And I think it’s going to be a good way to meet people in college. Lately at track, we’ve been having more fun with what we do. I mean, we play games before we run and after practice. It’s more fun and the people are enjoyable. The attitude on the team has changed. The coaches wanted a different culture on the team and Luke and I pushed to make that change and now it’s completely different from how it was two years ago. Track has helped me get better at managing big groups of people and it’s helped me with leadership skills. I have to direct all the young people on the team that don’t know what they’re doing yet. And it’s helped me form close bonds with the people I run with. I’m running with these people six days a week, for an hour a day. And same with the coaches, it’s helped me learn to communicate.”

julia kaltwasser

“Making personal bonds with my teachers has been a big part of my high school experience. They’re just so supportive with everything and they have helped me out so much and have just been so great. There’s not a single teacher that didn’t accommodate for things that were going on in my life, which is so unbelievably amazing. The teachers have a lot of humor and emotion with what they teach and what they talk about, even if it’s just something random that associates with what they’re teaching and they make it so much fun. I think making those personal bonds with your teachers is really important. I had an incident, and I went to Courtney because she was my support at the time. I just knew that’s what I needed to do, she was my rock and I am so grateful. She really understood what was going on with my life and she was helping me out. That’s when I knew I made the right decision with school, there is just no other place like Community. I think it’s seriously one of the best schools that anyone could go to. A lot of people say that they would change something about high school, but I think what I’ve gone through has helped me grow and I don’t think I would change it. I’ve learned lessons that I’ve needed to learn.”

“When I was in middle school, I really wanted to stick with the crowd and do everything that everyone else was doing, even in hobbies and music I listened to. But coming here, everyone is so unique and the classes and the teachers and everything are so different. So it’s like you kind of have to find yourself, like not going with the crowd because there isn’t really a group or even groups of people. I was able to find what I was interested in and what I liked. I think most of my memories are with Community people outside of school. Journalism has been something that has opened up a lot of opportunities to get to know the school better. It made me feel more connected with the school because I knew what was going on and interviewing people. In Journalism, we got to go to New York and that was really fun. I got to know people in Journalism better on that trip. There’s a conference at Columbia and you can decide your schedule and go to different meetings, and people present things. I just felt really independent. I could just walk around this college campus. I was hanging out with people and we were sitting on the steps of the Library of Columbia eating Qdoba. I remember it was super windy and all our food blew away. That independence is definitely a thing at Community. You can decide what you want to do.”

bridgette kelly

ailish kilbride

“In my sophomore year, I started track. And I think Serena Kessler has been one of my biggest role models throughout high school. She taught me that I am capable of so much more than my mind thinks I am. I truly started to love running when I started track. I actually ended up writing one of my college essays about it and one about Serena. I wrote about breaking six minutes in the mile which has been one of my greatest accomplishments. Learning to scrape the depths of all of the energy I have to give is something that I couldn’t have learned in any other aspect of my life. I started out running during COVID-19 with my mom and would run a 9:45 mile. I was not a runner at all, I just loved being with my mom. But after joining track, I was pushing myself to my absolute limit. My muscles would feel like noodles every single day. That culture taught me that you can do hard things and to feel the hard but do it anyway. I found myself during track my sophomore year, and I haven’t looked back since. Last year, I broke six minutes in the mile and it was the first time in my life where I knew my body is so much more capable than my mind thinks.”

“When I came to Community, it was kind of like a blank page that I was able to design out myself during the four years, and I mean, I guess the finished product is gonna be doing graduation. I’m just kind of excited to see where I am, what I’ve done, and even how things have changed from now to graduation. A lot of the time I don’t realize or think about where I am now, where I’ve come from, what I’m doing, and I guess just thinking about it, like I am happy with where I am and what I’ve accomplished, and I’m excited for the future, even if I don’t know exactly where I’m gonna be or where I’m gonna end up. In ninth grade, I was kind of closed off, I was a little bit closed-minded. But throughout all the experiences, all the classes, even the trips I’ve been on just since starting ninth grade I have grown so much in my leadership skills, in my passion to learn. I will never say no to learning something design, art or business-related. Right now I’m really into finances which I never thought I would be when I was in ninth grade. And just having all the experiences have really just grown me as a person. I feel I’ve contributed to society, even if it’s not the community. I’ve contributed to the well-being and happiness of other people in my life, especially at school.”

jonah klein

anya knoepp

“I’ve always been really into science and learning about animals and plants and how humans interact with them. As I’ve learned more about climate change, I feel like it’s a pressing issue to understand and research. One teacher who made a big impact on me is probably Courtney Kiley. She worked in the industry that I want to work in. All of her stories that she tells about the time she worked for USGS (United States Geological Survey) are really inspiring. She kind of furthered my interest in the subject and wrote my letter of recommendation for an internship I applied to at a fishery. Being in her Ecology class inspired me to apply for that internship. I’m planning on doing something like marine science or marine biology. It’s why I’m going to UC Santa Cruz. I want to be able to have an impact on marine conservation. To the underclassmen, I would say take advantage of either dual enrollment or take random college classes. Even though it doesn’t give you college credit, it’s such a good experience. Last semester I took an ocean resources class at U of M. We learned about all of the processes of the marine environment, ocean circulation and marine geology. But then on top of that, we learned about current issues. We read two books about overfishing, which are honestly now my favorite books ever. I highly recommend it and they definitely sparked my motivation to continue to research marine biology.”

jacob kosnik

“I started and now lead the Magic the Gathering club. It’s certainly not the biggest club, but the people there are pretty great. It’s just like a nice little community that I feel a small sense of pride for because I feel as though it’s a very approachable environment. I also think the teachers made CHS a comfortable environment. The teachers here really showed how much they cared about me and how much they respected me. They were always there to talk and help me with homework. Being at CHS was one of the first times I felt truly respected by a teacher. Specifically in Profe’s Spanish 4 and 5 classes, there was a mutual understanding between her and you that you have to do the work she assigns but it’s not as though she would give you a terrible grade if you didn’t. She just wants you to do the best you can. Many teachers, like Luciana, George and Profe never gave up on me. I found myself asking when they’d give up trying to help but they never did. Their support instilled a sense of self-worth in me.”

charlie laman

“I never really got the freshman experience. I remember absolutely nothing, and I never really wanted to do school. In middle school, I was very unhappy and anxious, and I will flatly say it was a bad experience. In my second year, everyone was wearing face masks, and those weren’t really conducive to making friends. It definitely affected me socially because I only really came out of my shell halfway through last year. I started joining more student groups, I started being more social and I actually made friends. I’m definitely a lot more confident than I was, and I have a general idea of what I’m doing. I’m going to Lawrence University, and I’m planning to major in Chemistry and minor in Religion. I’m studying chemistry in college because the chemistry class here is really fun and interesting, and it helped me figure out what I want to do after high school. I feel like having a good experience with science and having good science teachers made me more inclined to continue chemistry after high school. Being in journalism for two years, I’d also say has been helpful since that helped me realize that I might want to teach and is something I’m interested in and enjoy doing. Before coming to Community, I didn’t really care a whole lot since there was no incentive to, but I now set goals and I’ve learned how to be a better student.”

“I have done CET for all four years. I did it on Zoom, which was crazy. You had to record yourself and then send it in. I’ve done CET all of high school, and I’m the president of it now. I play on the lacrosse team at Pioneer High School, which I’m the captain of. I’ve done Forum Council for all four years and it has been pretty weird, again from Zoom to nothing to everything. And now I’m head of the prom committee too. So we’re just kind of racking up everything in school, but it’s been really great. And I have a bunch of clubs. I joined the feminist club, I did QSA, I’ve done the Science and Illustrators club, and now everything’s kind of taken over with board meetings for all the different boards that I’m on but it’s been really fun. With athletics, I have two hours out of my schedule every day for either games or practices. CET was like three hours a day. This past show, sometimes it would get to like four hours which was crazy. But I think they were overly important to me because I made so many friends and I met so many people through the school. I know maybe 90% of the entire school — from a combination of CET or clubs or sports.”

ebie lamb

“I never really made any friends in middle school. I don’t know if it was me, what age I was, or how I moved around classes a lot. So, my whole mantra going into high school was that we’re not making the same mistakes from middle school. We are going to find friends. However, every year, I did participate as an actor in the Tappan play. Usually just on the side. It was probably the best part of middle school. From sophomore year, I had a science partner. We would always work together. His name was John. John also had a friend and he was always bugging me about CET. I felt like he was always a good reminder that I needed to join at some point. Since I’d been doing the Tappan plays, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m joining CET in the future.’ Later, I joined the same crew as him in ‘Cabaret.’ There I also met a lot of friends. They just kind of started talking to me, which was very interesting. I usually approach others. So when they just suddenly approached me and started talking to me, I was really happy. ‘Cabaret’ was also probably the best play you could ever a part of. It was the best play I’ve worked with so far. It was just amazing. I’m still amazed by it. It was beautiful.”

“A lot of my experiences here in terms of activities I’ve participated in, I think have made me a lot braver in letting my heart show in front of other people. I started writing poems in connection with journaling a lot when I was younger, and then in the last couple of years I just got more into it. And then the more I thought about poetry, the more I couldn’t not think about it. A lot of stuff I did, in terms of theater or sharing poems or sharing art would have felt really scary to a younger me, but now I feel like it’s a fun challenge. I saw this thing where it said something like, ‘I feel like I’ve been trying to keep a secret my whole life and I don’t know what it is… just me, maybe?’ And I definitely have an instinct to close off my emotions and sort of inner world, especially if I’m freaking out or stressed. I have the instinct to close off more as a result of that. It’s definitely something I’m still working on, but I feel like I have gotten a lot better at letting other people into my emotions and my feelings. It just makes everything so much better because it allows you to be such a better friend if you can let other people in and it helps your emotions and the emotions of those around you.”

henry lipp

poppy magee

alissa maglothin

“I would say what I really want to do right now is to go to law school, but I want to go up and get a doctorate because, both my mom and my grandfather, were planning on getting their doctorate, but because of family issues they were not able to, so I kind of want to achieve that legacy for them. I want to do things that interest me, I want to go into law and that’s my main thing. I just want to achieve a level of success, my own personal level of success and my own goals with that. I feel as I’ve gone through the college process it’s gotten less and less scary, and more just exciting. Sure, sometimes there are parts where I’m terrified, but also, there are parts where I realize, ‘Oh I’m shopping for my dorm, and I’m just so excited!’ And I’m so excited to have my own space and have my own, like complete ownership of myself and all of that. But obviously, there are points where I’m scared like what’s going to happen after I graduate? Am I going to be able to go to law school like I want? But also, I realize that if my plans change then I am confident that I will have the ability to adapt and work through it. I’m just excited to move on to the next state of my life and celebrate with all my friends.”

“I’ve been drumming for about the past three years. Then I joined jazz, two years ago in Jazz 1. I didn’t realize that I had to do an audition, so Jack Wagner, the jazz teacher, just told me to do one really quickly. And then I got into Jazz 1, then I started my career in jazz. During an audition, you have to play a couple of scales. You have to do some fancy things on the instrument, and I had to play a swing beat which I absolutely bombed. I sucked at swing. I was mainly a rock drummer before I joined jazz. If you string them together, you can create lots of amazing things, but by themselves, they’re really simple. The way I usually practice is I just develop muscle memory. Whether or not it’s on my knee or if it’s on a practice pad, I just strum out while I’m watching something, because sometimes it’s good to really drill it into your brain. But that gets a little repetitive sometimes. One thing, especially for getting homework and stuff done, is to set aside time. It doesn’t have to be a rigid schedule or anything, but if you go through the effort to say, ‘I’m gonna spend half an hour, 45 minutes, one hour, every day, doing my math homework, or practicing my instrument’ it goes a long way for building good habits which really is one of the important aspects of high school.”

rohan manjeshwar

“I enjoyed being in the Mosher Forum during my time at CHS. I love going on forum field trips. It was nice to walk together and downtown. I also liked it when we went to Wiard’s Orchard. I got to pick apples and get a pumpkin. I had some donuts. I enjoyed my forum field trip to Detroit. I enjoyed going to Buddy’s Pizza and the riverfront. I also liked when we had a forum night and we carved pumpkins. My favorite class was French because I love learning about the food and the culture. I have met a lot of people here because I introduce myself to them to be polite. I am a little sad to leave Community. I have some nerves about college and what that will be like. I will be going to Washtenaw Community College next year.”

clare martin-schwarze

“Around mid-December of my sophomore year, I woke up one day with random shoulder pain. I thought I’d slept funny but then I woke up the next day and the pain had spread to my other shoulder. The pain grew and spread throughout my body for the next six months. At the end of my sophomore year, I was diagnosed with a chronic illness and for better or for worse it has been the dominant part of my high school experience. I lost a lot of parts of myself that I considered very core to myself and it really forced me to question what I value in my life and what makes my identity. I went from being this nerdy, driven, smart kid to realizing that sometimes I’m gonna have to settle for passing instead of getting an A in a class because of my medical issues and that’s something I have to be okay with, even though it feels like I’m letting my chronic illness define me. But over time, I’ve realized that my illness can be a part of me and I can use it to change how others see people like me. I decided that I just wanted to be more vocal and more visible because I would hate for all the advocacy I’ve done for myself to end with me. Community is definitely the kindest feeling school I have ever been at, but I would love to see it become even more accessible in the future.”

reagan masek allison

mayer

“The Michigan is a workout where you don’t get a break. Every interval is hard. Just some of the intervals are harder. It’s so painful and I’ve done it when it was 85 degrees and 20-mile-per-hour winds. So my very first time doing the Michigan was awful. I really didn’t like running in middle school because I thought it hurt really bad. And I was like, ‘Oh, this just sucks,’ but I was pretty good at it. So then I thought maybe I’ll do it in high school. Maybe I’ll like it. And once I started getting an actual training plan and getting into shape, I started to get more motivated and I liked it more because I hurt a little bit less every time I did it. I got used to it. I’m pretty excited to run in college. I think it’ll be nice to have a team coming into college just from a social aspect and then also an escape from my classes. I’ll have more of an outlet, physically and socially, so I think it’ll be fun. I think I’m the most proud of when my four-byeight relay went to states for track my junior year and we broke the school record. That was a really exciting moment and it was nice for us to do it together. It wasn’t just like a me thing. Be consistent. Don’t jump the gun. You’re just gonna get injured. I think a lot of the fun for a lot of people is improving. So don’t feel like your first year you need to work up to really high mileage because you want to make sure you have the ability to improve every year.”

“I look at the freshmen now and am like, ‘You guys just have no idea what you’re going to go through.’ I think that I’ve learned to not prioritize school but more just focus on things that actually make me happy versus doing assignments on a Friday night. I know I’ll get them done, but there are memories that I can’t relive. My siblings have also played a big role. Me and my other two siblings are three years apart and I am eight years older than my youngest brother, Quinn. My younger brother Sam just played in the state championship hockey game, and it was the night before my birthday. I wanted to do something with my friends. And then I was like, there’s a chance that I’ll never be able to watch his state championship hockey game. If this is the only one I get, I need to go. Quinn is in third grade this year. He’s impacted me because I’ve always just had a bond that he doesn’t have with my other siblings. He’ll be crying his eyes out when I get home from school and my mom will tell me she doesn’t know why he is crying but he won’t talk to her. He just says, ‘I want to talk to Reagan,’ which just makes my day. My older sister Madison has also had a big impact on me. I think she’s just really amplified or exemplified how everything happens for a reason.”

emmy wernimont

“It’s hard to think so far ahead to graduation, even though it’s not that far ahead anymore. I guess it’s always felt like a really faraway thing. But now it’s not, which is honestly pretty scary. I’m excited for college, to get the college experience and to experience new stuff, but it will be hard to leave all the friends I’ve made and my family, everyone I know here. I think I’ll also miss my forum. I feel like our forum and a lot of forums definitely lost a lot over COVID-19 because you couldn’t really do much together. Even though we had Zoom forum, it wasn’t the same. And then going into my sophomore year, half the forum had never been in an in-person forum setting and a fourth of it was only there for half a year, but I feel like we’ve grown as a forum and become a lot more connected and fun as the years have gone by. My favorite Community memory was the forum lock-in we did this fall. It was a Thursday night so everyone else had school tomorrow, but we were at Community, and then at like 11 p.m. our forum had a chair race where we took a bunch of rolly chairs and raced them down the hall. It was really fun and a really great forum bonding and just not something that would ever happen anywhere else.”

parker haymart

“I think that finding your community really requires putting yourself out there and taking risks and stepping out of your comfort zone. In CET we’ve created a tradition with the student tech leadership, we do a dance every opening night or every Saturday between the shows. Looking back on it, it’s like, ‘Why would I have done that?’ It seems like it’s not me at all, but I love doing it. I feel like a rock star every time I’m on that stage. Everyone’s so supportive and non-judgemental and they welcome you as you are, so it’s a great place to step outside of your comfort zone and show your true self to people. It’s easy for me to be someone who follows behind the scenes because it’s less stressful and there is less fear of judgment in some ways, but I find myself putting myself out there more and more as I’m getting older. As the assistant director for CET I’ve had to take a lot of risks, applying for that position, putting myself out there for that role, and then in that role making decisions that affect a large body of people. That’s something that my sophomore and freshman self could never imagine doing. Even though I’m not on stage, I’m also not behind the scenes. Through CET I’ve been able to grow and go past being in the background. It’s helped me grow into someone who’s willing to take risks.”

mason watson

“I was pretty dependent growing up, but at the end of middle school, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone, become more independent, grow up and not be so needy of my parents anymore. Community helped me a lot in that way. I have pretty bad social anxiety. At a bigger high school, I would be less likely to ask questions and ask for help when I need it. That would decrease my likelihood of knowing things and being prepared for life after graduation. Even if I don’t ask questions in class, the teachers always check in with you and are so personal with you. They want to make sure you’re okay with not only the class materials but in your personal life. They’re all so supportive and want to go out of their way, and even ask you to go to office hours to help you learn something you might struggle with. For example, I don’t really understand history very well the way it’s taught because I’m more of a hands-on learner. But Sarah Hechler, in my sophomore year, helped me for two hours in office hours and was so supportive and patient. She got me through that. That’s just one example. I have many but it just really amplifies that the teachers here want to help and go out of their way to help students no matter what.”

molly hamalainen

“During my journey in the last four years, I have noticed a growth of independence within myself. CHS provides a space for a lot of independence. They don’t force you into independence, but you have to be independent and confident if you want to go here — the ability to decide where I want to be and the freedom of classes and if I want to do dual enrollment and the connection that I have with my teachers has built a lot of confidence that has made me feel more like an adult and more in control of my life and my education. If I had gone to another school, I wouldn’t be where I am today in terms of perseverance. I always knew that because of this smaller school, I was going to have stronger relationships with my teachers because they have fewer students to worry about and I can call them by their first name. It’s a mutual respect. I respect them for the teacher they are and they respect me for the young adult that I am. During my time here I decided to take advantage of that and make strong connections with my teachers so that we would both benefit from class. I’ll take a lot from CHS. I’ve become such a better person because of CHS.”

mani haldeman

“CHS has prepared me well for my future. I want to go to a different country for a year. I like traveling so I want to go see more places and find a place I’d like to live. I decided I wanted to go to MSU. I’ll probably go to WCC for two years and then transfer to MSU. I’m a busboy at a restaurant named Mani, which happens to be the same name as mine. Lots of my coworkers go to MSU and love it. I plan to go to Taiwan or Hong Kong to learn Chinese for a year in the middle of college. I went to Taiwan and met a lot of cool people who gave me advice on where I should go with my life. I want to go into business and learning Chinese would be valuable for going into business. MSU has a good business program. I want to get into more of the psychology part of business and advertising. Most people that I see in business seem to be pretty happy, and there’s lots of money in it so it seems like a good idea.”

morgan mcclease

“The first day of my sophomore year was kind of like my first day of high school and I remember that moment so vividly. They had the first-day meal and everyone was outside sitting in the sun and I was like, ‘Wow, I chose a really good school.’ Since middle school, I’ve grown in the sense of being a leader. I’ve taken on two kinds of big leadership positions, and back in middle school, I could never imagine myself doing that. I swear it always comes back to journalism, but I think journalism helped me a lot with getting myself out there. I’ve learned to not be afraid. Like seriously, don’t be afraid to talk to people because I was afraid and I thought things were very rigid. If I had been less afraid to do things earlier, I would have become friends with people so much more quickly and I would’ve had more time with them. So I’ve learned to just go out for the things that I’m afraid of and be brave. The Communicator has really set me up to go out into the real world because, through it, I found the things that I’m really passionate about and the things that I like to do, which is a really lucky position to be in. Overall, don’t take your time here at Community for granted, because every single day I wish that I had all four years here.”

miles mcdonald

“Sean Eldon, I just love him. What a great guy he is. After our trip in Greece, I just knew I would love him. I was so nervous when Matt Johnson was leaving because you know, he had such a good reputation here. I had Matt as a forum leader during the online year but I had recently really gotten to interact with him a couple of times during our school year back, and when Sean came, I was a little nervous. I knew that he had big shoes to fill with how much everyone loved Matt Johnson. But Sean Eldon, he really made his own character and he’s just such a great guy. He’s one of the smartest people I know. He just feels like he always knows what to say. We have always connected through our shared love for film and movies. I feel like every time I watch a new movie, I’m able to go talk about it with him. It is really interesting to get a different perspective from the movie because I think he knows a lot more about film techniques. And I think it’s really interesting hearing his thoughts on the movie after I’ve watched them. I am going to miss just his positive attitude. He comes into class dancing or with a huge smile on his face with a song on. It just really starts the day off right. He makes everyone want to go to school.”

alexis molina-juarez

“I never really applied myself much to my classes. I just kind of tried whatever I can just to get the bare minimum — not really to achieve A’s or B’s. Last semester I really applied myself. I ended up with mostly A’s in my classes, which kind of impressed me. I applied to WCC, so I’m considering attending there. I’m thinking of studying computer science for two years, and possibly transferring to U-M or another school. I honestly feel like anything tech related will probably make me happy, just because it’s something I’m really interested in. I always played video games with my dad when I was little. During middle school, my dad did a lot of stuff on the computer and he taught me how to do stuff, which really interested me, and then on my own time I’d watch YouTube videos of people programming, or making video games or programming robots and stuff. I really like doing graphic stuff. I remember doing a lot of graphic projects in Python freshman and sophomore year. I remember there was this national competition, and I entered one of my projects that I did and I got second place, which I actually found really funny, because I didn’t really put that much effort into what I had.”

flynn meagher

“The first year of being in online school was rough. It was rough for a lot of people, but I was fortunate to have done pretty well because I was able to stay motivated. That being said, I still do think it was my worst year of high school. A big part of school for me was missing. My favorite part of school is the social aspect and getting to walk around the halls and talk to people that I wouldn’t be friends with outside of school. So of course looking back, I am sad I missed out on that. Coming back to school sophomore year was great but I can acknowledge that it wasn’t my peak. Junior and senior year is when I really found myself. I think I came into my life. I truly have had a great time these past few years growing my social circle, finding new friendships. I just made a new friend a second ago. I’m sad to be leaving. I love walking around and seeing everybody every day. I love the tight-knit community. I feel like I know at least everyone in my grade and the grade below and that is such a unique high school experience that you can only find here. There’s no real defining moment for me in all of high school, I mean, it’s just the whole thing, I truly love being here. I would also like to add that I was born in a pouch, that’s how you know who’s Australian and who’s not.”

aidan moran

“My dad has been my biggest influence. He works for GM and he designs engines, and that’s something I’ve been really interested in since I was little. He’s one of the people who encourages me to get more and more into engineering. I remember ‘Bring Your Kid’ to work day when I was younger, and I would just see all the engines and stuff he was working on at work and it amazed me. He’s one of my biggest role models in life because of how hard he works. It’s something that pushed me to work even harder in engineering during high school. In college, I’m going to be studying mechanical engineering with a focus on automotive, it was always something that I thought I was going to go into, especially considering that I love problem-solving. If there’s an issue, I work through it. Engineering was one of the things I will always be into. I would take things apart and figure out how they worked. I used to do it a lot with pens, putting them back together is not so much fun but I guess I like solving it in a way.”

“I’m not sure why I came to Community. I heard it was good, so I thought I should give it a shot. I tried the lottery and eventually got in. There are many good reasons to come to Community, but I don’t think I had any of them, I just kind of went. But now, the thing is a lot of my friends are younger than me, so I feel like I’m kind of leaving my friend group behind. It’s pretty bittersweet — I really do love Community. I’ve been in CET for the past three years. I joined the ‘Pippin’ show. I think I’ve done six shows, maybe five. I did various crews, but I ended up on the lights crew, which was where a lot of my friends were. I was interested in theater back in middle school, but the pandemic threw all that out of the loop. Honestly, one of my friends got me to join again. I met a lot of people and learned some useful skills. CET goes out to a few restaurants during the week of the shows and we also do a lot of little things before shows, like a before-the-show chant. We had senior send-offs a few weeks ago on the last show, so that was really emotional. It’s where people read anonymous comments to those seniors who are leaving CET and compliment them. My favorite was one where someone complimented my facial hair. But yeah, it made me realize just how big of a thing I was a part of.”

ingmar newman-taylor

“I originally entered the lottery because I think a lot of people entered, even if they weren’t planning to go. My older brother got into Community but declined to go because he wanted to take AP classes at other high schools. He didn’t know about split enrollment at the time, and I kind of wanted to go with him to Pioneer, but he and my parents ended up convincing me to go because they thought it’d be a better environment for me. At Community, everyone’s nice and everyone’s very welcoming and accepting, but I don’t think that’s what defines the environment. I think it is what comes out of the environment. I don’t really know what makes Community the way it is, probably something with the collegestyle classes and Forum because it makes it easier to interact with people that you normally wouldn’t interact with. I definitely try to reach out to people who don’t fit my exact set of hobbies or interests, but I know there are lots of people who don’t do that. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but it is limiting. I have plenty of friends who I have almost no shared interests with, but we’re friends because we have similar personalities or just a similar sense of humor, something that you wouldn’t get at one of the bigger schools because the only time you’re really interacting with people is in classes and extracurriculars. Community is an opportunity to get to know people you otherwise might never have.”

“My biggest fear is that I’ll throw away my potential. I have a lot of privilege and a lot of built up experiences and momentum that I think, because of how my mindset can sometimes slip into nothing, part of me just wants to go off and live in the woods. But I’ve finally gotten to the point where I can feel like I’m living in the present. It sort of feels like the world’s going to end on graduation day. Because of online school, my ability to just exist as a person was just sort of shattered. It was just a really bad time for me, but it was sort of like being reborn. It felt like I was missing a year of my life. I think I’ve finally gotten to the point where I can feel like I’m living in the present. Community has helped open my eyes to what freedom of choice and responsibility can offer me. Even in such a small school you can find a little alcove to call home and have people that will support you. Across high school — I’ve generally gotten more stable over time, I’ve got slightly better sleep and just improved my mental health. It’s cheesy, but I just need to believe in myself more because I did not expect to get into all the schools that I did.”

“When it comes to school, I do better in a small environment. School has always been a little stressful for me but knowing that some of my friends were coming to Community and that it had a reputation for a more tight-knit environment I was like, ‘Yes! I’m sold.’ This proved to be true a little into my junior year. I had a free block where my friends and I were able to work in the hallway together. It was ten or twelve of us all sitting at a table, having fun and getting some work done. It was really nice to meet new people and invite them to come sit with us, some of whom have stayed my friends all throughout high school. And even though friend groups change, that’s just a fact, I will always have those connections and that’s what’s important to me. Especially when we were transitioning from online school to in-person school, I was able to meet so many people, students and teachers, and they were the ones that really made Community feel like a community. If I could go back and tell a younger Ali anything I would tell her to keep reaching out and making those connections. There are people that want to make connections with you and want you to come to them. You don’t have to struggle and you definitely don’t have to go through anything alone. You never have to be afraid to ask for help.”

serena o’brien

“You just spend so much time with people and you really get to know them. I think that that’s kind of where the feeling of Community has come from, it’s been from the people. I feel like the things I do are defined by the people who I know in them, who I have come to love. And that’s what makes it feel like a community. Whatever you choose to do, if you’re committed to having an open mind, then I think you can find that community anywhere. I feel like all the things I’ve done, I found something akin to that. Having that to share with other people is really cool. You get to know people and even if not everyone is going to be your favorite person, you’re able to see the good and the bad about people. If there’s someone who maybe you don’t get along with so well, you kind of give up on building that connection with them. But if you know that you’re going to be with those people, then the forced proximity forces you to give a lot more grace and then you find that people who maybe from the jump you were like, ‘I don’t know about this one,’ like you realize, ‘Wow, this is this amazing person,’ and you find that there’s so much more to them than what you initially thought.”

ali o’brien

gummy ochoa

“My goal when I started in high school was to be a musical artist. It wasn’t until I released my first single when I really started taking the music thing really seriously. Neutral Zone has been super big in my time at high school. You know, I have performed there a lot. Just had a lot of opportunities to do that there. And being able to perform a lot, I’ve gotten a lot better at it. Which generally just has helped me develop more as an artist. When I started at CHS, I didn’t really know how much was at my disposal with the open campus concept. But as I really delved into it, I really became more comfortable with being independent. Literally this semester I’m only taking two CHS classes, jazz and health. But, I’m also taking Found Instruments at U of M, where you make your own instruments. I’m taking the B-side at Neutral Zone, where you get to plan musical performances. And, I’m taking a guitar class and an audio technology class at WCC. All these things are really helpful for me in terms of developing myself as an artist and increasing my knowledge for the audio technology class. As a producer who has been producing for, like, at this point, like half of my life, I’ve been self taught. And you know, and I feel like I’ve gotten pretty good at some things but having that class and learning what everything actually comes from and why something is the way it is or what something means is really helpful.”

liam patel

“When it comes to piano, when you put in the work, you definitely see the results of your effort. You see yourself play harder and harder and harder pieces. I’ve seen videos of me when I was starting at seven or eight years old, you know, I was poking with my little fingers, really simple stuff. And now I play just really fun, fast, huge pieces. I encourage everyone to try a musical instrument but it’s definitely something else, it’s almost humbling to yourself. When you’re playing, if you challenge yourself just a little harder, you will get a lot better at playing. It’s an exponential increase in your skill. But the learning curve doesn’t really depend on how many years you’ve been doing it. It’s how much effort you put into it, though I will say it gets easier as you get older. There was a time way back when I was little when I wanted to quit piano. I think at that time, I don’t know if I was thoroughly enjoying it. I wanted to go just chill out or hang out. I got mad and I was like, ‘I want to quit piano.’ Luckily, I think my dad convinced me not to. He always talks about wishing he had the time to play an instrument. He says he missed his prime time for that. I’ve taken that to heart, but it was a close call.”

eamon peoples

“I was in Ireland for my whole sophomore year. I definitely learned a lot about myself and about how I deal with hardship, but I don’t regret going there. It was just a challenge in my life. I wasn’t doing school, I didn’t have any friends, I was working a lot and I also didn’t feel like I had a lot of support compared to here. When people are in school in Ireland, they’re not even expected to go to university or anything. Coming back last year was really a blow. I didn’t expect it to be like that because I pretty much wasn’t in school for two to three years. It wasn’t any different, but it felt like a major difference compared to what I was doing before. It was kind of degrading because I was taking classes that were meant for sophomores. I want to be in a class that I feel like I should be in. To me, those weren’t the classes I was in. Still, I don’t think it took away what I wanted to do, which was get good grades, and whether I’m in junior or senior classes, I still want to apply the same work ethic. This place has taught me to always apply my best self. Whatever I do, I always want to give 100%, and it can be school, it can be volunteering, it can be soccer, it can be the people I talk to, you can’t just half-ass anything, you have to do it.”

“I think I first became interested in English in second grade. I remember my second-grade teacher, Mrs. Ward. We had these slips that we took home, and then we would fill them out if we read for 20 minutes in a day and then our parents would sign them and we could bring them back and enter them into a raffle to win little prizes. I remember I thought it was the greatest thing. That was when I started reading every night before bed because I couldn’t remember to do it consistently otherwise and I’ve never stopped. [In high school] I took Pop Lit, which stands for popular literature. Tracy taught it. It was basically a literature class, except you got to choose all the books you read, so it was like a class built to encourage reading. I thought that was really cool because I enjoy doing English stuff on my own time. I’m a creative writer, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to an English class, and I love that it translated to an English class. I’ve only taken all of two English classes that have required me to write essays, maybe I should have done more, but that’s a different question. I was able to choose English classes that I wanted, that I would be excited about doing, whereas at Pioneer, they have required English for 9th and 10th grade.”

laurel peterson

grey phillips allison

“My advice would be it’s okay to not be perfect. I think you should want to do your best and leave your comfort zone. I really wish we could try to encourage people to not assume the worst in people and don’t go off of the things you hear other people say. My family has been my support system my entire life. I value my relationships with other people a lot, like spending time with friends and family. It means a lot to me. I get a lot of confidence from my friends, they lift me up more in general. I’m not sure what I value in a job quite yet, but I just know I want to go and experience things. I’ve always been interested in how other people’s minds work, and how people process things. I was inspired by screenplay writing last year, too. I had never written a screenplay before but I enjoyed it a lot. So, writing for ‘Just Desserts’ last year was really awesome. I kind of liked the challenge of writing in such a short amount of time and I think our play was really wellreceived by the audience. But I would love to write something in my free time and see if the writing could get out there. That would be something I’d definitely be interested in.”

“I want to leave a good impression on the teachers I worked with and interacted with. I think a very strong thing about me is that I like to build a bond with my educators, and I think that Community is the perfect place for that to happen. I have found that being on a first-name basis, as much as it sounds a bit weird, really has helped me be able to build those connections and relationships. It really feels like the teachers here truly want to teach me, instead of someone who has to teach me. When I think back to teachers that really helped me I think of Sean. I love Sean, because not only does he have beautiful insights about the world, and the fact that he’s a great English teacher. He is also just a good life teacher. He says so many wise things that I’ve never even thought about. I want to take a course from him just on life. Also, Jessika is awesome, I’m so lucky to have her as my forum leader. She has taught me so much. She is just so real and raw, and her coffee machine always makes me so happy. That was probably one of my favorite things about going here, I was always able to have a cup of coffee whenever I wanted, and a place to sit down and enjoy it.”

owen provenzola

“My favorite Community memory was definitely Field Day last year. It was super fun and we had a great forum. The atmosphere was great and it always feels good being a winner coming out of a tug of war. Also related to Forum, some teachers that have had the biggest impact on me are Michelle and Anne. Both just have been phenomenal forum leaders. Even though Anne retired my freshman year, which was also mostly online, I’ve gotten help from her through tutoring. Steve as well because I took a lot of Steve’s classes and I like all the art classes here and Film Lit with Sean. It’s just nice that there’s a lot of teachers here that care and understand you. It’s the same feeling that I had with Matt my sophomore year. It’s the same feeling when you get a great English teacher because English is not my thing at all. So I think with Matt and Sean, having a great English teacher really stands out to me. I think Community has encouraged me to try like every class no matter the subject. My other favorite Community memory is just sophomore year, junior year, sitting at the third floor tables and just playing cards with my friends. I don’t know if there’s a single day where it was the most memorable but it’s just like something that was every time super fun. I feel like I’ve met a lot of people just sitting there.”

thomas reed

“I was originally supposed to go to Pioneer, and I think that I would have really just been surviving there, more than thriving here at Community. I feel like I have come out of my shell and made some friends and found who I am here instead of just making it through four years of school. Always know that Community isn’t some school to just slack off in, that this is a really good school that will give you so many opportunities to do amazing and great things, but you have to chase them. No one’s gonna offer them up to you. You have to ask for help and ask for support and join the classes that you want. Being at Community gave me a place to really demonstrate leadership but also learn it. One of the lessons that you learn relatively early on in leadership is that it’s not just using the loudest voice to get people to do what you want. It’s really about convincing people to follow you and that means that you can’t just shout orders you need to listen and I realized that here. Especially in the jazz band where even though I had a pretty loud voice I realized that I need to listen to what people were telling me in order to lead them. Just remember to chase your dreams and don’t let what you think is possible stop you from achieving what is actually possible.”

aidan ridley

“I’ve always been in love with animals. I would always ask my parents, ‘Hey, can we get a lizard?’ They came from South Africa so those things are big, scary and dangerous. They said no, but my love for animals really blossomed when I started volunteering with The Nature Conservancy. That kind of opened me to a different side of animals that I didn’t see before. It really drew my love towards reptiles and snakes. Another thing that drove that love for animals home was in FOS I where we learned about benthics and bugs in the water, and that’s always fascinated me. Doing a CR with the people at the Creature Conservatory was a lot of fun. It’s a lot of remembering long names in Latin. I think most of the passion I have for school is less of the things I do in school and the classes I take, but more about the teachers and people I meet. The way I see it is that Community teachers aren’t teachers, obviously they are and they have a job, comparing it to other schools like Pioneer, they make it a lot more personal, in a sense, by using the first names. Those people have been hugely beneficial in helping me get through the content of their teaching, and I think some of the skills they’ve taught me have definitely helped me out in life.”

“One of my favorite high school memories is Steve and Vial having a good time, Vial walking around the hallway playing just playing his guitar. You wouldn’t find that in any other school. Another thing you can’t find in other schools is that Forum family. Anywhere I go, I’ll see a forumette somewhere just out and about, downtown or just in Ann Arbor. And it’s always fun to see them because it’s like a little bond. I’ll miss the teachers and definitely Maneesha, my forum leader. I’ll miss her a lot. She’s a real genuine person. Whenever there’s a stressful thing in her life, she always finds a positive. My favorite thing in forum was probably camping in Tecumseh, getting closer with everyone in the forum. If I could go back in time, I don’t think I would change anything about my high school experience. In terms of classes, Gender Studies with Chloe Root was really amazing. Definitely, it changed my perspective on what sex is and what gender is, and painting theory with Beth was also really fun. Overall, the best way for me to do schoolwork has been strictly working in school, getting things done and going home. Knowing that I’m not going to be in high school next year, it definitely feels like a weight off my chest. I’m excited for what’s to come, and I feel like college will open up new doors and new opportunities.”

maia rivette

jaye robbins oliver

“To anyone thinking about going to Community, I would say you should do it. It’s a great school. It has opportunities like the CR program that other schools don’t have. It gives you a lot more responsibility for yourself, which I think is helpful for college and the rest of your life. I struggled to decide between here and Pioneer. I really didn’t know because all my friends were going to Pioneer, and I was really conflicted. But I’m glad I ended up coming here. For the people who want to play sports and go here, I think it’s definitely doable. You just have to be diligent, make sure you have a way to get to practice you know, but you can do it. You do have to work a little harder to get to know the people on your team because they all go to school together and you don’t go with them, but just put yourself out there and you can make it work. My favorite part of Community is the freedom that we have in general, which encompasses the open campus and the lack of bells because I just feel like once you’re in high school, you’re old enough to not be policed super tightly. So it’s really nice that we can kind of decide when we get to class and it’s on you instead of the school forcing it on you. I think it’s nice to have the freedom and also a good way to learn to be responsible for yourself.”

hans rober

“Freshman year I was very confused. I was nervous. It was during the virtual years so there was a lot of stress, tension, depression — a lot of things. Since then I’ve really grown into myself. I’ve learned who I am as a person. The theater program (CET) was a great way to meet people and have fun after school. There, I found a group of friends I really liked, and I kept with them. I’m proud of all the theater productions we put on. 0Every time they’ve been amazing and over the top. My favorite show was probably ‘Pippin.’ We made a giant tent that collapsed in on itself at the end of the show. That was really fun to work on. When I was a freshman, I didn’t have many thoughts about the future, just the current times. Now, I’m looking forward to finding a college experience. It’s very sad though. Time has to move on. You have to go somewhere else. But there are so many memories I’ve made in this place. I plan to start at WCC for extra help in the core classes. Then, I’ll go off to Oakland and take advantage of the Computer Science and Engineering department. At Community, it really doesn’t matter where you come from, they will always find a way to help you out. Try to have as much fun as you can in this school. Our teachers are really trying to set you up for success.”

charlie rosenfeld

“Discovering frisbee was a huge moment for me. I love the sport and I love the community around it. I’m super excited to continue to be involved in frisbee beyond high school, but I don’t think it was the sport that influenced my growth in high school the most. That was track. It was the first thing I did freshman year, my first time actually interacting with people in real life. I was interacting with adults who I had to learn to meet and grow with. I think track is kind of unique because it’s so individual, and your relationships with of your teammates and your coaches and even yourself really are different. There are a lot of different coaches and coaching styles. It’s been a big thing for me not to ignore my coaches ever or to disrespect them, but to think about how the attitude someone brings to coaching is something that I can adopt. But also in the case of I feel uncomfortable with coaching or if I feel like someone is neglecting my health as an athlete or as a student, I can recognize that and be conscious and not only speak up for myself but to make changes and have the agency to do so. Even now as I’ve stopped doing track, I think that is on some level an indicator of my growth because it wasn’t easy for me to go away from track this year, but it was a conscious decision.”

“I think coming into high school I was very shy and intimidated. I was very much a follower and I needed something to help me be that leader. I knew that I needed some type of club or organization in high school that would help me get to where I needed to be, so freshman year my mom told me to join CET because she did theater in high school. Sophomore year came around and I got a CET leadership position and I was able to be that leader. Not only that, but I have one leadership position outside of Community. I joined JGirls+, which is a national magazine. I’ve also grown as a leader within the classroom. I TA’ed for Marcy McCormick this year. It’s really rewarding. Being in that position in the classroom, helping her out with the sophomores and juniors and they’ll come up to me in the hallway and ask me questions about some content in class or help them study for tests or whatever it may be and see them excel in the classroom. It’s really great to see that I’m a part of that. I want to be an allergy researcher at some point. It’s cells, genetics and all that sort of stuff. It really interests me.”

hannah rubenstein

eve sarnecki

“If I could change anything about how I did high school, I think I’d just take advantage of those special Community things earlier. This year, I feel like I’ve really hit all of the Community boxes. Dual enrolling for classes at WCC, taking CRs and working in Kerrytown during second block. I wish I had been doing all of those things for longer. I could’ve explored enough to find my little study nook before senior year or had a weirder schedule and taken more CRs. I could’ve gone outside more in between classes. I don’t really mind, though. It was always going to take me a bit to shake the rigid rules I was used to. I’m just glad I’ve been able to make that transition before college. I’ll find my study nook faster this time.”

sana schaden

“The decision was supposed to come out the next day, but I got this email that was like, ‘Hi Sana, you have an important status update waiting in your portal.’ So, I logged into my little portal, and I was like, ‘I don’t want to open it,’ but Gummy was like, ‘You have to open it and I’m gonna record it’ So he’s filming and I’m sitting in my bed, my computer’s lopsided and I’m just like, ‘Let’s get this over with.’ The video is so funny because it’s not like the decision videos you see on TikTok, it’s basically all Gummy, but I was so happy for sure. I’ve always loved New York City. When I was little, I used to be scared of cities, but in New York, I just felt different. I think that one of the reasons it does feel a little bit safer to me is because it’s not a lonely city, there are always people around and people don’t care what you’re doing most of the time. I love the energy and the fast-paced environment of it. There are so many different types of people from different walks of life that come together. I always knew that I wanted to live there for at least some portion of time, so I was like college is the perfect time to do this. I love just walking around the city, it’s just one of my favorite places — where I feel the best.”

“CHS feels like a second home. Throughout middle school and elementary school, school never felt like that. At Community we have a small group of people so it feels very home-like. I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to come to CHS, so I just said it was something new. I always wanted to push my boundaries. I was always like, if I knew one friend group I wanted to be with them more than trying to reach out to make more friends. So I was taking a risk. If it’s a risk and you don’t feel decided on it, just do it anyway, because you never know. I try a lot to take risks. For example, getting a job interview. I was gonna do a job interview somewhere else but I decided to do one where my family knows the owner even though I didn’t really think it was going to be a good choice working there. But now I really enjoy working there because it has taught me to be more patient in life. Because there are sometimes customers that come in and we have a big line and they keep talking. I didn’t really have a lot of patience before I joined. Now I try to understand, it’s more around you. You can’t control everything around you. And it’s okay to not control everything around you. Just wait for a bit until you know it will happen because you never know what’s gonna happen if you rush.”

“As a senior, everything’s happening all at once. I’m happy but also very nervous about what’s to come. I’m nervous about never coming back to school again, maybe I will come back for visits, but I’m never coming back as a student. I’m happy that I get to move on to the next chapter. What I really like about Community is how creative it is and how much open space there is for you to do whatever helps you as a student. I think it’s very collegelike with the classes, the schedule and the responsibility that you have to put on yourself. All the teachers and students here are really cool, creative and open. But I didn’t really want to go to Community just because I knew all my friends were going to a different high school, but my sister went to Community and I was on the waitlist for Community so I was like, ‘Okay if I don’t like Community then I’ll just go back’ but I ended up loving it and now some of my closest friends are at Community. I tried to split enroll at Pioneer and I ended up hating it due to how separated everyone was. The connections with everyone had to be depending on the connections you had with other people, and Community is really open. If you want to be friends with someone, you can just be friends with them without hesitation.”

natalie serban

ian schulz

ruth shikanov

“I grew up cooking a lot, it is such an integral part of my life. I truly think that food is a universal love language. Food journalism is kind of silly, but it was one of the things that helped me come out of my shell in journalism. I always wanted to be a part of The Communicator. My sibling went to Community and they would come home with Communicators and I’d be like, ‘What’s this?’ Because I loved stealing my mom’s magazines, her Cosmos, Vogues, Women’s Health, all of it. I loved doing the silly little quizzes in the back. But I got intrigued with The Communicator, and I was like, ‘Wow, these are high school kids writing these stories,’ and I knew that I wanted to be a part of this community inside of Community. Amidst the confusion of feeling like I didn’t have any friends at Community since I didn’t have my freshman year in person, I felt like I didn’t have something to belong to, but then The Communicator just kind of became that thing for me. I have made so many valuable and special connections with the people on The Communicator, and I am so grateful for that. Starting anything can be scary, but I’m beyond grateful that I pushed myself.”

griffin siersma

“I’d say Community definitely has a relaxed environment. I didn’t really get that freshman year because it was online, but sophomore year, I definitely was struck by how relaxed everything was, a lot less stressed than it would be at a normal school. It’s the independence you have here. At Pioneer, everything is very structured and people try to micromanage the students, even though we can make our own decisions and be responsible. It helps create a smaller community within the school that you don’t get at Pioneer. Also, having long lunches, going to Kerrytown and enjoying the open campus. The open campus opened a lot of opportunities for students. I took a class at Michigan in the fall of junior year — that was tough. There was a lot of homework, it was tough to balance that with everything else, including all the schoolwork that I had, practicing my cello and going to baseball practice. I learned how to manage money better. If I focus really hard and study a lot or just do whatever I need to do, at the end of the day, I’ll feel satisfied that I’ve done enough. Academically, Community has definitely taught me not to be afraid to go and ask for help. But more importantly, Community taught me how to be independent, how to take care of myself and do what’s best for me.”

“I believe everybody here at CHS is unique and we all can genuinely get along. I’ve gotten to know more people with different backgrounds. You just have to put yourself out there here at Community. You’ve got to try to get involved in things. I know it’s hard to go outside your comfort zone, but I think that’s the best way to truly embrace the community and what it stands for. You just have to get to know people, and I think that’s something for me to carry through the rest of my life — just getting to know and meet people. I’ve made more of an effort to meet and talk to people whom I don’t know as well, and I think that’s significant for me. I think I am a much more outward person compared to my freshman year. I believe I’ve met a lot of really nice people whom I wouldn’t have otherwise met if I hadn’t put myself out there a little bit more. I’ll try to reach out to people more, especially from the forum. My life has been absolutely unforgettable for the past four years. If we were to start all over again, I would 1000% choose Community again. I’m really happy with how my four years of high school turned out. I made great friends with different backgrounds and learned a lot more about myself. I think it couldn’t have gone much better.”

isabella sluymers-tuccinardi

“I just started riding, and then I started volunteering with rescue horses, I started training horses and then I got my own horse, then that horse died, then I got another horse and now that’s my horse. You have to be responsible. So if you leave the gate open, if you forget something, you don’t feed them, it’s a big deal. I had really bad anxiety when I was younger and horses helped me through that. I’m never anxious when I’m at the barn, being with horses, I never get anxious at all and having that is helpful. Just being around nature and horses helped. I was never a sit-in-the-classroom type of person. I preferred doing hands-on learning, that’s how I learned best anyway. I don’t learn just by lecture, I learn by doing. In homebuilding, that’s how you learn. It becomes a family, I also have a very close relationship with the coaches. I think the teachers in my classes have been very understanding and my forum, it’s a family that helps me get through anything that comes up. Being able to talk to my teachers, figuring out if my grades are down or anything like that. They always make sure you know that college isn’t the only option. And that there are lots of options you can take that can lead to success, not only college.”

nicky singer

addison

“I dual enrolled at WCC. I started doing that this year. I kind of always wanted to do that, more my senior year when I had lighter classes. The school paid for my classes, which was very nice, and that saved me money. And then last year, I took an anatomy class at UM. I would not have been able to do that if I went to Skyline, so I am really grateful for the opportunity because now I’ll have six college credits going into college which is very nice. I was always interested in the medical field. I always liked watching videos of surgery in seventh grade, like sitting on my bed. I was really always interested in that. And I wanted to be a surgeon for a really long time. But last year I realized that it would have been too much schooling for me and it just would have been really like a lot of time to get there. I wanted something that was more easily accessible, I guess. And, all the debt and stuff just would not have been right for me, and I also wanted more of a work-life balance. So, I looked into other health care professions and a PA is pretty much like the level under being a doctor. So if I become a surgical PA, I can still be the first assistant in surgery, so I’ll still be doing it. It’s just less schooling. You make less money, but it’s very similar. So I just felt like it was doable.”

“I went to Community because I felt like I needed to change the scenery. I wanted to go to a unique place and I wanted to leave an impact. While I wasn’t able to do everything I wanted to, I feel like I learned a lot about myself. I didn’t really have any friends that went here. It was kind of me branching off. So I had to find myself, learn about myself, and I was able to do that through several avenues, whether it was taking unique classes, joining different clubs or you know, participating in a jazz band or journalism. I learned a lot about myself. I feel like I am creating opportunities for myself. It’s definitely unique and independent. CHS forces you to think about your personal growth. I think the way people carry themselves here is a lot different than in every other school and you’re kind of forced to make your own opportunities. You’re kind of forced to find yourself and your personality and leave your own impact. It’s hard to do that at other schools. I feel like this place has helped me discover who I am so I’ll forever remember that and, whatever happens, having the self-confidence to create opportunities for yourself and put yourself out there is something that’ll forever stick with me. The uniqueness the school allows is something that’ll forever stick with me because not many people are given the opportunity.”

smith

mahir soofi

lucian sperling

“Community has definitely shaped me as a person. I don’t feel like I have to hide who I want to be as a person or my sexuality. I feel very welcome here. I’m a nerdy person and sometimes it’s just fun to share random things I’ve done or made with my teachers. I think Community is an amazing school if you really want a more personal connection with the people around you that you’re spending four years with. When you find someone that you can be friends with and you’re just really close friends, it’s amazing, even if it doesn’t stick. Having someone at any time that you can talk to and laugh with is just amazing. High school is more enjoyable than it seems. Work hard. It is a lot easier if you just spend the extra bit of time to get that one assignment done. One time my forum went and watched the ‘Ant Man’ movie and only about six people went. It was me, Vial, Ellie, Thomas Snow, John and I think Sara Jo. I think because of how small it was, I felt really connected. I also love it when we do forum competitions, and I won the Jenga competition. I was so happy. It’s such a ridiculous thing, but I love Jenga.”

claire steigelman

“My mom is the high school journalism advisor for PlymouthCanton, and she assumed that role when I was in seventh or eighth grade, after their former journalism teacher retired. And when I was younger sometimes I would pretend that I was in charge of a paper or something like that. Especially after, I don’t remember what her name was, but she was covering a murder in her hometown. And she was highly discouraged from doing it. I mean, she was in middle school or high school at the time, and [others] were like, ‘You should be playing with dolls instead.’ They were really condescending. I think she was a keynote speaker at NSPA a few years ago. I remember pretending, because I was in elementary school, that I was in charge of a paper that covered events going on at my own house. And it always feels like in the journalism room that you’re at the center of everything. You always know everything that’s going on. And deadlines can be stressful, but I really love working at production. It just feels like you’re part of something and there’s a whole atmosphere to it. And plus, Tracy and the EICs always make sure it’s fun. So even though you are working to a deadline, you’re always having pancakes and everything like that.”

seven steiner

“From the start of high school, I wish I would have joined CET sooner. It was difficult because freshman year was COVID-19 year, but if I had involved myself in more clubs, even though they were online, I think I would have found a lot more community in that year. Even in the past few months of this year now, I feel like I’ve made a lot of friendships that have introduced either new friends or people with whom I’ve just gotten much closer to. I was kind of assuming that the friends I’ve had these past few past three years would be the same. But I feel like friend dynamics and groups have shifted in a really great and positive way, which was something that I was hoping for. I didn’t want [those friendships] to happen and then be let down, but I wasn’t.”

izzy stevens

“I just love everything that’s happening around me here. I remember the general things. Just having fun in the hallways with my friends, it would be passing time my sophomore year very early. We’d be passing time and people were trying to play a full game of Euchre in 10 minutes, which was unbelievably funny to me. And just hanging out, and also the aspect of an open campus, there are times when me and my friends went to Ahmos and it was super fun. They have huge tables there so we could all sit together, and it was such a freeing feeling. I really remember sunny days like today — I just love it when it’s sunny out, it brings a smile to everyone’s face. And just seeing other people enjoying their time here. It always seems so sweet to me to see the basketball players and how they’ve found their funny little community and it makes me so happy. It’s sad to leave somewhere that I love, but also, I’m excited to make new friends and new memories. I feel like college is a really influential time for a lot of people. So I’m excited to go into that. I’m also excited to just kind of study things that I want to study and that I’m interested in instead of just basic requirements that I need to know. I’m excited to make memories in college, but I will definitely miss my time here.”

“I feel a lot more at peace and ready for things that come up. I started to realize, in a sense, that I over-thought a lot of interacting with people and getting through a lot of situations. I think I also have a greater sense of responsibility for what I have to do, though I still laze around and run about saying, ‘I’ll get to it.’ To put it simply, I feel like I, above all, have learned to take it easy. I have to say that if I had a goal, it’d be to see how far I can take what I’m into doing. I like to draw. I’ve had an interest in computers but until I started taking computer science this year, I never really took steps towards it aside from looking at informational stuff or questions I saw. I think if I really have a lifelong goal, it’s to just take what I like to do and just never stop and really, if I can, grow that into a career or somehow build it into what I like to do.”

“I like how at Community, you know almost everyone. You’ve seen them somewhere. My favorite memory recently was the Halloween Dance. I played some games with some friends. It was nice. One of my favorite teachers has been Chloe. Her teaching style and discussions have been pretty different from what I’m used to, so it’s been really fun. What I will miss about high school is the ability to be independent while still being supported, because in college, you will probably be living in a dorm and have to set a schedule all by yourself, but right now there’s some freedom. I can more or less go places when I want to. Something that high school has taught me is how to regulate my homework schedule and deal with procrastination. I’ve learned the best way for me to do my work is by using my free blocks while listening to music, because I work better in a smaller school environment. Community has also prepared me for college by allowing me to have that self regulation, for example, deciding when free blocks would be best for me and taking a variety of classes to figure out what I like. In college, I’m looking forward to new experiences and something different. As a senior, I’ve had a bit more freedom in my schedule, because I have one less class that I need to take, and learning to drive has helped. I would describe my high school experience as a process.”

micah stevens

elaine stevenson

arijana taylor

“When I was a freshman, the first week I wanted to transfer out. Back then I had a very negative view of Community and I was very lonely. In sophomore year, things got better. That’s when I joined Yearbook, and in Yearbook, I met all of the people that I’m really close with today. Towards the end of the year, the group expanded to include some other people, like juniors at the time. That friend group didn’t last long, but it was the first time I really had high school friends. I’m very thankful for all the time I got to spend with them. Then, junior year, for the first semester, I was Editorin-Chief of the yearbook and all of my friends just so happened to also be editors. We got really close because we were in that class together a couple times a week. The people I met in Yearbook have been consistently really good people. They’ve been a strong support system for me when things weren’t going so great. In high school, there have been some of the best times of my life, but also some of the worst times of my life. If I had the choice to repeat it, I never would. I’m ready to move on and do my own thing. High school ends, and then you get to go on to something bigger and better. You get to become a new person. You get to find yourself again.”

oliver thomas

“French has been a really good class because of my friend Leo and because we’ve done the French trip and the Québec trip this year. So all those memories have been from that class. In Québec, my favorite part was when we went sledding on this big hill and also just hanging out with my friends. My favorite part of France was definitely the family stay. I became really good friends with the kid that I stayed with and we still keep in touch. I would say the French teacher, Marci, has had a big impact on me. I think she’s a really good teacher. She’s also just like a really nice person in general, but I don’t think I’ll continue French in college. I’m going to Bowling Green for marine biology. I’m definitely looking forward to it but it’s also a little scary. I pretty much trust I’ll figure all of that out, but I just have to remind myself. Also Bowling Green has really good study abroad programs, especially for marine biology. So I know I’m gonna get to travel and that’s one of the reasons I picked it. Because of the French trip and the Québec trip now I just really want to travel. I was really proud of myself for going on the French trip. I think I could have easily been like, ‘Nah, this is too scary,’ and just like not have done it. But I’m proud of myself that I did that, especially staying with another family.”

“Community’s been so beneficial in giving me the opportunity to grow and change. I would definitely say I’ve matured throughout high school and formed an idea of who I am. I used to be very insecure and would constantly try to change for other people, but here I can just express myself freely without fear of judgment or retribution from other people. And even if they were judging me, the atmosphere at Community is so like, ‘That’s not my business, it’s not my problem. Like you’re there, but it’s not affecting me.’ So it’s been really nice to have that safe space. Now, I’m going into college with the mentality of ‘This is who I am. If you don’t like that, that’s okay, but I’m not changing for you.’ Having that security in myself before I go anywhere else for college is important to me. I think I’ve had the ability to become very independent which has been really beneficial and will be great for college. I want to be a nurse, specifically a pediatric nurse so I’m doing a four-year program for nursing. I’ve always wanted to do something with kids. I love kids and babysitting and always have loved that kind of stuff, but I also really like talking to people and helping them which is a big part of nursing. I want to be with people and interact with them. I like the medical field as a whole and I want to be able to make an impact.”

“I’d say Forum is one of the most important things that make the family aspect of Community. Students have a place that they can always come back to and have people they can just chill with and not have to worry about school and connect. Forum is a really important thing to me. Sophomore year Field Day was top-tier. I do like winning, as you may know. When we won the relay race my sophomore year it meant so much to me. When everybody’s into something, it gets hyped up and the more hype the more fun. Winning the relay race and seeing all of our seniors happy and excited was cool. It was sad to see them go, but I liked seeing them all have fun and being able to win something their senior year. Forum days are just the best. Being able to just vibe with your forum is something you don’t get anywhere else. Sitting around the fire with all of my forumettes and staying up super late and just chatting about life, it just feels like you can talk forever. The setting is also so nice. It’s a little cold, but the fire is perfect and there is music in the background. This is where you are really able to learn about the people in your forum and really connect.”

sadie todd

lohan vanderelzen ogi vassilev

“I had heard such good stories about how Community is a place where dreams, opportunities and friendships are created. I had made these lifelong connections. I had started to learn more about myself and what I wanted to do. CHS has changed my trajectory in life. I have a feeling I would have come out more bleak if I were to have gone to some of the big public schools. Being in a community is sort of allowing me to break down some of those emotional walls that have been restricting me from finding friends. In CHS, I think you just need to be yourself. Don’t worry about what other people are going to say to you because, frankly, they might not even remember you. CHS is definitely a much smaller school, meaning you have a more personal connection with everyone around you and everyone in your classes. You get to see them more often. You have a tighter bond with your teachers. We call them on a firstname basis here. It’s overall a place where you really make bonds. I’ll miss my friends, going out at night to Pinball Pete’s and getting dinner after, that’s what I’m going to miss because a lot of them are moving away from Ann Arbor. They’re moving to different colleges and different states. It’s something that I’ll miss. But I will do my absolute best to stay in contact with them because they are lifelong friends. You can’t lose them.”

“I really enjoyed my time at Community. It’s been really great to learn here and experience the clubs and meet all these amazing people. I think what makes it unique is that you have such a close relationship with all the teachers that makes it really easy to talk to them — it’s just very approachable. Before and after COVID-19, I had been really quiet. I was forced to change when I got back. Initially, I didn’t really know anyone in my forum for a while. I would say stepping into that group was a little outside of my comfort zone for me, and I’m really glad that I did because I made a lot of great friends there. I really deepened my connections here. I’ll miss all the friends I’ve made, I’ll miss hanging out with my forum members and all the teachers that I’ve connected with. I felt most involved on the robotics team, being a captain this year and being a part of it for years. I’ve put a lot of time into that, helping develop the team for years. It’s really important to present Community in such a way and I think a lot of people don’t recognize as many opportunities as they have here, just because we don’t have sports or other ‘typical things.’ But you can always go to a different school and play sports there. It’s been really important for making new friends and learning.”

“I didn’t realize how a lot of Community’s clubs are low commitment. They’re always super fun and you don’t have to go every day. I couldn’t do it my first year because it was COVID-19, but during my second year, it was easier. I went to the club fair and have always been interested in things like D&D, but I’ve never played it. Not until now, though. I’d just seen that there was a campaign there and I decided to join. It’s called the Candle Creek campaign, and it’s just been such a big experience for me and I’ve made so many new friends with it. It’s helped me learn to deal with my own decisions. A lot of D&D is just making decisions, so it’s an environment where it doesn’t matter which ones I make, but I can make better decisions now from that. I’d say another thing is probably just trying things because I’ve always had trouble getting into new stuff because I’m anxious about it before like, ‘Oh, they’re just people that aren’t gonna like me, blah, blah, blah.’ Still, I realized if you like something, just start it and then you can keep going if you like it, and if you don’t, you can stop. But most likely you’ll have fun and maybe learn something from it.”

chaney ward

“Community conditions you to be ready for college with the block schedule and the freedom that you have. It’s kind of simulating that by giving you an open campus. I took a psychology class at WCC. It was a virtual class, but it was really interesting. I enjoyed it, and I don’t know if that would have been possible without Community scheduling being as open as it is and without the open campus. I’ve grown and changed. The friendships I have made me who I am today, whereas if I went to Pioneer, I don’t think I would be that same person. I definitely would have different influences in my life. I wouldn’t have met some of the people that I’ve met here and learned some of the lessons that I have. I’ve seen other people’s styles, and I’ve made them my own. My tastes have evolved. I listen to some things I never would’ve listened to before. Everything has evolved — my interests and my friends. It doesn’t feel like I’m about to graduate. It doesn’t feel like I’m at this stage in my life where I’m about to go to college. It’s all the personal friendships I’ve forged with everyone and all my friends here and friends I met through a community that I wouldn’t have met if I didn’t go to Community. All the lessons that I’ve learned and just stuff that has helped me to grow not only as a student but as a person.”

zachary visser

leo wywrot

“Landscaping is probably the thing I remember most. It was a really good job. I would drive home as quickly as I could, get changed and then go to work for as long as I could and get whatever I could done. It was something I had never considered as a high school job before. Doris, the boss, was the sweetest person ever. And then I’ve had great co-workers. It was a quality way to spend my time and then also make good money. It was out in nature and I was getting exercise and everything, so I really appreciated that part because it’s so easy to just do nothing when you have free time like that. I know chemically it makes me feel happier, of course, but I find it — I don’t know, I find it more peaceful I suppose, to just kind of listen to music and do this work with my hands. I think just trying everything for at least a year and just widening your scope and being open to trying things that you feel like you might not like, is really important and then you might find something you really like. There have been times when I didn’t care about doing anything. It’s a tough experience to be like, ‘This is something I love and I’ve always been so passionate about and I don’t care about doing it right now.’ And it can be hard and disheartening, but I still do it anyway because I know there will be a time when I want to do it again.”

“I moved here the summer right after eighth grade. We visited Ann Arbor to look for houses and schools, and we just so happened to visit while they were doing the mandatory info session for Community. I was really fortunate in the sense that I moved during the pandemic. When I started having to meet new people, everyone was kind of doing the same thing. I think I’ve grown tremendously as a person. I’ve learned from the people here and just the vast array of different people with different interests. It was so different from where I lived before — everyone was very cookie-cutter, and I never really fit into that mold. High school can be such a jarring experience. It’s just like being thrown into a different world — I was quite literally being thrown into a different world, I think I landed pretty softly. I was lucky to be able to go to Community. I’m the youngest of three, so it’s always kind of been like, ‘Let me know when you’re coming home,’ and, ‘Make good choices.’ So for me, just having the opportunity in school to meet people in a different context really stood out. Like, we can talk about our lives instead of talking about calculus. It was definitely one of the things that really sold me on the school. It’s not as big and it’s not as fancy, but it’s just so much bigger in heart.”

jakob young

“I chose Community because there is a lot of freedom and space here. Whatever you need, it’s respected. I’m planning on working and going to college at Eastern Michigan next year and studying civil engineering. I’ve wanted to be an engineer since freshman year, so I’ve done a whole lot of studying and definitely a lot of math. I’m especially grateful for Katia and for her help in Precalculus. Something that Community has taught me is the importance of talking to all sorts of people and that we all have so much value. It’s important to meet as many people as you can. My advice for freshmen is not to stress if you don’t get into a class you want, because there are a lot of opportunities here and you’ll probably get into it next semester or next year, or you can just take it online. My favorite memories are definitely Field Days and Forum Days. They bring the forum and the whole school together. Even though we didn’t quite win tug of war this past year, it was fun to compete and it was a really cool atmosphere. I’m excited for Field Day this year, and I’m very excited for graduation and summer too.”

sylvie zawacki

“I’ve definitely become a lot more independent. I joined Mock Trial sophomore year, and I’ve really enjoyed that. I have a lot of good memories of doing the competitions and stuff. I really like my forum. We always go camping for Forum Day and that’s a really great bonding experience. We like to make tea. I’ve definitely made some good friends, especially in my grade and the grades around it. Spring of my sophomore year, we went camping at Crooked Lake. We just hung out on the dock until like three in the morning watching the stars and talking and bonding and it was really fun. I’m pretty introverted. I don’t meet people all that easily. So it was really helpful to have some extracurriculars where I had a structured place to meet people and do fun stuff. I think this has been my favorite year so far. Honestly, as I said, I feel like I’ve settled in a lot more with my friends and I know how the school operates. I’m just a lot more comfortable. I am excited to go to college and see what the future holds, but there’s a little part of me that wishes it could just stay like this forever. I’ve grown and matured. I’ve learned that a lot of the stuff that I’m worried about doesn’t really matter in the long term. It’s important to enjoy things and take a step back.”

AAPS, PUT YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER.

STAFF EDITORIAL

On March 13, 2024, then-interim Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) superintendent Jazz Parks released a budget update that has dominated the district’s attention since. Nearly $25 million will need to be cut from the 2024-2025 operating budget.

The issue first came to the Board’s attention in November of 2023 when a discrepancy in the current year’s budget was identified. Parks later authorized former AAPS Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Marios Demetriou to perform a comprehensive review of the district’s finances. The March 13 budget update drew attention to three key challenges: the 480 new staff positions that have arisen over the past 10 years; a 1,123 student decrease in enrollment over the past four years; and the 2% raise for staff district-wide, which was approved by the Board last year, when they thought the district to be in good financial standing (before their later discovery of a $14 million clerical error).

This shortfall has serious implications for the district. Should they fail to meet certain fund balance standards, they risk a state-takeover, in which control of the district would pass from an elected board to a state-appointed emergency manager. A general corrective plan to address the budget crisis was due to the Michigan Department of Treasury on April 15. During a contentious Board of Education meeting on April 11, the Board authorized layoffs as a part of that plan through a 4-3 vote.

The corrective action plan that was submitted to the Michigan Department of Treasury cited various other items to cut costs, including central office layoffs, a marketing plan to recapture enrollment loss and the potential sale of various AAPS properties.

All of this is to say that our school district is in a precarious position. As the district works to develop a comprehensive budget plan, which will explicitly detail how and where reductions will be made, they have sought community input. But “What are you willing to lose?” is not an easy question to answer — and it is a still more difficult question when so many people will be affected, most of whom have very different ideas of what it is that is “can’t-lose.”

The district’s hand is forced: cuts are inevitable. Painful cuts. Perhaps the most painful is the prospect of staff layoffs. Already, the community has rallied in support of teachers, with dozens of protestors attending the April 11 board meeting in opposition to the authorization of staff layoffs, but it is difficult to see how they might be avoided. According to AAPS, 81% of the district’s operating budget goes towards financing staff salaries and benefits. The remaining portion is fairly evenly distributed between paying various contracts (10%) and covering utilities and supplies (9%). The school district can only pare down contracts, utilities and supplies

by so much when they already make up so little of the district’s expenses.

The threat to our teachers looms large, and with it, the threat of serious changes within our district. The vast majority of our in-building staff are a part of the teacher’s union, the Ann Arbor Education Association (AAEA), which is just one of six unions in the district. Should they choose to take collective action, its impact will be felt profoundly by students. The collective action options that teachers can take are limited, but one of them includes “work-to-rule,” which is when teachers work to their contractual obligations. While work-to-rule could seem like something that teachers should do all the time, many teachers work beyond their contractual obligations by leading clubs, working with students outside of class time and opening their classrooms to students during prep periods. Right now, AAPS and teachers are in unprecedented territory: it’s unclear what is to come in the upcoming days, weeks and months.

Regardless of how the AAPS Board of Education and administration move to resolve this issue, there will be no winners. How did our district get to be backed so far into this corner? How is it that this budget crisis came as such a shock? Why is it that there are no savings to fall back on?

The answer, to us, seems to be financial irresponsibility. According to the Detroit Free Press, the trend across Michigan school districts has been to build up fund balances,which can be thought of as a sort of savings account. That way, there is something to fall back on. But our fund balance is alarmingly low. Last year, our fund balance was just 4%, and is projected to drop to 2% by the end of the fiscal year. State law mandates a minimum 5% fund balance. The district could have — should have — exercised a little foresight. Saving money is often the first financial lesson that parents teach their children; it is a critical one. Without savings, things get very ugly, very fast. Ann Arbor Public Schools should know this.

Our school district has been continually spending on new programs to attract new families (and boost declining enrollment) instead of saving. Did any of this spending actually result in increased enrollment?

The school district overspent and didn’t plan for this reality. Now students, teachers and staff will pay the price.

Instead of fighting so hard to boost enrollment, we ought to be focusing on those families that are already here, on getting the district back on its financial feet before trying to take off running again. If the district doesn’t want to lose more students and dedicated teachers, they must focus on creating stability before it is too late.

AAPS, what exactly is your plan?

SENIOR MOCK AWARDS

High school superlatives for the class of 2024, as voted on by their peers.

BY MORGAN MCCLEASE

Best Couple That Was

Ultimate FOS Boss

Class Heartthrob Best Couple That NEVER Was

Deadliest Sporker* First in The Parking Lot

*A word from a winner...

Serena O’Brien won Deadliest Sporker with a mid-game kill count of seven. Her casualties are primarily her closest friends. Et tu Brutus? “My first kill was my dear friend Isabella Jacob, whom I love,” O’Brien said. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep being merciful, she just could not keep track of her spork. And after that first blood, I just kept killing. I have regrets, and I’ll have to live with this guilt forever, but it had to be done.”

Sana Schaden and Gummy Ochoa

Daniel Ging Mason Jett and Leo Wywrot

Parker Haymart

Serena O’Brien Ebie Lamb

Kerrytown Fiend*

Isabella

Jacob

Best Dressed

Morgan McClease and Grey Phillips

Best Duo

Homebuilding Hunk

Jonah Klein

Always in Room 300

Twin Where Have You Been

Jaye Robbins Oliver and Emmy Wernimont

*A word from a winner...

To get Sweetwaters, or not to get Sweetwaters? A question that often passes through the minds of our student body, but is a constant presence in the brain of Isabella Jacob. All too often though, the urge for a caffeine hit takes over, leaving her heart full but her wallet bare. “Without my little dreamy drink, my eyes just start to twitch uncontrollably,” Jacob said. “I’m just a girl who supports the sweet treat economy.”

Addi Hinesman and Abbi Bachman

Ruth Shikanov

Most Likely To Be A Reality Star

*A word from a winner...

Tobin Tuzinsky is thrilled to announce that he is committing. Not for hockey, but as a Division I Yapper. He would like to express his thanks to his family, friends and fans, without whom this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity never would have been possible. “I want to thank my family and friends for giving me the opportunity to win this prestigious award,” Tuzinsky said. “I’m excited to move on to the next level. Professional yapper.”

Kevin’s BFF

Ceci Fortson

Natalie Serban

Mini Sean Eldon Miles McDonald

D1 Yappers*

Sadie Todd and Tobin Tuzinsky

Double Agents

Charlie Rosenfeld, Alita Cunningham and Sadie Barber

Calc Royalty

Serena O’Brien and Indigo Guikema

The class of 2024 shares what they are looking forward to after high school.

1

JOHANA HORVATH

“All the field hockey girls at my college are really close and so I’m just so excited to be apart of another family and I think it’ll just be so fun and that we’re all close.”

2

ALANA EISMAN

“I want to study mental health in adolescents specifically and hopefully working in a hospital setting helping kids with their mental health and how to understand it.”

3

“It’s so rare that like there’s such a huge, huge shift in your life. So that’s both terrifying and very POPPY MAGEE

4

CLAIRE STEIGELMAN

“I’m looking forward to having more independence and being able to be in control over what I do and when I do it.”

9

STEPHANIE HADLEY

“I think going to college and finding whatever career path I choose and will open new doors for me. I’m also excited to get to meet new people, but I’ll miss the tight-knit community here.”

AMY BOEVING

“I’m excited to get out in the world and hear from new people and about their experiences. I think at Community we think we’re all cool and unique but I think we share a lot of the same things, so I’m excited to meet new people from different backgrounds and learn from them.”

5

MOOSE GULTEKIN

“I’m really excited to just figure things and who I am out. That’ll be fun, I guess I’ll survive.”

6

GREY PHILLIPS

“I’m excited to be able to stay out as late as I want. Oh, I’m also excited to have my own bedding that’s my own choice of a cool design.”

7

ANYA AKHOURY

“I’m excited to decorate my dorm. Even though college move-in week will be hectic and horrible, I think that once it calms down, decorating will be fun.”

8

ADDISON SMITH 11

“I’m excited to make new connections and to be out of my house and to have new independence.”

12

EVA BEALS

“I am excited to live more independently. I’m excited to meet new people and you know, I’m excited to learn new things at college.”

13

EMMY WERNIMONT

“I’m excited to meet new people and to be around a bunch of people I don’t have the same background as. I’m excited to join clubs at my school and do intramural sports and meet people with the same interests as me.”

ANYA KNOEPP

“I’m excited to take just a bunch of really random niche classes that I’m actually interested in taking in college, and just a more personalized school experience. I’m studying Marine Biology in college so I’m excited for field classes where I get to scuba dive.”

“I’m excited to go out and see the world and travel, I might be going to school in Germany, so I’m excited to do a study abroad and go experience life in another country.”

MICAH STEVENS

“I’m excited to be able to have the time to learn new skills that I want to have, like musical composition. Recently making music has been something I want to do, its fun to learn stuff that I’m interested and it’s a new adventure, you learn a lot about yourself too.”

HYACINTH HELD

ELAINE STEVENSON

“I’m excited to try new things and be out on my own. I chose my college because it is close to home and I was really interested in the classes.”

IZZY STEVENS

“I’m excited to take classes that are tailored to my interests instead of the general requirements like I’m looking forward to taking criminology and sociology classes at college.”

18

“In the future, I want to work with animals and I’m going to study Biology in college so studying animals in their environments and seeing the world in the way it’s meant to be seen is exciting.”

MASON JETT

“I’m going to Ohio, so it’s like an hour away. It’s kind of exciting, but at the same time, it’s a little bit sad, I’m happy that I won’t have to share a room with my sisters anymore.”

JAYE ROBBINS OLIVER

“I’m excited for graduation, I think it will be a fun way to celebrate my time in high school with my family and friends.”

HENRY LIPP

“Since turning 18, I can publish my writing on platforms. So I’m excited to see if I can build up a platform for my writing. It’s exciting to think that just maybe people will enjoy my work.”

“I can’t wait to spend time up North with my family, we have a house on Lake Superior, I love going up there and hanging out with my family and dogs.”

MARISA ANDONI-SAVAS

“I’m excited for a new chapter of my life, also for move-in day, you get to meet all the people in your dorm and get to say your goodbyes to your family and start your new adventure.”

ASH ANDERSON

“I’m getting ready to do my GED stuff soon because I’m not actually graduating through like normal high school, I’m also getting ready to go to trade school for welding.”

AGREE TO

Exploring the value of college and understanding why going to college is something you should consider.

BY PIPER COOKE

A college degree is not just a piece of paper; it’s a transformative tool that can reshape your life. Whether your motive is career or personal growth, college equips individuals with the skills, connections and knowledge necessary to thrive in this competitive society. It’s not just about the career opportunities but also the personal growth and selfdiscovery that college offers.

It’s crucial to understand that college isn’t the only path to success. Many individuals can flourish without a college education, and it’s important to respect their choices. But for those who choose to pursue higher education, it can unlock doors to opportunities they may not have otherwise.

When a college education is utilized to its full potential, it becomes a gateway to a multitude of opportunities. Contrary to common misconception, a degree doesn’t confine individuals to a specific career path; instead, it provides a versatile foundation upon which they can build their futures, instilling confidence in their adaptability. A college degree is like a Swiss Army knife, equipping you with a variety of skills and knowledge that can be applied in various fields.

According to Northeastern University, “Of the 11.6 million jobs created since 2010, over 8.4

million jobs — 95 percent — have gone to bachelor’s degree holders. Meanwhile, jobs for high school graduates have only grown by 80,000.”

This data highlights the importance of pursuing higher education and how college can open up greater career opportunities and connection than what is offered to those without a degree.

Despite the investment of both time and money required to obtain a college degree, it is more than worth it, coupled with enhanced job prospects and personal growth opportunities. Earning a bachelor’s degree is important for success in both career advancement and economic stability. A college degree can provide long-term financial security and job stability, making it a worthwhile investment.

Moreover, college opens doors to different opportunities that are essential for certain professions. Fields such as medicine, law and engineering often require specific licenses or certifications that can only be obtained through higher education. In such cases, a college degree isn’t just advantageous but is often a prerequisite for entry into these professions.

Even if your career path doesn’t align directly with your degree, college still offers invaluable benefits. It’s a journey of personal

ART BY GABE DEEDLER

growth, exposing you to diverse subjects and broadening your skill set for various jobs. These skills and perspectives help you evolve and adapt to a changing world. A college education serves as a sturdy foundation for life, providing individuals with security even if they wait to utilize their degree. The knowledge and skills you gain throughout college will help get you ready for the workforce.

While college offers knowledge and valuable skills, it’s essential to be realistic about what college actually is. While having a degree can be super important, it is not a “training program” in the sense that it provides all the specific skills needed in the workplace. However, they do equip you with a strong foundation of knowledge and critical thinking skills that employers highly value. After earning a degree, it’s up to you to seek training and practical experience, like internships or parttime jobs in your field.

Whether one chooses to pursue higher education or not should be informed by individual circumstances, aspirations and goals. It’s important to consider what college can do for you, but also to remember to be realistic and take into account your personal situation and ambitions. In the end college is the best choice to ensure a fruitful career and life.

DISAGREE

College isn’t necessary to have a successful career or to be a well-educated individual.

BY ISABELLA MALDONADO

Growing up in Ann Arbor, you are surrounded by an environment where being educated is the norm. In fact, wanting to take a path other than college makes it seem as though you’re an outsider, but college isn’t everything. Education is important, but going to college isn’t the only route. You can learn by going straight into the workforce, going to trade school or even taking a gap year to volunteer or travel. You don’t have to go to college but you should never stop learning.

According to Harvard’s Askwith Forum, being educated means that “students should leave school with a deep understanding of themselves and how they fit into the world, and have learned what some call ‘soft skills’ — complex problem solving, creativity, entrepreneurship, the ability to manage themselves, and the ability to be lifelong learners.”

It is important for people to be educated, but to be educated doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have a degree from an esteemed university like Harvard. To have a deep understanding of yourself and the world around you means to know who you are and where you fit. To be educated means you have the mindset that you never stop learning; it doesn’t take a degree to do that.

A step that many choose to take that doesn’t involve college yet

is a gap year. Gap years allow for valuable time to find out who you are as an adult on your own in the world. Traveling is one of the most valuable experiences a young person can have, it allows you to learn new cultures, languages and how the world works outside of the corner of the world you’re from.

Some people who choose the gap year path find out college isn’t the right path for them and unlock the passion they have been searching for. Some find that college is the right path for them and are glad they got to discover who they truly are before going into a new adventure.

Some decide that going straight into the workforce is the best choice for them, allowing for hands-on experience in the field they plan to work in right from the start. Experience is very important in any industry, and starting a job that you plan to continue pursuing outside of high school can help you advance quicker than those who decide to spend their time at college before--it can put you miles ahead of your peers.

According to the Pew Research Center, “There is a growing earnings gap between young college graduates and their counterparts without degrees. In 2021, full-time workers ages 22 to 27 who held a bachelor’s degree, but no further education, made a median annual wage of

$52,000, compared with $30,000 for full-time workers of the same age with a high school diploma and no degree, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This gap has widened over time.”

One of the disadvantages of not going to college though is the income gap that continues to grow year after year with more people deciding to go to college. This does add downsides to no college, but with the amount of college debt that students go into, the wage difference might not have that big of an effect when you’re paying thousands of dollars of college debt.

The social aspect of going to college is also something some view as important, being able to live in a controlled environment where there are thousands of other students your age learning the same things as you. When going out in the world on your own without college you learn how to make friends the way that adults have to and you learn quickly how to carry yourself in the world. Overall, college can be an important step for some people to grow up and find who they are, but it’s not necessary to be an educated person, as education takes many different forms. You can find who you are just as easily in the world without a piece of paper with your name on it saying you’re smart. College isn’t everything.

READERS WRITE

Short personal narratives from a selection of our senior staff centered around their high school experiences.

LEILA BANK

When I entered high school, one of my genuine fears was that someone would step on me. Big boots and towering bodies frightened me to the point of brain disrepair — my anxiety was so high I couldn’t function. I’ve always been on the shorter side, but that never worried me at my tiny middle school. High school, however, with almost-adults hitting six feet, made my knees weak.

Change has always been difficult for me, and the transition between an online freshman year and an inperson sophomore year was particularly difficult. Instead of zombified Zoom meetings, I was suddenly thrust into rooms with more people than I’d been around in over a year. However, as I became acquainted with the school and its students, my fear turned into comfort; that warm ebb and flow of energy inside my heart became a constant instead of the zaps of anxiety I’d previously known. What changed, you ask? My friends.

I recently saw a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that said, “god wanted me to never stop believing in love so he sent me my friends,” and I couldn’t agree more. Sophomore year I met two friends whose free blocks matched up with mine. We ended up going to brunch at First Bite on a sunny morning and it became a tradition to bond over gooey chocolate chip pancakes and iced vanilla lattes at least once a month. I’d never known the beauty of friendship until I met Poppy Magee and Emily Yesowitz; they made me belong somewhere.

The three of us have always loved going on adventures together, but we also appreciate a good session of parallel play; being in the same room while all working on different activities. When I met them, I became accustomed to the comfortable silence that accompanies close friendships. We don’t constantly have to be doing something, it’s enough to just be together.

I don’t know where I’ll be in a year from now, but I know I’ll still be talking to Poppy and Emily, along with all the other beautiful people I’ve become close with over my four years at Community. The free time that CHS offers has fostered the growth of friendships I will maintain for the rest of my life. I’ve never known friendship like this; when I’m with my friends I become a soaring thing with wings, any and everything sparkling with the light of love.

AIDAN HSIA

Tracy Anderson told her class that spring was the time of truly making friends. That over the fall and winter, students — especially freshmen — were learning to be around each other. That over the months they were getting used to each other and making the connections. And in spring, those bonds grew strong and students finally became friends.

In the spring of freshman year, I was online, making “connections” through minute increments when I would unmute or turn my camera on. The connections were typically a white name in a gray box. By spring, I only had a clear view of what my teachers looked like and maybe one or two of my peers.

In the spring of freshman year I spent a month in Arizona, learning online with my Chromebook in a hotel room or my grandpa’s house. I was further away from school than I had ever been, but during this time I did make my first real connection. I remember looking forward to my World History class when Joslyn would have us in four-person breakout rooms. With two other friends I had from middle school, it made connecting to the fourth person easier. And even online and a thousand miles from Ann Arbor, I made the first person I would call a friend in the spring.

Returning to in-person school in sophomore year, the connections were still weak. I sat by myself in some classes and spoke openly to only people I had known in middle school. But if high school years had to be the seasons, junior year was my spring.

Over the two previous years I had learned to be around my classmates. I had learned only a little about them and was comfortable with them sitting at a classroom table. In junior year it came together. I talked openly with people in my classes, whether I knew them or not. And spring arrived as I became real friends with many people at Community.

Senior year is when you get to enjoy the friendship. The hard part of making the connections was over and I got to do things they liked, shared jokes we could both laugh at and hang out. I changed my style as I spent time around different styles.’

Tracy’s words rang true, but starting off in my own house or in Arizona, I did make those connections. In junior year they finally became strong and as a senior, I finally was able to really enjoy the friendships of the last four years.

SANA SCHADEN

“Il faut payer pour mon temps,” the locksmith yelled. My family had contacted the wrong locksmith company to let us in after an unfortunate apartment key snafu in France. Being the only French-speaking member of my family, my parents relied on me to translate their panic into coherent French. Eventually, I negotiated with the locksmith, translated for my parents, calculated the bill in French, coached my dad through the French paperwork and ultimately got the door unlocked.

About a year prior to this pinnacle French speaking experience, I had decided that I needed to expand beyond the level of French that CHS offered. In my junior year, I placed into French 231 at University of Michigan.

To put it simply, I fell in love with the class. Studying French at U-M was absolutely the most difficult academic experience I have had in high school, but also the most rewarding. I began every morning with my 8 a.m. French class in the modern language building and every evening preparing French papers or speaking presentations for the class the next day. While much of my satisfaction came from conquering the French language, I also gained a renewed sense of self reliance and autonomy.

Before I could drive myself to and from class, I walked back to school each morning after French class. Headphones in and music blasting, I faded into my own world as the streets passed by.

SERENA O’BRIEN

Every lunch period, from the very first day of sophomore year to the end of junior year, was spent with the same person, with only a handful of exceptions (the odd doctor’s appointment, journalism meeting or sick day). The backdrop changed, from Spanish conjugation posters in Laurel’s room to the decomposing bodies of salmon fry in Courtney’s fish tank to the dappled sunlight filtering through hanging plants at Peace, Love and Little Donuts, but I could always count on the same face looking back at me.

My very first lunch “date” with Allison Mayer was actually a dinner in the early days of 2020 (just weeks before the pandemic sequestered us in our homes). Our Frita Batidos rendezvous came three years into our acquaintance-ship: we’d met in sixth grade, sharing friends, a lunch table and a seventh grade English class, but our personalities had never quite clicked one-onone (mine, telling people they were wrong at any and all opportunities, and hers, following any conversation in whatever direction it was headed).

Our friendship came when I was looking for something, someone, to hold onto. Almost all my old friends were going to Skyline, and I knew that in choosing Community I was letting go of all of them. However “for the best” it might have been, I felt alone, trying to navigate a new world in which no one knew, or particularly cared, who I was.

She was the only constant in that new world, the only person who I knew I could rely on to listen to me, to make me laugh, to laugh at my jokes and to tell me when my jokes sucked. And she showed up, day after day after day. In the course of our friendship many others have shriveled and fallen to the wayside, but I could always trust that come 11:20 a.m. I’d be receiving that familiar text asking me where we should meet for lunch.

This year was a hectic one: our first semester lunches were lost to my driving to and from Washtenaw Community College or walking back from Angell Hall and our second semester schedules seem to be constantly misaligned as violent bouts of senioritis, school trips and free blocks keep one or the other of us from being at school.

We have grown, and we have changed. I pass up on more “I-told-you-so” opportunities and she sometimes finds it in herself to disagree. Both of us can now get past one hand in counting our friends. Although I will always miss those days when we would run out of things to say to each other, building lives outside of our friendship is all for the best. There will always be something new to say, and I am looking forward to every word.

Senior Map 2024

The class of 2024 will be across the country and the globe, starting new chapters of their lives. Data for this map was collected from seniors and is accurate as of May 13.

Gap Year/Work

Aurora Cook

Dominik Fitzsimmons

Tobin Tuzinsky

Washington

University of Washington

Mint Driskill

California

University of California, Santa Cruz

Anya Knoepp

Arizona

Arizona State University

Chaney Ward

Wisconsin

Lawrence University

Charlie Laman

University of Madison-Wisconsin

Hannah Rubenstein

Illinois

DePaul University

Ari Taylor

Loyola University Chicago

Morgan McClease

Northwestern University

Isabella Jacob

Tennessee

Vanderbilt University

Ellie Fife

Alabama

The University of Alabama

Serena O’Brien

Georgia

Savannah College of Art and Design

Ebie Lamb

Florida

University of Miami

Gummy Ochoa

Ohio

Bowling Green State University

Oliver Thomas

Denison University

Eva Beals

Kenyon College

Maddie Gallego-Strasma

Bridgette Kelly

Poppy Magee

Jaye Robbins Oliver

Oberlin College

Abbi Bachman

Johana Horvath

University of Findlay

Hyacinth Held

Delaware

University of Delaware

Alana Eisman

New York

Barnard College

Alita Cunningham

Ruth Shikanov

Columbia University

Indigo Guikema

New York University

Moose Gultekin

Sana Schaden

Pratt Institute

Anya Akhoury

Pennsylvania

Lehigh University

Emmy Wernimont

The Pennsylvania State University

Marisa Andoni-Savas

University of Pittsburgh

Emily Yesowitz

Massachusetts

Boston University

Lila Fetter

Stonehill College

Maine

College of the Atlantic

Seven Steiner

Vermont

University of Vermont

Briar Nordstrom

Sadie Todd

Ailish Kilbride

Williams College

Emmy Chung

Western Michigan University

Sadie Barber

Aidan Moran

Ali O’Brien

Addison Smith

Michigan

Eastern Michigan University

Allison Pritchett

Elaine Stevenson

Jakob Young

Grand Valley State University

Thomas Reed

Hope College

Laurel Peterson

Kalamazoo College

Leila Bank

Allison Mayer

Mason Jett

Leo Wywrot

Lansing Community College

Ash Anderson

Michigan State University

Stephanie Hadley

Keegan Malestein

Miles McDonald

Grey Phillips

Owen Provenzola

Griffin Siersma

Nicky Singer

Mahir Soofi

Michigan Technological University

Morrison Arendall

John Beach

Otto Nelson

Claire Steigelman

Lohan VanderElzen

Sylvie Zawacki

Northern Michigan University

Mason Watson

University of Michigan

Amy Boeving

Molly Hamalainen

Parker Haymart

Addi Hinesman

Reagan Masek

Flynn Meagher

Charlie Rosenfeld

Eve Sarnecki

Izzy Stevens

University of Michigan-Dearborn

Ailin Arias-Salazar

Washtenaw Community College

Dathan Austin

Jonah Klein

Daniel Ging

Mani Haldeman

Rohan Manjeshwar

Hans Rober

John Snow

Ogi Vassilev

Zachary Visser

Wayne State University

Julia Kaltwasser

Ebie Lamb

Ebie Lamb shares how she made her decision to attend art school and how she loves to create art across mediums.

BY NINA TINNEY

“I have to go to this school,” were the first words to leave Ebie Lamb’s mouth after attending an information session for the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD). After listening to the presenter’s words and watching their slides click by, tears filled Lamb’s eyes because she hadn’t seen just any old presentation. She had seen her future.

From the time Lamb was young, she always loved art. Between weekly museum visits with her mom and playing around with different paints and fabrics, color and creativity were always around her, but it wasn’t until high school that she started to take art more seriously. Signing up for classes in painting, ceramics and drawing as well as participating in performances with CET, her devotion to the art department was unwavering.

“What I love about how CHS art classes are run is that they are less about how good you are and more about your effort,” Lamb said. “It really allowed me to explore and try new things.”

In wanting to keep exploring and pursue her decade-long dream of becoming an actress, Lamb felt that attending an art school would be the next step. After extensive research, no school seemed to beat SCAD.

With 99% of the school’s graduating students getting instantly hired and the opportunity they give students to explore different disciplines both in and outside their majors, Lamb was sold. Each promise made her feel that same magnetism she felt during the very first information session.

“No matter what, I just kept circling back to SCAD,” Lamb said. “And obviously the decision to go to an art school is a big one but I’m very privileged that my parents support me.”

In pursuit of her acting career, Lamb has chosen to major in film and television. But because of SCAD’s flexibility, Lamb can still experiment in other areas. A person of many facets, Lamb has found herself to have two sides: one more quiet and introspective side and another louder and bolder

side. Lamb loves the calm of simply sitting in her room, listening to music and painting or sculpting. On the flip side, she lives for rush and adrenaline, like the excitement that comes with an opening night performance.

“My favorite thing about art is seeing people’s reactions to it,” Lamb said. “Seeing how someone reacts to a piece of art, whether that reaction is positive or negative, it’s so powerful. And that’s part of the reason that I want to be an actor. I want to be able to affect people.”

Though the decision to attend SCAD is filled with a lot of excitement, she still has worries about being miles from home and leaving her family and friends. But deep down Lamb knows she is ready for the next chapter and looks forward to what is to come: creating more bright, colorful paintings and hand-thrown pots; walking through the wings and performing under bright stage lights; and to continue doing all the other things she loves most, from painting to drawing to acting to dancing.

NEW YORK

fashion week

BY CLARA FREETH AND LUCIA PAGE SANDER

New York Fashion Week is a biannual display of the latest fashion trends that takes place in September and February each year, but on The Communicator’s March trip to the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s 100th annual spring conference, CHS journalists held their own iteration of the event. Eight of our seniors are featured here on a warm spring day on Columbia University’s campus in New York City and in the subway station right below. “During both journalism trips this year we were able to combine and connect beyond room 300 and Community and I feel that that made all the difference in our dynamic,” said Morgan McClease, Social Media Editor-in-Chief. “I love New York, I love fashion and I love my friends. So therefore, it was very fun.”

O n the Way to Gradu ation

BY MORGAN MCCLEASE AND ISABELLA JACOB

Sunrise - Childish Gambino added by Ruth Shikanov

Good Days - SZA added by Anjali Kakarla

Club Perreo - GVMMY added by Sana Schaden

Poor Fake - Kelsey Lu added by Leila Bank

How Far We’ve Come - Matchbox 20 added by Moose Gultekin

Tin Foiled - Andrew Bird added by Emily Yesowitz

The Greatest - BoA added by Mint Driskill

Ivy - Frank Ocean added by Morgan McClease

Pursuit Of Happiness - Kid Cudi added by Aidan Hsia

Cuff It - Beyoncé added by Isabella Jacob

O n the Way Home

The Spins - Mac Miller added by Ruth Shikanov

The Night Is Still Young - Nicki Minaj added by Morgan McClease

Ant Pile - Dominic Fike added by Anya Akhoury

Alright - Kendrick Lamar added by Owen Provenzola

Closer To Fine - Indigo Girls added by Poppy Magee

Wish - Diplo and Trippie Redd added by Daniel Ging

Never Grow Up - Taylor Swift added by Moose Gultekin

Bitter Sweet Symphony - The Verve added by Bridgette Kelly

Junior Varsity - Dayglow added by Charlie Laman

Wherever I Go - Hannah Montana added by Isabella Jacob

Dresses Diaspora of the

Seniors share how their cultural clothing connects them to their heritage.

BY ISABELLA JACOB, MORGAN MCCLEASE AND ADDI HINESMAN

Sana Schaden arrived at her nani’s house for the Hindu festival of lights: Diwali. Her grandmother’s house was filled with family and friends dressed in salwars, sarees and other traditional Indian attire. Schaden, dressed in American attire, felt isolated.

When Schaden visited India this past February, she took the goal of bringing the perfect Indian outfit back with her.

After hours of searching boutiques and navigating bazaars, Schaden found an outfit that checked all her boxes, perfectly matching her style.

“I love wearing black with a pop of color,” Schaden said. “There’s a lot more Western fusion happening in Indian fashion right now, as opposed to traditional saris and lehengas and that kind of thing.”

The intricate work on the outfit is threaded with blue, green and pink colors to create floral designs along the top. The salwar doesn’t just fit Schaden’s style, but it also makes her feel connected to her heritage.

“I felt like having this piece of more traditional Indian clothing just brought me a lot closer to the culture,” Schaden said. “It had been seven years since I’d been to India before my last trip and I feel like my recent trip gave me a huge opportunity to reconnect with Indian culture in a lot of different ways.”

In contrast to Schaden’s dark outfit, Joana SanchezMiranda’s bright pink Folklórico dancing outfit is meant to accentuate and highlight their feminine side. The skirt of the dress has countless layers of fabric, allowing it to create waves while dancing, but also making it a heavy garment.

Sanchez-Miranda started dancing Folklórico at a Spanish school, which they attended all through elementary school up until 2020 to further study their first language.

“I used to go to Spanish school every Saturday,” Sanchez-Miranda said. “So it was kind of a place where I could really just indulge in my culture a little more and speak Spanish with other Spanish-speaking people.”

Sanchez-Miranda performed and danced at their Spanish school with their cousin.

Every day after school they’d go to their godmother’s house to practice for upcoming performances.

“They also had this little talent show at the end of the year,” Sanchez-Miranda said. “My mom would sign me up and I would do it. I’d dance with my cousin and that’s how I got into it.”

Sanchez-Miranda also remembers performing at the Ann Arbor Public Library in downtown Ann Arbor for the Day of the Dead.

They cherish the memories of sharing their culture with others and dancing in front of those who had never seen Folklórico before.

“When I wear traditional clothing I feel more in touch with my culture,” Sanchez-Miranda said. “I feel recognized as being Mexican.”

Bridgette Kelly had been to Japan for spring break countless times before, but this time as she watched the cherry blossoms bloom, she put on a kimono for the very first time.

Kelly’s mother is Japanese and grew up in Japan, moving to the United States in her mid-20s with Kelly’s dad.

Her mother never brought back traditional clothing, meaning Kelly had never been introduced to it until her most recent trip.

“But this time on our trip to Japan my mom’s friend was like ‘Oh, we should dress Bridgette up in a kimono,’” Kelly said. “That was the first time I wore one, I went out in public and I was kind of very selfconscious.”

Kelly’s mom knew how to drape the fabric in a specific and technical way, taking over thirty minutes to get into the traditional dress.

They headed to a view with the freshly bloomed cherry blossoms in the background to photograph Kelly.

Kelly has often felt disconnected to her culture when she visits family in Japan.

“I definitely feel disconnected,” Kelly said. “I don’t speak Japanese, so when I go there it’s kind of like I’m not fully immersed into the culture. But because I’ve gone there so often and also my family’s there it just feels very, very familiar. When I’m there the smell, the sounds and the food all come back every time.”

Dressing in traditional Japanese attire has made Kelly feel not only more connected to Japanese culture but to her family as well.

“In Japan, there’s all kinds of different events that you dress up for,” Kelly said. “I know my mom growing up wore a kimono for different events and stuff like that. I guess it makes me feel more connected to my mom in a way.”

Kelly is wearing a kimono she brought back from her most recent trip to Japan.

The blue base has an intricate design with purple, blue and other cool colors. She acknowledges how special it is to be wearing one and being able to bring one back.

“I think it’s like a really special time to be able to wear one when I’m in Japan,” Kelly said. “It makes the line that separates with the language barrier and stuff like that blur.”

Out Loud.

Out Loud. Out Loud.

BY JAKE WILLIAMS

“Bright Future” by Adrianne Lenker

Adrianne Lenker is one of the best songwriters of the last decade. Her ability to paint pictures of familial trauma and love comes through strongly in not only her work as the lead vocalist and guitarist of indie-folk band Big Thief but also in her solo work which we haven’t seen any of since 2020. Lenker’s seventh album and latest work, “Bright Future,” feels like a mixture of the stripped-back feel of her last solo project, “Songs,” and the slightly catchier feel of the most recent Big Thief project, “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You.”

“Fool,” the third song on the album and third released single, features incredibly plucky strings that work incredibly well with Lenker’s voice. Most of her lyrical content on this song is recapping what her friends and family have been doing in their personal lives and a relationship she’s in that she can’t seem to figure out. She keeps trying to guess what her partner wants, eventually giving up and just asking them to “just say what it is that [they] want.”

Later on the album is the song “Vampire Empire” which, if you’re a fan of Big Thief (or use TikTok), you’ll recognize as a cover of a song by the same name that the group dropped in July of last year. Lenker’s solo cover is a lot rougher by comparison but that also makes it feel more raw. The instrumentation has been changed up pretty drastically with this version now utilizing an acoustic guitar, violin and a twinkling piano that wasn’t there in the original version.

One of the last songs on the album, “Donut Seam,” features subtle backing vocals from Nick Hakim. Beautifully simple instrumentation pairs perfectly with the lyrical content which focuses mainly on how you should enjoy the things you have before they’re gone. Nothing shows this better than the chorus when Lenker sings “Don’t it seem like a good time for swimming before all the water disappears?”

“Bright Future” is a beautiful display of emotional vulnerability which may not be exactly brand new for Adrianne Lenker but is still executed with a level of finesse that only she is capable of.

Three albums to hear now.

“Where we’ve been, Where we go from here” by Friko

Friko is made up of Chicago natives: vocalist and guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger. After a couple EPs and singles they’ve finally released their debut album. “Where we’ve been, Where we go from here,” mixes chamber-pop with elements of pop-punk to make a soundscape that sounds as somber as it does catchy.

The opening track, “Where We’ve Been,” does a great job of showcasing the sound of the album. It begins slowly sounding almost folky but eventually crescendos into something so loud and intense that it borders on noise rock.

“For Ella” is a much more low-key cut from the track list that doesn’t play its full hand until the second half. At the beginning, the song is entirely airy vocals and a somber piano but around the halfway point these massive swelling strings are layered in that pair perfectly with the piano and haunting vocals.

“Statues” is an indie rock jam with echoey vocals and a guitar so distorted that it at points sounds more like a synth. In the second half of the song the drums overpower everything to the point where they sound like they’re breaking the speakers. It’s easily the catchiest track on the entire album and sounds like it could’ve easily been a hit in the early 2010s.

The second to last track, “Get Numb To It,” is the most indie rock the album ever gets. Catchy riffs, solid drumming and the memorable refrain of “No, it never gets better, it just gets twice as bad because you let it,” will make this track stick with you long after the album is over.

“Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here” is a fantastic project and when you take into account how this band is still in their infancy it can only cause excitement for what they make in the future.

“Triple Digits [112]” by RiTchie

RiTchie with a T, better known as just RiTchie, spent the majority of the 2010s as one third of Injury Reserve, an experimental rap trio out of Tempe, Arizona. After seven years of activity and seven projects along with them, tragedy struck the group when rapper and member Stepa J. Groggs passed away in June of 2020. In September of 2021 the group dropped their final and most experimental project to date: “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” It centered around the passing of Groggs and is the group’s darkest project because of it. Some time after RiTchie and the producer of the group, Parker Corey, announced that they would continue to make music under the group name “By Storm.” However, in February of this year RiTchie announced that he’d be dropping his debut solo album first.

RiTchie is experimenting a lot on this album. He plays with his voice, his flows and especially his production. This is obvious from the first two tracks. The first one, “Wings [Intro],” is a heavily autotuned song that feels a lot like an interlude due to it’s shorter runtime but the second track, “WYTD?!?!” is loud, fast and in your face.

“Dizzy (feat. Amine)” is probably the most “normal” song on the album with a simple drum loop and an organ line that makes it feel incredibly upbeat. Amine’s verse is a great addition with some great lines like “Your granny died, you taking fit pics at the funeral,” which is basically saying that some people get so involved in their image that they don’t register genuinely important things in their life.

One of the last tracks, “Get A Fade,” features RiTchie singing through what sounds like a talkbox that’s been bitcrushed. The lyrics center around an unknown person who lies to RiTchie “in the small stuff” like when they’ll get their next haircut. Everything about this song works together perfectly to make one of the most somber tracks on the entire album.

RiTchie’s debut is truly all over the place but because of his versatility as a rapper, producer and singer it works perfectly and makes me incredibly excited for what he’ll do next.

MORGAN MCCLEASE SENIOR SOUNDTRACK

BY CLAIRE LEWIS AND ELLE

MCCREADIE

freshman year

During freshman year, Morgan McClease began to venture out into music and explore a little bit more of her taste, but for the most part, music didn’t have a huge influence on her life. Her top artists were Harry Styles and Taylor Swift. She brought to high school many musicians that she would listen to during middle school and before. During her childhood, McClease loved One Direction, so many of her favorite artists during this time came from their solo work; her top album of the year was “Nobody Is Listening” by ZAYN.

sophomore year

Music was never a huge part of McClease’s life until high school, and sophomore year was that turning point. Although McClease was still a loyal listener to her previous top artists, she started to branch out with her music. She listened to artists including Wallows, Olivia Rodrigo and Gracie Abrams. She couldn’t sit alone without something going on in the background, so she gravitated towards music. McClease really resonated with “Fearless” by Taylor Swift and in particular the song “Fifteen” off that album. “I still felt really adolescent during sophomore year because that was my first time ever being in in-person high school,” McClease said. “I felt like Fearless accurately represented my little feelings during that time.” She spent a lot of time hanging out with friends, getting to experience what she thought high school was really about.

junior year

The song that McClease uses to describe her junior year is “Everyone Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears, specifically the line that says, “So glad we’ve almost made it.” Junior year is a difficult and academically challenging year, so McClease listened to more music than ever, her headphones almost never leaving her head. Through the talk about standardized testing and the preparation for college, McClease turned to music as an escape. Her main artists consisted of Lana Del Rey, Arctic Monkeys and The Weeknd. Because of the influx of music, McClease began to solidify her music preferences. “Music helped me through a lot that year,” McClease said. “I’m very thankful for it.”

senior year

Senior year, McClease has spent a lot of time looking back on her high school career. She’s become invested in making playlists to encapsulate her feelings during this pivotal time in her life. She loves making a variety of playlists that showcase the random nature of her music taste. McClease enjoys reflecting on how her favorite artists continue to shape her as she finishes out her final year of high school. “It’s really hard to reflect on something that’s still happening,” McClease said. “But I think the song that describes this year would be ‘Senior Skip Day’ by Mac Miller or ‘Good Days’ by SZA, I just can’t tell which one yet.”

EMILY

YESOWITZ SENIOR SOUNDTRACK

BY CLAIRE LEWIS AND ELLE MCCREADIE

freshman year

She had just moved from New Jersey to Ann Arbor, leaving everything that she had always known. As Emily Yesowitz entered her freshman year of high school 500 miles away from her childhood home, she spent lots of time searching for familiarity. Not only was Yesowitz in a new home, but also in the middle of a global pandemic, which isolated her even more. Yesowitz continued to listen to a lot of the music she had always listened to, trying to chase the place and time of her previous home. Although she listened to a wide range of music, she was pulled towards sadder songs that were nostalgic to her from middle school. “I never really listened to any particular artists, probably max three songs from a particular album,” Yesowitz said. She listened to artists including Cavetown, Hippocampus, Jack Stauber, Declan McKenna and others.

sophomore year

Sophomore year was another new beginning for Yesowitz, entering in-person high school for the first time. Her move the year prior led her to start the school year in unfamiliar territory, in an unknown place and with new people. The beginning of the year she was trying to find her place and her people. Because of the pandemic, everyone was trying to find their place, and she was lucky enough to find her group fairly quickly. As Yesowitz began to settle into her new routine and become comfortable with her new surroundings, she began to flourish. “It was a huge year for me, and very unapologetic, both in my music taste and otherwise,” Yesowitz said. Her variety in music and the electricity of the year is present in what she decided to listen to. Her music taste consisted of a lot of pop rock, classical music and musical theater, including bands like Vance Joy, Tears for Fears and Phoenix.

junior year

Junior year Yesowitz got to fully appreciate what she and everyone around her had to offer. As her bonds to her friends and her home grew stronger, her willingness to express herself did as well. “Junior year was one of the better years of my life I’d say, and I think that my music really reflects that in the way it’s a lot more upbeat, and even the quieter softer songs are still fun in their lyrics or in other ways,” Yesowitz said. Her music taste became more streamlined, and she found a lot of her staple artists that gave her a more concrete idea of her favorite music genres. Besides West Side story, which took up the majority of room on her top 20 songs this year, she discovered San Fermin, which has become one of her favorite bands, as well as Simon and Garfunkel. “I think I probably know the lyrics of 80% of San Fermin songs,” Yesowitz said. “And I’d say probably 92% of Simon and Garfunkel.” Junior year was a major turning point for Yesowitz.

senior year

Senior year has been undeniably emotional for Yesowitz, and her music has represented that. “I’m just so filled with love and happiness that I am so desperately sad, and I think a lot of my music is also that,” Yesowitz said. This year, Yesowitz has gone out of her way to listen to new and different music, asking her friends to make her playlists and exploring for herself. But despite this exploration, one of her most listened to songs this year has come from her childhood, the song that her sister used to listen to when she was a senior: “Rivers and Roads” by The Head and The Heart. When Yesowitz was younger, her older sister and her friends would let her hang out with them, listening to music. This year, Yesowitz has circled back to those moments. “‘A year from now we’ll all be gone,’” Yesowitz said, reciting the first line of Rivers and Roads. “‘All our friends will have moved away.’ All the music that I listen to this year is really sad and meaningful to me, but I think it’s also beautiful.”

Humans of Community

What are some lessons you have learned in your time at Community?

BY MORGAN MCCLEASE

Daniel Ging

“When I first came to Community, I wasn’t really very independent as a person. I didn’t really care very much. I wasn’t thinking about my future. Being at Community I now have a better understanding of the college structure, at least more than I would have compared to any other school. I’ve also been more aware of being respectful to the community around you along with the people around you. With the open campus and being out in the community, I’ve been more aware of how I act in businesses and been more respectful towards businesses around us because I don’t want to lose our privilege of being at Kerrytown or anything like that. I also understand how to be respectful to teachers and how to be respectful to students. I mean, what everyone says, treat people how you want to be treated, and being at Community has made me believe that.”

Ebie Lamb

“Being at Community has taught me a lot about leadership. I’ve been president of a couple things and I’ve been leaders in a lot of different clubs. So it certainly taught me how to be a strong leader. And I learned a lot through all the clubs that I did. They taught me how to believe in myself and have a lot of self confidence now and my friends were kind of there to boost me up. So I think that Community just set me up for success in college. I’m ready to be independent and ready to support myself. Ready to do it. Community does a really good job of preparing you for college. We have a lot of independence where you can get up and leave class but you have to have the full responsibility to go back to class and you have this flexibility, learning time management and setting you up for that independence that you get with college but also maintaining that responsibility.”

Abbi Bachman

“I think Community has taught me to be more independent. I used to be nervous about going places alone, but now going to places by myself like running over to Kerrytown to grab a drink or Found to get a gift for my mom has helped me step out of that comfort zone. I think that will be really helpful in college. Will I still be nervous about going out by myself? Probably. But you know, I’ll be better than I would have been. And learning that lesson of getting out there and joining clubs is something I will think about in the future. Now I think about the things I could have joined that I didn’t. Honestly, a lot of it was just when we would have learned about different opportunities, it was midpandemic so I didn’t know about a lot of things so it’ll be easier in college to get out there and go to that club fair because we won’t start virtual. I think I’m really gonna have to encourage myself, but even if it feels like a push right now it will be better in the end to do that and meet more people.”

Anya Akhoury

“I’ve gained a lot of confidence in my time at Community. I can be more talkative in class and talk to more people which is something I had a hard time with before high school. Community has also taught me to be more on top of myself and my schedule. Because of the open campus and the freedom I have to be responsible to get all my work done. You know, sometimes I just want to get in my car and drive away but I’ll stay and do my work anyways, even if I’m tempted not to. I am also very thankful for the real world experience that I’ve gotten at Community. The CR opportunities and the open campus gave me real world experiences that going to a different high school wouldn’t have given me.”

Chocolate Toffee Matzo Crack

BY RUTH SHIKANOV AND CLARA FREETH

Aimlessly organized boxes of Finn Crisps crackers that my dad swears by and probably stale Honey Maid graham crackers sit in front of me as I open the cabinet, looking for matzah to make this treat. I was sifting through bags of forgotten snacks and coffee beans, yet ultimately unsuccessful in finding what I actually needed. I pressed my palms against the cool granite, pushing myself up as my knees landed on the counter. My eyes widened as soon as I saw the nostalgic bright yellow box labeled “Manischewitz” and I set the box of flatbread on the counter, continuing my search through the pantry to find the other ingredients. When I was younger, I remember climbing on top of the counters, insisting that I could get whatever was needed, not my parents. And I took a lot of pride in that; I was tall enough, independent enough. Yes, it really didn’t mean that much, but as I approach the end of senior year, a new chapter of my life will begin. I assume I won’t be cooking as much once I’m in college, but I hope that when I get home for breaks that I’ll be in my warm kitchen, making new memories and trying new recipes.

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees featherweight. Then, line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminium foil, paying extra attention that it folds over the edges.

2) Cover the baking sheet with matzos, breaking them apart to fill the whole sheet if necessary.

3) To make the toffee, combine the brown sugar and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat, keeping your stirring consistent until the mixture comes to a boil. Once at a boil, let it cook for three minutes until the mixture becomes foamy and thickened. Immediately pour the toffee over the matzos and even it out with a spatula.

4) Put the pan in the oven until the toffee is cracked and bubbling all over: about 8-10 minutes. Remove the pan from the over and place on a cooling rack. Next, evenly distribute the chocolate chips across the top. Wait 3-5 minutes for the chips to get melty and then spread them out with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with sea salt.

5) Refrigerate about 45 minutes until the chocolate is hardened. Be careful not to leave it in the fridge for too long, or it will be hard to cut.

6) Transfer the matzo crack onto a large cutting board. Cut into two inch squares using a big sharp knife. Store in an airtight container and serve cold.

Ingredients: 4-5 lightly salted matzos

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 (12 ounce) bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon of salt for topping

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Our Turn

Our graduating print Editors-in-Chief discuss how The Communicator has prepared them for adulthood.

BY LUCIA PAGE SANDER

Serena O’Brien

“The Communicator has prepared me for adulthood because you have to be really organized in order for everything to come together. There have definitely been times when I wasn’t on top of it and then there were consequences that ended up making a lot more work further down the line. So I think going forward into adulthood, it will be important to stay on top of things and get ahead of them because otherwise you’ll be sad down the road. The Communicator has also prepared me by allowing me to work with a lot of people. I’ve learned more about how you have to balance relying on other people, but not relying on other people to the point where if something comes up for them you’re

Isabella Jacob

“Journalism has taught me leadership skills and how to write for deadline, that’s for sure. I’m still not very good at this, but I’m learning how to be firm with people and not let them walk over me. It’s helped me learn how to work with others in a way that I haven’t experienced before with anything else. When you’re working to a deadline and you’re under a lot of stress, it’s easy to lose yourself or lose confidence in yourself. The Communicator has taught me that that’s when you need your confidence the most. It was first time that I wrote about things that I’m really passionate about and gave me an avenue delve further into those topics. I’ll always be interested in diversity coverage and I’ll have that perspective in my writing because of The

“In becoming an adult and learning how to communicate, The Communicator has been very important. I’ve grown a lot as a writer, but journalism is more than just writing stories. It’s beautiful to have connections with people that you never thought that you would connect with. There are a lot of important memories that I made because of The Communicator that go beyond writing, like learning how to reach out to people and cover things that are scary. I’ve learned the beauty of conversation and I think I re-learn that with every single article. The Communicator’s helped me to be a leader too. I know what it’s like to lead a group of people and help people because no matter how old we are, we always need guidance and it’s okay to accept

Ruth Shikanov