The Triangle, Issue 2, Vol. 102

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sources.

Highlighting

As voting season rolls around, North

to vote for the first

One

how they

On Oct.

hundreds of community

up at the public

discuss

STUDENT LIFE

THE

Seniors are applying to college, awaiting

FALLING

With fall officially kicking off, students

their thoughts on popular seasonal

New country, new culture and new experiences come with being a foreign exchange student

How a shorter break, rising prices and sports might make fall break travel less popular

Is Don’t Worry Darling Worth

to stay safe on the new social media

ON

Why College Board should remain a nonprofit

Senior winter athletes talk about their final year playing for their teams

OUTSIDE

While North offers many sports, several students participate in sports that are not school-sanctioned

Members of the women’s golf team reflect on the end of the season

TWILIGHT

In the

cross-country season, one meet stands out

PREVIEW ONLINE

Scan with your

CNHS

be linked

FOR THE LOVE

It’s a question that has been pondered by generations of teenagers and their parents: is it worth it to pursue a romantic relationship in high school?

There are strong voices in each camp, and members of both employ strong, evidence-based arguments. Is there a definitive answer to this thorny issue?

Those who favor teenage dating can point to evidence that the interpersonal skills built in high school relationships can serve as a foundation for other, possibly longer-lasting relationships later in life. To be sure, a 2011 study suggested that conflict resolution skills and communication patterns translated into adolescents’ later marriages.

The benefits go beyond relationships: research has suggested that “high-quality” relationships increase feelings of personal efficacy, which is the sense that one is capable of their achieving goals, as well as increased self esteem. It’s important to point out the major catch in this statement, which is that these qualities are only fostered by “high-quality” relationships.

This is a tricky term to define, and as with many matters related to things as intimate as love and personal fulfillment, it’s likely unique to each person. However, to answer the question of to date or not to date, it may be helpful to paint a general picture of what a high-quality relationship should look like. Youth.gov dedicated to preventing dating violence does just this. The traits identified include “mutual respect, trust, honesty, compromise, individuality, anger control, understanding and problem solving.” And on the other side, some qualities of a low-quality relationship: “control, hostility, disrespect, dependence, dishonesty and violence.”

The answer to this age-old question comes down to this: are most high school relationships high quality? If not, is there at least a large proportion of relationships that are? More generally, are teenagers capable of building a relationship with these qualities even if many well-adjusted adults are incapable of doing so?

Students can probably conjure up examples of both types of relationships in

their own experiences throughout high school. It seems that each grade has a “model couple” that other students hold up as their goal for their own relationships. Perhaps more common, though, are the cautionary tales of classmates who were cheated on, had one-sided relationships, or who experienced abuse by their partner. The studies above indicate that high school relationships should be supported if they are like the former, but strongly discouraged if they’re more like the latter.

Considering all of this, it would seem that there is no definitive answer here. Given all of the different variables involved, all we can really say is that it depends. Rather than holding to generalities, we should evaluate each relationship on its own. Students in quality relationships should be affirmed, and students in less healthy relationships should be given the support they need. Love should be given a cautious chance.

weighs in on high school relationships

by Natalie Brown design by Carson Embree photos by Alice Pisoni

A

Since its founding in 1984, the Ethnic Expo has been a celebration of what Columbus is as a community. The Expo is estimated to bring in over 35,000 attendees annually. Visitors to the expo enjoy incredible international food, a global marketplace and continuous entertainment and children’s activities. But this beloved festival on Washington Street wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support and assistance of its volunteers.

Sophomore Marcella Brunner discussed her role in the Expo the week before it took place.

“I’m going to be helping make and serve food in the Chinese booth. I’m volunteering alongside some other girls in Chinese 2,” Brunner said. “I’m looking

forward to seeing all of the booths while I’m there, and definitely the possibility of being able to cook. I believe we are making a variety of classical Chinese dishes, definitely including dumplings.”

The Ethnic Expo isn’t only a way to celebrate and unite the community; it also serves to foster understanding and

other people who are interested,” Brunner said.

Junior Mateo Gamez has been going to the ethnic expo for years, and the memories he made will become just a few of the many the Expo has created.

“The first Ethnic Expo that I went to was when I was 10 months old, and I’ve gone every year since. As a child, my mom would always get me finger puppets from the Peruvian vendor. I remember that by the end of it, we had at least thirty in the collection,” Gamez said. “I also remember that I would go to the parade with my family and watch the procession pass by. I remember many of them throwing candy and my brother and I would compete to see who could get the most.”

Gamez also enjoys the Fiesta Latina, which is organized in the same place.

inclusion.

“It’s really expanded my view on culture and politics -- though I’ve been interested in China for a long time. It brings a lot of opportunities for friends and experiences. I love being able to share what I learn with

“I went to Fiesta Latina this year, and it was really neat to see the amount of people there. It was nearly twice as full as last year, and you could see people of all ethnicities enjoying Latin culture.”

Highlighting a vibrant expression of our diverse community

Ethnic Expo started in 1984 to show how diverse our city

event hosts over 30,000 people

at the event represent many different countries selling food and

from the

people

the

Ethic

A vendor showing a dish they are selling at the Japanese booth

FIRST TIME VOTING

Starting in October, Columbus citizens were able to begin early voting, and eventually in-person voting in November. For some seniors, this is the first time they have been eligible to vote. One of these students is senior Alaina Baker.

“My family, especially my mom, has always encouraged me to vote,” Baker said. “Growing up, my mom always told me that even if I didn’t like the candidates, it was important to vote because women in history fought hard to earn us the right.”

Baker turned 18 on the first day of early voting, and she is excited to begin preparing to cast her ballot for the first time in her life.

“I am super excited to vote for the first time this year, because in coming of age, a lot of political issues affect me and my life, and voting makes my voice heard,” Baker said. “I’ve spent a lot of time this summer taking a political science college course and educating myself about our governmental system, how it works and what candidates I have similar interests with.”

Along with Baker, someone else who is excited about upcoming voting is North teacher Dan Marsh. Marsh teaches AP Government and Politics and encourages students to vote as often as he can.

“I think [student voting] is talked about a lot. The issue is, youth think politicians do not talk to them, so issues do not pertain to them, so they don’t vote,” Marsh said. “Politicians focus on old people simply because they vote. If you have limited campaign money to spend, you spend it where you know people will respond.”

Marsh believes that voting is extremely important in

by Izzy Munn design by Abbi Lovins

the lives of young students but thinks that 18 is the correct age for kids to start voting because there are different factors that could affect our votes.

“ I am okay with [the age to vote] being 18,” Marsh said. “I think if it is lowered to, let’s say 16, the role parents have on the youth, would just lead to the younger voter voting how the parents vote. Parents have a strong role in political socialization. It is not until the child is out of the home that political trends and voting might differ from parents.”

As a government and politics teacher, Marsh knows the importance of getting students to understand their power and how they can affect an election. With this knowledge, he lets his students know just how impactful their voices can be.

“Overall, I think we need to be more vocal about the importance of participating in civic life in general, but we must stay neutral,” Marsh said. “It is not our place to push a political agenda either direction. I tell my students all the time, ‘I don’t care who you vote for, but I want you to vote.’ I want you to express your opinions. Make our laws more connected to the total state, not just the 50 percent that participated.”

As voting season rolls around, North seniors prepare to vote for the first time

UNIDOS

by PaulaRamos designby SylviaSasse

One student shares how they celebrated this Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month took place between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15 each year. The beginning date was chosen to coincide with the independence days of several Spanish-speaking nations, and the entire month serves as a time for celebrating the culture,

Q: What is your nationality?

A: “I am Venezuelan and Colombian.”

Q: How have you been celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month?

A: “I have been enjoying eating food from other Hispanic countries.”

Q: Why do you feel it’s important to recognize Hispanic heritage?

A: “I feel it’s important because others can notice other cultures, so [ours] should be treated the same.”

Q: What is your favorite thing about being Hispanic?

A: “I love our food and being bilingual.”

Q: How can non-Latino students celebrate and honor Hispanic heritage?

A: “They can be around Hispanic people that celebrate and teach their heritage.”

Q: What is your favorite Hispanic tradition?

A: “My favorite tradition is on December 31st, when we eat grapes at midnight.”

history, and contributions of Hispanic-Americans. Junior Carlota Gonzalez Nunez shared the importance of this month to her.

Q: What is your favorite thing about Hispanic culture?

A: “My favorite thing is how different all [the] cultures are from each other.”

Q: How can we encourage students to honor and celebrate Hispanic heritage?

A: “We can encourage students by making Hispanic Heritage Month a bigger deal.”

BCPL FORUM BRINGS SPEAKERS

by Lydia Weed

of

that they have been

by people wishing to censor books

the country.

February of 2022, Indiana State representatives discussed Indiana Senate Bill 17, which would allow certain books deemed “harmful to children” to be banned from schools and public libraries. This bill would have stopped protection against prosecution for school and public library employees under the state’s law that prohibits the dissemination of harmful material to minors. It was criticized as vague because it raises questions of what is considered “harmful.”

This bill was shut down as of March 6, 2022. Similar scenarios have happened all over the United States. However, this is not stopping numerous groups from pushing book bans.

Moms For Liberty, formed in 2021, aims to “fight for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.”

The organization has several chapters in Indiana, the closest being in Hamilton County.

Whether it is on a local or state government level, censorship is an issue that continues to divide and cause controversy. CNHS librarian Jerrica Dowling believes that the library should be a safe space for many types of stories to be shared.

“When we start getting rid of ideas that we don’t like, or try to erase identities through censoring books, it is definitely a dangerous game we’re playing,” Dowling said. “We don’t want to ‘protect’ one particular child at the expense of the experiences of every other child.”

Banned Books Week was the week of Sept. 18, and Bartholomew County Public Library had informative events. Library employees have had experiences with people trying to interfere with the materials in circulation.

Audrey Hood, the reference services manager at the library, gives

her thoughts on how this affects the community.

“There have been several newspaper articles in The Republic covering some ongoing issues at the library with individuals and/or groups that are taking issue with the content of some of our teen materials,” Hood said. “We have a formal process in which patrons can fill out a form called a ‘Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials.’”

Hood said they take these request seriously.

“We are receptive to the opinion of community members, but we do not guarantee that content that some people deem objectionable in our collection will be removed,” Hood said. “We strive to curate a collection that fulfills our mission of providing resources to support lifelong learning, and we want to provide our community with reading material that is enriching, varied, and informative.”

The next meeting is Nov. 14, contact mybcpl.org for more information.

Members meet at the Bartholomew County Public Library to discuss banned books.

photo by Natalie Brown

THE NEXT STEP

Seniors are applying to college, awaiting results

With early college deadlines approaching, students are rushing to finish their applications. These applications will decide the rest of their life after high school. Senior Siri Poludasu is one of the seniors getting ready to submit their applications.

“Right now, my top colleges are between New York University and Northwestern University,” Poludasu said.

With New York University ranked No. 2 in the nation for medical research and Northwestern ranked closely behind, Poludasu is hoping to get into one, if not two, of these colleges. She applied to both of these colleges through the Common App.

“It’s a really easy platform that helps you apply to all the colleges,” Poludasu said.

The Common App is one of the best tools a senior can use to apply for colleges

Senior Natalie Cross explains more about the Common App.

“They have education parts, [information] about your family, recommendations and all these activities that you do,” Cross said.

Cross goes into detail about the essay and short answer questions.

“The topics you mainly talk about are what major you want to go into or why you chose the college for the little 100 words or less questions,” Cross said. “And then for your Common App, you can talk about basically anything.”

Cross applied for rolling admissions to Marshall University through the Common App and was accepted soon after.

“I was really excited. They told you once they downloaded it that you’ll know three to five days after. I was waiting on that email for so long, it felt like,” Cross said.

Cross explains that throughout the

by Deshna Vekatachalam design by Ananya Ramanujapuram

process of applications and the waiting, her coach helped her through it all.

“My coach, Mrs. Decker, helped me fill out the activities part. I do a lot of my community service with her as well,” Cross said.

While Cross had her coach help her through the process, Poludasu, on the other hand, had a friend help her through it.

“She has done a lot of stuff with her mom before I have. She usually tells me what I have to do, and then my parents help me with my essays and answering questions,” Poludasu said.

Cross explains what she’s looking forward to knowing that the process is over.

“I am most looking forward to gaining independence and being able to see where everyone else is deciding on going to college,” Cross said.

FALLING INTO AUTUMN

by Paula Ramos design by Abby Smith

As tree leaves begin to brown and temperatures drop, many embrace autumn with a steaming cup of coffee in hand. Pumpkin flavored drinks, a seasonal favorite, return to many popular coffee shops. Working at Starbucks for six months now, senior Angie Villegas makes various fall drinks every shift.

“[The seasonal drinks] became available the last week of August,” Villegas said.

In terms of popularity, Villegas notices one drink that clearly stands at the top.

“The Pumpkin Spice Latte is definitely our most popular drink,” Villegas said.

However, the renowned Pumpkin Spice Latte is not necessarily a barista favorite.

“My favorite drink to make is probably the Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte,” Villegas said. “You just put the syrup and regular milk -- it’s easier [to make].”

When asked to rank the seasonal drinks, Villegas placed the Oatmilk Apple Crisp Macchiato at the bottom.

“It’s just disgusting,” Villegas said.

On the other hand, coming in at first place is the Hot Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Likewise, other coffee franchises in town have been rolling out autumn seasonal drinks

With fall officially kicking off, students share their thoughts on popular seasonal drinks

with success. Junior Rogelio Reyes works at Dunkin’ and feels very strongly about anything pumpkin flavored.

“I think the pumpkin drinks are a bit overrated,” Reyes said. “People just order them too much.”

Instead, Reyes opts for the Blood Orange Refresher, a seasonal citrus infused drink with blood orange and tart cranberry, which he ranked first out of all seasonal drinks. Sitting at a disappointing last place is the Iced Pumpkin Signature Latte.

Taste of Fall

by Abby Grider

photo by Abby Grider

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

Starbucks Chai Tea Latte

Starbucks Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato

Dunkin Pumpkin Signature Latte

Dunkin Blood Orange Refresher

Fall drinks to try this year

by

ABROAD

by Ivy Davidson design by Sylvia Sasse photos by Jocelyn Aguilar

Making the long haul car ride of nearly three hours from Weimar, Germany, to Frankfurt airport is exactly what German exchange student junior Johann Peters did to get to start the lengthy process of coming to America on a foreign exchange scholarship. Peters’ started his application about one year before arriving in the US, and the process lengthened even longer because of COVID-19.

“The deadline, because of corona, was extended, so it was Sept. 13 last year (2021). My program was a government scholarship, and so for me it was roughly one year,” Peters said.

From applying to the program, to arriving here in the US for the first day of school, there are many parts of the process.

“For me it was the question of if I really want to do it or if I want to bail. From my experience, half the time was getting this scholarship, and the other half of the time was preparing for it. Keeping those deadlines and handing things in although you have another life, it’s not insanely much but it took some time,” Peters said.

Every step in the exchange process is very important, but some aspects are more thorough than others.

“The interview with the people who decide if I get into the next round was very important to give a good impression and deliver a good performance,” Peters said.

Peters is hosted by band director Bryan Muñoz. He has hosted in the past and decided to welcome Peters to his home.

“It’s exciting to see someone visit America for the first time and notice things that we take for granted daily, getting to know someone from another country to show them all the best parts of America,” Muñoz said.

Muñoz finds this program valuable because it gives both the student and the host an experience.

“The experience is very similar to having a typical teenager in school. What is a bit

more unique is working to show the student all the parts of our town, culture, and America that seem “normal” to me,” Muñoz said.

Adjusting to life in the US hasn’t been too big of a change for Peters.

“I’m pretty good because Germany and America aren’t the biggest differences. People told me I would have a big culture shock when I got here and for me, not really,” Peters said.

Peters is finding comfort by making friends, such as senior Riley England.

“After the first few weeks of him getting comfortable and finding his place, it feels as if he’s just another one of us. He’s fun to be around,” England said.

Peters and England are not finding it too difficult to find common ground in their friendship.

‘It’s cool to have a friend from another country to see different cultures and it’s fun to see the similarities. I took German for the past 3 years, and it’s really fun to have a bit of insight on the language and culture before talking to the person,” England said.

That doesn’t mean that Johann doesn’t miss his home country at all.

“I thought I would miss it more, but I’m pretty happy here, and it’s going good so far. Some things I just relied on having. Like my friends, I can hang out somewhere with them where I know I can hang out,”

Peters said.

Though he still has roughly eight months left, Peters is already reflecting on his experience in the United States.

“It’s just a great experience, especially living in a new country and getting to see everything that you take as normal, but is it not normal to me. Also to learn a language better. The easiest way to get better in a language is just living there,” Peters said.

Through all the twists and turns of the exchange process, Peters is grateful for every opportunity he is given.

“I’m very lucky with my host family right now and just the imagination of having a second home somewhere in the world,”

Peters said. “It feels pretty amazing to think about where I am right now, that I’m 7000 kilometers away from my home and I still can form a connection here.”

New country, new culture, and new experiences come with being a foreign exchange student

A BREAK FROM VACATION

by Ben Psota design by Aidan Brown

When many students think of a break from school, they picture a nice va cation to go along with it. But not every break is necessarily the best choice for a nice, long vacation, including the upcoming fall break. There are many different factors that play a role in this, including how many students are enrolled in fall sports that prohibit them traveling over fall break, the fact that this break is shorter than other breaks offered and the huge increase in travel prices over the past few years.

Fall break only lasts for one week, which is shorter than the usual two weeks of break in the winter and the long two-month break in the summer. Sophomore Lukas Hohen believes that this shorter amount of time might cause less families to travel.

“Fall break being only one week probably discourages plenty of people from traveling. If it was two weeks, I do think people would be more inclined to travel,” Hohen said.

Although this break is shorter, there is still the belief that one week is a suitable amount of time to travel.

“I don’t think fall break makes it harder to travel, because it’s still a whole week to take advantage of. You wouldn’t go somewhere far, of course, but fall break still

beats a weekend trip. The only caveat being that you can’t stay too long wherever it is you go,” Hohen said. “This year, my family is planning to travel for fall break. We’ll be going to visit our family in Florida.”

Another issue students may face is their commitment to fall sports. Most sports are in full swing around this time of year, prevent ing athletes such as tennis player Parth Shah from traveling due to required practices or competi tions.

“Fall sports do kind of limit travel, as you have to go to prac tice and games, but at the same time I love tennis, so I don’t feel like I’m totally missing out,” Shah said. “It isn’t totally necessary to travel over break to have fun when you are still doing the things you love.”

Finally, with the major increase in travel costs, such as gas and airline tickets, many people, such as Principles of Business Manage ment teacher Andrew Dunn, say that this might have an impact on the amount of people who traveled over fall break.

“I do think the costs are mak ing people really think about how they are going to travel,” Dunn said. “Maybe you do a two to three night stay somewhere closer so you don’t spend as much in gas and airline cost and you still get away.”

Sophomore Lukas Hoehn this year on fall break in Florida.

photo for the Triangle

IN THEATERS

It’s Friday night, and you decide you want to watch a movie. Do you browse on Netflix, or, like me, do you go to the theaters to watch Don’t Worry Darling?

If you were going to pass on this film, I suggest you think again, because it was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. Olivia Wilde is a phenomenal director. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this movie. From the little things, like the score, to the cinematic shots, this movie was an A+. You could tell how much Olivia Wilde had thought this film through. Little details were done well: I caught myself listening to the sound effects in the background, and they made me feel so uneasy. It takes a lot from a director to make a collective audience feel such an emotion only from the sound effects.

As for Florence Pugh, I haven’t seen a piece of work that she was not great in. This film was another work of hers where she is just spectacular. Watching her act in this movie was so satisfying. She sells every role she is in. Pugh made it easy to follow

Is Don’t Worry Darling worth watching?

by Ivy Davidson

along with the movie because you could easily tell what emotions she was trying to portray, and it contributed to the film as a whole. Harry Styles was great in it also. I was worried that he wouldn’t live up to my standards, just because he hasn’t had such a big role in a film before, but he was really good as well. I look forward to seeing other projects he is in the future. The whole cast was so diverse and talented, there wasn’t one line that I thought could’ve been portrayed better by the actor.

I also wanted to comment on the editing of the movie. The clips of the movie were put together so perfectly, where everything was literally puzzled together on the screen and in your mind. My favorite parts of the film were the parts where the film would skip around moments of time to further portray the character’s loss of time and confusion.

This movie was thoroughly entertaining and I highly suggest that you run right now to your local theater to watch it. This movie just makes you think about life and is

BEREAL: THE NEW TIKTOK?

How to stay safe on the new social media app

BeReal is what I’d call the new TikTok. It is the new big app that it seems everyone has. What is BeReal is the real question. BeReal is an app that is used to be real. At random times each day, everyone that has the app gets a message telling them that they have two minutes to take a photo.

Everyone can see how many times you retake the photo and how late the photo is. The timer will make sure you post it within two minutes, or it is late. But here is the creepy part:: it always asks for location.

Because you’re trying to get the photo on time, you don’t take the time to think about it. So while posting the photo, you’re also posting your location. This can tell people you don’t know where you are. They can possibly tell where you are by looking at the background of the photo.

My biggest fear with this app is that it

will make stalking people easier than it already is. It makes things easier for creepy people online who look for children. I just don’t want things to be worse than they already are, but I guess that’s up to the person and not me.

But I don’t think BeReal is any less safe than apps like Snapchat, TikTok, etc. All media apps have the potential to be dangerous. After all, it’s not the app’s fault, it’s the people behind the phones.

The good part about this app is there is no faking. It can be time to take the photo at any time. Sometimes, this ends with some of the best photos. Photos of you and your friends, coworkers, family: whatever or whoever it is, it’s a memory you have forever now. You will be able to look back in the future and remember how happy you were.

overall a great watch and a great film. Harry Styles was right after all: this movie really “feels like a movie.”

by Zoe Wheeler

design by Abinaya Ganesan

ON BOARD WITH NONPROFIT

Many students here at Columbus North take either the PSAT, SAT or both tests throughout their high school years. Now, unlike many school-wide tests provided, such as tests like ILEARN or IREAD, these tests are not issued by the state. They are instead issued by a nonprofit organization called College Board. A big debate with this company is whether or not it should remain a nonprofit, which has its financial benefits, but in my opinion, it would not help either the organization or the students.

One great thing about the tests they provide, such as the SAT exam, is that they are completely optional for the students to take. This way, students who may not plan on attending college don’t have to worry about a stressful test that won’t help them in the long run. But if College Board began receiving funding from the state government and branched out from being nonprofit, I have a bad feeling the state would get too

involved.

Why College Board should remain a nonprofit

by Ben Psota

The reason is because most of the standardized tests are issued by the state and in my opinion, if the state were to become involved with the tests such as the SAT, they might be a little more strict on having students participate in testing. This is bad in my opinion because it adds unneeded stress to those who wouldn’t normally take the test.

Branching out from being a nonprofit organization would also mean that there would be less of a personal connection between students and the people employed at College Board. In my opinion, smaller, nonprofit organizations, such as charities, are generally more connected to their clients compared to large organizations such as larger corporations that provide services like insurance or phone plans. Because of this, I feel that College Board should remain nonprofit to better benefit the students who rely on them the most.

LOVE

The InDepth team explores how science of love influence people's real-life relationships

by Alex Osburn and Jasmine Yang design by Alex Osburn and Ajay Singireddy

Four hundred and fifty-five miles separate senior Aislinn Tian and her boyfriend, Vittorio Sabia, who lives in Virginia. Four classroom doors separate teachers Nicole Decker and her husband, Taylor Decker. While the distance varies with North couples, the biology of love is the basis of relationships and remains the same throughout one’s life. However, no two people will have the same emotional experience when they are in love. During the teenage years, many begin to explore love and relationships, which makes an already complicated process even more complex because their brains are still developing. Licensed clinical social worker Lori Ellegood explains how these developmental factors can affect teens as they explore dating.

“The frontal cortex of the brain is still forming, and things are different,” Ellegood said. “And because of that, teenagers kind of crave novelty. They’re going to even want to maybe go from one relationship to the next. They’re going to get bored more easily.”

Along with developing brains, there are other biological and societal factors that play into why teenage relationships can often look different than those of adults.

“It’s a time where people are growing, changing, hormones are flowing, so there can be some mood fluctuation,” Ellegood said. “And it’s also a time that even [for] people that have great self-esteem in the best of circumstances, it’s just a hard time. You feel like you’re under the microscope, most people do, unless there’s a rare exception, but everything matters: how you walk, how you talk, what you wear. It’s just a tough time. So there’s not that stress on adults that teens have going on as well.”

Because of all these factors that make relationships unique for teenagers, they can sometimes be dismissed in comparison to adult relationships. However, no matter what stage of life a person is in, the biological factors that play into how humans experience love are similar. Ellegood describes how love is not simply a feeling or a physical reaction, but a combination of many factors.

“It’s psychological, but it’s also biological,” Ellegood said. “It’s tied in that there’s hormones like oxytocin that get released when we hug somebody, especially if we get a good long hug that lasts 30 seconds, so therefore it’s actually physical. Even when we’re really feeling loved, romantic love and all that in the beginning, and there’s all these endorphins going and everything, that’s definitely physical. But there’s also that psychological component as well. So it’s complicated because I feel like you really can’t have one without the other.”

Similar to how the science behind the feeling of love is the same from person to person, behavioral therapist Stevi Huguenard-Davis shares how any relationship allows a person to gain life experiences and learn new lessons. Dating during the teenage years gives teens the opportunity to begin learning more about themselves and what they aspire to have in a relationship.

“What we do when we are dating is actually trying to figure out what we like and what we don’t like about another

LOVE ON THE BRAIN

Dopamine is a chemical messenger that gives a person feelings of pleasure, happiness, and energy.

Cortisol is a stress hormone that is released due to the stress of falling in love.

Vasopressin is a hormone that contributes to the formation of long-term, monogamous bonds.

Studies have shown that these neurotransmitters and hormones are produced in higher quantities in the brain when a person is in romantic love.

Serotonin is a chemical messenger that helps regulate mood and behavior, leading to feelings of happiness.

Oxytocin is a hormone that helps increase feelings of attachment, calmness, and trust.

Harvard Medical School

partner,” Huguenard-Davis said. “And the more relationships that you have along the way, you learn more about yourself, what you’re looking for. Even if we think that there’s a bad relationship, if we regret it, really, we shouldn’t because we learned something from that.”

Even though not all high school relationships will be permanent, Ellegood views all relationships, past and present, as an opportunity for growth.

“I think that just any experience that you’re going through like that in life, you can learn about yourself,” Ellegood said. “So even if the relationships don’t work out - let’s say somebody dates 10 different people in high school, hopefully they get to learn about themselves, what they like, what they don’t like. So I think the benefit there could be just that they could start to learn also about themselves in relationships.”

A person’s first relationship can be the beginning of the shift in people’s thoughts about love. English teacher Nicole Decker has experienced for herself how one’s perspective of relationships changes over time.

“I would say that when you’re in high school you have such a limited amount of time and things you can do and interactions

with other people that everything seems so big, when really it’s not,” Nicole said. “And then as you get older and when you’re in college, you have so much more time and things seem so much more intense. And then you get older and you have jobs and you’re so focused on so many other things that it’s just all very different.”

The life experience that comes with growing older can also put one’s view on relationships into perspective. Social studies

photo by Novah Ulm

teacher Taylor Decker describes how he gained clarity in his search for a life partner over time.

“I would say with kind of everything as you get older, maybe not the definition of love changes, but what you are looking for kind of becomes clearer as you get older,” Taylor said. “I would say younger me was looking for maybe things that at the time I thought were that definition, or that fit that definition, but as I’ve gotten older it’s kind of been more apparent what that actually looks like.”

For people that have never been in a relationship, this definition of love or a successful relationship can be largely dictated by the media. Senior Ella Fisher experienced this before going into her first relationship.

“There were certain things that I looked for [or] thought of that I hadn’t previously, but also then again, as someone who hasn’t dated before, you typically get ideas from what dating is like in movies and things like that,” Fisher said. “And it definitely was different, because obviously the stuff that movies and TV shows portrayed isn’t actually what it’s like in real life; it’s more dramatized and hyped up.”

For others, expectations for relationships match up more closely to real life. Senior Jacob Strietelmeier explains how his

"I think that it's important to be comfortable enough with your partner that you guys can be open and honest with each other."

junior Annie Miller

preconceptions have been met.

“I’ve always thought of relationships as being friends plus, just an extension of being friends,” Strietelmeier said. “Like, ‘hey, I like hanging out with this person, so I want to do that, but more.’ So for me, it [has] always fit right in line with what I expected.”

While spending quality time with the other person is a major part of being in a relationship, setting realistic boundaries can be just as important. Senior Aislinn Tian has discovered this firsthand through being in a long-distance relationship.

“We both understand that we have different lives, so we can’t always make time for each other, that can’t always be the case,” Tian said. “Being on call with each other 24 hours a day sounds fun, but it wouldn’t be good for us.”

Although the lack of in-person interactions in long-distance relationships is an obstacle, this challenge can be overcome and provide valuable life lessons as well.

“It’s made me more patient,” Tian said. “Obviously long-distance means that we have to wait a long time to be able to see each other, but it’s always worth it and so I have to remember that.”

Patience is one of the many impactful lessons that can come from being in a relationship. Junior Austin Clark has been

able to develop his values as a result of the lessons he’s learned in his relationship.

“I think I’m comfortable being myself, which I think is really important,” Clark said. “I also think I just added a lot of value to my life and I appreciate people and other things a lot more because of my relationship and the things and the lessons that she’s taught me. It’s also a lot of fun.”

Developing virtues such as patience and gratitude through a relationship can lead to

a shift in an individual’s personal meaning of love. Junior Annie Miller shares how her definition of love has developed over time.

“When in a relationship you’ll have your ups and downs,” Miller said. “I think that it’s important to be comfortable enough with your partner that you guys can be open and honest with each other. I think of love as being able to be yourself [and] not having to hide who you are from your person.”

For each individual, different aspects of a relationship will define their meaning of love. Tian believes a certain level of commitment and maturity characterize love.

“For the relationship to last, you have to be willing to commit to each other even after the feeling of love might disappear, and that’s what I think real love is,” Tian said.

“For the relationship to last, you have to be wiling to commit to each other even after the feeling of love might disappear, and that's what i think real love is.”

senior Aislinn Tian

LEGACY

Moving out of the water and onto the court, senior Kayla Jones is getting ready for her second year of basketball at North. She is most proud of her progress throughout her time on the team.

“I’m proud of working my way up on the team from coming in new and starting low, Jones said.

Her advice to younger athletes can be applied to all sports, not just basketball.

“Work hard, because it will pay off,” Jones said. “It will show on the court. But you need to work outside of practice, too, and don’t give up.”

Even though her time in basketball is drawing near, Jones is still involved in track and field in the springtime. But for now, her focus is on giving her all every time she’s on the court.

“My goal is to put it all out there,” Jones said. “Since it is my last season, I don’t have much to lose, so I just want to play my hardest every single game.”

Playing basketball in college is not in her future plans, but she will be taking what she’s learned throughout her time on the team with her into

“The biggest lesson I learned was to work hard, because if not, then nothing’s going to come out of it. [The work] pays off,” Jones said.

by Izzy Munn design by Irvin Castaneda

The rapid series of kicks between opponents creates a blur of motion. The swish of parting curtains reveals dancers gliding across the stage. The rapid movement of players across the ice follows the puck.

While there are many sports offered by the school, some students are athletes in sports that are not in the school sporting curriculum, such as taekwondo, dance and hockey.

Sophomore Izzy Ross has been doing taekwondo for 11 years and is continuing her martial arts career at Total Taekwondo. Ross spends about four hours every day after school at taekwondo training, as well as weekend practices, and she believes this dedication should be recognized by the school.

“I think that taekwondo should be a school sport,” Ross said.“I know a lot of kids who do taekwondo who attend this school, and I think we should get some appreciation for the time we spend doing this sport.”

Another student who participates in an outside of school sport is freshman Mia Bowers, who is a ballerina at Dancer’s Studio. She was introduced to ballet at a young age and has been dancing for almost 12 years.

“My mom took me to see The Nutcracker when I was two and I fell in love with ballet,” Bowers said.

Although her love of ballet expands into her school life, Bowers prefers having a

boundary between her sport and school.

“I do prefer having my sport be separate from school because I like having my dance friends and my school friends,” Bowers said. “I love how they’re two different friend groups.”

Freshman Kaitlyn Netser also plays her sport, hockey, outside of school. Netser spends a lot of time in the rink throughout her week, whether that be through developmental or strength training. Despite having several other North students on her team, Netser still prefers having her sport separate from the school.

“I don’t think hockey should be a school sport because you get to meet more people with East and New Tech players on the team too,” Netser said.

With more people on the team, there are more teammates to have fun with. A fast-paced sport like hockey is very enjoyable for Netser.

“I love the speed and intensity of the sport because it goes by so fast, and it’s so fun to play,” Netser said.

North offers a wide variety of sports, but some students participate in outside of school sporting activities.

“I

by Deshna Venkatachalam design by Ananya Adur

Members of the women’s golf team reflect on the end of the season

Par…Birdie…Bogey…Eagle. The girl’s golf team at Columbus North recently said goodbye to these words as they ended their season on a high note. Senior and team captain Ritisha Rashmil explains their accomplishments this season.

“I’m happy to say we’ve done really well this year,” Rashmil said. “We ended up first at conference and sectionals and fifth at regionals. We also had three of our five varsity team members accomplish allconference.”

Senior Nettie Meeks explains her feelings at Conference; one out of the three tournaments played.

“It was very nerve wracking because you tee off in front of a ton of different people. We played the course before, so you just need to have a lot of confidence,” Meeks

said.

Sophomore Lindsey Hartwell explains how she felt after placing first at Conference.

“It honestly felt really good. I feel like we needed the confidence to push into sectionals and regionals,” Hartwell said.

First place in Conference means the lowest score, unlike in other sporting events where one would have to score the most in order to come out successful.

“The lower your score, the better in golf. Your final score is the amount of strokes you take with a golf club to get a golf ball into 18 different holes on a golf course,” Rashmil said.

Hartwell explains how they prepared for these tournaments in order to get a low score.

“Usually we go to Harrison or Timbergate after school, and we’ll rotate between

hitting ball, putting, or chipping,” Hartwell said.

While hitting, putting, or chipping are vague terms, Meek elaborates and explains some golf terminology mentioned earlier.

“Par is your goal of how many strokes you want. A birdie on a one hole would be one under par. A bogey is one over par and an eagle is two under par for each par,” Meek said.

Rashmil explains that although they did not reach their goal and move onto State she was proud to be a member of this team.

“It’s really amazing to see how much everyone improves year to year, or even match to match. I’m really proud of everyone on the team, and I’ve learned a lot from everyone,” Rashmil said.

Hole

Water

Fairway

Sand

Rough

Green

TWILIGHT OF THE YEAR

In the fall cross-country season, one meet stands out

At twilight, the sun sets over a cross-country meet over 100 schools strong. Six different races under the illumination of 27 light towers and 10 glowing inflatable arches. Glow-in-the-dark shirts speckle the crowd and spectators enjoy cozy concessions from the on-site restaurant. CNHS varsity member Julie Klaus reflects on this meet as one of her favorites.

“It’s so different from what we are used to. I raced at 9:00, so at that point, it was pitch black, and the course was lined with lots of big lights to help us runners see the course. There were still some spots where it was really hard to see because the lights are spaced out,” Klaus said.

For Klaus, this event stands out due to its size and the unique feel the setting brings.

“It’s a bigger meet, so there were a lot of people cheering us on, which added to the excitement and energy of the night!” Klaus said. “Afterwards, there’s always people passing out glow sticks, and to conclude the night, there’s a firework show! It’s a super fun night that I always look forward to.”

The team’s performance was also

impressive. Klaus was one of many team members excited by their results.

“We placed fourth in the championship race, which was exciting, especially because there were teams that came from out of state,” Klaus said.

Junior AJ Valencia also enjoyed the race as a spectator. He reflected on how unique the structure of the meet was.

“The energy of the team was top notch, and many were excited for the different style of how the meet usually operates,” Valencia said. “I personally found the smaller groups easier to manage, while still watching the boys breeze on by during the varsity run.”

by Natalie Brown design by Abinaya Ganesan

FROM THE RUNNERS

“It was quite a spectacle, a lot of people we jumping and the energy was wild. Being around so many people was quite enjoyable, seeing everyone coming together junior AJ Valencia

“It’s a bigger meet, so there were a lot of people cheering us on, which add ed to the excitement and energy of the night!”

senior Julie Klaus

North Girls runners on the Nike Twilight XC course

Senior Clayton Guthrie places 7th at the Nike Twilight XC town competition on Oct. 1.

photos by Lydia Weed

by Ananya Adur