The Triangle, Issue 1, Vol. 102

Editorial Policy

The Triangle is the designated forum for student expression at Columbus North High School. The student staff chooses all content. Signed columns published in The Triangle express the writer’s personal opinion and not the views of The Triangle, student body, BCSC, administration, board of trustees or faculty of Columbus North.

The Triangle practices ethical journalism by providing balanced and fair coverage as determined by community standards. The Triangle strives to achieve 100 percent accuracy by checking sources, spelling, and quotes and attaining multiple sources.

The Triangle encourages letters to the editor, but reserves the right to reject them for reasons including but not limited to lack of space, multiple letters of the same topic and personal attacks contained in the letter. The Triangle will not edit for content, but reserves the right to edit for grammar and length. Letters should be submitted to room 1507 or sent via e-mail to administrator@cnhsmedia.com. All Letters much be signed by all persons involved in writing the letter, which the staff will check for validation. A letter sent via e-mail must be validated with a signature from the writer before The Triangle will publish it. If responding to a publication, letters must be turned in within one week of that publication’s distribution.

In the event of death, The Triangle will run a standard obituary. Pertaining to work submitted via social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), The Triangle will only accept written submissions from the original poster and owner and will only publish entries with the permission of the original poster and owner. The Triangle will not edit submissions for content and reserves the right not to publish them for reasons including but not limited to lack of space, multiple submissions of the same topic, vulgar or incendiary content. The Triangle will not publish photographs from Facebook. Posts on The Triangle’s social media pages by readers are owned by the readers and do not necessarily express the views or opinions of the staff. The Triangle is not responsible for their content and reserves the right to delete and report any inappropriate and unnecessary posts. By posting on The Triangle’s social media pages, the poster grants The Triangle permission to publish the contents of that post.

In cases when a source’s information may bring ridicule or incrimination upon himself or herself, the editorial board reserves the right to cite the source as anonymous. The Triangle will never use composite sources and pass them off as anonymous sources.

NEXUS SPORTS PARK

Columbus North students discuss what the new facility will bring to their sport and the community

MONKEYPOX AGAIN?

How the recent outbreak of the monkeypox virus compares to its past outbreaks.

Many Bull Dogs take advantage of the summer months and work part-time jobs.

SHOULD WINGSTOP BE STOPPED? HOT ON THE CHARTS STUDENT LIFE WANTED 7 IN

Columbus North students discuss what the new facility will bring to their sport and the community

Columbus North students discuss what the new facility will bring to their sport and the community

The importance of adhering to changes in safety protocols this school year.

NEW YEAR NEW ROUTINE

After the start of the new school year, students are reevaluating back to school schedules and how they’ve changed since last year.

Columbus North welcomed many new teachers this year, including a recent college graduate.

Columbus North students discuss what the new facility will bring to their sport and the community

A WORLD OF ART 19 MAKING A RACKET 18

Columbus North students discuss what the new facility will bring to their sport and the community

STRAIGHT OUT OF COLLEGE 10 SPORTS18

Students, teachers, administration and religious leaders explain how the city is working to create inclusivity for the LGBTQIA+ community by Ajay Singireddy

PREVIEW ONLINE

Scan with your iPhone camera (Snapchat, too) to be linked to all of CNHS Media's socials.

TAKING PRIDE IN COLUMBUS

The history of LGBTQIA+ acceptance in the United States is a history of resistance - to discrimination, to ignorance, to hatred. It is also a story of advocating for a more inclusive and safer community. The changes of the movement, even over the lifetime of a current high-school aged student, are impressive. The majority of this year’s seniors were born in 2004 or 2005. According to Gallup, at that time, between 51 and 54 percent of Americans believed that gay and lesbian relationships were morally wrong. In those same years, 61 percent did not believe that same-sex marriage should be legal. In the 17 years that have passed since then, these figures have changed dramatically; as of 2022, 71 percent believed same-sex relationships are moral and the same number approve of gay marriage. This increasing acceptance is reflected in the increased LGBTQIA+

presence in culture and government.

Here at North, we hope that teachers will affirm our identities, and we can live true to who we are. At a local level, the City of Columbus Human Rights Commission extends protections that are lacking at a state level. And we recognize that our diversity is something to be celebrated, whether at Pride festivals or within religious communities.

However, the push to protect these rights does not end here. According to a scorecard assembled by the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQIA+ advocacy group, Indiana lacks protection for members of the community. There are no laws protecting from discrimination in employment, housing or education; sex education often doesn’t discuss these identities.

Youth are living in a time as their identities are drawn into a culture war

and made political. Recent attempts to attack the LGBTQIA+ community echo the common refrains against LGBTQIA+ people of the 1980s and 90s.

This has begun to spill over into real legislation; see Florida’s HB 1557, popularly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which others this community by banning discussions of same-sex relationships.

Similar opposition may be on the horizon in Indiana as some parents seek to censor books related to the LGBTQIA+ community.

The Triangle editorial staff reflects on LGBTQIA+ acceptance over time about

The work facing this new generation of LGBTQIA+ youth and their allies is clear: making Indiana a state that is truly for all Hoosiers. It should be a source of pride to students at North that our school and our community are at the forefront of this push for an inclusive future.

NEXUS SPORTS

In 2018, talks of demolishing the Fair Oaks mall began. Now, four years later, the official Nexus Park sign is up and the first steps in demolishing the mall have taken place. What is now an eyesore will be a new sporting facility for the community. Along with a big fieldhouse, it will have healthcare areas, restaurants and space for special classes and events. It will also be used as a voting center for the upcoming primary elections in November.

Freshman Cole Finney plays football at North and club hockey, and he is excited to see what is coming for his sport.

“A football field would be cool, especially because there’s a lot of football in the community with PAL football, The Bears and the high schools and middle schools,” Finney said. “I was hoping there would be an ice rink since I play hockey, but I think that got shut down. There are also going to put some classroom areas where teams and athletes can go and improve their skills.”

Nexus Park will also be home to many sports tournaments in the future.

“Obviously for a good tournament you need different areas to play,” Finney said. “For hockey, if they got a second rink, they would be able to host tournaments and bring people to Columbus from all over, and I’m assuming they would be able to do the same for football with more facilities.”

Freshman Allison Kolhouse is excited to not have to travel so far for soccer tourna ments and practices.

“I’m most excited for a new space that we can play in. Right now, to get to our in

door facilities, we have to go all the way to Grand Park in Westfield, which is up by Indy,” Kolhouse said.

Hosting tournaments would benefit the community by bringing attention to youth sports and encouraging others to join.

“It will probably boost the girls playing,” Kolhouse said. “Right now, we don’t have a lot of girls in our program around my age, and it will improve the number of girls playing for the schools and clubs.”

Columbus Regional Health will also have space for healthcare to enhance wellness in the community. CRH Public Relations Co ordinator Kelsey DeClue is looking forward to how Nexus Park will focus on wellness and strengthening the community.

“Teens and youth in our area have the unique advantage of really seeing this place begin and evolve over the years to fit and reflect our amazing community,” DeClue said. “Nexus Park will be a true community staple engineered to benefit residents and visitors of all ages from all walks of life with services, opportunities and spaces focused on health, wellbeing and recreation.”

The benefits of Nexus Park are sure to bring wellness and growth to our community.

“Columbus is a very family friendly community that invests a lot into our youth and young people, especially when it comes to programming and development opportunities,” DeClue said. “Of course, a big focus with regards to the campus is on the 150,000 square foot field house and naturally, our high school athletes can expect to take pride in being a part of teams and programs that host competitions and tournaments on a local, regional and broader level.”

MONKEYPOX AGAIN?

With the recent COVID-19 pandemic still in effect, it is clear that people are ready for the chaos to finally come to an end. But just when it seemed that the pandemic was finally coming to an end, another virus broke out and began to spread rapidly. Only this time, it has already been experienced once before. This virus has the nickname “monkeypox” because of the small, pimple-like bumps that form on the skin when the virus is contracted.

Although the virus is spreading rapidly, the chances of being able to easily control it will be much higher. That is because there have already been many different outbreaks in the past, including a smaller outbreak back in the Midwestern United States in 2003. These previous outbreaks have given many people, such as Health Sciences teacher Franchesca Westerfeld, lots of prior knowledge about the virus. “One of the things we need to be aware of with this monkeypox, [is that] this is not a brand new disease, this is a disease that’s been

by Benjamin Psota design by Abby Smith

How the recent outbreak of the monkeypox virus compares to its past outbreaks

around for thousands of years,” Franchesca said. “We know a lot about this disease, whereas with COVID, that was a brand new thing where none of us had any clue and we were kind of playing catch up with what was going on,” Franchesca said.

With this prior knowledge, scientists and health specialists have already been able to use different treatment options that work against the spread of monkeypox. “We don’t actually have a true treatment for monkeypox, but we have something that we call T-Pox. This is an antiviral medication that was originally used for smallpox, which is in the same family as monkeypox,” Franchesca stated.

Even though we don’t have the exact cure for monkeypox, the T-Pox treatment, along with lots of prior knowledge, is proving to be a big benefit for humans on preventing another pandemic. Human Body Systems student Olivia Mantooth also believes that these factors are going to allow for newer treatments. “I think people could use the prior knowledge combined with the knowledge they have

now to maybe create a newer vaccine to help prevent it more,” Olivia said.

“I don’t think that with this knowledge we have we will need to take as serious precautions as we did with COVID.”

Now, nobody can predict the future, so what if it does reach pandemic potential? This certainly is a possibility, but Dr. Mandy Dornfeld has her reasons as to why we won’t have to worry as much. “Monkeypox, thank goodness, does not spread through the air, so I do believe it will be managed more quickly than COVID.” Mandy said. “Unfortunately, it will get worse before it gets better, but hopefully it will be quickly managed!”

Now, just because humans have this vital information does not mean they can assume that everything will be okay. But for the time being, a positive outlook is plausible thanks to the years of knowledge humans already have about this virus. Although there is no crystal ball telling the future, there is hope that it will not be as severe as pandemics in the past.

H E LP WANTEDH E LP WANTEDE

by Paula Ramos

design by Ram Gowda

In the sweltering summer months, many students spent their vacations traveling, making memories with friends and enjoying the annual county fair. Stirring things up, senior Jessica Meza decided to start her first job at Dunkin’ Donuts this summer.

“I started [at Dunkin’] in the beginning of June,” Meza said.

As a coffee enthusiast, Meza chose Dunkin’ with the hopes of learning more about making coffee. However, other reasons were at play as well.

“I chose to work here because it was close to my house, so it was only a five minute drive, which was convenient because I didn’t have a car yet,” she said.

In her day-to-day shift, Meza works as a cashier and barista.

“[My duties include] making coffee drinks and refreshers, handling the drive thru, saying hi and greeting people, putting new donuts out and just making sure that everything is clean,” Meza said.

Outside the realm of food service, junior Gabriella Graham spent the summer working at Speck’s Pet Supplies. Because of the small size of the store, Graham is responsible for multiple tasks throughout the day.

“When I get there, I immediately start checking out customers and see if they need help with anything,” Graham said. “I also do a lot of cleaning tasks like mopping the floor and cleaning the bathrooms.”

Though limited space entails more work, for Graham it has also meant getting closer with her peers.

“I’ve formed a lot of connections with people I knew but haven’t talked to in a long time or new people that I met,” Graham said. “I also really just like seeing the dogs that come in a lot,”

Although working in retail, specifically with pets, may not be everyone’s cup of tea, qualities and work ethic can be applied across the board, especially for students on the lookout for a first job. Senior Esha Aras, who works at Five Below, emphasizes the importance of being driven.

“Make sure you know what you want and think about all the time it’s going to take you and just make sure to put in the work,” Aras said.

Aras leaves students with strong words of advice: “Having a part time job as a student gives you experience in the community and working with people—interacting with others that you might not have if you didn’t have the job.”

These Bull Dogs take advantage of the summer months and work part-time jobs

photos for the Triangle of students at CNHS who worked over the summer

L CKED IN

by Zoe Wheeler design by Sylvia Sasse photos by Abigail Grider

School safety is one of the most important things every school has to do. Whether high school, middle school or elementary school, starting with the 2022-23 all of them have updated school safety rules.

Paul Ferguson, a dean, shared his thoughts on the most important aspect of school safety.

”I think our school does a great job trying to protect our students from any type of emergency, [such as] weather or school safety. But what’s really important is that our students help us, they’re the eyes and ears of the school. We’re all in this together, we’ll all worry about school safety together. So if you see something, say something,” Ferguson said.

Student Resources Officer Eric Stevens is one of the most important figures in keeping the school safe. He urges students to collaborate with him in this task.

“If they were not aware of other schools very close to North High School, they would have had people come in. And hurt or kill other people. They very well should be aware of that, because sadly it happens. I don’t want to scare people, or make people fearful. But it could happen here,” Stevens said.

Stevens isn’t just worried for the safety of Columbus North High School; he is also worried about the safety of his own children within North’s walls.

“So if we were really relaxed and not following the rules, and letting safety problems happen, it makes it more likely it will [happen],” Stevens said. “The way we stop things from happening is by listening to rules and telling someone when you see something.”

The importance of adhering to changes in safety protocols this school year

“What's really important is that our students help us... We're all in this together, we'll all worry about safety together. So if you see something say something.” dean Paul Ferguson

NEW SCHOOL YEAR NEW ROUTINE

After the start of the new school year, students are reevaluating back to school schedules and how they’ve changed since last year

by Izzy Munn design by Aidan Brown

The sound of an alarm cuts through the silence and marks the start of a new day. A backpack brimming with school supplies waits by the door. The promise of a fresh start fills in the air. On the first day of school, the change and excitement of the year ahead make almost anything seem possible.

With the start of this school year, some students have taken the time to evaluate the differences between their previous schedules and their current schedules. One of these students is sophomore Emmerson Logston.

“I definitely have classes that I enjoy a lot more this year,” Logston said. “And it’s much easier now, especially because I understand how to do my homework, set up my planner, that sort of stuff.”

Another student evaluating his back-toschool routine is junior Christian Cardoso. Cardoso is on the boys’ soccer team and has had to balance keeping up with all of his schoolwork and continuing to improve his soccer skills.

“My homework schedule is after practice, I go home and eat,” Cardoso said. “Then [in the evening] is when I try to get my schoolwork done. On Sundays, I try my best to get a lot of things done after work too.”

Cardoso also says that despite having practice five days a week, soccer will not prevent him from getting schoolwork done.

“Practice after school is something I always look forward to, and then after practice is when I get my schoolwork done, even if that means staying up late at night,” Cardoso said.

The same goes for sophomore Michael Crossman, who is a member of the boys’ tennis team. Crossman, like Cardoso, has to keep up with both a back-to-school schedule and after-school sports.

“I have less time to do homework, but I always try to get it done whenever I can,” Crossman said.

Although back-to-school schedules and routines are changing, students here are persevering to achieve all of their goals, both academically and through extracurriculars.

photo by Jocelyn Aguilar

STRAIGHT OUT OF COLLEGE

Columbus North welcomed many new teachers this year, including a recent college graduate

by Deshna Venkatachalam design by Ananya Adur

In 2020, the National Association of Colleges and Employers analyzed college graduates. They came to the conclusion that 50.2 percent of graduates had fulltime jobs with a traditional employer. Jared Novreske, who graduated from Ball State in May 2022, now works as a US History and World History teacher here.

“I would say it’s pretty weird coming straight out of college,” Novreske said. “I’m four years older than the seniors here so you have that imposter syndrome kind of going on. There’s so many teachers here that have been here for a decade so I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to provide the same level of education.”

As a recent college graduate, Novreske spent his training during a time of COVID-19. He explains the struggle that this caused.

“Throughout the four years in college you’re supposed to go out to schools,” Novreske said. “I never got that opportunity because of COVID. To train as a teacher, in one of my classes they gave us notecards and they told us to role-play as a seventh grader and a teacher.”

Novreske explains that teaching has been a career that’s been in his mind for a while.

“I originally knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to teach,” Novreske said.

While deciding what to teach, Novreske explains that his love of history came from his personal experience of being a student.

“Every single history teacher I had made me love history even more and it kind of became clear that I want to teach history,” Novreske said.

Being a history teacher allows him to combine his personal love of history

with the importance of learning history.

“You have to learn from the past so you don’t repeat it,” Novreske said. “You can change the future in a positive way. I think I can do that by being a teacher who wants to do that.”

Novreske spent his college years studying history and was able to get out ‘into the field’ for his last year.

“I was a student teacher at Central and I enjoyed it,” Novreske said. “I always kind of wanted to teach high school.”

Novreske spent four years of his life as a student here. His past is what brought him back as a teacher.

“I always knew it was such an awesome school,” Novreske said. “The teachers here made me want to come back. I don’t think there was a teacher I didn’t like or any class that I dreaded going to.”

Novreske explains that teaching and helping students in a positive way such as his teachers did in the past is important.

“You can directly affect the world and change the world because you are helping mold the future,” Novreske said.

NEW TEACHERS OF CNHS

Grace Bowling

Maria

Katie

Jared

Arpita

Logan

Emma

Scott Ousely

Karen

Sara

Ciera

Robert

Adam

Todd

Sara

Brittany

Elyse

Steven

Anshu

social studies teacher Jared Novreske

photo by Meghana Penmathsa

SHOULD WING STOP BE STOPPED?

Imagine you had just ordered a nice order of hot wings along with a large basket of fries and a drink online using the WingStop app, and it tells you to pick it up in 25 minutes. So you wait the 20 minutes and take a five minute drive over to the Wing Stop. Your stomach starts to growl, and you cannot wait to stuff your mouth with those delicious wings. So you walk into the store, only to have to wait another 20 minutes for your order to be prepared.

Unfortunately for me, this experience describes similar events that have occurred when my family has ordered from the new Wing Stop here in Columbus. Although this may be infuriating at first, it doesn’t seem to be the quality of the workers that is slowing the operations down. Every time we have visited this specific location, there always seems to be only around two to three people working at a time. Because of this, our orders were slowed down drastically, likely due to the lack of help.

The good news is that our Wing Stop is not alone. The job market for fast food

My thoughts on the sub-par service at the new WingStop here in Columbus

employees has declined by a tremendous amount due to the recent pandemic. This has caused many fast food locations to have lower operational staff, often causing longer arrival times for food to get to the customers.

In my opinion, we shouldn’t be angry at the Wing Stop here because it isn’t necessarily their fault for the slower service, and there is hope. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, since 2021 there have been over 1 million more employees added in the fast food industry, meaning that our local Wing Stop could receive some new employees if this trend continues.

As for now, the service may be a little slower than I would hope, but I am not mad about it. Every time my family visited this location, they have yet to get our order wrong in any way, and the employees were all very apologetic for the long wait and, best of all, the food still tasted great. So you decide, is that extra 20 minutes worth the wait?

by Ben Psota

That one person who wears over-theear headphones just grazed past you in the busy school halls and you wonder what song they are blasting in their ears. Maybe it was “As it Was” or “Running up that Hill”, but you will never know.

Music is a big part of high school culture, and it is a big part of my life too. I heard many good songs this summer, as well as some songs that weren’t so good. TikTok has a huge role in making songs popular. I first heard every song I will mention on this list on TikTok, which I don’t know how I feel about. I don’t want to give TikTok credit for making these songs popular, but unfortunately I have to.

I think in a way students connect to each other and express themselves through music. It is fun for students (and me) to feel similarly about songs and have something to bond over. It’s interesting to think that someone might be listening to the same song that I am listening to. In my case, I was listening to “As It Was” by Harry Styles, “Bad Habit” by Steve Lacy and “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush this summer.

“As It Was” really made an impact on high schoolers in my opinion. It made the Songs of the Summer list because of the way it made people feel. Every time I hear “As It Was” it changes my mood completely and suddenly I am dancing and singing along.

It takes a lot for a song to make a whole generation dance and sing along, and Harry Styles accomplished that.

“Bad Habit” took the world by storm these past couple months. I had never heard of it, and then one day I went on TikTok and every three videos there was a video to this song! I finally listened to it a few weeks ago and it is actually really good. “Bad Habit” is a very catchy song, but I think it made the Songs of the Summer list because of how relatable it is. It is overall a wellmade song.

My number one spot for the Song of the Summer 2022 goes to “Running up that Hill” by Kate Bush. The song from 1985 made a comeback this summer when it was put on the Stranger Things soundtrack. This epic song came back after nearly 40 years and was suddenly everywhere. When I heard it on the radio it really hit me that a collective population loves and listens to the same song. I think the reason why “Running up that Hill” made such a major and impactful comeback is because it appeals to people of every age. My dad loves the song and he is 50, and I love the song and I am 17. This song was so ahead of its time that it is more popular now than it was when it was released. This masterpiece will be remembered forever because of how impactful it is and how positively it impacted society.

HOT ON THE CHARTS OF THE SUMMER FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS

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

Students, teachers, administration and religious leaders explain how the city is working to create inclusivity for the LGBTQIA+ community

On a cool September day, colors envelop the crowd as people come together to celebrate and recognize a diverse multitude of identities. Excited conversations and lively laughter fill the air to surround those walking through Mill Race Park. The thrum and beat of the performances going on in the background further enhance the experience. This is the atmosphere that community members at the Columbus Pride event experience. Pride celebrations are an opportunity for those in the LGBTQIA+ community to feel safe, supported and proud.

Prior to Pride parades, there were not city-sponsored opportunities for those within the LGBTQIA+ community to be able to express themselves. However, the introduction of Pride events allowed a time for the community to have open support from others. Since then, Pride parades and events have symbolized a safe space as well as freedom.

The first Pride event in Columbus, Indiana happened on April 14, 2018. Former Columbus resident Erin Bailey founded this event for her senior project. The event has since been in September due to COVID-19, and it will be this Saturday. The Pride celebration is an opportunity to bring people from all parts of the community together. Junior Blake Cooper went to Pride in Columbus, Indiana last year and describes his experience.

“We went as a choir and got to sing songs, and it was really great just to see all these people and the celebration, seeing how many people there were just in Columbus or in that general area,” Cooper said. “It’s really cool because [last] year was the first year I had actually gone. And so just seeing how many people, it just gives you a backbone to feel supported more in this community.”

English teacher Claudine McKinney has also been able to attend a Pride

celebration in Indianapolis, and her experience was both affirming and an opportunity to learn more about the community.

“I attended my first one, and honestly what I learned from it is that I kept myself back for 25 years from a community that was just bigger than I could ever be, and it’s a lot more than just me in Columbus, Indiana,” McKinney said. “There’s a lot of people who things like that benefit and impact. I learned a lot at Pride about the different subcategories of the LGBT

in that we talk about learning how to deal with things that maybe stretch us a little bit.”

Outside of advisory, McKinney is one of the teachers who strives to create a safe environment for students in her classroom.

“I have the [Pride] flag, I have different diversity signs that I keep up, encouraging students to know that everyone is welcome here regardless of their diversity, and not just welcome but celebrated,” McKinney said.

Every classroom might not explicitly talk about embracing diverse identities in order to create a safe space, but a junior who is part of the LGBTQIA+ community describes how this kind of discussion may benefit students here.

“I think this is an age where parents push a lot of their expectations onto their children, and this is the time for teachers to come forward for kids who might not be comfortable at home to explain that it is okay to feel different,” the LGBTQIA+ junior said.

There are also implicit measures that teachers can take to ensure that all of their students feel acknowledged and safe in the classroom. Among these is being attentive to Powerschool alerts when meeting new students.

umbrella, and I think that that’s what I was mainly wanting to do, was learn about myself but also about what the community offers for everyone.”

While Pride events like these offer a specific time to showcase support, it is also important for members of this community to feel free to be their genuine selves and feel supported in the places they spend time in every day, whether this is at school, jobs or extracurricular activities. Principal David Clark gives the example that advisory is one opportunity for all teachers to incorporate inclusive attitudes in their classroom.

“We try to do things in advisory,” Clark said. “We try to have lessons built

“I have noticed a lot more alerts as it pertains to preferred names and pronouns, but I think that that needs to be a more direct approach,” McKinney said. “So for example, a student who may have transitioned after picture day, I can choose whether or not I display that photo, but there are some teachers who just don’t know that.”

One of our school’s focuses is building relationships both in and out of the classroom. Assistant principal Jennifer Hester explains how seeing these kinds of alerts can help teachers with building connections with students, which in turn can create a positive learning atmosphere.

“This is the time for teachers to come forward for kids who might not be comfortable at home to explain that it is okay to feel different.”

An LGBTQIA+ junior

A:I went to a pride festival in another town and felt like Columbus needed something similar. Sometimes being a part of the LGBTQ+ community in a small town can be hard and having events that happen in your town can make you feel more welcome.

Q:What was the atmosphere like on the day of the festival? What was your favorite part?

A:On the day of the festival, I knew that everything was going to go perfectly. So many people came out from the community and even people from all around the country flew in to attend the festival. The amount of love and support was insane.

A:I had some pushback from close minded individuals that didn’t want the event to take place. Probably one of the hardest things about planning the event was the online comments and hate I was getting from random strangers. There was an overwhelming amount of support for the festival but seeing how mean some individuals could be and how hateful some people are was really hard.

“I think giving teachers information really helps meet student needs,” Hester said. “We always want to think about the whole student and all of their needs, and so information can be useful so that we can make sure we’re meeting the needs in the classroom.”

Regardless of the measures teachers take in the classroom to make students feel welcome, it is also important for students to be able to surround themselves with a supportive community.

Senior Jayden Cross describes how she was able to achieve this for herself.

“Certain parts of the school are just like different people [that] for sure I feel comfortable around, but you know you’re always going to see people that you don’t necessarily feel the most comfortable around,” Cross said. “But I think I’ve surrounded myself with good teachers and friends that I feel comfortable being myself.”

No matter what steps teachers and students take to create an inclusive space, the atmosphere outside of the classroom walls has the potential to become unwelcoming at times. Hallways and other public areas during non-class times have a higher potential for anti-LGBTQIA+ comments and behaviors to occur. “Never directly to my

face, but I hear sometimes people talking and as I’m walking by I can hear them,” the LGBTQIA+ junior said. “And that makes me uncomfortable, but it doesn’t bother me because I know they just don’t understand where I’m coming from because they’re not like me.”

There are also parts of today’s popular culture, as McKinney points out, that have incorporated insensitive language and phrases into some everyday conversations. This can lead to remarks that hurt or offend others while going unnoticed by the speaker.

“I think that we live in a world where saying things like ‘that’s so gay’ is so mainstream, and people don’t understand the weight of things like that,” McKinney said. “So things like that that are said either in the hallway or in passing, people may not see the people around them to know that people may identify in that way.”

While physical spaces can present opportunities for this kind of negative discourse, virtual platforms can also create barriers to acceptance. Students in the LGBTQIA+ community can encounter speech and ideas that make them feel unsupported on various social media platforms, movies and TV shows and other types of media.

“There’s definitely portrayal in the media with just common stereotypes of queer individuals,” Cooper said. “The over-extravagance is something that is heavily played into, especially when it comes to the actors and portrayals of characters.”

Misrepresentation in the media largely contributes to how this community is perceived. Media allows

Q:What inspired you to start the Pride festival in columbus?

WITH ERIN BAILEY, FOUNDER OF COLUMBUS PRIDE

Q:Did you get any pushback from people in the community while organizing Pride? What obstacles did you run into?

limited perspectives to oversimplify a broad range of identities into restrictive stereotypes about the community.

“It’s so easy for outside people to put stereotypes on people they don’t know or groups they’re not a part of,” Cross said. “I feel like sometimes we can definitely be portrayed as something as less than what we are, or harmful stereotypes that make us not seem like actual people.”

While perceptions of the community in today’s media climate have changed over time, it can still be difficult for individuals to find themselves represented.

“[Media representation of the community has] definitely gotten a lot larger than it has been previously, but I know from even when I was in middle school when I was on social media it was not represented well at all,” Cooper said. “And that made it hard to really feel comfortable being myself because it makes you feel so much more minimized than you actually should be.”

For individuals in the community, finding accepting groups that affirm their identities can be difficult, but the Rev. Dr. Felipe Martínez strives to ensure everyone can find these groups.

Martínez is the pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Columbus, a local church that is openly supportive of the LGBTQIA+ community. Martínez explains how the church strives to be inclusive by participating in local Pride events.

“First Presbyterian has been a cosponsor of several of the Pride festivals here in town,” Martinez said. “Even before we had a Pride festival here, First Presbyterian

church together with other churches, we marched I think three years in the Indy Pride festival, and we marched with a banner. So it said ‘First Presbyterian Church Columbus, Indiana.’ We were very proud to say who we were. We were glad to see that there were other Indy churches there, and there was a couple of Columbus churches that were part of it as well. We haven’t for a while because of the pandemic, but we host a PFLAG (an organization that helps support LGBTQIA+ individuals and their families and friends) meeting here in town in our church. And again, in general terms, have been supportive of community and of individuals, but perhaps not with specific programs or the like. But we’ve done things that make it clear that this is a welcoming place, this is a place where people who are LGBTQ can journey in their faith. And if this is a good place for them then great, but if not, then at least being known that we are open.”

Hearing more voices openly supporting the community can both create safe spaces and start to shift the conversation toward more equal portrayal of all identities. Cross explains the best way for others to see everybody as equals.

“I’d say just getting a bunch of different voices and getting interactions with as many people as you can to get those different perspectives,” Cross said.

WHAT COULD HAPPEN?

If it passes the Senate and is signed into law, the Respect for Marriage Act would do the following:

Repeal the Defense Of Marriage Act

Ensure that all public acts and records related to the legal marriage of any two individuals would be recognized by all states

Affirm that if a couple has a legally performed and recognized marriage in any state, the couple would be guaranteed federal marriage benefits

MAKING A RACKET

by Natalie Brown design by Ananya Ramanujapuram

Aneon streak bounces between the intently focused players.

Senior Pranav Ramnath focuses on the movement. His dedication to the sport is easily seen as he strategically positions himself for the next rally. Ramnath has been on the boys’ tennis team since his sophomore year, and in his three years, he’s learned a lot about how a strong relationship as a team can lead to success.

“I love the bond we each share with one another,” Ramnath said. “We may have some rough times, but they’re most certainly outweighed by how close we are as a team.”

This encouragement is a key part of the team’s success. For Ramnath, it’s what he loves about being on the team.

“Some members of the team really know how to bring others up by cheering in matches,” Ramnath said. “We’re always having a good time in

practice and matches because we’re either joking and laughing around or completely hyped up and cheering each other on. I’m happy to be a part of this team.”

One of the two team captains, junior Amrit Kar, has been playing tennis here since he started high school.

“Some of my best accomplishments as a team would be making it to the state semifinals last year and being ranked top three in state,” Kar said. “A moment on the team that makes me proud is being named all-state first team for the last two years.”

Tennis can be a fast-paced and high-intensity sport, but according to Kar, there’s a lot to get excited about.

“Something about tennis that gets me excited is just the team,” Kar. “These guys are like my best friends and amazing teammates. They hype me up and cheer the team on. Something that I think would convince others is the atmosphere of the team and how much fun we have.”

Three members of the team talk about the starting tennis season and what it means to them

photo by Joceyln Aguilar

photo by Joceyln Aguilar

photo by Novah Ulm

photo by Novah Ulm

Senior Parth Gupta, in position, ready to hit the ball back to his opponent.

The boys tennis team watching and supporting each other while going against crosstown rival, East.

Junior Vignesh Premkumar is getting ready to ace against his opponent.

Senior Darren Li, lifts his racket, preparing himself to receive his opponent’s ball.

Sophomore Michael Crossman, is approaching and ready to win a point to win his set.

photo by Joceyln Aguilar

TRUE BLUE

by Deshna Venkatachalam design by Carson Embree

photo by Abby Grider

Ahistory of rivalry between North and East leads up to the rivalry games between the sports teams. As memorable as the 28-0 varsity football score was last year, this year beats it. Our teams won over East the week of Aug. 22 and came out successful. Freshman cross country runner Lana Wisler explains what her first North versus East experience was like.

“I was definitely a little nervous, but I also felt like I was prepared for it just because of all of our practices and training,” Wisler said. “I knew that I would PR [personal record] because I had not really run a high school 5K before.”

As a freshman, Wisler has little experience with high school cross country and came out with a 21 flat (a 21-minute 5K run).

“It was definitely a lot more fun and serious than middle school because middle school doesn’t take things as seriously,” Wisler said.

Just as the cross country team managed to win against North’s cross town rival, so did JV girls’ soccer. Sophomore Paige Terry scored the goal that resulted in this win.

“I shot it and I didn’t think it was going to go in, since I was trying to place it in the back left of the goal, but it went to the

goalie’s hands and went behind her,” Terry said. “When it went in, I was really happy in that moment, and I didn’t realize what had actually just happened.”

North started off Rivalry Week strong and came out even stronger as Friday’s football game was a success as well. Senior varsity football player Osian Guest explains his experience at his last North versus East game.

“We prepared very hard in the classroom,” Guest said. “A lot of film, a lot of notes, a lot of studying. We also do a lot of physical stuff out on the field, like conditioning.”

The coaches’ preparation and training paid off, as the team won with a score of 39-6.

“The first thing that happened after the game was the whole student section rushed the field, and that was just a crazy feeling being in the middle of that,” Guest said. “Words can’t describe how thankful I was that we got the win.”

From freshman year of being on the sidelines to playing on the field his senior year, Guest explains that this game was a memorable one.

“A couple tackles I made out there I’ll always remember,” Guest said. “Also the student section waving their flashlights around in the air - that was something I’ll never forget.”

Columbus

Top Gun: Maverick

Jurassic World: Dominion

Minions: The Rise of Gru Thor: Love and Thunder

Spiderman : No Way Home

Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness

SUMMER BLOCKBUSTERS

“I like how they showed a lot of the plane sequences, they were actually fighting which made it seem really authentic.”

- Pratt Badve about Top Gun: Maverick

“I liked Thor: Love and Thunder because it had lots of things you could laugh at but it also had serious moments and lots of action.”

- Ben Stevens about Thor: Love and Thunder

“I enjoyed the way they showcased the battle and blurred the lines between good and evil all inside the head of one character.”

- Luke Dornfeld about Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness

design by Ananya Adur