Craze Issue Five: Independence by Craze Magazine

CRA ZE the independence issue

issue 5 / volume 6 / april 2015

contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

08 breaking expectations

52 autonomy in a virtual world

16 poetry and problem solving

54 from the sketchbook of

18 do it for the vine

58 fashion forward

20 bringing in spring

60 leaving isolation

26 escaping abuse

62 top ramen

28 how to fix your life

68 undercovered sports

32 street style

72 making it through the day

34 answering college questions

74 doctoral dreams

36 aiding athletes

76 criticizing cupcakes

42 twin fashion

80 ask a teacher

50 rescuing their future

82 instagrammys

A NOTE FROM THE EDITORS

yping this note can’t help but feel like a goodbye. It’s been years since Allie and I started here, since we were sophomores joining the staff of a publication no one read. I’ve been writing these notes for almost as long. Almost two years of late nights and frantic typing, of stressing and publicizing and hoping that someone—at least one person—would read one of our stories. That maybe they’d like it. I think this is a familiar sensation for my fellow seniors. It doesn’t matter what we’re saying goodbye to. A magazine, a club, a classroom. This is the end, my friends. Well, it will be at least. It’s coming fast, speeding towards us at a pace I don’t think any of us were quite prepared for. April showers bring May graduation ceremonies, and those bring June jobs or September universities. It’s time for us to start acting like the adults we want to be. It’s been years of craving independence, wishing we could do away with our curfews or chores. Now it’s our time to set those rules for ourselves. To all the underclassmen, enjoy the time you have left. Peruse the pages of this issue for advice on how to bring your life back together or videogame recommendations to help you tear it apart, but remember that the only person who can really affect your life is yourself. Take it from me, someone hardly older than you and barely qualified to give advice. Because in the end, as much as we all crave independence, it doesn’t hurt to be a teenager for a little. High school is what it is—a time where you have all the control of a child and all the expectations of an adult. It’s hard to live through and even harder to leave behind. Have fun during your fleeting moments of freedom, but don’t miss them too much when they’re gone. You’ll only live this part of your life once. So, for the last time, enjoy. And goodbye, from Lia and Allie. We’ve loved being your editors-in-chief.

contributors

CONTRIBUTORS to the issue

(Left to Right) Editors-in-Chief: Lia Hagen Allie Laing Managing Editor: Tommy Huerter Design Editor: Kirsten McCormack Managing Editor: Jenna Hynek

Photo Editor: Abegale Headlee Copy Editors: Estella Fox Grace Wolfe Staff: Sarah Lemke Lauren Chesire Claire Wilson

(Left to Right) Staff: Lilli Marvin Audrey McCann Maddie Look Harper Newell Bridget Mizener Erin Kruger

Ally Guenette Nikki Saner Jake Larsen Casey Arritt Aaron Casey Elise Tucker

independence

INDEPENDENCE: [in-duh-pen-dins] story, photo, and design by lia hagen, playlist by harper newell

1. that state of being when you can make your own choices and decide your own fate 2. that elusive and indescribable concept every teenager is searching for

PLAYLIST: FREE AT LAST LISTEN HERE

1. A-Punk by Vampire Weekend 2. Generational Synthetic by Beach Fossils 3. Feel it All Around by Washed Out 4. Something Good Can Work by Two Door Cinema Club 5. I Am by Icky Blossoms 6. Churches Under the Stairs by Brendan Canning

q&a: hidden talents

SMASHING STEREOTYPES

these westside students have something to offer beyond their reputation story by erin kruger, design by claire wilson, photos provided by the students featured

ver since kindergarten, we’ve been taught not to stereotype people. I remember my elementary school guidance counselor telling us that “if somebody is tall, it doesn’t mean they play basketball.” It’s a little silly, but these stereotypes progress as we enter high school. Stereotyping has become a part of teen culture, and it’s presented to us through the media. For example, the artistic kids and musicians are always portrayed as eccentric outcasts. The athletes always put more heart into their sport than into their schoolwork, and the students who actually do their homework are always no-date nerds. In the end, though, these stereotypes just aren’t accurate. They certainly don’t reflect the students around us. At Westside, there are so many people known for just one thing. Most of the school recognizes these people for their hobby or sport. These students work hard to strive in these activities, and, while that’s great, they shouldn’t be defined by it. People are complicated, and they can’t be condensed into a name on a team roster or a club description. Not only do they have their own personalities and beliefs, they are also often involved in other activities. These hobbies help them engage with the community in new and interesting ways, ways outside of their typical stereotype. This Q&A is about students like this—students who have more to offer than their reputation.

q&a: hidden talents

RYAN GOLDEN varsity football captain and guitar player

How are you currently involved in music and guitar playing? “Currently, I am the lead guitar player in the Concert Jazz Band and I am also the guitarist for ATSC.” Why are you involved in music? “When I was young, I always dreamed about playing the guitar because my dad played, and the music I listened to was based around it. My parents made me start with piano to get a better understanding of the music theory. I played piano for three or four years before I began to play guitar in fifth grade. I decided to continue to pursue music in high school for my deep appreciation for the art.”

What are your favorite things about guitar playing and music? “My favorite thing about playing the guitar is improvisation. It has always been my specialty, and I love when the director trusts me enough to give me a solo. Other than that, I love sitting back and laying down a background and hearing someone rip a nice solo over my music.” Who and what are your inspirations and influences when playing music? “The musicians that have inspired me more recently are Wes Montgomery [jazz guitarist], and Charlie Parker [jazz saxophone player]. These two musicians were

game changing for jazz, and they created their own styles of the art form. Charlie was known for developing the bebop style. He created this through fast tempo, a complex harmony, and skilled improvisation. The person who made me want to play guitar is Jimmy Page [Led Zeppelin’s guitarist]. I knew it was what I wanted to play when I was sitting listening to music on a long car ride. I was listening to the song “Whole Lotta Love,” and the solo he played in that song changed me. That’s when I knew I wanted to play.” What genres of music do you like to perform?

“I currently enjoy playing jazz the most out of all genres. I love performing it with a small jazz combo. Last year, I played with Henry Dobson, Drew Gerber, and Michael Palandri. It was an amazing experience. I also love playing blues and rock. I started with blues as a child.” How is the music community different from the football community? “The football community is much different than the music community, which is expected considering they are almost exact opposites. The intensity levels are different. Jazz is much more laid back than football,

as you would expect. Playing music is much more free and relaxed than football. But the biggest similarities I have noticed at Westside are the support systems. I have formed great relationships with all of the coaches, and they helped me become the man that I am today. Mr. Johnson has also been incredibly supportive, and he puts his trust into me during the show choir shows. It has been a humbling experience working under such great men.” Do you plan on being involved in music or football after high school? “I have no plans to pursue football, mostly because I am very paranoid about breaking my fingers or wrist,

which would hurt guitar, or getting a concussion. I don’t plan to major or minor in music, but I plan to play with friends and continue to develop my jazz skills throughout life.” Do you have a message for students who want to do something different than what they already do? “My only messages to kids who want to pursue an interest they have is to follow their heart and give it a try. At least give it a try because you never know what you will like. When I started show choir band my junior year, I was nervous that I would hate it, but it has ended up being one of the greatest experiences in high school.”

q&a: hidden talents

GRACE CALDERON musician and figure skater

What are you currently doing with ice-skating? “I’m doing some speed skating, so I’m racing and trying to beat my times.” How did you become involved with skating? “In second grade, I really wanted to do that, and so I kept asking my mom. She kept saying “no.” Finally, she said “yes,” thinking that I wouldn’t get as far as I have. I did figure skating for about seven years, and now I’m transitioning into speed skating.” What does it take to be a skater? “It takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Actually, one of the main reasons why I dropped out of it was because, at that point in time, I didn’t have a choice. I had to choose between school and skating if I were to continue. That means I’d have to be homeschooled because it took so much of my time. I still wanted to be involved in a sport and be close to the people that I know. Figure skating was just too much.” What are some of your favorite things about skating? “I like the sense of community it brings and all of the friends I have. I like the recreational part of it. It’s a good workout.” What are the competitions like? “For figure skating competitions, you usually perform and then wait for

maybe about an hour for the results. They score you based upon a system that they have for points. Each element you do is a certain amount of points, and the judges score you on your artistry. There are different events for distances. It’s a lot like a track meet, but just on ice.” How is the ice skating community different from the music community? “It’s kind of the same. You can relate to the people. These people push you to do your best, and there’s this sense of rivalry between us. Like, there are cliques at school. There’s one group where everybody is the same. Everybody has their own personality, and those people do shape them. It’s different in that way.” Do you plan on skating or performing music after high school? “Yeah. I think I might just do it for fun, but if I do get far in it, then I think I might just continue with that. I actually plan to go into a career with music. So, maybe composition, arranging, and performance.” Do you have a message for students who want to do something different than what they already do? “It’s really up to you. If it’s just not fun anymore for you, then go for it. But really branch out if you want to do something else. Don’t just do nothing because that’s boring.”

q&a: hidden talents

NICK GROSS varsity swimmer and artist

How are you currently involved in art? “I’m in Drawing and Painting 2 right now. We draw and paint with a lot of different mediums, and I’m taking the AP Portfolio class next year, so I’m continuing in art.” Why are you involved in art? “My mom is an artist. When I was younger, she would always paint. She was more into painting and with-your-hands art. But now she’s a graphic designer, graphic artist. She actually works for a magazine, and she designs their magazine. As a kid, she would always have me paint things or draw things, and I loved drawing. Today I still love it, obviously, but she really got me into it, and I still love it, so I take the classes. I take the art classes because I think it’s relaxing with my friends, and it’s fun with your friends.” What are your favorite things about art? “I like how creative you can be. You can make everything your own. People can say ‘oh, we’re painting with acrylics. We’re painting trees,’ but you could literally make anything you want. It just soothes me. It’s relaxing, and I like making it my own.” What are your favorite artistic mediums? “I like painting. It’s the most difficult for me, but I still like it the most. I like acrylics. Watercolors are a no. I hate watercolor. But the normal acrylic or temperate painting is what I like.” How is the art community different from the swimming community? “With swimming, you practice every day. Sometimes twice every day. You have to work at it to get good

at it. I guess art is in somewhat the same way, but it’s also more of a natural thing. Art feels natural to you no matter how long you’ve been doing it. Swimming is, obviously, physically tasking, and with art, you really have to be in the right mindset and focus on it, and whatever pours out of your mind pours onto the paper.” Do you plan on continuing swimming or art after high school? “I’m not going to swim after high school. My sister does, and she’s in college. I love swimming, but I don’t love it that much. I don’t want it to take up my entire life, and outside of high school, it gets really tough, and it really eats up your schedule. For art, I want to go into film and editing for college. Probably not painting. I’ll definitely still paint and do work-with-your-hands kind of art for fun and in my leisure time. It’ll still be a hobby I do.” Do you have a message for students who want to do something different than what they already do? “Don’t be afraid. Some people are like, ‘I can’t do that. I’m in all these AP classes.’ But don’t be afraid to spread yourself too thin. Do whatever you think your calling is or whatever interests you because you only get four years of your life in high school, and they could be some of your best. I think you should do what you love and do what you want to be involved in, and you’ll find what you are good at, you’ll find your friends, and you’ll find happiness. That’s what I’ve been doing these past three years of high school, and I love it. I do swimming, art, and show choir, and I love it all. That’s why I do it.”

feature: chalkboard coping

MOVING ON FROM THE PAST student uses poetry to cope with personal demons story by lauren chesire, design by allie laing

he steps up to the microphone, tentatively leaning over it to speak. Quickly glancing up to the audience, she introduces herself and the poem she’s reading. She holds up her paper, takes a deep breath, and stares at it. Adjusting her maroon cardigan, she looks up and begins. Somehow, this part feels easier. The written words flow out as she looks around at the audience. Continuing to recite her poem, she gestures with her hands and gauges the audience’s reactions. “To the security guard that took my pajama pants,” she says. “I

something far more important. It feels like she’s finally gotten something off her chest. Senior Lizzie West wrote the poem “Letters to Them” to help manage her week long stay in a hospital. She then performed it at the 2014 Louder Than A Bomb competition. West is a member of Westside’s poetry club and a competitor in the annual poetry competition. However, her poetry means more to her than just beautiful language. West uses her poetry to help cope with her personal demons. “Letters to Them” was written about the people and challenges she met when she was checked into a hospital her junior year. West struggled with depression from an early age. By her junior year, it had worsened to the point of self harm. When she began having suicidal thoughts, her mother decided to admit her to a hospital. This helped steer her away from self harm and towards more constructive outlets. “They helped me work through a lot of the things that were bothering me and figure out some positive coping mechanisms,” West said. “One of those things was poetry.” In the room where she stayed, she had a chalkboard. The hospital attendants gave her chalk to write poetry, which helped her cope with her depression. West said that writing about these experiences helps to get them out of her head, which is why she wrote about her hospital stay. “I think a lot of times when people are like ‘oh, you were in the hospital for mental illness,’ there’s a stigma around it,” West said. “I

[Poetry has] helped me [...] figure out who I am. -lizzie west understand there are draw strings. Can’t you cut them off? Those smell like home, and I’m gonna need them while I’m here. Stop.” She pauses for a moment and takes time to look down at the paper in her hands. It’s shaking. Snaps erupt from the audience, urging her on. She finds her footing once more and continues her poem, only pausing slightly to look down at the paper. She moves into the end of her poem seamlessly, her eyes never leaving the audience as she delivers the last line. “Elizabeth Rachel West, they’re sending you home tomorrow. Breathe. Okay, I’m ready.” Applause and cheers erupt from the audience. As she walks off the stage, she feels a wave of relief wash over her. It wasn’t the performance that made her anxious; it was

wanted to give my point of view on it so people could know it’s a thing that happens to a lot of people. It doesn’t make you weird or crazy.” West continues to use past experiences to inspire her poetry, which also helps her work through them. This year, she’s writing about when she was 10. She, her brother, and her father lived in Florida, and her mother was away in Connecticut. West’s father was an alcoholic, and he was not around to take care of her and her younger brother. West had to assume that responsibility. “I basically had my childhood taken away from me,” West said. For the poem, West focused on her relationship with her brother, which she says is the only positive thing to come out of that situation. The reason West wanted to write this poem was because of a conversation she held with her father about college, where she told him she needed to make her own decisions and start acting like an adult. “He said, ‘I’ve been treating you like an adult since you were 10,’ like it was something to be proud of,” West said. “That made me very upset and angry with him because neglecting your child isn’t something you shouldn’t be proud of.” West is still working through her past, but she has poetry to help her through them. Since that chalkboard, poetry has helped her in more ways than she could have possibly imagined. “It’s helped me come out of my shell,” West said. “When I was a freshman, I was super shy. I couldn’t talk in class, I couldn’t meet new people, [and] I didn’t really know who I was. It’s helped me . . . figure out who I am.”

opinion: letting loose

TREAT YOURSELF

because sometimes, the only way to cope with your responsibilities is to avoid them

story by madeline look, photo by estella fox, and design by abby hack

fter a long day of dosing off in classes and trudging through the hallways, the first thing I want to do when I come home from school isn’t chores or homework. After all, I’ve already spent eight hours listening to lectures and taking notes. The chances of me having the energy to go right to homework when I get home are not high. Instead, I sit on the couch and check up on what’s happening on social media. Instagram doesn’t take too much time; it’s just a few new selfies with typical captions like #sundayfunday. Scroll, double tap, repeat, until I come across the last post I’ve seen. Next is Twitter. It takes a little longer, but I never read every tweet. On the rare occasion I visit FaceBook, I find pixilated pictures of the inside of my grandma’s purse that she accidentally uploaded. Finally, I check up on my favorite app: Vine. Vine holds a special place in my heart. Once I start scrolling through, it’s impossible to stop. I tell myself, “It’s only a six second video. Watching one more won’t hurt anything. I can stop any time I want!” Then I continue on. I’ve developed a routine on Vine. I go through random accounts and search through their account looking for something new. Just

like everyone else, I go back and look at my all-time favorite vines, like the classic “favorite fall vegetable.” Before I know it, I’ve spent four hours on the app. As high schoolers, we have so much on our plates. Between work, school, and sports, it’s almost impossible to find time to ourselves. It’s important to be able to sit down and put your worries and responsibilities aside to relax. Transitioning from school to home is tricky for me. I have schoolwork I need to get through, but I’ve been up for nine hours, and I need a nap or my brain will stop functioning. So I nap until my mom forces me up to finish my work. There’s no escaping schoolwork, not even in the comfort of your own home. According to the LA Times, the average high school student receives about three and half hours of homework a night. So, in addition to the standard eight hours of school, there is an additional three to four hours once you get home. With after school activities, jobs, eating dinner, and hopefully some form of personal hygiene, it’s impossible to completely to finish all of these responsibilities and get to bed at a reasonable time without having a mental break down. I know from personal experience that having a job is

time consuming and stressful. According to the Huffington Post, teens report having a higher stress level than adults. You hear your parents talk about how stressful their jobs are. But they don’t have eight hours of school, five days a week on top of that. Being a teenager is the only time in your life that you will be treated like a child and expected to act like an adult. You are at an awkward age where you’re still confined in the white walls of school, but you’re also applying for college and jobs. With all this on our plates, I’m not the only one who’s fallen into Vine’s time consuming trap. It’s so easy to sit around on your phone rather than having your nose in your math book. Even though you should never put off your assignments, sometimes you just need a good laugh to boost your mood. If you find the right account, you’ll be rolling on the floor alone in your room at three in the morning. Sure, you’ll be tired the next day, but the few vines you remembered out of the hundreds you watched that night will be almost worth it. The next time you feel bad about wasting a few hours of your day, remember you spent eight hours at school today, and you deserve time to yourself. It’s not a bad thing to take a break from life and responsibilities for a little bit.

snapshots: spring

APRIL SHOWERS

when the sun is shining and the flowers are blooming, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to feel free photos and design by lia hagen and kirsten mccormack

snapshots: spring

feature: jeckyl and hyde

BEYOND THE VEIL

how one westside alum escaped abuse and found comraderie story and design by lia hagen THIS IS THE FIRST OF THREE STORIES COVERING MEMBERS OF AN ABUSE SUPPORT GROUP CALLED THE BEST BITCHES CLUB. ALL NAMES ARE CHANGED IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE IDENTITIES OF THE MEMBERS. Two weeks before Westside alum Jordan met their exboyfriend Evan, they tried to drown themself. Jordan skipped their meds that day. They sent messages to all their friends, calling each of them names and picking at their insecurities. That day, Jordan hated everyone they knew. They hated anyone that tied them to the world. But once they were in the lake, they couldn’t do it. Every time they tried to force themself to swallow water, their throat would ache. Every little bit hurt. Eventually, Jordan gave up and called one of the few people they hadn’t insulted for help. They got out of the water that day, but life hadn’t gotten any easier. Rather, everything had gotten so much worse. Their relationships with their friends were ruined. Their parents were getting divorced. And everything from before — the depression, the loneliness… well, it hadn’t changed. They were still living, but they didn’t see much of a point to be. Then they met Evan. At the time, he was a fellow incoming senior, though he didn’t attend Westside. He seemed too good to be true. He was cute. The two of them liked the same things. Most importantly, he really seemed to care about Jordan. He seemed like he could help them. “Evan came into my life as charming as a pathological narcissist could be,” Jordan said. “He pursued me passionately [and…] started saying things like ‘I’m going to be your knight in shining armor’ [and] ‘I’m going to make you feel whole.’” For a student still reeling from their suicide attempt, it seemed like a dream come true. Still, Jordan was hesitant at first. They’d never dated someone before, and Evan was moving more quickly than they were comfortable with. According to the Lindsay Ann Burke Memorial Fund, Jordan was experiencing one of the first warning signs of an abusive relationship: quick involvement. Many abusers begin their relationships by being intensely loving and passionate, seeking out extreme commitment and often proclaiming their relationships to be ‘love at first sight.’ Before long, though, Jordan began to believe him. “He always acted so charming and confident, talking constantly about how everybody loved him,” Jordan said. “He had me convinced I was lucky he even noticed me.”

As time went on, Jordan began to depend on him more and more. The two of them spent all their time at Evan’s house, until they were almost living there. They shared money. They began to have sex. And it was good, at first. The two of them sang to loud music in his mom’s van and shared cheap, cheesy cards for their monthly anniversaries. He called Jordan beautiful. Kind. Jordan was closer to Evan than ever, but things were changing. Evan was changing. He only ever acted different when no one could see him. But when the two of them were alone, when they were texting or in his parents’ basement, he was almost unrecognizable. He called them names and demanded things from Jordan that they did not want to deliver. Jordan began dividing Evan into two parts in their mind — Good Evan and Bad Evan. Good Evan was the one Jordan liked. He was Prince Charming. He loved them unconditionally and would do anything to lift them from their bad situation. But Bad Evan was becoming a more frequent instillation. And it was getting worse. It was a symptom of abuse Jordan didn’t recognize at the time, one that LAMBF calls “Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde.” Abusers who use this tactic have wild mood swings, switching from being loving and charming to violent and angry. And every time Evan became the ‘bad’ version of himself, he asked more from Jordan. The name-calling turned into threats of physical violence, which were soon realized. “He insisted the only way he could burn out his anger without injuring me was to force me to have sex with him, send him nude photos, [and] perform fellatio on him,” Jordan said. “I would beg him to stop, to let me not talk to him until he calmed down, and he insisted that me not allowing him to hurt me in sexual situations to burn off his anger was abusive.” This is another sign of abuse: “playful” use of force in sex. This consists of pressuring partners to have sex even when they don’t want to, asking them to do things they don’t want to do and using physical violence during sex and claiming it is ‘sexy.’ This tactic was one that continued to be prevalent in their relationship, even growing worse over time. “When ‘Bad Evan’ and I had sex, he enjoyed causing me pain

even when I told him to stop,” Jordan said. “It was beyond BDSM. [...] Me rejecting his advances and turning down sex sincerely just led him to become more vicious.” This behavior continued for months. Jordan stayed with Evan because they still believed that ‘Good Evan’ was who he really was. They still enjoyed singing along to music together. They still wanted to be with him. But it was more than that too. Jordan didn’t blame Evan for his behavior. In fact, Jordan blamed themself. “I just thought all the ‘Bad Evan’ traits were things that I brought out,” Jordan said. “I thought the reason ‘Bad Evan’ came out was because I didn’t comply to him.” By this point, Evan was more than just Jordan’s whole life. He was their whole future too. After all, Jordan didn’t have friends anymore. They’d alienated them during their suicide attempt, and ever since, they’d just spent all of their time with Evan. They didn’t have anyone to talk to, and every time they saw their friends, it westside alum jordan only made things worse. Jordan’s old friends didn’t like Evan. They couldn’t help but notice that something was off about their relationship dynamics. “I was shocked [when they knew things were wrong] because I felt like people could see behind the veil, and I felt that that made me a bad girlfriend,” Jordan said. “Every time that people started learning that he was abusive, [...] I thought it was my fault. Total victim-blaming, and it totally kept me in the relationship.” The months went on, and Evan started to cheat on Jordan. He told Jordan all about these relationships, demonizing his exes and making them out to be evil. He would talk to Jordan about having sex with other people. What it was like. What was gross about it, and what was good. Still, Jordan stayed with him. For months, nothing changed. Then they graduated. In college, things were different. Jordan moved into the dorms and made friends with their roommates. For the first time in months, they weren’t isolated. They weren’t alone. And once again, things started to change. “I had three girls as roommates, and we started hanging out,” Jordan said. “And they started saying that I was really cool, but

Every time that people started learning that he was abusive, [...] I thought it was my fault.

they weren’t so sure about Evan.” Jordan’s roommates recognized what they couldn’t see themself: that Evan wasn’t good for them. That he wasn’t good for anyone. It started to grate on Evan. As Jordan grew harder for him to control, their relationship grew more unstable. One night, Jordan’s phone died just after Evan sent them a text message. In the five minutes it took them to respond, he had decided it was time for them to break up. “He was like ‘I can’t stand this abuse anymore, I have to break up with you,’” Jordan said. “The reason we broke up was because I didn’t respond to his text message for five minutes.” After the relationship ended, Jordan began to reach out to the friends they’d lost during the past year. They were finally able to have meaningful friendships again. One of the first people they found solace in was their friend Ben. They were able to confide in him, and, with his help, they began to understand the truth of their relationship with Evan. “He was the first person to look at the scenario who said ‘no, Evan didn’t change from a nice person to a mean person. You were in an abusive relationship,’” Jordan said. “[...] That was the first moment that opened my eyes. When Ben said that everything Evan did, the good things, the bad things, was abuse. There was no good Evan or Bad Evan; that was the cycle of abuse. And everything started clicking for me in that moment.” As they began to realize what they had been through, they started to reach out to Evan’s other exes. They found out they had more in common with them than they’d ever realized. Evan had taught Jordan to hate the people he had cheated on them with, but instead, they found comfort in them. Together, Jordan and Evan’s other exes began a private support group they called the Best Bitches Club. Though it originated with a limited scope, the club continued to expand and currently has 37 members, including people of many gender identities and multiple Westside students. Members are no longer just survivors of relationships with Evan. Instead, the club is made up of people who have experienced any type of abuse. In this club, Jordan gets the opportunity to be for others what Ben was for them. They get to help people understand their experiences and cope with their day-to-day lives. “Honestly, one of the biggest benefits of [the club] is giving an environment for abuse victims to see that they were the victim,” Jordan said. “That [you don’t deserve] what your abuser does to you.” Even more important, however, is helping abuse victims find their power again, just like Jordan did. Together, the group members are able to recognize abusive behavior and move on from it. “A lot of people used to come to me and be like ‘well, my abuser did this, did your abuser do the same thing?’” Jordan said. “[...] It’s a big issue of validation. We take these toxic things that our abusers piled upon us, and we bring them out in the open, and then people say ‘no, that’s total [crap], f*** that!’”

opinion: how to win at losing

I REALLY MESSED UP an inspirational guide to failure

story and design by audrey mccann

o be honest, when my editorsin-chief told me I was going to be writing an opinion this issue, I was shocked, then excited. I was going to be sharing my personal thoughts and experiences in an issue for the first time. With that thought, an overwhelming wave of anxiety washed over me. Something else for me to mess up in a major way. Last semester, for the very first time in my life, I failed. I failed my first test, I failed people who depended on me, and I came very, very close to failing a class. I had never dealt with something like this before. I floundered. I considered giving up every single activity that was important to me. I treated some really great friends very poorly, probably because there were toxic forces in my life treating me badly too. I couldn’t for the life of me fix my mistakes, no matter how hard I tried. I was too stubborn to accept help from people who wanted to be there for me, and so I was consumed by my own negativity. So there I was, with crummy grades and without the slightest idea how to fix my messes and relationships. I had a crushing sense of hopelessness. I couldn’t help but feel I had destroyed my entire future — until I realized some very important things.

1. I am only 16 years old. I have a ridiculous amount of time left in high school to turn things around. I finally put things into perspective and realized that, with modern medicine, we will probably live to be approximately three million years old. (And I really hope they come up with an effective wrinkle minimizing serum before it’s too late for me). Seeing as most of us have hardly put a dent in all the time we have left to live, the impending doom of the mysterious “future” should seem less gloomy. We all have so much time left in our lives, and a couple of B’s or F’s certainly won’t determine whether or not we made the best of it.

2. Literally everyone is lying. Trust me, they are. They’re lying about how much sleep they got, lying about what grade they got, lying about how tired they are, lying about how stressed they are, and lying about how much fun they had at that “totally awesome” party last weekend. Everyone is exaggerating or trying to make it seem like they totally have it together. In reality, I know every single one of you punks goes home and watches really bad TV shows or reads eight chapters of “Harry Potter” fanfiction. You’re all thinking to yourself, “holy moly, what am I doing with my life? I have so much to do, but I’m just crying over fictional characters?” ...Or maybe that’s actually just me. Just don’t think for a second that everyone is way better off than you because chances are they’re also constantly battling inner turmoil while they eat waffles for dinner for the third night in a row.

3. It’s not a competition. If you’re not lying about how

much you have it together, you’re competing for who has it worse off. I know, I know; it doesn’t make sense to me either. It seems whoever got the least amount of sleep last night is the winner of some awesome “I Got No Sleep” prize, or the “My Classes Are The Hardest” prize, or the “I Have So Much Homework I Literally Don’t Know What To Do” prize. These are not good things to win. Personally, I like the “I Got About Ten Hours Of Sleep” prize. It’s so not cool to put your health second, and I am glad that mine is now a priority. A while ago, I wasn’t taking care of myself, and I would beat myself down for having a bowl of ice cream or taking a 20 minute break from homework. Old habits die hard, and I still sometimes panic about these things, but let me tell you: it’s okay to go to bed without finishing your homework, and it’s okay to stay home and give yourself a mental break from everything.

4. You don’t owe anyone anything. Ever. At all. Seriously though. (Unless you stole the last cookie your friend was saving because that is seriously a jerk move and you should apologize). In all honesty, this is still something I’m trying to figure out. I want to make everyone happy, and I have so many things that are a priority in my life. Last semester, so many people were pulling me in every direction, and I let all of them down. Every single one. It broke my heart because I was trying so hard to do everything right for everyone, and every turn I made I messed something up. It’s like when you’re trying to take in six grocery bags at once, and suddenly, the handles snap. You drop all the bags simultaneously, and your mom yells at you. You’re desperately trying to pick everything up, but you can’t because there’s too much stuff and

who even needs this many groceries, we can’t possibly eat all of this food. We’ve all tried to carry too many grocery bags, and it’s really hard to balance all of those precious goods while your parents are yelling at you. While you’re trying to ace your classes. While you’re involved in 10 different extra curriculars. While you’re trying to figure out your future and have good friends and also do things to make yourself happy. I get tired just thinking about it. So always remember that you can say no. You don’t have to always do someone a favor. You’re allowed to turn your phone off to get a break from the world, and you can stay in on a Saturday night.

5. Everything that’s broken can be fixed. Or at least turned into a really cool art project. Whenever you make a mess, you can put it all back together. Or if something is really just too far gone, I find that really bad, angsty poetry helps me get over it. When I finally realized I was throwing away an entire semester of school and being a terrible person, I decided it was my responsibility to fix it. So I got to work, and I’m still working. It’s going to take me far longer to fix everything than it did to ruin it, but it’s all coming back together. That’s the most important thing I’ve learned. Everything I want to succeed at, I will. Everything I want to fix, I can. My failures are the best things about me because they made me a completely different person. If I hadn’t ruined everything six weeks ago, I wouldn’t be writing this opinion right now. I would still be too afraid to ask for help and too stubborn to say sorry. Instead, I learned. And that’s one thing I’ll never stop doing.

DROP OUT JAMS songs perfect for saying goodbye to high school and hello to just trying to pass the G.E.D. Teen Idle by Marina and the Diamonds School Spirit by Kanye West Grown Woman by Beyoncé Bad Girls by M.I.A B.O.S.S by Fifth Harmony Feeling Myself by Nicki Minaj ft. Beyoncé Good Morning by Kanye West Break The Rules by Charli XCX Flawless by Beyoncé

fashion: street style

STREET STYLE perfectly pastel

story by ally guenette, photos by kirsten mccormack and maddie look In the frosted early morning, students are racing from their cars to the warm school entrance. When it snows in April, it’s not hard to assume that many Westsiders are dreaming of sunshine and better days. Since frolicking through meadows of warm grasses and spring flowers isn’t a viable option quite yet, we suggest you pretend summer is here and break out bright, blossoming clothing. To make up for the flora that’s lacking between your sun-kissed toes, channel your inner flower child and try out these floral looks and muted colors. The bold prints and pastels allow for a free and individual style to be expressed. Let’s hope the flowers and sunshine keep coming to match our fashion.

STUDENTS FEATURED: on opposite page — top left: freshman zoe thackray, bottom left: sophomore angel hardin, bottom right this page — top right: sophomore nick gentillalli, bottom right: senior tom seline, bottom left: karlye fultz

feature: college tips

FEARING THE FUTURE how to overcome your college woes story by lauren chesire, photos by sarah lemke, design by abby hack

don’t know what I expected for my sixteenth birthday. Maybe I wanted a taste of Sixteen Candles. Y’know, a cute guy, a kiss, and most importantly, a cake. But my sixteenth birthday wasn’t anywhere near Hollywood standards. It was just a small family gathering with muttered “happy birthdays” from my siblings. Although it was supposed to be somehow “sweeter” than my other birthdays, it felt the same as the rest. A small pang of disappointment rang in my chest as I continued to expect just a little bit more. Even now, I keep waiting for something more from my parents. Not a car or anything material, but something greater. I figured as I approached eighteen, they would give me more responsibility and treat me more like the adult I’d soon be. I hoped they’d give me more freedom to do what I wanted and to start making my own decisions. Today, I still have none of the freedom I crave. However, my parents did decide

to give me freedom in one area — an area where I never wanted it, where I need all the help I can get. They expect me to make my decisions about college on my own, and I’m hopelessly lost. With my junior year quickly winding down, the pressure to choose a college is huge. My friends chat excitedly about their college plans, teachers hint at it incessantly, and I find myself pretending I don’t hear any of it. My parents’ absence in this discussion leaves me to feel like I’m drowning in the responsibility. But I’m not alone here. Many Westside students feel the looming threat of applying for college as their four years of high school fly by. College counselor Michael McCann works to help these students continue their education after high school, and he understands why we’re so often overwhelmed by these decisions. With this in mind, Craze asked him to answer some of our burning questions on how to prepare for the next step in our education.

how do you suggest students not get too stressed out when choosing a college? “One of the big things that [...] seems to stress students out is the applying-to-college process itself. So, as I tell students, I liken it to eating an elephant. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. You have to approach applying to college one task at a time. Be very mindful of the deadline you have to meet, but approach it from a longer term perspective — as “okay, this is one task I have to do today.” I’m not saying that will completely reduce your stress.

[It] probably won’t. [But] in the end, you’re going to end up where you’re meant to be. You’re going to get a good education; it’s going to work out. The process is messy; it’s confusing; it’s very stress inducing. I think it’s a lot to put on kids [that] age to make the right decision, like ‘it has to be the right one, and your happiness depends on it.’ I don’t believe that. College doesn’t define your value as a person. College doesn’t define you. You define college.”

feature: college tips

many students are stressed about how their GPA and standardized test scores affect their applications. what role do they play in that process? “Your GPA is the most important thing. As I saw in classes and presentations I give, the most important thing colleges look at when they evaluate, regardless from the most selective to the least selective, the most important thing they evaluate is what sort of classes did the students take in high school. Did they take a good, challenging, what they would consider a college-prep curriculum? Also understand that your GPA in high school is the most powerful predictor of how you’re going to do in college. [It’s also the factor] students have the most control over. You don’t have total control, but that’s the one thing you probably

have the most control over. With standardized tests, they’re important, but they’re not as important as the transcript. They’re not as important as what kind of classes you took. Colleges will usually, in almost all cases, look at your test scores in combination to your transcript. So they’re not judging you based on just a test score because that’s a number. You don’t define people by a number, but they consider your test scores in consideration with your transcript. Standardized tests will take care of themselves. Just challenge yourself, do the best you can. and trust that you’re gonna end up at the place you’re meant to be.”

what advice would you tell students to keep in mind when applying to college? “One thing I would tell any student to keep in mind when they apply to college is don’t rule out a college simply based on cost. In a lot of places you’re going to look at, you’re going to find the black and white [cost shocking]. You may be surprised at schools that, on paper, cost more than other schools [and] may, with the scholarships and financial aid packages they can offer, actually end up being cheaper than the school that on paper at least appears to be cheaper. I would encourage students to taking a mindful approach to applying for college. [I might tell them to] apply to maybe some really selective schools or maybe a couple of selective schools and a school or two they know they’re going to be admitted to, but more importantly, [apply to schools] that they’re going to be happy at. Also, be open to those schools that maybe you haven’t heard of, that don’t have that reputation, but do an excellent job of educating undergraduates.

For scholarships, you apply for all of them that you find you meet the criteria for. Don’t just go for the big money scholarships. ‘Ah, if I get this one it’s worth $20,000 or $25,000.’ Yeah, [but] the big ones are going to tend to draw more applicants. Apply for the smaller ones. It’s gonna be more work on your part, but be mindful of continuing to look for opportunities, and understand that a lot of the scholarships students get come from the colleges themselves. So when you’re doing the college search, look at the scholarship opportunities [that] exist at that school because schools offer tons of different scholarships. But understand you can also supplement those with outside scholarships, and that’s why we have students sign up for accounts on Fastweb. That’s why we have the scholarship page. That’s why we do the things we do in order to break down those barriers in terms of applying for scholarships.”

feature: medical trainers

LEARNING FROM THE BIG BIRDS

students gain knowledge of sports medicine through athletic trainers story by bridget mizener, photos and design by claire wilson

t’s crunch time. The game is on the line, and the hot hand has just come off the court with a tweaked ankle. Westside’s student athletic trainers, junior Sam Faulkner and senior Anna Headlee, would love nothing more than to be the ones to tape her up. But athletic trainer Tom Lechtenberg isn’t going to give them the opportunity . “Now’s not the time,”

of their mentors. Providing that guidance is Erin Green, a graduate student and the selfdescribed “middle bird,” and Tom Lechtenberg and instructor Shawn Campbell, the big birds, fully-fledged and experienced athletic trainers. They will pass on their wealth of experience and knowledge to their “little birds,” who will someday fly from the nest. But until then, the student trainers are just fledgelings. They have the least knowledge and experience, so they start with the basics. “We get a lot of water,” -junior, sammy faulkner Faulkner said. Lechtenberg said. “I’m going to “We’re in charge of getting water jump in there; I’m going to look ready for games and practices.” at it; I’m going to assess it; I’m They’re also responsible for going to tape it. I can do it faster. providing ice bags and heat pads I can get [the athlete] back out for injuries, putting on bandthere quicker, and ultimately, I aids, and taping ankles, arches, have to decide medically if [she’s] and wrists. It’s all pretty basic able to go back or not.” stuff. But then again, they are Until they gain more still learning to fly. experience, Headleee and The mentors are essential Faulkner are going to be on the to this learning process. The sidelines, “under the wings” mentor-mentee relationship

“[We and the mentors] always talked about [what to do] if someone comes off [the field] bleeding; you have to wrap and go,”

drives the student-athletic trainer program. Having not just one mentor to emulate, but three different adult perspectives— those of Campbell, Green, and Lechtenberg—as well as a peer to consult with has been extremely valuable for Faulkner. “Everyone’s been in different places and done different aspects of athletic training, and [they all have] different techniques and opinions of how to treat something,” she said. Green provides one of those perspectives. She’s a second-year graduate student in the athletic training education program at UNO, but she won’t sit for the board of certification test until this spring. “Technically, I’m still under the wing of the certified trainers, like Shawn or Tom, but I’m ahead of [Faulkner and Headlee] because I’ve had training and schooling,” Green said. Before she completes the program and passes the exam, she’s halfway between student and expert. But until then, she’s equally happy to learn and to teach. “Having a mentor and being a mentor is a neat place to be in, a neat relationship to see,”

feature: medical trainers

Green said. “It’s neat to see them learning, and as I learn from my mentor, I can teach them. That chain reaction is kinda fun.” Initiating the reaction is the responsibility of Lechtenberg and Campbell. As the ranking members of the training room, they have a responsibility to take care of the athletes while simultaneously letting the trainees gain some experience. For Lechtenberg, his most important job as a mentor is to find a balance between giving students independence and freedom to learn, but also being safe and making sure they’re doing things right. “Even though there are skills that they have, I can’t give them too much too fast,” Lechtenberg said. The delegation of tasks from mentors to mentees is crucial for the continuing education of the students as well as the

safety of the athletes being treated. The trainers have a duty to gauge how much or how little leeway to give the students via trust and communication. That’s why it’s so important to have a working relationship between the protégé and the teacher. “It’s a two-way street,” Lechtenberg said. “If they feel that I’m just feeding them lines, that I’m just telling them stories, there’s not a relationship there at all. Same thing with them. If I feel that they’re not being up front with me and honest with me about situations, then I’m not going to trust them.” When that trust is present, the students can finally put what they’ve been learning in the classroom and from their mentors to use. They have the opportunity to translate a technique they’ve talked about or seen in class to a

live scenario. That real-world experience is much more practical than book knowledge because they often won’t know how a given technique will work in a certain situation until they actually try it. “[We and the mentors] always talked about [what to do] if someone comes off [the field] bleeding: you have to wrap it and go,” Faulkner said. “During practice, you can put a band-aid on it, clean it, and make sure it’s all nice and pretty. But during a game, especially if it’s a starter, you have just the one play that they’re off [the field] to wrap it.” With this kind of hands-on experience and the tutelage of their mentors, these two little birds will have learned to fly on their own before they know it. But for now, as Headlee put it: “If we have questions, there’s always someone to ask.”

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fashion: double trouble

SEEING DOUBLE

senior twins share their unique fashion sense

photos and design by kirsten mccormack

fashion: double trouble

feature: on and off again

BREAK-UP, MAKE-UP the story of a senior who kept an abusive relationship from consuming their future story and design by lia hagen THIS IS THE SECOND OF THREE STORIES COVERING MEMBERS OF AN ABUSE SUPPORT GROUP CALLED THE BEST BITCHES CLUB. ALL NAMES ARE CHANGED IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE IDENTITIES OF THE MEMBERS. Senior Taylor’s relationship with Aaron began as “a slew of on again off agains that [they] can’t even remember.” It started in seventh grade. When it ended for the first time, Taylor was confused, left with no idea why he’d dumped them. Aaron never offered them an explanation. After a while, they got back together again. And then again. It just kept going, stopping and starting all through seventh and eighth grade. Breakup, make-up, rinse and repeat. Early in their freshman year, Taylor got a new boyfriend. Aaron was immediately jealous. He was clingy, always flirting and searching for Taylor’s attention. According to the Lindsay Ann Burke Memorial Fund, this was an early sign of what would become an abusive relationship. Extreme jealousy is a common behavior in abusers, and Aaron had begun to show it in the most innocuous ways. Taylor, however, didn’t recognize this, and it wasn’t long before they and their new boyfriend broke up. Later that year, the relationship between Taylor and Aaron began to last longer stretches of time. “Thinking back on it now, as we got later into our relationship, [...] we stayed together longer but started having more fights,” Taylor said. “And the strange thing was, I’d be upset about something, maybe something he did, maybe something that was just upsetting me in general, and he’d turn around and try to blame something on me to make me feel worse.” This is another example of an abusive behavior. Psychology Today calls it ‘gaslighting,’ and it’s a tool abusers use to make the victims feel as though they

are to blame for the problems in the relationship. For Taylor, one example of this came with the texting. Aaron liked to vent to them over text, to talk to them about whatever was frustrating him at the time. However, Taylor’s responses were never good enough. “It’s really weird,” they said. “He wants you to be clingy, but he also wants you to step back.” Over and over again, Taylor did the wrong thing. Whenever one of them was upset, Aaron would find a way to blame it on them. Still, Taylor loved him. Even with the constant fighting, it was difficult to imagine their life without Aaron. Whenever they thought of their future, it was with him. “We had talked about plans of marriage and even kids and where we would go after high school,” Taylor said. “My future had him so much in it.” It wasn’t until their junior year that the couple made it through a full year without breaking up. At this point, they spent all their time together. Taylor didn’t even enjoy vacations any more; they only wanted to be around Aaron. They hung out with him as often as possible, bringing him along even when they were with family. One day, they were in public with Taylor’s family when Aaron tried to encourage Taylor to engage in sexual acts. Though their family could not see them, Taylor was still unwilling. “I stood up and said no, this is not okay,” Taylor said. “And he had continued to pressure me into doing stuff after I had not given consent, and I complied.” After that, Aaron began to act strange. He went into one of his ‘moods,’ growing depressed and increasingly

difficult to deal with. It took a toll on Taylor. “People have different energy levels, and I am a person who is strongly affected by them,” Taylor said. “If the room is in a nice cheery mood, I will be an example of that. [...] When he’s in these moods, I get really upset myself.” One night, the two were talking when they began to argue. As they fought, Aaron told Taylor he had been faking his moodiness. Taylor was stressed. Tired. After dealing with them for so long, they had no more energy. And so they cursed at him. It was the last break-up they ever had. After almost four years of dating, Taylor had to learn how to be without him. What they needed was space. They asked Aaron senior taylor to leave them alone, to stop talking to them, but he never did. “He could not seem to do that,” Taylor said. “He wants me right there as his best friend instead of a girlfriend. He knew that was hard on me.” It was then that Taylor decided to go hang out with one of their friends. They knew they needed support. They needed to have fun, just for one night. During the hangout, Aaron called Taylor, and they left their friend to meet him. The two of them sat together and tried to talk out their relationship. “He was so upset about the whole mess and had started making me out as the bad guy,” Taylor said. “[...] I had started panicking. I’d started having an anxiety attack. I’d started feeling really clustered, [...] so I rushed out of there.” Taylor didn’t move far before they fell, so Aaron picked them up and carried them back. As Taylor wept, he tried to calm them with a kiss. When they

He’d turn around and try to blame something on me to to make me feel worse.

refused, he tried again. “The second time, I was so emotionally drained,” Taylor said. “I was getting tired. He ended up laying me down and raping me in the back of my car.” When he was finished, Taylor returned to their friend. They never got back together with Aaron. It was around this time they began talking to Jordan again. Jordan was a friend a few years older than Taylor. They’d met in a shared Westside class years ago. When Taylor told Jordan about the experiences they’d had with Aaron, Jordan recognized the signs of an abusive relationship. They had, after all, gone through a similar situation with their ex-boyfriend Evan. With this experience, they were able to help Taylor understand their situation for the first time. “They said to me ‘what Aaron did to you is not right,’” Taylor said. “‘All those times when he’d turn around a conversation on you, where I was the person to blame, where he was the victim, was not right.’” Jordan invited Taylor to join a support group that they had started called the Best Bitches Club. There, Taylor continued to grow and realize the true nature of their relationship with Aaron. “I think it was that whole teenage infatuation,” Taylor said. “[...] It was someone I was comfortable with, someone I wanted to keep going back to because I knew I was comfortable with them. [...]. I used to think about why did I break it off sooner, but I eventually just stopped and accepted the fact that it was comfort.” After the relationship ended, Taylor was able to find comfort in others. Instead of focusing on their relationship with their boyfriend, they were able to think more about themself and their friends. “I learned to be more confident,” Taylor said. “I learned to be more outgoing. I used to be really shut off with people. [...] I needed a somewhat stable support group instead of a constant changing friend group. [...] [But] I pushed myself out there. From that, I benefitted. I made multiple new friends that all love me dearly and want the best for me, and I want the same for them.”

entertainment: powerful playability

CHOOSE YOUR PATH “the walking dead” video game lets players come to life story by aaron casey, design by abby hack, photos taken from telltale games’ “the walking dead”

t all begins with what seems like the end. Lee Everett, a convicted killer and the playable character in “The Walking Dead” video game, is riding in the back of a police cruiser on his way to prison. A conversation sparks between Everett and the officer driving the car. As it progresses, he realizes that if there ever were a proper time to start crying, it would be now. Little does Everett know, he’s about to be thrust into a world of despair and fear. Before you know it, the cruiser crashes into a reanimated corpse, veers off the road, and leaves Everett handcuffed, injured, and surrounded by the encroaching undead. He’s now in the world of Telltale Games’ “The Walking Dead”. “The Walking Dead” is a fantastic and critically acclaimed adventure game series built around a certain question. “What does it take to survive in a harsh world?” Season one, comprised of five episodes, follows the playable story of Lee Everett. He finds an orphaned child early on in the apocalypse named Clementine who he dedicates himself to protecting. Throughout their journey,

they meet many faces and face many dangers. Season two takes off where season one ended with Clementine as the playable character. The story intensifies as Clementine must find ways to protect herself and the friends she makes along the way. Both seasons are in the style of a graphic novel or comic book. Overall, the game is set in a very dramatic world where you have the power to

Telltale Games has brought a whole new level of meaning to storytelling through games. make individual decisions and face the consequences of them. The star of Telltale’s interactive series is easily its interactivity. The power to massively change scenarios, while dealing with consequences equally as great. represents a vital part of the playability of a video game. The player is constantly reminded that they have the power to shape the world around them.

For example, after a certain speech option, a text box may appear to the upper right side of the screen saying, “He/She will remember that.” The game portrays exactly how your individual choice can impact another character or situation. While this creates interest and satisfaction within the player, it also shows impacts of certain social interactions. This game is essentially a virtual social world, where one can learn to progress their individuality through interactions. Nowadays, stories in video games often follow a fairly linear and predictable setup filled with cheesy quotes and the occasional scene where you jump to a helicopter. Games like these offer little in the way of autonomy, one of the most important things a player looks for when they play. Telltale Games has brought a whole new level of meaning to storytelling through video games. When a player plays a game, it is incredible to know that he or she got something meaningful out of it. The Walking Dead is by far one of the easiest games in which to gain a meaningful experience, for it is an experience that players create themselves.

art: sketchbook

From the sketchbook of

Alex Bergman story by ally guenette, design by harper newell, and photos provided by alexandria bergman

magine a warm May afternoon as a child. You’ve just gotten out for recess, and you’re desperate to unwind. Maybe you’ll take a ride on the tire swing or play some hopscotch. These images of playtime are the center of senior Alex Bergman’s AP 3-D Portfolio. This class is designed to help sculpture

and pottery students prepare a portfolio of work for college scholarships and acceptance into art programs. Bergman centered her portfolio around the whimsy of a playground. She made clay figures playing on equipment including merrygo-rounds, teeter totters, and swings to illustrate the fun of her childhood.

What was the inspiration for your portfolio? “When I was a kid, the playground at my elementary school was the coolest thing we had, and it was the highlight of the day. [The portfolio] was reminiscing on childhood.”

What was the hardest part of your portfolio? “The process of getting them all finished and trying to fit them all together when they were finished.”

Do you plan to pursue art after you graduate? “Yes, I am going Kansas City Art Institute for Ceramics.”

What was the best advice you got while working on your portfolio? “To plan ahead and just be thinking about it constantly. As long as it’s always in the back of your mind, you’re open to new ideas popping out of nowhere. It gives you someplace to go when you are in class so you don’t waste time.”

art: sketchbook

feature: feeling fashionable

FASHION FORWARD senior jumpstarts career in fashion by designing clothing

story by tommy huerter, photos and design by claire wilson

t’s six p.m. on the night of Winter Formal, and teens hold their awkward poses as parents’ cameras flash. Girls struggle to fasten on boutonnières, while boys slip corsages onto wrists. In the mosh pit of parents, a camera flashes and captures a photo of seniors Madilyn Marshall and Hope Lawlor. Throughout the night, they were berated with questions about where they found their unique black dresses. They didn’t come from a department store or an expensive boutique; rather, Marshall handmade both of them. Many asked where she learned to make these dresses, and the

answer was simple: Westside’s own fashion class. For many students, this might be a surprise. It can be rare to hear about our school’s fashion department. “We are kind of in an excluded place where no one goes, and people don’t realize how much talent there is up there.” Marshall said. “Most people think we just make teddy bears and sew pillows.” While most of her skills have come from Westside, Marshall began her career at home. “I became interested in fashion freshman year, but I started sewing in second grade because my

mom taught me how,” Marshall said. “Mrs. Losen, the fashion teacher, has taught me a lot, and the class interested me.” Signing up for fashion class freshman year has definitely changed the course of Marshall’s life. “I wouldn’t consider [fashion] as a career at all without coming to Westside because I knew how to sew, but I never realized how I could make it into a career,” Marshall said. As she learns the skills necessary for making beautiful clothes, she’s also learning other skills to make her dreams of being a designer a reality. “I’m also in Fashion Merchandising, so I have been able to learn the business and creative side of fashion,” Marshall said. However, her goals for the future are more humble than many of us may guess.

“Like any young designer, I would love to be a big brand name designer, but I would also love to start my own boutique in Omaha and have people under me to make my designs,” Marshall said. After her start in fashion here, she plans to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s School of Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design. She also plans to apply to have a line featured in the March 2016 Omaha Fashion Week. She has been able to take the skills she learned at Westside and use them outside of the fashion room. For her senior project, Marshall used her sewing skills to create baby clothes that were donated. Marshall is proof that, from making dresses for a dance to creating a line for a fashion show, Westside’s fashion department is preparing students for whatever the fashion industry may throw at them.

feature: on and off again

ALONE a senior’s journey away from isolation and abuse, towards acceptance and community story and design by lia hagen THIS IS THE THIRD OF THREE STORIES COVERING MEMBERS OF AN ABUSE SUPPORT GROUP CALLED THE BEST BITCHES CLUB. ALL NAMES ARE CHANGED IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE IDENTITIES OF THE MEMBERS.

Seth always tried to steal Casey’s stuff. He’d take her phone and carry it off, forcing Casey to follow him. His hands were always reaching for utensils, trinkets, anything that didn’t belong to him. If Casey wanted it back, she’d have to give chase. Once he had Casey alone, he’d start the suggestions. He’d push her to kiss him. To stay wherever was private. He always knew when she was busy and when she wasn’t. He always knew where to find her and just what to say to get her to listen. “I felt like I couldn’t get out of it,” Casey said. “I also felt guilty whenever he tried acting upset. [If] I wasn’t wanting to do things with him, he was like ‘oh, are you not wanting to do this? It’ll be fun, it won’t last that long.’” So Casey let it happen. Again, and again. Seth and Casey shared a friend group, so she never had the opportunity to get away. Seth could always steal her stuff or push her away from the people they trusted. The two of them weren’t dating, at least not at the time. They’d dated before, in eighth grade. Even back then, Seth had made Casey

uncomfortable. “It went from just a normal relationship to where he’d be trying to kiss me all the time or trying to hug me all the time,” Casey said. “It was awkward because I thought he was just being stupid. I was like ‘okay, I’ll just brush it off because he won’t do it next time.’” But the behavior continued through middle school. Whenever the two hugged, Seth would grope Casey. His hands would go to parts of her body that she wasn’t comfortable with him touching. It didn’t matter where they were. In public, in private, with friends. Seth always wanted to be physical. After eighth grade, the two dated a few more times. It was during these relationships that the stealing began, along with other disturbing behaviors. “He was pressuring for pictures online or he would be sending me sexually explicit emails,” Casey said. “[I felt like I had to] because otherwise he would act all disappointed.” Their sophomore year, the relationship ended poorly. As his behavior and their arguments grew worse, they just stopped talking. For a while,

they stayed that way. They couldn’t completely abandon their friendship, however; they still saw each other and shared mutual friends. Eventually, Seth began bringing back his old patterns of behavior. “He wanted it to be sort of like a friendswith-benefits thing,” Casey said. “I was in a relationship, and I told him that I didn’t want to do those things, but this is when he started being more persistent.” Seth’s old pattern of taking her stuff changed. He began to tell her friends she was leaving before she’d even stood. A few times, he grabbed her arm senior casey and pulled her somewhere they could be alone. Even then, Casey didn’t realize how bad it had gotten. “I was naive, and I thought he was the person he used to be, and I didn’t realize how manipulative he was,” she said. “I like to see the good in people, [...] so when he would tell me he was disappointed or upset with me because we weren’t doing these things, I felt like it was my fault for everything. So I just, I don’t know, went with it.” But the behavior continued to escalate throughout her junior year until it hit a breaking

I was naive, and I thought he was the person he used to be, and I didn’t realize how manipulative he was.

point. Seth succeeded in getting Casey away from the friends she was hanging out with, and he once again performed sexual acts on her. It was then that she called her best friend and found help. “Staying in that situation and not getting help sooner is my biggest regret for it,” she said. However, after she told her friend, she was able to begin to move on. The stealing stopped, and so did the sexual encounters. She also confided in another friend, Taylor, who had also gone through an abusive relationship. “I told them about what was happening, and then they immediately cut him from their life,” Casey said. “So she’d be there to like, sort of protect me in a way. So whenever he tried coming over and talking to them, they’d completely ignore him and make sure I was with them at all times to keep him away.” Because of their similar experiences, Taylor was able to introduce Casey to an abuse support group called the Best Bitches Club. There, Casey found validation and support that continues to help her move past her trauma. “When you feel like you’re alone, you feel like no one can help you or that you’re the only one going through the situation, but if other people have been through similar situations, you know that there are ways to get out of it,” she said. “[...] You can know there’s better things in store for the future.” Casey hopes other abuse survivors can find the same comfort she found in knowing that someone shares their experience. “You’re definitely not alone,” she said. “There are a lot of people that are here to support you, and you have to stay strong even though it’s really hard.”

food: remade meals

TOP NOTCH RAMEN

upgrade your normal food with gourmet ingredients story and design by jenna hynek, photos by abegale headlee

he first time I made a cake by myself was the day I grew up. I was a 12-year-old kid, and I had finally received the ‘okay’ text from my mom which allowed me to begin baking. I followed the directions on the back of the box with extreme precision, throwing all of the ingredients into the electric mixer. I turned the machine on full blast, and, in a single giant poof, all of the ingredients exploded around the kitchen. Flour covered the cabinets, and egg slid down the walls. I was

so ashamed of myself for messing up the masterpiece I’d tried to create that I rushed around the kitchen trying to clean it up before my mother found me hiding my mistake. I was too late. The door opened, and she saw me frantically wiping down the cake mix covered floor. I stood in complete silence and waited to be punished. Her footsteps got closer, then she broke into an unexpected laugh. To my surprise, she wasn’t mad at all. She explained to me that this was a learning experience. In order to

make the perfect cake, I had to make a bunch of bad ones first. Cooking is all about practice. Sometimes, making your best meals involves a few mistakes. That’s why we’ve decided to encourage you to be bold with your food and turn your completely average recipe into a memorable experience. A peanut butter and jelly doesn’t have to just be on Wonder bread, and an ice cream sandwich shouldn’t always be as vanilla as the ice cream. Sometimes, you just have to mix things up... even if it’s in a single giant poof.

food: remade meals

ICE CREAM SANDWICH

Ingredients: 1 pint of vanilla ice cream 2 chocolate chip cookies 1 bag of salt and vinegar chips 1 container of sprinklers

1. Cut the pint of ice cream two inches from the bottom so it is perfectly round. 2. Place the ice cream on top of one of the cookies.

3. Crush the salt and vinegar chips, and sprinkle them on top of the ice cream. 4. Place the top cookie, and add sprinkles around the outside.

LEMONADE

Ingredients: 4 large lemons 1 container of strawberries 1 container of mint 1 liter of seltzer water

1. Squeeze the lemons into a cup, and add a cup of water with enough sugar to fit your taste. 2. Cut the strawberries, and dice the mint.

3. Combine the lemon juice mix with the liter of selzter water into a pitcher. 4. Mix in the mint and strawberries, and enjoy.

food: remade meals

TOP RAMEN

Ingredients: 1 package of ramen 1 container of assorted vegetables 1 bottle of soy sauce 1 egg

1. Chop the assorted vegetables into your preferred shape. 2. Boil the ramen, then pour out hot water and add the seasoning. 3. SautĂŠ the vegetables in the

soy sauce and butter. Wait until theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re soft yet crispy. 4. Fry an egg, and add it on top of the noodles and vegetables. 5. Enjoy!

PB & J

Ingredients: 1 loaf of carbon bread 1 container of strawberries 1 banana 1 container of peanut butter and jelly

1. Cut the strawberries and bananas into slices. 2. Slice the carbon bread and toast it until itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crisp. 3. Spread the peanut butter and

jelly on each side of the bread. 4. Place the slices of fruit on the peanut butter and jelly. Then put the two sides of the sandwich together to eat.

sports: unconventional games

THE TEAMS TO BEAT westside’s undercover all-stars story by nikki saner, design by allie laing, photos by sarah lemke

uring Westside’s football season, we have the Friday chant on the landing to get the students hyped for the upcoming game. The student section is packed and full of loud fans. There’s live coverage of every basketball game, and everyone is in the loop with what’s going on. However, there are other sports here at Westside that deserve just as much recognition for their hard work and the insane fun that goes on at the games. A few of these teams consist of hockey and girls lacrosse. Fortunately, we’re here to teach you about these teams and get a closer look at the game

and star players. According to senior Jacob White, Westside’s hockey team is “the team to beat.” They’re second in the league, and their home games are located at Moylan ice-plex. Entry to the games are free. Over the 2014-15 season, the boys have won 20 games, lost two, and tied four. Included in those wins was a victory against the top ranked team, Tri-City. If you’ve never experienced the thrill of watching hockey players ram each other into walls and slide around the ice rink, you’ve come to the right place to learn about this sport.

meet senior

COOPER GATZEMEYER How did you get into the game? “My dad and my uncle played when they were little. Me and my brother would go ice skating every Friday when we were little, and then when I was old enough to start playing, I started playing.”

What is the best moment in a game? “Laying someone out and just hearing the team explode because I got a big hit.”

Why do you enjoy playing hockey? “It’s just fun. It’s an easy escape from everything. When you’re on the ice, you don’t think about anything other than hockey.”

Why should more people come to watch games? “Because they’re fun. I’d definitely say you could have more fun watching a hockey game than a baseball game.”

sports: unconventional games

GIRLS LACROSSE Westside’s girls lacrosse team has only won a few games, but, as junior and lacrosse player Kiley Simmons says, “with every game, we learn new skills and strengthen the team as a whole.” This team’s combination of cooperation and skilled players gives it major potential.

meet junior

KILEY SIMMONS How did you get into the game? “I’ve always loved playing sports, but I had no idea what to try. I heard about lacrosse at club fair day, and I said to myself, ‘why not?’”

What is the best moment in a game? “Having the ball and running towards the goal. Your heart is racing, and the rest of the world fades away. When the ball hits the back of the net, the crowd cheers. You can’t help but celebrate.”

Why do you enjoy playing the game? “It’s not something everyone knows how to play. It’s a unique game. I love being asked questions about it and explaining it to people. It’s such a cool sport to watch.”

Why should people come see the games? “As students, we support other sports like the football and basketball teams, but nobody comes out to support us. I want the players on this team to feel as important as the players on our football team. By getting the support from other students who have never seen a game, maybe we could help grow the sport and get more students involved in extra curricular activities.”

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opinion: finding your passion

BE DRUNK

finding your passion and running with it story by bridget mizener, design by casey arritt

ife sucks. It’s really that simple. Life can be hard. Bad things happen to people who don’t deserve it. Nothing ever goes the way we plan or expect. I’d always been taught not to avoid the harsh realities of life. When these bad things happen, I was supposed to just “suck it up” and “deal with it.” So I did. Family issues, confrontation, personal troubles… whenever bad things happened, I gritted my teeth and faced the problems like a grown-up. It was awful. Instead of feeling liberated by taking decisive steps to solve my problems and tackling things head-on, I felt extreme pressure. The burden on my shoulders became even more noticeable. I couldn’t get my problems out of my head. It wasn’t until I was scrolling through #soft tweets late at night, feeling sorry for myself, that I understood why. It was one of those poetry accounts— one of the ones where the authors always sign with two initials, and everything appears to have been typed on a crooked, all-lowercase typewriter. By some random occurrence, I stopped swiping and found

myself on a poem by a frenchman, Charles Baudelaire, called “Be Drunk.” “You have to be always drunk,” it went. “That’s all there is to it—it’s the only way. / So as not to feel the horrible burden of time / that breaks your back / and bends you to the earth, / you have to be continually drunk.” I briefly considered it. Always be drunk? That doesn’t sound… sustainable to me. But as I thought about it, I realized that Monsieur Baudelaire was right. The poem was not about literal drunkenness — it’s about intoxication on passion, vitality. About living life to the fullest and enjoying it while we’re at it. It’s about getting to know others and yourself. It’s about finding what trips your trigger, what makes you feel alive, and devoting yourself to it. For me, one of those things is basketball. It’s not really about the actual sport; that in and of itself kinda sucks. There’s a lot of running and a lot of contact, and it always ends with me being extremely tired and rather impressively bruised. But I love being part of a team. I love it. Period. There’s something about being

part of a group, knowing they’ll have your back with no questions asked, that is profoundly liberating. We take charges for each other, throw elbows, get in girls’ faces, protecting our own. We share victories and defeats both on and off the court. The relationships I’ve formed with these girls will last well beyond high school. What I love about basketball more than scoring or playing defense is being surrounded by people I consider family.

It’s not a crime to neglect the bad and lose yourself in the good for a little while. No matter what’s going on in my life, for two hours every day I’m surrounded by people who would stand up for me. And I’d do the same for them. I realized that my dedication to, and passion for, this group was something profoundly important to me. Forming emotional connections and building trust and relationships is something essential to life, regardless of the context. It might be a with a sports team. It might be with an extracurricular, or a club, or a youth group, or a band, or a close-knit group of friends. But that sharing of experiences is intoxicating. However, being absorbed within

yourself can be just as effective. In my case, I like to play the piano. I’m terrible at it, but I like it. I took one month of lessons in fifth grade, and I can’t read a lick of sheet music. Most of the time, I just clumsily bang out the chords to pop songs and sing off-key. But it’s fun. The piano is something I have just for myself. It gives me a sense of personal progress and success, no matter how trivial the accomplishment. The size of the achievement doesn’t matter. It doesn’t have to be anything scholarly or esoteric. You spend an inordinate amount of time on your custom classes in Call of Duty? Perfect. You take a little too much pride in your awesome friendship bracelets? Awesome. If you like doing it, if you can lose yourself in it, that’s all that matters. It’s all you really need. These maybe aren’t the most pragmatic ways of dealing with my problems. They’re still there, waiting, when I’ve left the locker room or the piano bench. But when I’m shooting in the gym or experimenting on the keys, I’m so invested in the present that those problems don’t exist. I don’t think it’s unhealthy, and I don’t think that forgetting your problems for a little while is a weakness. It’s not a crime to neglect the bad and lose yourself in the good for a little while. Sometimes, I think the best thing we can do is escape into our passions. The break could be just what you need to help you deal with your problems. So find your passion. Be drunk.

feature: unmc

UNMC PROGRAM medical class helps dreams come true story by elise tucker, design by casey arritt, photos by abegale headlee

hen kids are young, they often play doctor. They have cutesy stethescopes and plastic band-aids. The sick patient is a parent or a fellow student, and they’re always miraculously saved in the end. For most kids, it’s

and teaches them different jobs to do in a hospital. The program lasts a one year and takes place everyday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. In order to take the classes at the program, they need to take fewer classes at the high school. Juniors and seniors can participate and take classes such as Human Genetics and Pathology. When Xiao heard about the program, she was immediately interested and sought to learn more about it. In this program, Xiao gets to gain work experience and see things other students have never had the opportunity to encounter. For example, she was able to watch an open-heart surgery for the first time. “It was amazing to see how they could stop the heart while still getting blood circulated throughout the body with a heart/lung machine,” Xiao said. “Seeing the heart beating in the

I saw how he interacted with patients, and it helped me understand what I would be doing. - senior michelle xiao just harmless fun. But for senior Michelle Xiao, being a doctor was a childhood dream. 13 years later, Xiao talked to her counselor about what she could do to reach her dream of becoming a doctor in high school. She didn’t want to have to wait for college to start. Her counselor told her about the University of Nebraska Medical Center High School Alliance program. The program helps students get involved in the medical field

chest after the bypass was also amazing.” The experience with the open-heart surgery might have been hard for even her childhood self to imagine, but now she is in love with the fact that she can save lives. She wants to become an Orthopedic Surgeon, which means she will specialize in spinal disorders, arthritis, and sports injuries. “To me, it is one of the most interesting specialties because surgeons get to help patients return back to a normal, active lifestyle after an injury,” Xiao said. “I also shadowed an Orthopedic Surgeon which further confirmed my interest. I saw how he interacted with patients, and it helped me to understand what I would be doing in the job.” After watching what she would be doing in the future and shadowing an Orthopedic Surgeon, Xiao’s dream is finally coming true. She will be saving people’s lives in the future, just like she imagined herself doing when she was five.

feature: dessert reviews

CUPCAKES GALORE drowning your sorrows in sugar story by tommy huerter, design by allie laing and kirsten mccormack, photos by abegale headlee

magine a world where you have the ability to eat an entire cake all to yourself without facing any judgment. Well, believe it or not, we live in such a world. I am talking about cupcakes, the hand held cakes you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expected to share with anyone. What screams independence more than your own personal cake? Cupcakes are a personal favorite of mine, but making a batch for yourself is just downright exhausting. This writer needs the lowest work to cupcake ratio possible. The remaining option is to go out in the world to find a cupcake for yourself. I decided it was time to find the perfect place to go to drown in my sorrows with a sugar-filled personal cake, so I grabbed two Craze accomplices and went out on a hunt for Omahaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best cupcake.

CUPCAKE ISLAND 1314 S. 119th St price: $$ atmosphere: cupcake: Hidden in a maze of strip malls, Cupcake Island may not be the easiest to spot, but it’s worth the search. Walking inside, you’re immediately greeted by a large display of cupcakes. It’s a great place to enjoy a treat with a friend or by yourself. They have a large selection of cupcakes, including turtle fudge and snicker doodle. I chose the pink champagne cupcake. The cake was dense and moist. The frosting was smooth and full of flavor. On top of the taste, the cupcake looked beautiful. 3.20 dollars had never tasted quite so good.

feature: dessert reviews

THE CAKE GALLERY price: $ atmosphere: cupcake:

8247 Hascall st. The Cake Gallery is full of customizable cakes, from princesses to superheroes. Of course, they have cupcakes as well. After being tempted by their famous half-pound cupcake, I decided on a vanilla neon twirl, which was a vanilla cupcake with a decorative twist. The cupcake was dense, but a little bit dry. The frosting was aesthetically pleasing, but the taste was lackluster. One thing to note: the Cake Galleryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cupcakes only cost about half on what I paid at the other places. The best place to get cupcakes for a bargain is the Cake Gallery.

JONES BROS. 2121 S. 67 St. price: $$ atmosphere: cupcake: As far as location goes, Jones Brothers takes the cake. It’s in the heart of Aksarben Village with high ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, and plenty of seating. In addition to cupcakes, they have a café with sandwiches, soups, and paninis. After surveying the other desserts, we remembered why we were there and ordered a vanilla with pink frosting. The cupcake was delicious, but the frosting had a little too much sugar in it. I wasn’t complaining while eating the cupcake, but it definitely left something to be desired. It tasted just like something you could make at home, not something you pay over three dollars for.

feature: ask a teacher

THE MAN WITH MANY TALENTS

ntil you’re Westside science teacher Jordan Rhodes, you are not allowed to complain about having a busy schedule. Freshman year, I was in varsity marching band. Being in trumpet line, we had Mr. Rhodes help out our section a lot. I’d never met him before, but it was clear he was very dedicated to helping us out, which became clear as he spent extra time improving us as musicians. Later on that year, I was helping out the reserve baseball team — coached by no other than Mr. Rhodes. Again, he dedicated much of his time to helping the players improve their baseball skill and discipline. It took me a while to figure out that the reason Mr. Rhodes seemed to be everywhere wasn’t because he was stalking me. Rather, he’s just one of the most involved and multi-talented staff members

the multi-talented mr. rhodes offers us his advice story by jake larsen, photos by abegale headlee design by kirsten mccormack in the school. Just reading the list of classes and activities he’s involved in can cause mild to severe fatigue. Along with baseball and music, Rhodes is a physics and earth space teacher and is one of the leaders of medical club. He’s also an excellent cook; he was even able to earn an award for his cooking ability by a student. As a sports lover, musician, science teacher, and master chef, his expertise expands over almost too many subjects. With all of this in mind, it only makes sense that Craze chose him to give advice to students in this month’s Ask a Teacher. If you want to improve your life or gain a few IQ points, one of the best things you can do for yourself is read the advice of Mr. Rhodes, Westside’s own jack of all trades.

If I wanted to go down a science related field in college, what are some classes I should take early? Senior Teigen Swanson “If you’re gonna take a science class, you’ll need to take a lot of the basic types of science. It depends on what degree you want to get, but early on you don’t have a lot of choice since you have to take a lot of different basic courses. You’ll want to have to take all the basic courses required first, but you can choose to take other science classes. But you’ll have to pay extra for those courses, and you’ll have to manage time with more homework.”

How do you time manage all the different activities that you do during the school year?

Why did you choose to teach earth space? Freshman Ian Puls

Senior Zoe Lee

“I was put on that class after student teaching that class. They thought I should continue teaching the class, so I was kinda forced to teach it. Now I really enjoy it and would choose to keep teaching it.”

“I make myself lists of what I need to get done each day and each week, and I cross each task off of what I’ve done. It’s just a strategy I use. Time is time, and things get done over time. You have to go ahead and go each of your tasks. Just do it.”

What are some of the best study techniques?

What got you interested in so many different groups? What made you want to get involved?

Sophomore Dave Shields “It depends on the person. For example, I can’t study with a group, but I take extensive studies in class, and I go over a lot of my own practice problems a lot on my own. I try to find where I make errors and see how I can fix them. I also try to rewrite the notes in different ways.”

Sophomore Jackson Pflug “I played baseball and other sports from a really young age. My dad made me go into band and I almost quit at first, but he made me stick with it, and I got good at it, and I began to enjoy it more and enjoyed the social group with it too.”

How has your outlook on the future changed from the views of your students?

Where did you go to college and high school?

Junior Isaac Ferber

Junior Lindsay McCormick

“Sometimes I worry about all the technology and the dependence on it. That’s one concern I have over the future. Sometimes I wish the students were a little more resilient, willing to try new things and new ideas.”

“High school: Grand Island Northwest, and college I went to University of NebraskaLincoln.”

interactive: insta-grammys

INSTA-GRAMMYS

for those students that need #nofilter story and design by harper newell, photos provided by students featured

nstagram isn’t just about sharing any old picture. An “Insta-worthy” picture takes time and planning. Everyone has that one spot in their house with the perfect lighting for selfies, and many of us have calculated exactly which angle shows off our jawline best. Still, there are some accounts that are clearly ahead of the pack. For this issue, we’ve found some of these users — Westsiders with such impressive Insta’s, it’s hard to believe a professional photographer isn’t running the account. Over the last month, our staff has worked tirelessly coming up with the perfect categories, candidates, and the toughest part, the winners. These Westsiders are giving Sam Smith a run for his money. With categories such as “Selfie Game,” “Nature,” “foodies,” “Vaycay,” and “photography,” these winners will have you begging them to take your picture.

Nature: @brokensensations IRL: Junior Tom Hoglund

Vay-Cay: @xjgn IRL: Senior Carlee Kochanowicz 82

Photography: @wiley.the.coyote IRL: Junior Wiley Jacob

Photography: @melisananu IRL: Junior Melisa Rana

Foodie: @modigs IRL: Senior Sara Modig 83