7 minute read
DEAR DEVIL
A purely Red Devil advice column to address your most pressing questions
by Nadia Burt designed by Nadia Burt graphics by Mara Severts
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Sometimes it can seem as if making friends is harder than talking to your crush! However, don’t stress because there are several ways you can approach someone you want to be friends with and start making those connections. If you have a certain person in mind that you want to be friends with, then the first thing to do is to open up a conversation with them.
For example, you probably know this person from a class or club, so when you see them, the first step is to casually say hello. When I walk into a class, I will usually say hi to the people sitting around me to start a conversation that breaks up any awkwardness or tired energy in the room. If you start a routine of engaging in a bit of conversation each day, a friendship naturally tends to form. If you are someone who is a little shy, I recommend that you try to talk to other people in your class as well! For example, when walking into a class don’t just say hi to this prospective friend. Rather, say hello to people all around the room so that it doesn’t feel like this prospective friend is being singled out. Another thing to do is to try and find commonalities that can spark topics of conversation. I know that we all tend to revert back to the same few topics when we are talking to someone that we don’t really know, such as “that test was so hard,” or “I’m so cold, aren’t you?”. Avoiding these topics and dead end conversations is essential, so focus more on similarities and remember to be genuine as people can sense when you are not being true to yourself.
It can be intimidating trying to approach someone you want to be friends with - the biggest thing to keep in mind however, is that everyone has room for a new friend. Do your best to be authentic, invite them to hang out, send them random Tiktoks, anything that helps to make them less of a stranger and more of a friend! If the person
He left me on read, what should I do?
In situations like these, I always revert back to my favorite phrase: we don’t chase, we attract. If he left you on read then that is his loss and your gain, because you have just avoided a poor communicator and he has lost someone who knows their worth. Now, if him leaving you on read is particularly hurtful, you can still hit back with the trusty trio of report, unadd, and block. It is 2022 and we are heading into summer - it’s time to stand tall and attract good people into our lives, rather than chasing mediocrity.
This advice column is simply how I chose to answer the question - if you or someone you know needs guidance on other issues, reach out to your social worker. If you are unsure who your social worker is you can find information online at the Hinsdale Central Social Work page or through the guidance office.
16 | Perspectives
Do you think schools have an obligation to teach ethics to some extent?
What is ethics? The general understanding of Ethics is that each person has a set of principles to guide them through making morally difficult decisions in the world. We use ethics, a mental and moral contemplation, every time we have to make a decision. Typically ethical is considered equivalent to good and unethical is equivalent to situations that are bad. This question is interesting because it specifically pertains to our education, but I do believe that schools have an obligation to teach ethics. Giving students the tools to think about their decisions and to make choices based on how those decisions will impact others is essential for numerous reasons. One focus at Central over the past few years using the SEL program is building the emotional literacy of the students. Teaching ethics would add on to this curriculum by helping students grow emotionally and providing them with a framework on how to make potentially difficult moral decisions in the future. Learning about the history of ethics and different ideologies is essential however, demonstrating to students that there is never a black and white answer as to what is ethical. Hopefully, a well rounded education within philosophy and ethics prepares students to be thoughtful decision makers and emotionally aware, as they move past high school and into the real world.
Why should we join the Devils’ Advocate team next year?
I joined Devils’ Advocate at the beginning of my junior year and I can easily say it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in high school. I had previously tried out a few other electives like Intro to Business and Pre-Engineering, which I enjoyed but they didn’t seem to be in the vein of what I was interested in. I think for me, the issue was that I was interested in so many different things that it was hard for me to settle on one elective like business, technology, or art.
However, that is why Devils’ Advocate turned out to be one of the best things ever for me. You should join Advo because of the sheer number of opportunities and freedom of what you can do with this class and club. Typically when people think of a magazine they think that they will only be writing but that’s simply not true. Advo is looking for writers, yes, but we are also looking for graphic designers, photographers, managers, etc. People who are personable and willing to go out and conduct interviews, write about the community, take photos, reach out to advertisers, create invoices and so much more.
Every issue I get to choose what I would like to write - ideas are vetted by the head editors but typically there is a lot of freedom and creativity in what your final product looks like. Advo is also a really really close-knit group of students. This year there were only six of us putting together the magazine: six editors and two section editors. Although it may be stressful to create a print newsmagazine with only a few people, in reality you become very close with the people you work with. We are all great friends and we talk about so much more than just writing or Advo. It’s a collaborative space and I highly recommend people join our Devil’s Advocate team next year!
This advice column is simply how I chose to answer the question - if you or someone you know needs guidance on other issues, reach out to your social worker. If you are unsure who your social worker is you can find
Perspectives | 17
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Mikayel Sardaryan and Kayla Bukas photograph “Night at the Museum,” on April 30 at the Field Museum.
designed by Christine Leung
18 | Photospread
Feeling overwhelmed in your own room? It might be time to declutter.
Keeping your items in order can be a difficult task, esspecially as a teenager with a lot of things and not a lot of time. To make things easier on yourself, its worth considering if you should pass on any of your items.
You can ask yourself a few key questions to decide whether you should keep a given item.
- Does this item make me happy? - Have I used this item within the past month? - Does this item have sentimental value? - Can this item be combined with another item I already have?
Best of luck to everyone on their quest to tidyness!
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