8.12 Issue

hilite CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL NEWSMAGAZINE VOL. 86, NO. 1 AUG. 12, 2021

Have A d n e i r F

I n Me

Students, teachers discuss benefits, challenges in rebuilding relationships leading up to in-person schooling, unified society

PAGE 18 | CADY ARMSTRONG, RAGHAV SRIRAM

table of contents just a minute

12 A NEW LOOK

04 DIRTY DEVICES

Students and administration discuss the new plans for the school year

With returning to school after year of COVID, learn how germs survive on electronics

13 SCHOOL IN SESSION

perspectives 06 VIRTUAL VACATION 07 STUDENTS EAT FREE 08 SOCIAL ANXIETEAM Students may experience social anxiety while readjusting to in-person learning

09 TRUST THE EXPERTS

news 10 NEWS BRIEFS 11 CLUB SPOTLIGHT

entertainment 14 A NEW KIND OF HERO Learn about the upcoming release of Marvel’s first Asian superhero film

cover 16 ALL IN THIS TOGETHER Students, teachers discuss benefits, drawbacks to rebuilding relationships

student section

feature 24 REAL OR FAKE? Students talk about make-believe characters from childhood, recall their imaginary friends

sports 26 UTIMATE TEAM SPORT 28 THE NEW COACH 29 QUALITY CAPTAINS Coaches, athlete consider process of choosing captains, acknowledge its importance

15 minutes

22 WORKING HARD

30 BACK TO IT

23 WEATHER THE STORM

Q&A with student body president Ellis Nou and speaker of the house Julia Muller on their roles in the upcoming school year

Students find ways to cope with stress

Scan this to read a story about marching band summer preparations

staff Editors in Chief Cady Armstrong Chloe Sun Managing Editors Aniket Biswal Sowmya Chundi Daniel Kim Emily Sandy Leah Tan Riley TerBush Front/TOC/JAM Nathan Huang Elise Varhan Perspectives Joshika Sathyamathan Daniel Tian News Zainab Idrees Raghav Sriram Entertainment Riley Laferriere Jillian Moore Cover Maddie Misterka Student Section Saumya Somasi Feature Archit Kalra Chenyao Liu

Sports Austin Guo Darshini Shankar 15 Minutes Jasmine Zhang Web Eva Glazier Social Media Olivia McKee Adviser Jim Streisel Photographers Marissa Finney Luke Miller Olivia Stock Writers Andrew Caito Christian Ledbetter Pallevi Pillai Alivia Romaniuk Kruti Subbannavar Michelle Wan Principal Thomas Harmas Superintendent Michael Beresford

practice makes perfect: The brass section practices in the stadium parking lot. Marching band students continue to prepare for the upcoming competition season and halftime performances.

MARISSA FINLEY PHOTO

Contact information: Mailing Address: 520 E. Main St. Carmel IN 46032 Phone: (317) 846 7221 Ext. 7143 Website: www.hilite.org Email: Staff members may be contacted by using their first initial and their last name appending @hilite.org The HiLite is a student publication distributed to students, faculty, and staff of Carmel High School with a press run of 1,500. Copies are distributed to every school in the Carmel Clay district as well as the Chamber of Commerce.

City Hall and the Carmel Clay Public Library.

The paper serves as a public forum and two-way communication for both the school and the community. Opinions expresed in the newspaper are not necessarily those of CHS nor Carmel Clay system faculty staff or administration.

Credentials: The HiLite belongs to the Indiana High School Press Association, Quill & Scroll and the National Scholastic Press Association.

Advertising: Businesses may advertise in the HiLite if their ads adhere to guidelines. The advertising policy is available in Room C147 or at www.hilite.org/ads-info.

Responding to the HiLite: Letters to the editor will be accepted for the Sept. 23 issue no later than Sept 3. Letters may be submitted to Room C147 placed in the mailbox of Jim Streisel, emailed to management2021@hilite. org or mailed to the school. All letters must be signed. Names will be published. (Letters sent via email will be taken to a student’s SSRT for them to sign). Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual and may be edited.

Corrections and clarifications: The HiLite strives to correct its errors. If you notice any inaccuracies in this or past issues, please contact management2122@hilite.org.

MADDIE MISTERKA FRONT COVER PHOTO

@hilitenews @hilitenews @HiLiteOnline

just a minute

AUG 12, 2021

Dirty Devices The pandemic made people more aware of germs, bacteria.

Take a look at how they can accumulate on electronic surfaces NATHAN HUANG, ELISE VARHAN GRAPHIC

brewing bacteria Bacteria can accumulate on computer screens, accessories even without direct contact CDC, HARTFORD HEALTHCARE, SCIENCE DAILY SOURCES

Screen Heat from the screen creates ideal conditions for bacteria (around 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit) allowing it to spread easily

Buildup Stains and other buildup are areas where bacteria can multiply consistently and damage the computer if left untreated

Central Processing Unit Dust particles can build up inside the computer’s CPU, containing bacteria and affecting its performance

Food and Drink Food and drink gets stuck underneath keys, which is hard to clean

Typing Contact with these 46 most commonly used keys spreads germs

Touch Touching a touchscreen leaves behind bacteria from the nose, mouth and other surfaces that can stay for two weeks

Underside of Mouse Both rolling and optical mice gather bacteria when interacting with the surface below them

Contact Mouse bacteria collects in areas where the user’s fingers contact the mouse

HILITE.ORG

by the numbers

05

sanitary smartphones Check out bacteria hotspots on mobile devices, built-in defenses to fight germs

24%

Microorganisms travel from your fingers to your phone and grow easily with the warm environment of phones due to CPU usage

of people disinfect their phones less than once a year

58

TIMES A DAY average amount people check their phones, spreading bacteria each time

Screen protectors can help kill up to 99% of phone bacteria, preventing it from affecting phone functionality

HARTFORD HEALTHCARE SOURCE

SCIENCE DAILY SOURCE

Dust and other viruses can accumulate near open ports on your phone, potentially damaging functionality

Newly developed chargers can zap away bacteria

growing germs Take a look at how bacteria grows on electronics over time

Colony Forming Units (CFUs) per square inch (thousands)

20

15

Scan this to learn how to safely disinfect all your devices

10

did you know?

5

0

3

Computer

Keyboard

Mouse

Phone

6

9

12

Months

SCIENCE DAILY SOURCE

The average keyboard has over 3,543 colony forming units (CFUs) per square inch, which is twice as much bacteria as an average toilet seat (1,570 CFUs per square inch).

HEALTHLINE SOURCE

speak-ups!

How often do you use your devices and how often are they cleaned?

NATHAN HUANG SPEAK-UPS, PHOTOS

“I use electronics daily, for about 3 to 4 hours. Even though I have heard about how dirty electronics can get, I don’t really clean my devices at all.”

Sophomore Alec Didocha

Senior Ilvia Acosta-Silva

“As of COVID, I clean my device every day, at the end of the day. Before COVID, I would say I cleaned my devices every three days. I think it’s really important to disinfect your devices, especially in today’s times.”

perspectives

AUG 12, 2021

Virtual Vacation As CHS is not requiring vaccanations for eligible students and staff, it should offer a fully-virtual option for students

F

HILITE STAFF EDITORIAL or the

2021-22

school

year this district plans to operate on a fully in-person schedule. As of press deadline Aug. 1, the school will also not require vaccinations or masks for students and staff, regardless of whether or not they’ve been vaccinated.

Additionally, according to Superintendent Michael Beresford, the district will not offer a virtual option. “We have no plans to offer a virtual option for next year. Our percentage of students that took the virtual option (last year) was less than 20% of our students overall. When we did a survey about next year, almost everyone all but a handful said they were planning on coming back,” Beresford said. “There

speak-up!

just weren’t that many people who said they were interested in a virtual option and it’s really expensive to do.”

Because the only option is fully in-person, students at high-risk for COVID-19 will be required to attend in-person. Further, because neither vaccinations or masks are mandatory, some students can choose to do neither, exposing those high risk individuals to the virus and potentially causing them harm. The HiLite staff understands that unless it they are required in certain places, vaccinations and masks are optional and up to the individual.

However, if students were to contract COVID-19 and go to school without wearing a mask or getting the vaccine, they are choosing to expose those around them to the virus. This in turn can potentially cause other

ANIKET BISWAL SPEAK-UPS, PHOTOS

What are your thoughts on going back fully in person?

“I am excited to go back to school fully in person because I get to see all my friends that I wasn’t able to before.

I really just miss having a normal school day and getting to participate in classroom activities. I am concerned of new health risks because of the Delta variant, but I think if we stay cautious Junior we can hopefully beat it, too.”

Catherine Byrne “I’m pretty excited to go back fully in person this school year now that COVID-19 has subsided. I will be able to see my friends who I haven’t seen in a long time or gotten to spend time with. Another reason I’m happy about going fully in-person is I’ll be able to see my teachers more consistently. Last year, I didn’t see my teachers as consistently, and I Senior think it hurt my learning.”

Ameya Bhargava

by the numbers

46%

of the population is fully vaccinated in the U.S.

322

MILLION vaccine doses given throughout the U.S.

10% of the population is fully vaccinated worldwide

152

MILLION people are currently fully vaccinated in the U.S.

44%

of the population is fully vaccinated in Indiana OUR WORLD IN DATA SOURCE

our stance We recommend that the CCS district offers a fully-virtual option for students in the upcoming 20212022 school year. students harm as they could be highrisk or unable to get the vaccine due to outside factors. Since the district does not plan to track vaccinations, there is no way to know if peers are face these issues. However, if there was a fully virtual option, high risk students or those unable to get the vaccine could have peace of mind and learn safely from their homes and away from exposure. This would also leave the choice to vaccinate or wear masks up to the individual, allowing all parties to be satisfied.

Further, because there might not be enough interested students for the virtual option, a potential solution would be to have the virtual students Zoom in to classes during the school day. This way, they could do the same assignments and even participate in discussions, just virtually from home.

This would once again help give students comfort and also save money, making a virtual option more realistic.

Overall, because the district is not requiring vaccinations or masks for all students, COVID-19 could still be spread from student to student. With high-risk individuals among them, this could be potentially dangerous and unsafe. To eradicate this, the district should offer a fully virtual option, though perhaps in a different format h from last year, for students.

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07

Students Eat Free Despite stereotypes about Carmel, USDA made right decision to continue free lunches program for 2021-2022 school year

T

SOWMYA CHUNDI COLUMN o me, living in carmel is

such a privilege. This city boasts over 100 roundabouts, highly ranked schools and new development projects that cost millions of dollars.

However, last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many economic inequalities that existed in Carmel were exacerbated by families losing their jobs, homes and financial stability. As a result, in 2020, Carmel Clay Schools Food and Nutrition Services announced that a nationwide emergency waiver that allowed all students to receive free school meals.

Additionally, the USDA recently announced it would continue the free lunches program throughout the 2021-2022 school year as well.

Despite popular belief, school lunch cost remains a significant barrier to a happy and healthy student life.

In fact, the cost of each lunch adds up, meaning when students’ funds

free food?

Scan this to read more about free lunches

are depleted and bills accumulate, there’s an increasing burden put on the school districts that bear it.

Last December, The Washington Post reported that students in D.C. owe a total of $500,000 in unpaid lunch debt for just one semester of the academic year alone. That’s why I, along with others, this school made the right decision by extending the free lunches program to all students for an additional year.

The economic impacts of COVID-19 still haven’t worn off, and many families still don’t have a reliable source of income. A student should never have to decide between paying for their lunch or paying for a textbook. By eliminating some of these barriers, CHS plays a big role in reducing socioeconomic barriers to a quality education.

That being said, there’s always room for improvement. According to SNA, more than 40% of school

districts in the United States saw an increase in the number of students who are not certified for free meals but still do not have the funds to pay.

In general, free and reduced-cost school lunch programs still pose serious barriers to access. For some families, application forms can be long and complicated. For others, families make just enough income to surpass the threshold for free lunch, but still live in economic uncertainty.

Overall, the free lunch program has shined a light on a greater problem at this school. While we’ve taken the steps to understand diversity of race and gender, we must also take the time to learn about economic inequalities and the different obstacles many students face. Only then will we be able to ensure an equal access h to education for all students.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Sowmya Chundi at schundi@hilite.org

vaxxed and relaxed June 5, 2021 at 11:13 a.m.

///

Me, getting my first COVID-19 vaccine May 8, 2021 at 11:15 a.m.

/ //// / / / / //

Me, counting down until my second vaccine appointment

Me, getting my second COVID-19 vaccine May 22, 2021 at 11:15 a.m.

///

Me, counting down until two weeks fully vaccinated

Me, on my way to the store June 5, 2021 at 11:16 a.m.

EMILY SANDY GRAPHIC

08

AUG 12, 2021

Social Anxieteam As students return from fully virtual learning, many experience social anxiety readjusting to in-person

A

CHLOE SUN COLUMN

s one of last year’s many

hundreds of teachers, friends and fully virtual students, by peers in a day to barely any was a mathe time this column is jor change, and going back to that published, I will be returning is going to be a major one as well, to a “normal” school environwhether it’s a welcome change ment for the first time. After or something you dread. months of learning through On one hand, I’m really Zoom screens and Canlooking forward to being able vas quizzes, plunging back to see my friends again and into a school of thousands get real-time feedback from after living through a year teachers. While the summer of learning from a laptop in may have allowed for more awkward turtle my bedroom is a significant time to spend with friends I by the change, to say the least. haven’t gotten to talk to all year, Gone will be my days of sleeping numbers I’ve missed being able to laugh at past midnight and waking up past lunch with them, walk the halls and noon, choosing to complete schoolsay hello to people I know on my way work along a wildly unconventional to class, and work with people face-toof adolescents timeline and going about my day face instead of via Canvas discussions. have social with absolutely no predetermined Nothing beats in-person interaction anxiety schedule to govern my life. when it comes to learning as well, and disorder. The I expect the biggest change to it’s safe to say I won’t miss awkward prevalence adapt to upon my return to be the silences in Zoom calls or bad internet was higher in jump in social interaction. While connection when teachers are doling females than learning virtually certainly had its out important information. males perks, an active social life was not one Despite this, social anxiety may NIMH SOURCE of them. Going from interacting with be inevitable. What conversation

9.1%

building bridges Student body last year

skills I had before the pandemic have rarely been used, and I know I’ll be back to trying to make awkward small talk with others about how cold the air conditioning is or how hungry I am for lunch. I expect my social battery might also overload, having to interact with hundreds of people I’ve grown comfortable not having to even think about.

However, that’s to be expected.

Everyone’s returning to a school environment they haven’t witnessed for a while, so I believe it’s fair to give everyone a period of grace to readjust.

Whether you missed CHS’s school environment or are finding it hard to embrace, know you’re not alone, and it’ll take some time to get used to— but if we’ve gotten through a year of learning through a pandemic, there’s no doubt we’ll get through the transih tion back to normal.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff.

Reach Chloe Sun at csun@hilite.org

DANIEL KIM GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

Student body this year

HILITE.ORG

09

Trust the Experts Consult trained professionals when dealing with mental health issues RILEY TERBUSH COLUMN

A

fter quarantine last

another’s problems. It’s important year, as activities slowly that friends feel comfortable constarted up again fiding in each other about and I was reunited with their problems. Howfriends at my dance stuever, when issues reveal dio, it was clear that the themselves to be bigger pandemic had negathan you know how tively impacted to handle, that is everyone’s mental when they should state. It was harder be handed off to to stay focused experts. and motivated Luckily, we in class and harder have a team of to have a positive trained counselors at stressed out mindset with the our school. Students sudden limitations and uncertainty should know that counselors are about whether we could perform again. always available to talk to, and that But beyond that, some of my there’s only benefits in opening up peers were struggling with much about their issues. deeper issues. My classmates started It may seem like more of a hassle confiding in me issues I didn’t know than it’s worth to get counseling, but how to react to; they revealed habits in the long run, it is worth it to speak of self-harm and disordered eating to a professional about life issues. It’s and even suicidal thoughts. also important to not downplay your I found myself trying to deal with struggles; even if, like me, you’re these problems on my own; I felt dealing with friends’ problems, menthat, as their confidant, it was my tal health care is still necessary. responsibility to make them better.

Going to school everyday and evBut I was never sure that what I was erything returning to normal is a posidoing was correct or entirely helpful. tive change, but it will be hard to adjust It also took a toll on me to help to the increase in time at school and at my friends. It was very hard on me activities and may take a toll on mental when my friend told me they didn’t health. Don’t hesitate to direct others have a reason to live; I was terrified. or yourself to counselors to talk about And leaving the situation to adults these issues. And remember to take h somehow didn’t seem right either, as The views in this column do not necthough it was a betrayal of the trust essarily reflect the views of the HiLite my friend had put in me. staff. Reach Riley Terbush at rterWe are taught that mental health bush@hilite.org is important and should be taken care of, but we aren’t yet fully equipped Scan this to deal with it. Mental illness is very complex and nuanced, and it is best to read to direct peers to trained professionmore about als when put in a situation we don’t mental know how to handle.

That said, I’m not saying it’s not health a part of friendship to listen to one

senior blues EXPECTATION: Finally, senior year! I can’t wait to not do any of my homework and hang out with my friends every day!

REALITY:

COLL itis

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Se

r nio

re s

po Adu ns lt ibi liti e

s

LEAH TAN GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

news

AUG 12, 2021

News Briefs RAGHAV SRIRAM BRIEFS

Aug. 12

First Day of School for Carmel Clay Schools

Aug. 18

GKOM Connection Session Day

Aug. 19

World Humanitarian Day

Aug. 26

Women’s Equality Day 2021

Sept. 3

CHS Blood Drive

Sept. 6

Labor Day

CHENYAO LIU PHOTO

Sun

Mon

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Aug. 27

Mon

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SEPTEMBER 2021

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CCRC College Info Night

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Homecoming Week

Sept. 23

Carmel High School Mental Health Fair

Sept. 23

National Events Late Start

SAT Testing

5

Sept. 15

School Events

Aug. 28

CHS Activities Fair Sun

Key

Share-the-Spirit Cheerleading Night

32 Read a story on how mental health and COVID-19 affected summer jobs for high school students

Sept. 29

National Coffee Day GOING GREEN:

Sophomore Kailey Schulz (left) and junior Cadence Proctor (right), Green Action Club members, sort through gently used binders, folders and notebooks that their club will donate to underprivileged youth.

HILITE.ORG

11

Club Spotlight Q&A with Greyhound Kick-Off Mentors, GKOM Leaders CHENYAO LIU Q&AS

Q&A

RYAN RINGENBERG SUBMITTED PHOTO

Ryan Ringenberg, GKOM club sponsor What are GKOM’s goals as a club?

It’s to help freshmen transition from middle school to high school, but at the same time to create more of a family culture within the freshmen center. Part of (the need for the club) stemmed from some bullying incidents over 10 years ago. Administration was looking for a way to foster more of that caring environment and using junior and senior mentors was kind of the answer to that.

Why do you think students should join GKOM?

In many ways, the program benefits our juniors and seniors as much as it does our freshmen. It’s a leadership position; it’s a way for them to really help foster that Carmel High School culture.

What role does the GKOM Council play in making decisions for the school year?

Instead of being in the classrooms, (the GKOM Council) are more on the back-end, planning for the actual orientation day, the freshman orientation day as well as the training day for new GKOMs. Then during the school year, they are the ones planning the connection sessions, taking attendance and ensuring that the GKOMs are supported throughout the year.

Q&A

COUNCIL MEETING: GKOM Council members discuss the schedules for GKOM training and Greyhound Kickoff. GKOM training and Greyhound Kickoff were scheduled for Aug. 5 and Aug. 6 respectively.

LEAH TAN PHOTO

KATERINA FOLKIN SUBMITTED PHOTO

What are GKOM’s plans for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year?

Katerina Folkin, GKOM Council Member What role does the Council play in decision-making for the club?

The Council members regulate and create activities for the connection sessions, assist in leading GKOM training, maintain & promote social media, visit middle schools, design T-shirts, and run Greyhound Kick-Off.

We have a lot of great, interactive activities planned for Greyhound Kick-Off including touring the school, playing lots of games, snacks, scavenger hunts and more. For the school year, we would like to implement more engaging and interactive activities for the freshmen to help lead them towards the right path at CHS.

Why did you choose to join GKOM? When I found out about GKOM my freshman year, I knew I wanted to make the same impact my GKOMs did, be a role model, and help freshmen adapt to high school.

12

AUG 12, 2021

A New Look CHS administration describes their prioritization, policies for 2021-2022 school year

A

RAGHAV SRIRAM STORY ccording

to

assistant

Principal Amy SkeensBenton the decision for a fully in-person school year was based on the governor allowing events to occur in full-capacity settings once again.

She said, “We believe that inperson learning and having (students) on a schedule every day is what’s best for (them).”

Junior Shreya Krishnan said she agrees with Skeens-Benton and is excited to be returning to in-person schooling this year.

“I am glad that I made the decision to get the vaccine so I feel a little safer since I will have some immunity when we come back to school next year. I’m also, in a way, looking forward to going back because it’s my first time going back after a year and a quarter from being back at the school,” she said.

According to Skeens-Benton, the administration is prioritizing a smooth transition to a full in-person school year for all students.

“We have had some students that haven’t been in the building at all this year and we’ve had students that have only been here for half of the time. We really want them

speak-up!

to get acquainted with this school and feel comfortable so we are going to be doing more before school starts to acclimate kids than we’ve ever done before. We’ve always done this for freshmen and done the GKOM program, but now for upperclassmen we are going to put a bigger emphasis on acclamation before school starts.”

For Krishnan, she said she is excited to see her teachers and mentors in-person once more.

Krishnan said, “I am definitely looking forward to having a faceto-face interaction with my teachers again. Doing things on camera and doing things in-person are two very different things so I am looking forward to that. I’m also looking forward to seeing people since it’s been awhile.”

According to Skeens-Benton, after the distanced school year, she encourages students to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them at this school.

“I think that we should never take for granted the opportunities we have, especially at Carmel High School. Maybe this year was something we learned from as far as taking advantage of every opportunity,”

by the numbers

86 days of instruction in the first semester

94 days of instruction in the second semester

180 days of instruction total for the 2021-22 academic year

324 GKOM mentors for the 202122 academic year CCS SOURCE

Skeens-Benton said. “I remember, not this year because we had hybrid, but the year before when we had seniors, when we ended in March, and the seniors didn’t get together, they came out with a video to underclassmen and they said, ‘Go to everything, go to football games, go to Homecoming, go to volleyball games, get together with your friends and take advantage of all the things the school has to offer because you never know when it’s not going to be there and you missed out on an opportunity to meet new people and I think that’s the greatest thing that (this school year) is going to offer,” she said.

According to senior Sneha Srivatsa, she agreed with SkeensBenton and also plans to make the most of this year after the non-traditional school year.

“I’m so excited about the upcoming school year. I’m going to be able to see all of my friends in school again and just be reunited once more. It has been a while since the Class of 2022 has been all together and I’m ready to see my classmates again,” Srivatsa said. “Overall, I’m determined to go out with a bang h and have a good time.”

How do you feel about going back to school fully in person this year?

EVA GLAZIER SPEAK-UPS, PHOTOS

“I am excited to go back to school full time next year. I want to see the other cohort because last year I missed my friends. I felt divided from them, it will be exciting to see everyone. I also think going (to school) full time will make senior year a Senior Cameron Burnett really fun time for all.”

“I don’t want to go back to school fully next year. I like virtual days because I can work on my homework at my own time. The hybrid schedule allowed me to see my friends and then have the next day to relax and do homework when I Junior Alex Kaczmarek want to throughout.”

HILITE.ORG

13

School In Session CCS district opens new elementary school on 116th Street and Clay Center

q&a

OLIVIA STOCK Q&A

RON FARRAND SUBMITTED PHOTO

Ron Farrand, director of Facilities & transportation Why did the CCS district decide to construct new elementary schools?

“We’re building two, and the two schools that we’re replacing had come to the end of their life cycle. In this case, for both buildings, this would’ve been their second major remodeling so parts of them are roughly 60 years old. We have lots of things about the buildings that don’t meet our indicational criteria in terms of what we want our new buildings to do. They just were outdated, systems were bad, and they needed a lot of work; it was more economical to build new buildings.

Will students be able to move into the building for the 2021-2022 school year?

“Absolutely. The district did redistricting this past winter and that redistricting is predicated on those two buildings being open and ready to go. There’s kids being transferred to new buildings or existing buildings across the district. A lot of students are coming from other schools because of the redistricting.”

work in progress: The CCS district finished construction on the new Clay Center elementary school on July 1. The building will be open and running for the 2021-22 school year.

OLIVIA STOCK PHOTO

q&a

OLIVIA STOCK Q&A

RHONDA TURNER SUBMITTED PHOTO

Clay Center Principal Rhonda Turner Why did the CCS district decide to construct a new elementary school at Clay Center?

It was effective to build anew when we also still needed to redistrict. Our east side schools, some of them were smaller in capacity where our west side schools were larger like West Clay had high enrollments so we needed to shift kids that way so it made sense to build it and redistrict.

Is there anything else you feel that readers should know?

“We are really excited to be going down in history as starting a new school. Our staff will be the first at a school that will probably be in Carmel Clay Schools for many years to come, so it’s pretty exciting to be part of that staff. We’re really looking forward to uniting three different communities. We have Orchard Park feeding into Clay Center, and we have West Clay feeding in and Towne Meadow kids feeding in so it’s a really neat opportunity to join three different sets of communities and create one school family.”

entertainment

AUG 12, 2021

A New Kind Of Hero History, impact of onscreen Asian representation comes to forefront with upcoming release of Marvel’s first Asian superhero movie, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” CHLOE SUN GRAPHIC

q&a

OMDB, KONTINENTLIST SOURCES

CHLOE SUN Q&A

REMI SHIRAYANAGI SUBMITTED PHOTO

Senior Remi Shirayanagi President of the Advancement of Asian Americans in Arts & Athletics (A5 Club)

What’s the importance of Asian representation?

How does A5 celebrate Asian representation?

Asian representation is crucial.

When people that look like us, have similar backgrounds and share similar experiences to us are represented, it shows people that race is not a barrier in achieving their dreams. It’s also about the changing image of Asian Americans. There are so many negative connotations and stereotypes towards us, and it’s nice to see that there are some positive portrayals.

A5 is all about breaking stereotypes, challenging the model minority myth and encouraging Asian-American students to pursue unconventional careers, interests and passions, so we love to celebrate Asian-American people in film, media and television who are pursuing those paths as well.

year in, year out

30K

Take a look at the amount, gross profit of movies with an all-Asian cast over the 2000s so far Movies with all-Asian casts

15K

‘00

‘01

‘02

‘03 ‘04

‘05

‘06

‘07

‘08

‘09

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‘13

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Gross (Million USD)

*each rectangle represents a blockbuster movie

HILITE.ORG

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cast out Meet the Asians in front and behind the screen who worked on “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”

Awkwafina Plays Katy Chinese-American actress/comedian

Ronny Chieng Plays Jon Jon Malaysian comedian/actor

Michelle Yeoh Plays Jiang Nan Malaysian actress

Simu Liu Stars as Shang-Chi Chinese-Canadian actor/writer/stuntman

Dave Callaham Destin D. Cretton Jacinta Leong Chinese-American half-Japanese Asian-Australian screenwriter director art director

lineage lineup Meet lesser-known Asian comic book heroes of Marvel

HULK (AMADEUS CHO) The “Totally Awesome Hulk,” a teenage genius and obnoxious loudmouth who can hack anything

SILK (CINDY MOON) Korean-American genius, is bit by same spider as Spiderman and shoots organic webbing from her hands

MS. MARVEL (KAMALA KHAN) A witty, confident Pakistani-American teen and Marvel’s first Muslim superhero, can transform her body at will

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AUG 12, 2021

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All In This Together Students, teachers face unique challenges as they resume a “normal” schedule this year CADY ARMSTRONG, RAGHAV SRIRAM STORY CHLOE SUN PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

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AUG 12, 2021

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efore the recent pandemic,

juniors Abby Burnham and Nyah Lam said that they were inseparable.

“Previously, we always hung out during cross-country. We always had sports together and we went to the same middle school so we were used to seeing each other every day. Then, during freshman year, we always hung out in the morning. But (during the 202021 year) since we weren’t in the same cohort, it was harder,” Burnham said.

Lam said she agreed and that when they did talk, there was a sense of awkwardness at first.

She said, “I feel like we definitely talked less. Yeah, definitely not as much. And this past year, we’ve kind of had opposite schedules so we haven’t had that much to talk about, and even then, I couldn’t keep up great conversation because we were so disconnected when we would talk, I wouldn’t know what to say since I didn’t really know what she was talking about.”

Scan here to view a list of upcoming events in Carmel and their corresponding times and locations from Visit Hamilton County

best friends forever Take a look at what a survey of 239 students at CHS said about friendships in high school 115 Have a closer knit small group of friends

105 Lost friends in high school

101 Made new friends in high school

86 Are friends with people of similar interests (same clubs, sports, extracurriculars)

65 Have a larger group of friends

59 Are part of multiple friend groups or don’t have one specific friend group

26

Are friends with the same people

Number of Students SOWMYA CHUNDI GRAPHIC

Like Lam and Burnham, senior Jillian Escobar said she too felt separated from her friends because of the nontraditional school year.

Escobar said, “When you are split arbitrarily just by last name, it ended up that a lot of people that I saw regularly my freshman and sophomore years had names in the latter half of the alphabet. I was unable to see them at any point, we were and still are in a global pandemic and didn’t have vaccines yet so seeing them outside of school really wasn’t an option.”

Further, a peer-reviewed 2020 study conducted by researchers from Plos One came to similar conclusions, finding a 16.6% decrease in the number of students who reported they had a study partner.

According to Katie Kelly, social studies teacher, making these connections and building relationships as a high schooler is needed for success and is one of the reasons why she became a GKOM sponsor this year.

“I think the connections that can be built between freshmen and upperclassmen are essential for success at CHS. This kind of dates me, but when I was a student at CHS, as a freshman, we didn’t have GKOMs and I remember my entire first week of school, I came home and I cried because I felt like I didn’t know where I was going like I didn’t know what I was doing,” Kelly said. “What I like about (the GKOM mentoring program) is (that) before the school year ever starts, our freshmen have a way to contact upperclassmen to ask them questions and I think that connection gives our freshmen an opportunity to talk about things that maybe they might think are stupid or that they’d be nervous to talk about with an adult but they can ask questions like ‘hey, what lunchroom can I eat at?’ and ‘how do I get to my bus?’, because that can be really intimidating to ask a teacher, but it’s a lot easier to ask someone who’s just two or three years ahead of you.”

Escobar agreed and said the need for connections is why she is rebuilding relationships impacted by the pandemic.

She said, “Throughout the summer I’ve been planning get-togethers with my friends and this has never happened to me before because I’m not usually the type of person who goes out and asks people whether they want to hang out over the summer, usually my summers are entirely empty and I’m not meeting anyone, but I really feel like because of the pandemic and because I have this opportunity to rekindle some of these relationships now that I’m fully vaccinated. To me, it’s something that’s really important and something that I’m enjoying so far.”

Burnham said quarantine made her branch out more.

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after this prolonged time apart comes with its challenges.

He said, “For so long we have been so isolated and I think we all are not as great with communication and that our social skills have grown weaker with this lack of physical contact so people have grown different in a way that they lack a little bit of communication skills that they once had.”

Further, according to Escobar, the pandemic gave people time to selfreflect and explore their inner selves.

“Spending a lot more time alone as we have been during the pandemic has allowed people to reflect a lot more on who they are and who they want to be.

I think that, especially with our age group, (reflecting) plays a huge role in which people they want to maintain connections with and which people they don’t really want to,” Escobar said.

together again: Juniors Nyah Lam (left) and Abby Burnham (right) stand on opposing sides of an art piece. They said they felt separated by their cohorts during the past school year. Burnham said it motivated her to reach out to friends more.

CHRISTIAN LEDBETTER PHOTO

“Being at home with quarantine, it really gave me time to take a hard look at myself and who I wanted to be and who I wanted to become because I’m really awkward in social situations. I really like meeting new people, but I hate being around them at first and all that stuff. When I went into quarantine and I wasn’t in those social situations, when I start to go back into it, I feel a lot more confident. Quarantine made me want to go out there and see new people and try new things because we didn’t have the opportunity to do that for so long,” she said.

But, according to junior Aeneas Hoffman, rebuilding relationships

sweet tooth: Senior Jillian Escobar pulls the cupcake liner off her cupcake.

Escobar said she thinks one of the most significant aspects of reconnecting with old friends is to keep personal growth in mind. She said that people change, and making sure to surround yourself with people who make you feel good is important.

MADDIE MISTERKA PHOTO

11 Check out the club spotlight about GKOMs and how the club will function on this page

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Moreover, Lam said this period of exploration has caused people to change and acquire new interests, causing some relationships to drift apart.

She said, “I feel like, because you were friends with them before the pandemic and you didn’t interact with them during it, the person you know as your friend probably changed. They came out of quarantine different from the person you knew them as and now you have to navigate that dynamic with someone who is now a completely different person in addition to yourself who also probably changed as well.”

Additionally, Escobar said that when considering rebuilding relationships, it is important to remember that everyone has changed over the course of the pandemic and encourages others to proceed with caution.

>>

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AUG 12, 2021

goes back to the idea of >>“Ithowall that person makes you

feel. If you are trying to rebuild that friendship and the person is constantly gaslighting you or is overall toxic and is making you feel bad and you kind of feel like this is not what it used to be, I would just recommend some caution. If you have to break up the friendship and it’s the best thing for you then that would be what I would advocate doing,” Escobar said. “If you feel like the person that they are now, (knowing) they have changed, isn’t making you happy or is not enjoyable or is not comfortable anymore, pulling the plug is something that you have to consider.”

However, Kelly said that this time apart should not discourage students from rebuilding lost friendships and relationships.

“I would say that one of the things they can do is to reach out to friends.

It’s really easy to think ‘I’m left out, no one is talking to me.’ What they don’t realize is that no one is talking to anyone. Nobody’s getting together so, be the person to call someone and say ‘hey, let’s get together, hey let’s go to the football game, hey let’s go see the soccer game.’ That would be my biggest piece of advice is, don’t assume you’re being left out. Instead, go out and create active ways to get connected with your friends,” Kelly said.

Further, according to sophomore Shravan Chengalva, though fully virtual-schooling last year made him physically isolated, it also provided an opportunity to reconnect with an old friend.

“I had this friend, we were in different elementary schools, but our parents were pretty close and we used to hang out a lot over the summer and go to each other’s house.

Then in middle school, he went to a different middle school and we

by the numbers

1 in 3 Americans reported feeling “extreme loneliness” during the quarantine

46% of young adults ages 18-24 felt heightened anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic NPR SOURCE

barely talked to each other. We saw each other maybe a few times and we knew each other, but we really lost connection for about three years or so,” Chengalva said.

“When I got his phone number and then found out he was going to be virtual and that got us talking about what classes we shared. We found out that we pretty much had all of our classes together so I introduced him to my existing friend group and we had this discord server where we would talk very frequently, almost every day, and throughout the past school year our relationship grew stronger so this was kind of a positive thing that happened because of the pandemic since it allowed us to get back together in a way I didn’t think was ever going to happen especially after our extracurricular stuff went our separate ways.”

Additionally, Hoffman said that this period of self-growth will provide the fun and games: Juniors Nyah Lam (left) and Abby Burnham (right) play table tennis in Midtown.

Lam and Burnham said they remained friends despite being in opposite cohorts.

CHRISTIAN LEDBETTER PHOTOS

foundation for meaningful discussions. during this upcoming school year.

“Through this pandemic with all this isolation going on, we have all gotten the chance to try out new things and that will bring new ideas and new experiences to share when we get back,” Hoffman said. “It’s going to be the stuff that fuels the conversations that will probably go on for months and months to come when we come back to this physical environment. So I think that these new experiences and the selfgrowth that we have had this past year will benefit us when we come back to in-person schooling.”

According to Chengalva, in-person learning will serve as an opportunity for many students and staff members to rebuild relationships that were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

two peas in a pod: Juniors Nyah Lam (left) and Abby Burnham (right) laugh as they sit on a bench in Midtown. Prior to COVID-19 shutting down many aspects of everyday life, they said they spent time together frequently. After quarantine, the two said they adjusted to seeing each other again quickly because of their place on the CHS track team. Lam said it was like their friendship was never affected by the pandemic.

CHRISTIAN LEDBETTER PHOTO

“Regardless if you are virtual or in-person you still have access to your phone and virtual communication. (In-person schooling) just adds a major element to (everyone) as you are able to talk to people face-to-face,” Chengalva said. “Inherently that is school in itself, it is about talking to classmates and working on stuff.

Through that, you form friendships and bonds among other ways as well.”

(dun)barring connections Learn about Dunbar’s number, how COVID-19 may affect it Dunbar’s number says humans have, on average, 150 meaningful relationships

Closer, smaller social circles

However, COVID-19 may change that: Isolation Smaller gatherings Internet usage increase

More online connections CHLOE SUN GRAPHIC NYTIMES SOURCE

eye contact: Senior Jillian Escobar (left) looks at senior Naomi Grossman (right) while the two talk. Escobar said she has put in an effort to spend more time with her friends over the summer in order to bring back friendships that were worn down due to COVID-19.

Scan this QR code to read the August 2020 Cover story about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ family dynamics

MADDIE MISTERKA PHOTO

Ultimately, according to Lam, despite people changing over quarantine, rebuilding friendships are possible as long as both sides make a conscious effort.

“For Abby and I, we just met up again one day while running and after a little bit, it was like we never even had a year off. I just saw (Abby) and was like ‘hey’ and we both just kind of caught up and because of track, we then saw each other every day and then our relationship just went completely back to the way it was before quarantine, even if we changed (individually) during it,” Lam said. “I know it might not be that easy for everyone else, but (just) try your best and let the relationship grow back to what it was h before the pandemic gradually.

student section

AUG 12, 2021

Working Hard Students find benefits to summer employment ANIKET BISWAL STORY

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or senior sunjay kamath,

with Kamath and said her job has Despite this, Byrne said her job by the gotten her in the habit to wake up was not much affected by COVthis summer has not only earlier in the mornings due to the numbers ID-19 as her company she works for been highly packed, but start of her work shift. does not require masks to be worn. also has been highly rewarding.

Whiteside said, “The costs of a According to Whiteside, the According to Kamath, working summer job include less time for majority of students with summer at Chipotle and McDonald’s over of high school current social activities as some jobs jobs did not report any hindrance the summer required many workstudents work require shifts or may request that to COVID-19. ing hours each week on his schedule. part time. employees are on-call to cover shifts.”

Because of this, Whiteside said Despite this, he said there were many With CHS opening fully in she finds summer jobs beneficial benefits, including the experience he person for the 2021-2022 school and recommends students take gained being in the working world. year, both Kamath and Byrne said those opportunities.

“I was able to gain the experitheir work schedules will change “All employment, even if you are ence of working for real and I was HOURS as a result of school. Kamath said a business owner, has some drawable to meet many new people on or less is the he would likely only work on the backs and/or challenges; therefore, the job,” he said. time allotment weekends since school would take this is a perfect time to learn how Junior Catherine Byrne said she for most high too much time during the week. to work through these challenges so agreed with Kamath about gaining school jobs.

Byrne said she may still work durthat you can increase your chances real-world job experience. She said ing the week but will work more of successful and gainful employher experience working as a decorahours during the weekend to make ment in the future,” she said. tor and cashier at Mary’s Mountain up for her lost time.

Kamath said he agreed with Cookies has helped her gain new YEARS However, COVID-19 did affect Whiteside and recommends to stuskills, such as interacting with cusis the average the way Kamath was able to work dents to take at least one job during tomers and time management. age to get at his jobs, due to how transmitsummer break for its benefits.

Mental health coordinator Stephyour first job table the virus is.

He said, “I highly recommend anie Whiteside said via email sumup from the He said, “Especially in the food getting a job over the summer, mer jobs allow students to become average age of industry, all employees were required even if you decide to not work more independent because they are 16 in 2000. to wear masks , and cleanliness and many hours because it still gives able to learn skills on their own.

THE CLASSROOM health standards were raised signifiyou insight and experience of the “Students often report that sumh SOURCE cantly due to COVID-19.” real working world.” mer jobs are fulfilling because they are able to socialize, maintain a routine, learn and practice executive skills, such as time management, and Check out the laws in Indiana about summer work hours EMILY SANDY GRAPHIC develop insight into their own likes, IN.GOV SOURCE dislikes, strengths, and weaknesses 14 to 15-year-olds 16-year-olds 17-year-olds when it comes to employment and These students can These students These students areas of interest,” she said. don’t have work until 9 p.m. can work until Still, while there are obvian end-hour unless they have 10 p.m., but ous benefits of working over restriction for a school day the with parental 10 p.m. the summer, both Kamath next day; in this permission can days not before and Byrne said there were case they can work until 11 p.m. a school day, but 9 p.m. some setbacks to the busy they can’t begin work until 7 p.m. schedule too. Kamath said work before 6 a.m. he had significantly less 8 hours per non- 9 hours per non- 9 hours per nontime for his personal life school day school day school day each week, but he found it 40 hours per non48 hours per non- 48 hours per nonto be more beneficial than too school week school week school week demanding. Byrne said she agreed

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summer grind

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Weather the Storm Students, teachers find ways to cope with stress in healthy ways CADY ARMSTRONG STORY

S

enior naomi grossman said

she is usually done being productive at 9 p.m.

Grossman said, “For me, I stop doing homework at 9 p.m. It came to be where I would stay up until 1 a.m. working, but the work I would do then wasn’t even really usable because my brain just isn’t working the best then.

At that point, I’d much rather just take care of myself and my body.”

Senior Marina Saweeros said she also struggles to put away her work at a reasonable hour.

Saweeros said, “Honestly, when I have a lot to do, it takes me even longer to complete it all because I get anxious and stressed out by the mountain left to do. Even as I work through it, I can still feel the weight of the other assignments still left gnawing at me.”

Further, according to Grossman, the stress of having much to do also sometimes causes her to stay up working past 9 p.m., breaking the boundary she set for herself.

She said, “Even though I try to be done by 9 p.m., I frequently had to work past that during my junior year just because of the workload and amount I had to get done.”

However, Saweeros said that she has recently become more effective at focusing and getting her assignments done earlier by using painting as a stress coping mechanism.

“Lately, I’ve just gotten out a canvas and started painting it all different colors, shapes or blocks and just tuned out the world,” she said. “It helps me calm down and realize that for the most part, whatever I’m stressing about at the time is inconsequential in the long run and makes me feel refreshed and like my to-do list is more manageable.”

Additionally, according to science teacher Kira Hansen, having a stress outlet is the key to productivity.

Hansen said via email, “When I am really stressed, it’s helpful for me to get away by myself and go for a walk or run to clear my brain. I exercise and try to take deep breaths while relaxing my shoulders, (which) is where I carry the most stress. I also talk to myself and try to replace negative thoughts with positive ones instead and have found that getting outside and talking to myself makes a huge difference and helps me calm down and focus.”

Similarly, Grossman has used gardening as a method for her to de-stress and relieve anxiety.

She said, “Whenever I feel stressed, watering my plants always calms me down. It puts me in a better mood and kind of relieves me of whatever was making me anxious or stressed.”

According to Saweeros, the way in which you cope doesn’t matter, rather more that you have it to begin with.

She said, “I would encourage someone to paint if they’ve been thinking about it but more than that, I would tell someone to find what works for them. We’re all different so I would just tell them to find a healthy activity to relieve h stress that they enjoy doing.”

nip it in the bud: Senior Naomi Grossman holds her cactus that she regularly cares for. She said taking care of her plants gave her great sense of relief from life pressures.

MADDIE MISTERKA PHOTO

feature

AUG 12, 2021

Real or Fake?

Students’ early belief in titular imaginary characters leads to them making their own

J

KRUTI SUBBANNAVAR STORY unior

AlexAndrA “Ally”

Shaw said she remembers when she discovered Santa was not real. Shaw said she remembers discovering the discarded box in the recycling bin that carried hers and her older brother’s presents the morning after Christmas, and that was when she learned the truth about the internationally known symbol of Christmas joy.

Senior Lillian Williams also said she believed in Santa Claus as a child and said she believed in it more as a symbol of Christmas rather than as the character that would shimmy down a chimney to drop presents. She also said she had a time where she believed Santa would come and said she had memories of leaving out carrots for the reindeer.

They’re not alone. According to research by the U.S National

Library of Medicine (NCBI), 85% of children in the USA believed that the titular character Santa Claus was real.

“It’s just the earth-shattering revelation that your parents lied to you that sticks out in my mind right now,” Shaw said.

However, Shaw said she doesn’t mind the lie of being told about Santa and other imaginary characters such as the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny as she said she believes that they are a tradition passed down from generations of parents to create stories and good memories for their children. Williams also said she never saw Santa Claus a lie, but rather as a tradition to carry forward.

“I think that’s a lot of the reason why parents do things for the family, just to do something fun,” she said.

Williams also said it was not that huge of a shock when she finally growing older: Senior Lillian Williams poses next to Santa Claus as a baby (left) and as a teenager (right).

She said even though her parents told her about Santa Claus, she never saw it as a lie.

Williams said she will tell her own children about Santa Claus because she said she thinks it will be fun and will continue the tradition of good memories and gift-giving.

LILLIAN WILLIAMS SUBMITTED PHOTOS

by the numbers

65% of children report they have had an imaginary friend at some point

41% of school-aged childrens’ imaginary friends are animals UNIVERSITY OF OREGON SOURCE

realized that the characters were not real, as she said she came to the revelation gradually.

School psychologist Kristina Bonnet said believing in imaginary characters, whether popular or selfmade, is good for children.

“It can certainly be beneficial for children to believe in imaginary friends or characters. It helps grow their imagination and it is good for (their) development,” Bonnet said via email. “It’s actually a sign of creativity, not loneliness. This creativity can extend long past their childhood years.”

According to child psychologist Sally Goddard Blythe, director of the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology, “‘Imagination is the ability to create visual images in the mind’s eye, which allows us to explore all sorts of images and ideas without

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don’t be naughty Take a look at imaginary creatures used around the world to keep children in line

la llorona La Llorona is a Latin American legend of a woman that haunts riverbanks. In most tales, she is the spirit of a mother who drowned her children and now spends eternity searching for them.

Children are warned not to go out when dark to avoid her.

being constrained by the limits of the physical world. This is how children begin to develop problemsolving skills, coming up with new possibilities, new ways of seeing and being, which develop important faculties in critical thinking that will help the child throughout life.’”

Shaw and Williams also talked about creating their own original characters, better known as OC’s.

Williams said she started creating her own characters by third grade, when she began to get into drawing.

Shaw said she was inspired by Minecraft YouTubers in middle school to create her own character, who now has her own story that Shaw updates as she draws the story out for people to enjoy on her Instagram account. Williams also posts her creations on Instagram and constantly updates it as she draws something new.

Williams said she was inspired to make her own characters by existing series’ characters, and said she kept thinking about the different ways a character could be perceived in a different way from how they were originally portrayed in the show.

“People get creative and it inspires you to get creative,” Shaw said. She said hearing other people’s passion for their own creation was a push in the direction where she wanted to go in creating imaginary characters.

Shaw said the process of drawing her characters starts with creating a basic shape, inking, then coloring with many more steps in between, but

Baba Yaga is a mythological Russian witch who lives in the woods. She is said to have a deep connection to the forest. Children are warned not to go inside the woods when it’s dark or by themselves.

There’s a lot of effort, care, some tears if you’re having a bad day, and overall (that’s how the characters are made).

JUNIOR ALEXANDRA SHAW it requires a lot of time and dedication.

“There’s a lot of effort, care, some tears if you’re having a bad day, and overall (that’s how the characters are made),” she said.

Shaw said she understands the feeling of pride that people get when creating their own characters. She said as she goes along the journey with her character, giving the characters backstories and helping them develop through the plot, it feels like raising kids.

Williams said it was a fun experience for her to create and develop her characters and then share them with the world.

“When I look back on how far I’ve gone on some of my characters, where they start and how they end up, I do feel a little bit of pride,” Shaw said.

Shaw said she believes relating to characters and being invested in them is good for teens’ emotional states as they can deal with their emotions through projecting on certain characters.

“I think there has been a huge growth in escapism in fiction, I think

KRUTI SUBBANNAVAR GRAPHIC BABBEL SOURCE

jersey devil

baba yaga

The Jersey Devil is a monster made up in Philadelphia in the late 1750s. It was described as a creature with a horse’s head, talons, bat wings and a forked tail.

Children are told that it comes out to scare them at night.

it’s always been there, but it’s more prevalent in our generation because of social media. (Social media) is an amplifier for a lot of things that already exist in the world, you just see it and notice it more,” Williams said.

Ultimately when it comes down to believing in imaginary characters, Shaw said she would tell her children about Santa as she said wants her children to continue a tradition of allure and gift-giving. Williams said she agreed with that sentiment as well.

Shaw said she encouraged others to pursue their own creative avenues without fear.

“For all who want to make OCs but are scared, cringe culture is dead,” Shaw said. “It’s dead, I’ve killed it personally and if you want to write OCs, write it as long as...it h isn’t hurting anyone.” imaginary fairy: Junior Alexandra “Ally” Shaw dressed up as a fairy when she was a toddler.

Shaw said she believed in imaginary characters like the tooth fairy when she was younger and considers them a tradition.

ALEXANDRA SHAW SUBMITTED PHOTO

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sports

AUG 12, 2021

Ultimate Team Sport With Regatta Day on Aug. 4, rowers, coach acknowledge how rowing being less common sport contributes to team building DARSHINI SHANKAR STORY

R

ower and junior nyah

Lam competes on the same team as rowers from various schools in the Indianapolis area, she said, due to there being few local rowing clubs. As a result, Lam said many of her competitions are also in other cities and states.

Lam said, “(Regattas) are farther away because there’s not a lot of teams settled here locally. For example, (we’ve gone to compete in) Ohio and Fort Wayne.”

Although rowing receives recognition on a global level—with Regatta Day scheduled to be celebrated in parts of North America on Aug. 4 as well as its status as an Olympic sport—rowing has struggled to gain a foothold here. The

only major club within the vicinity of Carmel is the Indianapolis Rowing Center (IRC), where Lam rows.

Becca Kimball, director of rowing and head coach of the juniors program at IRC, said because IRC is the only club in the area, rowers come together from various schools as one team.

According to Kimball, “Rowing is definitely less well-known at the high school level, but (that) makes it fun because we have one giant team with kids from 32 different Indianapolis-area schools.”

Anna Frey, IRC rower and senior, said rowers from many different schools come together due to the teamwork-centered nature of the sport.

According to Frey, rowing requires more teamwork than other

Scan this QR code to read a World Rowing article on how collegiate and professional rowing crews develop coordination among teammates by rowing.

sports because rowers must act as one unit when they compete.

Frey said, “I have played countless sports in my life and nothing has compared to the teamwork required in rowing. On the water, you do (everything) as a unit. Every single motion of each person has to completely align with the person in front for the boat to move efficiently.”

Similarly, Lam said she closely watches her crew members to ensure their movements are synchronized and their oars hit the water at the same time.

“Mostly for me it’s just been about looking forward and copying the movements of the person in front of me,” Lam said. “Every time the oars go out and then back into the water, the boat stops for a

crew roles Take a look at rowers’ different roles, how they contribute to boat’s motion

NYAH LAM SUBMITTED PHOTO DARSHINI SHANKAR GRAPHIC EAST LYME ROWING ASSOCIATION SOURCE

Bow and Second • adjust their stroke to keep the boat balanced and on track

Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth

Coxswain

• provide power for the boat • carry the rhythm of strokes down the line

• steers the boat • gauges rhythm • gives directions to crew

Seventh and Stroke • set the rhythm of strokes per minute for both sides of boat

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in sync: Junior Nyah H ILam L I T E(second . O R G from right) watches the movements of her teammates. Lam said it is important for all rowers to be coordinated when rowing.

NYAH LAM SUBMITTED PHOTO

moment. So if you’re in sync, the boat stops once. If you’re out of sync, the boat stops several times and your time slows down.”

In addition to the teamwork required when racing at regattas, Frey said rowers must constantly work together at practice.

“It’s interesting because you can’t just (skip) practice one day. If you miss practice, your entire boat can’t go out on the water,” Frey said. “To even carry the boats, which are really heavy, down to the docks, each person has to work together and distribute the weight as evenly as possible.”

Due to the importance of teamwork and collaboration in rowing, according to the University of New Hampshire Magazine, it has been dubbed “the ultimate team sport.”

Because of how important teamwork is in rowing, Frey said her rowing career was affected by COVID-19 when social distancing measures were put in place.

Every single motion of each person has to completely align with the person in front for the boat to move efficiently.

SENIOR ANNA FREY

“Rowing was really tough last year with the biggest shutdown in the pandemic. Our spring season got canceled and we couldn’t go out on the water,” Frey said. “When we got back on the water, we were only rowing in singles or household doubles.”

However, as the situation has improved, Kimball said rowers are now able to compete as they usually do.

Kimball said, “Rowing is great because it is outdoors and we can (socially) distance (ourselves) pretty well. Our team has grown over (the course of COVID-19).”

Despite rowers from different schools being brought together by the teamwork-centered nature of rowing and the challenges they have faced together, Frey said there are still differences between rowers due to their schools’ acknowledgment of rowing.

According to Frey, “IRC is a club team, but it is recognized as a varsity sport (at Brebeuf High School). All of the students there can receive varsity letters for participating in rowing and we can use their facilities and weight rooms. It is really nice that they have recognized it. Being a Carmel student though, it isn’t recognized so it’s the same as playing any other club sport.”

Even though rowers from this school are unable to obtain varsity letters by rowing for IRC, Lam said she still appreciates the sport

rowing races Take a look at eight types of crew races (or regattas) used in rowing Single Scull: 1 athlete; 2 oars Coxless Pairs: 2 athletes; 2 oars Double Scull: 2 athletes; 4 oars Coxed Pairs: 2 athletes; 2 oars; 1 coxswain Coxless Fours: 4 athletes; 4 oars Coxed Fours: 4 athletes; 4 oars; 1 coxswain Quadruple Scull: 4 athletes; 8 oars Eights: 8 athletes; 8 oars; 1 coxswain (This is the traditional race format)

Crew races typically range from 2,000 to 12,000 meters in length NATHAN HUANG GRAPHIC WORLDROWING, USROWING SOURCES

because she enjoys seeing her teamwork and hard work pay off.

Lam said, “I like doing something hard and getting better because of it, (and) I do (rowing) because of that, but also because it’s just fun to go out and be on the water without any pressure.” h

sports

AUG 12, 2021

Quality Captains Coaches, athlete consider process of choosing team captains, acknowledge its importance DANIEL KIM STORY

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ccording to football

Head Coach John Hebert, sports provide a foundation for coherent teamwork and success and at this school, team captains are an example of that leadership.

In almost every sport, new team captains are chosen to help lead the team each year. For example, in football, according to Hebert, he chooses team captains very frequently.

“Each week there will be four captains (last year it was two due to COVID-19 protocols) that walk out to the middle of the field for the coin toss,” he said via email.

“In the course of the 2020 season, 11 different players were selected captain at least once,” Hebert added.

“I typically name the captains for each week prior to Thursday’s practice in front of the team, which usually results in an uproar of applause.”

Hebert said he names captains frequently in order to acknowledge the players that regularly give their all during practices and games. In fact, Hebert said an athlete may even be named as a captain consecutively if they repeatedly show exemplary performance.

“We tell those selected that they represent us and all that we do as a team because they earned it,” Hebert said. “If someone that has been named captain has an outstanding game while fulfilling that role, they (will) likely earn it again the next game if they have a great week of practice.”

Another example of student leadership can also be seen on the tennis team. Although there are no official team captains chosen by the coach, according to Ethan Katz, tennis player and senior, seniors often take on the role due to their experience on the team.

team huddle: Ethan Katz (center), tennis player and senior, talks to his teammates on the court.

According to Katz, although the tennis team does not have captains, he looks forward to mentoring his younger teammates and lead the team well.

ETHAN KATZ SUBMITTED PHOTO

“Usually the seniors are thought of as the leaders and do what a normal team captain would do,” Katz said.

For example, according to Katz, a senior has served as a team captain for him by teaching him.

“A (senior) has helped me by connecting with me on a more personal level which helped me improve by learning under them and looking up to what they are,” Katz said.

However, not all sports team captains are selected in the same manner.

According to Frank Dixon, the women’s soccer head coach, the process of deciding team captains for his team involves more steps than usual.

We tell those selected that they represent us and all that we do as a team because they earned it.

COACH JOHN HEBERT “The Girls’ softball head coach, Emily Good, told me about some leadership courses that she used with her team. I purchased the textbooks and we have used them ever since,” Dixon said via email. “It is now a requirement that candidates for captain take both courses and help teach a course before they can be considered for the captain’s position.”

Additionally, instead of frequent team captain selections, Dixon said he selects the team captains once during the season.

“We now select the captains either just before tryouts or immediately after tryouts. This depends on how confident we are in our selections,” Dixon said. “Sometimes we need those few extra days to be sure we are making the correct choice.”

Katz said he believes, regardless of the sport, a team captain should demonstrate a whole list of attributes.

He said, “Great leadership, communication, confidence, as well as caring and compassion because these are all needed in order to be considered a leader of a team.”

Becoming a team captain with these qualities can be a challenging and important role; however, Katz said he is looking forward to portraying one this year.

“I plan on helping to lead the team when I become a senior,” Katz said. h

she’s a runner: Members of the women’s cross-country team run in a race last fall. Taylor Marshall will serve as the team’s new coach for the upcoming 2021-22 season.

TAYLOR MARSHALL SUBMITTED PHOTO

The New Coach Q&A with Taylor Marshall, new women’s cross-country coach DANIEL KIM Q&A

Where have you coached before?

North Central High School.

How long have you been coaching in general?

I started coaching crosscountry in 2013. I worked with the boys’ team only, then boys and girls, and then boys only again. I became the boys’ head track & field coach at North Central in 2018.

How do you feel about this year’s crosscountry season as a new coach?

I’m so pumped about this upcoming season. I’m (doing) this shortly after our first summer practice. I’m so fortunate to join a program with a lot of hard working, dedicated girls.

What are some What coaching traditions/ by the challenges you think you numbers practices do you plan bring will face or have already with you to this school? faced as a new coach?

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Every great opportunity will present new challenges which is why, in part, I wanted to become a Greyhound. Being a head women’s coach will be different from the past but that’s what makes this new adventure fun.

What plans do you have in order to get to know the team better?

We’ll do all types of team building activities, (such as) ‘get-to-knowyou’ questions after the run, a day trip to an amusement park and a team camp. Most importantly, I will teach in the building and coach the girls yearround, (which) means we’ll get to know each other pretty well.

State championships the women’s cross-country team has

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times the women’s crosscountry team won State runner-up

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YEARS Marshall was a head coach of cross-country teams GOCARMELGREYHOUNDS SOURCE

Tradition. That’s a word that I’ve heard a lot when talking about the Carmel crosscountry program. Traditions that are most important to the girls will continue. This is something I’ve shared with the girls. After all, It’s my job to ensure the girls work hard, get better and have fun.

What coaching traditions/ practices from CHS will you continue?

In terms of bringing over previous practices, I really want to build on the family atmosphere of the program, (such as) pasta dinners, tailgates after the meet and team hangouts (to help) build chemistry and a “we” mentality.

15 minutes of fame

AUG 12, 2021

Back to It Q&A with student body president (SBP) Ellis Nou (left), speaker of the House (SOH) Julia Muller (right) JASMINE ZHANG Q&A

EMILY SANDY PHOTO

Ellis Nou

How do you feel about being elected as the SBP for next year?

I’m very excited about being elected as student body president for next year.

I’m very grateful for the opportunity to lead (the) Senate.

What motivated you to run for SBP? Since my freshman year I always considered running for SBP. I felt like it was a very unique opportunity and believed that I was able to contribute to the Senate.

Following COVID, I was motivated to run for SBP because I felt strongly about helping bring events back.

What are some different ways you campaigned this year?

Social media played a large part in my campaign this year. I focused on reaching out to people in different groups and recruited them in my campaign. Because of COVID, it was a bit difficult to campaign to the entire school because the school was split into different cohorts.

What do you look forward to next year as SBP? Next year as SBP, I look forward to finally being able to complete a whole year of Senate events.

I want to focus on student participation because participation has decreased over the years.

HILITE.ORG

Julia Muller

How do you feel about being elected as the SOH for next year?

I feel so excited and I am so happy to be taking more of a leadership role in the Cabinet and Carmel Dance Marathon. Riley Children’s Hospital is a cause that means a lot to me, so I cannot express how happy I am to be able to support it in such an active way.

What motivated you to run for SOH? Being a two-year member of Cabinet and seeing its strong leadership has really motivated me. Also, the current Cabinet members always inspire me and make me push myself to do more for our organization.

What do you look forward to next year as SOH? I look forward to helping the Carmel student body return back to its high level of activity through the efforts of the House of Representatives and all of the events we can hopefully run next year.

What do you want to accomplish next year?

I would love to get our school more involved in the awesome clubs we have, because I feel like some students have become less involved due to COVID which is totally understandable. To see more people involved in student government or any student activities next year would be my biggest goal.

What is something unique about your election experience and process?

No one else chose to run, so campaigning was not an issue. I did not run into any (obstacles) just because I did not have anyone to run against.

Is there anything else you want readers to know about?

Just that I am so excited to be the Speaker of the House, and I can’t wait for all that next year holds.

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sing it out Senior Daniel “Dani” Tanner sings “Not My Father’s Son” by Billy Porter and Stark Sands during the Carmel Pride event on June 27. Tanner was one of the student organizers for Carmel Pride and acted as the master of ceremonies for the performances. This was the first Carmel Pride event and it was entirely organized by students at this school.

CHENYAO LIU PHOTO