October 2024

LeJOURNAL

Notre Dame de Sion High School | Volume 47 | October 2024 ON THE COVER: PAGE 14

EDITORIAL: PAGE 12

A&E: PAGE 22 THE CASE FOR CLASSIC NOVELS

IMPACT ON HOW WE FILL OUR TIME IV I XII XI IX IIIV V X IIV VI III II

MEMES FROM 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS

what’s inside

Kicking Off The Year

Raising their right legs high in the air, the Sion dance team performs a specialized ‘Mix’ dance at a Rockhurst football game Sept. 13 that combines components of hiphop, jazz and kick. The team performs at the event annually and dozens of classmates showed up to support.

“It’s the best feeling looking into the crowd and seeing all of your friends cheering you on,” senior Elizabeth Danda said. “Performing at Rockhurst for the last time was such a bittersweet moment because I loved dancing with a new team in front of a big crowd, but I am so sad it’s my last time.”

editor’s ink

Hello and welcome to a new year of Newsmag! My name is Caroline Deacon and I am so excited to be your 2024-2025 Le Journal Editor-In-Chief. For this first issue, as a staff, we reflected on the ways we live our lives now, from the food we eat to the subjects we turn to for entertainment.

How do we use our time? Is it evolving or devolving? The way we see, experience and consume the modern world is vastly different from the people who came before us: our parents, grandparents, and for some of us, even our older siblings. In a digital age where a tap of a screen can open a million new pathways or keep you trapped in a single perspective, we must ask ourselves the questions ‘Where do the lines blur between the ways technology can help us progress versus the ticking time bomb modern tech is on human creativity? How do we live our lives differently than the people who came before us?’

impacts of how AI has cemented itself into our school atmosphere. Flip to page 10 and reflect on how our interactions with even the people around us has changed in comparison to our parents.

With an evolution of technology comes an evolution of how we prioritize what is necessary to consume. On page 12-13, read our staff editorial exploring the emphasis of modern literature in Sion’s English department.

And just on the next page, deep dive into the Issue 1 Cover Story, and question with us how we fill our time in a digital age. When you need a breath of fresh air, don’t forget to check out our new Sion freshman Chloe Guenther’s soccer aspirations on page 8-9.

student space

Jae High

Sophomore Jae High has been selling her art at jaelynhigh.com since 2020, with prices ranging anywhere from $45 to $240.

“I’ve been doing it my whole life but I didn’t really start professionally until COVID because I was bored. And that’s also when I started my website and everything. That’s when I really started to practice and get good at it. It was originally my mom’s idea because I was trying to save up for something

and I didn’t have a way to make money.”

High plans to continue her passion for art beyond high school, whether as a career path or not.

“I really like adding all the color to my art, especially if it’s painting, because it’s the one thing I can do where my brain is completely quiet. I put on music or a video essay and I just get to zone out and paint something that I really like. It’s really relaxing.”

In this first issue, our request as a staff is that you let these questions sit. Don’t shove them away, even though it can be easy.

On page 4-5, explore the

Whether you’re just flipping through the pages on the way to your next class or delving into a deep story, I hope you find something within these 28 pages that resonates with you. We’ve spent hours interviewing, writing and designing to get to this point and I can’t wait for you to see all our staff’s hard work. Lastly, a huge thank you to the rest of the editorial team: Addie Doyle, Amelia Bedell, Bridget Bendorf, and Ella Satterwhite. Please enjoy!

Caroline

PHOTO | ALEXIUS WOLFF

AI loading...

AI can be a useful tool or a threat to academic integrity, and the line between the two uses can be blurry.

BY EVELYN CRAMER REPORTER

In this new digital age of technology, AI has risen to the surface as a topic of controversy, especially when it comes to education.

AI has proven to be very effective for helping to give ideas for work or find sources of information. It’s efficient and easily accessible, which is one of the factors that makes it so tempting to cheat and take shortcuts. AI can be helpful in terms of brainstorming and getting ideas flowing. People often face blocks when writing a story, creating art or even just

having a conversation. This leads to people searching for inspiration with technology. Our minds are so consumed by the technology around us and face difficulty when forced to brainstorm on our own, so we lean on AI for help. Although this can be helpful in the moment, its implications are dangerous. Using AI for vague outlines has helped so much in terms of efficiency for us as regular people trying to get through the day.

“It’s absolutely crucial in things like spell check and it can be useful in terms

of research,” senior English teacher Erin Hamer-Beck said. “When you use Google, it’s trying to guess what it is you’re looking for and so it will anticipate what your next questions will be. That is incredibly useful.”

AI can also offer entertainment and a distraction from the world we live in every day. Sion maisons used AI to invent theme songs with the help of student input. AI can be both helpful and entertaining, but there are downsides as well that can’t be ignored.

“I don’t know that we should be entirely dependent on AI when you get into more

advanced research,” Hamer-Beck said. “It can be difficult to utilize resources such as J-store or Ebsco or scholarly databases because they aren’t as intuitive. You have to actually learn how to get your questions exactly right to find out what you need and so AI is useful to a certain extent.”

It truly is hard to tell a good source apart from what is unreliable. AI was partially created to be helpful and quick to find resources and information, yet we as students have had to get lessons from our teachers on how to navigate and filter bad resources of information and sites. There shouldn’t be resources that aren’t credible online because it’s difficult to be able to filter out.

It would be useful for AI to be able to filter out the unreliable sources for research, especially as AI is a resource that can provide information efficiently for us as people living in a modern day world. The more we get into a modern day world and the more I think about AI continuously growing it makes me nervous not knowing how far AI can and will improve. AI often feels foreign; a useful, but scary resource that we don’t know what to make of.

“I grew up with science fiction so there was always a horror element to it,” HamerBeck said.“It was like a cautionary tale, like watch out if the AI is gonna come and get you in the form of the Terminator or even like the Betrayal of Ripley and Aliens. And I think that there’s always gonna be that level of the unknown that sends tremors down my spine.”

There is a gray area in schools in terms

of knowing how far is too far when using AI. Every teacher, school and grade has different opinions when it comes to the ethical uses of AI in the classroom. AI is a great tool to be used and is extremely helpful in class work. Using AI in education is dangerous because students can develop reliance on the technology. As a student, I don’t want to feel self-reliant on something I don’t know fully about. Especially if I don’t think I will ever fully understand it.

“I have a list of rules that we go through in the very beginning of class where I outline AI’s usefulness and how you can use it effectively,” Hamer-Beck said. “And this is basically asking Chat GPT ‘Can you describe this complex idea or subject?’ and then have that be the springboard for deeper education and understanding. These can be great as a starter. I don’t think students should end with Chat GPT because it’s unreliable and can be difficult to manage and navigate.”

Teachers should be clear with the boundaries of AI use in the classroom. Those boundaries would help students understand and use AI to their advantage and not be worried they are using it too much or not using the right form of it. They wouldn’t have to worry about stepping over the unethical but unclear boundary.

“I think we all need to be having those conversations,” vice principal Jennifer Brown-Howerton said. “Teachers are and I know administration is. I think it’s also important for students to take part in that conversation so that they’re fully aware of what AI’s capable of and how to prevent

yourself from getting in trouble with it.”

TurnItIn is an example of a software that Sion uses to help both students and teachers find similarities between submitted documents. Currently, it’s being utilized by many different schools in the United States. It has features for the student to check ahead of time whether or not their work is too close to an author’s or needs to be modified for academic honesty. It also can help the teacher identify if students are being academically dishonest or if their work is too similar to other classmates.

This is useful to the students as well as the teacher because it’s another way to see and correct those mistakes along the lines of those boundaries. This shows the teacher where and how those boundaries were crossed and gives the student needed feedback on those boundaries as well. This new resource is a useful tool for our school to use for bigger papers and assignments. That would be a good skill to have when writing a paper or doing some sort of other project.

“It can help explain complex issues in a straightforward manner, but we must be cautious because it is in its infancy,” Hamer-Beck said. “It has many flaws and is often incorrect. It’s borrowing from everything and is not able to discern what is accurate. From a student’s perspective, I worry how they as students are going to be able to decipher what’s a good resource and what’s just pulled randomly from the internet.”

ILLUSTRATIONS | EVELYN CRAMER

revitalize your

routine

As our year kicks off and sports seasons begin, student athletes can take preventative steps from injuries and make improvements in mental health.

BY ADDIE DOYLE PRINT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

PHOTOS | ADDIE DOYLE

It’s the first game of your senior season and you are anticipating greatness. Hidden in the forests of the Minor Park tennis courts, standing across from your opponent, you hear her shout “love - all” and send a serve over the net. You return the ball with a strong swing, pivoting right for your next shot and all of the sudden you’re on the ground with a throbbing pain in your ankle. After an appointment with your doctor, you have to tell your coach you’ll be out for the season because you weren’t quite as prepared as you thought.

Student athletes push through many long days filled with strenuous exercise and mental conflict. It is important that student athletes, as well as any teenager, maintain a healthy lifestyle. Regular exercise is essential as the school year starts up in August and progresses into the winter months. Gym memberships, at-home fitness and group work-out classes are just a few ways to get in the swing of healthy living. Over the summer, senior Gretchen Kowalewich attended Power Life workout classes three to four times a week.

“I was usually forced by my friends to go early in the morning at 5:45 a.m. I hated getting up for it at the moment, but it was nice to get the workout out of the way if I had work or something later,” Kowalewich said. “As the summer went on, I started going to the 9 or 11:45 a.m. classes, which were great because I could sleep in before them.”

Workout studios often have a variety of times so that people with different schedules can attend their classes. Each session covers different levels of intensity and offers various focuses of strength. Studios typically play music and everyone follows an instructor at their own speed, taking away the pressure to keep up.

“The classes I take are typically low impact, more cardio-based workouts with light weights,” Kowalewich said. “The instructors always play great music and encourage us throughout the session. They always finish with meditation, which I really enjoy after a hard workout.”

Besides a jolt of adrenaline, these classes can aid in prevention or recovery of injuries. Attending a lower intensity class can stretch muscles and rebuild movement.

“I really enjoyed the low impact sessions because it was great for recovering from my injury and gave me a good sweat,” Kowalewich said. “With a torn meniscus I couldn’t do a super hard workout without pain, but these classes allowed me to recover while still getting a workout in, and it helped the pain go away too.”

There are many pilates studios in our area including Hot Worx, Fusion and The Body Labs. The Body Lab is a chain pilates program ith two locations in Kansas City. The Body Labs’ Managing partner Jena Green shared a little information on their classes, and what they offer from their facilities.

“We want to help our clients along their fitness journey to find the strongest, best

version of themselves,” Green said. “By removing momentum from the exercises, the tension on muscles stays constant, activating more slow-twitch fat-burning muscle fibers. Transitions are kept to a minimum to keep the muscles working and the heart rate up. This leads to more defined muscle development and increased stamina.”

The Body Lab will be opening a new location off of Roe and 135th in Leawood, Kansas. Their studio has additional amenities their members or participants can utilize and they are also adding healthy food options to fuel attendees energy needs.

“Once we open our new location in October, we will offer 40 classes per week in our Spectrum Studio which includes yoga, pilates, barre, low burn, restorative, etc.,” Green said. “In addition, we will have a red light therapy sauna spa, and we’ll have our Spectrum Cafe, which will be fueled by Toastique.”

Toastique is a gourmet toast and juice bar that has a mission for healthy and filling foods. Founded by D1 athlete Briana Keefe, this chain’s mission branched from Keefe’s experiences as an athlete with an intensive schedule and a passion for whole foods. This is one of many healthy eateries that strive to make meals that nourish the body. Establishments like Toastique acknowledge the importance of balanced diets and whole foods.

“It is obviously important that athletes rest and get plenty of sleep after physical activity, but what you eat is also extremely important,” soccer coach Douglas McLagan said. “What you eat prior to exercise will affect your performance and may even affect your chances of an injury.”

Many young athletes may not understand what water does for the human body, but imagine how much water you need to protect your joints from overuse in frequent excercise. Sweat contains salt which helps regulate muscle movement and carry nutrients through the body. As you lose this hydration equalizer through sweating, you require more water. In order to prevent injuries during sports seasons to come, it’s important to balance exercise, nutrition and hydration.

“Injuries usually occur when athletes are fatigued or dehydrated,” McLagan said. “It is so important to balance your nutrition, hydrate, and get eight to nine hours of sleep. When you lack this balance, that’s when you get injured or lack helpful healthy habits.”

The journey of fitness can be complicated and looks different for everybody, but its reward is worth the effort.

“I find that if I move my body on a consistent basis and make my health and fitness a priority now, it will continue to take care of me,” Green said. “I remind myself that I ‘get to’ to work out, not ‘have to’ work out because not everyone has that luxury. It’s the only place that you have to live.”

Continue Practicing Healthy Habits at the Life Beyond Sion Conference in October:

Intro to Powerlifting: Join math teacher Ben Wright for a class to get you started on weight lifting. You can calculate what your potential lift maxes would be. This is a great class if you want some experience before joining a gym or beginning your fitness journey.

Vinyasa Flow + Meditation: Sion’s journalism advisor Valerie Crook are teaming up to instruct a yoga class. This will be an introduction to the power of a yoga mat and stretching.

Kickin’ it With Chloe

Freshman Chloe Guenther arrived a week later than the other freshmen to school, not because she was sick or had the first day jitters, but because she was playing overseas for a developmental professional team in Spain.

BY MARYKATE LILLIS REPORTER

PHOTO | MARYKATE LILLIS

Women’s professional sports have been breaking many boundaries for young women in sports, especially in soccer, as the players in the league seem to get younger and younger as the years go on. One of Notre Dame de Sion’s very own freshman Chloe Guenther is one of these women, aspiring to go pro at a young age.

On July 17, 2024, Guenther received a call that she would have the opportunity to be the youngest player on the Kansas City Current ll on their trip overseas to Madrid and Barcelona. The Kansas City Current ll Team is a highly selective pre-professional team, with ranging ages of high school female players.

“In May we had a bunch of the top clubs in the nation compete in one event in front of college scouts, national team scouts and the KC Current professional scouts,” Guenther said. “I genuinely never thought I would end up making the preprofessional KC Current team, especially being one of the youngest people at the tryout to start with.”

The Kansas City Current ll team is one of the first steps to playing professional soccer. It gives high school and collegiate players an opportunity to train at a higher level while also playing for their club or college teams. During Guenther’s time in Spain, she had the opportunity to play against some of the most competitive programs in the world under the prestigious English Premier League.

“We played the FC Barcelona’s second team and Real Madrid during my time overseas, and it’s crazy to play against some of the programs I have watched on TV all my life,” Guenther said. “Regardless it made me feel more comfortable with my style of play because I realized I can keep

up with all of those girls despite being one of the youngest.”

Guenther has played up in age ever since her father Michael Guenther put her in recreational soccer at the age of four. The family has made substantial sacrifices to set their daughter up for success.

“At the age of six she was one of the few girls playing on boys’ teams, but she was the only one in the city playing up a year on a first division boys’ team,” Michael said. “We have made multiple sacrifices like paying for lots of travel, hiring strength training, and I never say no to helping her train outside of traditional practice.”

This grit and determination has been rooted in Guenther since she was very young, pushing her to reach her full potential.

“When I was five years old I told my dad I am going to go pro,” Guenther said. “That’s always been the dream. If I have the opportunity to play professionally before college, that’s what I will do.”

“When I was five years old I told my dad I am going to go pro.” CHLOE GUENTHER ’28

The dream of playing professionally is not uncommon for young girls. According to ESPN there are almost 20 teen girls who have officially signed a contract to play in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

“You hear about more young ladies training with professional teams every

single day,” Sion soccer coach Doug McLagan said. “Once one sees one of their teammates achieving their goal it starts a chain reaction of others trying to chase that same dream because now they know they are also capable.”

Despite having big goals, Guenther strives to have a near normal high school experience. She knows that the path to professional soccer is a rough one to pursue.

“I chose Sion because I truly felt like the teachers were going to support me in whatever I needed,” Guenther said. “I am aware that the goal I am trying to achieve is tough, but I am definitely not ruling out college soccer at all.”

Some parents look down on the fact that their child would be skipping the “normal college route,” Guenther’s father however, strives to not fit her into one box.

“We have always tried to never put limitations on her and what was possible. We haven’t ruled out college soccer and will still go through the recruitment process with an open mind,” Michael said. “I have always thought that no one path is right for every player. We will weigh any and all offers from colleges and any potential professional offers when the time comes and decide what’s best then.”

Although Guenther doesn’t know exactly what her future will look like, she is determined to make a name for herself no matter what path she chooses to take.

“Regardless of my future I chose Sion because I loved the teachers and the environment around me, and I would love to play for the school someday and be an inspiration to many young girls that they can do it all too.”

Making a pass across field,

during the

was a tough loss making it that far and losing in the

“But I know for sure next year we will be ready for the challenge.”

Posing for a team photo, the KC Current Developmental Team and the FC Barcelona Developmental team pose together after a match. Both teams competed in Barcelona Spain in a friendly soccer game. “Playing against FC Barcelona was a amazing oppurtunity,” Guenther said. “They play such a beautiful style of soccer I have never seen before.”

Getting ready to make a pass, Guenther stares down her opponent. “I didn’t think I was going to get a lot of minutes,” Guenther said. “But I ended up getting a lot of playing time during the FC Barcelona game.”

Guenther digs deep

ECNL national final game. “It

final,” Guenther said.

Staring Down The Prize

Mixed Matches

A Friendship for the Books

Over the the years

the way of communicating with friends has changed. Here are how some Sion students have managed to keep in contact.

BY ALEXIUS WOLFF PHOTO EDITOR

DAY ONE DUO

Freshmen Leah Baklanov and Pembroke Hill High School student Chloe Eid have been best friends for almost eight years. They met at Kansas City Ballet in third grade before Baklanov switched schools to St. Michael’s.

“We didn’t become best friends at first sight, but when I started American Heritage Girls later that year, we became very close,” Baklanov said. “In fourth grade, I moved to St. Michael’s and the rest is history.”

count, neither one of them can choose their favorite. Baklanov and Eid talk almost every day and hang out when they can. Baklanov almost always sees Eid on Sundays at their church’s youth group. They go to each other’s houses, meet up to go to a football game, go shopping and get food.

“The hardest part about going to different schools is that I do not see her every day,” Baklanov said.

The close friendship between these two girls has made them more like sisters, bonding over anything and everything.

“She always listens to me and helps me, she makes me laugh so incredibly hard, she gives me amazing advice and she remembers the little things that I really appreciate,” Baklanov said. “Some people are lucky enough to get a best friend during their life. I am even luckier, I got Chloe.”

With too many memories to

“I can’t laugh with her in class, and I don’t have someone who gets me as much as she does.”

FRIENDS TO THE END

est friends since kindergarten, Sion senior Vivian Kuntz and St. Teresa’s Academy senior Janie Gacek first met at school and became friends very quickly.

other at football games and school events.

“It’s a way we can finally see each other after a while,” Kuntz said.

said. “We will grab dinner with each other and catch up after.”

During COVID, the two girls would spend every day doing online school together at Kuntz’s house. “We would have sleepovers that were days long because we spent every moment together,” Kuntz said.

One way the two girls try to stay in touch is by seeing each

When asked, Kuntz said they still talk often, usually a few times a month, or more often depending on schedules. They both agree it’s not as much as they would like though.

“We usually meet up at a school event where our schools are playing each other,” Kuntz

Despite trying their best, they both agree it’s pretty hard going to different schools and keeping their friendship intact.

“She knows me so well and I didn’t come to high school with anyone I knew from middle school,” Kuntz said. “I would say keeping up with each other’s new lives and changing lives is pretty hard to stay up to date with.”

KEEPING UP COMMUNITY

Staying in contact with peers and friends has changed since our parent’s generation.

In today’s fast-paced world keeping in touch with friends is simple. It only takes a simple text, DM or call to get in touch with old classmates we haven’t talked to in years, but imagine a time when connecting with friends required more effort and planning— back when our parents were teenagers.

Before every teenager had a cell phone, getting together was more than just a matter of hitting “send” on your smartphone. Maintaining friendships involved many different strategies that in today’s age seem almost outdated.

For those who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, like many of our parents, communication was not immediate. Landlines were the main source of connection, and if you wanted to hang out

with friends, it was planned well in advance. Phone calls required finding a free line and coordinating schedules.

The invention of cellphones allowed people to communicate more efficiently. They allow us to plan hanging out with our friends we don’t see everyday. We can make plans and change them quickly.

As we enter high school and go to different schools, maintaining this same level of connectedness we once had with elementary school friends can be difficult. Seeing someone daily becomes a few times every couple months, and daily phone calls become less frequent. Despite all this, some Sion girls still try their best to keep in touch with their middle school friends. For some, that’s keeping a 632 day snap

streak and for others it’s getting together for breakfast.

“We were so close in middle school. I think it’d be hard to let go of each other completely,” senior Charlotte Zender said. “We still snap each other daily and we’ll meet up to get lunch to catch up.”

Some can’t imagine a world without their long-time, childhood best friend. The introduction of email, followed by text messaging and then social media, transformed the way we maintain connections. Today teenagers can send a quick message, share a meme or plan a lastminute get together with a few taps on their screens. This instantaneous communication has made maintaining friendships easier than ever before.

PHOTO SUBMISSION | LEAH BAKLANOV

PHOTO SUBMISSION | VIVIAN KUNTZ

More Than a job

Explore interesting jobs that Sion students would like to pursue.

BY REPORTER NORA GEDNEY

Sophomore Hadley Clevenger aspires to be a NCAA lawyer. Her interest stemmed from one of her friend’s mom, who’s in the profession. She was able to do more research on it by looking online, furthering her interest. An NCAA lawyer is a lawyer who specializes in sports, specifically collegiate. This is interesting to Hadley because she has always been in the world of sports through her interest in volleyball.

“I have always loved sports since I was a kid and I want to continue to work with them,” Clevenger said.

For school, Clevenger will have to attend a regular 4-year college. After that, she will attend law school, achieving her goal of becoming an NCAA lawyer. She is currently interested in Texas University for their law program. They have one of the best law programs with a post-bar passage rate of 95%.

“I really hope to learn more about this in the future because it seems like a job I won’t get bored of,” Clevenger said.

Senior Mel Laubscher plans to become an optometrist. Optometrists are doctors who focuses specifically on the eyes and diagnosing diseases within them.

“I was interested in neuroscience because I was fascinated by the nervous system, but then I narrowed my focus to optical nerves,” Laubscher said.

For school, Laubscher will have to get a bachelor’s degree in either physics, bioscience, biochemistry, or any science-focused major that sets a solid foundation to start on the pre-med track. After that comes Optometry school where you prepare to take an OATS test and no residency is required. The OATS, or optometry admission test, is something you are required to take to become an optometrist. It is about an eight year process in total.

Sophomore Vivi Drosos has the goal of being a firefighter. She gained experience in this field while riding along with her neighbor who is a firefighter. She was able to carry the med kit and assist in taking someone’s vitals. She also got the opportunity to help a person after they were hit by a car. She recorded their heart rate and rode in the ambulance with the victim. Even though she had no experience in the field, she kept calm and helped in any way she could. This made her realize that she is able to stay calm in the hectic firefighting environment.

“I really enjoy helping people, and the adrenaline rush. I have always wanted to be supportive to other people. ” Drosos said. A job fair in January of 2024 further interested her in the field. The people working at the firefighter stand discussed the highs and lows of the firefighting world. Drosos was amazed and knew she wanted to go down the path of becoming a firefighter.

dilemma classic A

As contemporary novels dominate Sion’s English classrooms, the significance and beauty that classic literature brings to development is being lost.

Classic literature is essential not only to the high school academic experience, but to instilling a solid foundation of analysis, critical thinking and reason in teens’ minds as they transition into adulthood. Contemporary novels are valuable resources, but if a common foundation which we can learn upon is not set, our minds aren’t forced to stretch, and we will never be challenged to grow beyond the types of novels we were initially introduced to.

“I think that it becomes my job to figure out how to show students the value in [challenging reads], right?” freshman English teacher Chrissy Nance said. “Some classics are difficult and dry. As a teacher, I have to figure out ways to connect that and help my students make connections and understand the value in reading ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ It’s about these people falling in love super fast and then making these rash decisions. Why does that matter? That’s a huge question we should always be asking ourselves. What’s the point of this? Why does it matter?”

There’s an importance in learning and understanding historical literature which, in recent years, has been lost. By studying the classics we’re able to see where modern literature came from and understand the ways in which our world has evolved.

“I think older literature is important and I wish we read more,” junior Arle McCallon said. “I think a struggle a lot of teachers have and why we don’t read as much is because a lot of them are longer and require more time in class. There’s a lot of outside of school reading, which can be hard for students. But I think there’s value in classic literature that isn’t being recognized at Sion right now.”

Typically, classical literature is more difficult to read, in contrast to most contemporary novels read in high school, easily completed in a short time span. Contemporary fiction is in no way inferior

or lacking in value, but it’s important to have the experience of studying the difficult and complex writings of classics before delving into the deep meanings of contemporary books.

“I think that the content of these classical novels is usually very well thought out and you can see meticulous planning that goes into a lot of classic authors that you don’t see in the exact same way in contemporary reading,” McCallon said. “There’s also so much that you can learn from the past. You can learn more about these time periods and lifestyles in a way that you can’t with contemporary fiction.”

Through classic literature, we’re able to explore the commonalities and differences within the human experience. Although popular stereotypes suggest classics offer one perspective, which is why contemporary novels are promoted, classical literature is often taken from different time periods and stages of life, offering a glimpse into what it means to be human. However, the argument for experiencing contemporary novels should not be ignored. Contemporary fiction tends to offer larger diversity in origin and the locations stories are told.

“I think one reason that teachers and departments

are often interested in moving away from the classic novels is the interest in diversifying the sorts of stories and authors we read and the things we get to think and talk about in class,” junior English teacher Evan Klavon said.

Many times, contemporary fiction is easy to relate to because it uses modern language and familiar topics. As it’s easy in this age to simply SparkNotes a novel, teachers are prone to choosing books their students can read and relate to easily. In a world where the mindset is “If I don’t like it, I won’t read it”, many teachers are desperate for a novel students will participate in.

“Especially with this generation and maybe the one before it, we’ve had this big boom of technology,” senior Rin Campbell said. “I feel like we function so differently from the generations that came before us. And just seeing it in a book, it makes you feel seen and heard. Because it’s hard. It’s hard living in the age of

technology. People think that it’s an advantage, but not necessarily, because everything within the media world can be hard to deal with. When you think of books from the present, it touches on that mentality that people from our generation have.”

Although contemporary books can be more relatable for high school students, drawing them to the entertainment of reading, this perspective prompts discussion about the need for relatability in the books we read. Are Sion students meant to read novels so that they can relate to or enjoy them? Or are Sion students meant to read novels so that they can be challenged to grow as individuals, as a community, to push themselves towards the truth, even if it isn’t what they want to see?

“I think there’s a very important part of reading, and that is its power in making you uncomfortable,” Campbell said. “So you have to read books like ‘Slaughterhouse 5’. That’s not going to be relatable to pretty much anybody who goes to school here. But it makes you uncomfortable and brings to light many struggles that are important. These books can broaden your perspective on things that you wouldn’t have ever touched on if you didn’t read them. But it’s also important to keep your kids engaged in your class.”

There’s a need for a greater balance between these types of novels for a wellrounded Sion student. Contemporary novels do offer perspectives that classic literature may not. However, we must be taught at least as many classics as contemporary novels to be able to better analyze, critique and understand newer literature as it is written. Without a solidified foundational understanding of why authors write, how they have written and where modern day literature comes from, even the greatest of contemporary writing loses some of its depth and meaning.

“I wish we had more books,” Campbell said. “I think Sion students are very motivated people and we very much can take on a workload if you give it to us. We are capable people.”

It’s essential to expand your vocabulary, to challenge your mind, to struggle through a novel. It’s not fun. It doesn’t have to be entertaining. Not everything in school is. In most other classes, it’s acceptable, if not expected, that students won’t love every piece of their coursework. Why is this an acceptable part of an algebra class, but shunned in an English one? It’s a vital part of our growth and development as students that shouldn’t be ignored.

“Once you get into them, those books can be beautiful and have a lot of beautiful messages,” McCallon said. “We shouldn’t be afraid to read them just because they’re long or difficult.”

Learning to stretch your mind beyond topics you’re uncomfortable with can be helpful in the future, imprinting skills applicable far beyond the classroom.

“You’re always going to encounter language that is unfamiliar, things that are harder to understand,” Klavon said. “Especially if you’re going to college. It doesn’t have to be literary language either, but if you go into a scientific field, a social science field, you’re going to have specialized discourses. The same skills that we develop in dealing with older languages apply to dealing with unfamiliar languages of all different kinds. I think it’s valuable in that way.”

Modern female authors such as Toni Morrison and Celeste Ng are extremely powerful, and modern voices should not be ignored, but neither should the voices of the past, who set foundations for the world we live in. Especially as an all girls’ school, it is unacceptable that by graduation, we’ll have never studied Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Agatha Christie, or any other traditional female authors who have laid the foundation for female literature in our modern world.

“I feel like maybe by a point in time, those contemporary voices fulfill a need and that’s something we need to look at as far as balance goes,” Nance said. “And that’s a question for the English department and that’s a question for curriculum development and that’s a question for your academic directors too. Where’s the balance?”

Where is the balance? A question that we, as Sion students, are forced to wonder as we pick up yet another contemporary novel, leaving the names we’ve heard so much about riddled with dust on the shelf. We Sion students are promised to graduate as well-rounded individuals, empathetic perspective takers and informed critical thinkers, yet lack the very foundational knowledge upon which so many discussions are held. Contemporary novels can be beautiful learning opportunities that broaden our perspectives, introducing us to new ways of writing. However, we must have a balance. We are Sion students. We can be challenged with long novels and difficult texts, with the classics that are scarcely found in our current curriculum, and we must be if we are to become not only true portraits of a Sion graduate, but strong-minded and truth seeking young women. So, once again, we ask this question. Where is our balance?

Where did all the time go?

Atypical day for a Sion student in 2024 might look something like this: you wake up, check the news on your phone, type notes on your laptop in class, check Instagram during lunch, watch a TV show after school, then fill out a digital worksheet in OnCampus for homework. You don’t think much of it because this is simply an ordinary day for you, and if you stop to look around for a minute you’ll notice everyone else doing the same thing. You remember hearing stories from your parents about their childhoods before technology was ever present in everyday life, or when television was black and white. The color hadn’t been filled in yet, and life seemed simpler.

The evolution of technology has affected every aspect of our lives, meaning high schoolers now spend their time much differently than the generations before them did.

According to Pew Research Center, the adoption of technology has significantly increased since 2012, leading to widespread use of technology in all parts of life. As technology has evolved, it’s been introduced to increasingly younger groups of people. Generation Z and Generation Alpha have had the most experience with technology as young people, as they are the first generations to grow up with technology being available to them from birth.

ILLUSTRATIONS | AMELIA BEDELL

ILLUSTRATION | GABRIELA SWINDLE

The widespread adoption of technology has changed the way younger generations spend their time, and it’s become far more common for people to turn to screens for entertainment.

BY AMELIA BEDELL COPY EDITOR

“People in the olden times [our parents’ generation] didn’t really have technology, so they had to find more ways to entertain themselves,” freshman Anna Chelepis said. “I feel like it was better to grow up without technology because it teaches you to work hard and be social, and it’s a better way to enjoy life rather than being on a screen.”

Changed by time

Our world is becoming progressively more digital, and technology has become an integral part of countless previously analog activities. For example, online shopping has become the norm, with 16% of all sales being made online during the second quarter of 2024, according to the United States Census Bureau.

“Technology has entirely altered the way the last few generations have grown up,” alumna and Sion parent Katherine Houlehan said. “The immediate gratification of having information at your fingertips (accurate or not), watching videos any time, being in constant communication, all have impacted attention spans, the ability to engage face-to-face and patience levels.”

According to the Policy Institute at King’s College London, approximately half of all people surveyed said that they sometimes can’t stop themselves from checking their smartphones. The constant onslaught of information that is now the norm has made people more connected, but has also made it so that people expect something new every time they look at their phones.

“Everything wasn’t so on-demand for [our parents] so I feel like when they spent time with their friends they were really experiencing time with each other,” senior Addi Bowes said. “My dad had the same friends from kindergarten to college. He has all of these stories with his friends of all the things that they would get into.”

that “people led happier lives in the old days when they had fewer problems to cope with.” Although technology is most likely not the only reason that people have more problems now, its pervasiveness in the modern day has definitely contributed to decreased social interaction compared to the “old days.”

“We had one main TV growing up, which means we spent our viewing time together rather than separated,” Katherine Houlehan said.

Since technology was less prevalent when Katherine Houlehan grew up, use was more intentional and her family could slow down and enjoy each others’ company while watching television. This slowing down doesn’t only apply to technology. The absence of advanced technology allowed people to live different lives from what we experience now.

we spent our viewing time together rather than separated” “ Katherine Houlehan ‘97

only 21% of United States households had computers in 1992. By 2005 that number had jumped to 67%, and by 2014, 85% of United States households had computers. However, Gen Z high school students like Bowes and senior Becca Houlehan don’t think technology was a large part of their childhoods.

“I was the firstborn, so I didn’t have access to iPads and I didn’t watch YouTube or anything like that,” Becca Houlehan said. “Whereas, with my brothers, they’re five years younger than me and they had access to the Internet much earlier on.”

As the world has settled into the new digital age, it has become increasingly common for children to use technology like video games, tablets and even phones to entertain themselves. Becca Houlehan has seen this happen in her own life with her two younger twin brothers.

“If I compare them at their age and me at their age,” Becca Houlehan said. “They have different means of entertainment. Like for me, I was very much into reading. They like Fortnite, Xbox, iPads ww[and] YouTube.”

This represents a larger trend of technology replacing traditional methods of entertainment for young people. Out of 135 Sion students polled, only 44% said that they read books for fun. Out of the remaining 56% of respondents, 35% said they read for fun sometimes, and 21% said they never read for fun. Reading has seemingly become a part of the past, and even schools are beginning to turn away from physical learning materials like books in favor of digital alternatives.

According to a study done in 2021 by the Policy Institute at King’s College London, 70% of adults aged 55-64 agreed

“[My parents] would get home from school [as kids], maybe do some homework, and then go out and play,” Bowes said. “And I feel like that is pretty similar to how I grew up. When iPads first came out my family got one, but it wasn’t something that I focused all my time on.”

According to OurWorldInData.org,

“I think freshman year was more on paper,” Bowes said. “I feel like we didn’t really use our computers as much and I think as we got older in school it became more digital.”

As high schoolers, we have become accustomed to using technology and the internet to do our school work. It’s not uncommon to go through a full day of school without so much as thinking about

ILLUSTRATION | GABRIELA SWINDLE

opening a notebook or handwriting notes. Tools like Delta Math, My Math Lab, Membean and OnCampus are just some of the many digital learning resources Sion students use. Even when there is an option to have a physical book for a class, students would often rather have the digital version.

“I think for me personally whenever there’s an option to get our class book online, I get my books online because I don’t want to carry them around,” Bowes said.

However, constant access to technology is not necessarily a good thing. Technology can negatively affect attention spans and emotional growth in young people, and students like Becca Houlehan have even noticed this in their own lives.

“I think there’s an intellectual difference, there’s a maturity difference, there’s an emotional difference, and there’s also an attention span difference,” Becca Houlehan said. “I’ve even noticed this when I’m scrolling on Instagram versus reading a book; my attention span is shortened because of the 30-second videos.”

Time Flies

The common stereotype of high school students is that they’re always on their phones. And while that isn’t always true, there’s no denying that smartphones and social media are a large part of teenagers’ lives now, with the majority of connections and communication being made through social media. According to Common Sense Media, teenagers aged 13-18 had an average screen time of 8 hours or more in 2021.

“I am a doomscroller. I go on TikTok and I scroll so I don’t have to think about anything. I’ve learned that that kind of relaxes me nowadays,” Bowes said. “But I do find other ways to entertain myself. Like sometimes I just

don’t want to be on my phone.”

We know doomscrolling is bad for us, yet we continue to do it, racking up hundreds of hours of screen time per month. Our parents’ generation never ran into this issue because they didn’t grow up with technology, so we’re the first ones who will have to find a solution to it. This quick and accessible content has mostly taken over our free time, and endless content options allow for immediate access to anything. This can be useful in situations where it’s difficult to connect with friends or family, but there are also downsides to keep in mind.

“I do think my sister is very similar to me; she doomscrolls on her phone,” Bowes said. ”I think she’s more on her phone than I am, but it makes more sense for her because she just graduated from college and all her friends live everywhere, so that’s kind of how she keeps in contact with her friends.”

Bowes still lives near her friends, so she says she tries to spend as much time with her friends and family as possible. However, it isn’t always simple to navigate busy schedules to find time

to spend time with friends in person.

“Like 60% of the time I do lean towards technology just because it’s there, it’s something that can start in a few minutes,” Bowes said. “And the other 40% I lean on my friends.”

Bowes is not alone in the sentiment that it’s easy to lean on technology because of how accessible it is. It’s always going to be easier to scroll through TikTok for two hours than to organize an outing with friends, so it’s understandable why social media has become a form of entertainment which rivals books and TV, not only a tool for social connection.

VI III II

According to the NewsLab at the University of Mississippi, 27% of people aged 18-34 said social media was a form of entertainment in 2009, compared to 42% a year later in 2010.

“I think that for me, a book is more rewarding,” Becca Houlehan said. “But I know a lot of times I’m just exhausted, so I’ll watch TV or scroll through Instagram.”

A number of platforms have recently started to prioritize short form content.

But this new wave of short form content isn’t limited to social media; it’s affecting other types of content as well.

“As a journalist, I’ve seen firsthand the changes technology has brought about in entertainment,” Katherine Houlehan said. “Attention spans are shorter, and there are so many more things fighting for people’s attention. In-depth reporting has given way to shorter, more easy-to-digest media forms.”

Time will Tell

The Internet has become the center of pop culture, so entertainment like movies, TV shows, music and books have followed the trend of becoming more easily digestible.

“Flashy, easy, and not too deep. That’s the way people like to consume their media these days,” Katherine Houlehan said.

Our world is trending towards short-form content, and it can be easy to get swept up in this mindset and spend countless hours on your phone, digging for that next viral TikTok video or Instagram reel. Our generation is the first to actually feel the effects of advanced technology, and as we all know, a truly interconnected world comes with both good and bad.

No, you don’t have to give up your phone and completely disconnect, but it’s important to remember that technology wasn’t always a major way we filled our time, and maybe it’s time to return to more traditional methods of entertainment every once in a while.

“ Addi Bowes ‘25

Like 60% of the time I do lean towards technology just because it’s there.”

Next time you come home from school and are tempted to kill time by scrolling through Instagram, think about the generations before you who would’ve called their friends or went on a walk outside. Your happiest memories aren’t going to be times when you sat alone scrolling through TikTok, because while social media is a valuable tool for entertainment, it’s not a replacement for human interaction.

Consider this next time you’re bored on a Saturday night, because before you know it you’ll inevitably end up asking yourself:

“Where did all the time go?”

Serving up A storm

Sion lunch ladies Shannon Tancona and Kelly Johnson plan, prepare and serve dozens of meals daily to feed the Sion community.

BY MANAGING EDITOR ELLA SATTERWHITE

Every day, dozens of Sion students flood through the doors into the cafeteria, hungry from a day of learning. Each one walks to the counter, punching their ID number in, mind still on their math test or history homework. Standing before this onslaught preparing to check people out is lunch lady Shannon Tancona as entree cook Kelly Johnson bustles about preparing more plates. For these two as well, the day has been busy.

“We start at eight and we’re prepping from the moment we come through the door,” Tancona said. “We’re trying to make everything fresh, so I have to chop lettuce and slice the turkey or ham for sandwiches. All of that gets done the day of. We don’t buy bags of salad that’s already made or anything like that. So we hit the ground running when we come in.”

Johnson and Tancona are solely responsible for cooking meals for the entire Sion community. Somewhere between 50 to 100 students order hot lunch every day, with even more coming in for the salad bar.

“There’s not a lot of downtime. So from the minute we get here until the minute we leave, we do not stop moving,” Johnson said. “When I get here, I get out all of my ingredients so I can see everything in front of me, and then lunch always comes pretty quickly. Some days, service is a little bit trickier, like if you have more components that you’re putting on the plate. Some days are easier. The lunch shifts go quickly. The lunches are back to back to back to back.”

But the duties of a lunch lady don’t end with serving lunch. Both cooking and eating create dishes. As students eat, these dishes pile up in a bin near the kitchen.

“I’d say we wash probably 150 plates a day, and that doesn’t take into account all of the pots and pans, all of the Tupperware that things are stored in, everything that’s on the salad bar,” Johnson said. “So I would say collectively, Shannon and I probably do dishes for two hours out of every day.”

This year, a new system started where students who want hot lunch must put their orders in by 9 a.m. Menus are posted a month or two in advance and students can opt to order lunch for the whole year or manually choose which meals they would like.

“It’s been a learning curve for everyone and for parents that are signing their daughters up for lunches, but it’s starting to get a lot easier,” Tancona said. “We’re trying to save time so that the lines

don’t get too held up. We’re also trying to get a better count of who’s actually going to eat lunch in one day, so we know exactly how much to make. And there’s always sandwiches and salad in case people forget.”

With both Johnson and Tancona starting at Sion very recently, Tancona last November and Johnson last February, there has been a learning curve for the lunch ladies.

“I’ve learned so much. I had never used a convection oven. I had never cooked in the quantity that I am now. It requires so much more math than I was ever expecting,” Johnson said. “Cooking in bulk is entirely different, and navigating the restaurant depot and learning to make the menu, that’s a lot. I feel just having been back this school year, that the gears are grinding, and it already seems a little smoother than it did before the summertime.”

Johnson and Tancona also have to work together as a team to complete the preparation and service. Generally, Johnson works on cooking the meals while Tancona prepares the salad bar items.

“I’m in charge of the salad bar and then making sure everything’s stocked, like the silverware, the napkins, the condiments, that kind of thing. Kelly’s the one that primarily does the meal planning and shopping,” Tancona said. “We don’t ever sit down. We are usually here from eight to two, and get anywhere between 5,000 to 7,000 steps in just working.”

On Thursdays, Johnson goes shopping at the restaurant depot for bulk products. She also sometimes has to shop at other grocery stores like Costco or Aldi to get other ingredients or purchase something individually to experiment with.

“I plan all of the menus. I do all of the grocery shopping, which is quite an undertaking. Each grocery haul, I put down the back seats in my car and it still takes up the entire thing, stacked to the ceiling,” Johnson said. “I have some examples of menus that they’ve done in the past, and then I brought some of my own things to the table. I would like to be more creative, but I also want people to eat what I’m serving, so I try not to get too out of the box.”

Generally, soup is served on Monday, Tuesday is something taco-related, Wednesday is an easy meal because of the limited prep time,

Thursday is flexible and Friday is pizza. This allows for some ease in preparing the menu, but even within the formula, there are a lot of decisions to be made.

“I’m always worried when I send stuff out on your plates. Cooking at home, you can cook exactly to someone’s taste, which is much easier than wondering what everyone likes,” Johnson said. “I actually try to think what I would want if I were your age. In my mind, I’m required to offer a vegetable. So I try to keep just something green that’s pretty basic. It’s tricky because, in a home setting, I’m going to make an arugula salad with radish and fennel and toasted nuts and parmesan and lemon and truffle oil. And I have to bring it down a little bit.”

Even when simplified as much as possible, preparing enough meals for the entire student body comes with its own challenges. For example, the women need to figure out the perfect amount of food to make to not have excessive waste and manage their time carefully.

“Timing is challenging, especially when you’re wanting to make sure that things are hot. There are several different components. I’ve got a stovetop, eight burners, a griddle, a big oven and two convection ovens. So sometimes I’ll have many different things going at once,” Johnson said. “Five minutes shouldn’t seem like a big deal, but it is when you’re putting up that many plates. In a lot of commercial kitchens they have heat lamps that they put plated items under. We don’t have anything like that.”

Students with dietary restrictions, such as gluten-free students, require separate accommodations. Johnson and Tancona always work with students to meet their dietary requirements by keeping items like gluten-free bread and pasta stocked.

“We do try to accommodate everyone. We haven’t gotten many requests this year. I don’t know if people are just being shy and are afraid,” Johnson said. “I know a couple of the girls have Shannon’s phone number, and they’ll just text her in the morning and

they would say, ‘Hey, I want pasta today. Do you guys have some?’ Then I would just make a little separate pot of gluten-free pasta for them. And then some people just want veggies. Like, if it’s pasta, they want it without meat sauce, which is totally fine. Anything that’s simple for us to do, we’re happy to do on the fly.”

However, the job isn’t all challenges. Both women enjoy cooking, especially making the sides like brownies and breadsticks offered with meals for an additional cost.

“I wish I got to see all of you more, but I feel a little too intimidated to come out during a lunch shift. I would like to connect with you guys more,” Johnson said. “And I want to see what people are liking, what they’re not liking. If there’s something you know that we used to have, but we’re not having anymore. I’ve been making a suggestion box because I want to make sure that you guys are getting what you want.”

In addition to the suggestion box, which was recently added to the lunchroom, Johnson uses statistics from the order ahead system to figure out what meals students like best. The lunch ladies attempt to center their meals around students and make everyone’s day a little better.

“I enjoy all the students. You guys are so much fun, so cute and everything every day,” Tancona said “I enjoy my coworkers and I think we all get along well. So, you know, some people might say, ‘I’m gonna stay back there doing dirty dishes, doesn’t sound that fun’, but we’re able to keep it pretty lively. So, yeah, I enjoy it a lot.”

PHOTO & ILLUSTRATION|ELLASATTERWHITE

GIVE US A Break!

Rather than one long summer, periodic long breaks throughout the school year could be more beneficial to students as it helps combat summer learning loss and allows them much deserved time off throughout the year.

BY RILEY PINTADO REPORTER

BY REPORTER RILEY PINTADO

The date is May 21, 2025. You have just handed in your last final, and AP exams are finally over. It’s summer! After nine long months of sleepless nights, constant stress and severe burnout you are finally free. For the next three glorious months you have no homework, no tests, and your greatest worry is the UV. Until that fateful day on Aug. 15 when you walk through the school doors for the first time after 12 weeks of days spent by the pool, hanging out with friends, and staying up way later than you should. The first week is easy. The classwork consists of covering the syllabus and maybe a few icebreaker activities. Then the second week hits. Your teacher hands you a review sheet, and you realize you’ve only retained about half of the information you learned last year.

This phenomenon is known as summer learning loss and has been a topic of concern in the academic world for the past century. Multiple studies show that summer learning loss occurs due to the lack of practice and other reinforcement of the academic skills learned during the prior year throughout the summer. Depending on the student, this could be detrimental.

“So what do we know about summer learning loss? Less than we think. The problem could be serious, or it could be trivial,” University of Texas at Austin professor Paul Von Hippel said. “Children might lose a third of a year’s learning over summer vacation, or they might tread water. Achievement gaps might grow faster during summer vacations, or they might not.”

In the post pandemic world we live in today, learning loss has taken on a whole new meaning. After schools shut down in 2020 students’ test scores

nationwide have massively declined.

Experts began to wonder how much the scores have actually decreased and what we can do about it. In 2022, researchers gathered data taken from four different assessments (ECLS-K cognitive tests, MAP Growth 2021- 2022, and i-Ready). According to these studies, on average, test scores drop and flatten over the summer, especially in math and reading.

The most popular way to try and combat summer learning loss is through summer programs that are offered by certain school districts. However, this can be expensive as there is an estimated 5.8 billion dollars spent in ESSR (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds every summer to help finance these programs. Another way could be private summer lessons funded by the student and their parents. Unfortunately, this can be pricey and leaves students who come from areas of poverty at a disadvantage.

Most schools even administer summer homework as a way to try to keep students’ minds engaged over the long break. Some may argue that these options are not beneficial because giving students more school work over the summer takes away from their time to rest, socialize, and discover new personal interests.

How can we prevent summer learning loss? Personally, I think the answer is simple. Instead of having one long summer, I believe that it would be more beneficial to not only our students, but also our teachers to have periodic long breaks throughout the school year. Here at Sion we have the standard three full breaks per year: Thanksgiving break, winter break and spring break, not including summer. Thanksgiving and spring break are both one week, while winter break is

two. Even though these are nice breathers from the stresses that school can bring, some students believe they are not long enough to fulfill their need for periodic unwinding.

The French, however, have this down to a science. An average French highschool has four breaks per year, not including summer, and each lasts for at least two weeks. If we began implementing this in our American school systems, students and teachers would be less likely to become burnt out during the school year. Sion’s very own French teacher Amanda Loflin actually taught in a French high school for a few years earlier on in her career.

“As a teacher, I think you get a little bit fatigued with a nine month year,” Loflin said. “These two week breaks give you a little bit more energy for your students.”

On top of that, students would have less trouble preserving the information they learn during the year, as our summers wouldn’t be as long. This would also allow for teachers to spend less time reviewing at the beginning of the year.

“When you have three months of summer, especially with a language, it can be difficult. I mean that’s why we are spending a month reviewing,” Loflin said. “I do believe that if we had less time, only two months, students would be able to retain more information.”

One downside to this is that due to the breaks, teachers do not gain any time back from the shorter review to teach more course work, because the breaks take the same-if not more time- from the curriculum. It may also raise concern if students spend too much time out of school, as for some kids it may disrupt their focus on what they are learning in class. Despite this, I still believe that schools should implement periodic long breaks as it has been scientifically proven that they lower stress, increase heart health, and boost brain power.

Over the summer, students’ study habits tend to fade and rebuilding that motivation, endurance and focus after so many months away from school

can be difficult. If we were to have longer breaks throughout the year with a shorter summer students would have less issues adjusting to their demanding schedules on the first day of school.

Due to the hectic schedule of the average highschooler, many students are only able to work during the summer. Throughout the school year, teenagers are unable to pick up as many shifts. This leads to most students attempting to ration their hard earned summer profits for as long as possible, but through personal experience I found that is easier said than done. Therefore, an additional benefit to the periodic breaks is that high school students would have the opportunity to work extra shifts. This allows them to make more money for personal spending, college funds, emergency savings and other finances.

The final benefit of periodic breaks is that it allows students and faculty more time to travel. According to USA Today, the average American family takes 2.5 vacations every year. For some students, their breaks do not align with the time off their parents can take from their work. This causes vacations to overlap with school days, making it easier for certain students to fall behind. If we began implementing longer breaks throughout the year, it may allow for more convenient scheduling.

If we were to have periodic longer breaks I believe that it would allow our students to retain the information they learned last year easier, better recover from burnout, allow students more time to work and allow more time for travel.

“When I was teaching in France it felt like every two months we had this two week break,” Loflin said. “But it was great because it allowed me to travel and meet other people in different cities besides the one I was living in. And I think the students were able to come back recharged and ready to learn.”

G LD MEDALS &

IGolDen memes

The 2024 Olympics has been the most memed Olympics ever.

BY AVERY WILLIAMS REPORTER

IllUSTRATIONS | AVERY WILLIAMS

n the midst of the excitement about the Paris Olympics, another competition unfolded online as users shared and created memes of the Olympic games. The 2024 Paris Olympics were even more entertaining than usual as crazy moments have gone viral on social media. As athletes from around the world competed for gold medals, the internet was quick to turn their performances into humorous and relatable memes.

Even Olympians themselves have taken to social media to share their experiences, as social media has become a unique way for them to share their accomplishments. After winning gold, Team USA gymnasts Simone Biles and Suni Lee discussed what TikToks videos they wanted to make and sounds they were going to use in their TikTok videos.

“I want to do the chomping with the gold medals,” Biles said in a trending video clip.

Biles is referring to the TikTok sound of someone chewing on a celery stick. She captioned this video “TASTE GOLD” and it reached 15.1 million likes. In response, Lee said she wanted to do a different TikTok.

“And I want to do the one that’s, ‘imagine what we would do if we didn’t win’,” Lee said.

Lee is talking about the TikTok sound where it says “ Imagine what we would do if we didn’t win” before the competition, and then says “I guess we’ll never know” after the performance. After captioning the video “OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALISTSSS,” it gained over 7.5 million likes.

Social media platforms have also become a way for athletes to make money. Athletes that don’t win make little to no money from the Olympics. It doesn’t matter whether the content about the athlete is negative or positive, they are gaining popularity either way. Memes especially help athletes gain attention and followers, leading to more income. The 2024 Olympics have become the most memed Olympics ever. It all started with the iconic

Norwegian Olympic swimmer Henrick Christiansen (also known as the Muffin Man). Christiansen went viral for his love of the chocolate muffins being served in the Olympic village. Other athletes and viewers joined in and started filming themselves tasting or creating the coveted muffins, including senior Téah Calini.

“I loved the Olympic memes. Probably the one I enjoyed the most was the Muffin Man meme. I just want to eat the muffin so badly,” Calini said. “I’m obsessed with the Muffin Man. I thought it was so funny that he competed and didn’t win, yet he was the most famous out of everyone in his category.”

While the Muffin Man conent continued to surface, Olympic breakdancer Rachel Gunn (Raygun) started to gain attention for her unforgettable performance.

“I think when the memes are really funny, it kinda shows that everyone is on the same wavelength almost,” senior Charlotte Zender said. “And some stuff that you see online can be kind of hateful and not helpful, but sometimes just a good old meme like the break dancer can really get people rolling.”

Arguably some of the best memes of the 2024 Olympics were the ones

with rapper Snoop Dogg in them. Fans loved him for his witty remarks and funny commentary on events. Snoop Dogg’s commentary on the events has brought new enjoyment to the games.

“Snoop Dogg is hilarious, and I think that he makes people happy,” said freshman English teacher Chrissy Nance. “I think he brings laughter and everything doesn’t have to be so serious.”

During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, clips of Snoop Dogg on “Olympic Highlights with Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg” on NBC’s Peacock went viral. Due to popular demand, Peacock knew they had to bring Snoop Dogg back for the 2024 Paris Olympics. They gave him an even bigger role this year. Instead of only covering the highlights, he gave commentary to entire events.

Looking for more memes? Go check out Olympian Maher, who’s known for her body positivity and insane crossaint eating videos!

The phenomenon of Olympic memes goes beyond simply making fun of the athletes or sporting events; it serves as a gateway to participate in the global conversation and engage in content creation and meme sharing. By embracing the playful and communal nature of memes, we can find common ground in our shared enjoyment of the Olympic games.

PHOTO | PEXELS | KAROLINA KABOOMPICS

PHOTO SCREENSHOT

YOU WENT WHERE?!

Mexico!

The alarm clock rings at 7 a.m., rousing junior Adi Prier from her sleep to prepare for school. She rolls out of bed and scrambles to the upstairs bathroom to begin getting ready for the day. Although her bedroom is air conditioned, the rest of the house quickly heats with the blazing morning sun, so she races to get ready before the sun warms the house in another 95º day in Merida Yucatan, Mexico.

Prier carpooled with her host mom to her exchange school everyday, along with her roommate and another family. They left at 8:30 a.m. to arrive by 9, when lessons began. Every day, lessons were taught entirely in Spanish; English was not allowed during class time.

“I couldn’t pick up everything because they were speaking super fast so I would only understand the subject that they were talking about,” Prier said. “There were definitely some missed signals and I had to learn to roll with it.”

Lessons in the morning, then an hour of lunch (where English was allowed), then back to lessons. It was a full day of school in mid July.

Prier and 30 other American students got to know each other well after a month spent in the heat and rain of a Mexico summer. She bonded with her classmates over shared struggles with adapting to the vastly different culture. Prier and her friends went to see “Inside Out 2” in Spanish theaters, which required much more focus than your average movie experience.

“It was the third week at this point, so I actually understood a fair amount of the movie,” Prier said. “It felt very gratifying to be able to understand because that meant I was learning, but it was also trippy because it made sense even though it wasn’t my main language. If I thought about it too hard it would all turn back to gibberish.”

BY GRETA MARTIN REPORTER

Sion students traveled the world this summer and immersed themselves in foreign culture, but each student traveled for a different reason so their experiences were all extremely unique.

Besides the torrential rain, Prier tried traditional Mexican snacks. She visited the bakery down the road called Tartarán on an almost daily basis. Her usual order was a “tartaleta de plátano y nutella” (Nutella and plantain tart) and a “tisana de frutos rojos” (red fruit herbal tea).

“It was nice because it was right next to school. The bakery itself was small, cute and comfortable to hang out in during lunch,” Prier said. “The food was so fresh; everything was made that day.”

In the afternoons, Prier would take field trips with her classmates to places called “cenotes,” natural sinkholes filled with water unique to the Yucatan Peninsula.

“We went on a day trip to a little town called Valladolid,” Prier said. “We went to the cenotes and the water was really cold, but it was super calming and felt kind of

fairy tale-ish.”

Prier got an authentic Mexican experience, without all the glitz and glam of fancy hotels and white sandy beaches, but instead worked hard and gained first hand experience learning Spanish with native speakers.

“I don’t want to be a stupid American,” Prier said. “I want to go and experience things and have two languages under my belt.”

PHOTO SUBMISSION | ADI PRIER

Bustling crowds and neon store signs line the streets of Kyoto, Japan. This summer, Senior Greta Grossman could pick anywhere in the world to travel, and she chose Japan.

“We have this tradition on my mom’s side of the family,” Grossman said. “You get to travel anywhere in the world but you have to buy your own ticket. I love Japanese food and culture and I’d never been to Asia.”

Grossman started her trip in Tokyo and from there went to Kaga Onsen, a smaller village which has natural hot springs called “onsens.” The hotel room she stayed in had a private onsen on the patio, but there were also larger, public onsens people visited.

“I didn’t go to any of the public onsens,” Grossman said, “Because you’re not supposed to wear clothes or a swimsuit when you get in, but I enjoyed the one in our hotel room all by myself.”

Food is an integral part of Japanese culture and a very personal experience. Many chefs offer Omakase, a tradition where customers dine at the chef’s personal place, and the chef makes them whatever food they want. Grossman tried pufferfish, a delicacy that takes years of

Latvia!

Senior Natasha Wulff traveled to Europe this summer to visit her family in Rujiena, Latvia. She spent a month enjoying the countryside and spending time on her family’s farm with her grandma, who Wulff calls “Baba”, her cousin, aunt and uncle.

Japan!

schooling and intense preparation to ensure it’s safe to eat.

“I was a little scared to try it,” Grossman said. “It had the texture of cooked tuna but tasted like chicken. They also had this maguro nigiri with caviar which was really good, and I had fresh wasabi which I’ve wanted to try for a long time.”

Wasabi is almost exclusively grown in Japan. Wasabi in the US is typically horseradish dyed green. Real, fresh wasabi has a different taste.

“It’s not as spicy as I thought it would be,” Grossman said. “It’s actually a little sweet.”

Grossman also stayed at a Buddhist

Days on the farm revolved around food and meal preparation. Breakfast was served at 10 a.m. most days and instead of cereal for breakfast, Wulff often had salad and eggs which were made that morning. The days were casual with lots of time to explore.

“I went on a lot of walks, into the forest mostly, there were trees around and not a lot of people so it was very peaceful,” Wulff said. “I would sometimes walk with my grandma and we would talk, which was really nice.”

monastery near Nara Park. The park was unique with a sacred temple and friendly deer free roaming toward visitors.

“They were so cute,” Grossman said. “Except the deer would get a little feisty when food came out.”

Nara Park also includes a moss garden, a signature to Japan. Some are natural and some are meticulously cultivated by gardeners, but they’re all places known for their peacefulness and simplicity.

“It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen,” Grossman said. “It’s all just breathtaking.”

One day, Wulff and her family went to a strawberry patch a little ways away from the farm. After an hour gathering strawberries, they ended up with around 17 lbs. They turned the berries into “varenye,” a jam-like substance.

“My Baba makes varenye by heating up sugar and whole berries,” Wulff said. “I offered to help but Baba still views me as the baby of the family and sometimes I think she forgets I’m almost an adult.”

Since Wulff rarely sees this side of the family, it’s valued time. Baba doesn’t travel due to her health, so Wulff has to visit if she wants to see her.

“My Baba is super sweet,” Wulff said. “Sometimes she’s overbearing, but she just misses me and my mom. She always asks if I’m hungry and brings me fruit to eat. I just love to be around her.”

Two weeks into her trip, Wulff’s mother arrived. Both Wulff and her mom celebrated Ligo, a Latvian midsummer celebration, with family. During the holiday, bonfires roar towards the sky late into the night and people stay up till the early hours of morning.

“Ligo feels very happy, like Christmas in June,” Wulff said. “You spend time with family, and before the bonfire, everyone is super merry and loud. Once the bonfire is lit, everything else gets quiet except the 11 foot bonfire crackling. Then one or two people start singing and a few more, and by the end everyone is singing.”

PHOTO SUBMISSION | NATASHA WULFF

PHOTO SUBMISSION | GRETA GROSSMAN

BREAKING NEWS:

THE REAL DEAL

Throughout the past two decades, reality TV has become a default selection due to its reliable drama and constant chaos, but this has also begged the question among viewers, how much of what we’re consuming is actually reality?

BY LAUREN HAGGERTY REPORTER

Our parents grew up in a generation where communication was through letters and calls were on landlines for the whole house to hear. They spent their free time watching predetermined shows, reading or hanging out with friends.

Today, technology has made it so that everyone has access to everything at any moment. This has completely altered the way younger generations use their free time and what media they absorb. More specifically, starting in the early 2000’s, reality shows filled television screens across America. This type of television provided an “inside scoop” into others’ lives that people could consume as an escape from what was going on in their own.

Most of the popular reality television series of the early 2000’s revolved around love, adventure, talent or dramatized everyday life. Some of the earliest hits were “Survivor”, “The Bachelor”, “America’s Got Talent” and “Keeping up with the Kardashians.” Many of these are still around today because of the suspense and excitement they give viewers.

Reality TV has risen in popularity due to the fame, attention and wealth it has brought to everyday people. On shows like “Love Island,” “Survivor” and “Too Hot To Handle,” there is a huge cash prize at the end for the winners. This high reward has motivated hundreds of people to want to participate in such competitions.

Every reality show has an objective, and it’s always shocking to fans when the show does not end how they expect. In romantic shows such as “Love Island” there was a couple that stayed together from the first

night in the most recent season, just to immediately break up when they returned home. Something similar also happened on the most recent episode of the “Bachelorette” when bachelor Devin Stradler called off his engagement to bachelorette Jennifer Tran via phone call a week after the show ended. While this was crazy to hear about, why does it matter? Why do we care so much about others’ lives?

The issue with this is fans, especially loyal ones, have great expectations for a reality show, and how it should turn out. They get too invested in others’ lives and believe the mask the cast is putting on for millions of people to see. No normal person is going to show any version, but the best version of themselves on television because no one wants to be called out or “canceled” in any way. Cancel culture from the media has tremendously impacted the way people act on TV. Fan favorite cast members can quickly become irrelevant, and the scary thing is people are constantly trying to find ways to cancel others even for the littlest details. People love seeing other people miserable.

We watch people chase fame and fortune on shows like these, and then we, as viewers, become upset when they show us their true colors. We are simply watching people try to become the next Kardasian. We believe what we see on TV because we want to live through other people’s fictional realities as an escape from our own.

Reality television star Kim Kardashian’s net worth is nearly $1.8 billion due to her sponsorships, makeup and shapewear company as well as her very successful TV show.

FEATURING:

DANCE MOMS

KARDASHIAN

“Keeping Up With The Kardashians” first came out in 2007, and went on for over 20 seasons, up until its finale in 2021. This show tremendously expedited Kardashian’s journey to fame, and she also was able to use social media to promote her show and companies.

The media has played a huge role for reality tv to rise to popularity. Social media platforms like Instagram, Tiktok and Twitter allowed reality TV stars to have interactions with their fans which helped promote shows and gain viewers.

For instance, on “Dancing With The Stars”, former bachelorette Jennifer Tran was able to use her social media to make get ready and dance videos, all while promoting her show simply by posting. Her main views and fanbase come from loyal “Bachelor” and “Dancing with the Stars” fans who have been watching the show and are awaiting the results from the season.

Reality TV has steadily engrained itself into everyday life whether it is just in the suggested feed, news or billboard signs on the highway. It was in fact so steady no one noticed the destruction occurring simultaneously. Its chaos and drama has skewed the way we view the world, but also people as well.

Media and reality TV also worked together in terms of politics, most recently with the election of Donald Trump in 2020. “The Apprentice” is a reality television program that judges the business skills of a group of contestants. In an interview, supervising editor James Poniewozika explained to Time Magazine that the show’s aim was to “Make Trump look good; make him look wealthy and legitimate.”

One of the major and terrifying issues in reality TV is the way it can be skewed by editing. At the end of the day the producer’s job is to get views and profits, which can easily be done by attaching random clips together, or even creating chaos among the cast. The shows we glorify are commonly not

even factual.

In the early 2000’s, reality TV show “Dance Moms” aired. It was originally made to just be a six-episode documentary. This show quickly gained popularity due to the drama between the moms and dance teacher Abby Lee Miller, leading to a successful eight season TV series. The show followed Miller, the dance moms and their daughters around to dance competitions and lessons.

As the girls got older, they took to social media to explain that they felt they were poorly portrayed on the show. They said the producers would cause drama and they were sick of people thinking they actually were that way.

“I am so sad that you all view me and my mother in this way,” dancer Chloe Lukasiak said on her Youtube channel. “We feel as if we weren’t given the full truth of how we were going to look to viewers and the purpose behind the show.”

This happened on more shows than just “Dance Moms.” Cast members from “Love Island,” “The Bachelor” and “America’s Got Talent” spoke out, feeling the need to defend themselves after the way they were characterized on the show. This is why reality TV can be so dangerous, because it is impossible to know if the television you are consuming is even real.

While reality TV is a great time filler and extremely entertaining to watch, its popularity in this generation specifically is intriguing yet terrifying. We sit and watch a screen filled with people who ultimately want a reward or fame, because they are discontent with their current life. So much gets misconstrued in the media, and people just spend their days watching brain rot. If our parents had a great childhood without reality television, so can this generation.

what’s your season?

Below, you will see different combinations of skin tones, eye colors and hair colors organized into different seasons. Find what matches you best and scan the QR code to read more about your color palette.

BY BRIDGET BENDORF WEB EDITOR IN CHIEF

FALL WINTER SPRING