FEATURE

Junior Amé Beets zips up her racing suit to show the Car Mechanics and Repair class Tuesday Oct. 12. Photo | EPAGAFOTO

BEETING THE REST

BY AVA ALBRACHT CO-WEB-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF For the past eleven years, junior Amé Beets has been participating in car racing and working on cars with her family.

Climbing into her go-kart for her first-ever autocross race, 5-year-old Amé Beets felt her palms begin to sweat and her heart begin to pound. She nervously shifted into drive and began the event that would kick off her driving career. Although she almost crashed into a brick wall and flipped the accelerator and brake, she was nevertheless proud of herself for just completing the race.

Beets, now 17, has upgraded from driving a go-kart to a 2000 Toyota Camry. In the past eleven years her nerves surrounding racing evolved into a passion and her favorite family activity. Beets’ main motivation to continue racing is her stepbrother Alexander Hesskamp, a junior at Shawnee Mission East.

“My brother is my biggest supporter and motivation because we have a little sibling competition going on,” Beets said.

Beets and Hesskamp participate in autocross racing, in which competitors are put on a course enclosed by cones to see who can achieve the fastest time without hitting the cones or going off course. The ultimate goal for autocross racers is to have a “clean” run, hitting no cones. This type of racing can be very frustrating and takes true skill to master, which is why it is so important for Beets to have her family support her even when a race does not go her way.

“I admire our family’s ability to always shine through adversity like when things break or when we try to give each other setup tips,” Hesskamp said.

For Beets, racing is a family affair. Her mom, Alayne Webb, hauled the family out to the track to watch a friend race when Hesskamp and Beets were little. They all became fascinated by the sport: cheering during a clean run and unable to watch if one of the racers hit cones. Beets and Hesskamp became increasingly mesmerized by the sport and knowledgeable on racing techniques.

“The two would watch and cheer everyone on,” Webb said. “For hours and hours they would be side-byside watching each car and running to the driver at the completion of the run to hear what they thought about the course or where they could have done better.”

When Beets first put on her helmet and racing suit, she struggled with her dyslexia, which made it difficult for her to remember which pedal was brake and which one was gas. Webb hoped that racing would be an opportunity for Beets to overcome this challenge and learn to drive. In order to combat Beets’ dyslexia, Webb placed green tape on Beets’ right glove and red on her left glove to help her remember.

“When she began, she’d take a very passive stance [to winning], wanting to not hurt anyone’s feelings,” Webb said. “Now, she’s out to get almost everyone.” Over the years, Beets has learned more about cars than the average young person and was able to teach the Car Maintenance and Repair session with biology teacher Alex Rodriguez. This class gave students the opportunity to learn everything from basic car safety to how to jump a car. For Beets, these skills are second nature, and she got to share her love for working on cars with others. “I couldn’t tell you how old I was [when I first worked on cars] since I practically grew up on the track, but what I do remember was the smell of gasoline and having dirt on my hands,” Beets said. “It was probably one of the first instances where I got to express myself by learning from people I looked up to the most. “

NOT SO LIGHT HEADED left

Junior Amé Beets shows off her racing helmet to her Car Mechanics and Repair class Tuesday Oct. 12. Photo | Sofia Aguayo

LEARNING THE ROPES far left

Junior Amé Beets demonstrates how to jump a car engine while explaining cable purposes to fellow junior Ella Abiecunas. Photo | Sofia Aguayo

WHEELY FUN

During her Life Beyond Sion sesson, Beets demonstrated to students the literal nuts and bolts of changing a tire. Photo | Sofia Aguayo

YOU CAN’T SIT WITH US

Due to the Met Gala 2021 controversy, many have questioned whether TikTok influencers should be invited to high profile events with A-list celebrities.

BY BRIANNA LEGETTE FEATURES EDITOR

Dixie D’Amelio. Addison Rae. Nikkie de Jager. All TikTok influencers, all attendees at the 2021 Met Gala - one of the most prominent and most exclusive social events in the world.

Let’s be real. TikTok influencers, earning their fame from viral 30 second videos, do not hold the same status as A-list designers, musicians, actors, writers, comedians, athletes or politicians. Rihanna, Vera Wang, Billie Eilish, Serena Williams and Alexandria OcasioCortez attended the Met Gala alongside TikTok influencers, though the former and thier peers have more established careers.

TikTok influencers shouldn’t be invited to high profile events. TikTok influencers make their money and their fame on an app that may not be relevant in 10 years. Not to say that TikTok influencers don’t work hard, or aren’t stressing about the content that they create, but they don’t deserve to go to one of the most selective events in the country.

According to the Life and Style magazine website, every year the Met Gala invites only 700 celebrities, picked by Vogue editor Anna Wintour. The guest list includes A-list celebrities who are known for their fashion and philanthropy. Tables at the event cost $75,000 to $250,000 for major brands and companies and individual tickets cost $25,000. Major fashion and clothing brands will often invite celebrities to sit at their tables so the celebrity will go for free. Thus, guests consist of people that can afford the cost or people invited by a brand.

At high-profile events like award shows, you’re expecting to see models like Gigi Hadid aor singers like Olivia Rodrigo and Justin Bieber, not someone who made their money off of a few viral dance videos and some brand sponsorships.

That’s not even to mention that some TikTok influencers face controversy for stealing dances from black creators and then going viral on the app. Both Addison Rae and Charli D’Amelio have been accused of stealing some of the app’s iconic dances from black creators and then getting famous and making millions off of it. Stealing from others, specifically black people and creators, isn’t new in history, but should those who do continue to be awarded with money and lavish invites? It is time that people of color receive the credit and recognition for what they’ve done.

According to NPR, because of the controversy, black TikTok creators went on “strike,” refusing to create until they are given the credit for their work.

Actors spend months on a set working on a movie, singers spend years making an album, and designers spend just as long on a collection of stunning pieces. Editing short dance or comedy videos, maybe taken unoriginally from a different source, that become viral thanks to TikTok’s algorithm isn’t equivalent to the amount of work, money, effort and resources that go into the projects of people who have worked for years for larger projects. At the end of the day, many TikTok influencers are famous because they are slim, pretty, and caucasian - and TikTok’s algorithms, based on a user’s personal preferences, make it simpler to go viral. Supposedly anyone can be a TikTok influencer. Anyone who is white and meets up-to-date beauty standards, that is.

Because of the the app’s design and how accessible and addictive it is, anyone can post anything on the app and receive influencer status. Actors and actresses, singers and designers put years of hard work into honing their craft, and then maybe if they’re lucky, they’ll become famous, but the chances of that happening are slim. TikTok influencers have the luxury of becoming famous fast and easily, then they must deal with the unprepared stress of it.

They are unprepared to handle an immense amount of fame - including overbearing love and followship as well as crippling hatred - overnight. TikTok influencers must also continue staying relevant, because as trends fizzle away, so do the people that posted them. When all you have is your fame because of TikTok, what do you do with it? How does one stay relevant in the fast virality and limited longevity of TikTok? And in all that muck, should they walk the red carpet at a major philanthropic event? Do they have time to make a true impact on the world while struggling to stay relevant in the times?

TikTok influencers should not be invited to the Met Gala when the only thing they have going for them is that they’re social media stars, unlike other celebrities who have the talent and the fashion to back up the social media presence and the opportunity to use the spotlight not simply for more likes, but as recognition for what they’ve put out into the world.

10 out of 11 staff members voted in favor of this editorial.

HOMEWORK:

necessary or not?

Thursday, October 28

Homework is a necessary part of the learning process, but not everything assigned to do at home benefits students’ ability to learn.

STORY BY ELLE SIMON EDITORIALS EDITOR DESIGN BY ELLA ROGGE MANAGING EDITOR

Sitting at a dimly lit desk while the rest of the world sleeps, high schoolers across the country continue their schoolwork at home. Homework seems to be the main culprit of stress, sleepless nights and long days among younger generations. But if students are being physically and mentally stretched, is homework really necessary?

Homework allows students to demonstrate their understanding of concepts learned in class. One might discover what questions need to be asked the next day, which subjects need more attention and if the lesson was actually comprehended. If homework’s purpose is to help students learn, is there a difference between meaningful homework and busywork? Is all the work assigned to do at home necessary?

Math, Science, English, Foreign Language, History, Art, Writing, Reading: all subjects assign homework, but are multiple assignments for each class necessary? Math homework typically consists of practice problems from that day’s lesson. Doing

Friday, October 29

practice problems reinforces concepts and provides an opportunity to do the work without a teacher’s guidance

English homework consists of essay writing and reading, occasionally a worksheet. Writing papers can be built into class time and might save students a lot of extra work at home. Foreign Language homework consists of worksheets, online exercises or vocabulary flashcards. Doing this at home reinforces knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and conjugations.

Science homework could be finishing up a lab, worksheet, presentation or more. While labs are always done at school, sometimes there isn’t enough in-class time to write a summary about the lab and it has to be taken home. Is there enough time in the classroom each day for learning?

Meaningful homework is work that will benefit the students’ learning. Math practice problems and foreign language exercises are examples of meaningful homework, as both help students apply the lesson later on.

Busywork is something that could be built into class time and is not going to benefit the students in the long haul. Random worksheets are things that could be done in class and will not benefit student’s understanding of a concept. Not all assignments need to be done at home. Plenty of assignments are able to be done at school. There is no need for teachers to pile on more work for students to do at home than necessary.

Understandably some things won’t get done in class, but if it doesn’t need to be done immediately, it can wait. The assignment can be done in class the next day to save students time and stress as it would not be just another assignment to check off the to-do list. The fine line between

Saturday, October 30

necessary homework and busywork gets fuzzy, and unfortunately that line is the difference between students getting sleep and being stressed.

So is homework necessary? Should the old learning principle be thrown out of our educational system? Students are busy; they juggle school, sports and other extracurricular activities, so homework seems like a large inconvenience to many students because of the amount of time it takes. While homework might be a thorn in everyone’s side, it is an essential part to the learning process, especially in how students comprehend the lessons taught that day and apply them in the future. Sunday, October 31

How many hours per day do students spend on social media?

polled out of 171 students

0-1 Hours

28.0% 6.0% 18.7%

2-3 Hours

4-5 Hours

47.3%

6-8 Hours

ATTENTION PLEASE

The quick instant gratification of social media impacts our attention spans.

BY MEGAN KELLEY ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Mindlessly scrolling through TikTok, liking Instagram posts without looking, binging shows without commercials, and playing background YouTube videos while doing other tasks are all examples of how adolescents are spending their time online. It is no longer uncommon to see someone with a phone, tablet, and laptop open in the couch in front of a TV, swapping devices for various needs and apps. Increased time spent in a digital world means decreasing attention spans.

A Stanford University study states that behaviors such as mindlessly scrolling, “spam liking” or watching several consecutively queued videos may affect episodic memory.

Episodic memories are long-term. They capture individual experiences of particular times and places, which is the basis for cognitive functioning. Episodic memories allow for recall and also help with educated predictions of the future. They help your brain create patterns, connect to emotions, and keep a personal record of one’s life. A published 2021 study from the Memory & Cognition Academic Journal states that divided attention affects episodic memory.

Due to the increasing amount of time that teenagers are spending on social media and multiple devices, attention spans in the classroom have decreased. 2018 surveys collected by Act for Youth show that 88% of middle schoolers

Photo collage | Pexels

101 students think social media affects attention span 70 students don’t think socials affect attention span

polled out of 171 students

and high schoolers have computer access at home. 95% of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 own a smartphone. Of the teens who own phones, nine out of ten have an active social media profile. 85% use YouTube. 84% of teens (92% of male-identifying teens) have access to game consoles.

During the school day, many students will hop on their phones and spend class time scrolling through social media. This causes distractions for other students, teachers, and it decreases the chances students have to turn memories into longterm episodic ones, making it more difficult to recall what you’ve learned in school on another day.

Another huge indicator that technology and social media are affecting attention span is the decrease in movie viewership.

Teenagers tend to be in search of fast-moving plots. A movie offers a slow moving plot compared to their competitor, TikTok, where users scroll quickly through 15 second to three minute videos. These lengths allow teens to see developments in a plot storyline faster than they would in full length films.

While scrolling through social media, the brain searches for dopamine, according to Bustle.com. Dopamine is a chemical that is released by the brain as a reward system when there are feelings of pleasure. This hit of dopamine from a like or a funny meme encourages app users to acquire more dopamine, leading teenagers to seek out similar items by scrolling for several hours. When teens exhaust one avenue of social media, they typically switch to another, thereby extending the cycle of dopamine microdosing.

Overall, teenage and adolescent brains have seen a decrease in attention span due to technology and social media. Teens should limit the amount of time spent on apps per day. Next time you are scrolling through a feed or binging a show or getting the next high score, stop and take a break. Focus on something that helps increase your attention span, whether it is meditating, getting exercise or chewing gum. With little fixes here and there, the damages done to teenagers’ attention spans as a result of spending too much time on screens can be reversed. October 2021 // 13