January Issue-2021 by LHS Statesman

Statesman JANUARY

the phrases that defined 2020

molly wetsch p.8

contents statesman

PAPER EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: Sara Croghan, Cameron Rhode & Carly Wheeler

LHS men’s fashion - ABBIE DEKRAMER Statesman rewind - LILLI EPPINGA Statesman rewind - LILLI EPPINGA The phrases that defined 2020 - MOLLY WETSCH The phrases that defined 2020 - MOLLY WETSCH I though you graduated? - CARTER ERICSON I though you graduated? - CARTER ERICSON

Undeniably Serie - MARGARET ANN MICKELBERG Undeniably Serie - MARGARET ANN MICKELBERG Sharing space under the umbrella - CAMERON RHODE Sharing space under the umbrella - CAMERON RHODE

Lincon’s lunchtime Lincon’s lunchtimefavorites favorites- -PAIGE PAIGEGORDON GORDON

FEATURE EDITORS: Lilli Eppinga & Anna Engels

‘She‘She Kills Monsters’ makes itsits official debut onon the Kills Monsters’ makes official debut theLHS LHSstage stage- CHLOE - CHLOEHOUWMAN HOUWMAN

ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS: Avery Blackman & Adyson Sand

Teachers’ Teachers’walk walkupupsongs songs- -BAILY BAILYPLOURDE PLOURDE

PERSPECTIVES EDITORS: Daniel Bethke, Henry Haft, Chloe Hartje & Chloe Houwman NEWS EDITOR: Abbie DeKramer STAFF WRITERS: Olivia Brost, Claire Brown, Hannah Cisar, Anna Engels, Carter Ericson, Mara Fendrich, Kaden Fossum, Paige Gordon, Veronica Iseminger, Emma Johnson, Madyson Lawson, Charley Lockwood-Powell, Kate McCartney, Margaret Ann Mickelberg, Alexis Miller, Baily Plourde, Lydia Sarbacker, Gavin Solomon, Kate Tollinger, Jamison Vetter, Thompson Wakefield & Carson Woods ADVISER: Katie Kroeze

ABOUT THE Statesman T he Statesman’s purpose is to inform and entertain with an honest and accurate approach. The opinions of students, staff members and faculty are expressed in a tasteful manner. The Statesman is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association and the Journalism Education Association. The Statesman was awarded a Pacemaker in 2007 and was nominated for the 2012-2013 year. The Statesman has received Superior and best newspaper in the state of South Dakota three years in a row. The editors and adviser take responsibility for the content of the Statesman.

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ONLINE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: Madeleine Kemper & Molly Wetsch

SPORTS EDITORS: Gage Gohl & Caleb Hiatt

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FF EE AA TT UU RR EE SS LHS men’s fashion - ABBIE DEKRAMER 4

LHS, what LHS, whatare areweweknown knownfor? for?- -ADY ADYSAND SAND Teacher’s New Year’s Teacher’s New Year’sresolutions resolutions- -KATE KATETOLLINGER TOLLINGER Best shoes Best shoesofofLHS LHS- -LYDIA LYDIASARBACKER SARBACKER Statesbuds: Swamp Daddy’s CajunComfort Comfort- -EMMA EMMAJOHNSON JOHNSON Statesbuds: Swamp Daddy’s Cajun Cozy these newwinter wintermovies movies- -CLAIRE CLAIREBROWN BROWN Cozy upup to to these new

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C TT II V V EE SS PPEERRSS PP EE C

28 28 The and downs freemarket marketcapitalism capitalism- -HENRY HENRYHAFT HAFT 29 The upsups and downs forfor free 29 Childhoodnostalgia nostalgia- -ANNA ANNAENGELS ENGELS 30 Childhood 30 maker: SouthGarfield GarfieldAve Ave- -SARA SARACROGHAN CROGHAN 32 AnAn odeode to to mymy maker: South 32 Lost in translatiobn - MARA FENDRICH 34 Lost in translatiobn - MARA FENDRICH 34 What don’t you know? - CARLY WHEELER 36 What don’t you know? - CARLY WHEELER 36 We can’t handle the truth - CALEB HIATT 38 We can’t handle the truth - CALEB HIATT 38 Protect the Artic National Wildlife Refuge - CHLOE HARTJE 40 Protect the Artic National Wildlife Refuge - CHLOE HARTJE 40 One last ride - MADELEINE KEMPER 42 One last ride - MADELEINE KEMPER 42 How to be the main character in your own life - OLIVIA BROST 44 How to be the main character in your own life - OLIVIA BROST 44 There’s too much of this s*** - AVERY BLACKMAN 46 There’s too much of this s*** - AVERY BLACKMAN 46 The Freckle.- VERONICA - VERONICAISEMINGER ISEMINGER The Freckle.

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Harrison olson, 10 Harrison Harrison olson olson , 10 , 10 Harrison olson, 10

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Jack smitH, 9 Jack Jack Jack smitH smitH s,mitH 9, 9, 9

rylie Graves, 11 Graves Graves , 11 , 11 rylie rylie rylie Graves, 11

“I

wake up in the mor ning and I pick out an outfit. Ever y day...I don’t really think too much about what I’m going to wear. I just like to pick an outfit and make it work. What I wear is how I feel. I know that the clothes I’m wearing I can be confident in, and I’m not second-guessing. I think color really makes an outfit,” said Rylie Graves “there can be outfits that don’t complement each other, but if the colors LHS is home to an abundance of creative and individualized minds. Some of those minds wake up in the morning and make mix together, the outfit LHSaLHS is home is home toeffort an toabundance antoabundance of creative of creative and and individualized individualized minds. minds. Some Some of those of those minds minds wake wake up in up the in the morning morning andfor and make conscious construct their intended first impression through clothing. When walking through the halls a make split becomes really cool.” LHS is home to an of creative andfirst individualized minds. Some of of those minds wake up the the morning and a conscious a conscious effort effort tospot construct toabundance construct their their intended intended first impression impression through through clothing. clothing. When When walking through through the halls halls for afor split a make split second, one can a familiar face and occasionally that individual’s outfits the day.walking Outside of in virtual academy students, athis conscious construct their intended first impression clothing. When through theacademy hallsstudents, forstudents, a split second, second, one one can effort can spot atofamiliar a familiar face face andinteraction and occasionally occasionally that that individual’s individual’s outfits outfits of the of the day. day. Outside Outside of virtual of virtual academy minimal butspot meaningful daily is consistent forthrough almost every student. Towalking applaud those (pictured and not one can spot ainfamiliar faceinteraction and occasionally that outfits of the of virtual academy thissecond, this minimal minimal but but meaningful meaningful daily daily interaction is consistent istheir consistent forindividual’s almost for every every student. student. Today. applaud ToOutside applaud those those (pictured and and notstudents, not pictured) who awake the darkness to browse closets to almost ensure their own personalized touch, we(pictured have collected a this minimal but meaningful daily interaction is consistent for almost every student. To applaud those (pictured and not pictured) pictured) who who awake awake in the in the darkness darkness to browse to browse their their closets closets to ensure to ensure their their own own personalized personalized touch, touch, we have we have collected collected a a photo montage that we believe represents “LHS Men’s Fashion”. pictured) who awake in believe the represents darkness to“LHS browse their closets to ensure their own personalized touch, we have collected a photo photo montage montage that that we believe we represents “LHS Men’s Men’s Fashion”. Fashion”. Design AnD photos by Abbie DeKrAmer photo montage that we believe represents “LHS Men’s Fashion”.

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“I wake up in the morning “I wake in out the an morning and Iup pick outfit. “IEvery wake in the morning and Iup pick out an day...I don’t outfit. really and I pick an outfit. Every day...I don’t really think tooout much about Every day...I don’t really think too much aboutI what I’m going to wear. think too much about what I’m to going just like picktoanwear. outfitI what I’m going to wear. just an What outfitI and like maketoitpick work. just like to pick an outfitI andI make it work. wear is how I What feel. andknow make it work. What I wearthat is how feel. I the Iclothes II’m wear is how feel.beI know that theIIclothes wearing can know that the clothes I’m wearing cannot be confident in, and II’m I’m wearing I can be confident in, and I’m not second-guessing. I think confident in, and I’m not second-guessing. I think color really makes an second-guessing. I think color really makes an outfit,” said Rylie Graves color really makes an outfit,” said Rylie Graves “there can be outfits that outfit,” said Rylie Graves “there be outfits each that don’tcan complement “there that don’t complement each other,can butbeifoutfits the colors don’t complement each other, but if the mix together, thecolors outfit other, but if cool.” the mix together, thecolors outfit becomes really mix together, the outfit becomes really cool.” becomes really cool.”

Design AnD photos by

Abbie DeKrAmer

Design AnD photos by

Abbie DeKrAmer

Design AnD photos by

Abbie DeKrAmer

lhsstatesman.com

lhsstatesman.com lhsstatesman.com

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1980 1980 1980

features features features

1965 by

LiLLi Epinga

In 1965, the firstever Statesman issue was published, and since then, it has developed into a club that was never foreseen by staff members of past generations. Statesman issues are constantly transforming and improving with time — new staff members and editors each year strive to make improvements and boost the professionalism of the paper. Throughout the years, the impact of technology has become more evident in the issues. As seen in older issues, machines such as typewriters and old cameras developed detailed black and white images and beautiful layouts, in contrast with the fully colored, magazine-like issues we publish today.

dEsign by

LiLLi Eppinga

january

The faded light-blue issue was the first-ever model of the Statesman; with little color and large size, it stands to mark the beginning of the LHS newspaper in the first year LHS opened. 12 experienced staff members were the first to set the stage, writing the path for all future students. Vintage ad images were often displayed. Deals such as “69 cents will buy you a hamburger, fries and a malt at the frosty treat” demonstrate how long ago the first Statesman was published and the historical importance of the issue.

“Statesman Names Girl Missed Sweetheart 1976” “Because she was found to be the most dejected, rejected, and infected young lady at Lincoln, Ima Sweatbog has been chosen as the Statesman staff ’s Missed Sweetheart of 1976.”

1970 Five years later, the LHS Statesman had been awarded the highest rating in the ‘Quill and Scroll’ Newspaper Evaluation for the fourth consecutive year. They scored 929 points out of a possible 1000, ranking highest in the category of leadership to influence readers.

1976

1975

1985

This bright blue issue marks the 10th anniversary of the Statesman. Within those years, the staff published stories that voiced student concerns, awards and events occurring at the time. The articles hold a similar design style and image type as the issues published in the first 10 years. However, the issue gained a few more pages of color: a page with a pink background and a few others with red titles. Some articles incorporated elements such as elaborate drawings of people or collages of student pictures.

The Statesman issue of 1985 gained a new retro font that is utilized throughout the articles and pages. At the top of each page, it is used to show what type of articles are displayed: beats such as opinion, sports, insight, news and many more. The articles focus on the opinions of staff writers, important information regarding the administration and new rules and even hand-drawn comics representing global issues.

by LiLLi by by LiLLi Eppinga LiLLi Eppinga Eppinga

In this issue, they discontinued the use of In this issue, discontinued capitalizing eachthey word in the title.the use of capitalizing each word in the title.the use of In this issue, they discontinued capitalizing each word in the title.

1995 1995 1995

This dark green issue contains many new This issueascontains manyofnew uses of dark colorgreen printing, the addition uses of color printing, as the addition This dark green issuetrend. contains manyof new color became a popular Certain articles colorofbecame a popular trend. Certain articles uses color printing, the addition of contain blue, purple or as turquoise textboxes contain blue, purple or show turquoise textboxes color became a goes popular trend.that Certain articles or titles, and it to the era of or titles,blue, andwas it goes show that the era were of contain purple or turquoise textboxes technology just to starting; computers technology just starting; computers or titles, and itbegoes to show of beginning towas viewed as thethat linkthe to era the were beginning to be viewed as the link to the technology was just starting; computers were future. Even though this issue was created future. Even though was to created beginning toago, be viewed asissue theenormous link the many years therethis are an many years ago, there are an enormous future. though this was created amountEven of similarities to issue the types of stories amount of the similarities to the types of stories many years ago,current there are an enormous written by Statesman staff. written by the current Statesman staff. amount of similarities to the types of stories written by the current Statesman staff.

2005 2005 2005

As LHS increased in enrollment and As LHSinincreased enrollment expanded size, the in Statesman staffand did too. expanded in size, the Statesman staffand did too. As larger LHS increased enrollment This staff alsoingained better tools This larger staff also gained better tools expanded in size, the Statesman staff did too. to help them produce detailed designs and to help them produce designs and This larger staff also detailed gained better beautiful picture collages. They weretools the beautiful collages. Theydesigns were the to help them detailed and winner ofpicture theproduce George H. Gallup award as well winner ofpicture the George H. Gallup award beautiful collages. They were theas well as ranked #10 Best in Show at the National as ranked #10 Best in Show theaward National winner of Press the George H. Gallup as well Scholastic Association in at April 2004. Titles Scholastic Association in April Titles as ranked #10 Best in Show at the 2004. National of articlesPress became bigger and more creative of articlesPress became bigger andApril more2004. creative Scholastic Association in Titles in aspects of fonts and space usage. Colors in aspects of fonts and space usage. Colors of articles became bigger and more creative became more consistently used within the became more consistently the in aspects of fonts and space Colors pages, allowing writers to used addusage. awithin different pages, allowing writers to add a different became consistently used within the elementmore to their designs and stories. element to theirwriters designstoand pages, allowing addstories. a different element to their designs and stories.

2015 2015 2015

This bright red issue stands to represent bright red issue stands to represent oneThis of the most significant changes in the oneThis of the most significant changes in the bright red issue the stands to issues represent Statesman issues. While older Statesman While the older one ofa length theissues. most in the have of significant around 18 changes inches,issues this 2015 haveisa shortened length of by around 18 older inches, this 2015 Statesman issues. While the issues one 6 inches, producing one isa shortened by 6to inches, producing have length around 18 inches, this 2015 issues that areofeasier distribute and issues that are easier to distribute and one is shortened by 6 inches, producing read. Articles contain lots of color, mainly read. Articles of color,and mainly issues thatstories arecontain easier tolots distribute covering regarding student Q&As, covering stories regarding student Q&As, read. Articles of color, mainly opinions at thecontain time orlots album reviews. opinions theissue time or album reviews. covering stories regarding student Althoughat this was created andQ&As, Although this was created andare many opinions theissue timeyears or album reviews. publishedatonly five ago, there published five years ago, there Although this issue was took, created andare many steps that only the Statesman particularly steps that only the Statesman particularly published fiveKroeze, yearstook, ago, there are many the advisor, Katie in order to develop the advisor, Katie Kroeze, in order to develop steps that the Statesman took, particularly the layouts into what they have become layouts into they in have become the advisor, Katiewhat Kroeze, order to develop today. today. the layouts into what they have become lhsstatesman.com today. lhsstatesman.com lhsstatesman.com

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20 defined 20

statesman

the phrases that by

Molly Wetsch, online editor-in-chief

As one of the most tumultuous years in recent history came to an end, citizens of the U.S. (and beyond) reflected on how 2020 affected their psyche. These differing reflections contained several common phrases, which The New York Times categorized as the 20 phrases that defined 2020. I decided to create my own small list of phrases and words that, in my mind, defined 2020 for LHS, Sioux Falls and the world.

As COVID-19 rocked the world, millions of people were forced to quarantine, spending weeks or even months in their home as uncertainty surrounding the pandemic grew and infection rates climbed.

january

The late basketball legend Kobe Bryant’s signature phrase and the title of his memoir. Bryant passed away in a helicopter accident in early 2020, and his death was felt around the world.

ONE-WAY HALL

The Black Lives Matter movement skyrocketed in its public perception in 2020, hosting thousands of rallies and protests across the country, and several in Sioux Falls and at LHS. Celebrities have also voiced their support for the movement, including Ariana Grande and Shawn Mendes.

MAMBA

One-way hallways became the norm at LHS this year, a testament to the lasting impact of COVID-19. Although students at LHS were lucky enough to return to school in-person this year, thousands of school districts across the country have been operating through virtual learning since the beginning of the school year.

WAYS

BLACK LIVES MATTER

MENTALITY

QUARANTINE

features

REAL

PEOPLE, REAL

VIDEOS

This TikTok slogan represents what has become the most popular social media platform in the world; with over 800 million users, TikTok is a prime source for comedy, music and even activism. 2020 was the year of TikTok, spurring millions to join the platform. Some LHS students even got their own taste of viral fame last year.

VIRTUAL ACADEMY

Virtual Academy (also known as VA) has been an option available to students to pursue this year. VA consists of daily online classes and operates similarly to in-person schooling. Many Sioux Falls School District students have opted to attend school virtually this year. design by

sara croghan

Carter eriCson

COVID-19 has brought many challenges to our world. Not being able to see family members, small businesses being forced to close down and a severe economic decline are among the many challenges faced.. As a result of the pandemic, there has been a massive demand for substitute teachers. This is the perfect opportunity for college students who are coming back home for their winter break. Many college students who plan on going into teaching after they graduate have already taken advantage of this opportunity. “I decided to become a substitute teacher because I plan on becoming a teacher after college,” said former LHS student Dylan Salonen. “It has been an amazing experience and I am lucky to have been able to do it. Overall, I definitely recommend substituting, especially if you plan on becoming a teacher in the future. It gives you a great idea of what an average day will look like after graduation.” This opportunity does not only benefit those who desire to teach students in grades K-12, but also those who want to pursue teaching at the collegiate level. “I decided to become a substitute teacher because I want to become a professor and get my Ph.D.,” said college student Hosea Kost. “However, if I had the opportunity to sub at my old high school, I probably would not because I feel like it would be very weird, especially since I

come from a small school.” Many college students have decided to sub because they want to pick up some extra cash during their winter break. “I do not plan on going into teaching after college, I just needed some extra money,” said former LHS student Elliot Hackett. “So far my experience has been immaculate. I would strongly recommend it to future students who are looking to make some money over the break. I am thankful to have been given the opportunity, I had a great time.” Substitute teaching has many benefits. Not only are students able to load up their checking accounts, but they are also able to add the experience to their resumes. It is a great opportunity to get recommendations from teachers, counselors and principals. For those who may want to student teach at high schools, subbing will allow you to get to know the staff there. In addition, it gives students the opportunity to meet many different types of people. Having this experience is something to definitely take advantage of.

I’M BACK

design by

sara Croghan

lhsstatesman.com

statesman

he skips down the hallways of LHS wearing rainbow skirts, neon tops and stickers on her face. Many in the halls might ask, “who is that girl?” She is bubbly, loud, colorful and passionate. She is Serie Hall. Hall is a voracious fairytale reader who can quote “Once Upon a Time” episodes almost completely by memory. She describes herself as a theater girl and hopes to be an actress someday in her future, preferably a Disney princess voice actress. Her hobbies are very clearly portrayed in her whimsical and fairy-like Japanese Decora Kei style. South Dakotans are more than likely not used to seeing Decora in this predominantly traditional state, so their curiosity is not unfounded when they see Hall in a tornado of children’s section clothes and Claire’s accessories. This curiosity sometimes urges people to comment on Hall’s fashion choices, both positively and negatively. However, Hall never fails to laugh at the rude comments she gets from those who might not understand her apparel. “I get lots of comments, but they’re honestly really funny to me,” said Hall. “I get asked a lot if I’m color blind, which doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it sure is amusing. My favorite, favorite thing anyone’s ever said to me is ‘Are you, like, white? Because you seem Japanese.’ [That question] lives rent free in my brain. That was a few years ago, and I still haven’t figured out what it means. In case you want to know though, yes I am, like, white.” Hall has not always dressed how she truly wanted to. In middle school she was shy and laid low under the radar. She remembers the last day of eighth grade when her teacher went around the room talking about the memories they had with each student. When the circle came around to Hall, the teacher could not think of a memory and told one of Hall’s brother. “I remember coming home and crying because I knew I was just forgettable, boring and shy,” said Hall.

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Undeniably Serie

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features

by by M Margaret argaret a ann nn M Mickelberg ickelberg

design by photos by

Martgaret ann Mickleberg Madalyn gutzMer

She turned to her online friends for support and came back the next school year with a whole new look, one that embodied her. “I loved Decora for a long time, but I never had the confidence to dress in it,” said Hall. “I was talking to my online friends one day and, not that I condone this, I lied and said that I dress in Decora every day (because that’s who I wanted to be). They believed the lie and told me to send them pictures. So naturally, I dug through my whole closet to find the closest thing to decora as I could and did a little photoshoot. They actually thought it looked really cute, and that gave me the confidence to wear it to school.” People continue to give Hall weird looks and critiques about her style; some call her childish simply because of her clothing. “Childish is not really how I think of myself,” said Hall. “I think judging someone for liking hair clips and rainbows is far more childish than being the person who likes those things.” Judgement is something that all high schoolers experience. Hall agrees that South Dakota is not the best place for going out of the norm, but here at LHS she is comfortable being herself, especially in LHS’s Alt community. “There aren’t many of us here at Lincoln, but I know enough people with strange fashion senses,” said Hall. “Even with people who are way different than me, we have this mutual understanding that we’re just being ourselves and having fun.” Hall is proud to be undeniably herself. She makes people smile and lights up people’s souls with her fun style, positive attitude and sweet personality. She leads by example and encourages everyone to feel free in discovering and uncovering themselves to the world. “The hard part has never been being myself,” said Hall. “It was figuring out who that is and how to show her to the world. Once I did that, it was easy peasy.” lhsstatesman.com

statesman statesman

going going again.” again.” by C byameron Cameron rhode rhode , , Sherley Sherley initially initially editor editor -in-Chief in-Chief joined joined thethe clubclub because because he he wanted wanted to play to play Dungeons Dungeons andand Hailed Hailed as the as the clubclub for for nerds, nerds, Dragons, Dragons, andand after after joining, joining, he he gamers gamers andand everyone everyone alike, alike, thethe found found his his place. place. Umbrella Umbrella Syndicate Syndicate Club Club is the is the place place “We“We hadhad done done a small a small group group for for anyone anyone to come to come andand enjoy enjoy thethe likes likes[for[for D&D] D&D] before, before, andand firstfirst of of many many different different card card games, games, video video walking walking intointo thethe room room andand games games andand even even D&D D&D (Dungeons (Dungeons andandthinking thinking ‘Okay, ‘Okay, thisthis is where is where I goI go Dragons). Dragons). to be to with be with people’,” people’,” saidsaid Sherley. Sherley. TheThe clubclub hadhad a rocky a rocky entrance entrance “After “After that, that, I saw I saw some some of of thethe intointo 2020 2020 because because of of thethe COVID-19 COVID-19 other other kinds kinds of of games games thethe groups groups pandemic pandemic butbut came came back back strong strong for for of of people people played. played. And And I said, I said, ‘Oh‘Oh thisthis school school year. year. TheThe reason reason for for its its thatthat sounds sounds interesting, interesting, so let’s so let’s resurgence: resurgence: student student leader leader sophomore sophomorebranch branch outout to that.’” to that.’” Gabe Gabe Sherley. Sherley. TheThe clubclub plays plays so many so many games games “COVID-19 “COVID-19 happened happened andand thethe thatthat oneone dayday a week a week would would notnot clubclub seemed seemed to trail to trail off off at the at the endend of of satisfy satisfy them, them, often, often, it isitthree is three thethe year,” year,” saidsaid Sherley. Sherley. “I wanted “I wanted to to meetings meetings a week. a week. continue, continue, so Isoreached I reached outout to the to the clubclub “Last “Last year, year, it it supervisor, supervisor, Mr.Mr. Bogart, Bogart, andand he said he said started started with with he would he would stillstill be willing be willing to supervise to supervise Monday, Monday, we we hadhad it. Iit.put I put up up a Club a Club website website andand invited invited Magic: Magic: TheThe thethe oldold members, members, andand we we gotgot it up it up andand Gathering, Gathering,

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Features Features

““

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thethe cardcard game,” game,” saidsaid are are officially officially ableable to do to do Sherley. Sherley. “Tuesday “Tuesday we we hadhad thisthis anyany time time of the of the week week Dungeons Dungeons andand Dragons, Dragons, we we want want to, and to, and we we cancan andand Wednesday Wednesday waswas Gamers Gamers count count on people on people being being Wednesday. Wednesday. Somebody Somebody would would there.” there.” bring bring thethe console, console, another another would would All All andand all, all, thisthis clubclub is an is an bring bring thethe cords cords andand we we would would hook hook enjoyable enjoyable wayway to hangout to hangout andand to to it up it to upthe to the smartboard smartboard andand useuse thethe belong. belong. projector projector to play to play together. together. This This year, year, “We“We are are very very intent intent on being on being we we can’t can’t exactly exactly passpass controllers controllers a welcoming a welcoming community community because because around, around, so Gamers so Gamers Wednesday Wednesday can’t can’t thisthis is aisplace a place for for us to usenjoy to enjoy what what exist exist at the at the moment. moment. WeWe do still do still have havewe we likelike doing doing together together even even if if cardcard games games on Monday on Monday andand D&D D&D on on it isitkind is kind of aofniche a niche topic,” topic,” saidsaid Tuesday Tuesday going going strong.” strong.” Sherley. Sherley. “For“For example, example, sometimes sometimes TheThe Umbrella Umbrella Syndicate Syndicate Club Club is is D&D D&D is hard is hard to get to get intointo it because it because more more than than justjust a place a place to play to play games. games. youyou can’t can’t findfind enough enough people people to to It isItaiscommunity. a community. playplay with. with. WeWe have have those those people people “It’s“It’s a place a place to be to with be with here. here. It’sIt’s a community a community we we want want friends,” friends,” saidsaid Sherley. Sherley. “We’re “We’re nerds; nerds; to grow to grow if we if we have have thethe space. space. WeWe we we likelike having having funfun playing playing games, games, so so justjust wanna wanna be welcoming be welcoming so don’t so don’t let’slet’s do them. do them. It isItgreat is great to be to able be able worry worry about about getting getting ridiculed ridiculed or or to have to have a place a place to do to that, do that, especially especially made made funfun of, it’s of, it’s all fun all fun andand games games with with having having a teacher a teacher to help to help us. us. WeWe in here.” in here.”

deSiGn deSiGn and Photo and Photo by Cameron by Cameron rhoderhode

LHsstatesman LHsstatesman .COm .COm

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entertainment

statesman

LINCOLN’S LUNCHTIME FAVORITES Paige gordon Lunch — almost everyone's favorite period of the school day. It is the time of day to socialize, get a decent meal and relax before returning to class. So, let us take a look at some of LHS’s favorite lunchtime meals. by

Best places to go There are a few top-tier places that are loved by many LHS students. Among all the nearby fastfood chains, Slim Chickens, Bagel Boy and Taco Bell are the top three most visited food stops during open lunch. Not just as a good place to eat, but also places to hang out with friends. For those who prefer to stay on school grounds (whether that be by choice or not), there are plenty of places in the building to gather with friends during lunch. A few popular choices are the band room, the foyer or even the parking lot.

Chicken Chicken, in all its forms, is one of the most widely consumed lunches by LHS students. Whether it is a sandwich or just regular tenders, people just cannot get enough of it. Not to mention, there are plenty of places to pick from on Minnesota Avenue, one of the most frequented being Slim Chickens. Ever since opening their first Sioux Falls location on Minnesota Avenue, Slim’s has been a hotspot for upperclassmen with open lunch. Some favorites include the 3&3 meal, Classic meal, Chick’s meal and their variety of chicken sandwiches.

Bagels and Coffee Missed breakfast? Get a bagel! LHS students in particular seem to gravitate towards Bagel Boy for a quick lunchtime bagel. The most popular choices are the turkey club and the bacon breakfast boy, often paired with a coffee for an afternoon boost.

Healthier alternatives Though not the most popular choice among students, some LHS students choose to eat at the very least a bit healthier. A handful of students choose to go home and prepare something themselves, and some head out to Subway or Jimmy Johns to build their very own, veggie-packed sandwich. Many also substitute their lunch with a smoothie from either Juice Stop or Fit Revolution. design by

Paige gordon

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january

lhsstatesman.com

statesman statesman statesman

entertainment entertainment

‘SHE KILLS MONSTERS’ MAKES ITS ‘SHE ‘SHEKILLS KILLSMONSTERS’ MONSTERS’MAKES MAKESITS ITS OFFICIAL DEBUT ON THE LHS STAGE OFFICIAL OFFICIAL DEBUT DEBUTON ONTHE THELHS LHSSTAGE STAGE C h by

hloe

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by C byhloe Chloe houwman houwman

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“I’VE BEEN “I’VE “I’VE BEEN BEEN WANTING TO WANTING WANTING TO TO PRODUCE PRODUCE PRODUCE THIS SHOW THIS THIS SHOW FORSHOW THE FOR FOR THE BETTER THE PART BETTER BETTER PART PART OF TWO OF OF TWO TWO YEARS; THERE YEARS; YEARS; THERE THERE IS NOTHING IS IS NOTHING NOTHING ABOUT THIS ABOUT ABOUT THIS THIS PLAY THAT PLAY PLAY THAT THAT I AM NOT I AM I EXCITED AM NOT NOT EXCITED EXCITED ABOUT.” ABOUT.” ABOUT.”

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“It takes place in the mid 1990s and ith One-Act season right takes takes place place in the in the mid 1990s 1990s andand ith ith One-Act One-Act season season right right “It has“It themes relevant to mid all individuals around the corner, the LHS theater has has themes themes relevant relevant to all to all individuals individuals around around the the corner, corner, the the LHS LHS theater theater community is beginning to devise who have ever felt misunderstood, who have have ever feltfelt misunderstood, misunderstood, community community beginning beginning to ato devise devisewhoignored, orever bullied for being who their plan isof is attack to take superior. ignored, or or bullied for for being whowho their their plan plan of attack ofa normal attack to take toyear, take a superior. aaround superior. they are,” saidbullied Hardie. “It being is relevant During 40ignored, they are,” are,” saidsaid Hardie. Hardie. “It is pursued relevant is relevant During During awill normal a normal year, around 40theyto anyone who has “It ever an schools meetyear, over a around three40day to anyone who hashas ever ever pursued an an schools schools will meet meet overover a three aOne-Act. three dayday interest thatwho wasn’t part ofpursued the norm. period towill perform their Ato anyone interest that wasn’t wasn’t partpart of the of associated the norm. norm. period period to to perform perform their their One-Act. A Ainterest It alsothat takes the usual tropes One-Act play has noOne-Act. intermission, It also takes takes the the usual usual tropes tropes associated associated One-Act One-Act play has no no intermission, with the high school experience and and theplay cast is has given 45intermission, minutes toIt also with the high high school school experience experience andand andset and theup, the cast cast is given is given 45 minutes minutes to towith in thethe most meaningful way, replaces perform and45clear the stage. in the most most meaningful meaningful way,way, replaces set Any set up, up, perform and clear clear thegiven the stage. stage. them with honest depictions ofreplaces flawed playperform that and exceeds the timein the them with with honest honest depictions depictions ofcharacters. flawed of flawed Anylimit Any playplay thatbe that exceeds exceeds the the given given timetimethem but ultimately good hearted will disqualified from winning ultimately good good hearted hearted limit limit will be disqualified be disqualified from winning winning It isultimately also as clever as itcharacters. ischaracters. hilarious. a will superior. Studentsfrom hope to bringbutbut It also is also aswill clever as clever as this it as isit hilarious. is hilarious. a superior. a superior. Students Students hope hope to bring bringIt isStudents enjoy play.” home superior ratings fortoproduction, Students will enjoy this this play.” play.” home home superior superior ratings ratings forthe for production, production, Thewill plot ofenjoy the play has something individual actors and ensemble inStudents plot plot of the of the play play hasthe has something something individual individual actors actors andand the the ensemble ensemble in in The forThe everyone and character general. foreveryone everyoneand andthethe thecharacter character general. general. makes story even LHS theater director, Brian Hardie,for development development makes makes the the story story even even LHS LHS theater theater director, Brian Brian Hardie, Hardie, more compelling. decided to director, move forward with hisdevelopment more compelling. compelling. decided decided to to move move forward forward with with his the hismore “It is a play about inclusion,” said original play selection from “It is aisplay a play inclusion,” saidsaid original originalplay playselection selection from fromthe the “It Hardie. “It isabout a about playinclusion,” about adventure. previous year: “She Kills Monsters.” Hardie. “It is ais play a play about about adventure. adventure. previous previous year: year: “She “She Kills Kills Monsters.” It is “It a play about dealing with regret “She Kills Monsters” is Monsters.” a drama-Hardie. It is It a is play a play about about dealing dealing with with regret “She“She Kills Kills Monsters” Monsters” is is a dramaa dramawith comedy that depicts the life of Agnes and celebrating the time we haveregret and celebrating celebrating time time westrong we have have with with comedy comedy that depicts depicts the the life life of Agnes of Agnes another.theItthe has female Evans, athat high school senior. After herandone one another. another. It haswield has strong strong female female Evans, Evans, a high a sister, high school school senior. senior. herheronecharacters whoIt weapons and younger Tilly, andAfter herAfter parents characters whowho wield weapons weapons andand younger younger Tilly, Tilly, and and herfinds her parents parents fight monsters. Itwield uses storytelling as die in asister, carsister, accident, Agnes Tilly’scharacters fight monsters. monsters. It of uses It who uses storytelling storytelling as as die Dungeons die in ain car a car accident, accident, Agnes Agnes finds finds Tilly’s Tilly’sfight an expression the characters and Dragons notebook. an expression expression of who who the characters characters Dungeons Dungeons and Dragons Dragons notebook. notebook. at their of core self. Itthe is one of the “She and uses the notebook to getan are are at their at their core self.self. It isItinone isa decade, one of of theand the “She usesuses the the notebook notebook to to getget scripts Icore have read to “She know her sister by playing theare best scripts I have I have read aindecade, a decade, to adventure to know know herher sister sister by by playing playing the thebestIbest am scripts so excited to read beinbringing itand to and the her sister had written,” I am so excited so excited to be to bringing be bringing it toitthe to the adventure adventure herher sister had written,” written,” LHS stage.” said Hardie. “It sister is had ultimately aboutI am LHS LHS stage.” stage.” saidsaid Hardie. Hardie. “It “It is ultimately is ultimately about about This year’s cast will feature Molly acceptance and relationships. It is full This year’s year’s cast cast willwill feature feature Molly acceptance acceptance andand relationships. relationships. It isItfull is and full This Baumeister, LHS junior, asMolly Agnes of monsters, swords, dragons Baumeister, LHS junior, junior, as as Agnes Agnes of heart.” ofmonsters, monsters, swords, swords, dragons dragons andandBaumeister, Evans andLHS Cat Paul, LHS senior, as Evans andIsaac and CatCat Paul, Paul, LHS LHS senior, senior, as as heart.” heart.” Tilly. Smith, LHS sophomore, “She Kills Monsters” is known forEvans Tilly. Isaac Isaac Smith, Smith, LHS LHS sophomore, “She Kills Kills Monsters” Monsters” known is known for forTilly. will portray Chuck, thesophomore, dungeon its“She relatability to highisschool students willportray portrayChuck, Chuck,the thedungeon dungeon its relatability its relatability high to may high school school students students and anyonetowho see things fromwillmaster. master. andaand anyone anyone whowho maymay see see things things from frommaster. “It also features prominently Lewhat perspective different from the status also “It also features features prominently prominently Lewhat Lewhat a perspective a perspective different different from from the the status status “It Tesfeldet as Orcus, Overlord of the quo. Tesfeldet Tesfeldet as Orcus, as Orcus, Overlord Overlord of of the the quo.quo.

Underworld, Underworld, Benny Benny Rojas Rojas as as Kaliope Kaliope the the Dark Dark Elf,Elf, ElsaElsa Friesen Friesen as Lilith as Lilith the the Demon Demon Princess, Princess, Nick Nick Forster Forster as as Miles, Miles,Agnes’s Agnes’sboyfriend, boyfriend, Allison Allison Hegg Hegg as as Vera, Vera, herher bestbest friend, friend, AvaAva Breems Breems andand Elizabeth Elizabeth Crawford Crawford as as twotwo demonic demonic cheerleaders cheerleaders named named Tina Tina andand Gabbi, Gabbi, Serie Serie HallHall as as Farrah Farrah the the Fairie Fairie andand Kaden Kaden Karu Karu as as the the narrator,” narrator,” saidsaidmolly molly baumeister baumeister | agnes | agnes Hardie. Hardie. In Inthe themidst midstof ofthe the pandemic, pandemic, certain certain precautions precautions must must be taken be taken to ensure to ensure the the safety safety of of both both the the castcast andand the the viewers. viewers. Hardie Hardie hashas made made it a itpriority a priority to stage to stage the the show show in ainway a way thatthat complies complies with with social social distancing distancing regulations. regulations. TheThe castcast willwill alsoalso practice practice andand perform perform with with masks. masks. As As for for the the performance performance itself, itself, likelike many many other other events events thisthis year, year, it will it will be virtual. be virtual. “This “This year, year, we we willwill be be submitting submitting ourour entry entry virtually virtuallywith withhope hopefor for [success],” [success],”saidsaidHardie. Hardie. isaac isaac smith smith | chuck | chuck “Unfortunately, “Unfortunately, the the benefit benefit of oftaking takingstudents studentsto toa a festival festival where where we we watch watch plays plays for for three three daysdays straight straight willwill be be lost,lost, butbut ourour production production willwill be just be just as professionally as professionally putput together together as it as would it would in any in any other other year.” year.” TheThe virtual virtual format format willwill be be newnew thisthis yearyear andand come come with with certain certain challenges, challenges, butbut it will it will be abehighlight a highlight for for both both LHS LHS andand the the community. community. Hardie, Hardie, along along with with the the cast,cast, are are excited excited to show to show audience audience members members a story a story thatthat is is guaranteed guaranteed to entertain. to entertain. “I’ve “I’vebeen beenwanting wantingto to produce produce thisthis show show for for the the better better partpart of oftwotwo years; years; kaden kaden karukaru | the | narrator the narrator there there is nothing is nothing about about thisthis playplay thatthat I am I am notnot excited excited about,” about,” saidsaid Hardie. Hardie.

............................... ............................ ............................... ............................ ............................... ............................ ............................... ............................ ............................... ............................ ............................... ............................ ............................... ............................ ............................... ............................ ............................... ............................ ............................... ............................ ............................... ............................ ............................... ............................ tesfeldet tesfeldet | orcus | orcus lewhat lewhat

cat cat paulpaul | tilly | tilly

photos photos by sby arasara Croghan Croghan by Cby hloe Chloe houwman houwman design design

lhsstatesman lhsstatesman .com .com

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Conover - “Waka Waka” by Shakira

ENTERTAINMENT

STATESMAN STATESMAN

ENTERTAINMENT

Ortmeier - “Friend of the Devil” by The Grateful Dead

ORCHESTRA: ORCHESTRA: Chocolate suppliers Chocolate suppliers This group is known to be a reliable ORCHESTRA:

420 minutes a day, five days a week, 25 weeks of school for a total of 52,500 minutes with our various teachers every school year. This much time spent in the classroom helps students better understand many of the characteristics that encompass each of our teachers’ varying personalities. With this in mind, The Statesman came together to devise the most fitting walk-up songs for some of the spectacular teachers at LHS.

Teachers’ Rice - “It’s All Coming Back Now” by Walkup Bogart - Star Wars theme song by John Wil iams Celine Dion Songs Harte - “Roxanne” by Arizona Zervas

Teachers’ Walkup Songs

Newitt - “Everywhere You Look” by Jesse Fredrick Jaws - “Jaws” by John Williams

Rice, Jansen, Jaws, Naasz - “I’ll Be There For You” (aka “Friends” theme song) by L.P. Pastrano - “Freedom” by Rage Against the Machine

Newitt - “Everywhere You Look” by Jesse Fredrick

Blankenship - Pearl Jam’s entire collection of music

Amundson Back in Black” by AC/DC Jaws - “Jaws” by John- “Williams Welter - “Still Feel” by Half Alive

Jones - Hard Work Drill Marching Music

Rice, Jansen, Jaws, Naasz - “I’ll Be There - “Roxanne” Arizona For You” Harte (aka “Friends” themeby song) by Zervas L.P.Bogart - Star Wars theme song by John Williams PastranoAmundson - “Freedom”- “Back by Rage Againstby AC/DC in Black” the Machine Conover - “Waka Waka” by Shakira

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JANUARY JANUARY

BAILY PLOURDE

Kegley - “Pocketful of Sunshine” by Natasha Bedingfield

Klawonn - “The Phantom of the Opera” by Nightwish Kroeze - “Pop Style” by Drake

Ortmeier - “Friend of the Devil” by The Grateful Dead

DESIGN BY BAILY PLOURDE

This group known tofor bethe a reliable supplier of is chocolates small Chocolate suppliers supplier of is chocolates small price of one dollar. This group known tofor bethe a reliable of one dollar. supplierprice of chocolates for the small price of one dollar.

ARCADIA PARKERS: ARCADIA PARKERS: Being unpunctual ARCADIA PARKERS: Being unpunctual Arcadia parkers are notorious for

Arcadia later parkers are notorious for arriving than most, meaning they Being unpunctual arriving later than meaning must venture out tomost, landthey Arcadia parkers areno man’s notorious for venture out tomost, no man’s land for amust parking spot.than The only upside: being arriving later meaning they amust parking spot. The upside: being able toventure avoid the barbaric drivers found out to only no man’s land for to in avoid the barbaric the other parking lots. found aable parking spot. The only drivers upside: being the the other parking lots. found able to in avoid barbaric drivers BY ADYSON SAND in the other parking lots.

ADYSON SAND BY ADYSON SAND BY

STATESMAN STAFF: STATESMAN Always in the STAFF: J-lab Alwaysstaff in theisSTAFF: J-lab The STATESMAN Statesman always found

The Statesman staff isJ-lab always found conspiring in the J-lab generating Always in the conspiring generating new Statesman stories infor the the J-lab upcoming issue. The staff is always found new storiespoised the upcoming issue. Whenever withJ-lab the question of conspiring infor the generating Whenever poised with the question of “where were you,” the upcoming staff will almost new stories for the issue. “where were you,” with the staff will almost always respond “in J-lab.” Whenever poised the the question of always respond “in the J-lab.” “where were you,” with the staff will almost alwaysLUNCH respond with “in the J-lab.” STAFF: LUNCH STAFF: Being overly nice Being overly nice Despite LUNCH serving questionable frozen STAFF: Despite questionable frozen food and serving managing impatient Being overly nice students food and serving managing impatient students throughout the day, the LHS lunch Despite questionable frozen throughout the day,impatient LHS lunch staff are best known forthe subsisting their food and managing students staff are bestpositivity known subsisting their 24/7. throughout the day,for the LHS lunch 24/7. staff are bestpositivity known for subsisting their positivity 24/7. Disclaimer: This is a satire and is not meant Disclaimer: to This is a satire and is not meant be taken seriously be taken seriously Disclaimer: to This is a satire and is not meant to be taken seriously

WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE WHAT WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR ARE KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WHAT WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR ARE KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WHAT WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR ARE WHAT WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR ARE KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WHAT WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR ARE WHAT WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR ARE KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WHAT WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR ARE WHAT WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR ARE KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE WHAT WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR ARE KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN KNOWN WHAT WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR ARE WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WHAT WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR ARE KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN WEFOR AREWHAT KNOWN KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE WHATFOR WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHATFOR WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHATFOR WE WHAT ARE KNOWN WHAT WE ARE KNOWN WHAT WE ARE KNOWN WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WEWHAT ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WEWHAT ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WE ARE KNOWN FOR WE ARE KNOWN KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE WE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE KNOWN FORARE WHAT WE KNOWN FORARE WHAT WE KNOWN FORARE WHAT WE WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR ARE KNOWN FORARE WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FORARE FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHATFOR WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHATFOR WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHATFOR WE WHAT ARE KNOWN WHAT WE ARE KNOWN WHAT WE ARE KNOWN WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WEWHAT ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WEWHAT ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WE ARE KNOWN FOR WE ARE KNOWN KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE KNOWN FORARE WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FORARE WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FORARE WHAT WE WE KNOWN FORKNOWN WHAT WE KNOWN FORKNOWN WHAT WE KNOWN FORARE WHAT WE ARE FORARE WHAT WE ARE FORARE WHAT WE FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE

ENTERTAINMENT

BAND: An extreme BAND: obsession with band Anband extreme obsession band The at LHS dominateswith the majority BAND: The band at LHS dominateswith the has majority of the student population and been An extreme obsession band of the student and been known to at beLHS thepopulation centerpiece of has each of The band dominates the majority known to be the centerpiece of has each of of the student and been itspopulation members. known to be the centerpiece of each of its members. its members.

CROSS COUNTRY TEAM: CROSSCult-like COUNTRY TEAM: behavior behavior The crossCult-like country team atTEAM: LHS has CROSS COUNTRY

The crossCult-like country team at LHS has established itself asbehavior a cliquey cluster established itselfalways as team a sporting cliquey cluster of granola Chacos The cross kids country at LHS has of granola kids andalways Patagonia. established itself as a sporting cliquey Chacos cluster andalways Patagonia. of granola kids sporting Chacos and Patagonia.

GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM: GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM: A non-existent student section Agirls non-existent section The basketballstudent team is best known GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM: The girls basketball teamorislack best known for A its student section... thereof. non-existent student section for its student section... The girls basketball teamorislack bestthereof. known for its student section... or lack thereof.

DEBATE: : Always DEBATE up for an argument Always up for anasargument Debate is bestDEBATE known the : group that Debate is best known the groupevery that will more than likely question Always up for anasargument willanswer more than likelyaswith question every you respond class. Debate is best known the in group that in class. willanswer more you thanrespond likely with question every answer you respond with in class. RESOURCE OFFICERS: RESOURCE A double OFFICERS: identity A double identity TheRESOURCE resource officers at LHS are OFFICERS:

The resource LHS are known to A bedouble theofficers first to atcrack a joke, identity known to be thethat first to atcrack a joke, but underneath goofy persona the The resource officers LHS are but underneath goofy persona the officers arebe always ready get down to known to thethat first totocrack a joke, officers are always ready to get downthe to business but underneath that goofy persona business officers are always ready to get down to business

ENGLISH TEACHERS: ENGLISH TEACHERS: Book club fanatics TEACHERS: club fanatics is most The ENGLISH LHS Book English department

The LHS English is most likely to be members of the “Book of Book clubdepartment fanatics likelyLHS to beEnglish members of the “Book of the month club.” The department is most month club.” likely to bethe members of the “Book of Now” WHAT by WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR the month club.”

Rice - “It’s All Coming Back Celine Dion WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR

DECA: WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR no one understands WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR The club thatDECA: The club thatDECA: no one offered understands has been a club at LHS WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR DECA DECA has been a club offered at LHS for many years and yet, no one can fully The club that no one understands WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR for many years and yet, no oneis.can fully grasp what it actually DECA has been a club offered at LHS WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR

DESIGN BY

BY BAILY PLOURDE

BAILY PLOURDE

DESIGN BY

ADYSON SAND

DESIGN BY

ADYSON SAND

DESIGN BY

ADYSON SAND

grasp actually for many yearswhat and it yet, no oneis.can fully grasp what it actually is. LHSSTATESMAN.COM LHSSTATESMAN.COM LHSSTATESMAN.COM

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NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS Abby Berke Drink more water and learn new recipes.

Emily Koo

on niel Carls

r to run ove I am going . s in 2021 1,000 mile t even shoo Maybe I’ll e m o thon at s for a mara next year! point this

Sara Doyle Read a minimum of one book per month.

eep, Get enough sl self-care make time for unds. and lose 15 po

ENTERTAINMENT

Teacher Edition BY

KATE TOLLINGER

The Statesman sent out a google form asking LHS teachers for their 2021 New Year’s resolutions. With a variety of responses, see what your teacher is trying to accomplish this upcoming year.

STATESMAN

Jane Eckstaine Be more present in my relationships.

LHS STUDENT, TIMMY STORRS

Mindy Brunmaier

Improve my listening skills by dedicating 24 hours to not talking periodically throughout the year.

afer

Travis Sch

Tanya Bj er

ke Continue to move more and sp much tim end as e as I can with fam ily and friends.

t least Workout a eek. aw four times

Meghan -Finch Anderson g to Stop tryin life my multitask ore t and ea m s. le vegetab

PHOTOS & DESIGN BY KATE TOLLINGER ARTWORK BY CARLY WHEELER

JANUARY

LHSSTATESMAN.COM

STATESMAN STATESMAN

entertainment

STATESMAN

BEST SHOES OF LHS BEST SHOES OF BEST SHOES OF LHS LHS LYDIA SARBACKER BY LYDIA SARBACKER With over 2,000 students roaming the halls of LHS, a wide array of shoes are on display BYWith LYDIA SARBACKER over 2,000 students roaming the halls of LHS, a wide array of shoes are on display BY

every day, from the classic white Air Force 1s to the chunky Dr. Martens and everything in every day,2,000 fromsome the classic white 1s toLHS, the chunky Dr. and are everything in With over students roaming theForce halls ofparticular a wide array of shoes on display between. However, students at Air LHS take pride inMartens their shoes, making a between. However, some students at LHS take particular pride in their shoes, making every day, from the classic white Air Force 1s to the chunky Dr. Martens and everything fashion statement each step of the way. A survey sent out to the LHS student body allowedain fashionlook statement step of the way. A survey sent out topride LHS student bodymaking However, somedifferent students at LHS take in coolest their shoes, for abetween. closer at all each the styles, and theseparticular are some ofthethe shoes atallowed LHS. a for a statement closer lookeach at allstep the of different styles, and these of LHS the coolest LHS. fashion the way. A survey sentare outsome to the studentshoes bodyatallowed for a closer look at all the different styles, and these are some of the coolest shoes at LHS.

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Oscar Lockwood-Powell, Junior Oscar Lockwood-Powell, Junior Air Max 90s Flyleather Ruohan Wang: These Earth Day-themed Air take Max Ruohan Wang: These Earth Oscar Lockwood-Powell, sneakers a90s newFlyleather and fun twist onJunior the already loved AirDay-themed Max 90s.

sneakers takecolor a new anddesigns, fun twist onFlyleather the already loved Air Max Air 90s. Air Maxvivid 90s Flyleather Ruohan Wang: TheseRuohan Earth Day-themed Filled with and the Wang Filled with vivid color and designs, the Flyleather Ruohan Wang Air sneakers take a new and fun twist on the already loved Air Max 90s. Maxes are sure to grab one’s attention. If that is not enough to entice Maxes are sure to grab one’s attention. If that is not enough to entice Filled with vivid color and designs, the Flyleather Ruohan Wang Air you, each pair comes in a special-edition box covered in bright graphics you, each pair comes inone’s special-edition in brighttographics Maxes are sure to grab attention. If box thatcovered is not enough entice as well, making these shoes aa fantastic purchase. as well, theseinshoes a fantastic purchase. you, eachmaking pair comes a special-edition box covered in bright graphics Luke Honner, Junior as well, making these shoes a fantastic purchase. Luke Space Honner, Junior Vans Nasa Voyager True White: In this NASA x Vans collab, Vans Nasa Space True White: In this NASA x new Vansand collab, Luke Honner, Junior Vans switched up their Voyager traditional style to bring customers Vans switched upVoyager their traditional style toInbring customers new and Vans Nasa Space True NASA x Vans collab, exciting sneakers. The collab shoe is White: available inthis two models of Vans: exciting Thetraditional collabinclude shoestyle is aavailable in customers twowith models of Vans: switched up their to bring new and Old Vans Skool andsneakers. Sk8-Hi, and they NASA logo detailing Old andonSk8-Hi, and a are NASA logo withbalance detailing exciting sneakers. The collab shoeinclude is Vans available in two models of Vans: never seenSkool before shoes. Thethey NASA the perfect of never seen before on shoes. The NASA are the perfect balanceVans. of Skool and Sk8-Hi, andtothey include a already NASA logo with detailing plainOld with intricate detailing spice up theVans loved signature plainseen withbefore intricate to NASA spice upVans the already signature never on detailing shoes. The are the loved perfect balance Vans. of Elleplain Westra, Sophomore with intricate detailing to spice up the already loved signature Vans. Westra, YeezyElle Boost 350 V2Sophomore ‘Cream White / Triple White: Released in April of Yeezy Boost 350 V2 ‘Creamare White White: Released April of Elle Sophomore 2017, theWestra, Yeezy Boosts in white some/ofTriple the cleanest shoes onin the market. 2017, the Yeezy Boosts in white are some of the cleanest shoes on the market. 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Complete with Planters X Garrixon Studios X Crunch Force 1s: These bold were blue, black and yellow leather, this pair of sneakers is known for itsshoes incredible blue, black and yellow leather, thisalimited pair sneakers isnoknown for its incredible released in June of 2019 and1shave wowoffactor likePlanters other.Peanut Complete with uniqueness. The Crunch Force are edition shoes uniqueness. The Crunch Force 1s back are Planters Peanut shoes blue, black yellow leather, pairlimited of known itsPeanuts incredible complete with and a Planters logo on this the of sneakers theedition shoeisas well asfor Mr. with aCrunch Planters logo on are thethese back sneakers of edition the shoe as well as Mr. Peanuts Theof Force 1s limited Planters Peanut shoes faceuniqueness. oncomplete the tongue the shoe, making some of the coolest at face on the tongue of the shoe, making these sneakers some of the coolest at complete with a Planters logo on the back of the shoe as well as Mr. Peanuts LHS. 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FAST FACTS

cajun comfort

swamp daddy’s

Hidden inside the Jones 421 Marketplace downtown, Swamp Daddy’s Cajun Kitchen delivers Cajun and Creole food that is certain to bring a southern flair to your taste buds. With a variety of southern specialties to choose from, every customer, without a doubt, will find a dish to enjoy. Owner Del’Inkka Beaudion moved her business into the Jones Building four years ago, transferring from a food truck to a sit-down restaurant. Upon arriving from Alexandria, LA, Beaudion noticed the lack of Cajun cuisine in Sioux Falls. Taking into account Beaudion’s southern roots, she incorporated family recipes into the menu and named the restaurant after a popular joint in Alexandria. Swamp Daddy’s makes customers aware of the type of food offered the minute they hear the name. Walking into the Jones Building, it is impossible to miss the bright yellow facade adorned with colorful beads

and masquerade masks. The interior is decorated with elaborate paintings ranging from crocodiles to a woman wearing Mardi Gras accessories. Although the restaurant is closed on Sundays and Mondays, Swamp Daddy’s is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with additional evening hours of 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Since seating has been limited due to COVID-19, Swamp Daddy’s offers takeout for anyone that does not feel comfortable dining in. The menu was created to accommodate a palatable range of spice levels. Swamp Daddy’s serves a variety of southern favorites, such as New Orleans blackened shrimp and catfish tacos, along with dishes like Cajun chicken pasta and lettuce wraps. All entrées are under $16, and customers will definitely get their money’s worth. The quantity leaves Cajun connoisseurs feeling satisfied while not overly stuffed.

In addition to hearty main dishes, there are a plethora of sides to choose from. Along with the traditional option of fries and pork skins, alligator bites and fried okra bring savory preferences to those who want to try Louisiana cuisine at its finest. Most of the sides are gluten-free friendly, as are some of their main dishes upon request. For families with young children, Swamp Daddy’s also offers a kid-friendly menu filled with classic staples such as mac and cheese and chicken nuggets. With a flavorful variety, there is a dish for everyone to try. Arriving right when the business opened, my uncle and I were warmly greeted and our order was taken quickly. Upon Beaudion’s suggestion, we ordered the Louisiana platter to split. The Louisiana platter includes a serving of jambalaya, catfish bites and crawfish hushpuppies. The crawfish hushpuppies tasted like fluffy cornbread, but the crawfish embedded inside

EMMA JOHNSON

brought forth a new flavor experience. These delicious morsels are worth ordering as a side. Most restaurants heavily coat their fish, leaving the customer tasting more breading than seafood; at Swamp Daddy’s, however, the catfish bites are lightly breaded, allowing the fish to be savored. Both the hushpuppies and catfish were served with homemade tartar sauce that was zesty and complementary to both sides. The jambalaya had enough andouille sausage to be packed into each bite and was not overly spicy. The creamy rice was sprinkled with bell peppers that were full of flavor and brought the whole dish together. This tasty trio introduces traditional Louisiana favorites and offers a flavor profile that will leave the customer delighted. In addition to the Louisiana platter, we split a po’boy, choosing the catfish option over the fried chicken and shrimp ones. This large sandwich is an absolute must-try. The warm French bread could

LOCATION BACKGROUND 421 N PHILLIPS AVE SWAMP DADDY’S SIOUX FALLS, SD 57104 FOUNDER, DEL’INKKA BEAUDION, STARTED HOURS HER BUSINESS AS SUN-MON : CLOSED A FOOD TRUCK BUT TUES-WED : 11AM-3PM TRANSITIONED TO THURS-SAT : 11AM-3PM, SIT-DOWN IN 2018. 5:30PM-9PM WHAT WE LOVE THE INTERIOR AND PAINTINGS ENVELOP YOU DOWN SOUTH, MAKING THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE FEEL AUTHENTIC WHAT TO KNOW COME ON AN EMPTY STOMACH, THE FOOD IS RICH AND TASTES BETTER WHEN HOT, SO TRY NOT TO LEAVE WITH LEFTOVERS.

barely contain maple infused cake full of the catfish, blueberries that melted in tomatoes, our mouths. lettuce and Swamp Daddy’s brings DESSERT TO TRY ENTRÉE TO TRY cheese. Pickles much needed Cajun TO WRAP UP TRY THE LOUISIANA YOUR TIME AT THE PLATTER FOR A helped break cuisine to the Midwest. CAJUN KITCHEN, HEARTY SAMPLE. THE the richness and The flavorful dishes will TRY A BLUEBERRY PLATTER INCLUDES the Cajun mayo take customers down FLAPJACK CAKE. JAMBALAYA, drizzled over South and bring back THIS SIGNATURE CATFISH BITES the top brought memories for those who DESSERT IS A MAPLE AND CRAWFISH INFUSED CAKE FULL HUSHPUPPIES. some heat. The have visited. The friendly OF BLUEBERRIES. ingredients are southern hospitality feels packed into each personal and makes for bite, allowing all an enjoyable experience. of the flavors to Next month, since Sioux OVERALL RATING blend together. Falls does not throw 5/5 STARS. THE COMBINATION OF FOOD The fresh cut Mardi Gras parties, AND FRIENDLY SERVICE MAKES FOR AN ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE. fries are crispy Swamp Daddy’s will be and sprinkled serving limited specials with the perfect amount of salt. If in lieu of the celebration. Whether people ask at the counter, a small dish of customers are looking for a new their signature Cajun mayo can be served restaurant to try or seeking out on the side, which I highly recommend. delectable comfort, Swamp Daddy’s At the end of our meal, we decided will not fail to deliver a southern to share the blueberry flapjack cake, a experience that they will not forget. PHOTOS BY EMMA JOHNSON DESIGN BY CARLY WHEELER

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Cozy up to these new winter movies

to these new

Claire brown

With COVID-19 cases on the rise, bringing the movie theater to your home is becoming a popular option for many. For a long time, if people wanted to see a new movie they would have to go to the movie theater. Now, many big companies are having new movies go from theaters to rental DVDs much sooner than they have in the past. Some companies, such as WarnerBros, are making their movies available to rent the same day as it is released in theaters. People now have the decision to either stay home and watch new releases or go to the theaters if they feel comfortable. This winter there are many popular movies that will be streaming on various platforms at the same time they are available in the theaters. A hit movie from 2020 is “Trolls World Tour,’’ which was released earlier in the year on March 11, 2020. The movie has many stand out actors and actresses such as Kelly Clarkson, Chance the Rapper, Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake, just to name a few. During its release date, all the theaters across the country were shut down, and because they did not want to waste their time with all the troubles of rescheduling, the producers decided to head

straight to streaming and skip the theaters completely. Even though the movie did not go to the theaters, it still made around $100 million. Last Christmas, a Disney Pixar movie entitled “Soul” completely skipped the theaters and went straight to streaming on Disney+. The movie was directed by Pete Docter, the same director that directed “Inside Out.” “Soul” features the voices of actors Jamie Foxx, Daveed Diggs and actress Tina Fey. The movie focuses on a band teacher who is trying to find his passion and what it means to have a soul. One of the most popular newly released movies of 2020 was “Wonder Woman 1984,” which aired on Dec. 25, 2020. “Wonder Woman 1984” appeared in theaters the same day it was released to streaming services. The movie features actress Gal Gadot, who appeared in the 2017 release “Wonder Woman.” “Wonder Woman 1984” is streaming on HBO Max, and anyone can access it with a subscription. In 2021, there are many new movies that will begin streaming the same day they are released in the theaters. The movie “The Little Things” is a thriller featuring actors Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto.

The movie will be focused on two detectives trying to locate a serial killer. “The Little Things” will be in theaters and streaming on HBO Max on Jan. 29, 2021. Another new movie coming out in 2021 is “Tom and Jerry,” which is based on the TV series “Tom and Jerry” that has been around since 1940. The movie will be released to HBO Max on Feb. 26, 2021 and in theaters that same day. The movie features actress Chloe Grace Mortez and actor Colin Jost. The movie was originally supposed to be released on March 5, 2021, but it got bumped up a week earlier. Some big movies that are coming out this winter have decided to have their movies in theaters first and then a few weeks later become available for streaming. The movie “Cherry” will be in theaters on Feb. 26 and will then go on Apple TV on March 12. Actors Tom Holland, Jack Reynor and actress Ciara Bravo star in “Cherry.” The movie is based on the novel “Cherry” written by Nico Walker. Whether staying in or going out, there are many new movies available in theaters or available to stream on your TV. Cozy up this winter and transform your house into an at-home theater.

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PERSPECTIVES PERSPECTIVES

FFAASSTT FFAACCTTSS FAST FACTS

Veronica iseminger

Disclaimer: This is a satire and is not meant to be taken seriously Have you ever wondered about whom you sit next to? What secrets they hold, the faults and lies they keep? All tucked away inside? Most of the time the thought passes and you move on, but what if I were to tell you a secret behind them all? There’s an infestation at bay. Not of mice or cockroaches or pesky ants, but an even smaller perpetrator — on the necks of your teachers, administrators and peers. A freckle. This freckle is seemingly harmless and almost unnoticeable to the naked eye, but a vital component to a massive undercover operation. It’s quite literally the perfect disguise; people wouldn’t think twice of a little freckle. I mean, we all seem to have them some place or another, but this is different. It is precisely in the same exact spot on each neck — approximately three fingers down from either ear, same size, same color. Though I am still unsure of their function, I’m pretty certain it’s a tracking device implant from the government that monitors and controls us. It’s honestly surprising no one else has discovered this. I personally don’t have the chip in my neck — neither does my cat — but I’m afraid to say my mother and sister are amongst the ones who are victim to implantation (each of them have “the freckle” on the same side, of course). At least ¾ of my friends as well. My fish too; he now has

january

a small brown speck on one of his scales right before reaching his first side fin. I’ve had to permanently remove him from my room for security purposes and fear for my life.

The chance of him exposing me to the government isn’t a risk I can afford to take. Luckily, my mother and sister reside in other quarters of my house. I’ve still barricaded my bedroom door in case things get out of hand. I also escape every morning through a loose panel on my ceiling and crawl over to the front door so I can fall through and leave without harm. The freckle only seems to be appearing on more and more necks around me, and it’s only a matter of time before they completely take over all of our necks. Stay alert, keep yourself safe at whatever cost it may be and if you do have one of these freckles, please check in with your dermatologist; you’ll probably be surprised at what you find out.

artwork

& design by Veronica iseminger

The TheUps Ups Upsand and and The Downs Downsof of ofFree Free Free Downs Market Market Market HH HH Capitalism Capitalism H H Capitalism

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BY ENRY AFT

The U.S. economy is essentially a form of a free market system: the production and pricing of goods and services are determined by supply and demand with some government regulation. A complete free market system, on the other hand, is an economic system based solely on demand and supply, with little or no government regulation on prices. A true “free market” is a synonym for the Laissez-Faire system, an economic theory created design design by by Katie Katie Kroeze Kroeze

design by Katie Kroeze

federal involvement in the economy, including any type of legislation or oversight. These economists are against minimum wages, duties, trade restrictions and corporate taxes. In fact, Laissez-Faire economists see such taxes as a penalty for production. Supporters of a true free market

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Disagreement

Economists and policymakers have argued over how open or restrictive economic and trade policy should be for a long period of time.

Freedom

Contributes to political and civil freedom, in theory, since everybody has the right to choose what to produce or consume.

Consumers’ voices are heard in that their decisions determine what products or services are in demand. Supply and demand create competition, which helps ensure that the best goods or services29 29 are provided29

Fast Facts Provided by Investopedia

LHSSTATESMAN LHSSTATESMAN .COM .COM

Success

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AnnA engels Apr. 21, 2010 After five minutes of your mom trying to get you up for school, you finally roll out of bed to throw on your plaid, patched Bermuda shorts, a butterfly short sleeve and head downstairs. As you wait for your Pillsbury Toaster Strudel to pop up, you flip from the news station your parents were watching to “Wonder Pets” and start singing along to the intro song. Suddenly you hear the bus come rumbling down the street and you fly out of your chair. Running to put your Twinkle Toes Sketchers on, you hear the squeaks of the bus coming to a halt. Just in time, you grab your Jansport backpack, run out the front door, down the driveway and hop on the bus. You quickly blurt out a “good morning” to the bus driver as you zip by him and scramble to find a spot to sit. On your way to school, you and your friends scream the words to the Kidz Bop version of “California Gurls” and repeatedly ask the bus driver to turn the music up. Once at school and settled in the classroom, you start the long, tedious day of coloring and subtraction until lunchtime finally comes. Grabbing your lunch card out of the clear pockets hanging on the wall, you walk

JanUarY

to the lunchroom in a single-file line, dreaming of the day you can roam freely without a line-leader. After sitting down to eat your foot-long hotdog, mixed fruit and frosting covered cupcake, the gossip begins. Now is the time to share details about your new-found crush and make up traumatic stories that somehow everyone believes. Eventually, after everyone is up-to-date, you dump your tray and head out to recess, the prime moment of your school day. Without hesitation, the first thing you do is run to the “king” section in 4-square to claim your spot and the winning title. That is, until someone makes an inaccurate call and you voluntarily forfeit the game and off you go to the playground. Of course, recess isn’t complete without smelling like wood chips and chasing your crush around before heading back inside. A few more hours of reading and spelling, and your day of learning is complete. Once home, you kick off your Sketchers, grab a SunnyD and Cosmic brownie and flip back on the TV, this time watching “Max & Ruby.” Suddenly, you hear the garage door open, so you rush to turn off the TV, hide all of your after-school snacks and abruptly greet your mom at the back door. Before she can ask you questions about your day, you grab your sibling to go outside and ride scooters prior to starting your homework, the most dreaded part of your day. You sit down at the kitchen table and attempt to start your math worksheet. Following a few minutes of failed efforts at a problem, you give in and ask your dad for help, which eventually results in you sitting there, sobbing over the piece of paper. Post-dinner, your family cohesively decides to play a family board game, and out comes CandyLand. The game lasts until someone gets caught cheating and the board gets jumbled by the guilt of the “innocent” cheater. After showering and gorging on your bed-time snack, your night ends by firing up your DS and Picto Chatting with your sibling from different rooms. As the night grows darker, the laughs from each bedroom and the constant “go to design by AnnA engels sleep” from your parents carry on, until everyone photos provided by StateSman stAff is too tired to say anything more. You fall asleep content as can be, living in the early 2000s. lhsstatesman.com

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Sara Croghan,

editor-in-Chief

slightly inverted. Note: As the end of my senior It’s been a while since I’ve year talked creeps closer, I’ve been to my few neighbors. A while used retrospectively pondering the to be days, then it tur ned into weeks, and now somehow it’s years. foundational Evenpieces that have carried to this point and more years since those summer me days and nights. I still see them every made me who I am today. I’ve day. Well, kind of. We tend to leave decided to try something a little for school at the same time, and different, a personal narrative, sometimes if the timing is right we one of those pieces. walk out our garage doors atabout the same time and for just a moment There was something so I’m taken back to the joy I would beautifully unadulterated and have gotten from such peculiar pure about the children living and perfect timing. But instead of at the top of the hill that was dashing across the street to play , South Garfield Avenue. Summers we get into our cars and solemnly wafted by so gently on that drive to school, something only the street, between those houses, in big kids did, something formerly those backyards and across these only in our wildest dreams ofdriveways. the There, nights were future. But in our dreams there spent darting and sauntering wasn’t silence. Even these days I and cement alike. We across grass walk alone out the door, not at would the thirstily gulp in every last heels of my brother. No, he’sbitoff to of adrenaline hanging in the an even more outrageous concept: darkening air. We were virgins to college. Why, he hasn’t even been the real world, innocent, at least in around for a few summers. Alas, respect to our hearts. At times we the extent of our most personal were miscreants; we went through interactions includes the awkward many questionable phases. There drive to school, one of us in front ofwe boobywas the phase where the other. What is the appropriate trapped the neighbor’s pine trees tailing distance of someone you with hand sharpened sticks hidden used to know? A small part of in leafyme pits, with trip wires that still feels like I know them insent the old car tires swinging, and absence of communication. I with still various inconspicuous holes keep tabs, watching them go to dug withand the hope of causing a from their houses, seeing who visits, broken ankle or two. There was seeing who leaves. I like to think the burning ants with magnifying they still keep tabs on me. I wonder glasses phase. There was the if they take notice of what cars drowning ants in bubbles phase, seem to come most frequently and and there was the swatting wasps if they pondered who could be the with tennis racquets phase. But occupants of those cars, wondering trust me, our hearts were still who I was spending my time untouched with. and naive; we flourished I know I wonder this about them. on our own youthful ambrosia. It They left a mark on me, theywas shaped a time. A time I never could me into who I am, leaving their quite see the end of, but the time own ring around my permanent would sure see an end in me. existence. And although they In may the Garfield Ave squadron no longer be wrapped around me, there was my brother, the ring and although those times may have leader. Our two neighbors, the reached an end, those times did notAnd me, the toy connoisseurs. see an end in me. girl (but that didn’t matter). Our

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JanUarY

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Sara Croghan

summoning call to playtime on any given day --an action taken to avoid a day tainted with boredom-- was the loud crash and echoing bang of the wooden screen door leading into my garage. After walking in and out of the house several times, slamming the door with all our might at each entrance, the faces of our neighbors, hopeful at the prospect of playtime, would flash to the living room window, soon to be out the door. That cat tattered, white paint chipped screen door served its duty with grace, but since has been replaced by a more silent (and insulated) counterpart. Towards the end of its existence, the obnoxious clamor of the blemished door was only a nuisance, no longer of its former usefulness. In the yard of our two neighbors stood two pine trees whose branches had been trimmed up to a few yards high, creating an oblong canopy off the side of their house. A blue and yellow plastic spun rope had been tethered around the lowest hanging branch. When ideas and games were scarce, hours were spent under these trees absentmindedly swinging and ambling through our thoughts out loud. Looking back at it now, these simple times and talk under the trees were the embodiment of our existence. It was “our spot” where the best thoughts were pondered and where the best games were created. That rope, although it endured years of swinging from kids that were still growing, held strong. But, alas, it no longer hangs. The rope eventually fell victim just a few years ago to two rambunctious teenage boys (the former toy connoisseurs), who were now too big to be supported by its fraying strands. During the many years the rope had hung, the branch it hung on had continued to grow in spite of it. And as a result, a small ring still remains around the branch where the bark is smooth and

slightly inverted. It’s been a while since I’ve talked to my few neighbors. A while used to be days, then it turned into weeks, and now somehow it’s years. Even more years since those summer days and nights. I still see them every day. Well, kind of. We tend to leave for school at the same time, and sometimes if the timing is right we walk out our garage doors at the same time and for just a moment I’m taken back to the joy I would have gotten from such peculiar and perfect timing. But instead of dashing across the street to play, we get into our cars and solemnly drive to school, something only the big kids did, something formerly only in our wildest dreams of the future. But in our dreams there wasn’t silence. Even these days I walk alone out the door, not at the heels of my brother. No, he’s off to an even more outrageous concept: college. Why, he hasn’t even been around for a few summers. Alas, the extent of our most personal interactions includes the awkward drive to school, one of us in front of the other. What is the appropriate tailing distance of someone you used to know? A small part of me still feels like I know them in the absence of communication. I still keep tabs, watching them go to and from their houses, seeing who visits, seeing who leaves. I like to think they still keep tabs on me. I wonder if they take notice of what cars seem to come most frequently and if they pondered who could be the occupants of those cars, wondering who I was spending my time with. I know I wonder this about them. They left a mark on me, they shaped me into who I am, leaving their own ring around my permanent existence. And although they may no longer be wrapped around me, and although those times may have reached an end, those times did not see an end in me.

artwork

& deSign by Sara Croghan

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LOST

Although I pride myself on my ability to think outside the box, I can acknowledge that it will get me nowhere on the ACT. So naturally, the week before I was set to take it, I clawed and begged for scientific wisdom from anyone who looked like they could read a data table. The secret is that there’s not one. That the data mostly exists to overwhelm the test taker and cause them difficulty, given that the ACT can only test on units within a certain level of expertise. It’s exactly like the reading section, only with numbers. I tried to desensitize myself to those numbers, but I must admit that the science section won that round over me. I never considered myself a math or science person, but I also never thought to doubt why I had this perception of myself. Whenever I try to picture some event that made me decide numbers weren’t my forte, I come up short. Through the finger-smudged little rose colored glasses of my elementary school memories, it is impossible for me to tell whether STEM

january

pushed me away or I never gave it a chance. Both sides have a compelling argument. On side one, it’s tempting to blame the mentality within STEM, that only the strongest are bound to succeed and failure falls entirely on the student’s willpower. I have never had a problem throughout my education in giving these fields a piece of my mind, secretly dreading that once I started college, I would stick out like a sore thumb in those required courses, that I would walk into class and be met with prodigies, pitchforks sharpened and ready to go. It was a souring taste, internalizing that if I felt like I didn’t belong and I wasn’t at the same level as my peers, it meant I didn’t and I wasn’t. I labeled myself as different from an early age, as creative and artistically talented. This wasn’t necessarily positive in my mind; I assumed it meant I had a weakness hiding somewhere, one as significant as my strength. I didn’t start to identify myself as right-brained until I watched my gifted education

TRANSLATION

classmates master long division, and I started to fear I would never keep up their pace. The path I have led myself on since childhood was not paved from interest and exploration. I was protecting myself, or at least, I thought I was, from a world full of locked doors. Remember, though, that I have another side to this dilemma. It is entirely possible that because my learning process is slow yet concise, I assumed I had been dealt a weak hand, never bothering to learn the rules of the game. I learned the arts of confidence and bluffing, and I have since come to realize that had I gone into a non-creative career, they likely would have been the most vital and valuable skills of all. As much as that ACT section pained me, I got to see what was behind its mask: the notion that numbers can lie. Rather, they can mislead. It was the shattering of this seemingly bulletproof exterior that opened the door for me. Of course, this exterior was intentional. It succeeded for

years in convincing me that STEM requires some inborn ability that creatives like me simply did not possess. Furthermore, it succeeded in making me believe if I understood the material, I was somehow a fraud. What I experienced is known as Imposter Syndrome. Although there is no specific definition, it is known to show up in professionals who place personal value in their productivity out of fear they are, in reality, unqualified. It festers in all of us. My advice to those who have not yet made my mistakes is as follows: no one understands your mind the way you do. As someone who spends every passing moment with yourself, you have seen your capabilities more than anyone in this world. Ask questions, even ones that you think make you look stupid. Let down your guard. I know it’s much easier said than done, but it’s one of my most important takeaways from my time at LHS. Keep pushing forward and you may find that inertia is on your side.

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Mara Fendrich

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andemic and politics: the two topics that have consumed conversations all across the nation for almost a year now. It’s almost as if we as a society have forgotten how to focus on anything else. It’s the new norm to remark “stay healthy” as we’re saying goodbye or signing off a letter; it’s the new norm to open the News app on our phones and expect the only headlines we see to be about rising cases or election results. There’s no question about it: 2020 was unlike any year before, and we like to focus on its universal uniqueness. But what about the issues people around us are experiencing personally? Struggling with depression, working through classes, exploring relationships and sexuality and planning for after high school; these are just a few of the responses the Statesman received when we asked students about one aspect of their lives that most people at school don’t know about. While these issues may not be relevant for the whole student body of LHS like how COVID-19 and recent politics are, they

january

Carly Wheeler, editor-in-Chief

mean the world to someone within these walls. Whether the responses to our question made you laugh or somberly reflect, it’s plain to see that there’s a lot we don’t know about each other. We can never be positive about the thoughts that consume the minds of others. It’s easy to get caught up in “the topic of the hour,” but in this new virtual world, it’s more important than ever to stay present and aware of the “little things” going on in the lives of those around you. Afterall, the “little things” may seem minor to you, but they could be weighing heavily on someone else. Yes, make sure your friends are safe and healthy. Offer an ear if they need someone to talk to about the recent political climate. But remember that there are other things occupying their minds — likely something completely different than the thoughts occupying your own. They might be coping with a mental illness or struggling with one of their classes. Or simply imagining themselves rollerblading down the hallway while speaking in a British accent… I guess?

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Caleb Hiatt

ruth is hard to come by, especially in the highly polarized political climate that plagues our nation. It seems as if every “truth” has been tailored in an effort to gain political popularity. Read enough mass media or social media and there is a truth of every flavor. No matter where they are on the political spectrum, different forms of media are constantly trying to sell their viewers on a certain narrative. Unfiltered truth is in short supply and we need it now more than ever. According to a Gallup poll, 60% of all U.S. adults said they had either not very much or no trust at all in mass media such as TV, newspapers and radio. Nowadays it feels like people can choose what they want to believe. There are so many news sources with contradicting truths, which allows people to pick sources that support their views. This causes many never-ending arguments because

perspectives

every side is able to present “true” but twisted facts to support their respective viewpoints. Over the years, technology has given the public access to more information than ever before, but it also caters to what people want to see. This makes it so people mostly see things they agree with causing their opinions to rarely be challenged. This tunnel vision is unhealthy, especially when the country is suddenly faced with many polarizing issues like it was in 2020. All of sudden, people who have been convinced that their beliefs are true are forced to face each other and their different perspectives, causing the remarkably divided political climate that we live in today. Clinical psychologist Jordan B. Peterson says that the truth hurts because people cling to what they shouldn’t be “partly out of pride, partly out of ignorance and partly out of laziness.” This is also the case when it comes to people’s habits with news sources. People

can’t

handle the

are typically only interested in what the sources supporting their views have to say and will often not pay attention to those with opposing opinions because they are too proud, ignorant or lazy to take on something new. The purpose of this article is not to insinuate an argument over which source possesses the real truth, but rather to encourage people to be skeptical. Finding unfiltered truth is not easy, especially when having to search for it through the internet’s maze of bias where there is a statistic to support every stance. These statistics often leave out context that is important to understanding the real meaning of the data. Consider when Chicago Bulls rookie forward Stacey King jokingly said: “I’ll always remember this as the night that Michael Jordan and I combined to score 70 points,” when in reality he only scored one and MJ scored the remaining 69. News sources do this too, only it is hardly a joke to them. They pass it off as a fact and while it may be true in a certain context, it is not exactly representative of reality. The truth is, no one has an unbiased understanding of the nation’s issues. It is difficult to know what to believe and what to dismiss, and it is even harder to set aside our bias and accept a truth we do not want to believe. But like philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, “The strength of a person’s spirit would then be measured by how much ‘truth’ he could tolerate.” The strongest people are not the ones who are always right, but the ones with a great tolerance for the ugly truth.

TRUTH

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STATESMAN

PERSPECTIVES

STATESMAN

PERSPECTIVES

PROTECT THE ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE RFUFGE BY

CHLOE HARTJE

Porcupine caribou herd migrating to calve on ANWR’s coastal plain. PHOTO BY

PETER MATHER

ne of the last intact landscapes left on Earth, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska, has been put up for sale to oil industries. The Trump administration pushed to start drilling for oil in the refuge before Biden, who opposes the drilling, takes office. This decades-long battle is finally coming to an end as the leases will be difficult for Biden to revoke, yet conservationists are refusing to let go. The Trump administration has made it their priority to open the land for drilling, securing America’s “energy dominance.” In 2017, one year into Trump’s presidential term, the GOP tax bill gave the go-ahead for the sale of oil and gas leases in a 1.5 million acre section of ANWR, the coastal plain along the Arctic Ocean. Recently, at the end of his four-year term, President Trump began rushing the process in a desperate attempt to make the sale irreversible. “Congress directed us to hold lease sales in the ANWR Coastal Plain, and we have taken a significant step in announcing the first sale in advance of the December 2021 deadline set by law,” said Chad Padgett, the Alaska state director for the Bureau of Land Management. PHOTO BY PETER MATHER President Trump’s Bureau of Land Management downplayed the damage that drilling would do to the Arctic tundra and its permafrost (the frozen soil found in polar regions). Both conservation and tribal groups have filed lawsuits, challenging the Trump administration’s environmental review, which is mostly based on older research and fails to address several concerns. “By opening the entire coastal plain to oil drilling, the Trump administration has ignored data showing likely impacts on wildlife including the Porcupine Caribou Herd and polar bears,” said Lois Epstein, Arctic

program director of the Wilderness Society, in an article published by The Washington Post. “The sprawl from oil activities in the coastal plain allowed under the Tax Act would devastate this ecologically sensitive landscape.” ANWR is believed to contain the largest untapped oil reserves in North America, so the fight over drilling centers on its coastal plains has been relentless. According to ANWR.org, the U.S. currently imports 50% of its oil and domestic production is in steady decline. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) predicts that ANWR oil could add 1.5 million barrels of oil a day at maximum production, saving money from import costs. Although, this will only reverse efforts to move away from fossil fuels to address the effects of climate change, which makes drilling in the refuge an unsustainable option. Sea ice is already thinning on the refuge’s shores since temperatures in the Arctic are rising twice as fast as in the rest of the planet. This poses a threat to the polar bears that rely on the ice to catch seals. As one of the last untouched places, ANWR contains no roads or established trails (most visitors access it by air), only rivers and streams. It cannot sustain human activity on an industrial scale, and oil drilling would bring roads, airstrips, heavy machinery, noise and pollution to the refuge. Many major U.S. banks have pledged that they will not finance oil development in the Arctic, including the Bank of America and Wells Fargo. Supporting the drilling would undoubtedly lead to backlash from the 70% of Americans who oppose it, according to the Yale program on Climate Change Communication. Drilling would cause irreparable damage to the wildlife, land and climate of ANWR, as well as affect the Gwich’in people (Alaskan natives).

PROTECT THE ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE RFUFGE BY CHLOE HARTJE

Porcupine caribou herd migrating to calve on ANWR’s coastal plain.

Solar bear sow and cub on Alaska’s Arctic coast. PHOTO BY

MARKO DIMITRIJEVIC

¨But in a move that will hasten climate change and have devastating consequences for people, wildlife and pristine public lands, the Trump administration is pushing a reckless plan to begin oil and gas lease sales within the refuge’s coastal plain — an area that the Gwich’in have called ‘the sacred place where life begins’,¨ said the National Resources Defense Council.

ANWR was established in 1960 and spans 19 million acres in the Northeast corner of Alaska, an area roughly the size of North Carolina. Not only is it the largest wildlife refuge in the country, but it also contains diverse habitats and an array of wildlife. The refuge’s coastal lands, boreal forests and alpine tundra supports over 270 species ranging from muskox and arctic foxes to all three types of North American bear species. Home to migrating caribous, polar bears and migratory birds from all 50 states, ANWR is referred by biologists as “America’s Serengeti.” The Gwich’in people, who have lived in Northern Alaska and Canada for thousands of years, call its coastal plain “the sacred place where life begins.” Porcupine caribou, a subspecies of reindeer found in Alaska and Canada, use the coastal plain as a calving area in the summer. Their annual migration begins in April, when a herd of about 200,000 members heads North to calve on the refuge’s coastal plain, the largest land migration of any animal in the world. Alaskan natives, like the Gwich’in, rely on the caribou for subsistence and a link to their cultural heritage. The coastal plain of ANWR is currently being threatened by possible oil drilling, which will affect the major calving spot of the caribou, and ultimately their numbers. Polar bears also have an important land denning area in winter on the coastal plain. The land provides some stability and security for the polar bears, unless human activity like drilling enters the picture. Polar bears are already listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act as their populations are decreasing exponentially. “There’s no good time to open up America’s largest wildlife refuge to drilling and fracking, but it’s absolutely bonkers to endanger this beautiful place during a worldwide oil glut,” said Kristen Monsell, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group. From its soaring mountains and vast valleys to its wetlands and ice-covered seas, ANWR is a beautiful and remote place that deserves protection. It is estimated that the oil in the Arctic would only supply three years of the world’s oil demand, and with the risk of an oil spill, it is not worth destroying the future of the refuge.

CHLOE HARTJE

LHSSTATESMAN COM

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ONE LAST R E DE RIID

E D I R ONE LAST J by Madeleine KeMper, by Madeleine eMper , online editorK -in -Chief online editor-in-Chief

anuary 2021 has finally anuary arrived.2021 The has longfinally anticipated arrived. The long anticipated wait for the end of 2020 wait for and the end ofwonder 2020 is over, many over,few andmonths many wonder what theisfirst of the what the first few months of the of new year will bring. It is the end new year will bring. It is the end of what many have considered the most what many have challenging yearconsidered in decades,the themost start by Madeleine K eMper , challenging year in decades, the start of a new semester at LHS, and for of neweditor semester LHS, of andthe foryear thea seniors, the-in beginning online -Cathief the seniors, the beginning of the year in which our whole lives will change. in which our whole lives will change. As I anuary approach my has finalfinally semester 2021 mysystem, final semester inAs theI approach K-12 school I am inmet thewith K-12 school system, I am arrived. long anticipated a mixThe of emotions. There met a mixwhen of emotions. There are with moments I think about wait forwhen the of 2020 are moments Iend think about how close I am to this brand new how close I am to this brand new world of possibilities, andwonder I am is over, and many world of possibilities, I am so overwhelmed with and excitement. what the first few months of so overwhelmed with excitement. Other times, though, I thinkthe about Other times,that though, I think behind, about everything I’m leaving new year willthat bring. Itleaving is the end of everything I’mscared. behind, and I feel slightly There and feelmajor slightly scared. There what many havecomponents considered the are Itwo thatmost go are major components thatnext go intotwo preparing myself for this challenging yearmyself in decades, the start into this step:preparing the academic side,for and thenext theapproach academicto and mental dealing with ofstep: a new semester atside, LHS, andthe for the mental approach to dealing with the social changes that first year college the seniors, the beginning of the year social changes that first year college students naturally endure. students naturally endure. Over our the course lives of my high in which whole will change. Over the course of my high school career, I have taken many school career,courses I my havefinal taken many As I approach challenging thatsemester were meant challenging courses that were meant to prepare me for a college workload; intohowever, the K-12there school system, I workload; am I still prepare me for college area times when however, times I still wonder I will readywhen toThere thrive met with aifthere mix ofarebeemotions. wonder if I will be ready to thrive

are moments when I think about january 42how close I am to this brand new january 42 world of possibilities, and I am

in a college classroom setting. Even in a college classroom setting. Even though I have been very successful though I have been very successful academically throughout high academically high school, there’sthroughout still a part of me school, there’s still of me that is anxious abouta part the unknown. that is anxious about thefeelings, unknown. If anyone else has these I If anyone else has these feelings, I would like to encourage you to listen would like to I’ve encourage you togiven, listen to the advice always been to the advice I’ve always been given, yet still struggle to follow: during yet follow: during thisstill last struggle semester,tothere is nothing this last semester, there is nothing more you can do to prepare yourself; more youhave can to doknow to prepare yourself; you just that you have inyou a college classroom setting. Even just to and know thatthat youithave put in thehave work, trust is put in the work, and trust that it though I have enough. Nowbeen is thevery timesuccessful to keep atisit, enough. Now is the keep at it, stay on the path and time finishtostrong. academically throughout high stay on the path and finish strong. I started to seriously think I started seriously about college the summer school, there’stostill a partthink ofafter me my about college the Isummer after my sophomore year. remember feeling that is anxious about the unknown. sophomore year. I remember feeling very overwhelmed while taking very overwhelmed taking visits. By else the end ofwhile them, I wasIso Ifvisits. anyone has these feelings, By the end of them, I was so mentally and physically tired because mentally and physically tired because would like Itohad encourage to listen I felt like a narrowyou window to Ilook felt for likeallI had a narrow window to of the right indicators of tolook the advice I’ve always been given, for all of the right indicators a good school. It wasn’t just about of a good school. Ittowasn’t about myself going toduring school yetimagining still struggle follow:just imagining myself but going to school at that institution, living in that this last semester, there is nothing at that institution, but living town and making it my home.inItthat town and making my Itthat wasn’t until Ido visited thehome. school more you can to itprepare yourself; wasn’t until I visited the school I am going to be attending that Ithat I am to be attending I you justgoing have toisn’t know youthat have realized there anthat exact formula realized exact formula for picking theisn’t rightancollege. put the there work, that it is forinpicking the and righttrust college.

enough. Now is the time to keep at it, stay on the path and finish strong. I started to seriously think about college the summer after my

Honestly there are days where I am fed up I simply made mental notes of all the Honestly are this daysplace, wherebut I am fed up I simply made mental notes of all the and cannot waitthere to leave there things that my childhood self dreamed and cannot wait to leave this place, but there thingswould that my selfinto dreamed are also days when I know I’m going to miss college be childhood like, and took account are days when I’m to miss college would be like, and took into account it soalso much, and I justI know want to begoing 12 again. what I now needed in a school. Finally, I took it so much, and I just want to be 12 what I now needed in a school. Finally, I took What I’m trying to say is that it’s okay again. to a night to sleep on it, and when I closed my What I’m trying to say is that it’s okay to a night to sleep on it, and when I closed my have both sentiments — this is a confusing eyes and could envision myself there, I knew have both sentiments — this is a confusing eyes and could envision myself there, I knew time. It’s simply just a part of growing up. I had arrived at my choice. For any other a part ofstate growing I hadthat arrived my Forthis anychoice, other Yes,time. goingIt’s offsimply to livejust in another all by up. senior still at has yetchoice. to make off to live another statebut all by senior still hasbe yet to make you this have choice, myselfYes, willgoing be awkward andinscary at first, don’t let that the process daunting; myself will be awkward and scary at first, don’t let the process be daunting; you have rest assured to those of you going but nothing to lose and absolutely rest assured to those you Honestlythrough there arethedays where am fed going up nothing and absolutely I simply tomade mental notes of all the same thing,I of everyone everything tolose gain. through the same thing, everyone everything to gain. at that school is going to be in There are many reasons why I Everything I’ve loved and cannotelseawait toatleave this place, but there things that my childhood self dreamed else that is going to be in There reasons why I similar boat.school Always remember chose to goare to many Macalester; I liked Everything I’ve loved a similar about this town, my chose tothe gosoftball to liked thatwhen you are soboat. much more capable are also days I know I’mAlways going toremember miss the area, college would be Macalester; like,program and tookI and into account about this town, my that you are so much more capable the area, the softball program and than you think. You know you can the campus library, all reasons family, the friends it so much, and I just want to be 12 again. what I now needed in a school. Finally, I took than you think. You know you can the different campus library, all reasons handle this obstacle, otherwise very from everyone else. family, the friends handle this obstacle, otherwise that I have made, all very different from everyone else. you never applied in theon simplest put, What I’m trying tonever saywould is would thathave it’shave okayapplied to aHowever, night to sleep it, and way when I closed mythat I have made, all you However, inout theofsimplest way put, in the first place. Going off to I cast my net South Dakota favorite places and both sentiments the — first place. Going off to is a confusing I cast netenvision outbeofpushed South eyes andmy myselfDakota there, Imy knew might be this the most shaping because Icould want to my favorite places have and college in college might be the most shaping the roads that take because I want to be pushed experience in one’s life, so my than I have ever been time. It’sadvice simply just a part ofin one’s growingown. up. Ifurther had arrived atImy choice. For any other the roads that take so my further than have ever Ibeen toexperience you is make it yourlife, before, and I don’t believe will me home, will all still advice to you is make it your before, don’t I will what I’mstate trying Yes, goingThat’s off toexactly live in another all tobyown. find that here. atocriticism, senior thatand stillI It’s hasnot yetbelieve make this choice,me home, will all still That’s exactly what I’m trying be mine when I come thatway here. It’s not areflection criticism, do. It might be terrible and scary, to orfind in any a negative myself will be awkward and scary at first, be mine when I come don’t let the process be daunting; you have do.itItalso might be terrible andbut scary, in experiences, any way a negative but might be everything oformy it’s just reflection simply back. but it also might be everything of my experiences, it’s just simply I’ve ever needed it to be. how my to lifelose went, I honestly back. restI’ve assured to those of The you thing going nothing andand absolutely ever needed it to be. The thing how myimagine life went, andother I honestly is, I’ll never know unless I step couldn’t it any way. thenever same thing, everyone I’ll know unless couldn’t imagine way. I have everything to gain. itinany outside ofthrough my is, comfort zone. So really, asIIstep I think ultimately theother last year, outside of my comfort zone. So really, as I I think ultimately in the last year, I have prepare myself to begin my is last semester at come to the realization that leaving high else at that school going to be in There are many reasons why I prepare to begin mymore last of semester come istonot thejust realization leaving LHS, I wantmyself to practice doing what at school about anthat ending. It’s high more LHS, I want to practice doing more of what school is not just about an ending. It’s more Always remember scares me.aI similar want toboat. surround myself with like standing the edge ofI liked a cliff where chose to go toonMacalester; scares me. I want to surround myself likecan standing on theofedge of your a cliff people who make me brave, so that way whenwith you see glimpses what lifewhere could thatmake you are muchmore more capable the area, the softball program and who meso thatpractice way when see glimpses youriflife thepeople time comes, I’ll have abrave, little so beyou like,can directly in frontof of what you, and youcould the time comes, I’ll have a little more be like, directly in front of you, and if you at being the person thatknow I wantyou topractice be. turn around, you can see the long journey it than you think. You can the campus library, all reasons at being the person that I want to be. turntoaround, can see the long journey it took get youyou there. handle this obstacle, otherwise very different fromthere. everyone else. took to get you

However, in the simplest way put, I cast my net out of South Dakota because I want to be pushed

Everything I’ve loved about this town, my family, the friends that I have made, all my favorite places and

you never would have applied in lhsstatesman the first place. to .comGoing off43 lhsstatesman.com college might be the most shaping 43

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themain main maincharacter character character the the BY O BY LIVIA OLIVIA BROST BROST

Main Main characters characters are are commonly commonly identified identified through through the the plotplot of of movies, movies, TV TV shows shows andand books. books. People People typically typically do not do not think think of their of their liveslives as aasglamorous a glamorous movie movie or aorpage-turning a page-turning bookbook thatthat youyou are are not not ableable to put to put down, down, andand to be to frank, be frank, most most liveslives are are not not thatthat spectacular. spectacular. Feeling Feeling like like youyou are are taking taking the the backback seatseat in your in your ownown life life andand watching watching fromfrom afarafar as everything as everything plays plays out out in front in front of you of you is not is not exactly exactly a main a main character character tendency, tendency, but but luckily, luckily, there there are certain are certain ideals ideals to keep to keep in in mind mind thatthat can can helphelp to achieve to achieve thatthat goalgoal if you if you desire. desire. OurOur liveslives can can become become the the plotplot of aofriveting a riveting movie, movie, andand youyou can can be the be the main main character character thatthat starsstars in it. in it.

inyour your your in in own ownlife. life. life. own

PutPut yourself yourself firstfirst — mental — mental health health is sois important. so important. LifeLife can can get get chaotic chaotic as itasis,it especially is, especially withwith the the factors factors thatthat thisthis yearyear in particular in particular involved. involved. Putting Putting yourself yourself firstfirst doesdoes not not mean mean doing doing solely solely what what youyou want want to do to all do the all the timetime or or ignoring ignoring the the needs needs of others of others close close to you, to you, but but rather rather putting putting yourself yourself firstfirst on the on the list list of priorities. of priorities. Today’s Today’s society society andand the the effects effects of social of social media media on people’s on people’s liveslives is aisprime a prime example example of putting of putting yourself yourself firstfirst in your in your life. life. Instead Instead of scrolling of scrolling through through endless endless posts posts andand subconsciously subconsciously comparing comparing yourself yourself to to others, others, taketake the the timetime to to do do something something for for yourself yourself thatthat youyou would would feel feel like like showing showing off off on social on social media. media.

LiveLive in the in the moment moment — — technology technology has has evolved evolved fromfrom a helpful a helpful tooltool to atosecurity a security blanket blanket usedused to hide to hide behind. behind. When When youyou learn learn to live to live without without it, present it, present moments moments become become so so much much more more meaningful meaningful andand memorable. memorable.

Learn Learn to to letlet gogo —— letlet gogo of of thethe “What “What ifs”ifs” and and thethe “I “I should should notnot or or should should haves” haves” that that take take control control of ofyour your mind mind and and cycle cycle over over and and over over again. again. These These thoughts thoughts dwell dwell onon thethe past past or or thethe future future and and prevent prevent you you from from moving moving onon mentally. mentally. NoNo matter matter how how you you feelfeel about about thethe problem problem at at hand, hand, time time hashas passed, passed, so so take take thethe steps steps to to move move on.on. Dwelling Dwelling onon that that thought thought is is notnot going going to to change change it or it or make make a difference, a difference, it will it will only only take take away away from from thethe present present moment. moment. Whatever Whatever should should or or should should notnot be be will will just just unfold unfold onon itsits own own with with nono impact impact onon thethe worries worries circling circling around around it. it. It It is is physically physically impossible impossible to to control control everything everything around around you, you, so so letlet yourself yourselfbe be and and watch watch as as your your true, true, unrepressed unrepressed self-unfolds self-unfolds into into a a person person you you and and those those around around you you will will grow grow to to cherish. cherish.

Lose Lose thethe selfself judgement judgement —— your your thoughts thoughts areare typically typically biased biased and and notnot exactly exactly a perfect a perfect reflection reflection of ofthethe person person you you areare or or thethe person person you you want want to to be.be. Thoughts Thoughts of ofjudgment judgment and and self-doubt self-doubt tend tend to to be be mirror mirror insecurities insecurities that that lead lead to to nothing nothing more more than than anan endless endless cycle cycle of ofmore more negativity. negativity. Contrary Contrary to to thethe nagging nagging voice voice in in your your head head judging judging you, you, you you areare notnot your your thoughts! thoughts! Who Who cares cares what what others others think think of ofyou, you, dodo what what makes makes you you your your best best self. self.

You Youonly onlyhave haveoneonelifelifeto tolivelive——thetheolder olderyou youget, get,thethe more more you you realize realize how how short short and and sweet sweet lifelife is. is. Look Look at at it it as as if if you youmight mightnotnotbe behere heretomorrow, tomorrow,what whatwould wouldyou youregret? regret? What Whatwould wouldyou youwish wishyou youwould wouldhave havedone? done?Complete Complete your your bucket bucket list, list, buy buy that that brand brand new new pair pair of ofshoes shoes and and gogo onon that that road road trip trip to to a scenic a scenic sight. sight. Make Make your your lifelife thethe sold sold outout movie movie that that you you cannot cannot wait wait to to rewatch rewatch over over and and over over again. again.

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Avery blAckmAn

As a child, I believed that swear words were reserved only for private conversations between adults (or rebellious teenagers) and stubbed toes. In the past this may have been a more accurate assumption, but it seems that in the last decade (or at least during the span of my life), incidences of swear words have become much more concentrated throughout mainstream pop culture and everyday conversations. Most children are taught that cursing is inappropriate, even when angry or in pain, and demonstrates a limited vocabulary. As soon as a child discovers a specific curse word and repeats this new addition to their vocabulary, parents are sure to label it as vulgar, profane and socially unacceptable to use. It is this act of parents suppressing the desire to swear in their children which continues the tradition of curse words being considered taboo from generation to generation. “The reason that a child thinks the F-word is a bad word is that, growing up, he or she was told that it was a bad word, so profanity is a cultural construct that perpetuates itself through time,” said Dr. Benjamin Bergen, a professor of cognitive science at the University of California, San Diego. “It’s an affliction of its own creation.” The use of profanity is effective only because it’s inappropriate. When a person swears, they are defying the system, rebelling against the social constructs of society. That’s exactly where the appeal to swear comes from: a desire to feel like a bad***. At least that’s how it used to be. Although it is difficult to find concrete evidence that curse words are much more common today than they were a few decades ago, a study led by Jean Twenge, author and psychology professor at San Diego State University, found that books published in 2005-2008 were 28 times more likely to include swear words than books published in the early 1950s. “The increase happened at the same time that [U.S.] culture increasingly promoted selfexpression and individualism,” reported Twenge. “Individualism is a cultural system that emphasizes the self more and social rules less. So as social rules

fell by the wayside, and people were told to express themselves, swearing became more common.” With the help of social media, where users regularly receive praise for being transparent with their followers, many people no longer feel the urge to keep their emotions bottled up in an effort to maintain a calm front. And what better way to convey your inner thoughts with the world (whether that be in a conversation, a song or on social media) than through swearing? Curse words allow for the sharing of one’s emotions, anger in particular, to come off more intensely. Everyone innately wishes for their peers to empathize with them, and when swear words are used to dramatize a person’s feelings, it’s hard for their audience not to offer verbal affirmation to them. People love the drama, so when there is an open invitation to raise the intensity of a conversation by implementing a few swear words, how could anyone say no? There is one factor in my analysis of swearing which must not be ignored. I have clearly witnessed an increase in the abundance of curse words in my surroundings; however, I have been growing up throughout this time period. Obviously, high schoolers are much more prone to using swear words than elementary or even middle schoolers, so it makes sense that I would hear more conversations which include swearing when I walk through the hallways. Furthermore, my tastes in movies, TV shows and music have been maturing right along with me, thus increasing the likelihood that I hear swear words in the forms of entertainment which I consume. Who’s to say if an adult, who has had a significantly smaller change in their behavior over the last decade, would agree with my observation that swearing has become more popular? There may never be concrete proof that curse words are more prevalent in today’s society than they were 10 years ago. However, I do believe that the majority of swear words have lost some of their shock value because of how often we hear them. Perhaps one day the words we know today as being curse words will be abandoned all together for becoming too common and ineffective, and be replaced with words that don’t even exist yet; we’ll have to wait and see. design by

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Avery blAckmAn

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