the messenger
VOL 17/ ISS 5
student drug culture.
pg. 17 THE MESSENGER | 1
masthead CONTACT US
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
STAFF
(770) 497-3828 nhsmessenger@gmail.com 10625 Parsons Rd Johns Creek, GA 30097 nhsmessenger.com
Nithya Mahakala Amanda Beard
Aazan Khan Melissa Liu Ben Minder Alexis Oladipo Grace Peng Meghana Ramineni Aayush Shah Erin Shin Nikki Skyer Jennah Sooknanan Anshi Vajpayee
PUBLICATION The Messenger is a student publication published for and distributed to the Northview community. The statements and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the entire staff or those of Northview High School, its students, faculty, staff, or administration. Content is edited and controlled by staff editors. The staff will publish only legally protected speech, adhering to the legal definitions of libel, obscenity, and the invasion of privacy.
Mira Sydow Jack Lowrance
NEWS EDITOR
Shashank Ganeshan
SPORTS EDITOR Akshay Nair
FEATURES EDITOR Jennifer Xia
OPINIONS EDITOR Noelle Reid
ONLINE EDITOR Alex Perry
LETTERS TO THE EDITORS
PHOTO EDITORS
The Messenger staff welcomes letters to the editors but reserves the right to edit all submissions for length, grammar, libel, obscenity, and invasion of privacy.
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IN THIS ISSUE
Cover design: Mira Sydow
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MANAGING EDITORS
Irene Rho Upasna Kotakonda Kaushal Gandikota
ADVISER
contents 05
14
NITHYA MAHAKALA
JENNIFER XIA
EDITOR’S LETTER
24
FULL OF HEART
OP-EDS
06
16
26
MONTHLY BRIEFS
FOOD REVIEW
FACE-OFF
08
17*
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PE EXEMPTION ANSHI VAJPAYEE
DRUG CULTURE
COLUMNS
09
22
30
STAFF
HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR MELISSA LIU
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NEW SOCCER COACHES NIKKI SKYER
MIRA SYDOW
ALEX PERRY MEGHANA RAMINENI
CHINESE YO-YO GRACE PENG
MIRA SYDOW ERIN SHIN
SHASHANK GANESHAN AKSHAY NAIR
NOELLE REID JACK LOWRANCE
FASHION IRENE RHO
23 STAFF EDITORIAL STAFF
THE MESSENGER | 3
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Addicted to Ignorance
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or the February issue of the Messenger, our staff has chosen to explore in detail drug use in the community, at a time that coincides with America stuck in the throes of an opioid crisis, teenagers misled by ‘smoking alternatives’, and the medical industry facing its own uphill battle against Big Pharma. Recreational. Pharmaceutical. Illegal. All bring forth a different face of a different substance, yet all share a domino-effect of danger, one that ends in the depths of addiction, a pit hard to crawl out of with the long list of necessary resources and levels of support. The duplexity of drugs and the complexity of their consequences has thrust its claws into each dimension of modern society. Drug addiction is an intergenerational disease, just as prevalent in the family tree as cancer or diabetes. In fact, studies found that animals exposed to prenatal stress tend to exhibit the same signs as seen in addiction and are more likely to self-medicate when given access. Addiction is a serious brain disease that targets the “opioid attachment-reward system, the dopamine-based incentive-motivation apparatus and the self-regulation
areas of the prefrontal cortex.” Essentially it hijacks the very parts of our brain responsible for goal-setting and motivation. Meanwhile those suffering with addiction are unfairly persecuted by the stigma against the disease, a stigma that is sewn heavily with misinformation. To this day, it is still treated as a personal failure despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The typical victim of a substance use disorder (SUD) begins using drugs or alcohol by the age of 17, when the brain is still not fully developed, especially in terms of stress management, emotion and higher executive functions. Over a tenth of people admitted to treatment for an SUD began use by the age of 11. Despite becoming one of the most serious epidemics of our time, drug addiction is still wildly misunderstood by the public, the victims are still wrongfully criminalized by the court of public opinion, and public policies are doing little to treat or even soften the spread of this disease. Though the numbers are clear to spell out the truth, the reluctance remains and the readiness to place blame in hands of the victims solely festers.
Nithya Mahakala, Editor-in-Chief
THE MESSENGER | 5
On Feb. 7, a group of Northview students, including recently elected state thespian officer and senior, Constantin Claassen, will go to a three day long event known as the Georgia Thespian Conference. Held at Columbus University in Columbus Georgia, these students will experience the weekend of a lifetime at a place where theater reigns supreme. The trip starts off with an opening act in which Northview’s very own senior, Kabir Gandhi, sang. From there, the students attend various workshops, ranging from acting and dancing to technical theatre. Each of are given the opportunity to watch the best shows in Georgia performed live for them during the weekend as well. “To perform at Thescon is a big deal and the shows are probably some of the best I’ve seen in my life,” Ria Puri, senior thespian, said. Beyond this, all attendees are given the chance to sign up for individual performing events to be state ranked or for scholarship opportunities where, at the end of the week, the best performances are awarded. SPECIAL
02/05 President Donald Trump addressed Congress and the American public in his annual State of the Union Address in which he outlined his political agenda and plans for the coming year.
News in Brief
The Messenger’s monthly digest of events at Northview and around the world
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02/03
The Patriots secured their 6th championship in the Tom Brady era on Feb 3 after their victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
NEWS
Every year the Black History Club puts on a theater production during the month of February. This year the club has chosen to utilize the theater to talk about and bring attention to black excellence while paying homage to those who paved the way until this point. “This show has different examples of people who have embodied the idea of black excellence, and how despite the challenges they faced, they chose to do amazing things that affected the whole world,” Black History Club president, Keren Kapwadi said. In addition to highlighting the efforts of black people, the show will also delve into the harsh reality of the multitude of issues still affecting the African-American community today. The topics that will be brought to the center stage include domestic violence, disproportionate education, proper policing for predominantly black communities, and gun violence.
For the 2019 school year, the Northview student council is bringing back an event that aims to bring grade levels closer together: Northview Movie Night. Feb. 8 marks the date of the first Northview Movie Night, starting with the freshman class. The event will be somewhat of a decompression session from the stress high school can bring, and recognizes the fact that sometimes it is best to sit back, turn on a movie, and enjoy popcorn with fellow students. The movie will be located behind the band room on the grass, where students are encouraged to bring whatever makes them feel most comfortable, from chairs to pillows to blankets. Nobody could have explained the impact that this event can have better than Freshman StuCo Rep, Maxwell Feng. “I think northview students, especially freshman, are overly stressed out,” Feng said. “This event will help reduce the burden that these students take on. It is definitely a good bonding experience for freshman students.”
02/10 The 61st annual Grammy Awards took place on Feb 10, with the song “This is America” winning song of the year.
THE MESSENGER | 7
P.E., a New Era Northview High School considers a new P.E. waiver ANSHI VAJPAYEE, STAFF WRITER
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resentment towards it, mostly because past participation in the eligible sport will not be counted. All eligibility requirements should be met by the end of the first semester of the student’s senior year. Some students, however, including freshman Isha Jayadev, believe that the Personal Fitness Waiver is appropriate and further helps in each individual students’ needs.
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he School Governance Council (SGC) is currently considering implementing a Personal Fitness Waiver at Northview High School in the coming school year. This would grant students who have either taken two seasons of Marching Band or two seasons of a Georgia High Schools Sports Association (GHSA) sport an exemption from the Personal Fitness course. This means that there will not be a credit or a grade assigned for this class. While some students feel this is not only fair but overdue, others believe this is completely unneeded and principally unjust. As many schools across the nation have been implementing the exemption, the question is raised as to whether or not it presents a proper substitution. “I don’t think it was right for Northview to even bring this up because I paid around 200 for the online version,” freshman Adya Bhatta said. “Everyone should be required to take the course. If I would have known I’d be exempt from P.E., I wouldn’t have taken it over the summer.” Although the Personal Fitness waiver has not been made official yet, students such as Bhatta are already starting to show
requested from the SGC to come to a final solution, but regardless of what this will be, numerous students will not support the outcome. “I think that this issue should be considered more by Northview, and I really feel that they should try to find out what all the students want rather than what they want,” Jayadev said.
T his i s su e sh o u l d b e c o nsi de re d m o re by Northv i e w, a nd. . . th ey sh o u l d try to f i n d o u t wh at a l l th e s tu de nts wa nt ra th e r th an w h at they wa nt “I’m really glad Northview is thinking about adding this in our area, it’ll really help me a lot since I’m usually busy over the summer, and I don’t have time to take the online course,” Jayadev said. “Plus, it’s not like I’m skipping over any physical activity; I mean the sport I play and PE are pretty much equivalent, if not more rigorous.” Jayadev believes this is not only fair, but beneficial to many struggling students in the Northview community. Feedback from Northview shareholders is currently being
The Right Play
Isha Jayadev
In an attempt to consider student opinion on this divided issue, Northview has created a Public Comments box located in the front office. At the moment, a few students have expressed a formal opinion, but now more and more students are deciding to reach out. They will be accepting public opinions at their meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 3:45 p.m. in the Northview Media Center. Whether or not a final decision to implement this waiver will be reached, Northview currently remains divided.
OPINIONS
GRACE PENG, STAFF WRITER
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igh school is already a stressful time for many students, especially for those who participate in sports, marching band, or possibly both. These hardworking students often do not have the time or effort for a full semester of PE, or would rather use that semester on another course that suits their interest. Their efforts to the band or to sports are equivalent, if not more so, to the effort that other students contribute in PE, giving back to the school valuable assets as a band and/or as part of a sports team(s). Just two years of sports teams or a spot on the marching band does not merit canceling an entire graduation requirement; however, the grueling hours the students spend inside and outside, practicing and drilling, are as equally exhausting as any PE course. Unless we want these students to put in more unnecessary work, it is only fair to grant the opportunity, to those who qualify, a chance to waiver out.
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NEWS
A Tale of Truth
Holocaust survivor Hershel Greenblat speaks to Northview students about his story MELISSA LIU, STAFF WRITER U
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few weeks ago, Hershel Greenblat, one of the youngest remaining Holocaust survivors, visited Northview to share his story with students of how he overcame evil with strength, courage, and hope, an event organized by the Jewish student organization at the school. Greenblat revealed the horrors of the Holocaust and the tragedy that befell his family as a result, recounting both his parents’ and his own experiences. Born in the caves of Ukraine, Greenblat spent his first two years in hiding underground. His father was arrested by Russian police during the war, leaving Greenblat’s mother to care for him and his younger sister. After much hardship, Greenblat’s family was reunited and transported to a displaced-persons camp in Austria with a group of 180 others. The U.S. soldiers treated the survivors with a kindness that Greenblat was not accustomed to and had not expected. “None of the soldiers were screaming at us,” Greenblat said. “They were gentle. They were loving.” After making the 1,800-mile journey to the camp in such poor, cramped conditions, Greenblat and the other survivors were filthy
KSU MHHE/SPECIAL
and starving. The U.S. army nurses fed the malnourished children, cleaned them up, and gave them new clothes. Greenblat credits his parents for his survival during the Holocaust. “It is because of my father’s strong will and my mother, who held us together like glue, that my sisters and I escaped,” he said. Eventually, his family immigrated to America and settled down in Atlanta, where
try to resolve the issues in today’s society. “It’s up to your generation. I need you all to be my voice. I need you all to stand up against hatred and against discrimination,” Greenblat said. “I’m talking to the generation I know is going to do something about it. ” Greenblat is deeply concerned about the current global state. He believes diplomatic and interpersonal relationships to be worsening, not improving because of the amount of hatred being demonstrated. “In Syria, Argentina, African countries, and Myanmar, people are killing each other for no reason whatsoever,” Greenblat said. “Everyone is power-hungry and wants to grab what they can. It’s not getting better. Here in the U.S., schools and synagogues He rshe l Greenblat are being shot up. You never heard of that in the 50s and 60s.” they became an active part of the community. He hopes to make students realize that if Greenblat believes it is important to tell his they do not address problems like these, tragpart of what happened and views his circum- edies like the Holocaust could happen again. stances as an opportunity to reach out to the One of the main lessons he wants audience younger generation. His experience brings members to take away is that they should forth an important lesson for students . never remain silent when there is a problem. Every year, Greenblat speaks about his “If you see something wrong, do someexperiences to tens of thousands of students thing. Say something,” Greenblat said. all over the country, in the hopes that at a “Don’t be a bystander. The world was a byleast a small percentage of them will recog- stander as six million of Jews lost their lives nize the importance of what he is saying and because of hatred.”
“It’s up to your generation. I need you all to be my voice. I need you all to stand up against hatred and against discrimination”
THE MESSENGER | 9
Senior Cole Michel prepares to cross the ball
S P O RT S
SPECIAL
Staff Shakeups for Soccer
Both Northview soccer teams adjust to new head coaches NIKKI SKYER, STAFF WRITER
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his year, both Northview varsity soccer teams have seen some changes in the coaching staff. For the boys’ side, the new head coach is Clifton Morgan. Morgan has been a teacher and coach at Northview for several years but has recently been given the opportunity to be a head coach. While he acknowledges it is a new challenge, he is eager to strengthen relationships and create new bonds with the players. “I already had a great connection with the Varsity players from last year, and I knew
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that we had a lot of potential for this year, so I was ecstatic about the opportunity,” Morgan said. Morgan is hopeful that the season continues just as it began, with the boys staying excited about soccer and enjoying what they do. The boys’ team has had successful seasons in the past, under John McCombe, who decided to stop coaching last year. However, the team is remaining optimistic as ever and has embraced their new leader. As for the girls, there was a bit on uncertainty among
“I can fee l an e l ectrical charge in the room any time we are tal king ab out the season ... they re l y on each othe r to push them to do we l l,”
Clifton Morgan players and coaches for who would step up after Head Coach Jennifer Barr left to coach Denmark High School. William Madigan, a teacher new to Northview, decided to fill the shoes. “I like coach Madigan because he gives everyone a chance. His style of coaching is a great addition to our team and helps us get better day by day,” Varsity sophomore Alana Mendicino said. Madigan is not used to coaching girls, as he has only worked with boys in the past. This school year, he has embraced the idea of coaching girls, helping out with the girls’ basketball team during the winter as well. Madigan is beyond happy to be leading this group, who he says has made quite the effort to create relationships with him. “On the first day of school, I was getting emails from players letting me know who they were, wanting to come see me, and other things like that,” Madigan said. Though this season has many new aspects, each team’s players and coaches alike are optimistic and excited about what is in store. So far, the girls and boys have been putting the work in to produce a successful season. There is a great deal of buzz about their upcoming schedule, and all are confident that they will do very well. “I can feel an electrical charge in the room any time we are talking about the season. The work effort that these guys are putting in every single practice shows that they are motivated, and I think they rely on each other to push them to do well,” Morgan said. The teams have already had a great start to the season and are expected to only go uphill from here. Both coaches are confident the season will go well, and are ready to take on whatever challenges may come their way. Despite many changes in the soccer program this year, everybody has been dedicated to making this the best season yet.
Senior Saba Iranikhah dribbles past a Milton defender
SPECIAL
THE MESSENGER | 11
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Haircut Highlights Henna tattoo
HEART Senior Ava Bernardino defies statistics by living her life to the fullest, even with a rare heart condition
JENNIFER XIA, FEATURES EDITOR PHOTO: UPASNA KOTAKONDA, PHOTO EDITOR THE MESSENGER | 13
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hatever conventional is, Ava Bernardino sure seems to be it-makeup, Youtube, Netflix, and so on. However, unknown to most, behind her quiet, smiling classroom persona, are five heart conditions: tricuspid atresia, a hypoplastic right ventricle, pulmonary vein stenosis, an atrial septal defect, and a ventricular septal defect. With literally half a heart, Bernardino has defied her doctor’s prognosis by surpassing her first birthday. At 17, she is the oldest living survivor with pulmonary vein stenosis in the country, something bittersweet to think about. “It has been hard when the doctors tell us such awful news, but Bernardino has proven them wrong time and time again, defying the odds and showing them that she’s a fighter,” Melissa Bernardino, Ava’s mother, said. Beginning just 20 weeks in utero, Bernardino’s chance of survival after the diagnosis was low. With the future looking dull, her mother did not expect her to surpass such weak odds. The journey to where she is now was not easy, with a total of seven open heart surgeries, 10 heart catheterizations, sessions of PT and feeding therapy. Her mother stood with her from the start, hoping to beat the odds and allow Bernardino to live the life she deserves. “The night after we found out, I dreamed her name would be Ava,” her mother said. “When I looked it up it means ‘the living one’ and I knew then it was a sign she would be okay.” With these heart defects, Bernardino has had to accommodate her conditions with her life. Whether this was giving up sports or skipping out on an activity with friends, she knew how to conserve her energy. Teachers, friends, and most importantly, her family have welcomed these accommodations, helping Bernardino live the most normal life she can. “There’s been so many times life has tried to knock her down but she always keeps powering through with a smile on her face,” Annalise Bernardino, her older sister, said.
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“Even though she’s my younger sister, she is somebody I look up to for her bravery, strength, and kindness.” Bernardino’s best friend, senior Maria Van Livingston, also praises her for her optimism. Maria does not define her by her heart condition, but rather as someone she can trust as a true friend. She finds Bernardino’s humor and sarcasm especially entertaining, as she does not let her conditions get the best of her. “She never fails to lighten the mood in whatever situation it may be,” Livingston said. Bernardino, herself, does not think of her heart defects as something that should confine her to not being able to living normally. Cracking jokes left and right, she never lets her smile fall off her face. “I don’t really mind because it’s made me who I am as a person,” Bernardino said. “I’ve learned how to deal with it. It’s not going to change so there’s no point to be mad at it.” While her family is already an amazing support system, Bernardino also has the community of Camp Braveheart, a weeklong camp for people with heart defects to bond and participate in activities. Sponsored by her hospital, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the camp is in Rutledge, Georgia on the Camp Twin Lakes campground, where Bernardino’s oldest sister, Annalise, has begun working this past summer.
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“I’ve always been drawn towards organizations that focus on the individual rather than the defect or disability,” Annalise said. “If you have a child with a disability, and you treat them as such, all you will have is a child with a disability who will be pitied and defined by their diagnosis.” Camp Braveheart has created a safe environment for Bernardino, almost like a second family. She has participated for the past 11 years, and she keeps in touch with her heart friends year round. It is a place where she no longer stands out with her medical condition as the camp is filled with kids in the same place she is. “We’re all a family there. It’s honestly my safe place. It’s a place where you go and you don’t have to explain stuff,” Bernardino said. Although she is strives to maintain optimism, bad days come as well as bad experiences. Her conditions are technically incurable, and doctors are only able to provide a fix for them. The bandaids on her heart come with unpredictability. Her family carries constant worry that something could happen at anytime. Even though she is healthy right now, unease regarding what could happen is always present. “I don’t think a lot of people realize how much she (and other people like her) goes through on a daily basis, with the anxiety and uncertainty about her condition,” Annalise said.
The night after we found out, I dreamed her name would be Ava. When I looked it up it means ‘the living one’ and I knew then it was a sign she would be okay
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Melissa Bernadino
FEATURES
*these statistics are according to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Along with mental struggles there is also the outside world. From personal experience, Bernardino has dealt with those unwilling to recognize her heart conditions as disabilities. She has started a foundation called ‘Stitches of Hope’ where she sews different things for other heart patients as they go through treatment in hospitals. The items are meant to cheer others on as they battle difficult heart issues. As February is American Heart Month, Bernardino stresses the importance of raising awareness for those with invisible diseases like herself. “There are things people don’t realize that others deal with. Just because you can’t see someone’s disability doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist,” Bernardino said.
1%
of babies in the United States are born with Tricuspid Atresia
25%
of children with Congenital Heart Defects have Critical Congenital Defects
69%
of newborns born with Congenital Heart Defects are expected to survive to 18 years of age
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Kremo Ice Cream The Messenger’s monthly food review MIRA SYDOW, DESIGN EDITOR
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alking into Kremo Ice Cream feels like walking into an R-rated movie as a 17-year-old. It should not feel dangerous; you are allowed to be there, but there is a quiet anticipation that makes it feel like an act of rebellion. At first glance, there is no indication that it is anything special. It is the epitome of Avalon at its surface-- clean, modern, and sleek. The floor is a deceptive weathered, grey wood, paired with shiny, light-colored wooden tables with simple steel and plastic chairs. It is effortlessly aesthetic, but appears to be more of a discount Pottery Barn catalogue than a revolutionary freshman chemist’s laboratory. The walls are bare, only sporting a colorful, pastel decal that looks like it is supposed to be the background of a teenager’s Instagram photo, but is too awkwardly placed to serve its purpose. Despite this, it is welcoming. A family sits in the corner sharing a few cups of rolled ice cream--the shop’s specialty, making it the kind of place that people are willing to miss the first precious moments of
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the Super Bowl for. The extensive menu demands a few moments of deliberation. All of the options are unique; it hits all of the traditional bases and even delves into complex flavors that cater to adults and children alike. From cheesecake to coffee, they serve a daunting array of rolled ice cream and intend to expand to bubble tea at the start of February. When the cashier converses with us about the expansion, he seems proud of it, because at its core, Kremo is a small, local business trying to make a name for itself in the churning sea of capitalism. The main attraction, what makes me approach Kremo with such trepidation, is its liquid nitrogen cereal balls. On its own, the cereal is crunchy, vaguely fruity, and fairly bland. Served in a cup with frothing liquid nitrogen releasing a mesmerizing vapor from the depths of the dessert, it is Dragon’s Breath. It is both pleasing and intimidating to look at. The wafer-like balls come in greens, oranges, reds, and yellows, practically spilling out of the cup. When skewered, they spew silver gas and pro-
duce a satisfactory crunch. The ones farthest from the nitrogen pooling at the bottom of the cup are barely chillier than the weather outside but biting into the ones near the bottom sends a freezing shock through the mouth. It is a novel experience but not an unpleasant one. Per its reputation as ‘vape ice-cream’, the visuals are far more enticing than the taste. With each bite, the liquid nitrogen’s vapor spills out of my mouth and nose, quickly wafting away through the air. Post-experience, I am frankly still skeptical. After poring over numerous news articles, reviews, and a warning from the FDA, I am privy to the risks of foods prepared with liquid nitrogen. There are definitely risks, and the effects seem to be amplified on certain people, especially those who have asthma, but with proper handling and smart consumption, the nitrogen concoctions have (relatively) safely risen to popularity. As long as consumption does not become a habit, the nitrogen-infused treat deserves to be experienced at least once, and it is definitely a healthier pastime than vaporous alternatives.
-features-
drugs /druhgs/
Mankind’s way of borrowing happiness from the future at a high interest rate. - user THC lover on urbandictionary.com
ALEX PERRY, ONLINE EDITOR MEGHANA RAMINENI, STAFF WRITER THE MESSENGER | 17
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n Valentines Day, students arrived at Sandtown Middle School toting boxes and bags of candy to share with their eager classmates. That same day, 28 students were taken to the hospital for consuming candy laced with drugs, including THC, the main active ingredient in marijuana. While Northview has not experienced a large scale poisoning, the recent evolution of drug use has severely affected the way students and teachers interact with the topic. The introduction of vapes and juuls into the school environment has caused certain students to welcome the fad, and for members of the administration to fight the problem through education and enforcement. Kenneth Kennebrew, law enforcement officer and concerned parent, feels as though there is absolutely no place for drugs in schools. To help alleviate this increasingly common and dangerous relationship between drugs and education, Kennebrew insists that school drug policies be wider in scope and administrators be communicating these policies to parents and students. “When drug policies are effectively delivered and the message is clear and concise, student drug use in schools is reduced,” Kennebrew said. Kennebrew admits that environment plays a huge role when concerning the reasons behind why students begin to experiment with drugs and how situations can begin to escalate. Kennebrew believes that the main reason is facing pressures from all sides, whether it be at home or school or at sports. Specifically, stress from parents’ high expectations to perform well academically is something very common at Northview. Kennebrew reveals that some kids face the pres-
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sure to live up to a parents standards or legacy, or to follow in their footsteps as doctors, lawyers, and more, while others can be physically or verbally abused. At school, Kennebrew feels that peer pressure or the wanting to be in a group can heavily influence kids into doing drugs, despite being aware of the horrible consequences. As a result, a lot of student resort to drugs to escape this stress. “Kids turn to drugs to cope or as an escape from these pressures,” Kennebrew said. “Parents have to strengthen their bond with their kids early and often to avoid these situations.” Kennebrew understands that the environment Northview presents is very extreme in the academic sense when compared to other schools, and with this comes greater amounts of stress as well as peer pressure. However, he believes that this issue can be minimized if parents, teachers, and administrators let their kids know how to embrace positive peer influences such as mentors, role models, and even each other. “Kids need to know how to develop resilience in knowing how to rebound from the obstacles and challenges of everyday life, [but] they also need someone to instill in them that they should believe in themselves and have self respect.” For teacher Raymond Brown, high school was a different experience. Despite the fact that drug use still existed, the types of drugs high schoolers experimented with differed greatly. “I only knew of kids who smoked pot, but I mean it was more rare to hear of that one kid who did cocaine,” Brown said. “And then you hear now that heroin is such a big deal and that’s terrifying to me because I don’t think you can just experiment with heroin.” Brown has had a few encounters with
According to Teen Rehab Center,
ten percent of ‘A’ students smoke marijuana regularly, compared to forty-eight percent of ‘D’ and ‘F’ students. possession of the government. Brown feels it is terrifying that drugs have become much more of an issue in schools now, especially when concerning hard drugs. When Brown’s students were asked whether they knew someone who has done heroin or not, and several hands went up, Brown was left baffled at the sight. “I was absolutely shocked. It was just shocking because you hear about it as being
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easier for students to put their lives back on track and make it to college in order to make something of themselves, as opposed to the consequences adults may face. “Being harsh at this level is very important because if you make those same mistakes as an adult when you’re over 18, you could spend months if not years in jail and then you have a felony on your record, and with that on your record, you’re done,” Brown
Drugs can make a functioning member of society turn to nothing in a matter of months. It’s crazy.
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drugs, from his experiences in college to his time working at the US Attorney’s Office. Brown, coming from a very sheltered childhood, was never exposed to drugs until college, where he did at one point experiment with drugs, however chose not to continue due to his upbringing, as he was aware of the dangers and consequences of drugs. Brown recounts his first encounter with cocaine, at the age of 22, an encounter that greatly impacted his perception of the dangers of drug use. “I remember a moment in college when we walked into an apartment on the fourth of July and I saw for the first time in my life someone doing a line of cocaine,” Brown said. “I was so terrified by being in the same building as it, and I looked at my friend and told him that we needed to go and so we got out as fast as we could.” College left Brown astonished at the severity of drug use, and this startling revelation only grew as time passed. While pursuing stand up comedy, Brown became aware of the enormous drug use in the industry, and this exposure led him to realizing that drugs can ruin someone’s life in just a short amount of time. “I had a good friend who used to be the next big thing in Hollywood as a comedian, but he starting doing meth and it just destroyed his life so quickly,” Brown said. “Drugs can make a functioning member of society turn to nothing in a matter of months. It’s crazy.” Brown continued to hear about instances of drug use during his time working at the US Attorney’s Office, or more specifically working as a runner between this agency and the Drug Enforcement Administration a few times. He reveals that this is the only other situation he has seen cocaine, this time in the
Raymond Brown a thing in the suburbs and when I look at my students I don’t see them doing it, but then kids start talking about how they have seen people do coke and other drugs,” Brown said. Brown believes that since the consequences of drug use are so serious and life changing, Northview and other high schools should enforce strict policies, and believes that depending on the situation, expulsion is an option to be considered. Brown feels this way because even if a school were to expel a student due to drug use, it would still be
said. Brown insists on implementing better drug policies for students due to his experience with seeing the horrific effects of drug use on people’s lives. He believes that students do not truly understand the effects drugs can have, in terms of both health and the future. “Drugs can seriously change the course of your life, and it’s scary because I don’t think kids understand the life changing consequences of doing drugs,” Brown said. “A high is just not worth it.”
THE MESSENGER | 19
Brown is not alone in his perspective. Even though BVP teacher Ian Carroll grew up in Texas, a state famous for its conservative population, he, like many high school students, was first exposed to drug use during his teenage years. When he was in ninth grade, an older relative of his came to stay for a time being, eventually exposing him to marijuana fumes. Even though he had reservations about his cousin’s drug use, he never
While the legitimacy of these programs have been debated, Carroll sees now, from his perspective as a teacher, that administration’s attitude towards drugs has not really changed since he was in school. “It’s just that we need to deal with vaping,” Carroll said. When he was in high school, it was harder to use drugs while on campus. Now, with the introduction of vapes and juuls into the
“
Carroll does not only blame adults for this disconnect, though. He sees the pressures that his students go through everyday, and understands that in certain situations, students turn to drugs as a way of escaping the stress. But he does recognize that players sometimes succumb to the stress and take drugs in order to perform at a certain level. When talking about performance enhancing drugs,
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[Drugs] should not be in the hands of teenagers; teenagers hate when you say this, but it’s physiologically true. The brain is not fully developed.
Ian Carroll told anyone about him. “He was older than me and was my friend,” Carroll said. “I wasn’t going to tell on him, but I told myself ‘I’m never going to be like that.’ ” As someone who grew up relatively sheltered, Carroll was wary about drugs. He recalls specific programs that have been implemented since his childhood that discouraged the use of drugs. “You have D.A.R.E, the War on Drugs,” Carroll said.
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school environment, he says that the problem has evolved from the problems of his youth. “There’s a gap in between the students and the administration,” Carroll said. He attributes this gap to a difference in ideology and experiences, but also the fact that it is hard for people to be honest and open about a topic not many people have information about. He contrasts it with warnings against alcohol, something he feels that schools are incredibly honest about.
something he recalls from his childhood is football coaches’ use of cortisone, an injectable steroid, to make it alright for injured players to continue the game. “They used to pull them onto the sidelines and inject cortisone into their knees if they got injured,” Carroll said. Thinking back on his athletic classmates now, he realizes that this drug use in high school has probably affected their adult life drastically. As a teacher, Carroll thinks that his num-
thirty percent of 12th graders vape nicotine,
a highly addictive stimulant that alters brain chemistry ber one job should be to give kids information. He has become well versed in these topics, and sees it as his duty to inform students of the dangers of using drugs. “It should not be in the hands of teenagers; teenagers hate when you say this, but it’s physiologically true. The brain is not fully developed, the brain is still more susceptible to damage,” Carroll said. Ansel Albright has been on a Varsity sports team on Northview for three years, and has an older brother who also participated in Varsity sports and graduated from Northview in 2017. While Albright was aware of drug use in high school, his first exposure to drugs was five years ago at Music Midtown, a music festival that is often frequented by Northview students. While he was walking around the grounds with his friends, he noticed people smoking marijuana joints without punishment, even with teenagers like himself nearby. “There were just people smoking blunts all over the place,” Albright said. Coming back from the festival, and entering into high school, Albright was a regular student again—one who heard of occasional drug use and knew of students who liked to imbibe. He never participated in the illegal activities, yet he saw the personal impact drugs like Adderall and marijuana had on people close to him, particularly his teammates. As somebody who has played his sport in and outside of school, he has seen extensive drug use, from performance enhancing steroids, to the abuse of prescription drugs like Adderall, to even the use of marijuana before matches. He understands that a lot of the stigma around athletes being encouraged to take
steroids comes from the pressure to perform well, even acknowledging the pressures that his friends. What he finds a problem with is when coaches encourage their players to take steroids before matches in order to temporarily increase performance. “They’ll just offer them steroids before a match,” Albright said, “It’s supposed to help your stamina.” According to Albright, it is easy for players to get away with the use of steroids at certain tournaments because drug testing is so infrequent. Because they are casual tournaments, coaches realize that they can offer these to their players without detection. Not all drug use is sponsored by the coaches, though. Albright has seen friends of his who have been prescribed Adderall abuse their prescriptions either in order to enhance their performance, or pass on extra pills to other friends so they can do the same. While Adderall is prescribed to help people with diagnosed conditions relax, it has become heavily abused by students looking to increase their performance during matches and before games. Albright himself has not taken any drugs to enhance his performance, and even balks at the fact that former infamous Northview athletes, now graduated, have taken drugs before games. While he does believe that the use of steroids and Adderall are more common, Albright has also seen former Northview members play while high. He recalls a match his friend played during freshman year against one of their mutual friends from another school. The mutual friend had smoked a joint before the match, and still won. Albright remembers this moment distinctly because since then, it
has become a point to tease his friend about how he was bested by somebody who was high. “We just find it funny now,” Albright said. “...but it sucked for him.” Regardless, Albright has avoided the abuse of prescription drugs during his matches, as he has seen the adverse effects it has on players. Not only do they unfairly play the sport, but their performance outside of it becomes tainted by the drug. While this friend of Albright’s use of Adderall helped him on the field, it hurt his performance on the SAT. Because he was nervous before taking the test, he decided to take Adderall, and as a result, received an incredibly low score. After seeing adverse results like that from his classmates, Albright is sure that he will never take drugs in order to enhance his performance. Both students and teachers have witnessed the growth of drug use in their communities, not only in the quantity with which individuals are using, but through the changing face of drugs in recent years. As ‘soft drugs’, such as Marijuana, grow to be less popular than ‘hard drugs’, cocaine and heroine for example, the current drug culture is growing to be a concerning topic not only in the sense that more intense drugs are becoming more popular, but seen in the multiple facets and ways students are using. Whether it be vaping in the classroom, juuling in the parking lot or seeing a peer snort cocaine at a party, drug culture is drastically different and continuing to shape the community everyday, shattering the ‘Johns Creek bubble’ and becoming the ‘Johns Creek Heroin Triangle.’
THE MESSENGER | 21
FEATURES
A New Spin Chinese yo-yo club steals the show GRACE PENG, STAFF WRITER
O
ne of the most talked-about performances at Northview’s coveted International Night is that of the Chinese Yo-yo Club. This highly anticipated performance always draws loud cheers from the audience, who follow the movements of the yo-yos with awed gazes, wonder, and excitement. However, behind this magnificent act, members have dedicated hours of time, dedication, and creativity to the mesmerizing act they preform. Over the summer, sophomore Bettina Lin, orders the yo-yos that are used during the year from Taiwan. As president, she fills the most grueling role: learning tricks from the yo-yo Club at her own Chinese school, memorizing techniques, and then teaching the club. Their routine, which she also creates, depends on their range of skills. Once the school year starts, the club normally meets every Thursday, but in the weeks leading up to International Night, the group adds practices on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and even weekends. “Every week we practiced Chinese Yo-yo after school and we learned new tricks and mastered them,” sophomore Erika Ono said. “For international Night, the performance team [performed] a routine filled with our most complicated tricks.” Their final performance included numerous tricks that they learned through the course of the year. Their most difficult was
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the triple toss. Performers controlling the strings were required to launch the yo-yo to a minimum height - usually a few feet into the air. If done incorrectly, then the yoyos hit each other mid-jump and render it impossible to land back on their respective strings. On stage, there is about a 50 percent chance of landing it right, so the team spent many hours drilling this particular routine, practicing it to the smallest detail. Another trick is called the golden finger, which required members to hold the spinning yo-yo and then put it back on the string without stopping it. The difficult thing is the balance between recovering from the tilt of the spin and trying not to stop it; too much tilt, for example, can cause the yo-yo to topple over. “We didn’t really stop practicing, even if somebody got injured because all of the injuries from yo-yos are really small. But we had a fun time practicing, we always laughed during practice even if it was the day of our performance,” sophomore Mana Ueda said. The main reason for the team’s success is that they never argue. If somebody had a problem, the members talk and give advice to each other. They often work on other things besides the yo-yo together, including designing the T-shirts for their team. “We worked really hard, and we were pleased with what we got,” Lin said.
O P I N I ON S
S TA F F E D I TO R I A L
The Truth Unfiltered
I
n the early 1900s, doctors often appeared in advertisements promoting cigarette smoking for its health benefits. Targeted towards women, the advertisements pointed to the correlation between smoking and lower body weight, claiming that smoking reduces appetite and can help with weight loss efforts. The nicotine in cigarettes curbs appetite by acting on a hunger circuit in the brain. However, this benefit only holds for light smokers. In fact, heavy smokers are even more likely to be obese than nonsmokers because heavy smoking is associated with poor diet and lack of exercise. Cleary, smoking is no cure-all remedy for obesity. Research funded by the tobacco industry has also shown that smokers have notably less incidences of Parkinson’s disease compared to their non-smoking counterparts. In affected individuals, dopamine-producing neurons in the brain degenerate and die. The nicotine in cigarettes appears to protect these neurons. When cognitively-impaired patients are treated with nicotine, cognitive performance, including memory and attention, improves and cognitive impairment is delayed. However, smokers are also more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and dementia than nonsmokers, which is not a much better alternative to Parkinson’s disease. Smokers are also at increased risk of suffering from strokes, which further result in damage to the brain. There is also the smoker’s paradox. At first glance, it seems as if smokers have lower mortality rates and better short-term health than nonsmokers after hospitalization for heart attacks, but there is a catch: smokers are notorious for experiencing their first heart attacks approximately a decade earlier than nonsmokers, due to the buildup of plaque in their arteries. The plaque narrows arterial walls, reducing
blood flow and increasing the chance of clotting. Since smokers are younger when they have heart attacks, their bodies are more resilient and are able to recover better after heart attacks. Of course, a better solution would be to avoid having a heart attack altogether by not smoking. While certain components within cigarettes may present modest health benefits, smoking harms just about every organ in the body, causing one if five deaths in the Unites States and shortening the average life by more than 10 years. Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, a key risk factor in heart disease, cancer, and a whole host of other health issues. It is clear that the detrimental effects of smoking as a whole massively outweigh these minor benefits and provide smokers with a one-way ticket to death. Thankfully, it is never too late to quit. Once a smoker quits, his or her health immediately begins to improve as the body begins a course of recovery. Within the first 20 minutes, the heart rate and blood pressure drop and circulation improves. After just one day, the risk of heart disease begins to decrease, and after two, smell and taste improve. In a few months, lung function and athletic ability improve. In five years, a smoker’s risk of having a stroke drops to the same as that of a nonsmoker. The risk of developing mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder cancer drop by half within five years, and the risk of developing lung cancer is cut in half within 10. Even though smoking rates are declining in highly-developed countries such as the United States, smoking rates continue to rise in the rest of the world. Globally, 20 percent of adults still smoke, and every year, more than six million people still die due to tobacco use. The battle against smoking is far from over.
THE MESSENGER | 23
Take a Break Why parties need to stop trying to salvage inner conflicts MIRA SYDOW, DESIGN EDITOR
B
efore I begin, allow me to address a few concerns that seem to spur the youth into a politically-infused rage. Yes, our country is divided. Yes, there is a building, omnipresent urge to choose between left and right, democrat and republican, socialism and freedom (quoth Kelly Stewart). No, there is not an immediate fix, and yes, it will just keep getting worse. Now, let’s talk parties. When the great country of the United States was founded in 1776, two political parties emerged from the ashes of British America: the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. If you’ve seen Hamilton, you know this already. Despite the warnings of President Washington and the general consensus that a two-party system and cutthroat partisan politics were not the purpose of the newfound government, America defied all odds and slowly absorbed all offshoots of the two main political ideologies until we got the barren, divided landscape we have today. It’s not really working out. While hundreds of years of fine-tuning a political system should ideally leave us with the perfect machine, it shut out waves of divergent thought and landed us in a situation in which third parties are pests that steal votes from the ‘real’ candidates. (Hey, maybe some
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of us would have liked to see Ted Metz and his hemp craze take the reins) In other successful nations like the United Kingdom, although their current stance on Brexit is kind of usurping my point, two parties control most of parliament, but there are still seats at the table for smaller parties with specific agendas. This doesn’t sway voting procedure, but it theoretically allows for niche topics to be brought to the table. It also encourages a coalition-style of voting, where minority parties can band together over certain issues to get legislation passed. In countries like Mexico and Venezuela, fledgling political parties can form and obtain a seat (or, in Mexico’s case, obtain over one third of the legislature) of power in less than five years. The current president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (or AMLO, because everything needs an acronym in politics), ran on a platform called the National Regeneration Movement that only registered as a political party in 2012. Its agenda is relatively common in Central American countries: a social-democratic, man-of-the-people, approach. However, it demonstrates something relatively uncommon in America: the emergence and rapid growth of a new political party. When given the right opportunity, a new party can rise
from the ashes of a dying state and pave the way to real reform—like in Venezuela. Despite the effort of prominent politicians to slam socialism to get old, white blood boiling, democratic-socialist parties recognized by Socialist International have seen substantial success in Venezuela. Juan Guaidó, a man who (and I never thought this was something I’d have the pleasure of writing), just declared himself president, ran on a platform that only emerged ten years ago. As our president throws his support behind such candidates, it begs the question of whether we need to adapt our system in the same way. As columnist Thomas Friedman notes, the United States may be closer to this epic transformation than we think. As the left and right become more divided, they also border on splitting among themselves. While ‘conservative’ and ‘Republican’ or ‘liberal’ and ‘Democrat’ may have at one time been somewhat synonymous, the age of radical separationist policies versus glorified handouts threaten to strengthen the divide. A spontaneous expansion of the two-party system isn’t realistic, but it’s important to consider America’s future with a more developed middle-ground.
OPINIONS
Covington Controversy
The clash and backlash between Nick Sandmann, Nathan Philips and their parties ERIN SHIN, STAFF WRITER
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ince the controversial video that went viral of a Native American and a teenager, the public has had a lot to say as the kids in the video was seen to be rude and disrespecting the older man. This event that took place in mid January, Nathan Phillips and Nick Sandmann are coming out to talk about their side of the story. When Native American elder, Nathan Phillips, and a teen from Covington Catholic high school, Nick Sandmann, came faceto-face on the steps of the Lincoln memorial, public uproar ensued. Phillips, attending the memorial for the Indigenous Peoples March, and the students from Covington were there for the March for life rally. A video clip of their interaction went viral, sparking the outrage, Sandmann seeming to be allegedly taunting the elder, wearing a Make America Great Again hat and having a ‘standoff’ with Nathan Phillips. Nick Sandmann re-
ceives backlash from the public because of the smug look he had on his face, while his classmates were in the background cheering and laughing. The students could not help but get a bad look on them, a group of teenagers wearing ‘MAGA’ hats while seemingly taunting a Native American. The teens were accused of being racist and being disrespectful towards the man. The public said the boy in the video should be expelled for such disrespectful behavior. The clip caused great debate and outrage in many, but when the longer video clip surfaced, the story began to unfold. What has not been shown in the first video clip that had gone viral was a third party of the Black Hebrew Israelites. In the longer video clip, the black nationalists are seen to be yelling slurs at the Covington students, even threatening to kill one of the black teens that was with the high school.
When Philips approached both groups, the students joined in on the chant, which could be seen as problematic if it was meant in a mocking manner. Philips accused the teens of targeting the Hebrew Israelites, but Sandmann stood his ground saying he and his group had no notion of being disrespectful. Even if these statements are true, it can only assumed what really happened in that video clip and what actually went down between the group of teenagers, the Israelites, and Nathan Phillips. Regardless, both parties claimed to try and diffuse the situation, to not add any more fire to the fuel, but Nick Sandmann standing in front of Nathan Phillips with a smirk plastered on his face while Phillips is doing his chant and his peers in the background, what seems to be cheering and encouraging Sandmann, is a bad look of the Covington students form the outside stand point.
THE MESSENGER | 25
faceoff: Should high school athletes be tested for drug use?
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OPINIONS
YES
SHASHANK GANESHAN, NEWS EDITOR
I
n an age with increased attention on drug abuse by professional and college athletes, we must build a robust system that identifies and addresses student drug usage at an early age. Our school system should not only drug test athletes but also build a support system that focuses on education and mentorship. Each year, numerous college students ranging from the under-appreciated walk-ons to nationally touted recruits are dismissed from their respective universities for drug infractions. Once this news hits, the media goes into a frenzy, fans are outraged, and most importantly, kids’ lives are ruined. This shocking news is the players’ reality. Collegiate and professional institutes implement punitive measures: revoking scholarships or terminating contracts. The inevitable result is devastating. For many students, they lose access to quality and affordable education, and professional athletes’ financial security is jeopardized. Particularly, in the NFL, talented athletes such as Josh Gordon have bounced between teams and suspensions due to drug abuse, but the issue has escalated for Gordon to encompass
crippling mental health illness. Gordon and many others’ downward trajectory stems from undetected and poorly addressed drug use at a young age. The drug test should not be implemented as a bottleneck to student athletic participation, but should instead increase awareness to a hushed topic, adolescent drug use and associated pressures. Education’s primary functionality is to prepare students with skills to be mature, critical thinkers and empower students to utilize their productive capabilities and talents in various fields like math, literature, art, or music. For that reason, schools need to better police drug usage and utilize it as a mechanism to support at risk children with counselor or parental support. While students can be kept from sports as a result of the drug test, it is to only incentivize a healthier lifestyle, maintain the integrity of the school sports, and improve schools’ committedness to their primary goal. Furthermore, extracurricular activities enrich the high school experience, and students are not entitled to participation, whether it be debate or football. Just like
grades and attendance, these tests will similarly encourage students to behave responsibly. Drug tests will facilitate responsibility but also open doors to support if needed. In high school, students undergo critical physical and emotional growth that drug usage can substantially influence. Without penalty or enforcement early on, we fail to deroot these problems in their initial stages. Schools should encourage positive growth, but by virtually abandoning kids, we risk them falling prey to experimentation and dangerous popular media influences. Schools have the responsibility of shaping students into responsible, mature adults who are able to live happy, fulfilling lives, a growth process of early drug usage inhibits. For adults or even college students the stakes are far higher and the punishments are far more severe. Leaving students uneducated victims to future troubles would be a failure on the part of our primary and secondary educational institutions. Drug tests should not be seen as a way to punish students but as a positive step towards better serving students.
program in high schools. With over eight million students currently involved in high school athletics, it would cost millions for school districts to have sufficient test facilities. In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics found that only about one out of every 125 students drug tested positive, equating to $3,000 for every positive test. This absurd cost to test students who, most the time, will come out clean makes it highly inefficient. Furthermore, with teachers going on strike across the country, old textbooks, and dilapidated facilities, the money being spent on drug testing could be allocated for actually productive purposes. The low cost-benefit ratio of testing students makes it a waste of time and resources. Due to the pressure many adolescents face, the fact that kids inevitably make mistakes is often overlooked. Substance abuse often stems from other factors in one’s life
and rather than punishing the student and scratching the surface of the problem, administrators would be better served tackling the root of the issue. It seems illogical to punish high schoolers for abusing drugs by prohibiting them from participating in sports, when, in fact, athletics could be a healthier coping mechanisms to escape their current situation. While the idea of drug testing high school athletes seems like the best way to counteract adolescence substance abuse, the implementation of these programs may cause more harm than good. Many schools function with a tight budget, and resources would be better spent improving educational quality and hiring more counselors,than they would be testing athletes for drugs. Rather than focus on the short term benefits of drug testing student athletes, we need to look at making a true change in students’ lives.
NO
AKSHAY NAIR, SPORTS EDITOR
C
ommunities across America have long enjoyed the rush of Friday Night Lights and other varsity sports. For many students, athletics provide a chance to relax from the pressures of academics and focus on an activity which they enjoy. For a few, however, these athletics provide a path for college scholarships and life-changing opportunities. As professional and college teams have started investing more into the younger generations, high school athletics have become increasingly competitive, with everyone vying to be noticed by top recruiters. Because of the vast implications high school athletics can have, there have been increasing calls for drug testing to be implemented in all sports. While in theory, the idea seems like a surefire success, the numerous logical obstacles make it unrealistic. The most glaring concern stems from the financial cost of implementing a drug test
THE MESSENGER | 27
REID BETWEEN THE LINES
Shades of Semantics Navigating slurs in a society in which language is tied to respect
NOELLE REID, OPINIONS EDITOR
T
he answer to the question “can I say the n-word?” or any other slur used to degrade a targeted minority group is constantly one that is up for debate. However, the discussion that surrounds the answer that the answer to this question is all wrong. The entire conversation should be discussed from a different point of view, starting with the question itself. Of course, anyone can say anything he or she would like if his or her voice box is in proper functioning-order. The freedoms of speech and expression are civil liberties that everyone has the right to, and saying that people can not say something infringes on that. But, the question at hand should be “should I?” rather than “can I?” as the answer has to do more with morality rather than ability. Someone that is not a member of the minority group, should not say a slur that is targeted at said minority group. That should be the end of the discussion; however, there is still some uncertainty as to why one should not. It is important to understand that pejorative slurs are just that, but they are far from being “just words.”
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Slurs have an unfathomable level of hate behind them as all of them were conjured up to degrade and defame large groups of people based on their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc. Slurs can be and are used in an insulting manner, however, slurs and insults will never share the same weight. Insults can be used to tease, while slurs are used to oppress. Being insulted and being slurred have two similar effects; there is the feeling of shame and hurt in the recipient. However, when someone is slurred, it is for something that he or she can not change, which can cause the feelings of self-hatred to last a lifetime. Minority groups have reclaimed the slurs used to target them by saying them themselves. This is not to put each other down, but rather to take away some of the power of the word, but that does not mean that the word when used in other contexts does not have the same oppressive effect. In a perfect world, no one says these words, or they have no meaning behind them whatsoever, and it does not matter. However, this is not the case because the world is not perfect. The ma-
jority will always have more power over the minority. Therefore, when a majority slurs a minority, it will have a greater societal effect. To better understand the concept, one can think about it in terms of economic standing rather than something like race. If a homeless person were to call someone else who is homeless “poor,” it would not be nearly as offensive if a wealthy businessperson were to call a homeless person “poor.” Even though our country along with the rest of the world is inching towards equality for all people, there are still ways to go. Discrimination and hate-speech still run rampant in American streets, and these slurs are often used in these instances. But why would anyone want to use these words anyway? If slurs hold such pain and hate, why would anyone want to incorporate these words into their daily vernacular? For the time being, the answer to the question “should I” is no. But when people stop getting brutally assaulted and killed for who they are, for an aspect of their character that they can not change, then we can all take the luxury of being able to use slurs.
THE LOW DOWN
COLUMNS
What Democratic Socialists Want (And why they are not as radical as the right would have you think)
JA C K LOW R A N C E , M A N A G I N G E D I T O R
W
hen the man occupying the white house sprouts-- on average-- 15 ‘alternative facts’ each day; when misleading, cherry-picked, and sometimes utterly false claims are plastered all over the internet; and when the cultural hegemony of America’s ultra-conservative ruling class bends nearly all political discourse in its direction-- facts are hard to come by these days. One such example is the onslaught of various falsehoods spread about democratic socialism in the wake of the rise to fame of politicians like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. So in the spirit of promoting a greater public understanding of the tenets of democratic socialism and hopefully (not likely) dispelling some of the popular falsehoods surrounding the ideology, I would like to dedicate the rest of this column to explaining-- to the best of my ability-- what it is exactly democratic socialists stand for. First things first: democratic socialism is not communism. The fact that I even have to highlight this distinction says a lot about the quality of our current political discourse. But anyway, long story short, your local DSA chapter is not the second coming of Mao’s Red Army-- not even close. For that matter, democratic socialism is not even pure socialism. It is fundamentally reformist, peaceful, and, well, democratic. Democratic socialists are not calling to seize the means of production in a violent uprising. They are not calling for a totalitarian dictatorship. They simply believe that true individual freedom can not be achieved without independent material security. And they recognize that the concentration of power in the hands of a wealthy few that is inherent to the capitalist system is inherently incompatible with the values of popular sovereignty and rule by the people necessary for the healthy function of a democracy. Democratic socialists believe in a strong
social safety net. It appalls them that a society can allow some to live atop massive, glittering skyscrapers while others rot on the stinking streets below. They want to overhaul the pseudo-meritocracy that the United States has long proclaimed itself to be, and create a society where hard work is genuinely rewarded, rather than exploited for profit and barely recognized if it is not taking place in the boardroom. They want a government that is transparent, well-run, efficient, and inclusive. A government of the people, by the people, and for the people. A government that works for everyone. Democratic socialists in no way support a bureaucracy that moves like molasses, Soviet-style bread lines, or any of the other tropes rolled out by corporatists as to why you should not vote to make them pay their fair share in taxes. Democratic socialism will never achieve-regardless of whether its followers are wholly in favor of it or not-- an economy with total public control of the means of production. Although that is the ideological end goal, the brand of democratic socialism seeing a revival at the moment in the United States is a pragmatic one and mainly supports doing such things in selective situations. A good example of this would be publicly-funded manufacturing of generic drugs to solve the prescription medicine crisis or the production of renewable energy to fight climate change. If we are being honest, the policy positions of many American democratic socialists align more with European social democrats-- but perhaps that is because America is a much more conservative country as a whole, and the best route towards progress looks a lot more like a staircase than it does the Northwest Face of Half Dome. The democratic socialists would rather slowly build America up to the society of their dreams rather than try to scale the wall that is the status quo all
at once. Many on the radical right-- and even the laughably out of touch, self-proclaimed realist center (looking at you, Howard Schultz)-- are quick to point out Venezuela as evidence as to what will happen if the United States heeds to the seductive allure of Crazy Bernie and Dancing AOC. But Venezuela’s woes root much more from a fall into dictatorship and strongman politics than they do socialism. Food shortages are a result of disgruntled oligarchs trying to dethrone Maduro rather than some failure of the self-proclaimed socialist government. And the human rights violations and suppression of dissent is something that happens under the authority of plenty of supposedly capitalist governments as well. In fact, nearly every single country on the South American continent has had a socialist government at some point during the post-colonial era-- and most of these governments have been more effective in improving their citizens’ standard of living than their capitalist counterparts. The Maduro government is a catastrophe no doubt and ought to be called what it really is: a dictatorship. Democratic socialists are just as worried about the situation in Venezuela as anyone else-- perhaps even more. Albert Einstein was likely a democratic socialist. Martin Luther King Jr. was too. Heck, even Jesus exhibited qualities of a democratic socialist (loaves and fishes, am I right?). America’s wealthy, conservative ruling class stands a lot to gain from branding this ideology as something radical, crazy, even dangerous. But most of the countries closer to the democratic socialist ideal (think: Norway, Sweden, Denmark) are all places with much safer, happier, and healthier communities. We can debate political philosophy all day long, but that is a fact.
THE MESSENGER | 29
fashion
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pring is now around the corner meaning that you can take out your trendiest accessories to show off in the sun. Whether it is bold, batterned sunglasses with dainty 90s-esque frames or the oversized hair pin trend to the mini purse, these are the top three accessories inspired by fashion week and Aimee Song’s fashion blog to keep an outfit complete.
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COLUMNS
aimee song
A
imee Song, also famously known as Song of Style, is the 31 year old Korean American that has taken the fashion blog world by storm. Song is a major influence in both the fashion blogging world as well as the instagram world. She has built her brand to represent herself from what her daily outfits to her favorite dinner recipes. Listed under Forbes 2016 30 under 30, Song has built an empire based on her blog and lifestyle as an influencer. As an influencer, it is important for Song to be able to sell without selling. With her authentic posts and relatable (as much as a multimillionaire can be) moments, it is not hard to follow up on Song’s lifestyle and listen to what she has to say. Song is an important icon for girls and boys everywhere, she is teaching them that it is possible to rise from nothing and be a successful woman of color in an industry that often silences those who fall outside rigid beauty standards.
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