Vol. 17, Issue 7 by The Messenger

the messenger

VOL 17/ ISS 7

AN INVESTMENT IN KNOWLEDGE GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE 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.

BUSINESS MANAGER

ADVERTISING

Chris Yarbrough

The Messenger publishes ads with signed contracts provided that they are deemed appropriate by the staff for the intended audience. For more information about advertising with The Messenger, please contact the business manager.

IN THIS ISSUE

Cover design: Mira Sydow

MANAGING EDITORS

Irene Rho Upasna Kotakonda Kaushal Gandikota

ADVISER

contents 05

EDITORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LETTER NITHYA MAHAKALA

06 MONTHLY BRIEFS STAFF

14*

AN INVESTMENT IN KNOWLEDGE MIRA SYDOW MEGHANA RAMINENI

FOOD REVIEW JACK LOWRANCE

25 STAFF EDITORIAL STAFF

26 FACE-OFF

BEN MINDER AKSHAY NAIR

MOVING IN

VAL/SAL

REID BETWEEN THE LINES

MELISSA LIU

AMANDA BEARD

NOELLE REID

GRACE PENG JENNAH SOOKNANAN

ANSHI VAJPAYEE

JACK LOWRANCE

NIKKI SKYER

ALEX PERRY

IRENE RHO

A SWING INTO SUCCESS

PROFILE: MARIA KEMP

OP-ED

THE LOW DOWN

FASHION

THE MESSENGER | 3

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Public Missteps

he education disparity so often observed typically materializes itself as a comparison between relatively advantaged students and their disadvantaged peers, paralleled between their private school versus public school upbringings. Yet, in reality, the difference in opportunity is commonly picked up on in the quality of education offered with the borders of a school district itself. It is hard to acknowledge that fewer than a hundred miles between peers signifies more than distance between them; it means the difference of significant points in standardized testing, the contrast of their college years, the gap in pay of their future jobs, and the dissimilarity in how their lives will turn out. We are often perplexed by the value in personal opportunities that are afforded more easily to some students that others. Participation in AP classes is one example. At a school like Northview where one in two students is enrolled in at least one AP class, we fall into the trap of perceiving the rigor as typical and its positive consequences of preparing us for a future of higher education as granted. Yet when compared

to Creekside High School, a counterpart high school institution in South Fulton where the rate falls to 16% of its student body taking an AP course, the perception cracks. National statistics reveal that the student makeup of AP classes is not reflective of the school community at large, a reality that I’ve certainly witnessed in my time as a teacher. In 2017, students in the country who qualified for free or reduced-price meals, an indicator of poverty, represented nearly half of all high-schoolers but only 27 percent of AP test-takers. When a public-school system based on equity and “equality of opportunity” is embedded within a capitalistic society, it can be a little disorienting for students, parents, and teachers. The Department of Education can proclaim its “twin goals of access and excellence” with a confidence in noble purpose, but when the system is constructed in a way so that individual motives incidentally hinder those who don’t have the same advantages, the compass can be difficult to read. But the conundrum of public-school inequality shouldn’t be ignored. Nithya Mahakala, Editor-in-Chief

THE MESSENGER | 5

News In Brief

Northview Talent Show For the past seven years, Northview has put on a talent show, showcasing the amazing abilities of the student body. This year, the show was on April 12, and tickets went on sale the entire week after Spring Break. Literature teacher Ashley Ulrich presides over the sophomore class council who have been given the task of coordinating this year’s talent show. “The great thing about the Talent Show, is that it’s always different every year just because the acts vary by so much between years,” Ulrich said. The event served as a fundraiser, utilizing ticket sales and the People’s Choice Award where people can donated for each act. Aside from prizes for winning the talent show, the people’s choice award serves as a honors. Students from all grades exhibited talent from all facets of the Northview student body. Specifically, the show has a dancing component, a singing component and a component for even unimaginable categories. Dancing ranges from hip hop to classical. Singing ranges from self-made pieces to Broadway styled music making it unique from past shows.

April 10

Scientisis captured the first ever image of a black hole.

Tiger Woods won his fist major in 11-years by staging a comeback to win

Northview Model UN takes on Northwestern Every year, Northview High School Model United Nations takes at least one trip out of Georgia to compete in a formal debate event designed to simulate the proceedings of the real United Nations assemblies. Student’s are sorted into individual committees in the conference where they represent countries in the discussion of relevant topics ranging from post-crisis conflict to nuclear disarmament. This year the student’s have chosen to attend and participate in the annual Northwestern conference, also known as NUMUN, located in Chicago. The specific countries which Northview’s students will be representing are: Croatia, Poland, Latvia, Micronesia, The Netherlands, Jordan, The United Arab Emirates, and The students engaged in a mock-competition in preparation for the more difficult committees in the conference on March 27. The conference will take place from April 11-14 and Northview Model United Nations will be taking thirty-one students.

Advanced Drama Performs ‘Love Sick’ On April 19, the Northview Advanced drama class performed a rendition of ‘Love/Sick’ originally written by playwrite John Cariani. The play is a collection of short stories centered around relationships, with a twist coming towards the end intended to leave the audience with a sense of bewilderment. The play is a extreme interpretation of relationships, and plays on volatility and turmoil relationships may face. “A lot of times the show likes to play on the unexpected, and I’m excited to see how people will react to it,” senior and sound designer Ria Puri said. to ‘Love/Sick’ features a large cast that was casted completely gender blind, enabling males and females alike to play roles that may have been originally made for the opposite sex.

March 25 March 29

April 25

The Avengers Endgame releases on April 25. The movie is the sequel of Infinity War.

Julian Assange, Wiki Leaks founder, was arrested in London at the Ecuadorean embassy. He faces charges for conspiring to gain access to Pentagon computer network.

April 11 THE MESSENGER | 7

NEWS

Moving In

AV Tech remo dels room into a movie theater MELISSA LIU, STAFF WRITER

few years ago, AV Tech teacher Ian Carroll began shifting the focus of his classes away from live production and towards filming. Because of this, the existence of a master control room, which is used only for the production of live broadcasts, became less beneficial to students’ learning experiences. Carroll and his students undertook a construction project last semester to accommodate this change in course material. Their goal is to repurpose the former master control room into a small movie theater so the room will be usable once more. Now that the theater will have

full surround sound and a bigger, cleaner screen, AV Tech students believe viewing their film projects in the theater will improve their learning experience by making their mistakes more noticeable and allowing them to edit them. “We make movies, so it would be great to have a big screen because it’s different when you are looking at a film on your computer screen and when you are seeing it on the big screen,” junior and AV Tech III student Ryan Minter said. “There are so many more things you can realize.” Carroll echoes this view. He believes that

since the theater will have the same sounds and visuals as an actual theater, students will be able to hear and see certain things they would not usually notice. “It’s one of the few places where they can hear the sound as it plays out in a theater space,” Carroll said. “When you get the projection up to a certain size, you start to see the details.” However, he believes this is not the most significant benefit students will reap from the theater. Carroll views the theater as a major incentive for students to improve and work hard on their film projects because it

provides them with a rare opportunity to display their work in a realistic movie setting. “This is the kind of space you want to make things for and what most of my students are interested in eventually producing content for. It’s really encourages students to make their work better,” Carroll said. “ I can’t say enough how genuinely exciting it feels to see your work in a space that’s built for showing your work. Showing your work in a theater space is a big deal.” Students estimate theater construction will cost between $1,000 to $2,000, but also believe the valuable insight the theater will provide outweighs the high cost. According to Carroll, h ow e v e r, the project will be subsidized by the Fulton County Career Tech, the county department that sponsors program improvement for classes like AV Tech. To save money, Carroll and his students repurposed old equipment instead of purchasing new materials. “We had some of the structure lying around to build the theater. Only the screen and wood was from the program budget,” Carroll said. “We repurposed some old cabinetry and shelving. We got an old projector the school wasn’t using, rewired some old speaker systems from my closet, and repurposed the curtain.” Carroll and his students are taking a retro approach with the movie theater, modeling it after those that existed during the 1920s. It will be complete with chandeliers

and a tiered floor. “We’re taking inspiration from the Art Deco era, so we have these big velvet curtains, and the furniture is very mid-century,” junior and AV Tech III student Gabby Mitrovich said. “We were talking about painting the glass to look like stained glass.” The students have already cleared all the old equipment out of the master room, painted the ceiling tiles black, erected the movie screen, and built the basic structure of the tiered floor. They are in the process of staining the wood for the floor and have ordered a new shipment of furniture, includ-

“

have been the main challenges the students faced, due to conflicting schedules. “We keep saying we’re going to do something at a certain time and not actually doing it. A lot of it’s because of scheduling,” Hoffman said. “Carroll needs to work outside of class time, and sometimes the school can’t allow the classroom to be open. Students themselves have a lot of work and extracurriculars.” Additionally, Carroll and his students have been busy working on the edit base and starting up the morning show again, resulting in even more delay. Estimates on when the theater will be completed vary. Carroll believes the theater will be done by the end of the school year, but Mitrovich and Hoffman are concerned that they may not be able to finish building the theater by this time if progress continues at its current rate. “If we start scheduling things right and coming when we say we will, it can be done by the end of the school year for sure,” Hoffman said. “But if we keep going at the pace we’re going right now, then probably not.” Despite the delay, Carroll is glad he has had the students, instead of just himself or contractors, working on the theater because he believes the process will teach them valuable skills. “It meant that it would take a little longer, but that time was worth it in the end. Having the students build the space reminds them that the classroom is theirs as well,” Carroll said. “It also teaches them a lot because you have to understand how the mechanics of sound and visuals work in a theater. Designing this is an experience that is really valuable.”

T his is t he k i nd of s p ac e you want to make things for and w h at m os t of my students are i nte re s te d i n eve ntu al l y pro ducing co ntent for. I c an’t s ay e nou g h how genuinely exc i ti ng i t fe e l s to s e e you r wo rk in a space th at’s bu i l t for s h ow i ng yo ur wo rk.

” I an C ar rol l

ing couches and chairs. All that remains to be done is to nail the wood into place, adjust and hang the curtains, and place the furniture. Many students, most notably AV Tech III producers, such as Minter, Hoffman, and Mitrovich, have been helping Carroll with the construction project. “My producers led the charge, and my av III kids had the leadership roles, but I’ve had a lot of students working on this. All of them have been in here putting in a lot of work and effort,” Carroll said. “There have been people coming in to help that aren’t even in my av classes. People are really excited about it.” Time management and coordination

THE MESSENGER | 9

A Swing into Success Northview’s golf team at a glance GRACE PENG, STAFF WRITER JENNAH SOOKNANAN, STAFF WRITER PHOTOS: SPECIAL

his year, the Northview boys’ golf team is experiencing an almost identical performance in comparison to last season’s. Each member of the team is working on improving his personal

game, which hopefully should improve the overall team. Their major focus this year is to change the mindset of the players and prioritize practice. The team has introduced some friendly competition in order to keep everyone motivated. Each member challenges his teammates’ best game, and doing so brings positive professional and personal improvements. “Everyone on the team is trying to be better than one another, and it allows us to push ourselves in the right direction and helps us keep moving when we start to lack,” junior Justin Yim said. The shifted focus from team to personal improvement has the group looking forward to a more positive season where each player can maximize his potential, and eventually implement his new personal skills in the upcoming tournaments. On the other hand, the Northview girls’ golf team comes into the season after winning a state championship. They have added

several new members along with the return of proven players who served an instrumental role in the deep run. The team’s chemistry and skill are proving to be too much for other teams in the region to handle, as the girls have won several tournaments in the past weeks. Despite popular opinion, golf, like any sport, is an activity that requires physical exertion and skill, involving both the body and the mind. To perform well, an athlete must endure years of grueling practice, searching for a lifestyle in and out of the sport that is effective for improvement. More than the physical aspect, however, there is a heightened importance on the mental strength. At the start of the season, the players have had to adjust to the pressure of playing high school athletics; however, the team has quickly adjusted and utilized these changes to their advantage. After Coach Philip Henderson stepped down after winning the championship re-

SPORTS cently, social studies teacher Lincoln Silver, and the team’s new coach, has not missed a beat taking over the reigns. He has brought innovative ideas to the team, focusing on the acute details which add up to make a drastic impact. “My philosophy when teaching is to focus on 3 things: establish a plan, prepare for the performance and tournaments, and focus on the process,” Silver said. “We don’t focus on results at all. The philosophy is that results

are irrelevant and that results are just a natural consequence of engaging in the process.” Since each athlete has her own amount of experience and a unique style of playing, he also engages them individually, assisting each girl in improving her skill. One way Silver does this is by creating a pre-shot routine to help each person visualize her shots. This helps in competition, when the athletes need to transfer range practice into tournament play. Another change is the spirit between

the team. Golf can be a very individual sport, but in order for a team to be successful, the members must support one another. In addition to attending practices together, members of the team bond outside of school. “This is we have a completely different dynamic. We have all become best friends and we do stuff outside of golf together. We never used to do that,” Erica Scutt, sophomore, said. “So we have become more of a family.”

THE MESSENGER | 11

profile

highlights

Maria Kemp, 9 9 Shoutouts Out of 22 Games

NIKKI SKYER STAFF WRITER PHOTO: SPECIAL

his month, a freshman here at Northview High School committed to the University of South Carolina. Maria Kemp, daughter of Chris Kemp, a science teacher at Northview, has been playing soccer since she was three, and has worked to obtain several college options. Soccer has always been Kemp’s biggest passion in life, and that passion has only become stronger as she has gotten older. “Soccer has become second nature for

me. Everything I do is focused around it,” Kemp said. The journey to committing has been a long one for Kemp. She has worked very hard to continue being involved in school athletics, regardless of the fact that her club team, Concorde Fire U16 Platinum ECNL, does not allow her to play on a school team. Kemp, as a freshman, decided to work as a trainer and team manager for the girls varsity soccer team this season. She helps the team by doing things such as recording games, setting up cones, and warming up the goalkeepers. “It is really great to be able to interact with and help out the team, even though I can not actually be out there on the field,” Kemp said. Throughout her life, Kemp has looked to her mother, coaches, and role model soccer players for motivation. She feels connected to Jane Campbell, a young goalkeeper on the national team. Like herself, Campbell grew up in Georgia and played for Concorde before moving on to a higher team. Kemp is told that she is similar to Campbell in many ways, so she likes to look to her for inspiration. However, Kemp credits her greatest inspiration to come from her coach, James Harris who has possessed constant faith in her and continues to push her through barriers and difficulties. “Maria is a very special person, while she is playing and really just in life. Everybody who meets her remembers her, and she is going to do big things in the future,” Harris said. The decision to commit to USC was ultimately Maria’s, as her parents felt that is was her right and responsibility to decide some-

13 Shoutouts Overall

Given Up 1 G oal in One Regular Season

thing that would overall affect her the most. There were several factors going into this choice, and Kemp took into account aspects like location, academics, soccer programs, etc. It was not an easy decision, however. She had several choices and took her time when making this major life decision. Maria visited and spoke with the many different schools, but she eventually came to the conclusion that this one was the right fit for her. “She really had to think through the positives and negatives, she was under a lot of pressure to make her decision,” Chris Kemp said. Throughout everything, Kemp’s family, friends, and teammates have stuck by her side. Many of the girls’ on Kemp’s team understand the stress of the options she had, as most players of her skill-level will commit to college around this age. She is able to rely on her teammates the most because they understand how she acts and feels no matter the situation. Kemp has had her fair share of ups and downs, but she continues to persevere and show what she is capable, off and on the field.

FEATURES

AN INVESTMENT IN KNOWLEDGE Exploring the sho cking class disparity b etween North and South Fulton County, what that means, and how it is exploited MEGHANA RAMINENI, STAFF WRITER MIRA SYDOW, DESIGN EDITOR

THE MESSENGER | 13

“Contrasting Norcross and Johns Creek really opened a part of my mind to this different world. I am privileged...because some people don’t see what’s going on outside of Johns Creek.”

Sylvia Bui

“

n investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” That’s what Benjamin Franklin remarked almost 300 years ago when wealthy, white men in America reaped the benefits of a good education to advance a newborn nation. After hundreds of years of reflection and progress, the situation remains bleak for many students in low-income communities, even ones that border upper-class areas. Education is extended as an opportunity to all, however the distribution of resources is far from equal. Living in a sheltered environment like Johns Creek allows students to be blissfully unaware of life outside the area. Even life within the same county in drastically different financial situations seems a world away. Due to the vast area of Fulton County, the maintenance of the education systems in North and South Fulton differ greatly. Statistically, the gap is shocking. The average annual household income of North Fulton is over twice that of South Fulton, a disparity that directly affects the quality of public schools in terms of funding. Less taxpayer money leads to smaller facilities, less renovations, outdated textbooks, and, despite their best efforts, a disadvantage to the students during the college admissions process as well. Northview Senior Sylvia Bui experienced living in South Fulton and acknowledges the many differences between schools in South Fulton when compared to schools in North Fulton. She moved to Johns Creek at around age six and began Pre-K at Shakerag Elementary School. However, before she was thrust into a life of safety and a social safety net, she lived in the suburbs of South Atlanta in Rex County, and she admits that the education system there is not as well established as that of the

rest of Fulton County. Wanting the best for their daughter, her parents worked tirelessly to move to Johns Creek because of its renowned public education system. This move was an exchange, as Bui and her parents had to make sacrifices in order to live in the upper-middle class suburbs of Atlanta and receive a higher level of education. “We had a huge Vietnamese community down in South Atlanta, but my parents abandoned that so that I could have a good education,” Bui said. Bui revealed that despite being rather sheltered in Johns Creek, every weekend she would go down to Norcross, where her family’s church is, and witness life in other areas of Atlanta. Bui felt that this experience gave her a better sense of the divide between North and South Fulton, a divide that is representative of the economic disparities in education in other areas like Fulton. “Contrasting Norcross and Johns Creek really opened a part of my mind to this different world,” Bui said. “I am privileged in that aspect because some people just don’t have that opportunity to see what’s going on outside of Johns Creek.” The economic and physical differences between North and South Fulton contribute most to the divide between the two adjacent education systems to Atlanta Public Schools. North Fulton County, where Northview is located, stretches from the Perimeter to the edge of Forsyth and Gwinnett counties. South Fulton County, North Fulton’s polar opposite, extends south of Atlanta, bearing west. Sandwiched between them is the Atlanta Public School System. Fulton County serves as a reflection of the inequalities present in the country’s education system in terms of making the same

level of education accessible for all students. Specifically in lower income areas like South Fulton, students aren’t provided with the same resources that might otherwise allow others to succeed in the many requirements for college. One of those requirements is standardized testing, and Northview Senior Olivia Cho believes that for tests like the SAT, it is unfair to administer the exam without providing access to the same resources. “A lot of people at Northview get their scores because they pay for them,” Cho said. “They pay for SAT tutoring and for extra classes, and I admit that I have been through that process too, but in lower income areas it makes more sense because there is more of a divide.” Cho feels as if students who live in higher income areas, including Northview students, have a greater advantage than those who cannot afford tutoring or prep books, and therefore automatically have the upper hand in terms of college applications and admissions. Cho, who will be attending the prestigious Columbia University, has admitted that because the university has such a great amount of money, they are very generous in administering financial aid. Cho describes a friend who lives in a very low income area, and the options Columbia University presented to her as a result of this. “She can apply to other schools to see which one provides the most money because if it is not enough money she cannot afford to go,” Cho said. “I feel like that’s something good because in those scenarios they let kids apply to other colleges, but it’s most likely because schools like Columbia are very rich and therefore are generous with financial aid.” Although this is a success in terms of col-

“What a hell of a business model. [The College Board] does none of the work and gets all of the money.”

Brian Downey leges making this level of education accessible for all, other colleges are not as lenient with distributing money. Cho’s mother immigrated to America from South Korea and went to West Springfield High School in Virginia. She got into Carnegie Mellon, a very impressive accomplishment, Cho describes, as she could not speak English. However, due to her mother’s financial situation, her parents were not able to pay for her to go to Carnegie Mellon. Cho reveals that although her mother got into several other art schools, the possibility that she did not is a possibility that looms over the heads of many students who are not in a stable financial situation. “Carnegie is such a nice school, and I have friends who have the opportunity to go there because they have the money, so for a lot of schools that don’t have as massive an endowment as other schools who are able to be more generous with financial aid, it takes away the opportunities of the lower income kids.” Cho said. However, the future education of students like Bui and Cho are reigned by their socioeconomic status in more than one way. Organizations like the College Board, technically falling under the category as a ‘notfor-profit’ organization, charge students who fail to demonstrate a certain level of need a fee to take standardized tests, which are viewed as a necessity. The College Board capitalizes off of a student’s pressure to perform well and secure their future in steps throughout a student’s high school education. Many Northview students first encounter the College Board freshman year through AP exams for Government or Human Geography. Principal Brian Downey notes that while Northview has considerable means to afford each student’s AP exam fee, many schools

need to dip into the pockets of the community to allow their students to take the standardized exams. “Because we live in an affluent area, Fulton County collects tax dollars and pays for students [to take AP exams],” Downey said. “At most other high schools, the individual has to pay the fee to take that AP test.” Although the county system seems as though it would most benefit low-income areas, because of the relationship between tax and schools, it ends up benefiting higher-income areas more. This cycle ends up saving money for the well-endowed and robbing financially unstable families of their income so that their child can possibly exempt a class in college. The administration of AP tests and other standardized tests also becomes the burden of the individual schools. Employees of Fulton County run standardized testing, meaning that a county with more money for teachers and professionals can more efficiently run College Board’s “mandatory” testing. Evidently, Downey is frustrated. Much like the fierce competition to get into college, the life students are born into is based purely on luck. It’s straight out of Freakonomics. One child is raised in a world of privilege and endless emotional and financial support, and the other wastes away in an underfunded, poorly-managed education system. There’s only so much the child can do, Downey remarks, so we as a society must do what we can to help them. “Why should one kid have the advantage to go to the premier schools over the other kid?” Downey said. “Is that fair? Is that equitable?” However, Downey recognizes that the difference between the affluent and the less

privileged extends deeper into our society. Now speaking with vigor about the woes of society, he explains the societal obligation of the healthy to help the sick and the rich to help the poor. “This is a cornerstone of any civilization, and it’s not something our country is doing very well right now,” Downey said. Downey agrees that, given Northview’s high status, we must recognize our privilege and use the opportunity to help other students that are less fortunate. However, there is progress. In a flurry of lawsuits and uproar about college admissions scandals, schools are being pressured to not be swayed by how big a student’s(or their parents’) pockets are. “Most colleges target students from different socioeconomic and racial areas,” Downey said. “They don’t want a cookie-cutter student body.” This process, as Downey notes, adds diversity of thought to conversation in a collegiate setting and is an integral part of a high-functioning classroom. Although topics like affirmative action, especially race-based, spark controversy, at the end of the day, Downey believes that a diverse classroom makes every student a better person. The fact that colleges are moving more towards making informed, diverse decisions is promising, but it doesn’t eliminate the initial class differences that incited the controversy. Backtracking and finding a scapegoat to shoulder the blame are not comprehensive solutions. The answer to the rigid divide in education lies in the future, which is the students. Speaking to this , Downey ends with a few fitting words with an undertone of hope: “The kid’s born into a situation that they don’t have control over. So what’s next?”

THE MESSENGER | 15

BY THE NUMBERS Northview High School as compared to Creekside High School, which is lo cated in Fairburn, GA, just south of Atlanta.

average annual household income:

$40,954

09 16 %

AP courses offered

79% 16

89 % black

of students take AP courses

of students have free/reduced lunch

average annual household income:

06 %

$109,576

AP courses offered

of students have free/reduced lunch

49 %

48% asian or pacific islander

of students take AP courses

Check out these stats and more from ProPublicaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Miseducaation research. THE MESSENGER | 17

FEATURES

SubZero Ice Cream The Messenger’s monthly foo d review JACK LOWRANCE, MANAGING COPY EDITOR PHOTOS: MIRA SYDOW, MANAGING DESIGN EDITOR

ub Zero Ice Cream sums up the suburban American upper-middle class consumer experience perhaps better than anywhere else in Johns Creek: video boards to display a menu that could easily be displayed without the extra power consumption, a massive, shiny tank to store the liquid nitrogen supply, which, let’s be honest, seems to have little impact on the quality of the ice cream; fancy tiles along the side of the counter, a bright mural on the side opposite of the counter, an overpriced menu, and an army of high school students working behind the counter. This place is going to make a lot of money. But while this may be true, as much as I want to love it, the ice cream doesn’t live up to the hype. The Magnetic Mint would be a moderately pleasurable experience-- it’s creamy and minty and isn’t bad-- but a small cup is six dollars. It’s really not that much better than a tub of mint chocolate chip that you can buy in a grocery store (for the same amount of money) to justify such a high price. Each cup is adorned with what they call a waffle bowl, but it really feels more like a waffle quarter pipe. It smells great

though-- and offers hope of a reconciliatory burst of crisp goodness to lift your spirits up after you realize how quickly you just consumed two scoops of six dollar ice cream. But sadly, it doesn’t taste like it smells and ultimately lends itself to a pretty anticlimactic experience. The Birthday Cake Capacitor flavor is about the same-- although the subtle notes of coffee in the flavor was a nice touch. Admittedly, each little cup is pleasing to the eye in its appearance and to some this may justify the price. The novelty factor will surely entice lots of first timers as well-- and watching the employees prepare the ice cream behind the counter is entertaining, if a bit unsettling with the plumes of violently evaporating liquid nitrogen in such close proximity. Sub Zero claims that this ultra low temperature treatment makes for a creamier product, but it seems to be more of a marketing gimmick than anything else. And it’s not to say that the ice cream is bad-- it tastes fine. It’s just overpriced and over-hyped. If you don’t plan on posting about your ice cream outing on Instagram, I say go to Dairy Queen.

Open Everyday: Noon- 9:00 PM (Sat. 11:00- 10:00)

11720 Medlo ck B ridge Rd Johns C reek, GA 30097

THE MESSENGER | 19

The Val: JONATHAN ZHENG

Northview senior Jonathan Zheng receives the title of Valedictorian alongside senior Sheri Zhang, the Salutatorian AMANDA BEARD, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF PHOTOS: UPASNA KOTAKONDA, PHOTO EDITOR

he Valedictorian.’ This title, awarded to the student with the highest GPA, holds a certain weight regarding the individual. While the technical definition refers simply to a numerical average, senior Jonathan Zheng exemplifies the multitude of characteristics required of a top notch student, utilizing hard work and dedication to acquire the accolades that come alongside that. “Hard work [is most important] because there are a lot of people that are way smarter than me, but they just didn’t put in the effort,” Zheng said. “I wanted the goal, so I worked hard to achieve it.” Starting young, Zheng’s family cultivated an atmosphere that instilled hard work similar to many other academically successful students. However, Zheng’s parents never placed extraordinary amounts of pressure as a means of extracting good grades from their son, but rather focused on acknowledging that motivation could only come from within the student wanting to excel. Zheng attributes much of this self discipline

to his older sister and Northview graduate, Joanne Zheng, as he watched her hard work pay off through high school and is currently a student of Duke University. “They [parents] were always okay with me just trying my best. It was really more seeing my sister succeed,” Zheng said. “Seeing her achieve her dreams made me feel like I could work hard enough to achieve any of mine.” Zheng never viewed valedictorian as anything more than a title that came along with the consistent strive to have stellar grades, pushing for excellence rather than the chance to be better than everyone else. While the title speaks to the character and dedication of an individual, Zheng always preserved the understanding that it is important to continuously strive to be better, regardless of any chance for a trophy or spotlight. Having taught Jonathan starting as a freshman and then once more in his junior year as his AP English Language and Composition teacher, Elizabeth Lake watched Zheng grow both in his academics and his

character. “Jonathan is a brilliant student who works tirelessly despite not needing to be successful. Even though he was already successful from the beginning, he wanted to see how high he could go, how far he could succeed so he continued to work and work to succeed at the highest level possible in his classes,” Lake said. “I don’t think that not working hard is a thing that Jonathan is built for. I don’t think that chilling out and not being academically focused is something that Jonathan is made for.” As Zheng continues to excel and push himself academically past his high school years, and for his future in college as well at Georgia Tech, he hopes to leave a sense of responsibility to strive for others. Having achieved the highest grade point average and becoming valedictorian, Zheng recognizes the opportunity to guide others at Northview. “Don’t slack off. If you have a dream, don’t let it be a dream. It’s kind of cliché but it’s true,” Zheng said.

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rom a very young age, senior Sheri Zhang stood out to her peers not only in her intellectual capabilities, but by consistently putting forth more time and dedication than any other students. Growing up, Zhang has been surrounded by academics as her mother works as a professor at Kennesaw State University. However, Zhang’s childhood is simply a variable in the make up of her high achieving persona as the majority of her determined character came from pushing herself to constantly strive to do her best. “My parents never really pushed me. They weren’t checking Home Access Center all the time to see what my grades are,” Zhang said. “I kind of developed my own sense of responsibility for my grades so it’s mainly me self motivating myself to do well.” Having been surrounded by academics her whole life growing up, it was no surprise Zhang grew to become a high achieving and hard working student, not only in her academics, but in all areas of her life as she is on the varsity swim team and marching band. The concept of balance remains a priority for Zhang as she acknowledges that while school is always a first, maintaining friendships and enjoying high school are just as important. “Sheri puts a lot of work into her school, she doesn’t ever procrastinate,” Chung said. “She has a lot of confidence, when she is talking to someone, she knows what she is saying and provides so much insight.” Understanding the value of balance, Zhang instills the same mentality within her academics. While the pressure of being in the top of her grade has hung over her throughout high school, Zhang aims to push herself within her boundaries, taking classes she knows she will simultaneously enjoy and excel in. “Know what you’re getting yourself into and don’t sign up for something that you don’t think you’ll be able to commit time to,” Zhang said. “I know a lot of people, especially at Northview, who overload on AP’s, and it works out if you do super well in them, but if you overload yourself and do poorly then it’s going to reflect badly.” Planning to attend Brown University, Zhang hopes to continue pushing herself within her academics to always be doing her best. Having developed her own sense of responsibility and motivation, the idea of

receiving salutatorian only became a reality due to her uncanny work ethic, tirelessly striving to push herself. However, the accolade simply acts as nothing more than an acknowledgment of her GPA to Zhang.

“I don’t think it holds that much of a weight to who I am because I am someone who works really hard in my classes,” Zhang said. “Being named this title doesn’t really change that.”

The Sal: SHERI ZHANG

THE MESSENGER | 21

A Democratic Reality

A new addition to why the electoral college system is flawed ANSHI VAJPAYEE, STAFF WRITER

ne of the most popular additions to our constitution, put by the original creators of the constitution is the electoral college system. The framers feared tyranny, overwhelmed by the idea that someone could manipulate public opinion and come to power by direct voting. 538 electors and a winner-take-all system seemed to be the only solution to this horror as they would ensure only the most qualified would become president while still satisfying the needs of small states. Here is why this principle does not work today. Under the system of the electoral college, each state must have a minimum of three votes, one from the House of Representatives and two bonus votes for each of its senators. This system would result some states getting more votes than needed based on population. The state of Wyoming casts about 210,000 votes, and thus each elector represented 70,000 votes, while in California approximately 9,700,000 votes were casted for 54 votes, thus representing 179,000 votes per electorate. This creates an unfair advantage to smaller states simply seen in

their overwhelmingly large pool of electors in relation to such small populations. The electoral system also creates the possibility for a popular vote loser to become president by winning the electoral vote. The most recent case being the 2016 presidential election where although Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, President Trump ended up becoming the new president. This is not even a rare occurrence-it has happened more than five times in 56 elections, or more than 11% of the time. Now, it may seem almost petty that many people argue for this side simply because they are upset Donald Trump is president. The electoral college system is evidently faulty and almost contradicts the statement, “one person, one vote.” The creation of swing states by the electoral college causes candidates to give extra weight to the needs of each state, and one can even win the presidential election by winning the 11 biggest states. States are considered swing states when no one party has overwhelming support, the most common being Ohio and Florida. It is common to argue this imbalance

threatens to undermine this country’s democracy as residents in each state are not equally encouraged to engage in politics. For instance, a person living in New York, a democratic stronghold, will not care enough to vote and engage in campaigns since the outcome is clear. On the other side, a person living in Florida, a battleground state, will seem to give more attention to elections because their vote will matter more. In the case of a 269-269 tie, or if no one candidates receives the majority vote, the outcome is decided by the House of Representatives with a one vote, one state basis. This would mean that Wyoming, with a population of 577,737 would count the same as California, a state with 39.96 million people. The electoral college system is faulty and outdated. A direct voting system might not be the most appropriate, but the electoral college system is not a proper method for casting votes. Whatever the Framers of the constitution were considering before does not apply today, and it is our duty to find a better and more efficient way to elect our next president.

OPINIONS

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W O

A pastime of puzzles and its personal effects

cannot recall how I happened across this academic past time of solving puzzles. Maybe it was in between readings of “All The President’s Men” by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein and bites of cold pizza. Or maybe one night I set homework aside and decided to Google ‘free crosswords’ instead of ‘free South Park episodes’. Regardless of the discovery, my only reservation about this instance is the regret at not discovering crossword puzzles earlier. There is something about entering a letter into a blank box and having it appear black instead of red, affirming my guesses and awarding me the validation of having a broad vocabulary. My father calls it cheating, saying that growing up, he solved crosswords without indicators of right or wrong as he filled in the boxes. Whenever he mentions his childhood crosswords, I always dare him to solve my

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ALEX PERRY, ONLINE EDITOR

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current puzzle. Within four minutes, all references to cars and 80s pop culture are completed, propelling my progress to a somewhat acceptable level. The rest easily follow. I have even discarded my worries about timing, focusing more on the words rather than the speed I solve them with. I am glad to say that I have not submitted to the urge of Googling the hints, rather depending on hours of contemplation in order to reach the reward. When completing a crossword, the only competition is yourself. Even then, it is not a race to the end. It is more of a challenge to see whether or not you can complete a puzzle by your own merits. I would not call this endeavor valiant, but it is indeed life-altering. While one crossword may not launch you into the membership of MENSA, the continuous practice of sharpening one’s wit and one’s mind is a reward that crosswords offer.

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THE MESSENGER | 23

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STAFF EDITORIAL

Leg Up

n common applications, for undergraduates, it asks where your parents went to college because legacy status is important during the admission process but is it fair for schools to disregard students of their preferentially and instead have the bias preference of their parents or other relatives for attending that same school? College admissions officers will say legacy status is only a small factor that plays into the final admission process, but the reality is that legacy is actually quite important. In many Ivy League schools, it has shown that legacy students are twice more likely to be admitted than students without a legacy status. Colleges want to build a well rounded classes made up of different students that care about the school and their own field, therefore admitting qualified students. Applying as a legacy can be seen as a demonstration of interest that signals to colleges if you were to attend that college, you already have a strong bond and ties with the institution. Legacy students do have an advantage because it is an insightful piece of information but it is just one piece to the huge puzzle that is college admissions. Having a legacy status can be seen as unfair to those who don’t have a legacy, which is why lawmakers are trying to make legacy admissions illegal, but many believe less qualified students will get admitted over more qualified students. There is a great

majority of students of those who do not have a legacy status but can still have the greater chance of getting admitted to a college over a significantly under-qualified legacy student. On the outside perspective, applying for a big named school as a legacy does give you a head start in comparison to those not applying as a legacy. But it is important to know that the legacy is not the only thing colleges are looking for. Colleges and universities also look and care for the alumni, having a former student or graduate, especially a man, from a particular school, college, or universities. Applying as a legacy will not matter if your grades, test grades, GPA, SAT scores, and your overall application profile is not up to standards for the university’s admissions standards. Legacy status is only an additional context to the application, and is not a big enough factor to look past bad representation and grades. In the end, applying as a legacy student can boost an overall application, but instead of focusing on a legacy status, apply while focusing on the academic profile and how those stack up against the schools admission standards and recognize a legacy status is not something that can be forced or controlled. Schools will only admit people they believe will bring success to the students themselves and the school, legacy status or not.

THE MESSENGER | 25

Should standardized tests be an essential factor in college admissions?

FACEOFF

OPINIONS

YES

BEN MINDER, STAFF WRITER

any students could go on about how stressful an experience taking the SAT and ACT are. Some study for it more than any other test they ever take, and will even take classes designed for a single test. Because of how important this test is to college admissions, many students would love for it to disappear so they would never have to worry about it. Despite how archaic they may appear, both the SAT and ACT are of vital importance to the college admissions process. They are a measure of your current progress. If a student did badly freshman or sophomore year, and it hurt their GPA, a college can look at their SAT or ACT score and determine if they have gotten over that slump. It is even more of a factor if a student did badly junior or senior year, because it still shows your intelligence if your GPA is lacking. It provides another chance for a student to show a college that they are ready to take the next step in their education, and show that you can work effectively in a certain time frame under pressure. Not only can it remedy a low GPA, but

it is also a tool that colleges use to differentiate between the thousands of admissions they get every year. For the class of 2022, UGA received almost 26,500 applications. With that high of a number, UGA will look at every difference in each application to make sure they pick the student best suited for their school. It is inevitable with so many applications that many are very similar. They might have the same GPA, similar number of extracurriculars, and their essays might be just as good as one another. So how does UGA decide who is accepted? They look at their SAT or ACT scores. If Student A received a 1450 on the SAT, while Student B received a 1300, Student A is more likely to get chosen. The main criticism of the SAT and ACT is that they allow students that are wealthier to gain a significant advantage. While a student with more money can pay for more books and classes to help them be better prepared, that does not mean it is inaccessible to the impoverished. Students under certain circumstances can waiver the fee. While a wealthier student can gain an

advantage by paying for extra study materials, that is not the test’s fault. The wealthier student has most likely been doing that since they began school, and as a result their GPA might be higher, and they might have more extracurriculars because they go to a better school that offers more programs. The wealthy student will have the advantage regardless, as that is the nature of wealth. Students in better areas are already able to receive better grades and a more luscious college resume. The SAT and ACT does everything it can to put students on equal footing, however, dissolving the standardized tests will not solve the inherent issues with the system. The SAT and ACT are a vital tool for the college admission process. It allows colleges to weed out some of the thousands of applications they receive, and can help students with a lower GPA have a better chance. Removing it would not give poor students a better chance, it would just shift the focus to their GPA and extracurriculars that are most likely lower due to the advantages of wealth.

to maximize their scores. In comparison, lower-income teenagers can not afford these opportunities. Students in inner city schools frequently must chose between working and earning money or studying for hours and spending scare amounts of cash to take the test repeatedly and buy review books. As a result, students are automatically put at a disadvantage when applying to college. In addition to this, the SAT and ACT have little to do with a student’s intelligence and knowledge. Both exams only test reading, writing, and math, only a fraction of the total content a student accumulates during four years of high school. Just because a student scores a high score, it hardly means they posses the skills to succeed in elite schools. Conversely, if a student does poorly on the exam, it does not translate to unpreparedness in college. As evidenced

by the recent high profile college scandal, people who really want to cheat and achieve a higher score can do so with relative ease. Other factors such as grade point average and extra-curricular activities, which accumulate over four years should be weighted far more than one three test. In today’s age, there is no need for high school students to waste time and resources on a standarized test. These exams put impoverished students at a steep disadvantage, and nowadays, the test is largely a competition of money rather than intelligence. Colleges have already begun advertising a position of distrust and lack of care in the entire standardized testing process as it does more harm to the student’s chances than it helps. With so much pressure on students to excel from a young age, standardized tests can be one less thing to worry about.

NO AKSHAY NAIR, SPORTS EDITOR

or years standardized testing, most notably the SAT and ACT, has been a measure of a student’s proficiency and preparedness for college. However, unlike the exams for medical school and law school, the MCAT and LSAT respectively, the SAT and ACT are marred with flaws that make it obsolete in today’s times with little overall value. Along with that the fact that it hardly tests one’s readiness for college, the socioeconomic advantages some students have when taking the test make it unnecessary for students to spend time and money prioritizing these exams. Often times, students that are better off pay hundreds even thousands of dollars to prepare for the SAT or ACT. These upper-class student’s have the opportunity to take prep classes, buy practice books, and write the test multiple times in order

THE MESSENGER | 27

REID BETWEEN THE LINES

Social Spiral At a time where so cial media use is at its peak, so too are the inevitable negative consequences NOELLE REID, OPINIONS EDITOR

ith spring break just passing, that means that the influx of posts documenting people’s adventures on the sea shore or in a big city with their family or friends during the break has passed as well. Sometimes when scrolling through these posts, no matter if they are on the accounts of your best-friends, strangers, or celebrities, there can still be this trace of jealousy that looms over your head or sits at the pit of your stomach. This awful longing, wishing feeling that you had a big grin plastered on your face while you have your feet stuck in the sand rather than whoever is in the picture. Easily put, the feeling is envy, maybe even shame. But we do not just feel this the weekend before school starts up after the break, it can linger anytime that we see these posts on social media. Demonetizing social media is not the ultimate solution to getting rid of all the negative connotations and feelings that can surround it. Social media can is an amazing thing as it can help to connect people through their hobbies and interests, regardless their proximity to each other. Social media is also an easy way to keep up with the latest trends and the news, as it is one of the fastest ways that news can spread and be accessed. It is a great way to showcase a talent, document achievements, etc. However when scrolling through social media, it is imperative that we take the time to think about the media that we consume.

Almost everything that is presented to us via social media is prone to having some sense of distorted reality. Whether it be the beach photos we see of our classmates on Instagram, or headlines from the Twitter accounts of big-news corporations, we may not be getting the whole truth or even the truth at all. Nothing of what we see on social media is a true insight to another person’s life, instead we get a surface-level view of it through little snippets. And most often, these are what the

the illusory one that we see through a screen. Your life can be interesting and fun to live in it’s own right, and if life did not have it’s boring moments from time-to-time, living it would get to be quite exhausting. Sometimes however, trying to consume media mindfully can be hard as it may not be something that is top of mind when using social media as a way to give your brain a break from something else. It can even be something that is not enough to get out of your head. Taking a break from social media may be the best option, but it is not necessary. A break is most likely going to be best when it is actually effective. A brash attempt at a break by frantically deactivating all of your social media accounts only to reactivate them a couple minutes later, is not the best approach to a social media detox. What a ‘break’ is may vary from person to person, maybe even for yourself it can vary from time to time depending on what you need. Life can be beyond enjoyable, with people, events and accomplishments to make it so. Social media is a way to take these enjoyable aspects of life and share and save them. But it should remain secondary, it should never be something that is taking over our lives. We need to stop spending so much time trying to prove how enjoyable our lives are. We are all entitled to live a life that is enjoyable in its own right.

"We need to stop comparing our real worlds to the illusory one that we see through a screen."

other person wants us to see, the highlights, rather than what is actually there. We all want to put forward our optimum and most-interesting selves. But, who we make ourselves out be on social media, is not who we really are all the time. Everybody has their highs and their lows, and this goes for everybody from the celebrities to the average people that you may follow. Everybody is human. No amount of glorifying your life on social media will change that. We need to stop comparing our real world to

COLUMNS

THE LOW DOWN

What Must Change

Why complacency threatens the fate of society worse than anything else

JA C K LOW R A N C E , M A N A G I N G E D I T O R

s I considered what to focus this month’s column on, I realized that before tackling any of the other various societal, political, and economic issues facing our community and country as a whole, we must tackle one fundamental one first: complacency. In all too many of the situations which pose a threat to the function and very existence of our society as we know it, people seem to feel little sense of urgency. Our society is sick and that sickness is complacency. Americans are too selfish-- too consumed by the trials and tribulations of our own lives to look up and recognize the true degree of work that urgently must be done. And I’m a hypocrite-- I’m guilty of it just the same. But if we continue sleepwalking, soon enough we’re going to sleepwalk off of a cliff. Something needs to change. Take our broken college education system, for example. Why aren’t more people taking a stand against the absurdity of legacy admissions, athletic scholarships, and outrageously high tuition? Why do average Americans simply accept this rigged system when it continues to oppress, bankrupt, and fail such a large portion of the population? Why aren’t more people up in arms about the fact that otherwise average to mediocre rich students can take the place of hardworking, brilliant poor students at prestigious univer-

sities so long as their parents arrange a deal with the archery coach, dubiously score a doctor’s note to get extra time on the SAT, or donate a large sum of money to a prospective university? Why is there not a supermajority of outrage? Or how about climate change-- we have twelve years to change course before it’s too late, yet considering the scale of this threat, opposition, even with Sunrise activists and Green New Deal supporters, is still nowhere near as strong as it ought to be. People need to be bothered. They need to be vocal. And everyone must recognize that if they don’t speak up themselves, no one else will do so either. But the list doesn’t stop there. Complacency is the biggest roadblock to nearly every issue facing our society. With infrastructure, the vast majority of Americans seem not to be phased enough by the ever-worsening traffic hell overtaking many cities to actually do anything about it. And with gun violence, countless lives continue to be lost every single day. Was one school walkout day really all we could muster? In the midterm elections last year, only about 47% of the eligible voting population actually cast their vote-- and that was considered record breaking voter turnout. In 2014, only 36.7% of the eligible voting population

cast a vote. And turnout during off years and in local elections is often even worse. Meanwhile, The Doomsday Clock maintained by The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists is at two minutes to midnight. As a global society, we are closer to worldwide catastrophe than anytime since 1953-- the height of the Cold War. Yet a sense of urgency continues to elude much of America and the world at large. Even as there seem to be more protests and activism than ever, the degree of panic is still not proportional to the potential magnitude of the problems at hand. Climate change will soon be irreversible. Meritocracy is dead. And hate, bigotry, greed, and murder continue to ravage human society as whole. What are we doing? With the stakes this high and the need for change so urgent, we should be protesting in the streets. And yet the vast majority of us continue to sleepwalk through our fundamental duties of citizenship as the social contract is not just disrespected, but chewed up and spit into the gutter by the forces of evil upon us. To quote Upton Sinclair, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” And I suppose he’s right. But difficult does not mean impossible-- and at this point we’re running out of options. What will it take to wake us up?

THE MESSENGER | 29

fashion IRENE RHO, PHOTO EDITOR

hristie Tyler, also famously known as nycbambi, is not only an Instagram influencer but also a fashion blogger. Inspired by simplicity, the vintage French scene, and feminism, Tyler has created a

strong social media presence in the name of fashion and self care. Tyler has created a strong following by simply staying true to herself. Instead of changing her look based on fleeting trends, Tyler prefers to improve

her sense of style through subtly adding trends in her work. She prefers to call her work a self reflective project, and through this she has built a vintage as well as an aesthetically pleasing brand.

COLUMNS

moodboard

nspired by Tyler’s very own moodboards, the moodboard for May has a simple and warm aesthetic to it. The ambiance created through these pictures send a hopeful

and vintage setting towards the month of May. May’s moodboard’s warm beige tones as well as soft white accents produce a simple mood that teaches one to love the little things.

THE MESSENGER | 31

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