Vol. 14, Issue 6

the themessenger messenger VOL 14/ ISS 6 SPECIAL ISSUE

SOCCER COACHING CHANGES P. 14

SHOULD WE SELFDIAGNOSE? P. 26

out of sight, out of mind

investigating mental health at Northview and at large – p. 16

masthead CONTACT US

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

STAFF WRITERS

(770) 497-3828 nhsmessenger@gmail.com 10625 Parsons Rd Johns Creek, GA 30097 nhsmessenger.com

Jessica Ma Tarun Ramesh

PUBLICATION

NEWS EDITOR

Amanda Beard Brooke Casal Sophia Choi Will Claussen Rameen Forghani Sarah Jang Jack Lowrance Nithya Mahakala Austin Meng Akshay Nair Joseph Ni Dennis Ottlik Caroline Pennington Mahima Pirani Niharika Sinha Sarika Temme-Bapat Morgan White

Sneha Gubbala

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.

Sally Pan

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

Connie Xu

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.

ONLINE EDITOR

ADVERTISING

BUSINESS MANAGER

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: Jessica Ma

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MANAGING EDITOR

SPORTS EDITOR Maggie Brenan

FEATURES EDITOR Connie Xiao

OPINIONS EDITOR Andrew Teodorescu

PHOTO EDITOR Tiffany Xu

PHOTOGRAPHERS

DESIGN EDITOR

Adriana Boice Tommy Bui Jill Jacobs Alex Jeon Annie Kong Amber Min Ben Minder Evan Moody Andrew Myers Eddie Xie

Jooeun Lee

COPY EDITOR Shelby Bradley Tanisa Mahalingam

ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER Nabila Khan

ADVISER

Chris Yarbrough

DESIGNERS Bryan Liang Jane Paek Elly Sim

contents 05

14

28

JESSICA MA

MAGGIE BRENAN

STAFF

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16*

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STAFF

NITHYA MAHAKALA, CONNIE XIAO

ANDREW TEODORESCU

EDITOR’S LETTER

MONTHLY BRIEFS

FAREWELL TO HARRELL

MENTAL HEALTH

STAFF EDITORIAL

COMMENTS

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23

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AMANDA BEARD

BRYAN LIANG, CONNIE XIAO

CAROLINE PENNINGTON

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25

MEGAN CISTULLI, WILL CLAUSSEN

SNEHA GUBBALA

INTEL ISEF

SPRING SPORTS UPDATE

FOOD REVIEW

NORMALIZING MENTAL HEALTH DAYS

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WILL CLAUSSEN

MAHIMA PIRANI, ANDREW TEODORESCU

COLLEGE SIGNINGS

MUSIC COLUMN

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FASHION COLUMN CONNIE XU

FACE-OFF

THE MESSENGER | 3

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

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A brief introduction

very year, The Messenger publishes one issue that stands out from the rest. It is a special edition of our monthly newsmagazine, an in-depth exploration of a single theme of our choice. This year, that theme is mental health.

Choosing a topic for the annual special issue is never an easy task. After all, the multifaceted Northview community has such a rich tapestry of narratives to offer. Our spark came to us near the beginning of the school year, when Principal Brian Downey announced that Northview led the county in mental health referrals and students in crises. The Messenger staff decided to center our thematic issue around this concern, exploring its roots and its implications.

As the investigation progressed, the need for a safe, open dialogue about mental health became increasingly apparent. The Messenger staff reached out to the Northview community, searching for individuals who wanted to share their experiences with mental health. At first, the response we received was overwhelming silence. Although many students agreed that mental health poses a major concern at

our school, very few acknowledged having any sort of personal experiences with the issue— dismissing their own challenges as nothing more than the everyday woes of the average high school student—and even fewer stepped forward to discuss these experiences. At Northview, the issue of mental health seems to lurk just beneath the surface, always present but never directly addressed. We resolved to break that silence.

Three individuals helped us to accomplish just that. The Messenger staff would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Hayley Conroy, Jacqueline, and Miranda for sharing their stories. Each has a unique voice that deserves to be heard, and we can only hope that our work in this magazine has done them justice. We could not have produced this issue without them.

Without further ado, here it is: the 2016 special issue of the Northview Messenger newsmagazine. We hope our readers will enjoy this thematic edition of our publication, but more importantly, we hope it will shed light on a subject that has remained in the shadows for far too long.

Jessica Ma, Editor-in-Chief

THE MESSENGER | 5

NEWS

IN BRIEF Northview HOSA attended the State Leadership Conference from Feb. 28 to March 1 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.

Health Occupations Students of America, or HOSA, connects students to the professional medical world. Northview students placed first in Behavioral Health, Medical Law and Ethics, Transcultural Health Care, and Medical Terminology.

3/6 Former First Lady Nancy Reagan dies at 94

2/28-3/1

3/3-5

From March 3-5, 49 Northview band and orchestra students participated in the GMEA All-State Conference in Athens, GA. Demonstrating the high caliber of their musical abilities, these students all passed an audition process which determined their eligibility to attend and seating order in the ensembles.

Sanika Rane/SPECIAL

3/16 Obama announces nomination of Merrick Garland to Supreme Court

3/4-6 The statewide Beta convention took place from March 4-6 in downtown Atlanta. Northview’s Beta students placed first in Digital Arts, Group Talent, Math Division II, Poetry, Quiz Bowl, Science Division II, and Spanish Division II. Northview also placed high in Sculpture, Spanish Division I, Spelling Division I, and Spelling Division II. Alex Jeon/STAFF

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The Messenger’s monthly digest of events at Northview and around the world

3/6-8

3/22

From March 6-8, Northview FBLA attended the State Leadership Conference in Athens, GA. Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) teaches students ways to build their leadership skills and business knowledge through involvement in academic activities and business-related competitions.

Northview students placed first in Introduction to Business and placed high in other topics as well, such as Desktop Application programming, Health Care Administration, and Impromptu Speaking.

Brussels terror attacks lead the world to unite behind the victims

Katie Morgan/SPECIAL

3/15 Marco Rubio drops out of presidential campaign after Florida Republican primary loss to Donald Trump

3/20 Obama is the first president to visit Cuba in nearly a century

3/17-26

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives in Washington for official visit

3/10

The Northview Theatre Company performed the musical, “Cabaret,” directed by chorus teacher Brian Clements and drama teacher Paul McClain. “Cabaret” revolves around an American writer, Clifford Bradshaw, played by senior John Allen, in Nazi Berlin. The show included dance numbers, live music, and comedy.

THE MESSENGER | 7

NEWS

Intel ISEF comes to Northview Junior Animesh Koratana earns a spot in an international science and engineering competition A M A N DA B E A R D, S TA F F W R I T E R

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very year the Society for Science and the Public (SSP) holds an international science competition called the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). It is the largest competition in the world for high school students, with 1,700 students annually competing for four million dollars worth of prizes. The fair is held in Phoenix from May 8 to 13.

Junior Animesh Koratana has participated in the qualifying region competitions for ISEF since the 7th grade, yet made it into the ISEF competition this year for the first time.

“If you can do well beyond the region competitions and receive either first or second place, you can get into ISEF,” Koratana said. “It is a very big deal in the science world.”

In order to get into Intel ISEF, judges Alex Jeon/STAFF have to move a student on based on their project’s idea and presentation. Koratana, Koratana is involved in the robotics and support of senior Meghna Dash in with the mentoring of Celia Rhodes from club at Northview and while much of the robotics club, Koratana shares the Stanford University, created a project based his preparation for the competition was once in a lifetime experience. Dash has on Artificial Intelalso been inligence. It focused volved in the on fluid intellisame regional gence, in which I had the opportunity to meet one of the most hard working, science fairs a computer can in order to get create solutions to forward-thinking, and incredibly abstract minds in the field, into ISEF. behavioral ideas and [Animesh’s] school definitely played a role in his hard The rothat would norbotics club work,” mally be simple at Northview Celia Rhodes shows promfor the human brain yet matheise to continmatically imposue creating sible for a computer. done outside of his school affiliations; it scientists to carry on the path set by Ko During the summer, Koratana worked all stemmed from robotics. The artificial ratana and Dash. Yet, their high school with a group of people from John Hopkins intelligence project requires specific focus careers still are not finished. Intel ISEF Hospital and to write a paper on artificial on certain academic fields. starts over for all participants every year; intelligence. Taking the project on step fur- “If you dig into these theoretical parts therefore, Koratana has the option to either, he entered it into one of the region of any area of a field, you kind of lose ther continue with his project or to create science fairs and his experience began. sight of these other fields,” Koratana said. a new idea.

“Working with Animesh, I had the op- “Northview has helped me explore into “There is an option for me to continportunity to meet one of the most hard work- these other areas of field and being able ue but I also have some ideas of things ing, forward-thinking, and incredibly abstract to apply these concepts into other areas.” that I could do,” Koratana said. “I’m still minds in the field, and his school definitely With mentoring from Rhodes, advice trying to figure out this year before I start played a role in his hard work,” Rhodes said. from a John Hopkins Hospital scientist, thinking of next year.”

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THE MESSENGER | 9

sports in brief

Northview’s spring sports truck on through success and disappointment

M E G A N C I S T U L L I A N D W I L L C L A U S S E N , S TA F F W R I T E R S A N D R E W M Y E R S A N D B E N M I N D E R , S TA F F P H O T O G R A P H E R S

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GIRLS TENNIS

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orthview’s girl’s tennis team has had a rough season so far, and are coming into the region tournament as the sixth seed. With many members being out or injured, the team has not been able to play up to its potential until now. With most of the team healthy again and ready to compete for the region title, the girls are looking to be a menace at the tournament and possibly take home the region championship.

“We do have some tough matches this year, but I think that as long as we compete hard and not worry about our opponents and just continue to fight through it then we’ll have a pretty decent season this year,” Alex Agee said.

With some team members coming back after taking a season off, such as Sasha Timokin and Aria Ragas, and some new strong additions such as Korina Limiyani, the lineup is packed with talent and ready to give a full showing for the rest of the season.

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2 BOYS SOCCER 3 A GIRLS LACROSSE T big change came to the boy’s soccer team mid season when Coach Nathan Harrell left to become the head coach at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Georgia. Coach John McCombe took over as head coach which was a tough switch, but the team overall adapted well to the change. The new leadership of Coach McCombe was beneficial in instilling a more positive attitude for the team.

“Switching coaches in the middle of the season was tough for everyone, but the team has responded positively to the change and we have done a good job moving past that,” captain Andrew Grodhaus said.

However, without a strong record right now, the team has set a goal to try and win the rest of their region games this year in a hope to push into the playoffs. At the same time, the team wants to give some of the younger players some field time to help them improve and get adapted to hopefully lead the team in the coming years.

he start of the season for the Lady Titans lacrosse team was rough, with two losses to Johns Creek and Mill Creek. But after refocusing their mindsets on earning their wins instead of hoping they would come, they have propelled themselves to five wins and only one loss since then.

“We really came into games expecting to win, and our mentality was messed up. So following those games we had a big team talk and realized we needed to shift the team mindset to earning and deserving the wins on the field,” captain Sophie Kopec said.

With the new mindset for the team, the girls hope to compete in the playoffs this year and at least get past the first round, possibly even take home the state championship.

S P O RT S 1: Sophomore Sherry Liang hits a forehand in a recent match.

2: Senior Brian Killian shakes his defender at a recent home game.

3: Sophomore Carson Pearson rips a shot at practice.

4: Senior Samuel Cai is ready to return a serve in a recent match.

5: Senior William Webster drives to goal.

6: Junior Taylor Mitchell dribbles down the field at practice.

4BOYS TENNIS T

he boy’s tennis team has had great success this year, only having lost one match so far against rival, Chattahoochee. Even though they will not be going into the region tournament as the top seed, they are still confident in their ability to take the region title and go on to win a state championship this year. A big obstacle for the team though this year that they have had to overcome has been health issues and injuries.

“All of our guys on our team have lost very few matches, and we are now one-hundred percent healthy,” Mathew Terry said.

With the injuries not letting the team perform at their maximum potential up until now, they are finally ready to put in the strongest line-up the team can make in a hope to push through to the championship.

6 GIRLS SOCCER 5 BOYS LACROSSE T T he boys lacrosse team has had a rough season and playoffs do not seem likely. After losing most of their region games and a majority of their wins coming from non-region games, the odds of making the playoffs are not good. This would be the first time in nine years that the Titan’s Lacrosse team is not present in the region playoff bracket.

“There might be a slight chance if we win the rest of our games and the other teams in our region lose a few. But the chances of that are very small, so it looks like we’re not going to the playoffs this year. But the games are still really fun,” Logan Panas said.

The team is hoping though to recover next year and hopefully have a more successful season. With junior captain Kevin Siatkowski returning next year for another season, they are hoping to rebound with the help of his leadership and hopefully make an appearance in the 2017 playoffs.

he girls’ soccer team is stacked with talent and athleticism this year. Even though there are many young players, the team still feels like they have a good chance to succeed this year and even grow as a team even more. With the many new players bring passion and fight to practice and the games, the team has bonded very well.

“It has been difficult with so many young players but overall we have bonded really well and were looking to grow even more,” junior Olivia Mitrovich said.

Although there is a hopeful outcome for our Lady Titans, they are last in the region with three wins, two losses, and one tie game. Their overall goal for the season, however, remains the same, to make the playoffs. With the team improving every week, that goal is not too far out of reach for the team.

THE MESSENGER | 11

profiles: Jeremy Yuan, 11

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highlights

A K S H AY N A I R , S TA F F W R I T E R

eremy Yuan is one of Northview’s premier athletes and a vital part of the men’s varsity tennis team. He played on the varsity team beginning his freshman year at line two, doubles along with then fellow freshman, Joseph Zhang. These two in addition to three other freshmen created a strong 2014 team which won the state championship for the fourth time in school history. As a sophomore, Yuan played line one singles; however, the team lost in the state finals to Walton high school.

“Jeremy is exceptional. Every ball he strikes is clean and hard. He’s always been a very strong player who [the team] could trust at line one,” Varsity tennis captain Will Claussen said.

This season, Yuan retained his slot as the line one singles player. Thus far, the results from the current season have been decent going 8-2; however, there is room for improvement.

Coach Tracy Hefner-Ramage believes that Yuan’s improved mental and physical game which he developed during the school tennis offseason with his private tennis coach will be one of the aspects that can lift the Titans to their fifth state championship.

“He’s grown mentally as he does not get so upset when he misses a couple of shots. Last year he would get upset, but this year his mental game along with his physical game has improved immensely,” Hefner-Ramage said.

Outside of being part of the varsity team, Yuan plays in tournaments as part of the United States Tennis Association and has amassed many titles. Currently, in the boy’s 18 and under section he is seven in Georgia, 13 in the south, and 271 in the nation and is quickly climbing the rankings.

He hopes his tennis accomplishments along with his academic achievements will help him 12

get into h i s desired college.

“I play tennis to help my chances of getting into a better college.

I want to play tennis at Harvard,” Yuan said.

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Former number one in U-16 tennis in Georgia according to United States Tennis Association

1

Varsity state championship with Northview High School in the 2014-2015 school year

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Former number 11 in U-16 tennis in the Southern Region according to United States Tennis Association

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Former number 98 in U-16 tennis in the nation according to United States Tennis Association

S P O RT S

Signing away Senior athletes commit to continue playing in college W I L L C L A U S S E N , S TA F F W R I T E R A N D R E W M Y E R S , S TA F F P H O T O G R A P H E R

JORDAN RIVARD

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ordan Rivard has officially inked his commitment to Emmanuel College, the obvious choice for the long time lacrosse player. With many years of connection to the coach and even playing with him as his coach on travel teams in the past, it gave him leg up. His five years of hard work and dedication to the sport have now paid off and granted him a spot on Emmanuel’s lacrosse team.

“I’ve gotten many emails from coaches to visit, but after a number of them, I knew Emmanuel was my choice,” Rivard said. He is seated along with his teammates.

JOONAS KOSKI

S

wimmer Joonas Koski has officially signed to The Georgia Institute of Technology. After his recruiting trip to Georgia Tech, Koski knew that it was the school for him. After many official visits and fast swims, he was able to narrow down the choices and turn down some schools such as Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, and University of Georgia. After working hard for many years to improve swim times on and off Northview’s Swim team, as well as keep up his GPA, it finally paid off when he signed onto Georgia Tech’s swim team.

“My work ethic is something I pride myself in and that is why the coaches wanted me,” Koski said.

MAKENZIE FLYNT

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erry College at first didn’t seem like the obvious choice for Makenzie Flynt, but after a summer camp for their softball program, she fell in love and knew she wanted to go there.

Her skills on the field and her coach able personality stood out to the coaches and made her an even more desired player. After the long and difficult process, she finally was able to sign and make the process worth the wait.

“It took a lot of time and patience to get here, but it was all worth it in the end,” Flynt said.

Flynt is seated with her family and coaches.

THE MESSENGER | 13

Andrew Myers/STAFF

Harrell bolts Northview Varsity Boys soccer coach takes new college coaching position midway through high school season M A G G I E B R E N A N , S P O RT S E D I T O R

ABOVE: Coach McCombe talks to the team in a practice shortly after Coach Harrell’s departure.

A

fter a regional loss against rivals Johns Creek, head varsity boys soccer Coach Nathan Harrell broke the unfortunate news to his team that he would be vacating his coaching position, effective the following week.

“It was tough. It was definitely one of the hardest things I’ve had to do as a coach,” Harrell said. “Some of them took it pretty hard, as is to be expected, but I think that a part of it was just the quickness of the decision.”

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Harrell was offered a head coaching job for the women’s soccer team at Emmanuel College, in Franklin Springs, Georgia, about an hour away from his current team at Northview.

“I went to Emmanuel and played there for three years, so when the opening came about, my former coach asked me to put in for the job,” Harrell said.

Harrell was notified that he had received the job on Feb 20, announced his decision to his team the following Friday, and sched-

S P O RT S

“It sucked at first. A lot of the guys were pretty attached to him.”

BRIAN KILLIAN uled his departure for March 2. The brevity of this process was due to the pending spring season for his new team at Emmanuel, which was to start on March 3.

The Northview soccer team has since been taken over by Coach John McCombe.

McCombe is not new to the world of Northview soccer, as he was an assistant girls coach in the recent past.

“When Coach Harrell said he was leaving, Coach McDaniel came and talked to me, knowing that I had worked with the girls before, and then I just had to clear a few things, mostly with my family, and they said to go for it for the rest of the season,” McCombe said.

Similarly to many others, McCombe was surprised by Harrell’s decision to uproot in the middle of the season. His focus, though, has been primarily upon both a smooth transition and upon overcoming early hurdles in order to keep the dream of a state playoff appearance alive. “[I was] kind of surprised that the coach was going to leave halfway through the season,” McCombe said. “I just had to get caught up and get the team together, and get caught up with the half season that I had missed already to get the boys ready to play a region game that week.”

Some of the most seasoned varsity players, including Brian Killian, have adjusted well to the change and even see it as positive in hindsight.

“It sucked at first. A lot of the guys were pretty attached to him, but the overall mental health of the team has gone up [since then],” Killian said. “Harrell was a good trainer, but we lacked motivation and we weren’t there mentally, and McCombe has done an excellent job of bringing that into the team.”

Others, though, have felt the transition to be a bit more difficult. The differences in coaching styles between McCombe and

Harrell, combined with a recent losing streak, have given rise to occasional moments of conflict between teammates.

“A lot of players, myself included, were playing for Harrell. As in, if it weren’t for Harrell, I wouldn’t have tried out for soccer this year,” senior Kenny Zhou said. “Because of this […] I lost a lot of motivation to play. So with the different coaching style of McCombe, in addition to our losing streak, many people have yet to adjust to the change.”

As far as Harrell’s teaching job at Northview, the position has been temporarily filled this year, and will be reevaluated next year. His smaller world history classes have been distributed across multiple other

classes of the same subject, and his larger classes have been taken over by a long-term substitute, Mrs. Elliot-Best, a past Social Studies department chair at Northview.

“We have a good connection with teachers as far as world history, the subject that I teach, including Ms. Brownthwaite, Colonel MacDonald, and Coach Dixon, who are all in that same content, so the long term sub is just going to jump right in with them. Content wise it’s going to be the same stuff, but the delivery of it will just have to change a little bit, ” Harrell said.

Although the loss of their coach was a devastating blow to some of the soccer players, their talent and ability to adapt is sure to carry them through the season with only minor bumps and bruises, according to Harrell’s predictions.

“I think that just like at the beginning of any season there will be some growing pains, trying to figure out everybody’s position and their role and stuff, kind of like a preseason,” Harrell said. “I think that overall, we have a lot of good players that have been playing with each other for a while, so I think that they will be able to overcome the biggest hurdles.”

Sophomore Ryan Williams heads a ball away from his goal in a recent home game.

Evan Moody/STAFF

THE MESSENGER | 15

COVER STORY

Northview has a reputation for academic and extracurricular success.

But does that success come at the expense of our mental health?

CONNIE XIAO, FEATURES EDITOR NITHYA MAHAKALA, STAFF WRITER 16

Tiffany Xu/STAFF

THE MESSENGER | 17

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orthview High School is no stranger to being at the top.

In academics, athletics, and extracurriculars, the home of the Titans resides in the upper echelons. Domination, however, is not always a good thing: Northview leads every other Fulton County high school in its annual number of mental health referrals and students in crises. During the most stressful times of the school year, the counseling department may recommend 50-70 students to seek outside help; the range of illnesses encompasses everything from depression to suicidal ideation.

Jacqueline* currently attends Northview as a senior. In her sophomore year, she was diagnosed with depression and general anxiety, conditions that immediately sucked her into their vicious cycle. Depression sapped her of motivation, and anxiety caused her to agonize about her diminished work output. Performing daily activities became a challenge.

“The effort that someone would put into doing a major four-week long project is the effort that I have to put in to wake up in the morning,” Jacqueline said. “I miss a lot of school because of how difficult it is. I get ill, physically. I have fevers, I sometimes throw up.

Just because of how awful I feel.”

Factors that may have caused Jacqueline’s depression include trauma and a family history of mental health issues. The competitive, high-stakes culture at Northview, though not a direct cause of her case of mental health illness, certainly did not improve Jacqueline’s

condition and may have even exacerbated it.

“It didn’t help with my mindset at the time—the standards that Northview has—of how we are expected to reach these grades, do these tests and whatever...The environment didn’t tolerate failure of any kind,” Jacqueline said. “And I was getting B’s; it wasn’t like I was failing. But it felt like I was failing. I get really anxious and upset, because I feel like a failure all the time. And everyone else is doing all these things, and I’m not.”

Northview’s overwhelming preoccu-

I miss a lot of school because of how difficult it is. I get ill, physically. I have fevers, I sometimes throw up. Just because of how awful I feel.

—Jacqueline

pation with grades and the road to college frustrates parents and teachers alike.

Since Principal Brian Downey came into office two years ago, he has steadily worked toward reducing the amount of stress that burdens students by implementing monthly no-homework nights and supporting Beta Club’s annual Stress Awareness Week. Downey is determined to identify and resolve the problems that

impact Northview more than other Fulton County schools.

“I think [our mental health issues are] directly related to this idea that we have, like ‘I’ve got to do more, we’ve got to do more,’” Downey said.

Downey recently visited several 11thgrade AP English Language and Composition classes, where he asked students for their definitions of success. The overwhelming response included some variation of finding happiness or self-fulfillment, but many of the juniors acknowledged that their environment did not foster such positive feelings.

“My definition of success is being satisfied with your own achievements. When [I say that,] it is all comparative to my peers around me. If you have ten coins, and everyone else has forty coins, then you’re poor. Whereas if you have ten coins and everyone around you has five coins, then you’re rich,” junior Joseph Zhang said. “If I wasn’t at Northview, it would be much more different with me being satisfied with my achievements.”

Part of the solution may lie within the faculty. Downey is currently considering a plan for the next school year that would allow teachers to walk through the average student’s school day and experience the stress that they cope with. He hopes that teachers will empathize with the students and alter their teaching styles to help reduce academic burdens and competition.

Northview seems to lack sufficient resources to address the mental health issue

*Jacqueline and Miranda are aliases chosen by the Messenger staff to protect the identities of individuals who prefer to remain anonymous.

Dorothea Dix lobbied for better living conditions for the mentally ill. Her efforts were the first large scale reform movement in the United States.

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Clifford Beers writes A Mind That Found Itself reinvigorating mental institution reform.

Mental Health America was founded to improve attitudes toward mental illness and to improve services for the mentally ill.

The First International Conference on Mental Hygiene with members from 41 countries commenced in Washington D.C. to discuss activism and legislative pushes for new reforms.

Congress passes the National Mental Health Act which created the National Institute of Mental Health.

1840 1908 1909 1930 1946

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15.

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FULTON COUNTY

790 responses

32,118 responses

Students who have seriously considered harming themselves in the past 12 months (2015) 39.3% of Northview students who responded “strongly agree” cited “the demands of schoolwork” as the “most likely reason”

Students who have considered attempting suicide

14.8 Northview Fulton County Georgia 9.3 *Northview’s results were not recorded for the 2013-14 school year

9

‘11

‘12

President John F. Kennedy signs the Community Mental Health Centers Act which called for deinstitutionalization and increased community service

‘13

3%

%

NORTHVIEW

15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8

16.

8%

‘14

The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act officially ends discrimination against both physically and mentally handicapped Americans in all areas of employment.

‘15

The Mental Health Parity Act brings federal regulated equity to health insurance coverage of mental health care.

GEORGIA

629,648 responses

82.5% of Northview students strongly agreed that their school has high standards of achievement, compared to

44% 45%

of Fulton County students of Georgia students

Source: Georgia Department of Education Student Health Survey

The Affordable Care Act mandates mental health equality and expands disorder benefits and federal protections to 62 million Americans.

Bipartisan Mental Health Reform Act aims to integrate physical and mental patient care during annual check ups.

1963 1990 1996 2010 2015

THE MESSENGER | 19

Literature teacher Hayley Conroy leads a practice debate with members of Northview High School’s debate team.

within the student body. With the current budget, the school can only hire one counselor for every 400 students. Especially at a school like Northview, a counselor’s attention overwhelmingly revolves around schoolwork and college applications. “[The counselors] don’t really have the time, nor necessarily the expertise, to deal with mental health type stuff,” Downey said.

“In fact, we have a protocol: basically you make sure that the person is safe. You get Mom, Dad, parent/guardian and then you refer them to outside help. What we primarily do is identify and refer. We don’t really help fix. The counselor is not going to be your therapist.”

The lack of formal training in dealing with mental health issues, even among counselors, may prevent students like Jacqueline from obtaining the accommodations they need. Last year, the staff member in charge of processing 504 forms, which are disability forms that a doctor must sign in order for a student to receive health-related accommodations, did not fulfill Jacqueline’s requests. “[The staff member] acted like she didn’t believe [mental health issues] were real, or that they were important,” Jacqueline said.

Jacqueline wanted to take half of her courses online and half at school so that she would not have to come to school for the entire day. Jacqueline, her parents, her counselor, the staff member in charge of 504 forms, and an assistant principal met to discuss her plan. This time, the assistant principal told Jacqueline that she could not take that plan of action because she had no reason to do so.

“During the meeting, I mentioned that I enjoyed taking my Human Anatomy class, and that I wanted to continue taking it at Northview,” Jacqueline said. “The assistant principal said, ‘The fact that you said you enjoy things is a bit of a red flag for me.’ She didn’t believe I had depression 20

because I could enjoy something. That’s not what depression is.”

Jacqueline pulled out of Northview that semester and was home schooled until Marisa DiSano joined this year as the school’s new Special Services staff member.

DiSano was more sympathetic to Jacqueline’s needs, and she was able to get Jacqueline the schedule and teachers she needed upon her return to Northview.

Although Jacqueline’s school schedule no longer poses an issue, she frequently feels too unwell to go to school. On such days, Jacqueline’s mother, Miranda*, who has also experienced her own mental health challenges, emails her daughter’s teachers to collect missed assignments.

Jacqueline’s mental health condition worries Miranda constantly; everyday, she wonders which Jacqueline will wake up: one that feels okay, or one that feels terrible. Some days, Jacqueline will wake up angry and argue with her father, who does not believe that Jacqueline has a real illness. Yet, since Jacqueline was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, she and her siblings have gotten closer.

“I have a really great family. They all rallied around me,” Jacqueline said.

Jacqueline can also find solace in her friends, most of whom also cope with some form of mental health problem.

They understand that she must sometimes cancel plans, because she cannot muster the energy that day.

“We don’t know day to day if Jacqueline is feeling well enough to participate in family activities or other social situations,” Miranda said. “She has canceled some activities with family and friends in the past.

It doesn’t matter if she really wanted to go, when her anxiety is high, it is truly difficult for her to participate.”

Jacqueline also knows of some families who do not recognize mental health prob-

Tiffany Xu/STAFF

lems or support their child. Despite the fact that mental health problems affect roughly one in five adults in the United States (according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness), not everyone acknowledges the conditions as true illnesses.

“There are a lot of [public service announcements] like ‘These are the symptoms of the flu! If your child has the flu, take them to the doctor,’” Jacqueline said. “But no ones knows the symptoms of depression.”

When Jacqueline began to show signs of depression and anxiety, her parents did not know what happened. Attributing her mood swings and sudden refusal to attend school to normal teenage rebellion, they argued frequently with Jacqueline until they received diagnoses of depression and anxiety from multiple psychiatrists.

“We soon realized that [Jacqueline’s condition] wasn’t normal. Her inability to

get out of bed at times and the panic attacks became debilitating,” Miranda said. “I did a lot of research online to see if any other parents were dealing with the mood swings and high anxiety. I found out that a lot of families are affected by this to some degree.”

In fact, even staff members experience the same difficulties. Hayley Conroy, a 10th and 11th grade literature teacher at Northview, knows the symptoms all too well, and she hopes to use her experiences to help her students.

Conroy went through her high school experience failing to recognize her symptoms of a possible mental disorder. Instead, she dismissed her stress and tension as the typical problems of any student her age.

“It was difficult because, for a long time, I didn’t see my anxiety as something that was unique to me,” Conroy said. “I just saw situa-

tions that I let overwhelm me, rather than seeing that I had a behavior pattern that was unhealthy.”

It was not until young adulthood that a close friend identified the source of Conroy’s severe reactions to stressful circumstances.

“My best friend told me that when she felt like she viewed something as moderately stressful, it would be something I would shut down to,” Conroy said. “And I wasn’t really aware of that difference between her and me until I was a young adult.”

At the age of 23, Conroy was medically diagnosed with panic disorder, a particular variety of anxiety disorder. Panic disorder is a psychiatric problem in which debilitating anxiety and fear arise frequently and without reasonable cause. It is often characterized with sudden periods of intense fear and feelings of losing control.

Conroy’s panic and anxiety petrified her. At their worst, they sent her spiraling into depression.

“I like this word called analysis paralysis,” Conroy said. “It’s where you’re so overwhelmed that you feel frozen because you’ve got so many things in your mind that you’re stressed about and you can’t see how to proceed.”

Pinpointing her disorder did not bring about feelings of anger and disappointment, but rather relief and reassurance.

“I don’t necessarily need a label, but knowing that this is a classifiable thing that other people have was like ‘God I knew it!’,” Conroy said. “It gave a name to something that I’d been struggling with my whole life.”

The diagnosis did not come as a full surprise to her; Conroy’s relatives also had their own struggles with mental health. Her great-grandmother dealt with schizophrenia, and her uncle THE MESSENGER | 21

has bipolar disorder. Conroy was genetically predisposed to anxiety, and she attributes the illness to growing up in a household where most of the people had their own anxiety problems as a major underlying source.

The detection of the disorder, however, came with its own set of problems. One of the toughest barriers Conroy had to break through was the negative connotation typically associated with mental health, especially when it came from a surprising source: her own parents.

“I would have to say the most salient way that it has affected me is that my parents view mental health as kind of a stigma,” Conroy said.

Although close relatives of the family had their own issues with mental health, Conroy’s parents had a hard time adjusting to the idea that their daughter now also a member of that category.

“It’s so real and it’s so physical and so if anyone understands that mental health is a real thing that should be treated like another kind of health, it should be my mom and dad,” Conroy said. “And to some extent they do, but it wasn’t enough at the beginning.”

They agreed with Conroy’s decision to attend therapy with hesitation and reluctance.

“I remember when I told my parents that I was in therapy, their immediate response was like ‘what did we do to screw you up?’,” Conroy said. “Like only really messed up people go to therapy, and you only go to therapy if you’re all over the place and crazy.”

Conroy, however, refused to let her parents’ views about counseling stop her from attending.

Today, Conroy credits Cognitive Behavioral

Therapy (CBT) for making a positively significant difference in her life.

“It made me analyze the behavioral patterns and realize that it wasn’t really about the situation,” Conroy said. “It was more about how I was handling these situations. So that really, really helped me.”

The six months she spent in therapy helped Conroy manage her panic and anxiety disorder in more positive and self-reflective ways. Today, she continues to apply everything discussed in counseling to situations in her life.

Mental health is a real thing that should be treated like another kind of health.

—Hayley Conroy

In her classroom, Conroy attempts to incorporate her own experience with mental health by providing a safe space for students and peers to talk about their own problems and by trying to break the stigma associated with it.

“I think it’s kind of just an amazing gift to be at Northview because so many of our students deal with high levels of anxiety and depression,” Conroy said. “I feel like that’s one area where I can sort of help students understand that you’re not going through this alone.”

Her students notice her efforts and appreciate the positive atmosphere that Conroy creates

in her room. Conroy’s teaching style allows them to have a better understanding of literature by relating it to the outside world.

“She does meditation days where she lets us sit or put our heads down and take a break from all the stress we have from school, and I think she does her best to not overwhelm us with work and stuff like that,” sophomore Ashley Kim said.

Conroy’s colleagues also see her as open and agreeable co-worker, and a person who anyone can come to for personal advice.

“She treats her students all like humans, not like they’re lesser,” 12th-grade literature teacher Tara Davis said. “And she refuses to be defined by her disorder.”

Conroy’s experience with mental health has been full of hurdles, but she avoids viewing her disorder as a flaw.

“Instead of saying get rid of your disorder, you should be saying it’s like a double-edged coin or sword,” Conroy said. “You can’t just take away that thing that’s a part of who you are.”

For Jacqueline, Conroy, and millions of Americans, mental health issues play a significant role in their daily life.

Like any illness, mental health issues require treatment, which may come in the form of special accommodations, medication, and therapy.

In order for them to get what they need, their illnesses must first be acknowledged.

“Sometimes you feel so alone. That no one understands what you’re going through.

But there are people that understand. It’s more common than you think, mental health issues,” Jacqueline said. “There just needs to be better education, more out there for parents to read and know about. We need more education showing them that it is real.”

crisis intervention hotline

1-800 273 8255 22

National Alliance on Mental Illness

Mental Health America of Georgia

Support group system that meets from 4:00-5:30 on the first and third Sunday at Perimeter Church, Johns Creek each month to connect with both adults and students diagnosed with mental illnesses.

Community-based nonprofit aimed at addressing the needs of those with mental illnesses and to promote overall mental health.

scan this QR code for

additional resources

FEATURES

Writers’ Digest

L’incontro Restaurant The Messenger’s monthly food review C ON N I E X I A O, F E A T U R E S E D I T O R

F

or those looking for a quick bite before a movie, L’incontro Restaurant is a reliable place to find authentic Italian food. Homemade pastas feature prominently on the menu, accompanied by separately priced Italian sauces that cannot be found at any neighborhood Olive Garden.

The modestly-sized restaurant seems to sport a year-round Christmas theme; pine boughs, decked with lights, adorn the walls. Combined with hanging glass decorations and candlelit tables, the setup creates an inviting space.

L’incontro’s calamari was not chewy at all, and the soft flesh gave easily to the lightly crunchy batter. The large bowl of aioli that accompanied it, however, would only be justified if the portion of calamari given were not so small. The charcuterie and cheese platter had the opposite problem; portion sizes were large, but the slabs of mozzarella and cured meats disappointed in its quality.

The main draw at L’incontro seems to be its pastas. The restaurant offers a vari-

ety of pasta, from classics like spaghetti and linguini to savory options like lobster and spinach raviolis. The sauces range from a simple marinara to a rich cream, prosciutto, and mushroom sauce.

The linguini nero di seppia featured an ingredient that is rarely seen in Johns Creek: squid ink. The briny solution, thinned with oil, stained the perfectly al-dente noodles and chewy squid pieces an opaque black, coloring the lips and any other surface it brushed against. The spaghetti frutti di mare featured a fresh tomato sauce infused with the savory flavors of seafood that topped the pasta in abundance. This dish was the star of the night in terms of flavor, but the overcooked spaghetti prevented the dish from achieving greater heights.

L’incontro Restaurant is worth a stop for its authentic pasta dishes. Prices across the board, however, are higher than the those of the average chain Italian restaurant, and portion sizes are generally smaller.

CHARCUTERIE & CHEESE

L’ I N C O N T RO R E S TA U R A N T 9700 Medlock Bridge Rd, Ste. 186 Johns Creek, GA 30097 (470) 767-8403 This article is not sponsored

by L’incontro Restaurant.

All photos by Bryan Liang/STAFF

CALAMARI

LINGUINI NERO DI SEPPIA

SPAGHETTI FRUTTI DI MARE THE MESSENGER | 23

Hui Lin/STAFF

24

O P I N I ON S

Time out The importance of mental health days to student well-being SNEHA GUBBALA, MANAGING EDITOR

A

dministrators and teachers often health days serve a higher purpose. Just as students to “play hooky.” By claiming that hold a preconceived notion re- one’s body requires rest after strenuous ac- mental health days are unwarranted, critgarding students choosing to take tivity, one’s mind requires relief, even brief- ics of such days are inherently acting upon days off, usually involving a Bueller-es- ly, in order to continue working at an effi- the ableist view that mental illnesses are que montage of parading around town cient level. To forbid such relief ultimately not true physiological concerns. Students in a youthful blaze of glory. The truth inhibits students’ productivity, rather than may miss school for ailments like stomach is often much less light-hearted, as stu- operating at a consistently high-achiev- viruses and fevers, yet if they choose to redents–especially those at Northview–are ing level, students instead falter under the main home for their own mental well-being, they appear apathetic togenerally reluctant to miss wards their academic success, school, fearing the deluge of thus revealing society’s deepmakeup work awaiting their Schools and students alike must instead seek er bias against neuroatypical return. As such, students to normalize the practice of students staying people and issues. Mental force themselves to attend illnesses are physiological school regardless of the state home from school to allow themselves a brief concerns that involve hard of their health, a practice respite from the often debilitating anxiety science, contrary to popular that inevitably proves harmbelief, and require treatment ful to the general well-being induced by a competitive school environment. based in hard science, just as of students. Rather than alany other physical illness. strain of school-related stress, succumbing low such a cycle to continue, schools and

Mental health days are more than a to procrastination and demotivation.

Stustudents alike must instead seek to nortrivial excuse to avoid schoolwork and dents lose their desire to learn and instead malize the practice of students staying home from school to allow themselves a view schoolwork as a detriment to their exams. Instead, they allow students a reprieve from the strenuous environment brief respite from the often debilitating health and to their lives in general. anxiety induced by a competitive school This disregard for students’ mental of school, and a chance to focus on their health indicates the larger issue of triv- own health and well-being, thereby alenvironment.

Although such absences may appear ializing mental illness, relegating it to lowing them to work at their maximum lazy or frivolous to many teachers, mental nothing more than a superficial excuse for potential.

THE MESSENGER | 25

faceoff should we self diagnose mental illness should we self diagnose mental illness should we we self self diagnose mental mental illness illness should we self diagnose mental illness should we self diagnose should we self diagnose mental illness should we self diagnose mental illness should we self diagnose mental illness should we self diagnose mental 26

O P I N I ON S

yes A N D R E W T E O D O R E S C U, O P I N I O N S E D I T O R

P

sychiatrists and psychologists are licensed experts in their fields who have undergone years of training and education in matters of mental health; these experts, and these experts alone should be trusted to give official diagnoses of mental illnesses. It is even fair to say that a diagnosis implies the participation of a medical doctor, and that a “self-diagnosis” is a misnomer.

Self-diagnosis of mental illnesses is rather unreliable, and not all too useful. Firstly, the patient (in this case, the person diagnosing himself) may assume the worst. Even if the patient does extensive research on his suspected condition given his symptoms, he could overlook or exaggerate his symptoms to fit the definition of the illness that he suspects he has.

If the patient actually does have a mental illness, that patient’s own subjective perception

of reality may also make him unknowingly conclude an incorrect self-diagnosis. The patient may mistake a thyroid problem or a vitamin D deficiency for depression.

Self-speculation is the closest to a diagnosis that a patient should ever be safely able to make. Self-speculation involves the patient’s collection of observations of his symptoms, the patient’s hypothesis of his mental illness, and the patient’s analysis and potential confirmation of his hypothesized mental illness by a medical doctor. In this three step process, the last step is by far the most important step that sets self-speculation apart from self-diagnosis.

Self-speculation allows the patient to be an active, potentially constructive participant in his own mental health by making observations and allowing a medical doctor to interpret and diagnose the observed symptoms. Without

the involvement of a licensed mental health professional, the necessary treatment and care cannot be carried out. A self-diagnosis would be futile without the necessary treatment.

Treatments vary by diagnosis and may include a combination of talk therapy, medication, or other methods of therapy. A patient’s caregivers will track his or her progress and continue to alter or maintain the patient’s treatment based on what they believe will most benefit the patient. A patient alone cannot make the necessary choices and decisions on how to best combat his or her illness; input from trained professionals is vital to the well-being of the patient. Although self-speculation can be a stepping stone towards recovery, self-diagnoses cannot and should not be relied on by any person who believes they may be suffering from a mental illness.

no M A H I M A P I R A N I , S TA F F W R I T E R

M

ental illnesses are illnesses. Real, scientific, medical illnesses that require real, scientific, medical attention.

Just like other types of illnesses, mental illnesses can only be properly detected and diagnosed by a specialist; also much like other illnesses, mental illnesses—if left undiagnosed or misdiagnosed—can have drastic, sometimes fatal, repercussions.

So why is it that when our throats are sore or our appendixes are throbbing, we have no qualms immediately rushing to the doctor, but when we are imprisoned by our own minds, struggling day after day to function like our peers, we shrug it off as exhaustion or a bad mood? And why is it that when our peers come to school with casts or stitches, we have only sympathy and understanding to offer, but when reporting mental illnesses, we dismiss them as desperate or dramatic?

This stigma against mental illnesses inhibits proper detection, diagnosis, and treatment, and is relentlessly propagated by our tenden-

cy to self-diagnose.When we self-diagnose we are essentially trivializing the several relevant nuances of mental disorders that a specialist would use to diagnose the illness and treat it properly; much like cancer is not diagnosed by body aches, depression is not diagnosed by sadness, but rather by a prolonged and dangerous chemical imbalance in the brain.

By ignoring these nuances, we over-simplify and invalidate the real, scientific, and medical process of diagnosis that mental disorders demand. Until we start treating mental disorders clinically, we cannot expect to reverse the stigma that they are not clinical.

Often times, though, we do not realize that we are trivializing the disorder and diminishing the role of the medicine behind the diagnosis. A student may color-code his/ her planner, or orient all of his/her books the same way, but until his mental, chemical, and behavioral patterns are monitored and analyzed, we cannot distinguish between him/her and an obsessive-compulsive disorder patient,

and we should not try to. We should not jump to conclusions that we do not have the scientific evidence to draw, because by jokingly diagnosing this student with OCD, we are not only insulting those who truly struggle from the disorder, but we are also reinforcing the notion that mental illness is simply the punchline to a crude joke, that a mental disorder is tantamount in medical urgency to a behavioral quirk, that disorders in our minds do not deserve the understanding and sympathy that disorders anywhere else evoke.

This slovenly treatment of mental illnesses is dangerous. Whether we shrug off disorders as “bad moods” or equate the two, we are ignorantly partaking in the propagation of a stereotype that disgraces those diagnosed with serious illnesses and withholds much-needed medical attention from those left undiagnosed. We must be held accountable for our jokes, our judgments, and our labels, as these words tossed around errantly have far-reaching, even fatal, repercussions.

THE MESSENGER | 27

O P I N I ON S

S TA F F E D I TO R I A L

I

Let ‘em in!

n response to a brutal civil war and genocide, over 4.5 million people have fled the war-torn country of Syria in search of a peaceful enclave. Among the countries most fit to accept refugees, the United States appears to be the fittest. However, the nation has only accepted some 3,000 refugees to date, a number unacceptably small considering our nation’s vast land and resources.

Many people point to the recent acts of terrorism in France and Belgium as the main drivers of this embarrassing statistic; however, the substance of these fears would lead one to believe that they are more so backed by the xenophobic sentiments of politicians, not candid security concerns. Out of the 859,629 refugees admitted into the nation since 2001, only three have been convicted on terrorism-related charges. Of course it is unsettling that three terrorists were able to make it into the country, but keep in mind that it is only three out of 859,629. Following this same probability would indicate that it is highly unlikely for a terrorist to hide within the expected refugee population.

Furthermore, this is America, the land of the free. Inscribed on the Statue of Liberty are the famous words, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” Are those words suddenly meaningless?

The United States was built on the spirit of the unconditional right to immigrate, and to suddenly deny that opportunity to helpless refugees would not only be shameful, but un-American. Refugees have often revitalized

28

the nation’s innovation and entrepreneurial potential. To deny them admission to the country would not only deny them the right to the American dream, but it would also impede the development of our future economy. It is woefully ironic that the politicians and activists preaching “heritage, not hate” in an attempt to condone the flying of Confederate flags are now the same people refusing to accept refugees, despite it being something this nation has done throughout history. One could even argue that the stakes were higher when the spread of deadly diseases like smallpox and typhus fever was inevitable.

The lackluster attempt to compromise made by those opposed to the acceptance of refugees has been the most galling part of this controversy. The call for the acceptance of only Christian refugees, not allowing men to enter the country, or banning all Muslims from entering the country is more shameful than not allowing any refugees at all.

The solution is not simple, but it is straightforward: allow the Syrian refugees to immigrate to the United States. The situation in Europe is fundamentally different from that of the United States, and to accept the two as one would be grossly negligent. The current system for accepting refugees has proven itself abundantly effective. If it were not for a certain xenophobic right-wing campaign fueled by media hype, the United States could more fluidly accept these huddled masses of Syrian refugees looking to escape terrorism. It is not just the right thing to do, but it is the American thing to do.

COMMENTS

Cracking the code to computer science courses The lack of computer science course offerings in high schools nationwide has left young Americans unprepared for the growing labor demands for programmers.

A N D R E W T E O D O R E S C U, O P I N I ON S E D I T O R

T

he soaring boom of the technology industry in recent years has left many education officials and legislators nationwide scratching their heads in search of a reasonable response. Fortunately, some of these responses are level-headed, as legislation has been pushed in scattered states to allow for the creation of more computer science classes. And although computer programming is being welcomed with open arms in some schools in some states, just ten percent of schools nationwide are teaching computer science classes, according to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

This nationwide lack of computer science classes can be accounted for, at least partially, by the confusing nature of computer science as a relatively new field. High school programming courses require a basic understanding of mathematics, and memorizing syntax is similar to learning a new language, but students are not exactly learning either of those topics when programming. However, some outdated legislators believe that computer science classes should be counted as core mathematics or foreign language credits. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal has pushed such a condition, to allow computer programming courses to satisfy core requirements, for the past two years.

Legislators’ attempts to package computer science curriculum into one of the existing core areas are well-intentioned, but they expose the major disconnect between the public education system and the demands of the labor market. A 37.5 percent growth rate is expected in the “computer systems design and related services” industry between 2012 and 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of course, schools should not churn out students with the sole purpose of meeting the demands of the labor market. Students should still be able to dream about being lawyers and veterinarians, even though those jobs will experience significantly slower growth compared to jobs in computer science. Lawyers and veterinarians are attractive career options for high schoolers who learn about law in their history classes and who dissect animals in their anatomy classes. But programming course opportunities for most students in American public schools are far and few between, and it is nearly impossible for computer science to gain traction among students who are not familiar with the field and are not required to take such courses.

In a statement made in 2013 to a Senate committee, Microsoft’s vice president of legal and corporate affairs noted that both the skill level and the number of American programmers are insufficient to match the demands of the domestic computer science industry. All but the top American colleges are producing, relative to international colleges, lackluster programmers because most American high school students lack a strong computer science background upon entering college. Currently, only one Advanced Placement computer science course exists, with a second one under development. In Georgia, high schools are not required to teach these courses, nor do they have to offer any simpler computer science courses.

The horribly inefficient and outdated responses to the technology industry boom must be reworked in American public schools, and the burden of such a task falls in the hands of legislators. American students must be able to meet the demands of the growing labor market. More computer science courses, more skilled teachers, and the addition of computer science as a core credit area are necessary changes to public high schools. Anything less would leave American students behind in the world of programming, scrambling to catch up to the rest of the world.

THE MESSENGER | 29

music

C O LU M N S

C A RO L I N E P E N N I N G T O N , S TA F F W R I T E R

True Sadness

Avett Brot hers

Ariana Grande

Dangerous Woman Ariana Grande’s latest single, “Dangerous Woman,” unlike many of her other recent releases that showcase her talented vocal range, takes on a more R&B feel. The rhythm and vocal pattern sound similar to Tove Lo’s “Talking Body,” but Grande climbs the scales in order to stand out amongst other pop princes and princesses. The shift in the artist’s material follows the same path as those of similar singers, such as Selena Gomez: these artists’ lyrics have been quickly progressing in order to leave behind their reputations as children’s TV show stars and prove that they deserve a stronghold in the pop music industry.

30

The Avett Brothers, a folk rock group with bluegrass and country influences, recently announced the release of their newest album. The announcement was made in a letter written by Seth Avett, one of the frontmen, and published on the band’s website. This will be the band’s ninth album and the first since 2013. The band originated in North Carolina in the late ‘90s with just the two brothers and continued to grow in popularity throughout the next two decades. Since the members are all now in their 30s and 40s, they decided to produce an album that would tell of the influences that life and music have had in that time. Their songs have always shared messages about choosing to do the right thing, the importance of self-knowledge, and the impact of life’s ups and downs on a person. Fans eagerly awaiting the album will have their anticipation relieved when the band tours the country in April.

Sia ft. Sean Paul

Cheap Thrills In Sia’s latest released album, the song “Cheap Thrills” keeps things fresh by maintaining her usual sound and featuring fellow artist Sean Paul. Sia’s signature high voice and electronic beats definitely meet and exceed her fans’ expectations. This was Sia’s seventh studio album and carried a host of impressive producers to ensure that it would not only be an airwave hit but also a quality album.

fashion

C O LU M N S

C ON N I E X U, D E S I G N E D I T O R

03.

06.

spotlight on: Courrèges 01.

04.

07.

02.

05.

André Courrèges was one of the many revolutionary fashion designers that changed the course of fashion in the 1960s. After founding his fashion house in 1961, he debuted his angular cuts and heavyweight fabrics, evidently tinged with a modernist influence. As he progressed, his fashions became more and more bizarre when they were accompanied by white goggles, silver helmets, and - his new invention gogo boots. These new styles became part of the “Space Age” movement and were quickly followed with designs by Pierre Cardin and Paco Rabanne. The beauty of Courrèges comes from its courageousness and the big impact that such subtle minimalism can create. Today, even after his unfortunate passing, Courrèges continues its iconic styles that still look beyond its time and out of this world.

08.

01. topshop unique SS16 02. neil halstead & rachel goswell of slowdive 03. my bloody valentine 04. the jesus and mar y chain 05. brett anderson of suede 06. siouxsie sioux 07. members of my bloody valentine & lush 08. manic street preachers

THE MESSENGER | 31

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