Volume 13, Issue 3

The Omniscient Volume 13 Issue 3 May 2020

Points of Interest

Senior Photos Look Different This Year

SHANNON FULK/NBC NEWS

SENIORS ARE MISSING OUT on end-of-year traditions due to COVID-19. p. 3

GRACE LEONARD/THE OMNISCIENT

NEW WASTEWATER TREATMENT PROPOSAL upsets Briar Chapel residents. p. 7

Three members of Northwood’s Class of 2020, Aaron Ross (top left), Alexis Barnes (top right) and Grace Miller (bottom) provided The Omniscient with photos of themselves wearing face masks. Many graduates across the country have sported their own masks with their graduation caps and gowns this Spring, a trend that Staff Writer Caroline Conte has commemorated in a photo of herself on this issue’s cover. Northwood seniors are invited to receive their diplomas and take pictures in a drive-thru-style graduation on campus June 10 and 11. A traditional ceremony is scheduled for early August.

OMNISCIENT PRINT EDITORS Caroline Kallam, Chase Miller ONLINE EDITOR Emma Pollard

ETHAN WESTMORELAND/THE OMNISCIENT

FUTURE OF HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS remains uncertain in wake of COVID-19. p. 9

STAFF WRITERS Allyson Dinius Grace Leonard Ethan Westmoreland Caroline Conte Ian Rivera-Lopez

3 News & Features

How COVID-19 is Affecting High School Seniors Nationwide

By Caroline Conte Staff Writer In the face of school closures nationwide due to the coronavirus, life for most students has continued on– just indoors.

Students have migrated online to stream lectures, attend courses, take tests, and complete everyday assignments, likely for the remainder of the year. The pandemic has forced campuses to abruptly close schools until further notice in a matter of days, making these unexpected final moments of the academic year especially bittersweet.

For soon-to-be graduates in both high school and college, the pandemic threatens to impact several meaningful milestones. Events like graduation, prom, grad night, and other end-of-year celebrations that would’ve brought together family and friends before they move onto the next chapter of their lives may be postponed or canceled. These students didn’t have the chance to say proper goodbyes or make the most of what should’ve been their final days on campus.

Here are three high school seniors on how they came to terms with COVID-19 affecting their final academic year, what commencement celebrations mean to them, and their hopes for the future.

Melanie Rodrigez is a student at East Chapel Hill High School: “It felt like a really hard and sudden break-up when I was told this was my last day of classes for the time being. We didn’t expect it to happen. I actually distanced myself for a few days after and didn’t respond to any texts or calls from my friends because I couldn’t accept that was how my year was possibly going to be over. I didn’t want to lash out or have a breakdown in front of them. I’m in a group chat with other seniors, including the class president, and we’re thinking of doing a big mural in front of our school as a gift to the class

of 2020. Regardless of what happens, we want to have something to commemorate what happened during our senior year.”

Kacie Green is a student at Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana.

“The day before our theater class was supposed to load all our props and equipment into where we were supposed to perform, our school announced that all extracurricular activities on campus would be canceled until April. At the time, we still had to go to school. But the next day, we were told that we would be out of school for the next three weeks and now, schools are closed indefinitely.”

Kirsten Forristal is a student at Mamaroneck High School in Mamaroneck, New York.

“I am among the millions of students in this country not able to walk across the stage on graduation day and celebrate my achievements with the people I love. It has been really hard but I have tried to find the positivity in all of this. I am thankful that I am healthy, I don’t have to worry about losing my job or not being able to pay rent like many others. In some way, this worldwide pandemic has brought us together and knowing my generation, we will come up with a way to make up for our losses.”

A longer version of this aritcle was originally published on The Omniscient’s website in April 2020.

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-Created by Grace Leonard, Staff Writer

May 2020

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Photo courtesy of Tonny Tran

Beat the Boredom: Games, projects and entertainment ideas for students at home

By Grace Leonard Staff Writer So you’ve been stuck at home for over a month, you have been bored out of your mind for days on end, you are getting sick of social media, and now you mostly just lie around all day when you aren’t doing schoolwork which has messed up your sleep schedule a bit. First of all you are not alone, but now it’s time to get creative with activities to do.

for your subject or turning the shoot into a collage– the possibilities are endless.

For the art student: For those of you who are creative and struggling to find an outlet, here are some ideas that just might help quench your creative thirst. The top one on the list is bullet journaling because it is a way to be both creative and organized. If you have never bullet journalled before you can purchase one on amazon and to get you started there are plenty of great ideas on Pinterest. The next idea is to create a mood board which will enable you to express your feelings through pictures and colors. Again if this is something you’ve never done before an easy way to make one is through the website Canva. Here is a tutorial for a Canva mood board to help you get started. Another activity is to create your own photoshoot. The only thing you need is your phone and anything that sparks your interest as a good subject.

Get as creative as you want here by setting up a background

For the social butterfly: You are probably missing hanging out with your friends and who can blame you? To stay in contact and keep yourself busy you can set up virtual activities with your friends. If you have a group of people who are all as bored as you, you could set up a virtual book club with regularly scheduled online meetings.

Or if you just want to chat you could host a zoom meeting with all of the people you are missing. Now is also the perfect time to call your relatives and check up on them.

For the intellectual: Some of you might be missing school a little bit and maybe you feel like you aren’t learning as much in online school. To combat that learning loss there are many things you can do to For the athlete: keep your brain busy. For starters it never hurts to learn a new If you are missing your sport and still want to get some ex- language. You can pick a language and start learning online ercise, many trainers have posted some at-home-no-equipment with duolingo. Duolingo is a website and app that slowly teachworkouts. Some really great ones are Hasfit and Obi Vincent. es you a new language of your choice; you always start with If you aren’t looking for heavy exercise but still want to get the basics. If you prefer more hands on learning try doing some your blood flowing daily, yoga is a great break from lounging science experiments. There are countless youtube walkthroughs on the couch. If you haven’t done much yoga and need somefor many different at home experiments but I recommend doing one to walk you through it Yoga With Adriene is a youtube the messy ones in your yard. Maybe you don’t want to learn channel that features many different types of yoga for different anything new but you still want to challenge your brain. A fun parts of the body. If you would rather not have a video you can way to do that is with a difficult puzzle. It’s okay if you don’t go here where there is a variety of yoga poses with pictures and have any physical puzzles at home because you can visit jiginstructions on how to complete each one properly. sawexplorer.com or download Puzzle Crown on your phone.

A longer version of this aritcle was originally published on The Omniscient’s website May 1, 2020.

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May 2020

Big-Name Brands with Economic and Environmental Fallout

By Caroline Kallam, Co-Print Editor & Emma Pollard, Online Editor In our society today, brands make up the majority of our lives. From refrigerators to clothing to shoes, everything we use has a label plastered noticeably someplace or another. But what happens when these almost idolized brands are revealed to be something less than appealing? Here are some problematic brands that you should know about.

TOMS Shoes: TOMS Shoes, though idolized by many people for being an amazing brand that donates a pair of shoes when you buy a pair, is actually not as perfect as you may think. The front the company puts forth of being some great, charitable company is, for the most part, false, and they are taking away from local villages within the countries they donate to.

Let’s look at numbers. A pair of TOMS shoes cost about $4 to make. They sell these shoes at around $60 and donate another $4 pair of shoes to, according to TOMS.com, “people in need.” So, for every pair of shoes sold, the company makes around $52 of profit. TOMS made 336 million dollars off of this practice last year alone.

The shoes TOMS actually donates take away from local businesses in African villages, slowly decreasing the independence and economy of these people. This ‘Fairy Godmother’ mentality is just a front; these people don’t actually need western shoes when they are perfectly fine on their own.

“The one-for-one model can undermine local producers,” Acton’s Michael Mathson Miller said. “When you give free things, why would you buy local shoes?”

Overall, TOMS’ entire campaign is misleading.

LulaRoe/MLMs LulaRoe, one of the biggest clothing trends in the late 2010’s with their colorful leggings and mom-oriented clothing styles, is one of the more unfavorable multi-level marketing (or MLM) companies to ever exist. They traditionally seek out middle-aged women to become their bottom-level sellers, send them large quantities of poorly maintained items and often trap them in dependent debt.

One of LulaRoe’s main slogans when recruiting sellers is that they offer a “part-time job with full-time pay.” Women who are mothers usually fall into this scheme, possibly wanting a little extra money to support their families without actually going to a full-time job. According to sellers interviewed by Vice News, LulaRoe promises that the sellers will start out making $10,000 a month and may eventually be able to make $50,000 as they recruit more people and move up the ranks.

Though this company may seem like the perfect career for people who want to make easy money outside of the traditional market, more sellers end up losing money than earning it. A starter inventory costs $5000 alone, and you are encouraged to keep buying inventory until you have hundreds of pieces in stock to move up in the company.

Still, LulaRoe has so far made over 2.3 billion dollars in sales since their company first opened in 2012. It was founded

by Deanna Brady and Mark Stidham, and is currently based in

Corona, California. However, the couple has come under fire for hiding millions of dollars from creditors who have since filed lawsuits against the company.

“The quicker you rise the harder you fall,” Courtney Harwood, former LulaRoe consultant interviewed by Vice News said. She was doing very well off, going on cruises and getting a car from the company, but now, is forced to sell her home.

“To get our bonus checks, we would have to buy enough inventory.”

Not only was there an overflow of inventory, there was also an unexpected surprise when unloaded by sellers.

“My orders would smell disgusting,” Deborah Goldman said, another seller interviewed by Vice News. “I would sometimes open bags and they’d be wet.”

But it’s up to you, the consumer, to determine whether or not to invest in MLMs. Is it worth the money? Or will your high drop to an extreme low in a matter of days?

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola was named The World’s Biggest Polluter for the second year in a row according to #breakfreefromplastic, a global movement to reduce massive pollution specifically regarding plastic around the world. The company owns Sprite, Fanta, Schweppes, Appletiser, Dasani, Smartwater, Powerade along with many other household-name brands. Because of the negative economic impact Coca-Cola knows they have created, they made new plans and promises to reduce the harmful environmental mark due to their products.

“We are pleased with our progress against some of our goals, while recognizing that more needs to be done in other areas,” James Quincey the CEO and Chairman of Coca-Cola said. “We will continue to take action and grow our business the right way—not the easy way.”

The individual companies within Coca-Cola have also gained a reputation. For example, a video was discovered in 2019 of Fairlife workers abusing the cows that produce their product. Popularity for the product began to decrease until Fairlife responded.

A landmark lawsuit by the Plastic Pollution Coalition and Earth Island Institute has been filed in California against all of the aforementioned corporations and several other major food, beverage, and consumer product companies. The groups are suing for damages to repair the problem of plastic waste and the companies failed to warn consumers about the dangers of plastics. Now businesses are looking for alternative packaging solutions. Due to the exposure, Coca-Cola has become aware of the environmental damage they have created with their packaging. They have made new promises and commitments to improve the way the company affects the environment “We aim to make our global packaging 100% recyclable by 2025. We plan to collect and recycle a bottle or can for every one we sell by 2030,” the Coca-Cola Company said. “Because every package should have more than one life.”

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Water Treatment Plan Sparks Controversy in Briar Chapel

By Grace Leonard, Staff Writer

About 127 Northwood students who live in the Briar Chapel neighborhood are currently experiencing tensions caused by the disagreements between Old North State Water Company and the Briar Chapel community. Old North oversees management regarding the Briar Chapel Wastewater Treatment Plant and it is partnered with Envirolink who operates the plant. They have proposed an idea to integrate Fearrington Village wastewater into the Briar Chapel treatment plant.

For Briar Chapel residents, concerns about the project are abundant and the opposition to the plant integration is increasing.

“Community wastewater processing plants are not sited or designed as regional facilities,” said Rusty Fields, a Briar Chapel resident and media representative for the neighborhood.

“Any expansion of the Briar Chapel facility to accept additional wastewater for more development would only add to an already unacceptable situation.”

What Fields calls an “already unacceptable situation” refers to the substandard condition of the plant due to lack of maintenance efforts by Envirolink.

“Additionally, reclaimed wastewater irrigation in Briar Chapel is already causing environmental, odor, health and damage problems,” Fields said.

While Fields has taken the role of media representative, much of the neighborhood has expressed concern about the situation. In an email blast sent to residents, the Briar Chapel Community Association stated that “based on the poor performance of ONSWC as the wastewater treatment provider to Briar Chapel that includes multiple sewage spills, property damage, nuisance odors, and health concerns – the BCCA Board strongly opposes the ONSWC proposal.”

The environmental impacts of the proposal are especially worrisome to many in the community.

“Irrigated, reclaimed Briar Chapel wastewater is finding its way into the [Jordan Lake] watershed,” Fields said.

Having irrigated water in the watershed is a huge problem because it can harm aquatic ecosystems and reduce river flow.

This is not even the largest complaint Briar Chapel residents have against Old North. Many homeowners have been unhappy with a lingering odor and wastewater spillage by their homes.

Due to the large amount of opposition towards Old North, Briar Chapel residents and others who support the cause have banded together and created a group called STOPCHATHAMNORTH. This group is responsible for much of the uprising against Old North as well as the petitions for change.

Fearrington Village residents are at an advantage compared to their Briar Chapel neighbors, and not only because there would not be a plant in their neighborhood that could cause odors and spills. They would also not be responsible for sewage handling at all, keeping the neighborhood clean and pleasant to live in. Rose Krasnow, Vice President of Fearrington Villages HOA, believes nearby Jordan Lake could possibly benefit from the integration.

“I think there could be advantages [such as less pollution] to Jordan Lake, since our sewer facility is quite old,” Krasnow said. “When it was built the standards for pollutants were much lower than they are today and so the effluent does not meet today’s standards. The Department of Environmental Policy has certainly made it known to Mr.Fitch [Developer and Owner of Fearrington Village] that he needs to bring it up to current standards or he needs to find someone else who will treat it and bring it up to current standards, so I think the lake will benefit from this.”

Despite this one possible benefit, Krasnow says she opposes the move overall.

“I am not pleased with it, mainly because it is not clear to me that Envirolink is the right company to be doing this because of their track record to date and also because I am concerned about the concept of pumping so much sewage as far away as Briar Chapel,” Krasnow said.

Whether the proposal is accepted or denied by the utilities commission, some people are looking for backup options.

“We are looking at trying to come up with some alternatives, like, is there any way that Chatham County could start taking more responsibility for treating the sewage instead of having private utilities handle it totally?” Krasnow said. “Is there any way that we could rebuild the sewer treatment plant here and bring it up to today’s pollution standards and not tie into Briar Chapel?”

Due to the rising tensions between Old North and Briar Chapel, no actions will be taken until a compromise has been made. The utilities commission’s decision should be released in June if it has not been postponed due to the current pandemic.

Both parties, Briar Chapel and Old North, have attorneys, but they are also taking the citizens’ opinions into consideration.

If you wish to contribute to Briar Chapel’s fight against this you can sign a petition at this web address: http://bit.ly/StopOldNorth. Or, if you wish to assist Old North in reaching their goal of combination you can contact them at this web address http://bit.ly/ContactOldNorth.

GRACE LEONARD/THE OMNISCIENT

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May 2020

Marvel Cinematic Universe Launches New Disney+ Shows

By Ethan Westmoreland, Staff Writer

After the dramatic climax of “Avengers: Endgame,” that left the popular Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU franchise, with a brand new status quo, Marvel Studios has shown no desire to slow the release of new content. Since the launch of Disney+, Marvel has made no secret of what they plan to do to the service. Shows like “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” and “Loki” were announced as far back as Spring 2019, and plot details have slowly been released since.

Falcon and The Winter Soldier Starring Anthony Mackie as Sam “The Falcon” Wilson and Sebastion Stan as Bucky Barnes, “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” takes place after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.” The show will follow Sam and Bucky grappling with the ramifications of the films that preceded it. From what has been shown so far, the plot is likely to deal heavily with government figures such as William Hurt’s Thunderbolt Ross and Emily VanCamp’s Sharon Carter tracking the main characters while the looming threat of Helmut Zemo, a returning villain from “Captain America: Civil War” played by Daniel Brül, lurks in the shadows. From what has been revealed, it seems like Sam’s inheritance of the Captain America shield will be contended by the government, with them presenting an alternative. Wyatt Russell has been cast as the U.S. Agent, a character who, in the comics, acts as a sort of government-sanctioned ‘evil counterpart’ to Captain America. Set photos have shown Russell dressed in his U.S. Agent costume holding the shield. “Falcon and The Winter Soldier” will start streaming august of 2020 exclusively on Disney+.

WandaVision After the death of Wanda Maximoff’s Robo-beau Vision in the events of “Avengers: Infinity War,” Wanda, played by Elizabeth Olsen, is left in a strange spot. Considering the reality-altering powers that the Scarlet Witch possesses in her source material, it’s likely that she will develop similar abilities in this series. From what we can gather from a recent TV spot, the series will focus on Wanda struggling to escape from a psychedelic hell-scape in which Vision is alive and they live in a sort of classic sit-com reality.

Paul Bettany, reprising his role as Vision, promised that the series will be “so out there and nuts” at the Sundance Film Festival.

MCU alumni Randall Park and Kat Dennings will return to this series as FBI agent Jimmy Woo, previously a character in “AntMan,” and scientist Darcy Lewis, a fan favorite unseen since “Thor: The Dark World.” In addition to returning characters, actress Kathryn Hahn has been cast in an unnamed role, henceforth only described as a “nosy neighbor.” This series is set to launch on Disney+ later this year.

Loki After the timeline-altering events of “Avengers: Endgame,” fans have been left asking about several loose ends not addressed in the movie, one being Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, who, after taking the space stone from Tony Stark and teleporting away, was spared his lfe in a branch-off reality series. This series was teased to include some form of timeline meddling, with the eponymous character on the run from all of the figures in the universe that wish to do him ill. “Rick and Morty” writer Michael Waldron has been brought on as showrunner for the series, he will write the pilot and act as executive producer. It will also reportedly introduce the MCU’s first transgender character, Sera, who is, in the comics at least, married to Thor’s long-lost sister, Angela. “Loki ‘’ is set to start streaming on Disney+ Spring 2021.

What If…?

Though not many details have been revealed about this series other than a cast list and some promotional footage, there is a fair amount we can gather about it already. Judging by the title and released artwork, this series seems to be a loose adaptation of the comic series of the same name. Created by George Peréz and Joe Sinnott, Marvel’s What If #1 was released in 1977 to general praise. The series explores numerous different ‘what-if’ scenarios, from “What if Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four?” to “What if The Punisher’s family hadn’t been killed?”; the series would go on to be a hit, sparking not only an on-going title but also influencing Marvel Comics’ later decision to create the “Ultimate” line of comics, which explored an alternate reality from the main universe in which the characters lived. Marvel Studios has confirmed a series length of 23 episodes, the same number of MCU movies that have been released since the debut of “Iron Man” in 2008; this, in addition to released concept art showing Peggy Carter in a Captain America-Esque costume and T’challa, The Black Panther, in a setting reminiscent of 2014’s “Guardians (cont on page 11)

ETHAN WESTMORELAND/THE OMNISCIENT

9 Sports

COVID-19 and the Future of High School Sports

By Caroline Conte Staff Writer The coronavirus pandemic has uprooted normal life for people all over the United States and the rest of the world. Many of us are asking the same question: What’s next? For high school athletes and coaches, future sports seasons hang in the balance.

With the North Carolina High School Athletic Association officially canceling the remainder of the spring sports season because of the coronavirus, coaches have turned their attention to the summer and fall and when they may be able to get back on the field.

“We’re heading into one of the biggest unknowns that hopefully we ever have to deal with,” Northwood High School track and field coach Terrance Gary said. “But we have to deal with it. The next phase is the summer and how can we ensure that kids have the proper documentation to participate in the offseason conditioning – open gyms, weightlifting camps, anything along those lines.”

The NCHSAA’s decision came two days after Gov. Roy Cooper announced that schools will continue distance learning for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year.

“It is with heavy hearts that the NCHSAA has decided to cancel all NCHSAA affiliated events, inclusive of the state series and all championship events, for spring sports,” the NCHSAA said in a written statement. “The safety of our student-athletes, coaches, officials, and fans is our top priority. With the evolving threat of the CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19), we must ensure that we do not contribute to the spread of this illness. We are deeply saddened for our student-athletes who have seen their seasons and/or high school careers end so abruptly. Our Association knows the impact and role high school athletics play in the lives of so many and will continue to work towards the betterment of high school sports. We know this is a trying time, but the health and safety of all is of utmost importance to this association.”

The NCHSAA also announced that student-athletes would not be awarded an extra year of eligibility for spring sports. The NCHSAA added that is was “eager to reconvene all sports” in the 2020-21 school year, but those plans are far from certain.

Gary said he was “very concerned” about the fall season and is hopeful the NCHSAA will allow teams to begin practicing earlier in the summer if they’re able. The first day teams can practice is currently July 27.

“Once the spring season is canceled. The next thought is, ‘What’s next?’ Will this now affect the summer, and will that take us into the fall? I don’t think anybody has those answers right now,” girls’ basketball coach Cameron Vernon said. “Everybody has been inconvenienced and we’ve all made these accommodations and these sacrifices. We’re all hoping and praying that we can get back to life as we know it at some point. But when that will be and how that will be, no one knows.”

The spring sports and spring football practices, which were set to begin on April 27, are canceled, but other sports could feel the impact of the campus closures. Teams will be unable to practice or do offseason conditioning until they are able to return and teams that were planning on hosting summer camps for younger athletes may have to cancel or alter those plans. Vernon said not being able to run summer camps could mean thousands of dollars that coaches were relying on. As for offseason conditioning, even once campuses are reopened, players will not able to participate in workouts until they have completed a physical. Most physicals expire on May 31.

As we slowly start moving forward with plans to get things back to “normal,” safety is the number one thing on everyone’s mind.

“The first thing is the pandemic and making sure we can get on-campus safely,” softball coach Butch Edenfield said. “Then there’s a lot that goes into getting back on the field. We have to try to get physicals for everybody. We usually like to do that in May, so it’s good for a calendar year. We can’t do anything until all the paperwork gets finished. There’s a lot of other issues that come into play.

We’re going to be starting from scratch. You can’t do that until you see doctors. We have some obstacles to overcome.”

Art created by Ethan Westmoreland, The Omniscient

10 Columns Why I Travel

By Caroline Conte Staff Writer As I prepare to graduate high school and start a new chapter of my life, I have done a lot of reflecting. I have so much to be grateful for: my faith, my family, my friends. Another thing I’m especially grateful for is the gift of travel.

Travel gives me a sense of accomplishment. Each destination I explore opens the door to a new adventure and once I’m there living my best life, I feel proud. Anyone who knows me knows I am a doer. Once I set my mind to something I make it happen. Getting to Italy has been my goal since I was seven years old.

Growing up I had listened to countless stories about my grandparents’ adventures there and pictured myself one day sitting in a gondola floating through the canals of Venice. In the summer of 2018, my dad, my sister Madeline and I had the opportunity to take a trip to Italy with EF Tours. When I heard about the trip through my school, I went to my sister and said: “This is it, this is our chance to go to Italy.” Naturally, we went to my dad and told him that he should sign up to be a chaperone because this had been his dream trip as well as ours. Madeline and I worked and saved our money all year prior to the trip and when the time came, we boarded the plane with our classmates.

Travel allows me to reconnect with my family. I am the youngest of four. For my family, every season of our lives is busy. My parents balance their careers with parenthood. My siblings and I juggle jobs, school, sports and so much more. Needless to say, regular family time isn’t really a thing in my household. But when we do get to travel together, it gives us a chance to really reconnect with each other, let our hair down and just be. Every summer, we take a road trip up north to visit my dad’s side of our family. My great aunt and uncle live in a tiny rural town in Pennsylvania. When we visit them, it allows us to disconnect. We sit by the pool in the backyard, visit the farm down the road to feed the baby pigs, and canoe through Lake Nockamixon. Whether it’s across the country or a weekend trip, traveling with your family gives you time to focus on each other which is something you just can’t put a price on.

Travel stretches me. Traveling allows me to not only grow as a person but it also grows me as a storyteller and as a journalist. With every person I meet, and every culture I come to understand, I learn something that helps shape me into the person I want to be. Travel has a special way of challenging my way of thinking in a way no other experience can. When I was in Italy, seeing the architecture in buildings like the Duomo di Firenze that was built by hand and took over 600 years to complete, it blows my mind to think that people were so creative and had the skills and resources to build something that has become such a feat of excellence and beauty. Travel really is the gift that keeps on giving.

Finally, travel is a privilege. It is an incredibly valuable experience. However, it is important to recognize that travel is also a luxury that many people aren’t afforded. I am thankful for the ability to travel and I pray that I never take it for granted.

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May 2020

Why Pixar’s “Onward” is an Underrated Masterpiece

By Ethan Westmoreland, Staff Writer It’s almost routine for Pixar to drop a great film every year, from their debut hit “Toy Story” to modern classics like “Coco” and “Inside Out”. “Onward” was, in my opinion, a bit of a shock upon its announcement and subsequent trailers-- a novel concept to be sure, but it didn’t seem ‘Pixar-worthy’. Typically, Pixar films are wholly unique, with bounds of original concepts and ideas that have huge impacts on pop-culture. But not “Onward”. From what I and anybody else could tell, it was just a run-of-the-mill fantasy film.

Sure, it looked interesting, but not Pixar interesting. This, I believe, is a result of poor marketing. When I first watched “Onward”, it was on Disney+ just a month after its release in theaters. It felt like an afterthought; like it wasn’t a movie that Disney or Pixar were banking on. But sure enough, there I was on my couch an hour and 42 minutes later, in awe of the film I had just watched. It wasn’t just good, it was really good. The next day I watched it again.

Growing up with my brother, mother and, later on, a step-dad, I related very closely to the situation the main character of this film, Ian, finds himself in; and while, granted, I didn’t embark on a magical journey in a van at any point in my childhood, I did feel like the plight of Ian and his brother, Barley, felt very real throughout the duration of “Onward”. This may be due to the fact that the director Dan Scanlon based much of the film on his own life experiences.

The film opens with a monologue about how magic used to be everywhere and the world was lush with whimsy and wonder, but over time, as technology took over, it was forgotten. This, again, sounds like the beginning of a basic fantasy movie, the message at the end being to embrace nature and not let technology take over your life. But that’s just it-- that isn’t the message of “Onward”; rather, the film goes in a more nuanced direction with it’s message, which is ultimately that you shouldn’t reject change, or dwell on the past. Instead , you should embrace both. This message also ties in with the brothers’ quest to bring back their father.

“Onward” might not win an Oscar, it might not be widely praised, it might not be toted as ‘modern classic’. But I will forever remember it as an underrated masterpiece that was exactly what I needed from a film: Funny, well-written, heartfelt, and in every possible way Pixar.

(cont. from page 8) of the Galaxy,” has led many to assume that each episode will focus on a ‘what-if’ scenario from each film. “What If…?” will start streaming on Disney+ summer 2021.

Hawkeye Since his debut in 2011’s “Thor”, Hawkeye, portrayed by Jeremy Renner, has been a fan favorite. From fighting off alien invaders in “The Avengers” to helping Steve Rogers fight the Sokovia Accords in “Captain America: Civil War”, Hawkeye has always played a supporting role in the MCU films. “Hawkeye” was announced at Comic-Con 2019, leaving many fans perplexed; with his seeming re-retirement at the end of “Avengers: Endgame,” in what direction could his character go? The Marvel comics have an answer: Kate Bishop. In Young Avengers #12 Kate Bishop, after the death of Clint Barton, takes up the Hawkeye Mantle. The character of Kate Bishop is rumored to be played by actress Hailee Steinfeld, known for her roles in films like 2018’s “Bumblebee” and 2016’s “Edge of Seventeen’’. “Hawkeye” is slated to release on Disney+ in fall 2021.

She-Hulk Created by Stan Lee and Jon Buscema as a legal safeguard by Marvel Comics to secure their rights to a female hulk-like character, Jennifer Walters, first appearing in 1979’s Savage She-Hulk #1, is the law-practicing cousin of Bruce Banner (The Incredible Hulk).

Not much has been revealed about this series, aside from a logo, but there is a fair amount of plot detail that can be gleaned from the character’s comic book origins. After a tragic run-in with a crime boss and an emergency blood transfusion from her cousin Bruce, Jennifer Walters is left with gamma-irradiated blood and Hulk-Esque powers. Jennifer’s She-Hulk form was distinctly less rage-filled than her male counterpart and, after a while, she chose to live and work as a lawyer in this state. Most She-Hulk comic runs have been light-hearted stories focused on Jennifer helping fellow superheroes in court while she occasionally utilizes her abilities to save civilians from her entourage of villains. Jessica Gao, known for her work on shows like “Rick and Morty” and “Robot Chicken” is serving as head writer for “She-Hulk.” The choice of Gao suggests that the series may have a comedic tone. Actress Alison Brie, seen in “Community” and “Glow”, is being eyed for the role of Jennifer Walters. “She-Hulk” is expected to start streaming on Disney+ in 2022.