Ramparts | April 2023

STRONG STRONG

Photo by Hayden Massey

The cleanliness problem at Holt High School

Is the school we go to really that clean, or are we missing something?

Taylor Crosslan STAFF WRITER

Multiple staff members and students have concerns about how clean the school is, and how often it is cleaned. Out of everyone in the buildings, the students are the main reason why the school gets so dirty during lunch and passing periods.

Social studies teacher James Keckeisen has a strong opinion on the fact that some teachers let kids eat in their room and some don’t.

“If they don’t eat breakfast, the science is clear about having an empty stomach and trying to learn. [Students] wouldn’t learn as well. But I say healthy stuff only, and if you spill it, we clean it up together,” Keckeisen said.

He allows his students to eat in his classroom because he wants them to learn better, and having an empty stomach can mean it’s harder to learn.

German teacher Janine Baker has a similar thought on letting students eat in her class.

“I do sometimes [allow eating class] because I feel bad that the nutrition break was taken away, and I know it’s hard to focus when you are hungry,” Baker said.

Teachers want their students to learn the best when in their classroom, so letting them eat in class would be the worst of their worries.

According to the Productive Engineer article, if your body lacks nutrients you tend to lose focus more and brain productivity is lower.

However, eating in class can mean an extra reason to clean classrooms

more often. The classroom desks are a main concern for Baker.

“They are not clean. But I personally clean the desks in my classroom on a regular basis” said Baker.

Students also draw on their desks everyday and spill food on the them, and so many other things and they don’t often get cleaned.

Baker cleans them so she knows that the desks her students are sitting at are clean.

Baker also shared her feelings on other areas of the school that could need more cleaning.

“I especially think that they skip cleaning the bathrooms and refilling bathroom supplies,” Baker said.

She noted that the girl’s restrooms haven’t been getting cleaned as well as they used to.

Junior Samantha Pell agreed,and realizes that students also play a part.

“The school is very dirty,

and high schools when students started taking the soap dispensers out of restrooms as a part of a trend. This made other students not feel as sanitary at school.

Holt Public Schools facilities manager Rick Brown manages the team of district custodians who clean 11 different buildings during the day and in the evening, including the high school.

are able to clean the schools at a time, and if something isn’t cleaned right away, it is because the school is too dirty to clean in one day.

Brown noted that he has seen some staff helping out.

“I have seen staff at the smaller buildings help pick up trash, and rake leaves, but not at the two high school buildings,” Brown said.

escpecially the girls bathroom...So many girls pile into the bathrooms at passing time and lunch, and a lot of people don’t clean up after themselves” Pell said.

In the 2021-2022 school year, there were sanitation troubles in the junior

“There is one head custodian, and one utility custodian that gets pulled a lot to cover other buildings. There are six to eight night time third party cleaning staff on the second shift,” Brown said.

There are only so many people who

The exteriors of the building could help the school look more welcoming and the inside to make students feel more clean while at school.

Brown has only seen very few people help pick up around the school, inside and outside. Said Pell, “people throw so much food on the ground durning lunch; it makes the commons dirty.”

As I do sometimes because I feel bad that the nutrition break was taken away, and I know it’s hard to focus when you are hungry.

Photo by Taylor Crosslan

New classes for a new year

Holt High School offers new class opportunities for students

IsaIah Wummel WEB EDITOR

Take another look at your schedules, Holt students. There are going to be new classes available for the 2023-2024 school year.

For some students, school is a place where they are forced to learn the same things that everyone else has. Holt High School has been changing this over the years by adding new classes to get students immersed in topics that they want to learn. Social studies teacher Stacie Forbes shared her opinion on the matter.

“It’s important for students to have these new classes to keep them motivated to learn,” said Forbes

These new classes also allow students to invest in things that they want to learn, giving them a chance to find out more about them and their interests. This opportunity also allows students to discover what it is they want to do with their futures.

“It gives new pathways for students to find themselves,” said Forbes.

These classes also give students a chance to bond and interact with others, allowing them to develop relationships with peers they wouldn’t have otherwise.

Junior Milo Metts shared their thoughts.

“I think it will be good for students to make friends and talk with people that share the same interests and joys,” said Metts.

One such class is social studies teacher Robert Dozier’s African American Studies class. This class covers the participation of the descendants of the African Diaspora here in the United States. This class has only been around for a couple of years, but has made significant changes in the lives of students. Dozier shared his expierence.

“One of my past students who came from a more conservative background, Connor Collins, decided that he was so touched by the class

that, for his own birthday, he decided to make me a black panther on a nameplate as one of his own projects for 3D printing,” said Dozier.

Seeing these classes making an impact shows that students are getting more involved. Metts also feels that the class variety and involvment gives students a community and a voice.

“I feel like students need to be heard,” said Metts.

One new class offering is Study of the Holocaust taught by Forbes and social studies teacher Rebecca Stewart. Here, students will learn about human rights during the Holocaust and other genocides.

“This class doesn’t just focus on the Holocaust, but focuses on how the Holocaust led to other events and similar events ...such as the Armenian Genocide,” said Forbes.

Although there are these newer classes available, students will want more choices later on.

Metts voiced their opinion on wanting there to be more classes in the arts.

“If I had the ability to choose new classes for students based on what I think they would enjoy, I would create some theater and art classes,” said Metts.

New classes are how schools evolve, and this shows that Holt can do more than just keep up, but thrive. It gives students a chance to explore a new specification in their learning and develop their ideas. It is unique for a school to offer these particular classes.

With these distinct classes that the school is beginning to offer, students will not only have more variety when it comes to electives they can take, but, if they believe they know what field they want to go into, they can begin to learn more about it.

Said Metts, “I’m glad to be in a school that doesn’t just think about me as a number, but as a student with specific interests and hopes for the future.”

HOLT HIGH SCHOOL RAMPARTS

Senior Connor Collins gives social studies teacher Robert Dozier a nameplate with a black panther on it. “I made the black panther 3D print for Mr. Dozier to show gratitude for teaching great history and involving me in fruitful class discussions,” Collins said.

Ooops! Did I just manifest this?

What is manifestation and where did it come from?

Jazmin anderson STAFF WRITER

What if you were told that you could achieve your wildest dreams just by pretending you already accomplished them? The act of manifestation is built upon this core belief.

Manifestation was brought into mainstream media by Rhonda Byrne in 2006 when she published her bestselling book, The Secret. The basic idea is that positive thoughts attract positive things to happen and the best way of attracting something is by asking for it, believing in it, and, in the end, either forgetting that you ever asked for it, or acting as if you already have what you wanted.

Almost a decade after the book was published, its lessons resurfaced on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. On TikTok, there is a large community built around manifesting where creators share their tips. One of these creators is Laura Galebe, who explained the concept of the “Lucky Girl Syndrome,” which is a currently popular manifestation technique, in one of her viral TikTok videos. According to Vox.com, manifesting can be a set of complicated rules or something simple such as repeating positive affirmations in your head depending on personal preference.

Senior Tabytha Deleon shared some of the methods she uses to manifest.

“I like saying it in my head, or doing a little thing in the morning in the

mirror, like reaffirming it to myself in the mirror before I do something; so if I want a performance to go well, I’ll talk about that,” said Deleon.

Just like the methods for manifesting, what one can manifest also varies. It can be something massive or something that is quite little. However, a question that many might struggle with is how to get started.

Senior Cooper Lee had some advice for beginners on the topic.

“I definitely think reinforcing in your mind is easy. It’s just an easy thing you could do like really quick, but I think just telling yourself that it’s going to happen. I think it just subconsciously makes you make decisions that will cause it to happen,” said Lee.

Surprisingly, the actual activities associated with manifesting come easily and naturally to most people. What the majority finds trouble with however, is letting go and living in the end result part of the process. The concept of doing the two things at the same time can cause a bit of confusion.

The idea is that one has to first imagine what they would be doing and what kind of traits and skills they would have if they already had the things they wanted. Then, they have to incorporate some of those activities on a smaller scale and start developing those traits and skills.

While working on those things, many even forget about their original

purpose because they enjoy the process so much.

Forgetting about the original purpose of one’s actions works out well, because constantly thinking about what one wants makes it seem like they don’t actually have that thing.

While many believe in manifestation and practice it regularly, there are also those who are skeptical about it.

Deleon and Lee both offered their thoughts for those who are questioning whether manifestation is legit or not.

“I think whether it works or not, believing that it does for you, I think it helps your mindset,” Lee said. Deleon went on to share her view.

“If you want to believe in it, you’ll look into it and then you’ll just learn if it is for you, but regardless, people are going to see a bad side in manifestation. Some people believe if you want something you gotta get something bad out of the universe back. Like, you gotta give something up to get it. I think you just really have to stop believing in the false media and like the general perspective,” Deleon said.

Manifestation of one’s goals can be started whenever a person is open to it.

Junior Miles Chamberlain spoke not only about manifesting, but the impact of believing in your goals.

“I think that if you don’t believe in it [manifesting] spiritually, then it can just help drive you to your goals. If you do, then you can believe in the spirituality of manifestation. People don’t realize they’re doing it when they’re doing it,” said Chamberlain.

Graphic by Jazmin Anderson

If you want to believe in it, you’ll look into it and then you’ll just learn if it is for you...

”

A closed campus conundrum?

An in-depth examination of the closed campus policy and the reasonings behind it

Mariahna hatfield STAFF WRITER

Students often question and disobey the closed campus rule. However, most of these students don’t know the various reasons behind the rule and why it’s in place.

Many students don’t understand the liability of the school with the closed campus rule.

Principal Michael Willard shared multiple reasons why this rule is in place.

“School lawyers were telling us that it was a liability issue to allow kids to be on campus, then to leave campus and have young people in cars traveling super fast due to their limited time,” said Willard.

There are multiple safety reasons as to why students aren’t allowed to leave campus.

Some of the main problems include students getting in accidents, being injured and not being able to make it back to school, and having their life at risk when they were supposed to be in school and under school supervision.

Even though this rule has been in place for over 10 years, many students don’t abide by it. Holt still has many students, daily, going out to run home, get food, or even just driving around with a friend.

Sophomore Isabella Penrose thinks the high school should have an open campus and shared her reasoning.

“... It gives us more freedom as high schoolers, and the school lunch isn’t always the best,” said Penrose.

Many students say that, if the high school was an open campus, they would use that privilege. Staff, however, are concerned that people wouldn’t take advantage of the real purpose of that privilege.

“I would definitely leave and make sure to come back because I still value my education. As a student, I understand the risk that comes with it and the importance of the rule,

that she still sees numerous students a day going in and out all of the doors throughout the school.

“I think we need to be more strict about it. It’s a safety issue for the kids. I don’t think the rule works well at all. Too many kids wander off and they go to McDonald’s or Biggby or Starbucks, and they miss class time. It’s a closed campus. You’re only supposed to go back and forth, not to shop or eat. We’ve had several sets of students getting into car accidents,” said Perry. Administration knows this is happening, and it’s difficult to control. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t care. The school would rather students be safe then sorry.

but it still gives us a little of our own freedom which would be nice,” said Penrose.

Junior Alexis Hall is in agreement, wanting the school to be an open campus, but they have different reasoning as to why.

“Yes, I think the school should be an open campus because it gives students a chance to take a break from the school environment during lunch,” said Hall.

Students would like to be able to take a break from being in the same building all day, every day, maybe not even going to get food but just simply to take a break.

Though students know that the campus is closed, there are still many students, who are not traveling to a different campus, who are going out and doing as they please.

Security guard Jackie Perry shared

According to a study done in 2016 by the National Institutes of Health, only 25% of high school’s in the USA are open campus. Schools close their campuses so students are guaranteed to not miss any class time due to being out of the building, and not getting hurt of any kind.

Some schools argue that having an open campus teaches students how to manage their time outside of school and learning how to be more responsible with their time, knowing that they have class that they need to show up too. They argue that students leaving teaches them independence and responsibility.

Research also shows that students being able to leave the building for a short period of time helps with their attitude and the way they look and persevere throughout the school day. It gives the students time to clear their head, get fresh air and a change

Students often let other students in through other doors, so they are able to bypass the securtiy desk in front of the main doors. PC: Mari Hatfield

of scenery for a little while, so when they come back in the building they are ready to learn and have a positive attitude just because they had a little break to do as they please and get away from the bunch of students and crowd.

Researchers also say that students’ social and emotional health appear to grow more when they are given that freedom to leave.

Though logically according to a research done by a Junior and Senior high school, it’s safer for students to stay on campus where they are

monitored, guaranteed to be safe and not in a car accident or other unwanted things happening to them, not going to miss any class or any instruction and will be where they are meant to be without any issues like coming into class late, haven’t finished your food yet, etc.

Sophomore Tyler Andrews is also in agreement with the other students. “The food is bad and some kids get free lunch while others don’t and there may not be stuff for them at home to bring to school for them to eat,” said Andrews.

HOLT HIGH SCHOOL RAMPARTS

School lawyers were telling us that it was a liability issue to allow kids to be on campus, then to leave campus and have young people in cars traveling super fast due to their limited time.

Dance is just as much of a sport as it is an art

EviE Cook STAFF WRITER

Have you ever watched World Of Dance? Dancing With The Stars? So You Think You Can Dance?

Are those athletes on stage just showing you an art or are they performing their sport?

What exactly classifies something as a sport?

The Oxford Dictionary defines it as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.”

So why is it a question “if dance is a sport?” Many people feel dance is just an art, but the physical demands dance has on a person’s body and mind are much greater than they look.

From personal experience, competitive dance has taken a huge toll on my body, from a broken nose and sprained ankles to mental blocks and body issues.

Dance is sometimes more

physically demanding than other sports such as football and soccer. Yes, from the outside looking in, football and soccer involve more physical tackling compared to dance.

However, when you take a closer look, the endurance and

The word athlete is defined as “a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength.” Dancers are just that, as they need a lot of strength to jump high, turn without falling over, and keep up with the

a while to heal, but I have only seen it in dancers.

This does not usually happen in any other sport, which is kind of unique,” Kaminski said.

While in all sports, people face the risk of breaking bones, getting concussions, and tearing ligaments/muscles, dance has its own special injuries as well as all the other risks of contact sports.

“I think you might get more muscle strains in dancers due to the increase in flexibility dancers have compared to other sports,” Kaminski said.

Considering the fact that the team consisted of eight to nine girls throughout their season, which is pretty small compared to previous years, as well as it being a small team in general compared to other sports and schools, this is impressive.

Colleges also consider dance a sport, as dancers can receive college scholarships and offers to join college teams just like other sports can.

biometrics involved in jumping, landing, and balancing, dance, especially ballet, requires more physical demand than any other sport.

According to Cartwright Fitness, “a kinesiologist observes dancers and they can move their legs up to 15 mph and turn over 100 times per minute as well as having incredibly strong core muscles for turning and leg muscles for leaping.”

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dance overall.

Dancers get injured a lot too. Athletic trainer Noelle Kaminiski said, “the first thing I think of when you say, ‘common injury in dancers’ is an injury called ‘Os Trigonum fracture’.”

“There is a process on the end of your Talus bone in your foot, and due to the amount of stress dancers put on their feet when they are on pointe, it can chip off that bone and cause a fracture. It is not a fun injury, and it takes

Julia Toomey

Grace Laubenthal and Corinne Johnson

Kayla Fogarty

Jada Price-Williams

Abraham Alvarez, Jazmin Anderson, Evie Cook, Taylor Crosslan, Mariahna Hatfield, Jacob Mc Millen, Isaiah Wummel, and Eleanor Westmoreland

Sarah Ashman

Adviser:

Editorial Policy: Ramparts is published by the Journalism class of Holt High School. The newspaper serves the students and staff of Holt High School and as a connection to the Holt-Dimondale community.

The objective of Ramparts is to publish a factual, informative and entertaining newspaper, and to provide a forum for the expression of diverse viewpoints.

The opinions and views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the administration, the adviser, or all Ramparts staff members.

The editors reserve the right to reject any material that is libelous, obscene, or poses an immediate and material disruption to the educational environment.

Ramparts prints letters to the editor and guest editorials as space allows. Letters must be typed, less than 200 words in length and signed. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit for length. Ramparts will not print letters that are obscene, libelous or that target an individual.

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Dancers have to stay very flexible to hit most jumps, leaps, tricks and even turns. It is a full body effort to keep your body stable while also executing such hard moves.

Dance is considered a sport in many places including here at Holt high school,where dance is a varsity sport. This past season the Holt Varsity Dance Team scored the best they have ever scored, placing in the top 5 at most of their competitions.

There are many things that make dance just as much of a sport as football and basketball. Dance requires the same amount of training, drive, effort, and dedication as any other sport as well as life-long skills, bonds, and memories athletes make.

The MHSAA (Michigan High School Athletic Association) is considering adding dance as a sport in the upcoming years.

I think that dance becoming a sport would finally give dance this recognition in Michigan, and hopefully more states make this move in the future to show others that dance truly is a sport.

I think you might get more muscle strains in dancers due to the increase of flexiblity dancers have compared to other sports

Competitive dance is an under-appreciated sport. Many think it’s an art. Dance is both.

Photo of the Holt Varsity Dance Team (Riley Souza, Evie Cook, Elesa Kranz, Alysa Clark, Taylor Stout, Arriana Graham, Cora Greenhoe and Lexi Alvord) by: Pistions Dance Competition worker

Hybrid is a success so far

The

current school calendar works best for students

Additional breaks all year - it’s every student’s dream, and Holt students are living it right now. With the Holt school district, other than Elliott and Wilcox Elementary, currently operating on a hybrid calendar, many students are happy with how it is playing out. The traditional school calendar, which Holt used to operate on, most notably had a longer summer and fewer breaks during the year, while the current hybrid calendar has more breaks during the year and a shorter summer.

Superintendent David Hornak is the Executive Director of the National Association for YearRound Education (NAYRE) which “is committed to educational excellence through school calendar reform.” Hornak’s leadership and expertise in both Holt and NAYRE inspired the current hybrid calendar.

The most obvious reason for switching to the hybrid calendar is to avoid the dreaded “summer slide" where students forget what they learned in the previous school year.

According to Sage Journal's research, in a review of the 13 most recent studies, they found that summer loss equals about one month of learning. Many students can attest to this, as the first few months back at school are spent trying to remember how to learn again. This is a considerable amount of wasted educational time that can be minimized with the hybrid calendar, as the summer break is about one month shorter than the traditional summer break.

In addition to avoiding summer learning loss, the breaks given

through the hybrid calendar are much needed to prioritize mental health. For high school students especially, school provides a constant stream of stress that inevitably takes a toll on mental health. For some, it results in burnout, a lack of motivation, lower grades, and more absences. These breaks are essential for students to catch up on homework, sleep, and overall, to take necessary time to recharge.

On top of the mental health benefits, year round schooling has also proven to reduce dropout rates. It should be noted, however, that this finding does not apply to the hybrid calendar we are currently operating on, but to a completely year round schedule. According to Jessica Washington of Politic365, the national dropout rate is five percent, while the dropout rate for year-round school students is just two percent. This three percent difference leads experts to conclude that a balanced calendar could be the solution to keeping students in high school.

Not only could it be a solution as a whole, but, especially here at Holt High School, given multiple studies suggesting that a year-round calendar is most beneficial for low income students. According to an article from Education Next, researchers found that the academic achievement gap between students in high and low poverty Baltimore schools grew over three times as much between kindergarten and eighth grade with most of these gaps increasing over the summer. In this study, schools were deemed high poverty if more than 40 percent of students received

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a meal subsidy or free lunch. These results speak for themselves, but especially apply to Holt high school as in 2021-2022 the government of Michigan reported that 41.78 percent of Holt High School students were eligible for free or reduced lunch. Thus, our school would be considered high poverty in this study and would greatly benefit from a shorter summer.

An explanation for this large increase in the learning gap between high and low poverty schools may be attributed to the resources available, or the lack thereof. For high poverty schools, many students do not have the money to pay for a tutor over the summer. Additionally, these students may not have a ride to the local library or have access to the technology needed to continue their education outside of class.

Lastly, since the hybrid calendar has more breaks throughout the year, it offers families and students more chances to travel. The breaks spread out through the year allow busy families to have multiple chances to go on trips besides only spring or winter break.

Minimizing the effects of the summer slide, prioritizing mental health, reducing dropout rates, maximizing available resources for students, and providing more flexibility for busy families are all reasons many students prefer the hybrid schedule over the traditional one.

While the hybrid setup has been generally well received, it will be interesting to see if the expected long term benefits play out.

SPEAK UP

Do you prefer the current hybrid calendar or the traditional calendar?

“I like hybrid more because I have harder classes, and breaks give me a good mental health break instead of school being so draining.”

Junior Oliviia Quiroga

“I like the traditional calendar because I like longer summers so I can tan and swim.”

Junior Shae Schwem

“I really like hybrid because the breaks throughout the year are more beneficial to me and it gives more oppportunities to travel throughout the year.”

Senior Paige Lemmon

“Traditional calendar because longer summers are cool because they are long.”

Freshman Zander Horton

“I want longer summers because I miss having three months to not stress about homework.”

Senior Savanna Whitaker

CORRECTIONS

Ramparts is committed to printing news that is both informative and accurate. If we get it wrong, we want to put it right. If you are aware of any errors of fact in our reporting please contact us in room E221 or send an e-mail to rampartsnewspaper@gmail.com

Kayla Fogarty SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

Secure-in-Place immediately. Run.

Hide.

Fight.

These were the terrifying words sent out in a mass email received by the 50,000 students enrolled in Michigan State University after the first shots of the school shooting were fired at Berkey Hall. Another round of shots was fired at the Union building at 8:26 P.M.

It wasn’t until 11:49 P.M. that officers finally found the shooter, McRae, on Lake Lansing Road where he shot and killed himself. In these terrifying hours, three lives were lost, Brian Fraser, Alexandria Verner, and Arielle Anderson. Five other students were left in critical condition.

School shootings have been a rising concern in the United States over the past few years. There have been 153 school shootings since 2018.

According to CNN News, this issue seems to be unique to America as it is the country with 57 times as many school shootings as all other major industrialized nations combined.

MSU faces a The impacts the MSU shooting

U.S. Representative, Elissa Slotkin, spoke out at a press conference about the events that took place at Michigan State

around town.

Senior Lucy Acero described some of the overwhelming

Herron continued on to share the emotions he felt during the events that took place at Michigan State while his sister was

the next day,” James said.

Burcham shared her personal experience about the events that took place that night.

“When the shooting started, I had just gotten home from eating dinner on campus. My dad, an East Lansing firefighter, texted banking where I was and made sure I wasn’t on campus anymore.

In the days following, I was really on edge and nervous, and, to top it off, [Holt High School] went into lockdown the following Thursday, which gave me even more anxiety,” Burcham said.

Senior Alysa Clark spoke out about how she was personally affected by the shooting and the emotions she felt.

“A personal impact was seeing the Snapchat stories of people hiding in bathrooms with their lecture class of one hundred plus people shoved together and realizing there was a real active shooter,” Clark said.

Clark continued on by describing how the shooting affected the Holt community.

“The school board woke up a little and noticed what the kids are going through,” Clark said.

left many students at Holt High School feeling anxious and scared of going to school or walking

“I felt very anxious and unsafe, not only in the school I go to but in the city I’ve lived in for over four years,” Acero said.

My mom went to school at Michigan State, and I basically grew up there,” Burcham said.

Many other students at Holt High school felt similarly to Burcham because of how well acquainted they are with the East Lansing area.

Senior Hayden Massey described why the shooting was impactful for her.

“I was scared because it was like every street they were mentioning, or every place, I’ve been there, and I’ve seen it and know what it looks like. So it was weird to imagine [campus] like that. That’s somewhere I’ve been before,” Massey said.

Senior Peyton James shared her experience and emotions she processed through on February 13th.

“My dad is the financial manager at Michigan State and it was scary knowing he was there on campus thirty minutes before the shooting and that, after the incident, he was going to have to return to campus

The Holt Community was affected deeply after the MSU shooting. Promptly after the shooting, Holt administration sent out an email offering mental health support to any student in need.

On behalf of the Ramparts Newspaper staff, we mourn the three lives that were taken in this shooting and our thoughts are with the victims’ families and friends along with the entirety of the East Lansing community.

devasting moment

had on the Holt community

How did you feel when you heard about the shooting at MSU?

“I felt emotional, sad, heartbroken, and very fearful.”

Freshmen Riley Yasai

“I felt devastated, and I didn’t know if I wanted to continue going to school.”

Sophomore Haytham Sandu

“I am very heartbroken for the people and their families and the students on campus.”

Junior Ava Mullen

“I was a bit traumatized for all the people that were in the shooting”

Senior Stephon Edwards

The F(ailure) Crisis

ElEanor WE stmorEland STAFF WRITER

A student walks into their first class in high school.

One school year later, they fail it. They could retake the class, relearn the subject, and move on with high school. They could also, instead of moving on, hate high school classes, feel worse about themselves, and consequently, do worse.

Sadly, this is an ouroboros a student can easily find themselves in.

“A failing grade means the student did not master the course content and will likely struggle for coming years without a lot of extra support,” said Robin Lake, Director of the Center of Reinventing Public Education, in an interview with The New York Times.

We know that a lot of pressure from failing classes could be taken

off the students if they pass classes, but how can we help more students pass classes?

According to an article by the Gates Foundation, ninth grade can be a critical point in how students go into high school. Someone who fails classes in ninth grade may be unsure they can succeed in high school, while a student who passes ninth grade classes will have reinforced thoughts that they can.

Social Studies teacher Stacie Forbes teaches freshman classes where this very idea is applicable.

“[Passing classes] also depends on new materials and new versions of classes,” Forbes said.

Forbes’ teaching style changes depending on what the students need and what materials there are.

The intent of this strategy is to boost

How can we raise grades and help students not be held back?

everyone’s score by making sure everyone understands the material.

Math teacher Grant Melville teaches Honors Algebra A/B and he maintains an average grade of a B+/A- despite student behavior.

it. Some people have outside things, but when you are just playing on your phone, I feel like you are just trying to check out,” Melville said. Melville aids students by being there before and after class, and, if the whole class is struggling, Melville will guide students toward better study options for them. This makes Melville’s classes more engaging to the students, as shown through the average grade.

at whether or not this is a case of students simply doing badly or not doing assignments… If it’s a case of missing assignments, oftentimes I’ll seek out the student and talk to them individually about what they are missing. If a student is simply not understanding and turning in poorly graded work consistently, then I just need to talk to the student and figure out what they are failing to understand in class,” said Mocny.

Mocny helps his students individually. This can be an arduous process if lots of students need help, but Mocny has clearly shown results in his work with his 0% fail rate.

“You have a choice, do you want to try to do the math? Obviously, some students are choosing to check out by being on their phone playing games or putting their head down, and I get

English teacher John Mocny is in his first year teaching at Holt and teaches a variety of english classes, including AP Literature. He had no one fail in his first semester teaching.

“When grades are low, I look

Senior Steven Hodges shared his thoughts on teaching styles.

“I struggle with teachers who are unorganized. When you walk into a classroom and things are strewn about or irritated or teachers take a long time to grade, it’s just a red flag. If they can’t keep it together, then how can you?” Hodges said.

Hodge’s ability to do well is related to the organization of the teacher, something others might experience.

Senior Eddie Tobias spoke about how students generally can change after failing classes.

“I definitely feel worse about going into higher level classes after failing, but my attitude is more ‘I’m gonna try this time, I’m gonna give it my all,’” Tobias said.

Tobias, in general, felt bad going into future classes, but because hew was motivated from past failure, he was able to have a mindset that helped him do better overall.

An anonymous junior talked about how having bad grades can lead to poor mental health and vice versa.

“A lot of parents will punish their kids for [insufficient grades]. My parents did it sometimes, but not as much as they used to. It can lead into a negative feedback loop. If a kid fails a class, a kid can get depressed, and that can prevent them from doing work,” the anonymous student said.

It is clear that some kids get stuck in a cycle of feeling bad and failing classes.

One thing students never mentioned is that the classes they have taken are hard. It’s likely that teachers have a big impact on the grades of their students. Teachers adapting their teaching methods to their students’ needs and helping them through the course is, according to the students interviewed, likely to change future grades.

Photo by Eleanor Westmoreland English teacher John Mocny helping his students understand the poem “Humanity 101” by Denise Duhamel.

I’ve been teaching for almost a decade, and I’ve switched up things every year. It depends on the kids I’m teaching, what they need, and what I need to do to meet them where they are.

“

”

We all scream for local ice cream

From tasty treats to petting zoos, take an inside look at ice cream parlors in the Holt area

Grace LaubenthaL COPY EDITOR

Long days. Blazing heat. No school.

After a long day out in the sun, the thing people want most is ice cream. It isn’t a difficult decision to seek out a sweet conclusion to a summer day. The choice that proves to be harder to make, however, is where to get that ice cream from.

The Holt and Lansing areas have many options when it comes to ice cream. From shops right in our backyard to those a bit of a drive away, there are plentiful choices, and everyone is sure to be satisfied by at least one of the locations.

Sweet Sensations and Dairy Dan are the two most popular ice cream shops in town, and that popularity has led to a split when it comes to student preferences.

Each shop has its own charms, but one reason students who support Dairy Dan more is because of the longer season. Dairy Dan closes for the season in late October while Sweet Sensations closes around Labor Day.

Not only is there a difference in

when the shops close, but they have different opening dates as well.

Dairy Dan opened first this year, as per usual, in mid-February. Sweet Sensations, however, opened in mid-March, although their original opening date was planned to be at the beginning of April.

Another positive when it comes to Dairy Dan is that it has a drive through. It makes for a more convenient trip for people wanting a tasty treat at some point during the day.

Despite these positive qualities that Dairy Dan possesses, junior Presley Pazitka favors Sweet Sensations.

“I think my favorite ice cream shop is Sweet Sensations. They have lots of options that I love,” said Pazitka.

Pazitka also thinks that price and proximity are important factors when it comes to choosing which local ice cream shop is the best.

“I think Sweet Sensations is better than other ice cream shops because they are cheap compared to Dairy Dan. Sweet Sensations is also closer to my house and I think more people like it because it’s closer to town,” said Pazitka.

There are other shops in the area that don’t get as much attention, that portions of the student body love.

WHAT IS THE BEST ICE CREAM SHOP IN HOLT?

Senior Autumn Rockafellow works at Village Ice Cream and Cafe (Village), located in Dimondale. This shop is only a short ten minute drive from the high school and has plenty of things to bring to the table.

“The ice cream shop is a small one in Dimondale that offers pretty much any ice cream you could imagine, as well as a decently expansive food menu,” said Rockafellow.

Not only does Village have many options, but the shop brings things to the table that other shops do not. Rockafellow says that there is something different about the shop as opposed to others.

“The thing that is different about it is the quality of the ice cream. Both the soft serve and hand-dipped ice cream are really high quality. The hand-dipped ice cream there is better than that of others offered in the area.”

This is not the only thing that sets Village apart from the rest of the local ice cream shops.

“It has an indoor seating area where you can order, watch your ice cream or food be made, and then eat inside,” said Rockafellow.

Because of all of these qualities

that the shop possesses, Rockafellow thinks the shop is a top contender for the best local ice cream shop.

“I think that it is better than the competitors in the area. Given that it has indoor seating, it offers a certain atmosphere that you can’t get at the other places. Also, there is a full food menu which is not the case at the other places. I do believe that it is the best option in the area on the basis of the menu, quality, and service.”

With all of these factors working in Village’s favor, it isn’t difficult to see why many students enjoy the shop.

Sophomore Jaime Eddington is a supporter of Village and says it is her favorite local ice cream shop.

“It’s close to my house, there’s always nice people working there, and it’s just in a nice area. I like it better than other shops because it’s more convenient for me personally,” said Eddington.

Village has plenty of support from Holt students, but it isn’t the only other ice cream shop nearby that students love.

MOO-ville Creamery, which has its nearest establishment located in Eaton Rapids, is a family owned and operated ice cream parlor. MOO-ville

bottles their own milk and makes their own ice cream, cheese, and butter.

Not only this, but MOO-ville has one distinct quality that makes it entirely different from the other shops in the area. They have a petting farm.

This creamery’s petting farm houses 40 different animals including pigs, goats, chickens, and horses. They offer two feed cones for just $1, allowing visitors to feed and interact with their animals.

Although this shop is farther away from Holt than the others, the inclusion of a petting farm seems like it would make it stand out. However, its rating on Google is the same as that of Sweet Sensations and Village, at 4.7. The only shop with a lower rating is Dairy Dan, with an incredibly close rating of 4.6.

With each location having its own collection of positive and negative qualities, it’s hard to label only one ice cream parlor as the best around town.

Even with that being the case, it’s clear that almost everyone wants ice cream, whether it comes from one place or another.

HOLT HIGH SCHOOL RAMPARTS

Graphic by Grace Laubenthal

Photo by Grace Laubenthal

Dive into the crazy game of Caraval

Corinne Johnson ASSOSIATE COPY EDITOR

A game of mystery with a touch of romance. Well, more than just a touch of romance. The thing is, you have six days to find clues so your kidnapped sister doesn’t get murdered by the man who designed the game. Sounds like fun.

The book series, “Caraval,” was written by Stephanie Garber starting in 2016 with the final book of the trilogy being released in 2019. This was Garber’s first stretch into young adult fiction and demonstrated that even though she was new to the genre, she could hold her own. The storyline was very well written and I love the amount of color symbolism.

In my opinion, Scarlett was written with a mild form of synesthesia, an occurrence where the person sees color in accordance with certain sounds and smells. For example, this could be seeing the number five and associating it with the color green.

This isn’t how Garber used it though, as Scarlett tended to use

colors associated with emotions and taste, then describe the effect with descriptions that would fit in Wonderland.

I wasn’t a tremendous fan of this book series, but it still gets a three and a half stars, leaning towards three and three quarters out of five for me. According to reviews on Goodreads.com, a lot of people didn’t like the Caraval series. I admit that I was slightly disappointed with how quickly the story ended in the third book and my opinion was shared by a lot of reviewers.

The first book, “Caraval” is told in Scarlett’s perspective to set the story and the second book is told from Tella’s perspective while the third is told from both the sisters. The second book is called “Legendary” and the third is aptly named “Finale” to finish off the series. My favorite out of the three was “Legendary”.

The story follows Scarlett and Donatella (Tella), the daughters of an abusive man. Scarlett is filled with curiosity about Caraval, a magical show where the audience participates. Desperate to attend

the performance, Scarlett sent letters to the ringleader for years, never receiving a reply until she ended her final letter with the fact that she is going to get married. Upon learning this, the creator sends her and Tella invitations to the game.

As the older sister, Scarlett is about to enter an arranged marriage with a man she’s never met. Scarlett is anxious, yet excited about getting married since it gives her and Tella a chance to escape their father.

Tella is full-heartedly against the marriage, thinking it is too good to be true, so Tella recruits an obliging sailor named Julian to help her and Scarlett off the island just a few days before the wedding is scheduled to take place.

Tella and Scarlett are polar opposites despite being sisters, and, as a person with a brother, I liked that it showed how the sisters interacted with each other, albeit in a sometimes violent way. Tella is a smart girl and knows how to use her intelligence for both good and bad while Scarlett is often scared and timid around everyone, always

trying to protect her younger sister.

She is constantly trying to contain Tella and keep her safe, much to the dislike of her sister. She prefers to be in the middle of the party while Scarlett isn’t at the party because of her anxiety. Tella also has some form of anxiety, but she has an unhealthy habit of compensating for it by hooking up with random men and abusing alcohol.

This makes Tella one of my lesser liked characters because she constantly gets Scarlett in trouble, causing Scarlett to have to follow behind her and clean up what she left behind.

Upon arriving at the game, Tella disappears, kidnapped by the very maker of the game. Julian and Scarlett are then swept into the game despite just wanting to find Tella and get back home before the marriage is scheduled to take place. Everything

quickly goes wrong and Scarlett is thrust into the wild game of Caraval.

One of the things that I wasn’t a big fan of was the amount of romance and pining after a certain character. In Scarlett’s perspective, every dirty comment or insinuation resulted in her blushing and pretending to ignore the person who flustered her, most commonly Julian.

This quickly got annoying because of how often she was flustered, but, despite the romance, it quickly became worth the amount of flirtations. The action started to pick up around halfway through the book and that’s what kept me interested.

“Caraval” was very focused on Scarlett’s need to find Tella and the romance along the way. I prefer books with more action compared to romance, but I would recommend this book for people who like more romance based mysteries.

Jump into a world filled with magic, but be careful to not get lost

Caraval promotional; photo

Graphic by Corinne Johnson

ART & ENTERTAINMENT

Exploring the tunnel under Ocean Blvd.

Lana Del Rey makes a return to the scene with her eigth full length studio album

Jacob Mc Millen STAFF WRITER

Did you know that there is a tunnel under Ocean Blvd? Not literally speaking, but this is the title of the eighth studio album from the artist Lana Del Rey. Lizzy Grant, who performs under the stage name Lana, has been working hard on her music career for years.

Lana gained popularity with her first album “Born to Die,” with the songs “Summertime Sadness” and “Video Games.” The expansion of her career has led to an excitement from fans for what she has in store.

“Did you know that there’s a Tunnel under Ocean Blvd” (DYKTTATUOB) has a track list of 16 songs, which is one of Rey’s biggest albums, tied with “Lust for Life.” The album also has a great deal of features from other artists such as John Bastiste, SYML, Riopy, Father John Misty, Bleachers, and Tommy Genesis. This album contains a lot of firsts for Rey, including her ideas and inspiration for her album, influenced by her spoken word poetry. This album is a very experimental album for Rey, and sure to be an exciting one.

Track one on the album is a song titled, “The Grants.” “So many mountains too high to climb. So many Rivers so long, but I’m doin’ the hard stuff, I’m doing my time. I’m doin’ it for us, for our family life,” sang Del Rey. This song has a somber and gospel feel to it. Starting off with an audio clip of a rehearsal of a group singing gospel, and ending with the same angelic gospel sound. The song is primarily performed on the piano and classical stringed instruments. A classic Del Rey song, with a tiny twist in sound that feels fresh and new.

Track two is the album title track, “Did you know that there’s a Tunnel under Ocean Blvd.” “Harry Nilsson has a song, his voice breaks at 2:05. Something about the way he says ‘don’t forget me’ makes me feel like, I just wish I had a friend like him, someone to get me by,” sang Del Rey. This song features a more traditional version of her sound. The instrumentals feature strings, percussion, and what sounds like a synthesizer. A somber track that feels like my favorite Del Rey album, “Norman F**king Rockwell.” I like how she references something outside of the song. I can feel her spoken word poetry references.

The third track is titled “Sweet.”

“I’ve got magic in my hand, stars in my eyes, I’m a different kind of woman,” Del Rey sang. This song is very sweet sounding, accompanied by mellow and somber sounding instrumentals. It feels calm and, like any standard Lana Del Rey song, is, to its core, perfection.

The fourth track is titled “A&W.”

“I haven’t done a cartwheel since I was nine. I haven’t seen my mother in a long, long time. I mean, look at me, look at the length of my hair, my face, the shape of my body. Do you really think I give a damn what I do after years of just hearin’ them talking,” sang Del Rey. This song is a narrative told by Del Rey. She sings in a very spoken word feel, telling and describing things that talk about her life. The song transitions about halfway through to a more R&B style. This feels fresh for Del Rey, and it makes the song one of my favorites.

“Judah Smith Interlude” is the fifth track on the album. This track is a compilation of Judah Smith sermons. This is one of the two tracks on the album of this style. This is unlike anything I’ve seen before. I really like this inclusion. It’s nice to hear this, even if Smith’s views do not align with mine.

“Candy Necklaces” is the sixth track and first feature on the album. The song features Jon Batiste, using his bass vocal type to contrast with Del Rey’s. This song uses piano and simple strings to make a beautiful harmony. “You’ve been acting pretty reckless. Dancing like the young and restless. And I’m obsessed with this. All his candy necklaces,” sang Del Rey. This song feels simple, and the story is really easy to follow and fall into. The story of the song is nice too, being infatuated with someone and everything they do. I really like the way the piano dances with Del Rey’s voice; it is magical.

“The seventh, Jon Batiste interlude,” is another track where Del Rey isn’t the focus. This one is a simple instrumental with what appears to be Jon Batiste having a conversation. It wasn’t crucial to the album, but it was nice to listen to.

The eighth track is titled “Kintsugi.”

The title of this track is a marvelous one because kintsugi is the process of repairing broken ceramics, and it falls so cleanly into the lyrics. I love a good meaningful title. “So everyone was there, standin’ and laughin’, And I’m on the side with my tears streamin’ down,” sang Del Rey. This song

evokes strong emotions and feels like sitting in a booth in the corner listening to a woman on the mic speak.

“Fingertips” is the ninth track on the album. This song sounds like pleading and wondering for something. The desperation in Del Rey’s voice while asking important questions is so impactful to me as a listener. “Will the baby be alright? Will I have one of mine? Can I handle it even if I do?” Del Rey sang. Unlike the other songs, this one’s story is definitely one of the strongest. The title, “Fingertips,” is something that has soft and caring implications , and it seems like she is in need of that.

The tenth track titled, “Paris, Texas,” is a fresh feeling song. I really like the rhythms that Del Rey has created and the little whispers that echo what she is saying add a lot to the song. “I went to Paris (Texas) With a suitcase in my hand, I had to leave.” Lyrically this song isn’t crazy, but the way it is presented is really strong. This song also features SYML as a co-writer, but there is a little sample of his instrumentals, “I wanted to Leave.”

The eleventh track is a classic Del Rey wordy title:“Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he is deep-sea fishing.” This song also features RIOPY, sampling their song “Flo.” “Three white butterflies to know you’re near. I know you think that it took somebody else to make me beautiful, beautiful,” sang Del Rey. This song feels standard for Del Rey. It’s a solid, great inclusion on the album.

“Let the Light in” is the twelfth track and has more of a country feel to it with a vocal feature from Father John Misty. This is a great song, I like how she incorporates the title throughout the entirety, something I think she is skilled at. “Pick you up at home quarter to three. Ask you if you want somethin’ to eat. Drive around, get drunk, do it all over again,” Del Rey sang. This is a nice listen, and I enjoy the additional voice types.

The thirteenth track, titled “Margaret,” features Bleachers. This song is a story that is clean and easy to follow. This is not Del Rey’s first collaboration with Bleachers, and I hope it isn’t the last. “‘Cause when you know, you know, and when you’re old, you’re old. Like Hollywood and me, the diamond on your ring,” Del Rey sang. I adore this song, and I love whenever these two collaborate. With its casual lines and phrases that cue you back into the song, this is one of my favorites from Lana.

“Fishtail” is the fourteenth track on the album. This song has great lyrics, showing how Del Rey has a way of creating a soft imagery with the tone of her voice, no matter what she is singing about. “Palm trees in black and white, I like to watch them sway. You’re so funny, I wish I could skinny dip inside your mind,” sang Del Rey. This song tells about worries from a person who is pleading with someone not to pretend to care about them. In addition to the sadder theme of the song, there is a light and fun R&B beat in the background. I

really like the unique way this song is introduced.

“Peppers” is the fifthteenth track on the album and features Tommy Genesis, the first female feature on the album. This song has a trippy feel, almost like you let three songs play at once. The sound is groovy and has a beachy R&B vibe. This one is a favorite of mine from the her entire discography. “I threw caution to the wind, get on to the bike. Take a minute for myself, skinny dip in my mind. I’m in love, I’m in love,” Del Rey sang. This song feels fresh, like something you would hear at a party rather than a nightclub.

“Taco Truck x VB” is the final track on the album. “Oh, that’s why they call me Lanita. When I get down, I’m Bonita. Don’t come find me I’m in Reseda,” sings Del Rey. This song feels like a “kitchen sink” of a song. The way that Del Rey combines a variety of different sounds along with one of her old songs, and a personal favorite of mine, “Venice B**ch,” creates a new marvelous sound as a whole.

It’s a callback to the past to make something new and a wonderful wonderful way to end the album.

HOLT

A snapshot of spring sports

Taking a look at the Holt sports teams in action

senior Max Akright

Jada Price-Williams

“Baseball has been something that I have been working at my whole life, and it’s been a goal of mine to thrive ever since I’ve been at Holt.”

“Our softball team pushes each other. We know that we can do our best if we work together, and our coaches are really good at getting the best out of us.”

PHOTO EDITOR

Varsity softball player and sophomore Kara Sandberg makes pitches against Charlotte. PC: Jada Price-Williams

Varsity baseball player, senior Derek Walkington, catching a pitch. PC: Jada Price-Williams

Varsity baseball player, junior Cade Greene, pitches against Charlotte. PC: Jada Price-Williams

sophomore Sadie Laubenthal

Varsity softball player senior Abby Mccartney signalling to her other teammates. PC: Jada Price-Williams

JV tennis player, freshman Charlotte Larson, staying positive. PC: Ava Mullen

“My lacrosse goal for this year is to be the best starting pole that we have out on the field.”

Freshman Keegan Alward

Golfer Rylan Grasse making a drive. PC: Jada Price-Williams

Track and field senior players Dylean Arnold and Seneca Moore. PC: Jada Price-Williams

Junior track and field player Ella Marciniak-Jennings crossing the finsh line. PC: Jada Price-Williams

JV soccer player freshman Chloe Buckley waiting for game time. PC: Ava Mullen

“My motivations for lacrosse are my other teammates that push me harder, and wanting to be the best defenseman.”

“Lacrosse helps me get through the day. It drives me, and it’s always something to look forward to at the end of the day”

Sophomore Issac Netzel

Freshman Maggie Gillentine

March: a month of madness

Abe AlvArez STAFF WRITER

People from all over the country call it the “best sporting tournament to be created.”

From the upsets of the “power houses” to the Cinderella runs of lower seeded teams, since 2002, the winner of the NCAA basketball tournament has been nationally ranked inside the Ken Pom top 43 offensive efficiency and top 22 defensive efficiency. Going into this tournament, the door is wide open for anyone to be crowned champs.

ROUND OF 64:

Through the first day of 16 games, there were risers, fallers, and shockers. As the number 2, Arizonagets the door in the first round versus number 15, Princeton. Arizona was a favorite to win the title until their loss. Furman pulled out a last second shot to win their first tournament game since 1974 and stun Virginia. Top teams through the round of 64 are Alabama and Duke as they both won by more than 20 points in their first games. There was a riser in the tournament with that team being Penn State. They were placed as a 10 seed versus number 7, Texas A and M, and won by 20 in a game where they were the underdogs.

Day 2 of the first round did not disappoint. For only the second time in history, a 16 seeded team eliminated a 1 seed, as Fairleigh Dickinson beat Purdue 63-58 Big performances arose from the second wave of games from Adama Sanogo as he dropped 28 points and 13

rebounds for UConn, shooting 77% from the floor. The other big performance came from Creightons 7 footer, Ryan Kalkbrenner. His statline was 31 points and 7 rebounds with 79% from the floor.

ROUND OF 32:

With a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line, who is here to stay and who is meant to go home? Saturday brought a sleight of 8 exciting games. Furman’s run was upended early with a beat down by San Diego State University with a final score 7552. Princeton continued to dance, beating the Mizzou Tigers 78-63 and returning to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1967. The tournament's second 1 seed got eliminated in a nail biter. 8 seeded Arkansas completed the upset to move onto the sweet 16 for the third year in a row. Big performances Saturday included Alabama’s Jahvon Quinerly and Brandon Miller combining for more than half of their points.

The second day of the round of 32 was standard, with only three upsets. Michigan State was the biggest upset as they knocked off the number 2 Golden Eagles from Marquette. FDU's historic run came to an end in a close game against FAU with a score of 78-70. The Creighton Blue Jays knocked off 3 seeded Baylor 85-76, the Blue Jays still being a title favorite according to Ken Pom rankings. Top

Round by round updates through the March Madness tournament

point shot, Zags win 79-76.

FINAL 4:

performing teams from day two of the second round is a close call between the Miami Hurricanes as they beat Indiana 85-69. The second team tied for top performers are the Michigan State Spartans as they came in as 3.5 point underdogs and won 6960. Some of the top performances from March 19th are Kansas State's Markquis Nowell as he had 29 points and 9 assists helping the Wildcats advance to the sweet 16. Another outstanding performance from the game was Creightons guard, Ryan Membhard, who scored 30 points on over 50% from the field as he pushed the Blue Jays into the Sweet 16.

SWEET 16:

16 teams remain with only 2 of the 16 are the top seeded 1’s. Day one of the sweet 16 brought a lot of excitement through the college world. Kansas State beat MSU in a nail biter that ended in overtime 98-93. UConn continued to roll with ease, beating a round of 32 heroes Arkansas 88-65. Florida Atlantic’s Cinderella story continued as they beat Tennessee 62-55. We got a rematch of one of the best final 4 games in recent history as UCLA went head to head with Gonzaga and it did not disappoint. Gonzaga was dominant all game until midway through the second half as UCLA closed the 13 point deficit. Gonzaga ended up winning the game on a 3

Friday brought a four game sleight of eight teams as the only two one seeds played. San Diego State knocked off the 1 seed and champion favorites Alabama with a score of 71-64. Following the game, Miami came at Houston hot as they got the upset over the last 1 ranked seed in the tournament with a score of 89-75. Creighton crushed the Cinderella story from Princeton as they won by 11. The top performing team and players from the second day go to Miami and Nijel Pack from the Hurricanes.

ELITE 8:

Only 8 remain. Florida Atlantic continued to impress with a 3 point victory defeating a sizzling Kansas State team 79-76. ESPN’S best elite 8 matchup was Gonzaga vs UCONN as it was highly anticipated. UCONN stayed red hot as they showed no sign of fatigue or let down as they stomped Zaga 82-54.

Second sleight of games was just as impressive as the first. San Diego State continued to dance as they upset Creighton after being 2.5 point underdogs. Miami came ready to play as they were down by as much as 14 in the second half, they came back to win 88-71. UCONN became the favorite as their margin of victory was above 20 going into the final weekend.

As the final 4 came around, the country is shocked by the teams who've made it because this is the highest seeded final 4 in tournament history. First matchup was a thriller as it was a back and forth game until about half time and FAU was up by 12. San Diego was not ready to lay down and came out guns blazing and came back to win at the buzzer as Lamont Butler hit the dagger from mid range 72-71 final.

UCONN vs Miami, last game to punch their ticket to the natty. It was a shootout by UCONN as they held the lead all game and never looked back besides for a single tie midway through the first half. Adama Sanogo had the team high with a 21 and 10 double double. UCONN picked up their fifth double digit win of the tournament and continued to cruise into the ship.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP:

The biggest stage in college hoops was set, UConn versus San Diego State in the championship game. UCONN is familiar with these situations as they seek their fifth championship and SDSU seeks their first D1 championship. The Aztecs came out firing on all cylinders and took an early 6-2 lead. UCONN turned it around quickly and finished at the half up 12. SDSU came out of the half sizzling getting within 5 points, UCONN denied their push though and won their 5th natty 76-59. This March brought lots of surprises and excitement. It was one of the greatest years in terms of upsets and underdogs. This was the first year since 2011 there wasn't a 1 seeded team in the final 4. With the UConn win, it’ll be a toss up on if they are or aren't blue blood after this season.

Following the win we witnessed the “GOAT” retire as Jim Nantz made his final call on the national stage and signed off with one last “hello, friends.”

All photos designed in canva by Abe Alvarez